Post by Ludwig Beilschmidt on Mar 20, 2016 19:56:22 GMT
Ludwig Ulrich Beilschmidt
Male | 17 |
German | Bisexual |
182 cm | 83 kg |
Pureblood | |
personality
[attr="class","profileboxscroll"]Serious, intimidating, and distant, Ludwig isn’t the easiest person to befriend, let alone approach. He’s respectful and polite to strangers by default, but his unsmiling face and dislike for small talk can give the distinct impression of impatience or even irritation. However, while it’s true that Ludwig is remarkably easy to irritate (he despises being interrupted) and is uncommonly solemn for someone so young, he isn’t deliberately unkind or unfriendly, and he wouldn’t refuse to help anyone in some desperate need. His trust, however, is difficult to earn, and until that’s done, Ludwig’s cool façade is the only part of his personality that’s available.
As a student, Ludwig is an exceptionally hard worker who always goes above and beyond what is asked for. If he struggles with a concept or a subject, he simply spends extra time and effort in it until he succeeds. He’s also somewhat competitive and is driven to succeed or win. Ludwig has a very firm sense of justice and fairness, and not only would he never cheat to get ahead, he’ll easily turn in anyone else he catches trying to game the system. This applies to his sportsmanship as well: Ludwig has no qualms training longer or practicing on the fly to improve his Quidditch skills, but he abhors gamesmanship and won’t hesitate to aim a Bludger at any opponent trying to play dirty.
If anything, the biggest problem with Ludwig’s ambition and drive is that he often pushes himself too hard, directly into exhaustion. There’s no denying that he’s a control freak and a perfectionist, and coupled with his stubborn nature and his status as a werewolf, this results in Ludwig being almost constantly stressed and tired and frequently refusing help (another reason he’s so quick to snap at someone). His life is spent in perpetual anxiety over one thing or another, and he passes a decent amount of his free time taking power naps in the dormitory or in some forgotten corner of the library.
One of the reasons Ludwig is so driven is that he has his family’s reputation and business riding on his shoulders. Like all of his responsibilities, he doesn’t take this lightly, and in all aspects of his life, Ludwig is terrified of letting his friends or family down. He can’t stand to disappoint people and he can’t stand to be helpless in the face of a problem. On the other hand, if someone has truly won Ludwig’s loyalty, he’s faithful to a fault. He’s extremely protective of his close family and friends and would go to the ends of the earth for them if they asked. Threatening Ludwig’s loved ones is also one guaranteed way to unleash his genuine anger; controlling as he is, Ludwig rarely allows himself to get truly mad, but he’s got a very nasty temper and can be downright cruel to whoever was unfortunate enough to get on his black list.
Around the people that Ludwig genuinely trusts, his emotional barriers lower. He’s more talkative, freer with his smiles, and lets his dry and somewhat sharp sense of humor appear. Essentially, if Ludwig is smiling, it's a guarantee that he feels safe and comfortable. The kindness and helpfulness usually all but concealed by his normal façade is more easy to see here: he’ll help friends with their homework or with Quidditch, and he’s got a genuine soft spot for first year students and most non-venomous animals - especially that cats and owls that populate Hogwarts. A childhood spent with his nose buried in books have gifted him with both a strong sense of curiosity and a large imagination, two things he also tends to conceal from most people he doesn’t know well.
Unlike his charismatic older brother, Ludwig is more of a solitary person than a social butterfly; he prefers to be alone with his work or his thoughts. However, he does get somewhat lonely, and has been making more of an effort to reach out to people. Ludwig isn’t the best at reading people or judging character, and he can be hopelessly naïve with some of his responses, but like all things he’s not especially good at, he figures this will improve with further study and practice.
As a student, Ludwig is an exceptionally hard worker who always goes above and beyond what is asked for. If he struggles with a concept or a subject, he simply spends extra time and effort in it until he succeeds. He’s also somewhat competitive and is driven to succeed or win. Ludwig has a very firm sense of justice and fairness, and not only would he never cheat to get ahead, he’ll easily turn in anyone else he catches trying to game the system. This applies to his sportsmanship as well: Ludwig has no qualms training longer or practicing on the fly to improve his Quidditch skills, but he abhors gamesmanship and won’t hesitate to aim a Bludger at any opponent trying to play dirty.
