heathclifflacey | Heathcliff Lacey

GENERAL

NAME: Heathcliff Linden Lacey
NICKNAMES: Typically goes by Heathcliff but he'll also respond to Cliff.
He dislikes being addressed by his last name.
AGE/DOB: Sixteen / December 1st (Sagittarius)
BLOOD STATUS: Half-blood
GENDER/PRONOUNS: Male & He/Him
SEXUALITY: Heterosexual
HOMETOWN: Savannah, GA

Before coming to Gooseberry Alternative High School, Heathcliff attended Wakefield Academy of Modern Magic in Savannah. A magical day school with a controversial curriculum focused on teaching both magical and non-magical subjects, incorporating technology into magic, and encouraging interaction with No-Maj communities. The school is small, with just over three-hundred students in grades 1 through 12. Because it is located in the heart of Savannah, the students there play traditionally No-Maj sports rather than Quidditch. It's one of Savannah's best kept secrets.

CONCEPT: Big dumb jock with a big dumb heart and surprising divination talents.

PHYSICAL

APPEARANCE: Heathcliff has always been a big guy, tall enough and broad enough to tower over most of his peers ever since freshman year, and he's only continued to grow. Now six feet and four inches at full height and muscular from an active lifestyle and a dedicated workout regimen, he remains one of Gooseberry's jolliest giants. While his size is typically the first thing that most people notice, though, he's also got an eager and open and friendly disposition most of the time and he wears his heart on his sleeve.

When not in his uniform, he tends to dress in No-Maj styles, preferring t-shirts and jeans that are cut well enough to be vaguely fashionable but are still simple and casual. Most of what he wears has a sporty or preppy sensibility that seems like a natural fit for him. While he doesn't accessorize with jewelry or scarves or anything that could be considered feminine, he does have a modest collection of baseball caps and sunglasses and considerably more pairs of designer sneakers. These sneakers, often obnoxiously bright and stylized, are among his most prized possessions and he layers them in charms so he can safely wear them outside of his cabin.

Because he's a new member of the Quidditch team he doesn't have a letterman jacket. He covets those jackets so hard.

HEIGHT: 6'4"

PB: Ross Butler

PERSONALITY

LIKES: Divination. Intuition. Sports. Basketball. Quidditch. Lifting weights. Rough housing. Designer sneakers. Affection. Attention. Showing off. Competition. Being tall. Family. Cute animals. So-ugly-they're-cute animals (especially pugs). Gardening. Drinking tea. Making tea blends. Tasseomancy. Botanomancy. Video games. Archery. Needlessly elaborate trick shots.

DISLIKES: Studying. Reading. Academics. Feeling stupid. Being ignored. Being rejected. Worrying or disappointing his parents. Bitter tea. Skeptics (especially among wizards). Wuthering Heights. Silence. Barbecue (he may be kicked out of Georgia someday). Losing.

PERSONALITY:

Heathcliff is outgoing and friendly, a boisterous extrovert with all the subtlety of a hurricane. He has a direct, earnest, forceful personality and always seems to want the attention of someone. Preferably this would be someone that he likes but he can't always be that discerning and he'd rather spend time with an acquaintance or a stranger or even a rival than be alone for too long. He thrives on social interaction and doesn't always realize when he's imposing on others, people that might not want his company or that are trying to focus on something else, as a result. A very physical person, prone to roughhousing and casual displays of affection in equal measure, he can be similarly clumsy about invading the personal space of others and needs to be firmly corrected before he'll actually catch on to the problem. While this rambunctious nature can be endearing to some and overwhelming to others, there's no denying that his heart seems to be in the right place. He just likes people and he wants people to like him, however heavy-handed the approach.

While generally an upbeat guy, Heathcliff is also emotional and moody and seems to feel everything intensely. It's not difficult to make him happy or to earn his friendship, but he's also easily hurt and easily provoked and easily overwhelmed. He's the type that gets misty during sentimental moments or when watching a touching film. He's the type that's quick to get frustrated over little inconveniences and lose his temper when prodded. He's the type to overreact and get himself riled up. He tends to get through these moods quickly but that doesn't stop his actions from having consequences and, on the rare occasions that he needs longer to bounce back, he can't be rushed. More than most, he's ruled by his emotions and he wears his heart right on his sleeve. This also leads him to be quite impulsive and he acts before he thinks with startling frequency. While there are certain activities that can calm him and help him clear his head, most notably divining and gardening, these times of reflection rarely help him not to lose his cool when it counts.

