Ligeia Canterbury
 | |
| Polly Esther Ligeia Canterbury | |
|---|---|
| Biographical Information | |
| Born | 2 February 1993, 25 |
| City of Birth | Mould-on-the-Wold |
| Residence | Canterbury Estate |
| Blood status | Pure-blood |
| Physical Information | |
| Gender | Female |
| Height | 5'5" |
| Hair Colour | White |
| Eye Colour | Lavender |
| Skin Colour | White, Albino |
| Marks/Tattoos | Her eyes can dart back and forth involuntarily (nystagmus) and can worsen with stress, reduced vision and coordination. Sometimes seen when she isn't wearing dark glasses. |
| Relationships | |
| Father | Argyle Canterbury |
| Mother | Hannah Darrion |
| Siblings |
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| Extended Family | |
| |
| Pet(s) | Buzzard, Griffon Vulture Yomiel, cat (worse than a Red Cap) |
| Magical Characteristics | |
| Wand(s) | |
| |
| Patronus | Vulture |
| Education | |
| School | Hogwarts |
| House | Ravenclaw |
| Class of | 2011 |
| Occupation | |
| |
| Character Information | |
| Playby | Nastya Kumarova |
| Will | |
Polly Esther Ligeia Canterbury is an albinistic aristocratic Ravenclaw Graduate (Class of 2011). Lacking pigment in her eyes, hair and complexion, she nonetheless is able to live life fully with magical assistance. Her outfits are more prime for a costume drama, usually white or black, and when outside she's always under a black parasol. Although outgoing, many at Hogwarts and beyond will vouch for her creepiness and macabre tastes. Her pet vulture, Buzzard, awaits for something to drop dead so he can eat it.
She is the youngest daughter of Wizengamot member Argyle Canterbury and half-sister of Griffon Manley. In fact, she's related to a lot of people, addressing those outside her immediate family as "Aunt" or "Uncle" when they are actually half-siblings.
Pronunciation: accepted - lie-GEE-uh; extra classy! - lie-SCHEE-uh (a soft 'g')
- See also: Ligeia Canterbury's Passport
- Supporting Roles: Zel Trumble and His Troubles, Figaro Muzzled
Avatar Gallery
Origin
Argyle Canterbury was on wife number seven, Hannah Darrion (as in officially married) when he had his two youngest daughters, Polka-Dot (elder by 6 years) and Polly Esther Ligeia. The sire of scores of children and a storied career in the MLE and Wizengamot, he was getting into his senile years when Polka-Dot and Ligeia grew up, so the two were rather spoiled. Polka-Dot took more after their mother, Hannah, being a conventional beauty (compared to Ligeia's ethereal beauty) interested in fashion and travel.
Ligeia was born with albinism. Her first few years of life kept her cooped up in the Canterbury Estate, an eclectic manor home to various Canterbury relations over the decades. Likewise, she favored nightmare & winter compared to the harsh summer sun if she was without shade or remedy. Ligeia took more after Papa Argyle, seeing him more like a grandfather than her actual father for a time; Much to her older (much older) siblings' collective horror. Efforts to help her skin and vision conditions saw Ligeia learn the crossbow and join in on family hunting trips, to say nothing of her familiarity with Argyle's more gruesome cases and dark artist arrests. She takes to going by her middle name rather than her given name, Polly Esther. Yet, although increasingly gothic and macabre in her tastes, Ligeia always held a compassion that saw romantic redemption in areas most would chalk up as loss causes. Her 6th birthday present, the sponsorship of a tortured former Gringotts dragon Shackles, rescuing a young vulture chick on the trail of a manticore, and compelling the request to employ Stumps as the estate caretaker are a few of the ways young Ligeia could wrap Argyle around her finger.
She was frightfully spoiled, what with her terrifying first impression; yet spoiled very sweet, as her kindness and altruism shine through like a night star.
