Forum:Estelle Baudelaire

The Open-Ended Questions

A. Please answer the following questions as elaborately as possible. (Remember, this part is only a requirement for your third to fifteenth character! However, if you want to have more input on where you character is sorted, then please answer #6!)

1) What would you consider to be your character's strengths, and your character's weaknesses? Elaborate on your answer.


 * Strengths:


 * Estelle's suitably spontaneous, making her fun to be around, and there's always a refreshing new lease on life coming from her, the optimist.
 * She rarely judges anyone, unless her family push her to do so. There isn't much that Estelle wouldn't do for her family, even if she doesn't understand their obsession with business.
 * Being adventurous isn't always a bad thing.
 * Weaknesses:


 * Estelle's much like her uncle Cyril in the 'wait for things that take hard work to come to you' mentality. This rarely gets anyone anywhere. This can come across as laziness or arrogance.
 * She's also quite naive; she doesn't necessarily understand how much of the world around her operates, especially not the world of business that her family are so deeply involved in, because she's always distanced herself from it.
 * Her spontaneity can often a) make her indecisive/unproductive b) get her into trouble, or c) put her in danger.

2) What goals and objectives has your character set out in their life? Is it to be successful and rich? Is it to find happiness? Why?


 * Estelle has quite distinct objectives in comparison to those of her siblings, and overall family - and her objectives have never included any claim to her grandfather's company, Baudelaire Corporations. Rather, Estelle's main objective is to find a career path, and a general life situation that makes her feel like she's living. It's not one of those 'I just want to be normal' complexes, she enjoys the life of luxury she gets at home too much for that, it's just that she's bored of the constant day to day this-and-that going on around the house, about the company, always about the company. With the notable exception of her father, of course, he prefers the natural home lifestyle. Maybe it's him that keeps her down-to-earth some of the time.

3) What's their ideal way of spending a free day? Why so?


 * The youngest Baudelaire is an artist, not unlike her elder cousin Louis (who she admires somewhat) yet with a different medium. You could amuse Estelle with pencils and paper all day. She's tried music, but she just didn't seem to have the affinity for that. Photography is another medium she's considered, and she might start trying that out at the Quidditch games at Hogwarts. She's never really flown, never really felt the need to, but it's interesting enough to watch sport.

4) If your character could only keep 5 possessions, what would they be? Why?


 * I don't think it'd be humanly possible for Estelle to choose five things only. 


 * Literally everything has a sentimental memory attached to it. She'd sooner not leave and probably die than pick favourites, most likely.

5) What one thing would your character change about the wizarding society? Why?


 * Estelle is honestly fine with the way wizarding society is, mostly, with the notable exception of how non-humans and non-wizards are treated, because she's not judgemental like that.

6) What house does your character want to be in? What house does your character not want to be in? Why?
 * Estelle really doesn't mind - she has figures in her life that have been in every house at Hogwarts. She could be in Gryffindor like her father Francois and cousin Louis; Hufflepuff like her sister, Lisette; Ravenclaw like her aunt Celine and her cousin Philippe - or Slytherin like her mother Olympe. The Baudelaires are a mixed bunch.

The Sorting Quiz

B. Select the option that best fits your character. (Remember, this part is a requirement for every character you make! Please bold the answers from an IC Point of View, and mark in italics the answers from the OOC Point of View.)

1) Which type of spell is most useful?


 * A. A Complex Spell


 * B. A Spell Of Control


 * C. A Combat Spell


 * D. A Healing Spell

2) What is most important to you?


 * A. Grades.


 * B. Getting your way.


 * C. Life.


 * D. Friends and family.

3) What would you do if a teacher caught you cheating?


 * A. I'm the person people cheat off of.


 * B. I wouldn't get caught; I'm too slick.


 * C. I would deny the accusation until the teacher gives up.


 * D. I would 'fess up, apologize, and accept the consequences.

4) What matters most to your character?


 * A. Wisdom


 * B. Reputation


 * C. Success


 * D. Friendship

5) What's the best way to get things done?


 * A. Putting together a qualified team and completing the task efficiently.


 * B. Trick someone else into doing the work for you.


 * C. Get some friends together and lead them in the task.


 * D. The right way, no matter how long it takes.

The Character's Background

1) Give a description of your character's personality. Are you noble or sneaky? Arrogant or Humble? Anything about your character that might help the Sorting Hat decide. (Don't worry, you can copy this onto your character page later!) (Remember, personality must be at least one paragraph long for the first two characters, two paragraphs long for the third to eighth characters, and three paragraphs long for the ninth to fifteenth!)


 * Estelle Baudelaire, the free-spirited little star of the Baudelaire family, and the youngest Baudelaire overall, is just as much the socialite as the rest of her family. She's very well-experienced in the "youngest favouritism" and undergoes the constant conflict between enjoying the attention her age gets her while also wanting to be treated like a grown up. She knows her manners, of course she does, and is careful to observe them (most of the time) especially around her family's business acquaintances - but still feels the childish yearning for something more. The curiosity, if you like, of what lays beyond the luxurious lifestyle they lead. (Whatever she finds out, she won't give it up. She likes always being able to have exactly what she wants and nothing less.)


