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profile;
i'd like to teach the world
to sing in perfect harmony
GENERAL
NAME: Philippa Rose Nightingale
NICKNAMES: Pippa to her friends, Pip if you're good friends (or just... really lazy...)
AGE/DOB/ZODIAC: 15 / February 27th / Pisces
BLOOD STATUS: Halfblood
GENDER/PRONOUNS: Female, she/her
SEXUALITY: Straight
HOMETOWN: Glastonbury, Somerset, UK
CONCEPT: Overly excitable ginger seeks boyfriend and world peace.
PHYSICAL
APPEARANCE: Pippa's outfits tend to be... somewhat quirky, depending on what catches her eye when she looks in her wardrobe. Perhaps because of growing up in Glastonbury, her fashion sense leans towards bohemian-hippie-festivalgoer. Pippa likes bright colours, will happily wear something that clashes with her hair, and has more than a few hand-knitted cardigans that her mother made her (from a vegan wool alternative, of course). She'd like to wear makeup, but since her eyeliner inevitably ends up wonky she usually goes without. Neatness doesn't come naturally to her: she usually has mud splatters on her shoes and socks, can't help pulling on loose threads on her clothes, and has yet to achieve a hairstyle that isn't half falling down by mid-morning.
HEIGHT: 5'4"
PB: Molly Quinn
PERSONALITY
LIKES: Raspberries, cuddles, having someone else brush her hair, novelty slippers, picnics, long bike rides in the lanes around her house, boys with broad shoulders, cute hats, singing.
DISLIKES: Injustice, feeling out of her depth, having panic attacks, eating out (since most restaurants only offer one vegetarian dish, and no vegan options), Potions class, cities, boats (she can't swim).
PERSONALITY:
The first impression most people get of Pippa is of a hyperactive ginger cannonball, exploding onto a scene and making her presence felt with loud exclamations of enthusiasm. Desperate to be liked, she'll do anything for attention and affection, and harbours a hidden fear that her friends will dump her if she's not funny or interesting enough. Growing up, Pippa never had much interaction with children her own age before starting Hogwarts, and so doesn't always know how to behave around them, sometimes coming across as childish and at other times middle-aged and old-fashioned. One thing she'd never be described as is cool. But while it's true that she's highly excitable about BOYS! and MUSIC! and CELEBRITIES!, it's not all an act. The world is full of amazing things and sometimes Pippa gets a bit overwhelmed wanting to experience them all. (And if you love everything, then surely everyone will love you?)
Pippa is definitely a follower, not a leader: she looks to others to guide her decisions, and is easily influenced by what popular people do. This is compounded by the fact that she's very naive: Pippa will believe what you tell her if it sounds even remotely plausible -- and sometimes even if it doesn't, provided you sound earnest enough. Her gullible nature means she's often a target for bullies, and easily taken advantage of. Her self-confidence can be quite low, and in those situations she feels that it's her own fault she's picked on -- which only leads to a neverending circle where she more closely imitates her peers instead of learning to stand on her own two feet.
But despite that, Pippa is optimistic and a bit of a dreamer, choosing to believe the best in people even when they've let her down in the past. She would rather believe that poisonous toadstools can change their spots, and that everyone deserves second and third chances. She tries to extend the same courtesy towards others that she would like to see directed towards herself -- but being fifteen, realistically this doesn't always happen, and she's not above sticking her tongue out and calling someone names.
Perhaps because of her upbringing, Pippa is passionate about making the world a better place, and believes that everyone can make a difference just by doing something small, such as choosing to lower their impact on the environment. When she truly believes in something, Pippa sticks to her principles even when it costs her to do so. Although hurtful words dent her spirits and can leave her in a low mood for days, she would never question what she feels to be right. She's not very good at being brave, and if she speaks up it's quite likely her voice would shake, but she wants to be a good person and do the right thing.
Pippa genuinely cares about the welfare of others: if she asks you how you are, she really means it, and has the gentle intuition to know when "fine" doesn't mean fine. She's very good at listening or being a shoulder to cry on, but she'll also try her best to help fix a problem with a practical solution if she can. Her natural empathy means she sometimes feels other people's problems as deeply as if they were her own, leading to days of worry as she takes the weight of the world on her shoulders.
Under the surface, Pippa is a highly anxious girl. Her giggly front may cover this up well, but in actual fact, the more nervous she is, the more she giggles. It's not something she can help, and has landed her in detention more than once, due to a professor thinking she was being disrespectful or cheeky. Pippa has a tendency to obsess over situations, fretting that she said or did the wrong thing, which is why she so often takes her cue from others. Even so, she still gets panic attacks, needing a Calming Draught to bring her down, and will lie awake for nights afterwards feeling sick as she relives the moment. Any kind of conflict sends her into a shaking, flushed mess: hot-cheeked and flustered as her stomach clenches and she stumbles over her words. She's no good in a fight, whether verbal or physical, but her loyal nature means she'd stand by you, although it would be uncertain whether she was holding your hand to support you or to give herself courage.