Recently at AO
It's been some months since Ligeia has been promoted from trainee to fully fledged healer on the Potion & Plant Poisonings floor at St. Mungo's. She's busy with some research proposals and work beyond the hospital as a magical-forensic analyst. Back home at the Canterbury Estate, when she isn't encouraging Papa Argyle to complete his memoirs before his centennial birthday, she's planning something special for a class reunion party in the spring...
1st to 5th years, OWL
Ligeia was eager to attend Hogwarts, likely the most eccentric pureblood of her decade. By the time of her debut she was very outspoken, kooky, antiquated and seemingly immune to others' opinions about her creepy interests or twisty family tree. For awhile Slytherin house wondered if she should have been housed in the dungeon, although the Sorting Hat saw that her wit & enthusiasms were destined for Ravenclaw, like Luna Lovegood and Ulric the Oddball before her.
As much Ligeia studied Dark Arts related topics, ultimately it would be far too judgemental to consider her a dark witch. She did befriend most of the castle ghosts, favoring Moaning Myrtle's bathroom for gossip, and Buzzard was the scavenger menace to many an owl and creature on the permitted grounds. Somehow, if you weren't immediately depressed upon conversing with her about the deadliest plants, creatures & potions and more to be found in the curriculum, her strange optimism could rub off on you. Her brand of school extra-curriculars included target practice with her crossbow and silver-plate photography with a daguerreotype camera. The blinding flash from the latter wasn't appreciated by the Ravenclaw Quidditch team right before practice.
Third year sees her take a few electives: Arithmancy, Creatures and Divination. The first becomes a dreadful subject for her, not at all what she had hoped, although she sits the class her whole 3rd year before dropping it. The most 'exciting' thing to happen tangentially related to the subject, in Ligeia's opinion, was discovering a flower and vegetable hexed 1st year stranded in the Trophy Room and escorting him to the Hospital Wing. She never considered Muggle Studies, as she has read all the great folklores of the world and literature up through Edgar Allan Poe & Nathanial Hawthorne. Thus, everything she needs to know about muggles, and she's quite oblivious to current events outside the magical world to this day.
Ligeia also has a reputation for delivering presents wrapped in black ribbon and spiderwebs, often sourced from Knockturn Alley. Surprisingly thoughtful gifts once you get past first appearances, much like her, including enchanted spider-shaped trimmers and painted skulls as decorative bowls that tell jokes.
Her approach to coursework is more widespread than her vehement passions would attest, as she has top marks and excellent references, what with so many relatives with their own unique careers across wixkind that are only an owl's correspondence away. Actual nepotism if Argyle's influence is directly involved. Her own academic specialty is innovative potions brewing, of the "another fantastic failure!" outlook towards self-improvement. In June of 2009 she sits her O.W.L.s:
- Outstanding: History, Potions, Charms, Defense, Creatures
- Exceeds Expectations: Astronomy, Divination, Herbology, Transfiguration
She drops History for similar life-philosophies as her centuries behind muggle literature knowledge. From Prof Binns the ghost to Knox Greyfriar to Hildegarde Austerlitz, she's learned all could about giant wars, goblin rebellions and dark wixes. During the latter half of her 5th year Ligeia is oddly unsure about the future, recognizing that while sociable, a lot of her current standing is due to family privilege. She's been an ivory skinned & ivory towered aristocrat, at the time unsure of where to find a useful career for her predilections towards the macabre. Her Head of House, Tapendra Trishna is professional if unnerved about her during career counseling. Sitting Divination Prof Ananke Cosmos offers Ligeia a tarot reading which she takes to with earnest. Suggested careers included the Dept of Mysteries, a magizoology clinic or St. Mungo's.
Besides an annual visit to Shackles, she aims to volunteer at St. Mungo's instead of further summer vacation. She's present during the WBA attack on the hospital, training under Maude Oggwax and encountering a disguised Darius Gabor. During a lunch visit her efforts impress Uncle Griffon for her core 6 grades (Charms, Transfiguration, Defense, Potions, Herbology, Creatures), practical subjects unlike the History she dropped or Astronomy and Divination still on her docket. While she asks about Ministry positions he doesn't take kindly to her blatant use of magic while still underage.
