Nymphadora Tonks (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
deadclumsy) wrote2015-06-04 10:47 pm
deadclumsy) wrote2015-06-04 10:47 pm
TuShan App
Player Information:
Name: Kristi
Age: 30
Contact:![[plurk.com profile]](https://plurk.com/favicon.ico)
carmensandiego
Other Characters Played: None
Most Recent AC Link: None
Character Information:
Name: Nymphadora Tonks
Canon: Harry Potter
Canon Point: End of Order of the Phoenix (Book 5 of the series)
Age: 23
Reference Links:
A wiki page for your enjoyment.
Setting:
The Harry Potter universe is one wherein witches and wizards live in secrecy alongside non-magical folk, or "Muggles". The society is steeped in tradition, with elements of both medieval and Victorian customs, some of which skew towards prejudice and distrustfulness of outsiders. This culture has led to a war within the magical world, with some fighting on the side of "Magic is Might" (or the superiority of pureblooded wizards), and some fighting on the side of progress and change.
The frontrunner of the former side is Lord Voldemort, a wizard who has spent his life amassing power, seizing immortality, and gathering followers in an effort to put Muggles in their proper place: subservient to wizards. Subjugation of all non-Purebloods is a key aspect of his plans. His followers are known as "Death Eaters", and all of them bear a mark on their arms symbolizing their loyalty to the cause and their lord.
On the opposing side, there is the Order of the Phoenix, composed of a group of individuals whose motivations are mostly on the side of good. They believe in the equality of Purebloods (those people born to two magical parents), Half-bloods (one magical parent and one non-magical), and Muggleborns (those born to two non-magical parents.) They operate outside the rule of the Ministry of Magic (addressed next), in a way that is more comparable to revolutionary tactics. They stand in direct opposition to the Death Eaters and Voldemort, and use Harry Potter as their figurehead. Tonks is one of these folk, though she is also an Auror (see below).
The British wizarding world, which is only a small subset of a worldwide congregation of witches and wizards, is overseen by the Ministry of Magic, a department of the government which regulates all areas of magical life. The Ministry oversees the Aurors, who are the law enforcement squad in the series. Many of them are similarly members of the Order of the Phoenix, though their dual roles are not advertised.
At the time from which Tonks is taken, the Ministry is slowly becoming ineffectual and corrupt, and their security is lax enough that a group of kids, much less some Death Eaters, are able to break into their most well-guarded areas - after many of those same Death Eaters broke out of the most well-guarded prison.
The canon includes elements of supernatural lore, as well, including ghosts, vampires, and merfolk. The aforementioned prison is heavily guarded by creatures that suck all the happiness and joy from the world. Gold in banks run by goblins is guarded by dragons. Voldemort seeks an alliance with both giants and werewolves. Hogwarts Castle is cleaned by elves and its forest is inhabited by unicorns and giant spiders.
And then, of course, there's the magic. A wand in hand gives witches and wizards seemingly unlimited power - or rather, power that is only limited by their aptitude for casting spells. Some of these spells are benign, useful, or just plain silly, while others are considered "Unforgivable": mind control, torture, and killing curses. Many of the rudimentary spells are learned in a school for witchcraft and wizardry, and there are several mentioned in the books: Hogwarts, Durmstrang, Beauxbatons, and Salem Witches' Institute, to name a few. Education is also provided
Hogwarts is the main setting of the novels. It is here that an extensive education is provided not only for spellwork, but for Herbology (the tending of magical plants), Divinations (fortune-telling), Arithmancy (magical math?), Ancient Runes, Care of Magical Creatures, Potions, and broomstick use. Students reside in dormitories that are divided into four "Houses": Slytherin, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff. Each House has its own defining qualities for the students who live within it, and with that, there are stereotypes which may not be entirely accurate.
Slytherin is for the ambitious and cunning, and that manifests in a take on its residents as being evil, though we find out later in the series that this isn't always the case. Gryffindor's students are known for their bravery, and the stereotype is that they are the "Good Guys" - though, similarly, we find out this is definitely not always the case. Ravenclaw's students are defined by their intelligence and wit, and Hufflepuff's by their friendliness, loyalty, and work ethic. Tonks hails from the last of these houses, though she clearly has qualities from at least three of the four.
Major characters who impact her life include Harry Potter's godfather, Sirius Black, who is her mother's cousin. Though her relationship with Sirius isn't a close one, he is the only family she has that isn't completely crazy, which leads us to...Bellatrix Lestrange. Bellatrix is Tonks' aunt, and is the most devoted of Lord Voldemort's followers. Due to her long-term incarceration, she is more than a little out of her mind, and delights in the torture of others.
