Post by waldobrowning on May 9, 2011 3:13:38 GMT
waldo emerson browning
THE SCARS OF YOUR LOVE
[/size]remind me of us - - - - - -[/center]
full name: Waldo Emerson Browning.
nicknames: Everybody knows him as Emerson or Browning, Brown, or even Ralph. Nobody calls him Waldo, and he never uses that name unless he’s signing something official. Only his twin ever had permission to call him Wally.
birthday: February twenty-third.
age: Thirty-eight.
house: Hufflepuff.
blood status: Somewhere between Halfblood and three-fourths pure.
face claim: Jude Law.
WE COULD HAVE HAD IT ALL
[/size]rolling in the deep - - - - - -[/center]
likes:
- His family: Generally speaking, he loves them very much and is very protective of them all. He tends not to visit them at home too often, simply because he feels slightly (only slightly,) dysfunctional, and doesn’t want them to worry at all. But he’s always happy to get a letter or otherwise hear from them.
- The Irish National Quidditch Team: Life-long fan, even before the big win in ’94.
- Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlour: What’s not to love about that place? Waldo has a huge sweet tooth, for ice cream in particular.
- Quality Quidditch Supplies: He wears a lot of sports merchandise on days that he doesn’t have to work, and there’s no better place to get it. Everyone there is friendly, especially since he frequents the place so often.
- Drooble’s Best Blowing Gum: His second favorite sweet.
- The Three Broomsticks: Waldo’s favorite place to go for a drink.
- His job: He feels like it’s satisfying, it’s steady, and he’s comfortable with it. He really can’t hope to ask for anything more. Besides, it’s a great way to learn about things before anyone else.
- Muggle cinema: He grew up with it, because his dad is a Muggle. He also has a small interest in Muggle football, but prefers Quidditch, in all honesty. More than anything Waldo is enthusiastic about it because he knows how hard his dad works to be enthusiastic about some of the more bizarre wizard traditions that he can't take part in himself.
- Muggle music: You can’t blame the man. It’s catchy, all right? Favorites include Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, the Beatles, the Doors, Stevie Wonder, and the Doobie Brothers.
- Crosswords: Just one of those odd little things that make him who he is. He's always had a knack for crosswords, and they're more fun than just sitting around when there's nothing to do. That's why he was put in charge of the Fiendishly Difficult which comes out every so often in the Prophet.
dislikes:
- Lord Voldemort/Death Eaters: This one’s pretty obvious, and doesn’t need a lot of explaining. The dark forces were a strong part of what formed his childhood, at least as far as things like media and day-to-day living were concerned. Just one of those things that was always at the back of his mind, a shadow looming over the first half of his life. That was particularly true of his fifth year at Hogwarts, when the famous ’98 battle at Hogwarts ended the Second War.
- St. Mungo’s: He hates how damn depressing it is. There’s not much more to it than that. He likes what they do as an institution and all, but as a general rule, hospitals are sort of a no-no for him. The fact that they’re needed in the first place just makes him sad.
- Transfiguration Today: He used to work for the magazine, and held a job there writing a small interview column for a year or two. During that time he also did some freelance work for Seeker Weekly. It was a decent first job, one of those stepping stone careers that journalists typically have to take before making it with that big paper. Don’t misunderstand, there was nothing wrong with the magazine, it was good pay, and on the whole it’s a very respectable publication. The only problem is that about 80 percent of the witches and wizards who worked there were all crotchety and old. Talk about a stressful work environment. Not exactly ideal for an 18 year old fresh out of Hogwarts, either.
- Acid pops: Having eaten one too many of these as a child, he can say with confidence that he isn’t fond of the tongue burning effect. Exploding bon-bons, blood flavored lolly-pops and cockroach clusters also fall under this category, generally speaking.
- Bulgarian National Quidditch Team: They’re the rivals of his favorite team, so he sort of dislikes them by default. Of course, he’ll brag that Krum had visited Hogwarts while Waldo was in his second year at Hogwarts any day of the week, but he’ll still bet against the team any day.
- Flanders National Quidditch Team: In Waldo’s modest opinion, these guys just need to go home. They haven’t actually gone to the Cup semi-finals since 1473, and honestly they’re about as useful as… well, as a bunch of acid pops.
