Ludwig Beilschmidt // [Complete]

Character's name: Ludwig Beilschmidt

Country of origin: Germany

Year: Fourth

Age: Fourteen

House: Slytherin


Personality:
Surprisingly mature for his age, Ludwig is the kind of person that can't seem to take anything lightly. He's a hard worker, and gives once hundred percent of his effort to anything he does, no matter how petty the task may be. He's also very serious, and can stay focused well. All of these qualities have made him an excellent student, and it's true that he holds himself to very high standards. When he messes up, he can be quite hard on himself in turn. He's much less critical of other people, although he'll easily speak out if someone is breaking a rule or wasting time, two actions Ludwig abhors.

Ludwig is also very stoic: aside from keeping a relatively blank face, the only obvious emotion he seems to display is irritation. Truthfully, his angry reactions are almost a kind of defense: when he's feeling any kind of uncomfortable emotion - embarrassment, frustration, loneliness, et cetera - Ludwig reacts loudly to keep people from prying into the matter (of course, he does get genuinely irritated at times as well). Not that he does this consciously; Ludwig is, and has always been, a bit on the shy side, and while he craves approval, he's not the type to seek out the spotlight like his older brother.

And Ludwig is undeniably ambitious. While he's naturally curious and enjoys learning new things, he certainly wants to use that knowledge to achieve or succeed, and deals with failure poorly. As Ludwig is also very persistent (or stubborn, to put it another way), failure is occasionally inevitable, and he sulks and beats himself up about it for weeks. While he's a very patient person, when he does lose his temper he's positively merciless with his words and actions, and usually regrets this later. And although Ludwig is certainly proud, he's not above apologizing. He's unfailingly realistic and logical, and can easily figure out whether or not something was his fault.

Because of his realistic nature, he tends towards being a bit of a pessimist. But anyone who knows Ludwig well can verify that there's much more to him. Ludwig has a kind nature, and while he can be distant or formal with people he doesn't know well, he'd never refuse them help in a bad situation. He's protective of things and people weaker than he is, especially animals, which he loves. While he's woefully naive about some things, Ludwig is quite book-smart and enjoys reading, and, owing to an abundance of fairy tales as a child, has a surprisingly large imagination. He even has a sense of humor, though it's well-hidden behind all of the responsibility and seriousness.


Appearance:

[With Hair Down]

Ludwig is taller than average for his age, with a well-definied muscular build he's earned from daily physical exercise. His skin is very fair, and he sunburns easily; blushes and bruises also show up easily when they occur. His hair is a pale shade of golden-blond, and he's been experimenting with combing it back away from his face, as he thinks it makes him look more mature. His eyes are a bright sky blue and are often narrowed in observation or scrutiny; this, along with his generally serious and unsmiling demeanor, make him seem unfriendly or cross. Ludwig's face is very masculine, with a broad forehead and strong jawline that only serve to accentuate how stern he seems.

While Ludwig is comfortable in both Muggle and wizard clothing, no matter what he's wearing, he's meticulously tidy about his appearance. He is not a vain person, but he believes in making a good impression, and part of that is looking put together and clean. While this can be difficult after spending all night studying or after a particularly vicious game of Quidditch, Ludwig still puts forth his best effort.


Muggle-born, Half-blood, or Pureblood? Half-blood


Strengths:
Organization: Ludwig is a naturally tidy and orderly person. He abhors clutter and chaos, and is an expert at managing his items, activities, homework, and free time.

Work: Instead of shirking his responsibilities, Ludwig shoulders them calmly. He believes that if you're going to do something, you should give it your best effort - no matter how insignificant the problem.

Knowledge: Ludwig is a lover of books and is naturally curious, and will often pursue an answer until he understands it completely. He's both smart and clever - at least, when it comes to most written subjects.

Patience/Persistance: Ludwig doesn't give up. Ever. Even when he probably should. He's just very driven and believes there's an answer to everything.

Kindness: While he's not exactly the friendliest person, Ludwig isn't mean either. He's got a talent for spotting strength in people, and won't refuse help to anyone badly in need, whether it be of homework assistance, money, or even just someone to listen.

Courage: It's not his most obvious trait, not by far. But if the situation ever arose, Ludwig would easily step in the line of fire to protect a friend.


Weaknesses:
Emotions: Ludwig hides what he's feeling, with very few exceptions. Although it's a reflex that he has a hard time letting go of, his serious and sometimes cold demeanor isn't winning him any friends.

Naivete: While he's very book-smart, Ludwig isn't exactly well-versed in practical knowledge. He's hopelessly awkward at times, and can almost seem out-of-touch with his peers.

Power: Ludwig is a sincere believer in the saying "if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself." He can't believe anyone would meet his own high standards, and as such seeks to be in charge of everything he can control, to make sure that everything is done the way he wants it to be. Needless to say, he can be bossy. Growing up in a poorer family, as well, Ludwig is determined to advance his station in life.