Ligeia is a patron of Sellaphix Apothecary as she buys bulk ingredients for her 6th year studies. Catching Figaro Sellaphix in the doldrums of his family summer job, she's quite perceptive of his genuine character. The two bond over both questioning their futures and whether they put their names in the Goblet of Fire during the upcoming TetraWizard Tournamet. Both are also present at the house party when Fauna Blake and other recent graduates looking into auror training move into the Radford Estate. Considering she'll need more active wear if she ever became a Champion, Ligeia reschedules a consultation with tailor Darian Morgan during one of the last summer scorchers.
6th & 7th years, NEWT
Although much earlier than the start of term, the opening ceremonies for the TetraWizard Tournament are a fine change of pace to the usual run up to the school. Ligeia certainly knows how to make an entrance during the festival dances. During the Ceilidh, a bagpipe heavy number, she steps in to join Étienne Miroux during the change of partners. Cultural outreach with a side of wondering if she too could make him nauseated like some of the other dancers not used to the rapid spinning. At the Salem dance floor, a song by the Wild Beings are enhanced by color enchantments, as Ligeia is made green to find a matching partner.
Retreating to Puddifoot's from her afternoon of dances, Ligeia enjoys her Terr-Oh! over her favored Klatchian Brew coffee. She reunites with house mates Alexandra Carstairs & Envy Katakura.
Come the Sorting Feast, Ligeia is announced as a 6th year Prefect for Ravenclaw House. She delights in escorting the new first years to see how they can get past the riddles of the Ravenclaw door-knocker. She takes to the perks of a private potions lab, access to some of the Restricted parts of the Library, and the Prefect's Bathroom. She's happy to have stayed on with Divination, as Prof Cosmos first class is joint years 'exorcism' of ghosts from school desks. Her Terr-Oh! proves effective at discovering Prof Binns haunts her desk, who is substituting again during the period of Sissel Jowd's delayed appointment to History of Magic.
Ligeia certainly proves to be an unconventional yet somehow effective Prefect. Coming across Kelvin Watkins struggling with his Potions studies, she mentors him to avoid going down the path of other 4th years on walk-out/probation in their difficult subjects. After an impassioned speech and a coupon for a new cauldron, her training method involves simulacra ingredients junked from ruined potions attempts (gravel and shoelaces) added to color changing water so Kelvin can get his order of brewing correct. Ligeia's brand of deterrence for others sneaking into the Forbidden Forest is her crossbow practice with Terminal Terminating Bolts at targets enchanted to hover over the treeline. She and fellow archer and Gryffindor Prefect Charles Harcroft meet visiting Salem's half-giant Taryn Dickenson. The latter is eager to encounter acromantulas and Prof Rubeus Hagrid, who gets her wish when he shows up to tell them off from traveling any further into the forest. Raven Whitman and visiting Prof Bai Li Yang also make an appearance. Throughout this term, Ligeia has been in correspondence with Plant & Potions poisoning healer Arcturus Hollingbury about her internship and experimental potions she’s working on for her NEWT projects.
Ligeia puts her name in the Goblet of Fire but was never selected as a Champion. The prefects, under Head Students Church Comer and Jazelle Hawke plan a pool party in the prefects bathroom. It took duplicitous convincing to get Sasha Schlagenweit involved, and Charles Harcroft almost blows it sneaking in Firewhisky. In the midst of this Ligeia debuts her seldom seen victorian swim outfit which does prove she has legs under her usual long skirts and nylons. Her party contributions include: having her parasol float upside down to hold ice and drinks, and a box of specially treated Glacial Flakes that grow into hexagonal ice floes once they hit the water. Which proves helpful when Erik Collins whose been submerged with the assistance of Salem's unofficial mascot, Headmaster LeBou's stuffed crocogator Boris, unleashes the Third Wizarding War: Watersports Edition, Ligeia's interpretation of events.