- Travel by floo: He has to admit, it’s quick and semi-efficient, which is important in his line of work. Even so, he’d rather apparate when it’s possible, because floo powder leaves such an unpleasant sensation and often leaves you with a nasty bump on the head. Broom is even better, despite the fact that it’s slower.
- Thomas: Waldo had a falling out with his oldest brother, and still hasn’t forgiven him or asked to be forgiven at all.
- Ghosts: Well. Y’know… they’re haunting…?
- The Unforgivable curses: He’s seen all of them used and harbors deep resentment for anyone who thinks their use isn’t a problem, or should be legalized only ‘in certain cases,’ or ‘only for Aurors,’ because in his opinion, where does it all stop?
strengths:
- Hard-working: This is a particular strength of his. He's willing to do the work, without being overly ambitious.
Essentially what it means is, he's the guy who'll stay until two in the morning to help some poor intern finish an article on candy that helps kids avoid the dentist's chair. He's also the guy who'll run out and grab lunch for someone when they're on a roll with an article so they don't have to stop. It makes him pretty well-liked around the office, because he's willing to do the work but doesn't care so much about the recognition.
But it doesn't just apply to his work at the Prophet, it also mean's helping out his dad, the neighbors, acquaintances, etc.- Loyal: A lot of people might consider this a weakness, but in truth it makes his decisions pretty easy. In the even that another war comes, he knows exactly what side he's on. It also makes people more willing to trust him.
- Light-hearted: He's got problems, that's for sure. But the way Waldo sees it, everyone's got problems. He tries not to let it overwhelm him and for the most part he does a decent job of it. He doesn't want to think about his problems anymore than the next guy.
Since he tends to be fairly happy most of the time, it makes him easy to talk to. You don't have to worry that every time you have a conversation with him it's going to be a huge downer.- Baby-sitting: Yep, that's right. He baby-sits for his neighbor on weekends or other days off, just to make a little extra money, and because he thinks it's good to get a bit of socializing in, even if it's with a six year old- at least it's not, "Hello, I'm Emerson Browning from the Daily Prophet, I was wondering if I could talk to you about--"
And actually, she's a decent kid. She's smart for sure, and likes to hear stories, which is something Waldo can actually do. In a way she's better for Waldo than he realizes. But whether he knows it or not, it keeps him from slipping too far into his bad habits. At least for the weekend.- Fact checking: One definitely positive thing about Waldo's dedication to his work is his ability to check, check, and re-check facts while still managing a deadline. He does it constantly. Because of it, he's never once had someone call the editor-in-chief to register a complaint about one of his stories. It's a huge ego massage, which frankly speaking, is something the guy can use.
Plus, if he does half as well as he has so far during the next ten years or so, editor-in-chief is a serious possibility, he thinks.- Volunteer work: He has a habit of volunteering for different charities, usually one weekend a month. He tends to go and help out at magical creature shelters, things like that. Half-way places for wizards, etc. It's not like he suddenly feels extra philanthropic every couple of weeks or so. Frankly, it's good to have connections in unlikely places, because you never know when you'll end up needing them for a story.
- Tidiness: Waldo makes cleanliness and tidiness a habit, and that's something pretty rare in his profession. (Have you ever seen a journalists desk? No, of course you haven't, they're covered in papers and fast food wrappers.)
weaknesses:
- Drinking: It's becoming more and more common for him to wake up in the bar two or three times a week, after a stint with a few bottles of firewhiskey. He's seriously considering renting an apartment above the Three Broomsticks just because it means he won't have to risk getting home while he's intoxicated- because, of course, giving up the drinking isn't an option. Conversely—
- Alcohol: This is one thing, he's beginning to learn, that Waldo just can't say no to. It hasn't caused much of a problem yet, but chances are if he keeps up with it the way he is, it's going to start affecting his work, which is really the only sort of life he has, currently. If that goes down hill, then he's really out the window.
- Sleeping: Or more properly, lack thereof. He doesn't sleep much, and when he does, it's a 50/50 chance it's because he's just passed out at the bar or at his desk. He's one of those miracles of science who seems fully capable of functioning without sleep anyway, but it's slowly taking it's toll.
