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Destiny Rising (Harper Teen)
Bonnie May McCullough
Biographical information
Born
  • December 1974
Marital status
  • Single
Physical description
Species
  • Human (Psychic)
Gender
  • Female
Height
  • 4'9 - 4'11
Hair colour
  • Strawberry blonde
Eye colour
  • Brown
Skin colour
  • Fair
Family information
Family members
Affiliation
Occupation
  • High School Student at Robert E. Lee High School (Graduated/Formerly)
  • College Student at Dalcrest College (Currently)
Loyalty
.
"Just when I thought everything is going to be all right, just when I thought it's all going to work out after all. It's going to be the way it was supposed to be. We were supposed to go to college together, and then we were supposed to come back here to Fell's Church. Back home. We had it all planned out - since kindergarten, practically - and now Elena's human again, and I thought that meant that everything was going to go back to the way it was supposed to be. And it's never going to be the same again, ever, is it?"
—Bonnie McCullough[src]

Bonnie May[1] McCullough (b. December,[2] 1974[3]) was the psychic daughter of Colin and Ailsa McCullough (née Lachlan), and younger sister to Sheena, Janet, Elspie and Mary. Her grandmother predicted that her powers were stronger than that of any of her maternal ancestors, and the addition of her father's family's own ancestry made her especially powerful.[4] She was raised in Fell's Church, Virginia, and befriended Caroline Forbes, Elena Gilbert, Meredith Sulez and Matt Honeycutt, all of whom she remained friends with through high school at Robert E. Lee, though Caroline drifted somewhat.

In 1991, Bonnie entered her first trance, unknowingly being possessed by Honoria Fell. Her awakened powers proved useful in saving Stefan Salvatore from a well on the Francher property, as well as in the group's search for and fight against the "Other Power" in the town. Bonnie was offered the chance by Honoria Fell to be stripped of her powers, but she decided to keep them and refused the offer, which proved useful after Klaus arrived in Fell's Church. After Klaus's death, Bonnie helped in the fight against Shinichi and Misao and their mistress, Inari, and briefly became a slave in the Dark Dimension. A deal with the Celestial Court led to these supernatural events being effectively erased, aside from in the group's memories. Bonnie enrolled at Dalcrest College, where she meets Matt's shy roommate Bastian.

Biography[]

Early life[]

Bonnie was born in December, 1974[5] as the fifth daughter of Colin and Ailsa McCullough. As their youngest daughter,[6] she inherited the psychic powers passed down through both the McCullough and MacLachlan families.[4] She was raised in the McCullough household in Fell's Church, Virginia with her elder sisters; Sheena, Janet, Elspie and Mary.

Bonnie befriended Caroline, the daughter of Ailsa's friend Mrs. Forbes. She also formed friendships with Elena Gilbert, Matt Honeycutt and Meredith Sulez at kindergarten, and would later talk about how they had planned their lives out since meeting there.[7]

Physical description[]

"The maiden, who was exceptionally dainty and pretty and had, to a vampire, the most exquisite feature of all, an exceptionally long and delicate column of a neck, was looking up at him soulfully. That was nice, that she was short. Damon didn’t care that much for tall girls because he wasn’t very tall himself. She also had - you couldn't help notice - particularly large eyes in her small heart-shaped face, giving her the appearance of a kitten. They were clear brown eyes, with a dark ring at the outer rim of the iris, then a very light brown ring, as if light were shining through them in the middle, and then another dark ring around the pupil. Her hair was the color of a strawberry and curled softly all over her head in a way that made you think “pixie.” Altogether, she was a lovely little ornament, with fine blue veins in naturally translucent skin."
—Damon[src]

Bonnie has hair the color of a strawberry, or more accurately described as strawberry blonde,[8] which used to be straight but was permed curly before the start of senior year to make her seem taller.[9] She's described as being petite, barely reaching five feet with a body that is mostly still adolescent-like.[10][11][12] She has a small heart shaped face with large wide-set brown eyes.[13][14] Bonnie has very fair skin to the point it looks translucent.[15] She has dimples.[16]

Personality and traits[]

Bonnie is a shallow, bubbly, childish, boy-obsessed,[17] flirtatious,[18] naive girl. She romanticizes death, especially her own.[19] She says exactly what's on her mind.[20] She is not particularly intelligent on school subjects, specifically European History.[21] Because of her psychic abilities, Bonnie is an intuitive person.[22] She is a sensitive individual.[23] Bonnie is left-handed. [24]She doesn't have confidence in herself or her opinions.[25]

Relationships[]

Family[]

Damon Salvatore[]

Elena Gilbert[]

Meredith Sulez[]

"Bonnie had turned, as always in moments of deepest distress, to Meredith."
—Bonnie[src]

Bonnie and Meredith have known each other since they were children. Bonnie looks to Meredith like a big sister[26] even though they are the same age.

Matt Honeycutt[]

Caroline Forbes[]

Ray Hernandez[]

Etymology[]

  • Bonnie is a Scottish name meaning pretty, charming, beautiful.
  • May is an English feminine given name. It is derived from the name of the month, which comes from Maia, the name of a Roman fertility goddess.
  • McCullough is a Scottish surname meaning wild boar.

Behind the scenes[]

In the television adaptation, Bonnie McCullough's last name is changed to Bennett and she's African-American with dark hair and green eyes. Her family descends from Salem Witches and she's raised by her grandmother.

Appearances[]

Notes and references[]

  1. Evensong: Paradise Lost
  2. Bonnie: But Meredith, who was only six months older. (The Return: Shadow Souls - Chapter 4)
  3. The Return: Nightfall Chapter 9
  4. 4.0 4.1 MacLachlan: And you have the Sight, my girl. Far more so than any MacLachlan before you. Add to that talents of the McCulloughs, and--- (An Untold Tale: After Hours)
  5. The Return: Shadow Souls
  6. See this image; a section of an email sent by L.J. Smith.
  7. Bonnie: We had it all planned out - since kindergarten, practically [...] (The Return: Nightfall - Chapter 9)
  8. She ran a hand through her strawberry-blond curls. (The Return: Shadow Souls Chapter 4)
  9. Bonnie: Do you like it? I think it makes me look taller. (The Awakening - Chapter 2)
  10. After Hours
  11. And feeling Bonnie's slight body under the towel. (The Return: Nightfall Chapter 12)
  12. Damon: Just how much could that little body take? (The Return: Midnight)
  13. The Awakening Chapter 2
  14. After Hours
  15. After Hours
  16. An Untold Tale: After Hours
  17. Bonnie: It was stupid to decide on one guy so young. Bonnie herself was notorious for playing the field., going from boy to boy as she pleased. (Dark Reunion - Chapter 2)
  18. Damon: A born actress and a coquette if ever he’d seen one. (An Untold Tale: After Hours)
  19. The Struggle
  20. Stefan: Bonnie was like a six-week-old kitten. All charm and no inhibitions. She always said exactly what she was thinking at the moment. (The Fury - Chapter 8)
  21. The Awakening
  22. An Untold Tale: After Hours
  23. The Struggle
  24. After Hours
  25. And one thing that Bonnie had not learned—and suspected she could never learn—was to have the sort of confidence in her own opinion that Elena and Meredith had. (Evensong: Paradise Lost)
  26. Meredith's voice was the voice of every big sister who ever had come to her younger sibling's rescue. (The Return: Nightfall Chapter 10)
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