Ligeia aims to fully join SAWS this year with Headmaster Herschel Reid’s overturn of Headmistress Snark’s ban on werewolf students. Her corpse looking ladyfingers are snubbed for Ayla Collins favored baking. However, she’s the demure outsider when a lot of returning and new members, along with some visiting Tournament students, have various arguments over the treatment of that year’s werewolf students known and unknown. Olivia Foley has hated the limelight as the student Snark banned, thrust into political theatre, and Alexandra McGee is a then-first year with the innocent support of her friends but the older members of SAWS don’t want her to be targeted. Ligeia tries to befriend Olivia when the two share late night Prefect patrols. Ligeia also reunites with her fellow albino student, Zel Trumble but doesn’t realize he’s been recently made a werewolf as well.
Werewolf drama reaches its head in the middle of October. Ligeia has been inspired by a reread of “The Scarlet Letter” to monogram the letters WL, for ‘Werewolf Lover,’ across her school wardrobe. The fuzzy letters grow and fade in crimson following the lunar cycle, although she never properly explained her intentions to anybody. Zel has been convinced by Sophie Flickwick to confide in Figaro when the latter accidentally uncovers Zel’s secret. Figaro kept quiet for a month although lets it blab during a discussion at dinner. All her affections of Figaro from the summer are shattered at his betrayal, and also being left out of loop. She has less than Prefect-ly thoughts about sewing Figaro’s mouth shut, shrunken head style and worse, as Zel, Figaro and Sophie wind up starting a multiple student brawl centered around the Hufflepuff table. She only snaps out of her dark thoughts once Leopold Sandusky and Hagrid break up the fight, feeling a failure of a prefect only picking up the pieces as she tends to the wounded. She gives Nicholas Bevans the recovery end of a Puking Pastille after his nausea at the sight of blood where Heliotrope LeJean accidentally stabbed him in the leg with a fork. She remains distraught a following Creatures lesson at the Lovegood Sanctuary, as she starts a project caring for elementally sick Fumos Bats.
Sandusky muzzles Figaro for the week with a Silencing charm, yet he still gets himself in trouble with Kiba Attwood brewing stink potions in Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom. Ligeia is on the scene after the pair is nearly found out by Noriko Wakahisa and Juni Zamperia. Her usual quirkiness becomes ice cold seeing Fig is involved harming another of her (ghost) friends, as she does a less than stellar job keeping order with her singular focus on the muted Hufflepuff. The mummified state of her arm, along with that week’s letter to healer Arcturus Hollingbury being a frenzied account of planning a new destiny for Figaro as an experimental patient, is the evidence that she wrote the letter with a Blood Quill in a cathartic attempt to work out her issues with Figaro and SAWS. She’s slow to see reason when Sandusky comes onto the scene, as those in the encounter miss that Connor Todd was graffitiing a stall, as he makes a burst of freedom away from the other pranksters. After days of not knowing what to write, Arcturus rightful calls out the breach of ethics in Ligeia’s proposed punishments for Figaro. She’s come around to dropping the matter lest it dominate her thoughts, as she has the TetraWizard treatment of the Halloween Ball to look forward to.
When Ligeia isn’t mired in student drama, she has a long overdue, entirely one-sided, forbidden-fruit student-to-teacher romance with the most exquisite, pale as her, charming traveler of the night with a damaged eye, newly posted to the Charms position: Professor Nightingale Kesali *swoon*
She’s the most forward with her crush during the Halloween Ball as she steps in to dance. She’s as transparent as a ghost thanks to demiguise weave costume and topical potion that reacts with her lack of pigment. She follows after Kesali during Tournament seminars and is pleased as blood punch later in the year when she assists him with a remedial Charms lesson revisiting the Banishing charm. Although that ends in more student drama, as Moira McBoid hexes Winifred Oliver, and the melodramatic Hufflepuff doesn’t take to having her broken nose attended by the creepy Ravenclaw Prefect with only the one summer of healer internship.