If anything, the biggest problem with Ludwig’s ambition and drive is that he often pushes himself too hard, directly into exhaustion. There’s no denying that he’s a control freak and a perfectionist, and coupled with his stubborn nature and his status as a werewolf, this results in Ludwig being almost constantly stressed and tired and frequently refusing help (another reason he’s so quick to snap at someone). His life is spent in perpetual anxiety over one thing or another, and he passes a decent amount of his free time taking power naps in the dormitory or in some forgotten corner of the library.
One of the reasons Ludwig is so driven is that he has his family’s reputation and business riding on his shoulders. Like all of his responsibilities, he doesn’t take this lightly, and in all aspects of his life, Ludwig is terrified of letting his friends or family down. He can’t stand to disappoint people and he can’t stand to be helpless in the face of a problem. On the other hand, if someone has truly won Ludwig’s loyalty, he’s faithful to a fault. He’s extremely protective of his close family and friends and would go to the ends of the earth for them if they asked. Threatening Ludwig’s loved ones is also one guaranteed way to unleash his genuine anger; controlling as he is, Ludwig rarely allows himself to get truly mad, but he’s got a very nasty temper and can be downright cruel to whoever was unfortunate enough to get on his black list.
Around the people that Ludwig genuinely trusts, his emotional barriers lower. He’s more talkative, freer with his smiles, and lets his dry and somewhat sharp sense of humor appear. Essentially, if Ludwig is smiling, it's a guarantee that he feels safe and comfortable. The kindness and helpfulness usually all but concealed by his normal façade is more easy to see here: he’ll help friends with their homework or with Quidditch, and he’s got a genuine soft spot for first year students and most non-venomous animals - especially that cats and owls that populate Hogwarts. A childhood spent with his nose buried in books have gifted him with both a strong sense of curiosity and a large imagination, two things he also tends to conceal from most people he doesn’t know well.
Unlike his charismatic older brother, Ludwig is more of a solitary person than a social butterfly; he prefers to be alone with his work or his thoughts. However, he does get somewhat lonely, and has been making more of an effort to reach out to people. Ludwig isn’t the best at reading people or judging character, and he can be hopelessly naïve with some of his responses, but like all things he’s not especially good at, he figures this will improve with further study and practice.
history
[attr="class","profileboxscroll"]The second child and second son of the illustrious and powerful Beilschmidts, Ludwig had a relatively peaceful infancy, free from the worry and responsibility that his last name brought to him. He didn’t know that his relatives were designated guardians of powerful magical secrets for the Ministry of Magic, he didn’t understand the responsibility his last name potentially carried, and he couldn’t figure out why his friendly and cheerful older brother would choose to spend so many hours locked in their father’s office during free time and holidays instead of teaching Ludwig to play Quidditch. The shy and shrewd child that he was, Ludwig spent a lot of his time avoiding most of his relatives, immersing himself in storybooks in the library or climbing the trees outside. He paid little attention to anyone aside from his parents and brother, and everyone in turn ignored him, and life went on.
However, when Ludwig was six, his older brother met with an accident during a friendly Quidditch match with his friends, collapsing from exhaustion and injuring himself. Not fully comprehending Gilbert’s long illness that followed, Ludwig spent a lot of time at his bedside, writing him get-well-soon notes and trying to avoid the sudden onslaught of attention from his family. Part of this came from pity, but with Gilbert’s well-being hanging in the balance, his status as heir to the family business had become uncertain. To Ludwig’s joy, Gilbert eventually recovered, but his illness had taken a toll on him and their father had since begun to train Ludwig as the family heir in Gilbert’s place.