Unfortunately, this tendency to overreact combined with a competitive nature also makes him a bad loser. Before coming to Gooseberry, Heathcliff was largely defined by his athletic ability and he spent several years riding high on the praise and attention this earned him from his peers. While he was glad to find there was more to him than just that as he got older, he still associates those feelings with winning and he likes to win. He puts all of his energy and effort into any competition that he finds himself in, no matter how little it actually matters, and losing always seems to leave him bent out of shape. This is especially true with sports and motivates him to practice and train and work hard because falling short feels like a direct blow to his self-image and his self-worth. Failing to make the Quidditch team during his sophomore year definitely wounded his ego and, now that he's on the team, he's determined to prove himself and to help the team win.

This willingness to work hard and this determination to excel doesn't entirely carry over into Heathcliff's academic life, though. Learning has never come easily to him and he becomes frustrated and restless when trying to study because things very rarely just click and make sense for him and everything is an uphill battle. While there have been exceptions to this rule, specifically Herbology (which is very hands-on and tied into an existing interest of his) and Divination (which resonates with him in a unique way), academics have always been a struggle for him. Because he doesn't want to disappoint his parents, he tends to swing between periods of buckling down and working and seeing small improvements followed by periods of frustration and giving up and resigning himself to just getting through the material. The son of two exceptionally intelligent parents, this never fails to make him feel hopelessly inadequate and he often just tries to put off thinking about his lessons altogether. Because of these difficulties, he attempts to dismiss the idea that he studies altogether and lets people assume that he's just not trying. He'd rather that people think he's a slacker than think he's stupid.

Heathcliff knows and accepts that he's never going to be the brightest guy in the room, though. He's not going to be the one with the good ideas or the guy that knows what needs to be done. Because of this, he's much more comfortable being a follower than a leader and letting someone else call the shots most of the time. That's not to say that he's willing to give up his opinions or that he'll let someone walk all over him, but he likes having someone else to look to and trust in so he doesn't have to rely on himself all the time. He'd rather just focus on finding the right people to back.

SKILLS

LANGUAGES SPOKEN: Just English.

PATRONUS: Elk. Elk are associated with strength, stamina, pride, aggression, independence, improvement, and perseverance. They're also associated with intuition and vision.

Heathcliff can cast a Patronus!

SKILLS:

Divination: Whether or not Heathcliff has any real talent for divination is debatable, since many wizards and witches doubt its efficacy, but he's definitely knowledgeable about it and dedicated to its practice and has had more than a statistical anomaly's worth of accurate predictions over the years. His preferred method is any kind of botanomancy (divination related to plants), especially tasseomancy (divining with tea leaves), but he also keeps tarot cards and other tools of the trade.

He conducts readings of some kind every day and keeps a detailed journal of what he sees and what he suspects things mean, but rarely shows it to anyone but Mr. Chettri or Ennis Harper.

Athleticism: Heathcliff is a big, athletic guy and he's just as strong and as tough as his appearance suggests. While he's never going to be the fastest guy on the field or the pitch, he's not slow and he's got an impressive amount of stamina and endurance and it takes a lot to fully wear him down. He's always been physical, prone to roughhousing and to pushing himself to his limits just for the fun of doing so.

A natural athlete, he played all sorts of sports as a kid, but focused on basketball and wrestling in middle school and on Quidditch since coming to Gooseberry. He's also an experienced member of the Archery Club with impressive aim.

Gardening: Heathcliff started gardening at a young age and has a green thumb. He's more knowledgeable about both magical and non-magical plants than most would expect and he knows a lot of tricks to maintain a happy, healthy garden! He grows more herbs than anything else and even keeps a small garden on his window sill in the cabin.

Making Tea: An intersection of his Herbology and Divination interests, Heathcliff started growing tea plants and herbs and making tea blends during his freshman year, hoping to make something especially suited for divining. If nothing else, he's had some interesting results and brewed some tasty concoctions. He shares the good ones with friends.