Tonks has a fairly close relationship with Alastair Moody, a fellow Auror and her mentor; we see her emulating him somewhat in canon, and being struck hard by the news that he has been killed. She is also close with Remus Lupin, and later in the series marries him and has his child (though at the point in canon from which I've taken her, it's just an unrequited fancy.)
Let's not forget the titular character of the series. Harry Potter was born to parents who defied Voldemort three times, and was earmarked by Voldemort and a random (horribly, hilariously self-fulfilling) prophecy to be the one person who could bring down the Dark Lord. His parents were killed, but the killing curse Voldemort attempted to use on him rebounded, leaving baby Harry alive and Voldemort stuck between life and death. Harry was given to the care of his aunt and uncle, and lived in a cupboard under some stairs for eleven years.
Because that's healthy.
He was then whisked away to the magical world by a half-giant, where he not only learned the benefits of an invisibility cloak while sneaking out at night and to always put foreign objects (particularly snitches) in his mouth, but how to cast a pretty damn good shield spell. Then he found out people were keeping him alive so he could destroy a bunch of horcruxes (antiques and random objects holding bits of Voldemort's soul) and then go get himself killed because he happened to also be a horcrux.
Spoiler: Harry dies. Harry doesn't die. Harry might be Schröginder's Cat.
Personality:
Nymphadora Tonks is, in one word, flamboyant. Incredibly so, in fact, from the inside out. She has an exuberant personality, cheerful and bouncy at the best of times, which is often reflected in her appearance. Like a typical woman in her young twenties, she enjoys being in good company, likes music, and absolutely owns herself without shame.
Much of her behavior is the manifestation of a desire for attention. Tonks is the daughter of an overly-doting father and a stand-offish mother, and both are contributing factors in the life of a child who thrives on attention. Add that with her unique ability and you have a deadly cocktail: Tonks is accustomed to being the center of attention, and when she isn't, she knows exactly how to steer it towards herself again.
Because of of her abilities, Tonks' appearance fluctuates with her whims: pink or purple hair in times of good cheer, red in anger, mousy brown when she's feeling low. She sports duck bills, pig snouts, squashed noses, and everything in between when she's trying to be the center of attention. Her abilities reflect her moods, and when she's depressed, she has trouble using them at all. The constant shift from body to body, shape to shape, from the very start of her life has made her unable to get completely comfortable in her own skin, and she is, as she herself says, "dead clumsy." Granted, her clumsiness may also come down to another subconscious grab for attention. Whatever the case, it makes her a terrible spy, and she has to rely quite heavily on her spellcasting abilities to make up for her lack of subtlety.
Her sense of humor and confident demeanor are defense mechanisms in the face of hardship; she has grown up and lived in an era of unrest and war, and in order to stay sane and strong, she has learned to laugh and take pleasure in the simple things. She tries to stay positive.
One of her biggest weaknesses is how ridiculously emotional and transparent she is; she is terrible at hiding how she feels, and this does open her up to a good deal of mockery (particularly from people like Snape). She is also given too often to flights of fancy, and does a good many things on a whim rather than thinking them through. It isn't particularly healthy, especially when other people are involved (Remus Lupin comes to mind.)
Tonks is smart, but not enormously so. She can come across as a bit daft now and again, but she is an Auror, and one does have to display a certain cleverness and ability to reason quickly to work in that field, but her talents lie in her ability to cooperate with others, her resiliency, and her shapeshifting ability. What she lacks in mental prowess, she makes up for in stubbornness. She's tenacious to a fault, and when she wants something she fights hard to get it.
Tonks is a bit of a troublemaker and by her own admission she always has been. It's rarely anything of consequence lately, however; her days of sneaking out in the middle of the night, of planting dungbombs and levitating frogs, are long past. Mostly, anyway. There are still times when she gets around the Weasley twins and sorely misses her glory days at Hogwarts. It's a mischievous streak that runs in her family, and none of them ever could quite shake it. At least in her case, it didn't turn her mad or evil.
Her sociable attitude allows her to be somewhat more outspoken than others. She has no problem saying what she thinks - not out of bravery, but because she often doesn't think before she speaks. In the past, she has argued openly with her superiors, though it has been restricted to those with whom she feels comfortable. She has been known to be a bit gruff and rough about the edges. She has been caught on occasion swearing at her mentor, Alistair "Mad-Eye" Moody, and threatening to hex complete strangers into oblivion...but she is in law enforcement, after all. She has the intimidation factor down to an art.