- Over-working: Really. To the point where he'll stay at the office until three in the morning filling staplers by hand or emptying out all the bins without magic. He stays at the office as long as he can, because it means he doesn't have to go home to an empty place. He also focuses a lot on his work so that he doesn't have to focus on harder things, like family or marriage.
- Nail biting: One of those pesky habits he has. He usually bites when he's nervous, anxious, or bored.
He's completely aware of that, but even still, this is his Achilles' heel. Give him a drink and he can't refuse; he'll tell you anything, he'll do anything. Get him drunk and he's yours.- Family: Nobody can get to him like family can. A family member can have him undone faster than anyone else in the world. He'd die a hundred times over for them, and kill a hundred times for them as well. It's because of his extreme devotion to them that he was ever a Hufflepuff. His family is also a huge manipulation tool, should anyone have a use for it. They are his weak spot.
- Temper: He's got very strong loyalties and principles, and as a consequence, he can have a pretty nasty temper at times. It's an explosive temper, too, which means that often times he ends up completely overreacting to something that shouldn't be all that upsetting in the first place. It doesn't happen often, but when it does, it's never good.
- Junk food: He eats a lot of junk food and sweets. Actually, that can be phrased in a better fashion. He doesn't eat a lot of junk; in fact he doesn't eat a whole lot at all, unless he's visiting at Hogsmeade or out with colleagues. But a lot of what he does eat is junk.
veritaserum:
- Nobody currently working at the Prophet knows that Waldo was ever a twin, and that’s something he purposely keeps under wraps.
- He’s also doing a swell job of hiding the drinking habit he’s been nursing, but who really knows how long that’ll last?
- He’d love to have a family of his own, but from the way he acts, you’d think he was perfectly happy to live life alone.
- His mother is living in the Janus Thickey Ward at St. Mungo’s, which only the editor-in-chief knows about, since Waldo has to leave work now and again during emergencies.
- Waldo’s eldest brother, Thomas, is a Squib. Waldo hasn’t seen or heard from him since the summer after his fifth year, but at that time Thomas had been about to take a position as a physics teacher in the Muggle world.
dementor: The battle at Hogwarts, Allan’s death; close second would be the fight he had with his brother Thomas, one of his mother’s episodes at St. Mungo’s, generally things to do with his family.
patronus: The first time he managed to fly; playing Quidditch as a kid with his brothers; just spending time with his twin. The patronus itself appears as a bear cub.
sexuality & relationship status: Heterosexual, currently single.
I HEARD ONE ON YOU
[/size]ill make your head burn - - -[/center]
father: Jack D. Browning, 68 years old, Muggle. Jack is retired now, but he used to work as a Professor at a community college. His specialty was the study of Romantic poems, and he named each of his 7 children after one of his favorites.
He is a very big family man, very proud of all his boys. He's quieted down a bit with age, but he's still odd and happily eccentric.
mother: Carolyn R. Browning (nee Caddogann,) 65 years old, 2/3 Pureblood. Carolyn was a very devoted mother to all her boys, until ishe went mad with grief in '98 and was transferred to live at St. Mungo's.
She still resides there today.
siblings: Thomas M. Browning, 43 years old, Squib. Last heard from, he was teaching in the Muggle world at a public school. It's not known whether he has any children or a spouse.
Charles B. Browing, 42 years old, Halfblood, Ravenclaw married to Maria F. Browning (nee Wolcott,) 40 years old, Muggle. Charles is an architect, and Maria is an engineer.
They have three children.
Allan P. Browning, deceased at 15 years old, Halfblood. Allan was a 5th year Hufflepuff who planned on founding his own broadsheet newspaper with his twin brother. He and Waldo were the creators of "The F.O.R.R.A.Y." during the '98 resistance at Hogwarts, led by Dumbledore's Army. He was killed at the Battle of Hogwarts by the Death Eater Mulciber.
William B. Browning, 32 years old, Halfblood, Ravenclaw married to Gina T. Browning (nee Downing,) 35 years old, Halfblood, Hufflepuff. William is a professional Wizard Chess player, and Gina works for the Ministry at the Department for the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts.
They have three children, triplets.
