Application for lastvoyages
User Name/Nick: Al
User LJ: cottonandice
AIM/IM: AIM at yrbirdcanscene or PM via character LJ.
E-mail: aleecat [at] gmail [dot] com
Other Characters: N/A
Character Name: Bellatrix Lestrange
Series: Harry Potter
Age: 47
From When?: Following her defeat at the Battle of Hogwarts during The Deathly Hallows.
Inmate/Warden: Inmate. Bellatrix is an unrepentant sadist and murderess. (For now.)
Item: N/A
Abilities/Powers: In convenient wiki form! I understand and accept any imposed ability limitations.
A witch of prodigious skill, having fought in both the First and Second Wizarding Wars, Bellatrix is a more than capable duellist. This has been more than proven as she has held her own against three others simultaneously. She boasts having learnt the Dark Arts from Voledmort himself, and is exceptionally skilled with the Unforgivable Curses. She is also able to deflect curses and shield herself with charms at an alarming rate, making her defences tough to break. Like all witches and wizards, Bellatrix requires a wand for her spellcraft, but rarely requires verbal commands.
A skilled Occlumens, Bellatrix also passed her skill down to her nephew, Draco, proving her a capable teacher of the arts. In addition to Occlumency, she also has a firm grasp of Transfiguration, and Conjuration. She has some affinity for spells related to fire. Bellatrix is also shows a certain aptitude for flight, able to easily engage in battle on broomstick.
She also has some proficiency with more "mundane" weaponry. Bellatrix is able to use a knife, as well as use it as a throwing weapon, and has been known to wield her transfigured wand as a whip.
Personality: At her base, Bellatrix Lestrange is a sociopath; she delights in the pain of others, whether it furthers her ends or not. Cruel and narcissistic, she places importance on blood purity, and is fanatically devoted to her Dark Lord. While being exceptionally cunning, Bellatrix is also prone to fits of unbridled anger - a trait she shares with her cousin, Sirius Black.
Bellatrix comes from the House of Black, a pureblood lineage. She has no tolerance for those who would muddy their lines by marrying into half-blood families, or worse, Muggles. Even Muggle sympathisers have been summarily blasted off the face of the Black Family Tree and consequently disowned. When Bellatrix's own sister, Andromeda, married Muggle-born Ted Tonks, she cut off all contact with her, and wanted nothing to do with her mudblood child Nymphadora. Though she'd never admit it, it pained her greatly to do so. She had always hoped the man was just a phase that her sister would grow out of. Blood may be thicker than water, but pride and purity are valued above blood in Bellatrix's eyes.
That said, Bellatrix is not incapable of love or affection. There are simply very few that have secured it. Most notably, Lord Voldemort had Bella's unwavering devotion. Though she married Rodolphus Lestrange, it was merely a contract to satisfy the requirements of a keeping both their bloodlines pure, and not out of some romantic notion. Her true love has been and remains Lord Voldemort. Her youngest sister, Narcissa, and Narcissa's son Draco also have some shred of Bellatrix's love, however twisted it may present itself.
Rodolphus too has Bellatrix's love and devotion (to a lesser extent than Voldemort), but the two are not lovers. They had plans at one time to fulfil their duties to their respective lineages and produce pureblood children, but fate (none but what they made) had other plans for them. As it stands, he is her friend, companion, and ally on the field of battle. She takes a great deal of pleasure in knowing that she has Rodolphus wrapped around her little finger, and believes that is as it should be. While there's very little he wouldn't do for her, her own levels of devotion are not a match, and she will forever put the Dark Lord, his desires, and her own personal well-being above her husband.
But make no mistake, those who would seek to come between Bellatrix and Rodolphus - on any terms but her own - will incur her wrath.
Amongst the wizarding world, Bellatrix's name is one that is feared, be it among those who opposed the Dark Lord, or even those who served under him. She's deranged and fierce, stopping at nothing to serve her Dark Lord, and preserve or further her standing with him. Her bloodlust is well documented, though she takes a sadistic glee at times in leaving her victims alive, such as Alice and Frank Longbottom, whom she helped torture into insanity. She believes her loyalty was proven by her incarceration at Azkaban Prison, while others she served with claimed to be charmed or coerced into doing the Dark Lord's bidding.
It bears noting that Bellatrix doesn't believe that half-bloods and Muggle-borns should be wiped out of existence entirely. Quite the contrary, they do serve their purpose. As lower class citizens, they at least can do the tasks that keep society functioning that are perceived to be beneath those of superior breeding like herself. And while she believes bloodlines should remain pure, she doesn't see much wrong with taking someone of a lower status as a lover, as long as it isn't to dilute that purity. She herself had a brief tryst with a half-blood when she was young - before she was completely enamoured by Lord Voldemort, and her marriage to Rodolphus. Though she has never had an affair outside of her marriage (as Voldemort was always incapable of fostering those sorts of feelings for another person), she is aware of and encourages her husband seeking that sort of companionship elsewhere.
Arriving at the Barge will be something of a shock for Bellatrix, but something she won't have too much difficulty reconciling. She's endured Azkaban before, and will consider this experience to be of a similar ilk. The notion of rehabilitating and seeking redemption, however, is foreign to her and not one she's ready to play along with.
