Zinnia Fincher

[Zinnia Fincher]

In Character

Full Name: Zinnia Lilliana Fincher.
Nicknames: Zinny.
Birthdate: August 8th, 1864.
Current Age: Twenty.
Occupation: Pendergast Rose.
Hogwarts House: N/A.
Wand: 9" Willow & Fairy Wing.
Blood Status: Pureblood.
Social Class: Upper Class.
Family:

Gilbert Fincher, Father [1826]
Gardenia Fincher née Crouch, Mother [1833 - 1870]
Amaryllis Vail née Fincher, Sister [1856 - 1884]
— Christian Vail, Brother-in-Law [1851 - 1884]
— Esther Vail, Niece [1874]
— Gardenia Vail, Niece [1879 - 1884]
— Elijah Vail, Nephew [1879 - 1884]
James Fincher, Brother [1859 - 1863]
Iris Fincher, Sister [1867]
Begonia Fincher, Sister [1869]
Abraham Fincher, Brother [1870, Stillborn]

Hortensia Fincher née ___, Stepmother [1850]
Norton Fincher, Half-Brother [1875]
Elias Fincher, Half-Brother [1879]
Adeline Fincher, Half-Sister [1881]

Appearance:

A pretty young woman, Zinnia has thick hair in a rather appealing gold colour which falls in pleasing waves when left free of the rather simple twist she favours. Her eyes are a light and expressive shade of blue. She is by no means tall, standing at a reasonably average five feet and three inches with a proportionally curvaceous figure. With little knowledge of current fashions apart from the magazines Amaryllis occasionally sent them, Zinnia's fashion sense is decidedly simple and she never strays from shades of cream and white which make every speck of dirt blindingly obvious. Mourning, then, is a difficult adjustment and she is eternally suspicious of what horrors the shade of black might be hiding. She is right-handed. Oh, and super super clean.

History:

1864 | Zinnia is born. She is preceded by a sister, Amaryllis, and a brother who unfortunately perished the year before.

1867 | Zinnia is gifted with a younger sister who is named Iris. She is intensely curious and immediately protective of her tiny sibling, particularly with the knowledge that her little brother perished at such a tender age. She is decidedly unhappy when Amaryllis leaves for Hogwarts.

1868 | Distressed by her sister’s tears, Zinnia enchants a small soft toy to do a little jig and comfort her--her first act of magic.

1869 | Begonia is born, and Zinnia is as protective of her youngest sister as she is of Iris.

1870 | Zinnia is thrilled when she learns her mother is expecting again, however tragedy strikes when her brother is stillborn and her mother dies due to childbirth complications. Zinnia is bereft, not quite old enough to fully understand why she will never see her mother again but takes her father’s explanation that Gardenia “was very sick” to heart and her mysophobia begins to manifest.

1872 | After her fifth year, Amaryllis leaves Hogwarts and makes her debut.

1873 | With her memories of her mother very much intact, Zinnia is dubious and decidedly shy about the prospect of a stepmother. Her fears prove warranted when Hortensia displays little to no interest in her young step-children. The situation is made all the more dreadful when Amaryllis marries and leaves her siblings for her marital home.

1874 | Amaryllis gives birth to her first child, Esther, and Zinnia is quite vocal about keeping the infant safe from germs.

1875 | Hortensia gives birth to a son she and Zinnia’s father name Norton. Though rather excited by the existence of the child, it quickly becomes obvious that their stepmother has no wish for her husband’s elder children to interact with her child. However, Zinnia is comforted by the knowledge she will shortly follow in Amaryllis’ footsteps and go to Hogwarts. Even a cold cannot dampen her spirits, but she is horribly disappointed when fall comes and she and her siblings are packed off to the country estate instead. Zinnia is promised that once she recovers she will be allowed to go to school. She does not, and she is absolutely certain that it is her fault. If it had not been for her cold, she might have been at school by now and she is determined never to be sick again! A governess is employed in place of her Hogwarts education.

1877 | Zinnia is quietly thrilled when Amaryllis and her young daughters join them for a month, but her enjoyment is somewhat tempered by her determination to avoid illness--both becoming ill, and infecting her delicate nieces with some deadly virus. Her governess procures a set of gloves, and Zinnia takes to wearing them always.

1878 | Hogwarts is also withheld from Iris, and her father’s insistence that Iris’ attendance would not be fair to her makes Zinnia feel decidedly guilty. A wand is little comfort, but she is quite proud of it nonetheless and treasures the gift.

1879 | Another brother, Elias, is born, and the girls see less of him then they ever did Norton. They also see increasingly less of their father, and Zinnia is much more interested in her nephew, Elijah, who is also born that year.

1880 | Begonia joins her sisters in their continued isolation and does not go to Hogwarts. That fall Zinnia falls prey to another cold and in the aftermath steps up her cleaning regime, sometimes taking several baths a day and scrubbing her hands utterly raw. She prefers to remain indoors, particularly in the sterile sanctuary of her own room, and detests interacting with strangers, though visitors to their country estate are rare indeed.

1881 | Adeline is born.

1884 | That year brings plague to Britain and Zinnia all but barricades herself in her room, refusing to even shake hands for fear of spreading illness. Their isolation ensures their health, but Amaryllis is not so lucky; she, her husband and three of her children succumb to the sickness, and only Esther remains. Later that year Zinnia is utterly surprised when her father announces she and her sisters have been enrolled in the Pendergast School for Young Roses; she is petrified by the thought of attended a school of strangers and in particular of sharing a room. She begins in September.

Personality:

Though generally a very kind and sweet young woman, Zinnia's isolation and the deaths of several close family members have resulted in the development of mysophobia, an unhealthy fear of germs and contamination.

"Mysophobia, or the fear of germs, refers to an unhealthy fear of contamination. It is normal and prudent to be concerned about issues such as cross-contamination of foods, exposure to the bodily fluids of others and maintaining good hygiene. However, if you suffer from mysophobia, these normal concerns become overblown. One of the most common symptoms of mysophobia is frequent hand washing, specifically to remove germs. If you suffer from mysophobia, you may experience shaking, heart palpitations, sweating or even crying when exposed to dirt or bacteria. These symptoms may occur only when the object of your phobia is visible, as is the case when digging in a garden, or when you believe that germ contact may have occurred, such as when shaking hands with someone or using a doorknob."

Boarding school is basically the worst, most awkward place for Zinnia to be. Her isolation also means she is decidedly uncomfortable meeting strangers (quite apart from her concerns about contamination) and has been left rather socially awkward. She is an earnest, caring, well-meaning young woman however, and wants to make friends--she just find it all so difficult.

Out of Character

Name: Bex.
Age: 25.
Contact: AIM.
Other Characters: N/A.
How did you hear about us?: RPG-D.

  

[Violet MacFusty]

APPLICATION ACCEPTED!

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