She is a typical Hufflepuff: hard-working and honest, but leaning more towards the loyalty side of things. She clings to her friendships, or did before the onset of the second war. Once Voldemort returned, she found herself more often than not drawn either to the younger crowd, as they reminded her of the innocence her own generation once had, or to the older, because they had already experienced the present conflict in the form of the first war. Her contemporaries are rarely around, anyway, so she has to make do with what she has.
"Making do" brings us to Remus Lupin, because it is in him that she has found a potential romantic partner. So much of her time is spent with the Order of the Phoenix and with Remus in particular that she can't help herself: he gives her the attention she craves, and his easygoing and reticent personality sets her at ease. Like her family, he has a mischievous streak, but he also has an old world charm and gentleness, and it's going to her head, especially in the absence of any better opportunities. Emotional pitfalls aside, she has close relationships with many of the other Order members: Harry Potter, of course, is a great kid, and she looks on him and his friends like younger siblings. Molly Weasley, the eternal maternal figure, is a matronly friend to her, always ready with tea and sympathy. Her father, Ted Tonks, is the apple of her eye (and she is the apple of his), and though her mother is somewhat reserved, Nymphadora couldn't love her more.
The teachers at Hogwarts are an interesting sidenote in her relationships: headmaster Albus Dumbledore is of unimpeachable character in her mind. She thinks him brilliant and good, but she also knows he has a somewhat less scrupulous side. She knows this is necessary for him, particularly because he has taken up the mantle of leading the Order of the Phoenix, and she is the first to defend any of his decisions. Conversely, there's Severus Snape; her relationship with him is an odd one, and not well outlined in the series, but from snatches we see, there is the suggestion that they got on all right until she started falling for Remus Lupin, at which point Snape began showing disdain for her choices. This shocked her enough to suggest she was hurt either that he didn't approve, or that he would mock her for it. In conversations about him, she defends him, but also calls him a git; the conclusion that can be taken away from this is that, though she knows he works for the side of right, and although she gets along with him, she also knows what a massive dick he can be. She just doesn't think he would be one to her.
A section ought to be devoted entirely to her relationship with Alistair Moody. Mad-Eye is her mentor, and their relationship is one of not-so-gentle teasing: an old cop and his young protege. Tonks has a strong fondness for him, and he for her. Though she mocks some of his gruff commands, it's clear she follows them nevertheless: he suggests putting a wand in a back pocket will blow your buttocks off, and she teases him for it (out of earshot, of course), but then proceeds to keep her wand up her sleeve. All jokes aside, she respects him like no other. It hits no one harder than her when he is killed.
Tonks is fairly attached to all of her friends and immediate family. On the other hand, her extended family and the company they keep is nothing but a source of disgust and dismissal for her. She has a particular spot in her heart devoted entirely to hatred of Bellatrix Lestrange, her mother's sister. Bellatrix is widely known for being the most devoted follower of Lord Voldemort, but also for having been the one to torture Frank and Alice Longbottom into madness. It humiliates Tonks to be related to such a woman - and worries her, too. If Bellatrix could go so evil and so mad, what if it's genetic? But those are the sort of deep, dark fears one doesn't discuss. Ever.
Tonks is also related to the Malfoys: Narcissa is also her aunt, making Draco Malfoy her cousin. When her mother married Ted Tonks, the family disowned her, so Nymphadora's relationship with the Malfoys is nonexistent. She has only met Draco once or twice in passing, and her encounters with Lucius Malfoy have been either in avoidance of him at the Ministry of Magic, to search his home when someone has tipped the Aurors off to unsavory artifacts he might be keeping, or to arrest him. That does put something of a cramp in their relationship as Uncle and Niece.
For all of her troublemaking, all of the flamboyancy, all of the questionable genetics that went into making her who she is, Tonks has an unerring understanding of right and wrong. She manages to have a strong morality without being nitpicky or dull: pranks and jokes are all right. Murder and prejudice are not. This morality was instilled in her from an early age, when she first was able to grasp the fact that her pureblood mother had given up everything to be with her half-blood father. Some things are just worth the fight. Love in particular is worth any sacrifice.
Appearance:
Abilities:
With the use of a wand, Tonks is able to cast spells ranging from levitation to hexes that leave deep wounds in a body. It would take a rather long time to list all of the spells provided by the canon, but the important information to note would be her strong points, and the fact that she needs a wand to cast any of them.