Theo G. Browning, 31 years old, Halfblood, Ravenclaw married to Natalie S. Browning (nee Green,) 31 years old, 2/3 Pure, Gryffindor. Theo and Natalie work in the Ministry as members of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures.
They have one child.
Gordon B. Browning, 29 years old, Halfblood, Ravenclaw engaged to Sarah D. Browning (nee Janus,) 26 years old, Muggle. Gordon is a semi-professional Quidditch player (keeper,) and Sarah is a small business owner.
As yet, they have no children.
others:
Great-Grands: Augustus D. Aupick, deceased at 80, Muggle married to Leona H. Aupick (nee Happgood,) deceased at 89, Muggle.
Geoffroy G. Caddogann, deceased at 93, Pureblood, Slytherin married to Anne P. Caddogann (nee Wagner,) deceased at 93, 3/4 Pure, Slytherin.
Each couple gave birth to one child.
Grandparents: June M. Browning (nee Aupick,) deceased at 74, Muggle married to Frank D. Browning, deceased at 78, Muggle.
Nicholas J. Caddogann, deceased at 88, 2/3 Pure, Slytherin married to Louisa J. Caddogann (nee Piccado,) deceased at 60, 2/3 Pure, Ravenclaw.
Each couple gave birth to two children.
Aunts/Uncles: John G. Browning (brother of Jack D. Browning,) 73 years old, Muggle. Unmarried, no children, worked as an investor for some time.
Maxwell R. Caddogann (brother of Carolyn R. Caddogann,) 69 years old, 2/3 Pure, Ravenclaw married to Kris M. Caddogann (nee Jasper,) 69 years old, Pureblood, Gryffindor. Max worked as a radio announcer for sporting events, and Kris was a stay at home mother.
The two have three children.
Cousins: Lillian F. Cleant (nee Caddogann,) 42 years old, 2/3 Pure, Ravenclaw married to Alfie A. Cleant, 42 years old, Halfblood, Gryffindor. Lillian retired early from work in the Department of Mysteries, Alfie owns a cauldron shop in Diagon Alley.
They have no children.
Ray T. Caddogann, 40 years old, 2/3 Pure, Ravenclaw married to Deliah H. Caddogann (nee Dean,) 38 years old, 3/4 Pure, Ravenclaw. They are both employed by the Ministry as diplomats from the Department of International Magical Cooperation.
They have one child.
Niel P. Caddogann, 38 years old, 2/3 Pure, Gryffindor married to Courtenay S. Caddogann (nee Smithing,) 39 years old, Muggle. Niel works at the Ministry in the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes, Courtenay works in the Muggle world as a school teacher.
They have two children.
Nieces/Nephews: Mary M. Browning, 20 years old, Mixed blood, Ravenclaw. In training to be a Healer at St. Mungo's.
Clifford C. Browning, 17 years old, Mixed blood, Gryffindor student.
Nicole P. Browning, 16 years old, Mixed blood, Ravenclaw student.
Frank L. Browning, Michael G. Browning, Oliver T. Browning, triplets, 12 years old, Mixed blood, Hufflepuff students.
Joshua J. Browning, 3 years old, Mixed blood.
overall history: Waldo was the middle child (by all of 10 minutes) growing up in a house of 7 boys. That about explains it all. In order to survive in that family without going insane, there were always two rules.
The first was to always chip in. Equal shares were divided because otherwise nothing would ever get done. The second, and this one was self-imposed, really, was to just go with the flow. Six other boys looking to have their own demands met usually meant that 6/7 times, Waldo wasn't going to be the center of anybody's focus.
The general consensus had always been: If you want something, get it/do it/make it/buy it yourself. Otherwise, do without it. Having such a large family was, without a doubt the single most important thing in defining Waldo's personality. That's evidenced by the fact that he still lives by the same philosophy, really.------
Waldo had the good fortune to be born with a best friend. His twin brother, Allan. They were identical twins, inseparable from the very start. As toddlers they had their own language.
They opened their Hogwarts letters together, they went to Ollivander’s for their wands together. (Ash, phoenix feather core, 12”.) They were the only two in their family who would be sorted into Hufflepuff together. As much as they loved their other brothers, as well taken care of as they were by their mother and father, they were nothing without one another.
