FULL NAME: Merlin Percy Pletcher
NICKNAMES: None
AGE/DOB: Seventeen | March 22 |
AriesYEAR: Senior
BLOOD STATUS: Halfblood
GENDER/PRONOUNS: Male (He/Him/His)
SEXUALITY: Barely Interested Bisexual
HOMETOWN: Murtson Springs, CO
Murtson Springs is a small community in Colorado that's predominantly occupied by wizards but which funds itself largely on Muggle tourist dollars. It's scenic and quaint, filled with art boutiques and New Age shops (many of which sell actual magic goods alongside very unmagical goods) and the like, all of which cater to the tourists that come to visit the local hot springs. There are a handful of Muggle locals and most of them are
in the know, quietly engaging in a cultural exchange of sorts with their wizard neighbors.
The local hot springs are advertised to the tourists as having healing properties and they do...sort of. The waters have proved to add an interesting
kick to most potions and to have a potent impact on magical plants, which is largely why the community popped up in the first place. Still, this doesn't do the tourists any good and the truth is in the name. But
Nostrum Springs just didn't sound as good.
APPEARANCE: Merlin is cute. Like a kitten or a plush or a Sanrio mascot is cute. He's uncommonly short, standing at just five feet and three inches tall, and has a small but athletic build. Most boys and many girls tower over him and he's easy to cart around, with or without his consent. He also has a round, youthful face complete with dimples when he smiles, neatly styled hair that changes color and cut with startling regularity, and a
cheerfully eclectic wardrobe.
Despite this aesthetic, though, his personality isn't all that cute. While he can get excited and he can light up a room with a smile, he's just as likely to spend his time looking exasperated, irritated, intensely focused, or just
done with this shit. It's a juxtaposition that's initially surprising but far from uncommon.
While he doesn't often bother with makeup himself, he does occasionally go to other students for that extra touch when he wants to make a particularly strong impression. He also has manicured nails and it's not uncommon to see him wearing simple jewelry, like a silver ring.
The son of a daring dragonologist that he idolizes and the youngest child in a large family that perpetually treated him as
the baby, Merlin has grown up into someone that always feels like he has something to prove, both to himself and to others. He wants to be tough. He wants to be independent. He wants to be someone that can take on the world. And, as far as teenagers go, he's not actually off to a bad start. Headstrong and resilient, he can come across as intense and once he's committed himself to a task he'll see it through with stubborn diligence. This has lead to him having considerable practical magic skills, good grades, and a spot on the Mothgarden Quidditch team. He comes across as confident and fearless and, while that's not always true, he's become adept at the
fake it till you make it approach through force of will. Unfortunately, all of this forward momentum has left him with little patience for tact and he tends to be a bit surly much of time, even without being provoked. He doesn't aim to be mean, per se, but he struggles to play nice with others and he has a natural bent toward sarcasm and complaining.
As much as Merlin likes to think that the standards he sets for himself are all that drive him, though, he's actually quite emotional and reactive. While he's not especially easy to hurt, he cares what others think about him and he's absurdly easy to rile up or goad into action with challenges or suggestions that he can't do something. Once his hackles have been raised, he tends to lose track of his judgment and he's difficult to talk down for all but those closest to him. He's gotten into trouble more than once this way and, while he'll typically acknowledge his mistakes, he never seems to learn his lesson. Objective failure, particularly when he can place it entirely on himself, tends to be hard on him and he gets moody and internally critical when he fails to measure up.
While he's moody and reactive when dealing with people, though, Merlin is far more adaptive, clever, and level-headed when dealing with dangerous or bad situations. He's brave and his nerves are difficult to shake, allowing him to remain calm when faced with everything from wild creatures to daring broom stunts to unexpected trouble. He isn't the type to freak out or panic and he can usually do what needs to be done to handle what comes his way. This isn't to say that his decisions are always the right ones, but he can at least comprehend his circumstances, make a choice, and follow through without losing his head. Most of the time, anyway. This mindset also allows him to embrace the unexpected and he likes adventure, discovering new things, or accomplishing new feats, even if he might end up with a few scrapes along the way.
As much as Merlin likes to present himself as someone that's fully capable of taking care of himself (which he
is, thank you very much!) and he doesn't like needing other people, he actually does like being doted on from time to time. He likes affection and contact, whether that's being hugged or having his hand held or jumping on someone's back for a ride across campus. He likes being fussed over and told that he looks cute that day. He even likes being messed with and teased in moderation. Admitting this, though, is deeply embarrassing to him and so he complains when people try to interact with him in this way. Those that know him well can see through this, though. On bad days he may even initiate such interactions, but he rarely does so without acting like he's doing someone else a favor.