Path to Redemption: Bellatrix is going to be difficult to rehabilitate, to say the least. This task, however, is not impossible. Just one that will require a certain amount of patience and tenacity on the part of her warden. She must be broken of her belief that magic is might. That is to say, that Muggles are essentially worthless and should be ruled over by the wizarding world.
Things will be complicated by the fact that in the past she has viewed imprisonment as a display of further devotion to Lord Voldemort. This is also a belief that she must be broken of. With Voldemort gone (presuming he doesn't wind up aboard the barge at some point during her redemption), the reinforcement she would have received for her sacrifice will never come. Essentially, she needs to come to accept that her status as an inmate and unwillingness to repent will not serve her, let alone the Dark Lord.
Having Rodolphus aboard will present a rather unique challenge, as the two are rather cyclical in feeding off each other's convictions. That said, his presence can really only help her in the long run, as Rodolphus will likely be the easier of the pair to turn, and he likely stands a better chance of getting through to her than most. That isn't to say that he should be her warden - he shouldn't, as she's highly likely to cause him to backslide in the initial stages of his own redemption - but contact with him can be beneficial.
Her use of magic to hurt and torment others needs to end. She needs to somehow unlearn the glee she feels from the act of torture. This glee ultimately stems from the feeling of superiority she gets from making others suffer, and one way or another, Bellatrix needs to realise this is wrong. The use of Unforgivables must cease entirely. Her murderous tendencies must also be quelled. She must learn some sense of remorse for her actions and the pain she's caused others.
Bellatrix needs to be made to realise that her loyalty to Voldemort is truly one-sided, and while he may have nurtured that loyalty, he felt little for her beyond the satisfaction of having her so totally devoted to him and his cause. She has been obviously in love with him for literal decades, and it is time that she let go of that, and move on from it, even if that love doesn't entirely diminish. Her feelings for him are at the core of her belief system.
History: I have a link for this, too!
Sample Journal Entry: It's been a long, long time since I've been in a position to employ deception in this way. I never made it any secret who held my allegiances during the First War, but it wasn't until its conclusion that I abandoned all pretence that I could have been under the Imperius Curse.
Ridiculous! All the fools who claimed coercion to avoid imprisonment at Azkaban... He knows his own, and who remained his most loyal. Barty, Rabastan, Rodolphus, myself. We alone proved our worth. I don't begrudge Lucius entirely for his decision. Though I find it cowardly, he did well in the name of our Dark Lord in his absence. And he looked after Cissy. Though she hardly needs looking after. She is more than capable. She always has been; she's of the noble house of Black.
None of these people know who I am, or where I've been. And while insulting, this is an opportunity. A great opportunity not to be missed. So I'll pretend as though the Muggles don't disgust me, and feign less confidence in my own self and abilities. I can recall what it was like when the army was building. What tricks I had to employ then. The deceptions I let linger until it was too late for anyone to do anything about them. Yes, I will take a page from the Malfoy handbook. I can employ such methods as well as any Slytherin worth their salt.
I will not give up on my Lord. He will return to us. He will return to me, his most faithful. And I shall be ready for him, with followers ready to do his bidding. I will stand at his side once again, to act as his right hand.
As I have always been.
----
(From dear-mun)
What is the meaning of this? First you concoct me in that fragile little Muggle mind of yours, which certainly was unable to contain me, and now you've gone and trapped me in this... computer,you called it? Relegated me to this journal? The name isn't even creative, you pitiful creature! Best Lieutenant? While no doubt true, as I am my Dark Lord's most faithful servant, that was the best you could come up with?
This sets a lovely precedent for your ability to actually control me, Mundane. You have your eye on two games, one of which you are incredibly unlikely to manage to app into. The second, you have mere hours to finish your application if you want in this month. And here you are, staring at this community and demanding that I speak to you? That I grant you my voice?
You are unworthy. What's that? Your ickle friends feel we're a good fit? You're pathetic.
Try it, if you must. Whatever charms you've used to hold me here, they will not last. The Dark Lord himself has instructed me, and I will find my way out of here, and away from this prison. I already escaped Azkaban once. This will be markedly less difficult.
Enjoy it while it lasts, Mundane.
Sample RP: Done in by a Weasley? How can this be? Bellatrix is aware of her moment of defeat, acutely so in fact, seconds too late. Could it be that she underestimated the blood traitor? It hardly matters now, does it?
Or does it?
Studying her reflection in a puddle of murky water, it would seem that her defeat has been greatly exaggerated. Bellatrix doesn't recall arriving in this place, grey and dull countryside with drizzle dampening her hair and robes. But here she does stand, seemingly whole and otherwise hale and healthy, as the saying goes.
There's a flicker of crooked teeth as her lip curls upward. A look about and pat down has revealed that she's unarmed. First thing is first, she must locate a wand. Then, she must discover news of her Dark Lord. It must be he that pulled her from death's embrace, mustn't it? Only he could have such power.
With a wicked grin at the thought, Bella finds herself eager to thank him for it.
Special Notes: I would be totally good with having Bellatrix without magical ability - save perhaps Occlumency which is by all accounts a wandless magic, but I'm good with dropping that as well - to begin with on the Barge. The power/ability section details what Bellatrix is capable of when in full control of her abilities.