No longer could Ludwig avoid his complicated family and spend his time doing things he loved. It was now him sitting in the chair next to his father’s desk, learning about the heavy responsibility he now stood to inherit. Already a rather solemn child and determined to make his brother and his family proud, Ludwig took these and all his other individual lessons very seriously. He took advantage of the Beilschmidts’ wealth and history and spent many hours combing through the family library for books about one obscure fact or another, and although he still kept practicing the Quidditch moves his brother had taught him, it was far more likely Ludwig would be found indoors studying. Concerned that he wasn’t getting enough fresh air and sunshine and social interaction, Gilbert brought up the idea of a camping trip, and eventually persuaded their parents to make the idea a reality. Ludwig’s parents took Ludwig, Gilbert, and a few close family members and set off to the Black Forest for a nice long vacation when Ludwig was eight.
The trip started off nicely: Ludwig enjoyed the hiking and forest and, although initially reluctant to talk much, opened up to his brother and his young relatives as the days wore on. One night, after setting up camp in a safe grove in the forest, Ludwig was walking between tents to call his cousins over for a late cup of hot chocolate when something huge slammed into him and knocked him to the ground. What felt like white-hot knives dug into his left shoulder, and the next part Ludwig can remember was waking up in a bed at St. Mungo’s. A Healer later revealed to him that he’d been attacked by a werewolf, and that he had likely been cursed the same way as a result. Both Ludwig and his parents refused to believe it at first, but the following month’s full moon proved beyond any doubt that the Healer had been right. Unhappily, Ludwig tended to his injured shoulder and tried to learn to cope with this new and frightening difficulty on top of his normal responsibilities.
As he slowly adjusted and recovered, Ludwig did his best to hide the severity of his injury from Gilbert, fearful of scaring his closest friend away. But it was impossible to conceal completely; their father had started catching Gilbert back up on the family responsibilities, as Ludwig’s curse had jeopardized his possible status as an heir. But Gilbert, clever as he was, eventually put the pieces together, and to Ludwig’s immense relief, his brother didn’t think he was a frightening monster. They grew closer, and the year that Gilbert entered Hogwarts was a very lonely one for Ludwig: he wrote his brother many letters as the months went by, both excited and anxious about joining Gilbert there the following year.
There was never any question that Ludwig would attend Hogwarts, despite his cursed status, and arrangements were made (Wolfsbane Potion, the use of the Forbidden Forest) to ensure that he could attend safely. That the responsible, severe, and ambitious young man ended up in Slytherin wasn’t a surprise to anyone. But Ludwig, who had once been so jealous of his elder brother attending the school while he’d been stuck at home, found himself feeling nervous and distant regarding his education. He made a resolution to keep his head down and his nose to the grindstone, to learn all he could to his utmost ability and get through the school as quickly as possible in order to go back to his isolated but safe existence.
Of course, reality threw a few wrenches into that plan. Despite his attempts not to be noticed, Ludwig found himself making real friends for the first time in his life, and over the course of his first two years he emerged from his shell, developing a reputation as an excellent student (if a bit of a hard-ass) and a skilled Beater on the house’s Quidditch team. Gilbert’s abrupt move to Durmstrang in Ludwig’s third year caught him off-guard, as had the massive argument that had preceded it, but Ludwig drew from his experience writing letters before and kept in constant contact with his brother, updating him about all the goings-on at Hogwarts.
While his father has yet to declare an official heir to the family legacy, Ludwig knows that Gilbert enjoys his freedom, and as such he’s never forgotten the responsibilities he was assigned before. He’s thrown himself fully into his studies, his Quidditch practice, and his social life at Hogwarts, but in his free time he still learns what he can of his father’s job. Even if he is assigned to carry on the family responsibilities, he’s determined to carve out his own life after his graduation, with his own career, friends, and goals.
However, when Ludwig was six, his older brother met with an accident during a friendly Quidditch match with his friends, collapsing from exhaustion and injuring himself. Not fully comprehending Gilbert’s long illness that followed, Ludwig spent a lot of time at his bedside, writing him get-well-soon notes and trying to avoid the sudden onslaught of attention from his family. Part of this came from pity, but with Gilbert’s well-being hanging in the balance, his status as heir to the family business had become uncertain. To Ludwig’s joy, Gilbert eventually recovered, but his illness had taken a toll on him and their father had since begun to train Ludwig as the family heir in Gilbert’s place.