At Hogwarts, they were no different. They took the same classes, earned close to the same grade. By third year, they were each playing as Chaser on the Hufflepuff Quidditch team. (They were both given a pair of Cleansweep Eleven’s as celebration.) They weren't particularly popular, but then, Hufflepuffs rarely are. It's just not their style. And besides, Allen and Waldo didn't need anyone else's company.
They did well enough in classes, but it was never really their biggest focus. The two has always loved writing, making up stories and so on. They'd spend days creating homemade broadsheets to print them on, learned and worked out spells to make them just like the official publications. It was their dream to create their own press, the biggest press in the country- even bigger than the Prophet one day. It was a dream they kept to themselves, but one they made many plans for.
That changed, fifth year. Fifth year, Hogwarts was taken over by the Dark Lord and his followers, and Dumbledore's Army became the single remaining hope for most of the students at school. Charles had already graduated, William was still a year away from starting. Allan and Waldo were the only Browning's left at the school. They attended the meetings themselves, but the truth was they'd never been much for the fighting magic. Wasn't their style, and in any case they'd always been better at charms than hexes. But they found a way to put their talents to good use.
They did make their own paper, the F.O.R.R.A.Y, an underground broad-sheet which they passed around to members and their families; to the students in support of D.A. and the Order. Lists of missing witches and wizards, anti-Ministry publications, things that the resistance saw fit to publish. Circulation was anonymous and free of charge. Later on in the year they also did a fair bit of collaboration with Potter Watch, confirming news that came from the school.
At fifteen, Waldo had the bad fortune to loose his best friend. Charlie, Waldo and Allan all fought at the battle. They did their best any way. Dueling had never been their strong suit. Charlie and Waldo came off all right. Allan wasn't so lucky. His mom got to Hogwarts just in time to find the body. The trouble was, she seemed to think that Waldo was the one who'd taken the curse, and Waldo hadn't had the heart to tell her otherwise. It was and would be the lowest point in his life.
Waldo finished school, didn't do half bad, all things considered. That had a lot to do with the fact that he distanced himself completely from everyone he knew. He buried himself in school work, dropped Quidditch, dropped everything but the academics. After he graduated from Hogwarts, he did the same thing at Transfiguration Today.
It was a transitioning point, and something Waldo needed in order to keep going. It was steady work, and the way he saw it, a job was a job. It helped him to build credibility, it gave him time to build up a little cash, and it gave him time to distance himself from the fact that his family was falling apart.
At twenty-one he got a job with the Daily Prophet. For a couple of years, he wrote side articles. Anything and everything his editor asked him to write about. After a while he was promoted to the role of a proper journalist, writing in the Bad News department and the Ministry Affairs department. Professionally speaking, he's doing very well for himself.
Otherwise, it's a different story. He doesn't see his family often. The occasional birthday, most Christmases. But the fact is, he's too ashamed to see them as long as he knows they're doing well enough on their own. It's still too hard for him to deal with what happened to Allen, and he believes that the rest of his family holds him responsible for the fact that Thomas left.
He's taking it a day at a time, now. It's really all that he can do. He'd like to start dating, maybe even start a family one day. Get something going apart from work. But he's not sure if he deserves it.
YOUR GOING TO WISH
[/size]you had never met me - - - - - -[/center]
name/alias: Max.
gender: Male.
age: Over 13
contact: PM, AIM: inspectormaxyeah
how you found us: Your advert on Caution 2.0.
other characters: None.
experience: I just started at this other board a couple days ago, otherwise none.
role play sample:"Good morning! The time is six o’ clock in the morning, CPT; temperature estimated to the nearest hundredth of a degree at 70.00 degrees F; the weather is sunny, clear, with a slight breeze coming in from the West, humidity at twenty percent."
Of course it was. The entire planet was climate controlled. It had been clear and 70 for the past two months.
"Good morning! The time is six-"
Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Six o’ clock in the morning. John didn’t need the alarm to wake him. He’d been up all night, too anxious to sleep. For the past hour he’d lain in bed (which was perfectly made,) fully dressed and with a tie to match. He sighed and rolled out of bed. "Off."
