Albus Dumbledore (![[info]](http://www.insanejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} albusknowsbest) wrote,@ 2008-04-21 21:13:00 |
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OOC.
Name/Alias: Erin
AIM: ErinTheEvil
E-mail: lluxx19@hotmail.com
How active can you be? At least a couple times a week, though uni's almost out for the summer, so really I'll probably be on every day or two.
Past RP experience: http://cleverboot.livejournal.com/681.h
Character.
Character Name: Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore
Age/Birthdate: 18 / August 1, 1881
Wand: Albus was the master of the Elder Wand from 1945 until his death in June, 1997. Prior to that, he used a mahogany wand with a phoenix feather core, 10 1/4 inches.
Bloodline: Half-blood (His mother was a muggle-born, according to the Lexicon)
Why this character: Because 1) he seemed to be needed very badly so I knew he'd always have something to do and 2) I thought it would be fun to play wise old Dumbledore at the physical age of 18. He has such complicated relationships with his family and Gellert, the dynamics there are going to be really fun to play with.
What is said about your character on the lexicon? If you changed canon facts, what did you change? I tried not to change anything. And there is so much about him on the lexicon that I think it's easier to just post the link. 'Tis right here.
Characters I'll definitely interact with: Gellert Grindelwald, Tom Riddle, Ariana Dumbledore, Aberforth Dumbledore, Kendra Dumbledore, Percival Dumbledore, Harry Potter, Severus Snape, Minerva McGonagall, Horace Slughorn... Anybody at all, really.
PB: Jon Foster
Sexual Orientation: For the intents and purposes of this game, homosexual. Normally he's too busy working and being political to bother with serious relationships of any kind, with men or women, but he never really got over Gellert.
Personality & History: He is infinitely patient. Albus is genuinely interested in the lives of all of the people around him. He does not always agree, but he always does his best to understand the actions of others, which is one of the secrets to his legendary life--If you listen to what a person is REALLY saying, you get to understand them, and if there was anything Albus is good at, it's understanding people. That said, one of his weak spots is the fact that he has a hard time dealing with people he is closely involved with personally, such as his family or, later in life, Gellert.
Early Life
The Dumbledores were a very close and loving family until Ariana was attacked. Then Percival, who Albus had always looked up to as the perfect role model, as most young boys with to their fathers, was taken to Azkaban and his baby sister, who he had doted upon, was irrepairably damaged. After that, Albus slowly but surely began to pull away from his family, emotionally and physically.
He felt terrible that it felt like such a relief to him that he was able to leave his family and start at Hogwarts. He felt guilty, feeling like he should be doing something to help them, but there was really nothing that could be done. And so, not knowing what else to do, Albus threw himself into his studies. He worked hard, trying to please his mother, and earned himself a reputation, hoping that it might rub off to his family and allow people to forget that his beloved father was a criminal. But whenever he was at home with his mother and siblings again, he couldn't bring himself to get too close to Ariana. Aberforth provided the perfect excuse, being so much better with her than he was, so Albus went out of his way to avoid her when he was at home.
Over his years at school and away from the burden of caring for his sister, Albus grew arrogant about his abilities. He was still very courteous and friendly, but the constant praise and recognition he received from almost everybody he met did effect him greatly. There was only so many times a young man can hear about how brilliant he is, and Albus was enjoying his academic fame. He was universally acknowledged as, quite simply, a prodigy. And whenever he found himself bothered by thoughts of his troubled family, he would pacify himself with the idea that once he was out of school and setting out on his way into the real world, he would easily work his way into government and change things, revolutionize things, to make the world suitable for his family, to mold it in whatever way he saw fit, so that what happened to Ariana wouldn't happen to anyone else. But what Albus was failing to notice was that, during his efforts to achieve his goals, his own personal reknown, he was distancing himself even further from the family he told himself he was trying to help.
Albus had his future carefully planned out before him when he left school. He left with quite a list of credits to his name: Head Boy, Prefect, Winner of the Barnabus Finkley Prize for Exceptional Spell-Casting, British Youth Representative to the Wizengamot, Gold Medal-Winner for Ground-Breaking Contribution to the International Alchemical Conference in Cairo. He was in regular correspondance with many of the most notable names in magic of the day. He had every intention of travelling the world, getting a feel for how things worked outside of Britain, then coming home and putting his talents to real use and getting into government. It was only a matter of time before he worked his way to the top, Albus figured. With his gifts, nobody who knew him expected anything less. And so, when, on the eve of his first step on his journey to greatness, he received news that his mother was dead and that he would have to stay, to allow all of his talent and his promise to go to waste because he had to take his place as head of his family and stay home to care for the resentful Aberforth and poor, damaged Ariana, Albus was utterly devastated. The way he saw it, everything he had worked so hard for, everything that had practically been in his hands--his entire future, and that of his family--had been cruelly snatched away from him.