 * She's a dreamer. Her head's in the stars, really, not interested in the realistic ambitions of her family. She's got a mentality much like her Uncle Cyril - don't work too hard for anything, wait for it to come to you - with the exception of travel, because she can just up and go if she wants to. 'Being adventurous isn't always a bad thing. 'Estelle's suitably spontaneous, making her fun to be around, and there's always a refreshing new lease on life coming from her, the optimist. Her spontaneity can often a) make her indecisive/unproductive b) get her into trouble, or c) put her in danger.


 * She rarely judges anyone, unless her family push her to do so. There isn't much that Estelle wouldn't do for her family, even if she doesn't understand their obsession with business.  She's also quite naive; she doesn't necessarily understand how much of the world around her operates, especially not the world of business that her family are so deeply involved in, because she's always distanced herself from it. Her position of always having what she's wanted doesn't make her feel superior in any way to other people, she accepts she just grew up differently because she was fortunate.


 * Estelle's energetic, but this doesn't go into work more so than having the time of her life. She likes to find the fun that's directly in front of her in the moment rather than that which takes work. As her energy is very profound, so too are her emotions. Estelle's very sensitive to the emotions of both herself and others, and the emotions this results in are very vivid. (Seriously, don't take her to see a sad movie - she'll flood the whole place with her tears.) Her emotions are largely routed out by her work as an artist; you can keep her entertained for hours with a pencil and paper. She wants to see things, too, though, and she hopes that Hogwarts helps her with that goal.

2) Write about the history of your character. How did they grow up? Is there an incident that made them the way they are? etc. (Again, you can copy this onto your character page later!) (Remember, history must at least be two paragraphs long for the first two characters, three paragraphs long for the third to eighth character, and four paragraphs long for the ninth to fifteenth character!)


 * The Baudelaire family had always been a respected and affluent family, hailing from Versailles, France. Historically, the Heraldic Family had been staunch and loyal advisors to the French Crown, which had not gone unnoticed. The Baudelaires held many Crownlands, titles and revere in Court. The Baudelaires were known for their shrewd, calculated and cunning ways. You see, while they were loyal to the crown, and carried out their orders dutifully, it was not done for King and Crown, necessarily.


 * The Baudelaires had a family motto. Esto quod esse videris. 'Be what you seem to be'. They were seen to be loyal and powerful, so that is what they became. However, in 1789, when talks of a Revolution began spreading in France, the Baudelaires were the first of the Aristocracy to catch whiff of this. They were able to evade any collateral damage from the grisly affair by publicly showing their support to the resistance before the execution of Louis XVI in 1793. The Baudelaires here showed their true colours and ability to adapt into a position which resulted in the least amount of harm for themselves. Self preservation, and calculation is what allowed the Baudelaires to flourish.


 * After the revolution, and the start of the French Empire under Napoleon Bonaparte, the ambitious Baudelaires began climbing the social ladder once more. They did so by taking control of French printing presses, and publishing pro-Napoleonic propaganda, and providing insights into his campaigns and conquests abroad. Slowly, they began to regain their name. By the fall of the Empire, after the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, the Baudelaire's did not require Napoleon or the approval of high society, because they had already become such influencers in the industry. They monopolised the newspaper market, and nothing would be published without their consent. As time went on, they retained their high societal position.


 * Never a family to stay content, the Baudelaires began expanding their empire. In 1905, Olivié Baudelaire and her husband, Bastien launched Baudelaire Sociétés (Baudelaire Corporations), an official producer and distributer or newspapers, magazines and academic journals in France. This period of the Baudelaire Family history was extremely exciting as radios were beginning to emerge, and by the start of the First World War, the Baudelaires began introducing Wireless to the Magical French Population. They would report the effects of the war to the magical community, and it was groundbreaking, as this was a concept completely newfangled to communities, who were so used to owl post delivering newspapers until then.


 * The Baudelaires enjoyed a modicum of success in France, but when the men of the family got called into war during the Second World War. Unable to avoid conscription, they went, and unfortunately, very few returned. The Baudelaires decided that, after the war and all the horrible effects it had on the family, they would relocate, and start afresh. The family had been wounded, and now it was time to heal.


 * So, in 1947, two years after the war, The Baudelaires had set their affairs into order, and sorted out their business plans, and moved to Belgravia, in London. London had been equally economically and sociopolitically devestated by the war, but the Baudelaire's saw this as an opportunity for them to take over the markets immediately. What was innovative about the Baudelaire Corp. moving to the UK was that they still continued to trade in France, along with their new startups in England. This system allowed them to make twice as much as they used to, and it meant that the family could spend summers and winters in France, whilst remaining in London for business seasons.