Pippa is definitely a follower, not a leader: she looks to others to guide her decisions, and is easily influenced by what popular people do. This is compounded by the fact that she's very naive: Pippa will believe what you tell her if it sounds even remotely plausible -- and sometimes even if it doesn't, provided you sound earnest enough. Her gullible nature means she's often a target for bullies, and easily taken advantage of. Her self-confidence can be quite low, and in those situations she feels that it's her own fault she's picked on -- which only leads to a neverending circle where she more closely imitates her peers instead of learning to stand on her own two feet.
But despite that, Pippa is optimistic and a bit of a dreamer, choosing to believe the best in people even when they've let her down in the past. She would rather believe that poisonous toadstools can change their spots, and that everyone deserves second and third chances. She tries to extend the same courtesy towards others that she would like to see directed towards herself -- but being fifteen, realistically this doesn't always happen, and she's not above sticking her tongue out and calling someone names.
Perhaps because of her upbringing, Pippa is passionate about making the world a better place, and believes that everyone can make a difference just by doing something small, such as choosing to lower their impact on the environment. When she truly believes in something, Pippa sticks to her principles even when it costs her to do so. Although hurtful words dent her spirits and can leave her in a low mood for days, she would never question what she feels to be right. She's not very good at being brave, and if she speaks up it's quite likely her voice would shake, but she wants to be a good person and do the right thing.
Pippa genuinely cares about the welfare of others: if she asks you how you are, she really means it, and has the gentle intuition to know when "fine" doesn't mean fine. She's very good at listening or being a shoulder to cry on, but she'll also try her best to help fix a problem with a practical solution if she can. Her natural empathy means she sometimes feels other people's problems as deeply as if they were her own, leading to days of worry as she takes the weight of the world on her shoulders.
Under the surface, Pippa is a highly anxious girl. Her giggly front may cover this up well, but in actual fact, the more nervous she is, the more she giggles. It's not something she can help, and has landed her in detention more than once, due to a professor thinking she was being disrespectful or cheeky. Pippa has a tendency to obsess over situations, fretting that she said or did the wrong thing, which is why she so often takes her cue from others. Even so, she still gets panic attacks, needing a Calming Draught to bring her down, and will lie awake for nights afterwards feeling sick as she relives the moment. Any kind of conflict sends her into a shaking, flushed mess: hot-cheeked and flustered as her stomach clenches and she stumbles over her words. She's no good in a fight, whether verbal or physical, but her loyal nature means she'd stand by you, although it would be uncertain whether she was holding your hand to support you or to give herself courage.
HISTORY
FAMILY MEMBERS:
Alexander Nightingale. Father, halfblood, song collector. Yes, this is an actual job. No, it doesn't pay well. But the importance of recording traditional folk songs for future generations before they're lost is its own reward.
Olivia Sky Nightingale. Sister, halfblood, herbologist. 24 years old, former Hufflepuff. Lives with her girlfriend in Brighton in a flat overflowing with magical plants. (She likes to take her work home with her.)
Benjamin Oak Nightingale. Brother, halfblood, reserve Beater for the Appleby Arrows. 24 years old, former Hufflepuff. Shares a bachelor pad in York with a couple of his teammates, and frequently asks his mother if she's ~seen~ him moving up to first string. He may or may not be serious.
HISTORY:
Pippa was an afterthought (read: accident), with Rainbow not even realising she was pregnant for a good three months. But despite being a surprise addition to the Nightingale family, Pippa was no less loved for it. The twins were nine and a half when she was born, so just as Pippa was starting to walk and talk, Olivia and Ben were off to Hogwarts. Pippa grew up almost like an only child, with her siblings only around during the holidays to dote on her, tease her, or just plain ignore her depending on what mood they were in. The age difference meant they weren't particularly close, and as Pippa was homeschooled she never really mixed with local children either. Her strongest childhood memories are of following her father around as he visited ancient witches and wizards who'd sing "I've got a doxy in my pocket" or "A jigger of dittany's more than enough" while her father recorded these traditional wizarding folk songs for posterity.
The Nightingales had been vegetarians for many years, but shortly after Pippa was born they made the transition to veganism. She's never known any different, and so believes in the rightness of this way of life with absolute certainty. However, she'd never try and force her beliefs on others, or criticise someone for eating or using animal products, although she'll happily talk about veganism to anyone who's interested in listening.
Starting Hogwarts was both exciting and terrifying because it was the first time she'd been around other kids her own age. Pippa didn't really know how to interact with her peers, but at the same time she craved friendship and acceptance. She was very much a follower of trends, and would eagerly jump on the latest bandwagon -- whether that was swooning over the lead singer of a popular band, or getting into trading chocolate frog cards -- until the next thing came along to distract her.