No longer could Ludwig avoid his complicated family and spend his time doing things he loved. It was now him sitting in the chair next to his father’s desk, learning about the heavy responsibility he now stood to inherit. Already a rather solemn child and determined to make his brother and his family proud, Ludwig took these and all his other individual lessons very seriously. He took advantage of the Beilschmidts’ wealth and history and spent many hours combing through the family library for books about one obscure fact or another, and although he still kept practicing the Quidditch moves his brother had taught him, it was far more likely Ludwig would be found indoors studying. Concerned that he wasn’t getting enough fresh air and sunshine and social interaction, Gilbert brought up the idea of a camping trip, and eventually persuaded their parents to make the idea a reality. Ludwig’s parents took Ludwig, Gilbert, and a few close family members and set off to the Black Forest for a nice long vacation when Ludwig was eight.
The trip started off nicely: Ludwig enjoyed the hiking and forest and, although initially reluctant to talk much, opened up to his brother and his young relatives as the days wore on. One night, after setting up camp in a safe grove in the forest, Ludwig was walking between tents to call his cousins over for a late cup of hot chocolate when something huge slammed into him and knocked him to the ground. What felt like white-hot knives dug into his left shoulder, and the next part Ludwig can remember was waking up in a bed at St. Mungo’s. A Healer later revealed to him that he’d been attacked by a werewolf, and that he had likely been cursed the same way as a result. Both Ludwig and his parents refused to believe it at first, but the following month’s full moon proved beyond any doubt that the Healer had been right. Unhappily, Ludwig tended to his injured shoulder and tried to learn to cope with this new and frightening difficulty on top of his normal responsibilities.
As he slowly adjusted and recovered, Ludwig did his best to hide the severity of his injury from Gilbert, fearful of scaring his closest friend away. But it was impossible to conceal completely; their father had started catching Gilbert back up on the family responsibilities, as Ludwig’s curse had jeopardized his possible status as an heir. But Gilbert, clever as he was, eventually put the pieces together, and to Ludwig’s immense relief, his brother didn’t think he was a frightening monster. They grew closer, and the year that Gilbert entered Hogwarts was a very lonely one for Ludwig: he wrote his brother many letters as the months went by, both excited and anxious about joining Gilbert there the following year.
There was never any question that Ludwig would attend Hogwarts, despite his cursed status, and arrangements were made (Wolfsbane Potion, the use of the Forbidden Forest) to ensure that he could attend safely. That the responsible, severe, and ambitious young man ended up in Slytherin wasn’t a surprise to anyone. But Ludwig, who had once been so jealous of his elder brother attending the school while he’d been stuck at home, found himself feeling nervous and distant regarding his education. He made a resolution to keep his head down and his nose to the grindstone, to learn all he could to his utmost ability and get through the school as quickly as possible in order to go back to his isolated but safe existence.
Of course, reality threw a few wrenches into that plan. Despite his attempts not to be noticed, Ludwig found himself making real friends for the first time in his life, and over the course of his first two years he emerged from his shell, developing a reputation as an excellent student (if a bit of a hard-ass) and a skilled Beater on the house’s Quidditch team. Gilbert’s abrupt move to Durmstrang in Ludwig’s third year caught him off-guard, as had the massive argument that had preceded it, but Ludwig drew from his experience writing letters before and kept in constant contact with his brother, updating him about all the goings-on at Hogwarts.
While his father has yet to declare an official heir to the family legacy, Ludwig knows that Gilbert enjoys his freedom, and as such he’s never forgotten the responsibilities he was assigned before. He’s thrown himself fully into his studies, his Quidditch practice, and his social life at Hogwarts, but in his free time he still learns what he can of his father’s job. Even if he is assigned to carry on the family responsibilities, he’s determined to carve out his own life after his graduation, with his own career, friends, and goals.
rp sample
[attr="class","profileboxscroll"][From Imitation of Freedom::]
Each morning, Ludwig had woken with the anxious expectation that today was the day, today was the day the police would find him and arrest him and send him back to the Underground — if they didn’t outright kill him first. Some days stood out, like his short visits with Gilbert or the occasional excitement amongst Arcadia’s homeless whenever some windfall arrived or a fight broke out, but mostly everything had started to blur together. The sky was always gray, the weather was always cold, and Ludwig never felt safe.
