memento ` VIVERE

London. 2017. In a post-war age where the wizarding community continues to recover, our story follows the lives of magical millennials navigating their ever-changing world.

[mv-rp-blog]

Hello. I'm super excited for this roleplay. That's all I wanted to say. :)

Ugh, I’m super excited, as well! And to receive this from a respectable rph blog is completely out-of-this-world for me so thank for you that!I’m ironing out some kinks before our opening date of  OCTOBER 7.  The submit box is open to applications, however, and I encourage anyone interested to apply!

- Admin Z

[mv-rp-blog]

NAME: Ava Taylor AGE: Twenty-seven BIRTHPLACE: New York City, USA OCCUPATION: Founder of The Magical Millennial

EDUCATION: Salem Witches’ Institute BLOOD STATUS: Half-blood WAND SPECS: 11 ¾" in length, cypress wood with a unicorn hair core BOGGART: A rougarou, a common antagonist in childrens’ bedtime stories over in America. Ava refuses to travel to the southern states for this very reason. PATRONUS: Jack Russell Terrier

HISTORY: Born to English parents living in New York City, Ava was raised by two artists and had an exceptionally liberal upbringing. Whether it was because they were foreign or because their minds were clouded with psychedelia, Ava always felt like she was floating between realities; never understanding what was but instead always dreaming of what could be. Her father, the front man of a rock band, was hardly in the picture growing up and mostly left her mother to tend to their three daughters. Mrs. Taylor was a free-spirited albeit negligent mother. Her idea of good care was leaving the oldest to watch the youngest while she tended to her art, which changed frequently: painting, papier-mâché, quilting, music, interior design. Of course, Mrs. Taylor was never abusive in any way.. to be abusive, one would have to be present. Ava learned so much from her once she was old enough to understand the space she was coming from and the depth of her artful disposition but until that time, Ava was left to raise herself and her two younger sisters.

Luckily, her father’s band had come into success by the time Ava came along and she never got to experience the feeling of being without. Her father was able to afford sending his three children back to London for their primary education. Attending an art school, the Taylor girls were able to learn an array of mediums, diversifying their skills just as their mother did. With their parents displaced across the ocean in New York City, the three sisters lived in a matchbox-sized flat with their maternal Aunt Daisy. Aunt Daisy was especially strange (even more so than Mrs. Taylor) and Ava now toys with the possibility that she may have suffered from mental illness. More interested in her social life than her nieces, the three were mostly left to their own devices and were forced to rely only on one another.

Returning to New York only twice a year (once for Christmas, once for the summer), it came as an abrupt surprise when Ava’s mother insisted they be brought back to New York City before Ava started Secondary. Mrs. Taylor couldn’t provide a reasonable explanation as to why. Two weeks after their arrival, Ava received an invitation from Salem Witches’ Institute to begin her magical education. The three girls stared at the letter wide-eyed and without skepticism. Mrs. Taylor reacted with conspicuous laughter that failed to hide her discomfort, like she knew something they didn’t. It was when Mrs. Taylor was pressed for answers by a curious Ava and a confused husband did she finally reveal that she came from a family of witches and wizards--that magic ran in her blood. Bringing her children to New York City couldn’t hide that.

Mrs. Taylor’s upbringing had always been a dubious topic of conversation in their household. Her story frequently changed. Once she claimed she was a part of a traveling circus when she met her future husband, another time she said she was a penniless painter who was raised on the streets of London. While Ava was never able to get the details in full, her mother did reveal that she was previously Miss Kathryn Greenwood. The Greenwoods were of a dwindling elite status of wizards. Mrs. Taylor explained that she had become estranged from them years ago; her father was something called a ‘Death Eater’ and had been sent to prison for helping murder Muggles and Muggle-born wizards. Both Mr. Greenwood and his only son died while serving a life sentence, leaving Mrs. Taylor and her older sister the last living members of the Greenwood family.