With great reluctance, Albus did his duty and returned home, half-heartedly caring for Ariana as he mourned the dual loss of his mother and his bright future. Life seemed bleak and he was depressed and that was when Gellert Grindelwald entered his life. Gellert was brilliant and talented and he was somebody who really understood what Albus wanted to do. He fell quickly and hard for Gellert. They both shared the desire to change the world, understood that sometimes people had to be forced to see that things needed to change for the Greater Good, and they both had the power to achieve their goals.
But as Albus grew closer to Gellert, spending more and more time with him, he was neglecting Ariana. Aberforth was taking care of her while school was out for the summer and Albus had trained himself over the years not to think about her too much. And Gellert provided for a most excellent distraction. Whenever he started to worry about his siblings, he convinced himself again that everything he was doing was for their benefit, a belief Gellert supported in him. But Aberforth was a shrewder person than his brother had been giving him credit for. For a long time, Albus ignored the hints that his plans with Gellert would need to be set back, that Ariana was going to have to come first. He went through a lot of trouble, trying not to think about it, but eventually Aberforth tried to MAKE him confront the fact and the consequences were disastrous.
In one night, Albus lost his sister, Gellert and their shining plans for the future, and any relationship he had ever had with Aberforth. He'd thought, with his mother's death, that his world was crumbling around him, but it was nothing to how he felt when Ariana died. He even believed that he deserved to lose everything, because maybe if he'd been a better brother, payed more attention to his family, not been so pre-occupied with his own greatness, that maybe he would still have his family.
Later years
Albus never went into the Ministry. He wouldn't let himself do it. He knew he could have the position pretty much whenever he wanted it, but he would have gotten no satisfaction out of it and so he decided he needed to redirect his attentions elsewhere. He continued his studies and did lots of his own research. He invented and tested and made contacts, he went on his previously aborted travels around the world (where he met and befriended Fawkes), and eventually he ended up teaching Transfiguration at Hogwarts. If he wasn't going to rule over the world he'd dreamed of creating, at least he could put his talents and knowledge to some productive use.
He'd been teaching for a number of years when he met young Tom Riddle, an orphan with familiar precocious promise. He told himself he'd keep an eye on Riddle, hoping that he'd be able to steer the boy in the proper direction, but Albus soon became distracted, once again, by Gellert Grindelwald. He did try to look out for Riddle, but all he managed to do was keep the boy's destructive actions on the down low while he was still at school.
Meanwhile, Gellert hadn't given up on their old plans the way Albus had. He was making a name for himself abroad and, over a number of years, was becoming very powerful and dangerous. Many people started asking Albus to intervene, to fight, to DO something, but for a number of years he found himself very reluctant to take action. He knew it was wrong to delay, that people were getting hurt, but a lingering affection for the Gellert he'd known in his youth stayed his hand. Eventually, though, there was only so much he could take before he had to face the reality--that this Grindelwald was not the same person that Albus had idealized in his mind. This person, this real person, was a danger to the entire world and Albus had to do something about it.
He couldn't find it in himself to be surprised, after the duel, that Gellert had been in possession of the Elder Wand. But he kept it for himself, secret, a final secret between the two of them, even as he allowed Gellert to be sent to Nurmengard.
After that, Albus taught quietly for a few years, becoming Headmaster of Hogwarts, until the rise of Voldemort. (Chronicled in detail in the books, so if you don't know what else happens to Albus, go read them. I refuse to be even more repetitive than I have been already.)
Family:
Percival
Albus practically worshipped his father when he was a child. He adored him and, like most boys, wanted to be exactly like him when he grew up. When Percival was sent to Azkaban, Albus was emotionally shattered and he was never able to relate to the rest of his family the same way again.
Kendra
Albus was fairly fond of his mother, but after his father went to jail, he never really felt as though he was connecting with her anymore. He started out at school, working so hard in order to make her proud of him, but he was never as attached to her as he was to his father.
Aberforth
Albus wishes he was closer to Aberforth than he is, but he acknowledges that the distance between them is his own fault and believes that he's earned any resentment or hate his brother has for him. He cares about him all the same, but knows the feeling will likely never be mutual.
Ariana
Albus is very conflicted about how he feels for his sister. He does love her, but he doesn't know how to act around her or how to take care of her, so he normally left that up to the other people she seemed to prefer (namely Aberforth).
Samples (First-person, Dumbledore)
It's fascinating, really, the things a person's mind will wander to when one is confined to bed for a month.