Stress: With all the responsibilities he tends to take on, Ludwig can become very easily stressed. He's naturally a pessimist and a worrier and tends to believe that if something could go wrong, it probably will. At times, he has trouble enjoying anything due to how anxious he is about everything else.

People Skills: Around people he knows, Ludwig is comfortable and calm. Around those he doesn't know, however, he's stiff and formal, and being from Germany, he's not a fan of small talk. His abrupt manner (and his tendency to read books on how to deal with people as opposed to learning from experience) has not earned him many friends.


Phobias, quirks, etc.
Failure: Possibly Ludwig's greatest fear, this encompasses a lot. He worries that he'll fail at a project, or that he'll fail to live up to expectations, or that he'll fail to make friends or understand something. As failure is inevitable in life, when it does occur, he blames only himself and is even more subdued, withdrawn, and irritable than usual until he recovers from the upset.

Loss: Ludwig treasures his family and his good friends more than anything, especially because he doesn't have a whole lot of either. He's terrified of losing anyone close to him.

Bookworm: Ludwig loves books. While his favorites are fictional novels and how-to guides, he enjoys spending his free time reading something new.

Languages: Ludwig speaks German, English, and a little Turkish (he picked it up working part-time jobs around his community). He's a little shy about his accent, however, and it's another reason he doesn't chatter idly about much.


Your Character's backstory:
Two years after Annaliese and Johannas welcomed Gilbert into the world, Annaliese became pregnant a second time, and Ludwig joined the family on a cold and clear October morning. Unlike his elder brother, nothing about Ludwig's appearance stood out as particularly unusual: he was as cute and healthy a baby as any parents could have asked for. While the addition of another mouth to feed didn't help the family finances at all, Annaliese and Johannas gave their second child plenty of love and affection (although, having learned their lesson with Gilbert, they were careful not to spoil him with sweets and toys as badly).

Although Ludwig was unusually quiet for a child, he loved spending time with his family or playing outside in the small yard. As soon as he could walk, he began following his older brother everywhere, scrambling over fences or up and down trees that got in his way. A little upset that the older boy couldn't go outside without wearing a closetful of clothes, Ludwig took to bringing all kinds of plants and animals into the Beilschmidt home. Following an incident involving a tiny nest of mice, Annaliese allowed Ludwig to get a puppy, proven he wouldn't bring any other animals inside; he's had a love of dogs ever since.

It didn't take Ludwig long to realize that his family wasn't exactly well-off, and while he found this frustrating, he decided that (being seven years old) he was old enough to help. He took odd jobs running errands for the various shops run by the Turkish immigrants after he'd finished his school day, and made a name for himself as a dedicated worker and trustworthy child. He would put the majority of his earnings in the family savings, and kept a little pocket money for himself, using it to buy a new storybook, or some candy, or a new chew toy for his dog, Blackie.

Ludwig's magical abilities didn't manifest themselves quite as dramatically as Gilbert's; he himself remembers just being able to make things float or change color one day, and until he was caught in the act he thought little of it. There had been some concern in the family that Ludwig's normal appearance might have meant he was a Squib, like his father, and his parents had kept their magical heritage secret from him, just in case. After they knew Ludwig would indeed be a capable wizard, Annaliese and Johannas spilled everything to him: Ludwig was instantly fascinated by this entire new world that had opened to him.

While he was frustrated that he couldn't join Gilbert at the German wizarding school until he turned eleven, when his acceptance letter arrived Ludwig took his brother's hand-me-downs gladly and threw himself whole-heartedly into the study of magic. After three years, he was picked to join his brother to study across the Channel at Hogwarts.


We Just Got A Letter:
"That's the last of the boxes, sir." Ludwig set down the heavy crate on the shelf next to its brothers, standing back to admire his work and wiping his forehead with the back of his hand. Turning around, he found himself face-to-face with Mr. Demir, the owner of the grocery store. The old man hired him every Tuesday afternoon to stock things, and though the work was exhausting, Mr. Demir was quite friendly and paid well. Some days, even, he gave Ludwig free food along with his wages.

Today, however, was not one of those lucky days. "Thank you, my boy, you've been a great help," Mr. Demir reassured the young man, pressing some notes and coins into his hand. "You'll be back next week?"

"Until the end of summer," Ludwig reassured him solemnly, stuffing the bills in his pocket. Bidding the elderly man goodbye, Ludwig left the store, wincing briefly as the bright afternoon light stung his eyes. The summer heat had driven all but the hardiest individuals indoors, and the walk home was lonely: the only other humans Ludwig spotted were the usual crowd of children playing soccer in an empty lot. In a hurry to get away from the burning asphalt and cement, Ludwig ducked into one of the many shortcuts he knew, a narrow dirt alley that ran between two large and beautiful houses. The owners had let their trees grow tall, and the path had become cool and shaded.