Forever on his guard to one degree or another with people, the prickly Merlin is at his most serene in the company of animals. While he isn't delusional enough to think that all animals are friendly or should be interacted with, he does find animals on the whole to be much more approachable than people and he likes spending quiet moments with them. There are few familiars on campus that he hasn't approached at one point or another and he can often be caught chilling with various campus creatures. He can more rarely be caught singing to them and he will swear up and down that animals like his voice; he's convinced this will be part of his dragon-taming approach someday.
FUN FACTS:
🍭 Merlin has a sweet tooth and is a food mooch in general. Please feed him.
🌸 Pink is his favorite color. This has nothing to do with house pride, but it is convenient.
LANGUAGES: English is the only language Merlin can speak fluently. He can speak and understand a good amount of Korean (because he's got a set of Korean-speaking grandparents), though his familiarity with the written language is more limited.
HOBBIES: Working hard. Working out. Quidditch. Flying. Challenges. Trying new things. Singing. Hitting high notes. Complaining. Verbal sparring. Physical sparring. Dueling. Being carried. Changing his hair color. Changing his aesthetic. Playing with/training Bibi (his chinchilla). Playing with other people's familiars. Eating.
SKILLS:ATHLETICISM | Despite his petite status, Merlin is quite athletic. He's got lean, compact muscle and impressive speed, endurace, and reflexes to show for it even if he'll never be the strongest guy. Apart from being a Quidditch player and the type of guy to have a daily fitness routine, he's also just an active guy that's drawn to pastimes that keep him moving like exploring, climbing (who's short now??), and dancing.
FLYING | Merlin took to flying at an early age, able to learn quickly due to his willingness to embrace the challenge, his lack of fear, and his willingness to endure the occasional tumble. He's quick, maneuverable, and daring on a broom and he enjoys the freedom of flight. This is one of the reasons he was chosen as a Seeker. As a younger kid, he used to pretend he was a dragon but he definitely doesn't do that anymore. Definitely not ever.
ANIMAL EMPATHY | Merlin likes animals and, for the most part, animals like him. He's adept at reading their moods and doing the right thing to approach them, calm them, or create a rapport. This is partially due to acquired knowledge (he reads a lot of field guides) and experience, but there's an element of innateness to it as well. He's convinced that many of them like his singing, but this could just be wishful thinking.
SINGING | A talented vocalist, Merlin has a soothing, somewhat airy tenor with a pleasant timbre. He has a versatile style that allows him to move between musical genres and a broad range which he takes full advantage (he's fond of singing falsetto). While not readily apparent to those without musical knowledge, he can struggle with projection.
REFERENCES: x x x xSTYLING| Merlin changes his hair like most people change clothes. While this was done by his older sisters (particularly Kes, who had a habit of treating him like her personal doll) when he lived at home, he's since learned to do this on his own. He's adept at using simple, controlled charms to change the color of his hair (sometimes altogether and sometimes piecemeal) but he changes cuts the old-fashioned way with scissors, razors, mirrors, and intuition. He can sometimes be convinced to utilize this skill for others but it's largely just for his own
aesthetic.
FAMILY:Ha-neul Pletcher (Father): Dragonologist. Presumed dead after disappearing while observing a solitary dragon breed with a bad reputation. He was a man of few words but brave, intelligent, and deeply empathetic, particularly with animals. Merlin refuses to acknowledge that he's probably dead (nobody knows that for sure!!) and he gets irritable when anyone brings it up. He idolizes his father. Ha-neul attended Peckenpaugh and was in Deeplurk.
Hemera Pletcher (Mother): Herbologist. A petite woman that's simultaneously serious and soft-hearted, she tends to her children as meticulously as her garden. She has a good relationship with Merlin and will often shove food in his mouth when he starts to get huffy and riled up. She is deeply concerned about his desire to follow in his father's footsteps, given where those footsteps led.
Tern Pletcher (Older Brother, 25): Herbologist. Surprisingly brusque and pushy for a guy that tends to plants all day. He was a bully in his younger years, but has since grown out of that.
Pandion Pletcher (Older Brother, 25): Hot Spring Attendant. Charismatic, opinionated, and lazy, he's happy to sell tourists on the healing springs and prepare the water to be sold to wizards and witches. He was a bully in his younger years, but hasn't really grown out of it.
Kestrel "Kes" Pletcher (Older Sister, 24): Seamstress. Earnest, caring, and artistic, she treated Merlin like her personal doll growing up and still can't help herself at times. She has a mischievous streak.
Starling Pletcher (Older Brother, 22): Research Healer. Serious and soft-spoken, he resembles their father the most in terms of personality and appearance. He's currently studying abroad in Norway.