Her speciality tends to be those spells used in dueling, combat, or defense. These include Stunning Spells, Shield Spells, and various protective wards such as the Patronus Charm, which can be used in defense against Dementors (one of the various antagonists in Harry Potter) and to communicate with other people like a voicemail message and delivery service all rolled into one. She is shown in canon to be a good duelist, so one would assume that she is similarly adept at non-lethal hexes.
She is also capable of Apparating, or vanishing and reappearing in a new location instantaneously, and is able to skillfully ride a broom. An Auror needs to know how to turn themselves semi-invisible with a Disillusionment charm, as well.
There are general spells that everyone in the canon seems to be able to use without much trouble: summoning charms, levitation charms, charms that produce light, and vanishing spells.
Aside from the usual roster of abilities for a Harry Potter character, Tonks is a metamorphamagus, which means she is capable of changing her appearance at will. The limitations to this seem to be that she can not change entirely into another species. She can make her nose look like a pig's snout, though. This skill does not require a wand, but is limited by her emotional state. Sadness or depression will make her incapable of expending energy to change even her hair color.
Because she attended Hogwarts during Severus Snape's tenure, and because NEWT-level potions is necessary to become an Auror, and Snape requires top grades for his sixth- and seventh-year (NEWT-level) classes, it can be assumed that she is really quite good at brewing potions. However, she is probably not able to do so without a recipe.
The potions listed in canon are as extensive as the spells (both occupy their own indexed wiki pages), and I would be happy to provide a link to the indexes if necessary.
Inventory:
One wand and the clothes on her back.
Suitability:
I'm not sure I can speak well to this section with my limited familiarity with the game, but I've spoken with other players who feel she would be a good fit due to her age and the relative non-seriousness of her canon. Having read the various information pages, I think transplanting her to the setting would be easy enough because of its more fantastical aspects; she comes from a fantasy setting, so it would be easier to incorporate her into Tu Shanshu than (for example) a more slice-of-life game with power nullification. She definitely won't get bored in this setting.
Tonks is a Helper and a Hufflepuff through and through, so I think she would be happy to help with rebuilding efforts, and she has an adventurous side which would lend itself to exploration (Hufflepuffs are particularly good finders, after all. ;) ) Political intrigue similarly seems right up her alley, given her affiliation with the Order of the Phoenix and her stint as an Auror.
As far as CR is concerned, she is an affable and outgoing person; she should be able to quickly build positive relationships with other characters, though neither she nor I would be entirely adverse to some negative CR, as well.
In-Character Samples:
Third Person (Prose):
Ted Tonks had always told his daughter that childhood went by so quickly. Too quickly. She should cherish it while she could. She had always laughed merrily and dismissed his warnings, ominous though they were: she was young, and would be young for a very long time.
So she had believed.
Andromeda Tonks had told her daughter that the world was a hard place, and sometimes, precious things were lost along the way. Nymphadora, who was always losing things, hadn't understood how a sock could be considered precious, or how the loss of a toothbrush made the world hard.
Sirius Black had her same laughing eyes and easy smile, even after all his hardships, and she had believed he was evidence to contradict what her parents said. Although he had spent a lifetime in prison, he still had a zest for life that was merely stifled by his captivity, but not smothered. He was living proof that life was just a game, that taking losses on the chin was easy.
When he had fallen through the veil, there had been just enough time for Tonks to see the light in him go out. There and gone in an instant, with the discordant music of her mad aunt's laughter accompanying it in a way that was only appropriate. A part of her went with her cousin, a last vestige of something that had been waning ever since she was old enough to understand the concept of war.
It was then that she understood what her mother had meant when she spoke of the loss of precious things, and what her father had meant when he said childhood went by too fast. Different words for the same warning.
Network:
[The shock of pink hair attached to a young woman occupies the left half of the screen. When she realizes she's not centered on camera, she scoots over a bit, double-checks, and then off she goes.]
Can't say I'm tickled pink with the theme of this particular party, but what choice've I got? I'm here.
[Her hands go up in a mocking 'you caught me' gesture.
But no one's getting off that easy.]
You see, the thing here is - I mean, the reason I've got my knickers twisted - is I was minding my own business when I got snatched up. If I hadn't been minding my own business, it'd be a different story. If I'd been hexing your turtle from a broomstick thirty feet up, sure, I could completely understand you lot being a bit miffed. Hexing a turtle's not on.
But me, I was just going through my daily rota as one does, completely innocent and not at all aware of cities on the backs of turtles.
Nevermind I was about to tuck in to my supper. That's just rude.