There is the obvious, of course: Possible ways to make medicinal potions taste better without making them useless, cracks on the ceiling, the desire to be outside watching a Puddlemere United match. Then you move onto the slightly less overt: The uniform the Healers wear, the need to have all hospital sheets perfectly white.
And eventually your mind goes down the philosophical route you start to wander about why Healers become Healers, famous authors who have stayed in hospitals and how their future works may have been affected, and how do the hospital administrators decide which paintings and portraits belong in which wards and corridors. I had quite an interesting discussion with my Healer about the wisdom of having a portrait of Cliodne hanging down in the ward for beast-induced injuries. I fell asleep before we were finished, sadly, but I suppose it wasn't entirely unexpected. I'm in this bed for a reason, after all.
Who does your character support? I think that's complicated. I've read the categories, but I'm not really sure where Albus quite fits in there. Could we maybe discuss it over AIM?
Name/Alias: Erin
AIM: ErinTheEvil
E-mail: lluxx19@hotmail.com
How active can you be? At least a couple times a week, though uni's almost out for the summer, so really I'll probably be on every day or two.
Past RP experience: http://cleverboot.livejournal.com/681.h
Character.
Character Name: Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore
Age/Birthdate: 18 / August 1, 1881
Wand: Albus was the master of the Elder Wand from 1945 until his death in June, 1997. Prior to that, he used a mahogany wand with a phoenix feather core, 10 1/4 inches.
Bloodline: Half-blood (His mother was a muggle-born, according to the Lexicon)
Why this character: Because 1) he seemed to be needed very badly so I knew he'd always have something to do and 2) I thought it would be fun to play wise old Dumbledore at the physical age of 18. He has such complicated relationships with his family and Gellert, the dynamics there are going to be really fun to play with.
What is said about your character on the lexicon? If you changed canon facts, what did you change? I tried not to change anything. And there is so much about him on the lexicon that I think it's easier to just post the link. 'Tis right here.
Characters I'll definitely interact with: Gellert Grindelwald, Tom Riddle, Ariana Dumbledore, Aberforth Dumbledore, Kendra Dumbledore, Percival Dumbledore, Harry Potter, Severus Snape, Minerva McGonagall, Horace Slughorn... Anybody at all, really.
PB: Jon Foster
Sexual Orientation: For the intents and purposes of this game, homosexual. Normally he's too busy working and being political to bother with serious relationships of any kind, with men or women, but he never really got over Gellert.
Personality & History: He is infinitely patient. Albus is genuinely interested in the lives of all of the people around him. He does not always agree, but he always does his best to understand the actions of others, which is one of the secrets to his legendary life--If you listen to what a person is REALLY saying, you get to understand them, and if there was anything Albus is good at, it's understanding people. That said, one of his weak spots is the fact that he has a hard time dealing with people he is closely involved with personally, such as his family or, later in life, Gellert.
Early Life
The Dumbledores were a very close and loving family until Ariana was attacked. Then Percival, who Albus had always looked up to as the perfect role model, as most young boys with to their fathers, was taken to Azkaban and his baby sister, who he had doted upon, was irrepairably damaged. After that, Albus slowly but surely began to pull away from his family, emotionally and physically.
He felt terrible that it felt like such a relief to him that he was able to leave his family and start at Hogwarts. He felt guilty, feeling like he should be doing something to help them, but there was really nothing that could be done. And so, not knowing what else to do, Albus threw himself into his studies. He worked hard, trying to please his mother, and earned himself a reputation, hoping that it might rub off to his family and allow people to forget that his beloved father was a criminal. But whenever he was at home with his mother and siblings again, he couldn't bring himself to get too close to Ariana. Aberforth provided the perfect excuse, being so much better with her than he was, so Albus went out of his way to avoid her when he was at home.
Over his years at school and away from the burden of caring for his sister, Albus grew arrogant about his abilities. He was still very courteous and friendly, but the constant praise and recognition he received from almost everybody he met did effect him greatly. There was only so many times a young man can hear about how brilliant he is, and Albus was enjoying his academic fame. He was universally acknowledged as, quite simply, a prodigy. And whenever he found himself bothered by thoughts of his troubled family, he would pacify himself with the idea that once he was out of school and setting out on his way into the real world, he would easily work his way into government and change things, revolutionize things, to make the world suitable for his family, to mold it in whatever way he saw fit, so that what happened to Ariana wouldn't happen to anyone else. But what Albus was failing to notice was that, during his efforts to achieve his goals, his own personal reknown, he was distancing himself even further from the family he told himself he was trying to help.