Pippa didn't particularly shine in any of her classes but she found, much to her surprise and irritation, that she was a natural at Potions. She can't explain it, but she instinctively knows when another clockwise stir or an extra sprig of valerian is needed. Unfortunately, Potions is far from being a vegan activity. At first Pippa gritted her teeth and chose to believe the ingredients were harvested from creatures that lived long happy lives and died of natural causes. But after the humiliation of fainting at the sight of crocodile hearts in second year, she got her hands on a copy of the curriculum and read up on the ingredients list for each potion in advance of class. She developed a reputation for being conveniently sick whenever particularly gory ingredients were involved (she doesn't do blood or internal organs), and missed enough classes that she was called into a meeting with her Head of House, who explained that she was in very real danger of failing her OWL.
She applied to the Gooseberry exchange programme not long afterwards, upset and angry that her feelings hadn't been taken into account. It was a moment of madness, and she was amazed when she discovered she had been accepted. Pippa probably would have turned the offer down, scared to step out of her comfort zone, but that very same day one of her friends jokingly commented that Pippa never had any ideas of her own. It gave her great satisfaction to announce that, actually, she was off to America in September... and after that, of course, she couldn't back down. Over the summer she watched a million high school movies in PREPARATION and knows better than to try and make fetch happen but will still probably drop too many clichés in her desire to fit in. She's hoping her accent will make her ~irresistible~ to tanned boys called Brad or Chuck who have perfect teeth, but whether a transatlantic romance is on the cards for her remains to be seen...
The Nightingales had been vegetarians for many years, but shortly after Pippa was born they made the transition to veganism. She's never known any different, and so believes in the rightness of this way of life with absolute certainty. However, she'd never try and force her beliefs on others, or criticise someone for eating or using animal products, although she'll happily talk about veganism to anyone who's interested in listening.
Starting Hogwarts was both exciting and terrifying because it was the first time she'd been around other kids her own age. Pippa didn't really know how to interact with her peers, but at the same time she craved friendship and acceptance. She was very much a follower of trends, and would eagerly jump on the latest bandwagon -- whether that was swooning over the lead singer of a popular band, or getting into trading chocolate frog cards -- until the next thing came along to distract her.
Pippa didn't particularly shine in any of her classes but she found, much to her surprise and irritation, that she was a natural at Potions. She can't explain it, but she instinctively knows when another clockwise stir or an extra sprig of valerian is needed. Unfortunately, Potions is far from being a vegan activity. At first Pippa gritted her teeth and chose to believe the ingredients were harvested from creatures that lived long happy lives and died of natural causes. But after the humiliation of fainting at the sight of crocodile hearts in second year, she got her hands on a copy of the curriculum and read up on the ingredients list for each potion in advance of class. She developed a reputation for being conveniently sick whenever particularly gory ingredients were involved (she doesn't do blood or internal organs), and missed enough classes that she was called into a meeting with her Head of House, who explained that she was in very real danger of failing her OWL.
She applied to the Gooseberry exchange programme not long afterwards, upset and angry that her feelings hadn't been taken into account. It was a moment of madness, and she was amazed when she discovered she had been accepted. Pippa probably would have turned the offer down, scared to step out of her comfort zone, but that very same day one of her friends jokingly commented that Pippa never had any ideas of her own. It gave her great satisfaction to announce that, actually, she was off to America in September... and after that, of course, she couldn't back down. Over the summer she watched a million high school movies in PREPARATION and knows better than to try and make fetch happen but will still probably drop too many clichés in her desire to fit in. She's hoping her accent will make her ~irresistible~ to tanned boys called Brad or Chuck who have perfect teeth, but whether a transatlantic romance is on the cards for her remains to be seen...
SCHOOL
YEAR: Sophomore
HOUSE: Ribbonfin (former Hufflepuff)
SORTING: While both Ebonhide and Azurcrest made good arguments for Pippa to be placed in their respective Houses, she was a natural fit for Ribbonfin and felt drawn to the courteous rainbow trout. The other emblems gave up trying to convince her after she complimented their Houses but politely asked to go in Ribbonfin.
WAND: Chestnut and unicorn hair, 9", pliable.
FAMILIAR: A Texel guinea pig called Mabel that Pippa adopted from an animal rescue centre.
CLASSES: (Core Classes) Charms, Herbology, Outdoor Education, Potions, Transfiguration; (Electives) Astronomy, Magical Rudiments.
SENIOR PROJECT: She'd like to look into developing vegan potions, providing she's still attending Gooseberry two years from now.
ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE: Pippa isn't naturally gifted at academics, and has to work hard to maintain good grades. Luckily, her Hufflepuff nature means she's happy to put in the effort, and will soldier on until she understands a concept. Her essays are never very scintillating, and it's rare for her to be the first in the class to master a spell, but occasionally she has a flash of insight as to why something works. Her favourite classes are Magical Rudiments and Herbology, and she struggles with Transfiguration. She has a love/hate relationship with Potions.
EXTRACURRICULARS: Choir
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