[With a dramatic sigh, she continues sympathetically:]
Oh, but I suppose you all couldn't help yourselves. It's the hair, isn't it? People just love the hair.
Name: Kristi
Age: 30
Contact:
Other Characters Played: None
Most Recent AC Link: None
Character Information:
Name: Nymphadora Tonks
Canon: Harry Potter
Canon Point: End of Order of the Phoenix (Book 5 of the series)
Age: 23
Reference Links:
A wiki page for your enjoyment.
Setting:
The Harry Potter universe is one wherein witches and wizards live in secrecy alongside non-magical folk, or "Muggles". The society is steeped in tradition, with elements of both medieval and Victorian customs, some of which skew towards prejudice and distrustfulness of outsiders. This culture has led to a war within the magical world, with some fighting on the side of "Magic is Might" (or the superiority of pureblooded wizards), and some fighting on the side of progress and change.
The frontrunner of the former side is Lord Voldemort, a wizard who has spent his life amassing power, seizing immortality, and gathering followers in an effort to put Muggles in their proper place: subservient to wizards. Subjugation of all non-Purebloods is a key aspect of his plans. His followers are known as "Death Eaters", and all of them bear a mark on their arms symbolizing their loyalty to the cause and their lord.
On the opposing side, there is the Order of the Phoenix, composed of a group of individuals whose motivations are mostly on the side of good. They believe in the equality of Purebloods (those people born to two magical parents), Half-bloods (one magical parent and one non-magical), and Muggleborns (those born to two non-magical parents.) They operate outside the rule of the Ministry of Magic (addressed next), in a way that is more comparable to revolutionary tactics. They stand in direct opposition to the Death Eaters and Voldemort, and use Harry Potter as their figurehead. Tonks is one of these folk, though she is also an Auror (see below).
The British wizarding world, which is only a small subset of a worldwide congregation of witches and wizards, is overseen by the Ministry of Magic, a department of the government which regulates all areas of magical life. The Ministry oversees the Aurors, who are the law enforcement squad in the series. Many of them are similarly members of the Order of the Phoenix, though their dual roles are not advertised.
At the time from which Tonks is taken, the Ministry is slowly becoming ineffectual and corrupt, and their security is lax enough that a group of kids, much less some Death Eaters, are able to break into their most well-guarded areas - after many of those same Death Eaters broke out of the most well-guarded prison.
The canon includes elements of supernatural lore, as well, including ghosts, vampires, and merfolk. The aforementioned prison is heavily guarded by creatures that suck all the happiness and joy from the world. Gold in banks run by goblins is guarded by dragons. Voldemort seeks an alliance with both giants and werewolves. Hogwarts Castle is cleaned by elves and its forest is inhabited by unicorns and giant spiders.
And then, of course, there's the magic. A wand in hand gives witches and wizards seemingly unlimited power - or rather, power that is only limited by their aptitude for casting spells. Some of these spells are benign, useful, or just plain silly, while others are considered "Unforgivable": mind control, torture, and killing curses. Many of the rudimentary spells are learned in a school for witchcraft and wizardry, and there are several mentioned in the books: Hogwarts, Durmstrang, Beauxbatons, and Salem Witches' Institute, to name a few. Education is also provided
Hogwarts is the main setting of the novels. It is here that an extensive education is provided not only for spellwork, but for Herbology (the tending of magical plants), Divinations (fortune-telling), Arithmancy (magical math?), Ancient Runes, Care of Magical Creatures, Potions, and broomstick use. Students reside in dormitories that are divided into four "Houses": Slytherin, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff. Each House has its own defining qualities for the students who live within it, and with that, there are stereotypes which may not be entirely accurate.
Slytherin is for the ambitious and cunning, and that manifests in a take on its residents as being evil, though we find out later in the series that this isn't always the case. Gryffindor's students are known for their bravery, and the stereotype is that they are the "Good Guys" - though, similarly, we find out this is definitely not always the case. Ravenclaw's students are defined by their intelligence and wit, and Hufflepuff's by their friendliness, loyalty, and work ethic. Tonks hails from the last of these houses, though she clearly has qualities from at least three of the four.
Major characters who impact her life include Harry Potter's godfather, Sirius Black, who is her mother's cousin. Though her relationship with Sirius isn't a close one, he is the only family she has that isn't completely crazy, which leads us to...Bellatrix Lestrange. Bellatrix is Tonks' aunt, and is the most devoted of Lord Voldemort's followers. Due to her long-term incarceration, she is more than a little out of her mind, and delights in the torture of others.