He couldn’t say what had changed that. Maybe one day he’d just woken up on the right side of the mattress, for once, but somehow the fear had vanished. In its place was a kind of steadiness. I’ve been out here for long enough, Ludwig knew, and nothing bad has happened. He wouldn’t have called it optimism; he still went out of his way to avoid police officers and dogs and the areas of the city he knew weren’t welcoming. But that dreaded confrontation seemed less inevitable. If it happened, Ludwig knew he’d have to face the consequences, but even his understanding about that had calmed him down a little.
Emboldened by this new realization, he had been exploring the city more and more of late. It wasn’t as though he had anything better to occupy his days with, and walking around discovering new places and people was good enough entertainment. And since he’d stopped wearing his anxiety like a cloak, Ludwig blended in more with the ordinary people he walked alongside. He took great pains to keep himself and his clothes tidy and mended, but from the reactions he’d gotten, Ludwig knew he fell somewhere between ‘clean vagrant’ and ‘ragged hipster’. He’d also taken pains to avoid trouble, returning dropped umbrellas and scarves, giving directions and well-wishes, staying out of the way of disagreements and violence. After years of being a center-stage attraction in the Underground, it felt both unusual and satisfying to finally become part of the scenery.
Ludwig's wanderings today took him into an area of town not terribly far from where Gilbert lived. He had half-entertained the idea of dropping in on his brother as a surprise, but common sense overruled that. For all he knew, Gil was still under some kind of surveillance, or he might even be on a business trip. Ludwig couldn't risk it, as much as he wanted to. He'd started off in a different direction and had spent a few hours learning the lay of the city here. A friendly older woman had traded him a breadroll for directions to the nearest train station, and as he sat in a park and dusted the crumbs off his old gloves for the pigeons to peck at, snow begun to fall. He ought to head back to his shelter, Ludwig knew. The snow wouldn't hurt him, of course; with his ability, he stayed naturally warm, which had helped him avoid some of the illnesses that spread around each winter. But the city's homeless took shelter from storms and snow, and one wandering around in the middle of the flurries would stick out. Stretching his legs out, Ludwig stood and began to head back.
He didn't notice the child right away; there were too many other people pushing past him in their heavy coats and his view had been blocked. But a hushed, high whimper reached his ears and caused him to turn, and it was then he spotted the boy. Curled up against the wall like a withered plant, the boy looked like he was trying to disappear, and Ludwig hesitated. His parents couldn't be far off, surely - not in this place, with this weather. Or someone else would stop to help. He ought not to get involved, that would be inviting trouble. Someone would notice him helping and someone would recognize him and that would be the end of things. But as he stood some distance away, watching, Ludwig realized that not a single person had deigned to even glance at the child. Maybe they made the same assumptions as he had, or maybe they didn't care, or just didn't see him -- he was awfully small. But after ten solid minutes, with snow still falling steadily, Ludwig gave in. He'd see what he could do to help and make himself scarce afterwards, but he couldn't just wait for someone else to help. That kind of attitude got friends hurt or killed in the Underground, and it applied out here as well.
Slowly, after checking for any police officers nearby, Ludwig walked over to the crying boy, and as the child looked up at him with wide and frightened blue eyes, he realized he probably looked fairly intimidating. Quickly, he crouched down: it brought him a little closer to the boy's own height.
"Hello," he greeted. He couldn't muster a proper smile, but Ludwig nonetheless tried to keep his face friendly - or what he hoped looked friendly. He needed a haircut and a shave and a few proper meals, but his colorful wool hat was nearly new, discovered lost in the street a few days ago ... children liked colorful things, so that had to count for a little something, at least. "Is something wrong? Did you lose your parents?"
Each morning, Ludwig had woken with the anxious expectation that today was the day, today was the day the police would find him and arrest him and send him back to the Underground — if they didn’t outright kill him first. Some days stood out, like his short visits with Gilbert or the occasional excitement amongst Arcadia’s homeless whenever some windfall arrived or a fight broke out, but mostly everything had started to blur together. The sky was always gray, the weather was always cold, and Ludwig never felt safe.