Phoebe Pletcher (Older Sister, 20): MACUSA Intern. An intelligent busybody that loves her family but also loves knowing all their business. She's a bit of a wild-child for a MACUSA employee and always wears pieces of flare to the office like the rebel she is(?).
Lark Pletcher (Older Sister, 19): Seamstress Apprentice. The closest to Merlin in terms of age and everything else. They have a close relationship and she writes to him and sends him clothes on a regular basis. She is bubbly, affectionate, and quick-witted.
Daniel So (Step Father): Electronics Store Manager. A Muggle that Merlin's mother met after settling down in Colorado. He's a loud, jovial man that's strikingly different from Merlin's father. This annoys him at times, but they get along decently. Daniel is a bit of a nerd and delights in teaching the wizarding community about technology and finds their bafflement highly endearing.
BACKGROUND:Where Merlin was born doesn't really matter because it was just one of the many places his nomadic family (his father, his mother, and six older siblings) visited during his youth. A dragonologist, Ha-nuel Pletcher took his family all over the world so he could observe and study the most rare, unusual, and solitary of dragons, leaving his wife, Hemera Pletcher, to maintain the home and do the heavy lifting in raising their children. While unconventional, the family was closely knit and mostly happy. Merlin in particular was in awe of every new place they went and every new story his father brought back from the field, becoming a headstrong and adventurous child at an early age. Miraculously, he never wandered into anything life-threatening, though he certainly tried.
This all changed when Merlin was six and his father failed to return home. It wasn't uncommon for Ha-nuel to be late, though. Situations changed and dragons weren't always reliable or accommodating creatures. So they waited. And waited. And
waited. On the fifth day without contact, Hemera reached out to the local authorities and an effort was made to search for this missing dragonologist. No sign of the man was found and, after waiting for over two months, Hemera held a funeral for her husband in an attempt to give them all some closure and made plans to relocate the family. While the family was in mourning, Merlin was unwilling or unable to accept his father's very likely death and stubbornly refused to be pulled into the grieving. Instead, he just waited for his father to come home like he always had. This behavior was forgiven because of his young age, but it made his mother worry and she was especially eager to get him somewhere for a fresh start.
The family moved to Murtson Springs, Colorado not long after, settling down for a quieter (and safer) life in the quaint, out-of-the-way tourist town. Merlin and his siblings started at the local day school while his mother began working with an old herbologist associate to grow magical plants, taking advantage of the area's peculiar springs. Despite his young age, Merlin proved to have the hardest time adjusting both because of his struggles to accept life without his father and because he just found the town horribly dull. Still, the family gradually found a new rhythm and settled into life in Murtson Springs. The household was close-kit but chaotic, with Hemera somehow making time for all of her children but allowing them to be independent and find their own way. Merlin's siblings either tended to coddle and baby him or tease him relentlessly, leading to some clear alliances among the Pletcher children, though they all cared about each other when push came to shove. Even the addition of a Muggle stepfather a few years later didn't change things all that much (apart from the introduction of televisions and iPhones).
Growing up restless and always feeling like he had something to prove, Merlin was simultaneously a handful and a complete overachiever. He did well in school, but he was also frequently goaded into bad behavior and losing his temper at his peers. He was the best player on his little league Quidditch team, but he got into scuffles on the sidelines. And, much to the chagrin of his mother, he never stopped idolizing his father and insisted that he wanted to follow in the man's footsteps. It wasn't bad, though. Merlin still had his family (he was especially close to Kes and Lark) and he made a few close friends at school (and who needs more than a few, really?) and his ever-developing fascination with animals always ensured that he had ways to keep himself busy.
At the age of thirteen, Merlin approached his mother about attending the Peckenpaugh School of Magic, pointing to its impressive academics, focus on Magizoology, and the prospect of expanding his horizons as the reasons he wanted to attend. Neither of them brought up the fact that his father had gone there as a young man, but that went without saying. While reluctant, she was eventually convinced and he was allowed to head off to West Virginia for the start of his freshman year. It was an adjustment being away from his family and harder than Merlin had expected, but he was quick to fall into old habits: finding a few friends, putting his all into the things that mattered, and pushing forward toward the future.
WAND: Chestnut Wand,
Horned Serpent Horn, 13", Flexible
FAMILIAR: A
dark gray chinchilla named Bibi. She's a fluffy parkour mouse with a lot of energy that's reasonably amenable to cuddles but only after she's been allowed to run around and explore.
CAREER GOALS: Merlin wants to follow in his father's footsteps and be a dragonologist! He's determined to see this through and is planning to become an apprentice magizoologist after graduation.
PART-TIME JOB: None.
CLASSES:CHARMS | As far as Merlin is concerned, any wizard worth their salt needs to be proficient in the fundamentals of magic and that includes Charms. Besides, his hair isn't going to magically color itself! His grades in Charms hover in the low A to high B range.