Tonks has a fairly close relationship with Alastair Moody, a fellow Auror and her mentor; we see her emulating him somewhat in canon, and being struck hard by the news that he has been killed. She is also close with Remus Lupin, and later in the series marries him and has his child (though at the point in canon from which I've taken her, it's just an unrequited fancy.)
Let's not forget the titular character of the series. Harry Potter was born to parents who defied Voldemort three times, and was earmarked by Voldemort and a random (horribly, hilariously self-fulfilling) prophecy to be the one person who could bring down the Dark Lord. His parents were killed, but the killing curse Voldemort attempted to use on him rebounded, leaving baby Harry alive and Voldemort stuck between life and death. Harry was given to the care of his aunt and uncle, and lived in a cupboard under some stairs for eleven years.
Because that's healthy.
He was then whisked away to the magical world by a half-giant, where he not only learned the benefits of an invisibility cloak while sneaking out at night and to always put foreign objects (particularly snitches) in his mouth, but how to cast a pretty damn good shield spell. Then he found out people were keeping him alive so he could destroy a bunch of horcruxes (antiques and random objects holding bits of Voldemort's soul) and then go get himself killed because he happened to also be a horcrux.
Spoiler: Harry dies. Harry doesn't die. Harry might be Schröginder's Cat.
Personality:
Nymphadora Tonks is, in one word, flamboyant. Incredibly so, in fact, from the inside out. She has an exuberant personality, cheerful and bouncy at the best of times, which is often reflected in her appearance. Like a typical woman in her young twenties, she enjoys being in good company, likes music, and absolutely owns herself without shame.
Much of her behavior is the manifestation of a desire for attention. Tonks is the daughter of an overly-doting father and a stand-offish mother, and both are contributing factors in the life of a child who thrives on attention. Add that with her unique ability and you have a deadly cocktail: Tonks is accustomed to being the center of attention, and when she isn't, she knows exactly how to steer it towards herself again.
Because of of her abilities, Tonks' appearance fluctuates with her whims: pink or purple hair in times of good cheer, red in anger, mousy brown when she's feeling low. She sports duck bills, pig snouts, squashed noses, and everything in between when she's trying to be the center of attention. Her abilities reflect her moods, and when she's depressed, she has trouble using them at all. The constant shift from body to body, shape to shape, from the very start of her life has made her unable to get completely comfortable in her own skin, and she is, as she herself says, "dead clumsy." Granted, her clumsiness may also come down to another subconscious grab for attention. Whatever the case, it makes her a terrible spy, and she has to rely quite heavily on her spellcasting abilities to make up for her lack of subtlety.
Her sense of humor and confident demeanor are defense mechanisms in the face of hardship; she has grown up and lived in an era of unrest and war, and in order to stay sane and strong, she has learned to laugh and take pleasure in the simple things. She tries to stay positive.
One of her biggest weaknesses is how ridiculously emotional and transparent she is; she is terrible at hiding how she feels, and this does open her up to a good deal of mockery (particularly from people like Snape). She is also given too often to flights of fancy, and does a good many things on a whim rather than thinking them through. It isn't particularly healthy, especially when other people are involved (Remus Lupin comes to mind.)
Tonks is smart, but not enormously so. She can come across as a bit daft now and again, but she is an Auror, and one does have to display a certain cleverness and ability to reason quickly to work in that field, but her talents lie in her ability to cooperate with others, her resiliency, and her shapeshifting ability. What she lacks in mental prowess, she makes up for in stubbornness. She's tenacious to a fault, and when she wants something she fights hard to get it.
Tonks is a bit of a troublemaker and by her own admission she always has been. It's rarely anything of consequence lately, however; her days of sneaking out in the middle of the night, of planting dungbombs and levitating frogs, are long past. Mostly, anyway. There are still times when she gets around the Weasley twins and sorely misses her glory days at Hogwarts. It's a mischievous streak that runs in her family, and none of them ever could quite shake it. At least in her case, it didn't turn her mad or evil.
Her sociable attitude allows her to be somewhat more outspoken than others. She has no problem saying what she thinks - not out of bravery, but because she often doesn't think before she speaks. In the past, she has argued openly with her superiors, though it has been restricted to those with whom she feels comfortable. She has been known to be a bit gruff and rough about the edges. She has been caught on occasion swearing at her mentor, Alistair "Mad-Eye" Moody, and threatening to hex complete strangers into oblivion...but she is in law enforcement, after all. She has the intimidation factor down to an art.