It seemed as if Mrs. Taylor was intending on keeping the three Taylor girls engulfed in Muggle magic (art) to keep them as far away from wizarding magic as she possibly could, perhaps to protect them from the dark secret she left in England. Her efforts came at a high cost, however, as her failure to tell the truth of her origin was the final straw that ruined her marriage and left her children distant, realizing they did not know their own mother. 

After Ava left for school, her two younger sisters, Poppy and Clara, soon followed. Previously seen as the odd ball out with her affinity for the strange, Ava now had a safe haven where she could explore the strange and feel no scorn for doing so. The three Taylor girls were exceptional students. Influenced both by Muggle fashion and the practical lives of most magical folks, Poppy began her career designing practical, contemporary robes for young witches. Poppy decided to open up a shop in London, collecting vintage pieces and working them to fit the modern magic scene. It was there it was discovered that the Greenwood name still held a great deal of notoriety (and the fate of its remaining members mystified since the 1980s) and what remained of their reputation made Poppy quite successful. 

Up until this point, Ava had been working in a Muggle office as a freelance editor of chumpy news articles. She was wasting her talent and, essentially, her precious time. And though Ava didn’t know what she wanted next, she just knew that she wanted something else. And that, suddenly, wasn’t available in New York City. Ava followed her younger sister back to to England, inspired by her Poppy’s inventive/forward thinking, and decided that she was going to make her mark on the magical community - starting with London. 

Not at all adverse to riding her sister’s coattails - and the coattails of her distantly deceased relatives, for that matter - Ava decided that she wanted to start an editorial documenting the cultural changes happening within the wizarding community. The Ministry of Magic was really good at veiling the cultural advancements of their young generations, most notably the demand of legislation supporting the civil rights of oppressed magical creatures. What started as a small-time blog while working part-time at Poppy’s store turned into a massive, collaborative online paper that became the main source of cultural information for magical millennials. 

Today, Ava is often under much scrutiny by the Minsitry of Magic and conservative wizards for her prying into legal affairs and promoting the rebellious tendencies of today’s generation. She is either loved or hated; either way, she will persist.

See Ava’s family bio here.

POSITIVE TRAITS:

OUTGOING: She is a painful extrovert in that she is overzealous and eager in social interactions, often bearing heavy on those which she may cross paths. This is great because Ava usually turns into the life of the party once everyone is on their second round of drinks but is arguably a negative in day-to-day conversation. ADVENTUROUS: She’ll try anything once. Ava was raised by the two most laid-back, easy-going parents a child could ask for and thus she has a brilliantly brave disposition. Exotic foods, adrenaline sports.. oh, a petting zoo for dragons? Sign her up! KIND: Experiencing quite a bit of emotional torment in school as a young girl, Ava likes to be actively inclusive and so she tends to be very warm towards everyone. While it is a genuine trait, sometimes it is expressed superficially and Ava is kind towards others how she sees fit rather than in a way that they really need. She has well-intentions, either way.

NEGATIVE TRAITS:

ECCENTRIC: Ava is eclectic weird. Despite being knowledgeable of fashion and brand trends, she is the type of person who thinks pairing patterns is totally okay. She communicates with air quotes and the occasional verbal emoji; an irritation to some but perhaps quirky to others. FLIGHTY: Ava is also undeniably oblivious to the plight of others. Not in a way that is totally unaware but simply in a way that leaves her vague in others’ interests and it could be that, in spite of being a generally kind person, she tends to be slightly self-involved. This may be why she has yet to have any long-term romantic relationships and how she easily discontinued the friendships left behind in New York. PASSIVE-AGGRESSIVE: While she is quite chipper for the most part, Ava is not one to easily shrug off an offense once it is out in the open. Her retaliation is never outright and certainly never physical, but her wit is scathing - to say the least. She tries not to fall into the game of underhanded insults but quickly reigns as the queen once she is pushed to that point. Some may describe her as slightly vindictive, as well.

FC: Emilia Clarke