POTIONS | While this is one of Merlin's least favorite classes he still considers it a basic necessity and so continues to stick with it. Begrudgingly. He finds the work tedious and hard to follow, but the fact that it's taught by Mr. Berzelius makes it considerably more tolerable. His grades are typically B's, but can slip into C's if he's not careful.
TRANSFIGURATION (H) | While Transfiguration is a fundamental like Charms and Potions, it's one that Merlin actually enjoys and is happy to keep studying. Sure, it's challenging, but it's also direct and practical and the knowledge that he'll be able to use it makes it easy to keep working at it. He's in honors and gets consistent A's.
CRYPTOZOOLOGY & MAGIZOOLOGY (H) | An enthusiast for animals of all shapes, sizes, and magical ability, Cryptozoology & Magizoology is Merlin's favorite class. He tends to think he's one of the more knowledgeable people in the class and never hesitates to answer questions or take the lead in a group project (whether he's asked to or not). He's in honors and gets consistent A's.
DEFENSE AGAINST THE DARK ARTS | While Merlin has no interest in being an Auror or taking on the dark forces of the world, he sees Defense Against the Dark arts as a necessity and enduring Mr. Purcell as a trial by fire. He doesn't like the man especially, but he does want to impress him. Or, at least, not get weeded out. He tends to get low A's or high B's in this class.
OUTDOOR MAGIC | Merlin wants his future to be full of adventuring and spending time honing his flying skills, his survival skills, and other you-don't-need-it-until-you-need-it magical skills appeals to him. Plus, it's nice to get outside for a while. He's not a fan of Mr. Youngblood's inconsistency as a teacher and makes no effort to hide his irritation when he needs a hangover day, but still manages to A's in the class. So he must be doing something right?
ANIMAGUS STUDIES (Bush Viper) | What kind of self-respecting animal lover
doesn't want to turn into an animal every now and again? Merlin is thrilled to have this opportunity and sees the animal form he'll definitely eventually learn as a boon that could help him in learning to understand animals and nature in general better. He just hopes he'll turn into something impressive and not something harmless and cute, like his brothers keep telling him he will.
EXTRA-CURRICULARS:QUIDDITCH | Seeker. When Merlin first began playing Quidditch, he had aspirations of being a Beater but his quickness, focus, and broom skills ultimately made him a better fit for Chaser and, starting last year, Seeker. While he's long since gotten over this disappointment, he is still an uncommonly aggressive Seeker and can be counted on to jostle other players as he passes by, lead other Seekers into a deep nosedive, and otherwise attempt to sew some chaos between hunting the snitch. While he'd never admit it, he sometimes misses being more a team player with the rest of Mothgarden, but that also just makes him more determined to do his part for them.
This is Merlin's fourth year on the Mothgarden Quidditch team. As a freshman he was a reserve, as a sophomore he was a Chaser, and he became the Seeker during junior year.
ADVENTURE CLUB | This club is a perfect fit for Merlin, who is keen on exploration, challenges, changes in routine, and nature. He tends to have a good time here, but can easily be swept up in 'who can reach the top of the mountain first?'-style competitions.
CULINARY CLUB | Merlin doesn't especially like cooking but he does like eating. While he says that this will be an important skill to have some day (and he does know the basics), his participation in the club is realistically more playing sous chef to more talented cooks and reaping the delicious rewards. Nom nom nom.
DUELLING & WANDWORK CLUB | Competitive and always looking for opportunities to test his mettle, this club was an obvious choice for Merlin. He's a good but not exceptional duelist and eager to learn/practice new techniques. He never lets a mistake or a loss keep him down for long, though he might huff about it a little.
PERFORMING ARTS CLUB | Merlin has no interest in acting and a casual interest in dance (he's got good rhythm and
some slick moves but no formal training), but he revels in being in the spotlight and doing one of the things he does best: singing. He likes being part of the choir, finding partners to duet with, and participating in the talent showcases, but typically steers clear of plays and skits. He is especially reluctant to participate in improv and, if forced to, will likely improv his own untimely death. 'Yes, and...' that.
SORTING?: Confident and quick to answer each of his questions, Merlin's sorting only slowed down at the very end. Part of him wanted to choose Deeplurk despite how poorly it seemed to fit him because that's the house that his father had been in. After a while, though, he decided it as probably more important to be true to himself and go through Peckenpaugh his own way. So he chose Mothgarden.
Besides, the winter room had asked him
Are you a wand without a core or a core without a wand? and he hadn't liked that one bit. What's that supposed to mean, anyway?
NAME: Katie
EMAIL: ollinsong@gmail.com
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