She is a typical Hufflepuff: hard-working and honest, but leaning more towards the loyalty side of things. She clings to her friendships, or did before the onset of the second war. Once Voldemort returned, she found herself more often than not drawn either to the younger crowd, as they reminded her of the innocence her own generation once had, or to the older, because they had already experienced the present conflict in the form of the first war. Her contemporaries are rarely around, anyway, so she has to make do with what she has.
"Making do" brings us to Remus Lupin, because it is in him that she has found a potential romantic partner. So much of her time is spent with the Order of the Phoenix and with Remus in particular that she can't help herself: he gives her the attention she craves, and his easygoing and reticent personality sets her at ease. Like her family, he has a mischievous streak, but he also has an old world charm and gentleness, and it's going to her head, especially in the absence of any better opportunities. Emotional pitfalls aside, she has close relationships with many of the other Order members: Harry Potter, of course, is a great kid, and she looks on him and his friends like younger siblings. Molly Weasley, the eternal maternal figure, is a matronly friend to her, always ready with tea and sympathy. Her father, Ted Tonks, is the apple of her eye (and she is the apple of his), and though her mother is somewhat reserved, Nymphadora couldn't love her more.
The teachers at Hogwarts are an interesting sidenote in her relationships: headmaster Albus Dumbledore is of unimpeachable character in her mind. She thinks him brilliant and good, but she also knows he has a somewhat less scrupulous side. She knows this is necessary for him, particularly because he has taken up the mantle of leading the Order of the Phoenix, and she is the first to defend any of his decisions. Conversely, there's Severus Snape; her relationship with him is an odd one, and not well outlined in the series, but from snatches we see, there is the suggestion that they got on all right until she started falling for Remus Lupin, at which point Snape began showing disdain for her choices. This shocked her enough to suggest she was hurt either that he didn't approve, or that he would mock her for it. In conversations about him, she defends him, but also calls him a git; the conclusion that can be taken away from this is that, though she knows he works for the side of right, and although she gets along with him, she also knows what a massive dick he can be. She just doesn't think he would be one to her.
A section ought to be devoted entirely to her relationship with Alistair Moody. Mad-Eye is her mentor, and their relationship is one of not-so-gentle teasing: an old cop and his young protege. Tonks has a strong fondness for him, and he for her. Though she mocks some of his gruff commands, it's clear she follows them nevertheless: he suggests putting a wand in a back pocket will blow your buttocks off, and she teases him for it (out of earshot, of course), but then proceeds to keep her wand up her sleeve. All jokes aside, she respects him like no other. It hits no one harder than her when he is killed.
Tonks is fairly attached to all of her friends and immediate family. On the other hand, her extended family and the company they keep is nothing but a source of disgust and dismissal for her. She has a particular spot in her heart devoted entirely to hatred of Bellatrix Lestrange, her mother's sister. Bellatrix is widely known for being the most devoted follower of Lord Voldemort, but also for having been the one to torture Frank and Alice Longbottom into madness. It humiliates Tonks to be related to such a woman - and worries her, too. If Bellatrix could go so evil and so mad, what if it's genetic? But those are the sort of deep, dark fears one doesn't discuss. Ever.
Tonks is also related to the Malfoys: Narcissa is also her aunt, making Draco Malfoy her cousin. When her mother married Ted Tonks, the family disowned her, so Nymphadora's relationship with the Malfoys is nonexistent. She has only met Draco once or twice in passing, and her encounters with Lucius Malfoy have been either in avoidance of him at the Ministry of Magic, to search his home when someone has tipped the Aurors off to unsavory artifacts he might be keeping, or to arrest him. That does put something of a cramp in their relationship as Uncle and Niece.
For all of her troublemaking, all of the flamboyancy, all of the questionable genetics that went into making her who she is, Tonks has an unerring understanding of right and wrong. She manages to have a strong morality without being nitpicky or dull: pranks and jokes are all right. Murder and prejudice are not. This morality was instilled in her from an early age, when she first was able to grasp the fact that her pureblood mother had given up everything to be with her half-blood father. Some things are just worth the fight. Love in particular is worth any sacrifice.
Appearance:
Abilities:
With the use of a wand, Tonks is able to cast spells ranging from levitation to hexes that leave deep wounds in a body. It would take a rather long time to list all of the spells provided by the canon, but the important information to note would be her strong points, and the fact that she needs a wand to cast any of them.