"-humidity at twent-"
"Off."
"Good morning!-"
"Shut the hell up!"
The loud speaker let out a soft, tired, purring sound as it powered down and reset itself for the next morning.
"Television. On."
The screen on the wall flickered to life, and the only broadcasting system that had been made available to the general public- the UIMP’s newscast- began to flow smoothly from the speakers mounted on the glass shelving. "Plans for the Home Medical Office to meet with retired army surgeon-"
Ah, great. His picture was up on the news again, and not a very nice one either. It practically looked like a mug shot, and it had been one of the first pictures of him taken of him after the sickness. Figured they would use that fuckin’ picture. For a moment, he imagined Mary scolding him gently for talking like that and then kissing him and pushing him out the screen door on his way to work.
Headlines were running at the top and the bottom of the screen, and some shaky footage was shown of John himself meeting with the director at the HMO for a final go-over of the details.
Cut! To a close-up again, and a bit of the director’s fuzzy gray hair in the right of the frame, there, and they replayed the same bite they’d been playing for the past week, the two of them walking next to one another, John’s limp noticeable, even with the rocking of the camera .
"Doctor!" The reporter coughed, huffing and puffing, badly out of shape for his chosen occupation. "Excuse me, Doctor Watson… do you care to make any comment or statement at this time?"
He smiled into the camera and nodded, still walking with the director along side, "Well. Ah, we’re all very excited about this… we think it’s a great opportunity for everyone, and uh… yeah. We’re all just really thankful and really excited to see this finally happening."
The news anchor and her funeral-proof smile appeared again, and she waited a moment, before drawing a breath, and then clearly reading off of the tele-prompter, she began: "Doctor Jonathan Watson makes his first visit today to the Home Medical Office, with the official title of Chief Surgeon. Once there, he will remain in a quarantine-like state with the rest of his hand-picked team of surgeons and scientists for a total of two years, during which time they hope to complete their operations for the firm."
John sighed again and looked around him for his shoes. Then, cane in hand he chewed his lip for a moment, muttered, “Television. Off,” then louder, “Television! Off!” He grabbed his taxi fare and left an empty house behind him.
(Or, if you need one from the character's point of view...)
There were rules for this sort of thing. Emerson was the only one who knew about them, there was nobody to hold him accountable if he broke them. But he never did. He always followed the rules. Waldo was allowed to go out drinking five nights out of seven. He wasn’t allowed to visit any one pub more than three times in a row. No more than two times in a row if on one or more of those nights he’d ended up passed out at the bar.
That was why he was at the Leaky Cauldron, instead of the Three Broomsticks. He’d already spent two nights at the Brooms, and woken up there the next morning. That meant he was done there for the week. Waldo sat at the bar, chin in hand, flipping through five or six pieces of parchment. They were ideas for the next crossword. They only came out once a month, and he’d just submitted one a week ago. But he felt like working. Waldo wanted to work, it was all he ever wanted to do, apart from drink. It was totally ridiculous, he knew it. What does it say about a person when they can’t even stop working to get drunk like any other respectable patron would?
He sighed. There were exceptions to the rules, of course. The week leading up to May 2nd, there were no rules at all. He could do what he liked and didn’t need to worry about keeping up appearances as long as he could be to work in the morning. Or sometimes things would happen that would earn him an extra day. An incident at St. Mungo’s was worth one extra day. A visit home might be worth an extra day, depending on how things went.
“Another, please,” he said to nobody in particular, rapping his shot glass against the counter. It hit a little harder than he’d meant it to, and Waldo looked up from his papers for a second to grimace apologetically at the bar keep. When the glass was full, Waldo brought it to his lips and drank it without pretense. He considered another, and decided to wait. He was in no hurry.
As it stood, Waldo wasn’t even mildly hazy yet. He wouldn’t be drunk for at least a few hours yet. Not properly, anyway. That was the drawback to doing it so often. You got used to it and ended up needing to empty out your wallet just to get a little buzzed.
He frowned at the parchment in front of him, and read, Down, 60: Rabbits and gold, commonality. Couldn’t for the life of him remember where he’d been going with that one, so he crossed it out and pushed the papers away from him.
“Another, please.”
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