 * All was well for a while, until there was a slight problem in France. Gaspard Baudelaire's father, Augustiné, was found guilty for embezzling funds from Baudelaire Sociétés in France to pay for illegal nontradeable goods on the down low. Augustiné was jailed, but his wife and only son fled back to London to safety. The French faction of Baudelaire Corporations was shut down and disbanded, so all they had now was the London Office.


 * Gaspard, at the tender age of eighteen, now had the business thrust upon his shoulders. But Gaspard had always inherited his father's business acumen, so he took to it like a moth to a flame. He married his childhood sweetheart, Mirabelle DuBois, a silvertongued journalist who spun words into gold. It was a perfect match. Mirabelle produced content, and Gaspard distributed it nationwide.


 * The company was back on it's feet, and soon Gaspard and Mirabelle had to consider the future of the company. With Gaspard being an only child, finding a successor was of utmost importance. They had three children. First was Charlemagne, the intelligent and innovative eldest son. A bright Ravenclaw alum, Charlemagne married fellow Ravenclaw Céline LeClair.


 * Next was Olympé, a talented and shrewd businesswoman. Olympé was no-nonsense and loyal to the Baudelaire name and family. She was so devoted that when she married a Wizarding Wireless Network executive, Francois Mercier, she kept her maiden name, along with giving it to her children.


 * Finally, they had Cyril. The youngest of the siblings, and the most talented. Charming and gregarious, but far too lazy to unleash his full potential; Cyril took to living a life of luxuriousness and decadence. After Gaspard died from natural causes, Charlemagne took over as Managing Director and CEO of Baudelaire Corporations, with Olympé, Cyril, Mirabelle, Céline and Francois making up the Board of Directors.


 * Olympé had three children with Francois, all of whom kept the Baudelaire name. The first was [Risa's Char]. The second was Lisette, who would become a magizoologist and then a writer for the Witch Weekly magazine, owned by their grandmother Mirabelle. And the last and final one was Estelle Baudelaire, now a thirteen-year-old aspiring artist. From a young age Estelle wanted to be just like her older sister, and also was very close with her uncle, Cyril - but she was closest to her grandmother, who seemed to be the most supportive. Not that she doesn't love the rest of her family. Estelle's always been closer to her father than her mother, but that's because she's never wanted to bother Olympé - she's always had the sense that the business was pivotal to the way the Baudelaires live, so she's never wanted to risk jepoardizing that just because she might want attention. That said, there's still a deep admiration for her mother there.


 * Estelle's first sign of magic came along when she was five. It was clear by then that she'd be a more creative child, and one that needed more of the outside world by means of exploration. It was only a display of fireworks over the grounds, really, but she'll dramatise it if you ask. She can't stand being boring, being bored, or being considered boring. She was always good at the more sociable side, like when they had their business acquaintances over for dinner. While she's every bit the socialite her family is, the responsibility that comes with business, and the stress she's seen everyone going through, isn't something she's ever had a taste for. She's rather more like her Uncle Cyril, in the 'waiting for things that take hard work to come to you' respect. Like both her siblings before her, she began attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where she was sorted into ____. She is beginning her third year there this term.


 * The Baudelaires flourished, continuing the business, with the late Gaspard's grandchildren even getting involved in the family business. All was well, until Charlemagne died. The news came as a shock to all, as he was not of ill health. A fishing trip to Weymouth, Dorset went south when allegedly, Charlemagne's boat capsized due to a freak wave and ill timing of the tide. The coroner's official cause of death was drowning, and that was that. Questions arose from the death - what was he doing away from the group? Why were there no witnesses? Was there any foul play? But the most important one remained unanswered: who will take over the company? Charlemagne died at the age of 47, so his will was incomplete. He had not named a successor yet, and it could have been anyone - from his siblings to his children to his siblings' children. The possibilities were endless, and the Baudelaires now find themselves facing the biggest challenge: to remain united as a family as they choose a successor.

3) Write about your character's appearance. What do they look like? Are you planning on using a certain model for your character? If you already have a picture in mind, you can put it here!


 * Her FC is Tamzin Merchant.

4) Is your character a Pure-Blood, Half-Blood or Muggle-Born? Do you have any notable magical relations? (Remember, you cannot be related to important Harry Potter characters!)


 * Pure-Blood

5) Does your character have any special magical abilities? Or special abilities in general (photographic memory, etc.)? Is he or she of a different magical race, such as Veela, Vampire, Werewolf or the like? Part or half of that magical race counts! (Remember, you cannot have a character with special abilities/of a different magical race as one of your first two characters!)


 * Nope

6) What year is your character in?
 * Third

OOC Questions

C. These do not affect what house you're sorted to, but everybody must answer them!

1) Is this your first character?


 * A. This is my first character.


 * B. No, this is not my first character.

2) If your answer to the previous question is B, how many characters do you have? How many of them are "exotic" (of a different magical race/have a special ability)?
 * 9 / 2