Ligeia certainly had too much Winterbrew and not enough Klatchian Brew to go with it as an attendee of the Winter Opera. It takes her awhile to realize the hanging muggle victims made red by Ira Almasy were not actually part of the show.
Beyond her NEWT studies and prefect duties, Ligeia takes on the role of director as the latest Hogwarts Players president into this year and her last. Tracking the history of the banned pantomime tradition, after the infamous “Fountains of Fair Fortune” fiasco from Headmaster Dippet’s tenure, she comes across a seemingly infinite stage. It’s actually a variation of the Room of Requirement briefly used by the club for acting exercises. Prof Ignan Storm tasks the NEWT students to survive a night in simulated battle conditions, teams trying to capture the flag (or eggs) from their opponents while completing a potion. Ligeia works with Taryn Dickenson and Bellatrix Dark, although is sometime of a liability given her paleness in the dark until she sullies herself.
Come another Career Day she takes further interest in what internships St. Mango’s has to offer. Given her growing stress with her advanced students and finding difficult to navigate fallout from various events (Figaro exposing Zel as a werewolf is still a sore spot for her) she turns in her Prefects badge at the end of 6th year.
Her summer sees her try various internships again, including a 1 week primer with the Dept of Mysteries, a surprise result from that term’s yearbook as she was voted most likely to work there. Uncle Corduroy Canterbury becomes the new flying instructor after Hooch’s retirement. When he accidentally sets his beard on fire during the Welcoming Feast, she contemplates why he never made that a move during his Quidditch career. Her ambitions for the Players include trying to overturn the ban on pantomimes yet again.
Come her graduation, Ligeia decides to embark on a soul searching, haunt sightseeing, distant family visiting globetrotting adventure over the course of the next two and a half years. It further pads out her resume when she has short stints volunteering at international wix and creature based clinics, with her menagerie of pets for companionship and a second parasol included in her luggage. She returns home to the Canterbury Estate in the spring of 2014, her macabre tastes have been further challenged and refined. Once settled, she embarks on her favorite career path in earnest.
Magical Potential & Skills
Ligeia was a well educated witch upon graduating Hogwarts, rarely receiving Acceptable or lower marks. Following her world travels, her most stellar skills are in laboratory or research settings. Her weaknesses with magic are seldom seen; when they do occur, she's completely off the mark.
The Life Macabre - From curses to poisons, ghosts to foul beasties, Ligeia delights in the study of dark subjects no matter how deathly or gruesome. Growing up in the Canterbury Estate, Argyle never stopped her from looking into his declassified auror files or the more questionable artifacts in his collection. Some my decry Ligeia as a dark artist by reputation. Those that know her find her true enthusiasms lie towards redemptive uses of eldritch magicks, from her romantic viewpoint of looking for the good within life's hardships.
- She dropped History after O.W.L.s when she learned all she wanted about giant wars and goblin rebellions. Likewise, Arithmancy didn't interest her. Her knowledge of muggles mainly stems from gothic romance & horror literature, however antiquated. She's also drafted an extensive series of apocalyptic survival plans along with her Last Will & Testaments, accounting for various manners of demise or undeath status. For fun! It never hurts for a lady to be prepared.
Potions - Ligeia real talent lies with potion brewing. As a Ravenclaw she regularly tackled difficult potions beyond her year. She's made several experimental brews in her lab at the manor, which as needed moving several times owning to her "another fantastic failure!" method of perfecting her process.
Herbology - Ligeia's skill with Herbology compliments her potion brewing. She has the high marks required for specializing on Floor Three at St. Mungo's. She favors thorns, decay and aggressive the most in her greenhouse, including an overtangle of Devil's Snare in the manor's cellar "to safeguard the vintage."