Her speciality tends to be those spells used in dueling, combat, or defense. These include Stunning Spells, Shield Spells, and various protective wards such as the Patronus Charm, which can be used in defense against Dementors (one of the various antagonists in Harry Potter) and to communicate with other people like a voicemail message and delivery service all rolled into one. She is shown in canon to be a good duelist, so one would assume that she is similarly adept at non-lethal hexes.
She is also capable of Apparating, or vanishing and reappearing in a new location instantaneously, and is able to skillfully ride a broom. An Auror needs to know how to turn themselves semi-invisible with a Disillusionment charm, as well.
There are general spells that everyone in the canon seems to be able to use without much trouble: summoning charms, levitation charms, charms that produce light, and vanishing spells.
Aside from the usual roster of abilities for a Harry Potter character, Tonks is a metamorphamagus, which means she is capable of changing her appearance at will. The limitations to this seem to be that she can not change entirely into another species. She can make her nose look like a pig's snout, though. This skill does not require a wand, but is limited by her emotional state. Sadness or depression will make her incapable of expending energy to change even her hair color.
Because she attended Hogwarts during Severus Snape's tenure, and because NEWT-level potions is necessary to become an Auror, and Snape requires top grades for his sixth- and seventh-year (NEWT-level) classes, it can be assumed that she is really quite good at brewing potions. However, she is probably not able to do so without a recipe.
The potions listed in canon are as extensive as the spells (both occupy their own indexed wiki pages), and I would be happy to provide a link to the indexes if necessary.
Inventory:
One wand and the clothes on her back.
Suitability:
I'm not sure I can speak well to this section with my limited familiarity with the game, but I've spoken with other players who feel she would be a good fit due to her age and the relative non-seriousness of her canon. Having read the various information pages, I think transplanting her to the setting would be easy enough because of its more fantastical aspects; she comes from a fantasy setting, so it would be easier to incorporate her into Tu Shanshu than (for example) a more slice-of-life game with power nullification. She definitely won't get bored in this setting.
Tonks is a Helper and a Hufflepuff through and through, so I think she would be happy to help with rebuilding efforts, and she has an adventurous side which would lend itself to exploration (Hufflepuffs are particularly good finders, after all. ;) ) Political intrigue similarly seems right up her alley, given her affiliation with the Order of the Phoenix and her stint as an Auror.
As far as CR is concerned, she is an affable and outgoing person; she should be able to quickly build positive relationships with other characters, though neither she nor I would be entirely adverse to some negative CR, as well.
In-Character Samples:
Third Person (Prose):
Ted Tonks had always told his daughter that childhood went by so quickly. Too quickly. She should cherish it while she could. She had always laughed merrily and dismissed his warnings, ominous though they were: she was young, and would be young for a very long time.
So she had believed.
Andromeda Tonks had told her daughter that the world was a hard place, and sometimes, precious things were lost along the way. Nymphadora, who was always losing things, hadn't understood how a sock could be considered precious, or how the loss of a toothbrush made the world hard.
Sirius Black had her same laughing eyes and easy smile, even after all his hardships, and she had believed he was evidence to contradict what her parents said. Although he had spent a lifetime in prison, he still had a zest for life that was merely stifled by his captivity, but not smothered. He was living proof that life was just a game, that taking losses on the chin was easy.
When he had fallen through the veil, there had been just enough time for Tonks to see the light in him go out. There and gone in an instant, with the discordant music of her mad aunt's laughter accompanying it in a way that was only appropriate. A part of her went with her cousin, a last vestige of something that had been waning ever since she was old enough to understand the concept of war.
It was then that she understood what her mother had meant when she spoke of the loss of precious things, and what her father had meant when he said childhood went by too fast. Different words for the same warning.
Network:
[The shock of pink hair attached to a young woman occupies the left half of the screen. When she realizes she's not centered on camera, she scoots over a bit, double-checks, and then off she goes.]
Can't say I'm tickled pink with the theme of this particular party, but what choice've I got? I'm here.
[Her hands go up in a mocking 'you caught me' gesture.
But no one's getting off that easy.]
You see, the thing here is - I mean, the reason I've got my knickers twisted - is I was minding my own business when I got snatched up. If I hadn't been minding my own business, it'd be a different story. If I'd been hexing your turtle from a broomstick thirty feet up, sure, I could completely understand you lot being a bit miffed. Hexing a turtle's not on.
But me, I was just going through my daily rota as one does, completely innocent and not at all aware of cities on the backs of turtles.
Nevermind I was about to tuck in to my supper. That's just rude.
[With a dramatic sigh, she continues sympathetically:]
Oh, but I suppose you all couldn't help yourselves. It's the hair, isn't it? People just love the hair.