HISTORY

FAMILY MEMBERS:

Dr. Marcus Lacey - Father - Muggle - Engineer: A man that is both exceptionally intelligent and hopelessly awkward, Marcus is a mild-mannered, soft-spoken, bookish man that finds the magical world a bit overwhelming. Fortunately, he's married to a very modern witch and she handles most of the magical strangeness that comes into their orbit, allowing him to live a mostly normal life. He's often oblivious but this is sometimes a good thing because he's also a worrywart and can be overprotective of his children. Convincing the man that Quidditch wasn't a disaster waiting to happen was a considerable challenge.

He spends much of his time reading and is likely responsible for the names 'Heathcliff' and 'Pandora'.

Lucille "Lucy" Lacey - Mother - Muggleborn - Teacher: Lucy is a brilliant witch that pursued higher education in both magical and mundane studies after completing high school, earning advanced degrees in both Hermeticism and Physics. She spent some years as a researcher, focused on improving energy systems and exploring renewable energy, but became frustrated with MACUSA intervention and restrictions for the sake of preserving magical secrets and eventually left this role behind. Mostly. She currently teaches at Wakefield Academy of Modern Magic and is hoping to change the magical world one student at a time.

While strict, focused, and driven, she is nevertheless a loving wife and mother. She is a bit disappointed that both of her kids have run off to magical camp school, but understands that a more traditional magical education meets Heathcliff's needs and interests. A Muggleborn wizard, she finds much of the magical world to be ridiculous and exasperating.

Pandora Lacey - Sister - Half-blood - Student: Pandora is Heathcliff's little sister and a sophomore at Gooseberry Alternative High School. She was sorted into Azurcrest.

Popo, Pudding, & Pickles - Dogs!: A trio of sweet, ugly, mouth-breathing pugs. They are relentlessly spoiled by every member of the family and are treated more like siblings than dogs.

HISTORY:

Heathcliff was born in Savannah, the oldest child of a Muggle father and a Muggleborn mother that were both exceptionally bright and accomplished and nearing affluence by the time they decided to start a family. Despite living in the midst of a No-Maj metropolis, the Lacey siblings were immersed in both the magical and modern worlds from a young age and grew up without ever knowing the divide between the two quite as acutely as most wizards and witches do. It was all just normal. While somewhat unconventional, this upbringing didn't stop his earliest years from being happy, stable, and largely uninteresting. Raised mostly in the care of his mother, who stopped working for a few years so she could be home with her children when they were small, Heathcliff was a needy, energetic, rough-and-tumble child from an early age and overwhelmed his parents with his rambunctious nature. He was a handful that required a lot of attention and occasionally got into trouble, but his parents took this in stride and the family was always tightly knit.

When Heathcliff was five, he began attending the Wakefield Academy of Modern Magic. Initially, he enjoyed school. His outgoing and energetic nature made it easy for him to make friends and, while his grades were never outstanding, he did well enough. As he got older, though, his priorities focused more on friends and playing sports and having fun and his academic shortcomings became more pronounced as the classes got more difficult. He lacked the focus to study effectively, he struggled with both reading and writing, and he wasn't bright enough to simply coast, so his grades began to slip. This disappointed and baffled his parents, for whom learning had always come very easily, but they attempted to support him and help him with this work. Sometimes this encouraged him to try harder and helped his grades go up for a time. Sometimes this just frustrated him even more and prompted him to lie about his assignments and how his classes were going for as long as he could. He spent several years bouncing back and forth between Bs and Cs and was a thoroughly mediocre student that felt like he wasn't good at anything at school.

When Heathcliff was nine, though, he found an unexpected friend and a reason to reconsider that view of himself. Forced to stay after school to redo an assignment for his Science class, he met a girl in the rooftop greenhouse: ten-year-old Phoebe Maycott. She was there because she wanted to be and she didn't particularly like having someone else in what she considered to be her greenhouse, but she took pity on him after he interrupted her with several hopeless questions and decided to help him. Afterward, he asked what she was doing and she told him about her garden. Hearing about this from another student, especially one that seemed to care so much, made it interesting. He ended up staying even later to help her plant seeds and tend the soil and the two sparked a friendship. For the next year, Heathcliff and Phoebe met in the greenhouse after school to garden and he developed a genuine interest in plants. He also found that gardening gave him time to be calm and to think in a way he typically lacked. During this time, he found school a little easier to deal with and he wanted to do better. Because Phi took school seriously and the last thing he wanted was the girl thinking he was stupid. While the two were different and operated in different social circles outside of the greenhouse, he became very attached to Phi and he was devastated when she told him at the end of the year that she'd be going to Ilvermorny after summer was over. The two exchanged letters for a time but eventually fell out of contact. He continued to keep their garden, though.