Creatures - If anything, Ligeia has a disinterest in conventional, beautiful creatures: who needs unicorns and nifflers when there are thestrals and pogrebins? Roughly a third of her volunteering during her international travels involved Creature care. This include contributing to research into elemental afflictions affecting Fumos Bats
- For matters of unlife, she also had a brief internship in the Ministry's Spirit Division during her N.E.W.T. summers. She befriended many of Hogwart's resident ghosts, like Moaning Myrtle. This, along with some specialized Divination techniques mentioned below, has Ligeia consider work with Spirits a 'retirement plan' after St. Mungo's.
Divination - Ligeia has modest success as a diviner, having no true Sight. She favors the use of the Terr-Oh! deck and crystal balls for mediums. She also specializes in seance and similar methods to commune with the dead after a memorable lesson involving exorcisms. She has some experience discerning Auras as well.
Defence - She's very knowledgeable on theory but only just above average for dueling skill. Mostly due to the affects of her vision from albinism, both for clarity and involuntary eye movements. Meaning her reaction time can be underwhelming. Ligeia is quite studied in crossbow shooting as a lifelong hunter and trick-shooter, which was a hobby encouraged to help with her vision. She also relies on the combative capabilities of her various parasols to make up for her shortcomings.
Healing - Ligeia is always eager to learn more healing techniques. This cemented around the time the original Hospital Wing was repaired before the TetraWizard Tournament, when then Hogwarts Healer Tulojow Nagde operated out of the Hospital Hut (the former Gamekeeper's Hut) after the events of Plot:Darcy's Fire. For Ligeia's healing credits, she had internships at St. Mungo's with both Potion & Plant Poisonings and Magical Bugs & Diseases. Along with further volunteering during her world travels. She readily takes to cross training within her purview, including morgue studies, no matter how icky...although her limits are tested during Plot:Over My Dead Body.
Forensic Magic - This is the modern usage of Ligeia's knowledge into foul magic, continuing from her Healing skills. She's added to her collection of forensic aids over the years including periodic work outside of St. Mungo's in a consulting capacity with various investigations.
Enchantments - Ligeia's use of Enchaments is very minor, tied to sewing and basic repairs for her effects. Her most noted accomplishment pulls in her nocturnal fascination with Astronomy with the Synodoic Monogram: embroidery that changes based on astronomical conditions, such as lunar phases.
Trivia
Character Creation, Tropes, Playlist
- Tarot Motif: XVII - The Star; representing hope, serenity, creativity and contentment, especially after harrowing circumstance (following the calamity of the preceding card, The Tower). Upright, the Star looks to the positive in the future having moved on from old wounds and strife. Reversed, the Star is negatively focused on despair, faithlessness, lack of inspiration and monotomy. It may not be that circumstances are hopeless but rather the qurrent's fiaxation on gloom and doom. Care is needed to find a creative outlet to purge these emotions or perpetuate despondency and victimization.
- Zodiac: The Rooster; which suggests high confidence & intelligence, deep-thinking and dependability. Quick-witted and able to perform and dress well. However they can be aggressive, prickly, eccentric and standoffish, preferring to take the lead or not dawdle behind others. Insightful, but their criticisms could come off as caustic.
- Horoscope: Aquarius; those born under this sign are independent and enigmatic. Highly individual, Aquarians may be brillant, esoteric, unflappable, free-thinking and open. They believe in an innate goodness in people, no matter how small. However they can also come across as emotionally detached, stubborn, arrogant and sometimes superior to others.
- The Ligeia Lavender (hex: aa7a94) accent color is sampled from makeup used by Ligeia's original playby, Connie Chiu. The ink color of her signature is (hex: 820046)
- Ligeia's post offering to help Gris' Allura Bythesea a place to stay following her hospital recovery was the 202020th site post across 17550 roleplay topics. Moving Up in the Ward