As he walked down the winding lane, Ludwig kept his eyes focused on the road in front of him, which was why he nearly trod on a thick letter that fluttered down from the branches high over his head. Picking the envelope up curiously, he turned it over, spying his own name in emerald-green ink on the front. Ludwig turned his gaze upwards to the trees and, after some searching, picked out a small owl perched amongst the leaves, puffing its feathers out. A scowl crossed Ludwig's face.

"I know it's hot, but would it honestly kill you to do your job properly? I almost stepped on this." The owl let out a resentful hoot and Ludwig rolled his eyes, starting off again as he opened the letter. His steps grew slower and slower as he read the message; it wasn't anything he'd been expecting at all. Hogwarts; student exchange program; first of September; Britain -- Ludwig read and re-read the contents of the letter, excitement fluttering to life in his chest. He'd never been to Britain, but he knew about the famous school and would have loved to get the chance to study abroad there--

"We probably can't afford it," he muttered quietly to himself, trying to force down the enthusiasm he'd felt. A quiet hoot in reply startled Ludwig, and he glanced back up to the trees: the owl had been hopping branch to branch, following him. "You're waiting for a reply," he reasoned automatically. "I have to go home first."

Ludwig spent the rest of the walk home positively jittery, and the folds in the letter had been worn smooth and flat by the time he walked through the front door and spotted his mother in the sitting room. Taking a deep breath, he didn't even wait for her to ask about his job that day, "Mutti, I got this letter from Hogwarts-"

"You too, dear? Gilbert has one too, I heard him yelling about it from down here." Ludwig met his mother's warm smile with wide, anxious eyes. Was he supposed to take that as an answer? His mother seemed to guess what he was waiting for and quickly filled in the silence.

"Of course you can go. And don't worry about the cost-" she insisted as Ludwig opened his mouth to speak up, "-I know they're quite generous. Just promise you'll work hard, alright?" As if Ludwig even needed bribery like that. Elated, he thanked his mother over and over again, assuring her he'd get solid marks and he'd help Gilbert with his English and he'd even stop playing Quidditch if it took up too much of his time. Hours later, it still hadn't completely sunk in -- Hogwarts! And Britain! Ludwig had always wanted to travel to new places. He thought about it for the rest of the night; it had been the most exciting thing to happen to him in a long while, and his brother would be coming along too. So grateful was Ludwig that he even presented the lazy delivery owl with a bowl of ice water to drink before it soared off into the sky with his answer.


The Sorting:

Ludwig knew about the Sorting beforehand: he'd borrowed every single book he could about Hogwarts from the central wizarding library and had read all about it in the weeks up until his trip. That hadn't stopped him from being mightily impressed by the massive castle and the beautiful forests sweeping out around it. Now, though, he was feeling a little nervous, and sincerely wished Hogwarts didn't sort students into houses at all. As he watched his brother set the filthy old hat back on the stool and join the red-and-gold-clad students, Ludwig heard his name being called.

Steeling himself, he took a deep breath and marched up to the stool; even the calm looks his uncle was throwing him didn't help him feel better. Sitting down, he set the hat on his head, and nearly yelped when a small voice spoke up next to his ear: "My my, I'm not going to bite you. Do calm down a little."

That was certainly easier said than done; Ludwig's eyes darted back and forth, taking in the crowded hall stretched out before him as the hat continued to talk. "You're quite a bit different from your brother, yes? But you've got a good head on your shoulders. And you want to prove yourself, to be taken seriously. I think you could stand to relax a little, however... where to put you?" Ludwig glanced up at the brim of the hat dubiously.

"Yes, I know I'm only a hat, Mr. Beilschmidt, but I've been doing this for hundreds of years. There's not a lot that escapes me."

Ludwig's cheeks flushed and he swallowed hard; the hat didn't seem to take this long with his brother.

"Still so tense? Your house shouldn't define you here, you know, although some think otherwise. But it can help you make some friends when you're so new to Hogwarts. You should take advantage of that. Off you go to SLYTHERIN!" Ludwig did jump a little that time, but hastily stood up and replaced the hat on the stool, hurrying off to the table occupied by students in silver and green, the nerves slowly sinking out of his system as he sat down with the group and began to introduce himself.


ABOUT ME:
Name: Shoe
Age: 24
Timezone/Country: America, Pacific Standard Time (GMT -8)
Tell us a little about yourself. I've been RPing for a while and I still enjoy it, mostly because I love to write. I like drawing, foreign languages, video games, and exploring.
Anything else? I love the color red. I even dyed my hair red! Well, it's more coppery... but yes, love that red.

>W< This was lovely! You're accepted <3333