While Heathcliff maintained his interest in gardening, which grew into an interest in Herbology as he got old enough to begin magical study, his interest in school began to wane again without Phoebe, especially as he started sixth grade and became eligible to play school sports. He tried out for and made the basketball team and the wrestling team, excelling in both because of his enthusiasm, athleticism, willingness to practice, and an unexpected growth spurt that had him shooting up like a weed. The praise and popularity this earned him made it even harder to care about his grades and he befriend several other jocks that were happy to encourage him to slack off and act out in class and disregard his studies. This caused friction at home because his parents were willing to support him and his interests and his abilities, but they weren't willing to let him stop trying. This was especially true of his mother, who now taught at the school and had a front row seat to all of this. With tension mounting at home, Heathcliff spent more time at school, staying late to work out and tend his garden and sometimes to study. Because disappointing his parents felt pretty bad, even if it was something to which he was growing accustomed. One afternoon, he got the idea to see if he could make a potion to aid in concentration using the plants in the garden. He couldn't, but he ended up finding a book about Botanomancy, which detailed things like reading tea leaves, burning plants to divine meaning in the smoke or ashes, plants that could be arranged and placed beneath the pillow to prompt prophetic dreams, and other techniques. Because Wakefield Academy focused on more practical and modern magic, this was all foreign to him and he was fascinated. He spent the rest of the afternoon reading before returning home with the book.

Heathcliff began doing daily readings (mostly with tea leaves and later with tarot cards) after that and recording what he found in a journal, comparing the results with what happened during the coming days and finding enough small successes to be delighted and further drawn in. Because here was something that he might actually be good at that relied on his mind. And it felt right. And it meant a lot to him. So it wasn't entirely surprising to his parents when he approached them about transferring to another school. One where he could focus exclusively on magic and get instruction from someone that had the same divination talents that he probably...maybe...possibly had. The first school on his list was Gooseberry Alternative High School, which not only taught divination but had a bona fide seer on the staff. His parents were reluctant but could tell how important it was to him and told him that they would send him if he could get in. For the remainder of the year, he attempted to prepare for exams, continued practicing and learning about divination, and tried to stay out of trouble. He also got his application together and polished it up as well as he could. But it wasn't that impressive and he worried that it wouldn't be enough. But it was. And the following year he left for Utah.

Away from home and in a new school for the first time in his life, the transition wasn't easy for Heathcliff. While still his outgoing and energetic self, starting over and giving up his social niche as an athlete (since he'd never played Quidditch before and wasn't going to make the team) was harder than he'd expected. He was eager to find his place but anxious that he wouldn't be able too and was overly exuberant, forceful, and needy for the first few months he was there. He tried too hard and often made a nuisance of himself unintentionally. Being unexpectedly reunited with his childhood friend Phoebe and getting to go to Divination and Herbology every week took the edge off, though, and he gradually settled down. He made friends, found other places to put his energy (like working out and attending Archery Club and gardening with Phi), became a frequenter of every party, and came to like the school. He even found an older student willing to teach him Quidditch so that, next year he could make the team. The rest of his freshman year went without incident and, to the delight of his parents, his marks actually improved (a bit) with a more focused curriculum.

While his sophomore year got off to a rough start, mostly because he failed to make the Quidditch team and this left a considerable bruise on his ego, he regained his footing and continued on as before. As strange things began to happen and students had encounters with the entities in the woods, though, he got a little nervous. Fortunately for him, out of sight meant out of mind and most of the time he was able not to think about it, though his daily readings did often hint at bad things to come. When the end of the year came and nothing happened, he was relieved. When he woke up the next day and found some of his cabinmates missing, though, that was quick to change. Along with everyone else, he went to the Atrium and waited anxiously with his sister (who had also come to Gooseberry) and his friends to see if the others would return. And, after everyone was found, his parents were contacted to bring him home. The trip was long and awkward but Heathcliff and Pandora were able to convince their parents to wait and see what the MACUSA said before pulling them from the school. Because, despite everything, they both wanted to go back.