He couldn’t say what had changed that. Maybe one day he’d just woken up on the right side of the mattress, for once, but somehow the fear had vanished. In its place was a kind of steadiness. I’ve been out here for long enough, Ludwig knew, and nothing bad has happened. He wouldn’t have called it optimism; he still went out of his way to avoid police officers and dogs and the areas of the city he knew weren’t welcoming. But that dreaded confrontation seemed less inevitable. If it happened, Ludwig knew he’d have to face the consequences, but even his understanding about that had calmed him down a little.
Emboldened by this new realization, he had been exploring the city more and more of late. It wasn’t as though he had anything better to occupy his days with, and walking around discovering new places and people was good enough entertainment. And since he’d stopped wearing his anxiety like a cloak, Ludwig blended in more with the ordinary people he walked alongside. He took great pains to keep himself and his clothes tidy and mended, but from the reactions he’d gotten, Ludwig knew he fell somewhere between ‘clean vagrant’ and ‘ragged hipster’. He’d also taken pains to avoid trouble, returning dropped umbrellas and scarves, giving directions and well-wishes, staying out of the way of disagreements and violence. After years of being a center-stage attraction in the Underground, it felt both unusual and satisfying to finally become part of the scenery.
Ludwig's wanderings today took him into an area of town not terribly far from where Gilbert lived. He had half-entertained the idea of dropping in on his brother as a surprise, but common sense overruled that. For all he knew, Gil was still under some kind of surveillance, or he might even be on a business trip. Ludwig couldn't risk it, as much as he wanted to. He'd started off in a different direction and had spent a few hours learning the lay of the city here. A friendly older woman had traded him a breadroll for directions to the nearest train station, and as he sat in a park and dusted the crumbs off his old gloves for the pigeons to peck at, snow begun to fall. He ought to head back to his shelter, Ludwig knew. The snow wouldn't hurt him, of course; with his ability, he stayed naturally warm, which had helped him avoid some of the illnesses that spread around each winter. But the city's homeless took shelter from storms and snow, and one wandering around in the middle of the flurries would stick out. Stretching his legs out, Ludwig stood and began to head back.
He didn't notice the child right away; there were too many other people pushing past him in their heavy coats and his view had been blocked. But a hushed, high whimper reached his ears and caused him to turn, and it was then he spotted the boy. Curled up against the wall like a withered plant, the boy looked like he was trying to disappear, and Ludwig hesitated. His parents couldn't be far off, surely - not in this place, with this weather. Or someone else would stop to help. He ought not to get involved, that would be inviting trouble. Someone would notice him helping and someone would recognize him and that would be the end of things. But as he stood some distance away, watching, Ludwig realized that not a single person had deigned to even glance at the child. Maybe they made the same assumptions as he had, or maybe they didn't care, or just didn't see him -- he was awfully small. But after ten solid minutes, with snow still falling steadily, Ludwig gave in. He'd see what he could do to help and make himself scarce afterwards, but he couldn't just wait for someone else to help. That kind of attitude got friends hurt or killed in the Underground, and it applied out here as well.
Slowly, after checking for any police officers nearby, Ludwig walked over to the crying boy, and as the child looked up at him with wide and frightened blue eyes, he realized he probably looked fairly intimidating. Quickly, he crouched down: it brought him a little closer to the boy's own height.
"Hello," he greeted. He couldn't muster a proper smile, but Ludwig nonetheless tried to keep his face friendly - or what he hoped looked friendly. He needed a haircut and a shave and a few proper meals, but his colorful wool hat was nearly new, discovered lost in the street a few days ago ... children liked colorful things, so that had to count for a little something, at least. "Is something wrong? Did you lose your parents?"
other
Wand | |
Dragon Heartstring | Yew |
12.5" | Hard |
Strongest Subject | Weakest Subject |
Transfiguration | sleep |
Familiar | Patronus |
Eurasian Eagle Owl | German shepherd |
Ludwig Beilschmidt from Hetalia | |
Lena | |
width: 1px;[/newclass]