Uncertainty made the summer seem long, but Heathcliffe spent it divining, training for Quidditch tryouts (he couldn't fail again, right??), and spending time with his friends. In July, the Lacey family all sat down to discuss the situation and eventually came to a decision: that the kids could return to Gooseberry but that they had to write weekly and that if anything strange happened they'd let a teacher and their parents know. It wasn't ideal, but both Heathcliff and Pandora agreed and returned the following school year.

But it'll probably be fine, right?

SCHOOL

YEAR: Junior (Grade 11)
HOUSE: Coppertale
SORTING: Outgoing, earnest, impulsive, bold, and competitive, Heathcliff was a natural fit for Coppertale! While the other emblems made a half-hearted attempt to recruit the boy, it was fairly clear where he'd be going as soon as he walked into the Sorting Cave. While he's more of a follower than many Coppertales, he likes being around strong leaders that will give him someone worth following.
WAND: Silver Lime, Snallygaster Heartstring core, 14", Pliable
FAMILIAR: None

CLASSES:
✦Core: Charms, Herbology, Outdoor Exploration, Potions, Transfiguration
✦Electives: Artificing
✦Advanced: Divination
ADVANCED STUDY: Divination

Heathcliff stumbled across a book about divination when he was thirteen and was instantly drawn to the discipline, fascinated by the secrets it held and the idea that this was a kind of magic that he could be good at and a sense of inexplicable rightness that came over him when divining. He studied it independently for a year before coming to Gooseberry because his own school didn't teach it, practicing every day and recording the results (no matter how vague or indecipherable) and reading about the different methods of divination. He applied to Gooseberry specifically to study divination and knew who Mr. Chettri was before deciding to come. He's maybe a bit of a fanboy.

He's most drawn to divination methods which utilize plants, like reading tea leaves, but also utilizes tarot cards.

SENIOR PROJECT: Heathcliff's not even close to thinking about that.
ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE: Heathcliff isn't a good student; he dislikes studying, he struggles to focus on things that don't interest him, and he isn't especially organized or methodical when it comes to his classwork. While he tries (...sometimes) and doesn't want to disappoint his parents, his grades are rarely better than mediocre in most of his classes. There are two subjects in which he consistently works hard and actually excels, though: Divination and Herbology. His interest and skill in these subjects are what got him into Gooseberry, though those that know him on only a superficial level might find that difficult to believe. His worst class is Transfiguration.

EXTRACURRICULARS:
Quidditch: Chaser. Heathcliff is a big guy, especially for a Chaser, and he doesn't have the nimble maneuverability that some of his peers display. What he lacks in agility and swiftness, though, he makes up for in accuracy, strength, and durability; he often plows through the defenses of other teams and can remain on his broom/retain control of the Quaffle even after taking a direct hit from a Beater and is adept at making shots from a great distance. His style of play is enthusiastic and forceful and he practices hard but he's not always good at sticking to plans and can frustrate his teammates.

Gardening: While he might not seem the type, Heathcliff has been interested in gardening since he was small (because of his friendship with Phoebe Maycott) and he's got a green thumb. He's calmer and more attentive during Gardening Club than usual and typically knows what he's talking about. But, when in doubt, he won't hesitate to bother Phi!

Archery: Heathcliff joined the Archery Club as a freshman because he wasn't initially able to play Quidditch and he wanted somewhere to show off. It took him a while to learn but he's an excellent shot now and he mostly attends the club for competitions and time challenges. He's quick to remind everyone that he's a Sagittarius, so duh, he's a natural. He and his roommate, Cash, spend a fair amount of time setting up and figuring out how to make elaborate trick shots. It's pretty impressive but pretty pointless.

OOC

NAME: Katie
EMAIL: ollinsong@gmail.com
CDJ: ollinsong
OTHER PREFERRED CONTACT: N/A
TIME ZONE: CST