Albus had his future carefully planned out before him when he left school. He left with quite a list of credits to his name: Head Boy, Prefect, Winner of the Barnabus Finkley Prize for Exceptional Spell-Casting, British Youth Representative to the Wizengamot, Gold Medal-Winner for Ground-Breaking Contribution to the International Alchemical Conference in Cairo. He was in regular correspondance with many of the most notable names in magic of the day. He had every intention of travelling the world, getting a feel for how things worked outside of Britain, then coming home and putting his talents to real use and getting into government. It was only a matter of time before he worked his way to the top, Albus figured. With his gifts, nobody who knew him expected anything less. And so, when, on the eve of his first step on his journey to greatness, he received news that his mother was dead and that he would have to stay, to allow all of his talent and his promise to go to waste because he had to take his place as head of his family and stay home to care for the resentful Aberforth and poor, damaged Ariana, Albus was utterly devastated. The way he saw it, everything he had worked so hard for, everything that had practically been in his hands--his entire future, and that of his family--had been cruelly snatched away from him.
With great reluctance, Albus did his duty and returned home, half-heartedly caring for Ariana as he mourned the dual loss of his mother and his bright future. Life seemed bleak and he was depressed and that was when Gellert Grindelwald entered his life. Gellert was brilliant and talented and he was somebody who really understood what Albus wanted to do. He fell quickly and hard for Gellert. They both shared the desire to change the world, understood that sometimes people had to be forced to see that things needed to change for the Greater Good, and they both had the power to achieve their goals.
But as Albus grew closer to Gellert, spending more and more time with him, he was neglecting Ariana. Aberforth was taking care of her while school was out for the summer and Albus had trained himself over the years not to think about her too much. And Gellert provided for a most excellent distraction. Whenever he started to worry about his siblings, he convinced himself again that everything he was doing was for their benefit, a belief Gellert supported in him. But Aberforth was a shrewder person than his brother had been giving him credit for. For a long time, Albus ignored the hints that his plans with Gellert would need to be set back, that Ariana was going to have to come first. He went through a lot of trouble, trying not to think about it, but eventually Aberforth tried to MAKE him confront the fact and the consequences were disastrous.
In one night, Albus lost his sister, Gellert and their shining plans for the future, and any relationship he had ever had with Aberforth. He'd thought, with his mother's death, that his world was crumbling around him, but it was nothing to how he felt when Ariana died. He even believed that he deserved to lose everything, because maybe if he'd been a better brother, payed more attention to his family, not been so pre-occupied with his own greatness, that maybe he would still have his family.
Later years
Albus never went into the Ministry. He wouldn't let himself do it. He knew he could have the position pretty much whenever he wanted it, but he would have gotten no satisfaction out of it and so he decided he needed to redirect his attentions elsewhere. He continued his studies and did lots of his own research. He invented and tested and made contacts, he went on his previously aborted travels around the world (where he met and befriended Fawkes), and eventually he ended up teaching Transfiguration at Hogwarts. If he wasn't going to rule over the world he'd dreamed of creating, at least he could put his talents and knowledge to some productive use.
He'd been teaching for a number of years when he met young Tom Riddle, an orphan with familiar precocious promise. He told himself he'd keep an eye on Riddle, hoping that he'd be able to steer the boy in the proper direction, but Albus soon became distracted, once again, by Gellert Grindelwald. He did try to look out for Riddle, but all he managed to do was keep the boy's destructive actions on the down low while he was still at school.
Meanwhile, Gellert hadn't given up on their old plans the way Albus had. He was making a name for himself abroad and, over a number of years, was becoming very powerful and dangerous. Many people started asking Albus to intervene, to fight, to DO something, but for a number of years he found himself very reluctant to take action. He knew it was wrong to delay, that people were getting hurt, but a lingering affection for the Gellert he'd known in his youth stayed his hand. Eventually, though, there was only so much he could take before he had to face the reality--that this Grindelwald was not the same person that Albus had idealized in his mind. This person, this real person, was a danger to the entire world and Albus had to do something about it.
He couldn't find it in himself to be surprised, after the duel, that Gellert had been in possession of the Elder Wand. But he kept it for himself, secret, a final secret between the two of them, even as he allowed Gellert to be sent to Nurmengard.
After that, Albus taught quietly for a few years, becoming Headmaster of Hogwarts, until the rise of Voldemort. (Chronicled in detail in the books, so if you don't know what else happens to Albus, go read them. I refuse to be even more repetitive than I have been already.)
Family:
Percival
Albus practically worshipped his father when he was a child. He adored him and, like most boys, wanted to be exactly like him when he grew up. When Percival was sent to Azkaban, Albus was emotionally shattered and he was never able to relate to the rest of his family the same way again.
Kendra
Albus was fairly fond of his mother, but after his father went to jail, he never really felt as though he was connecting with her anymore. He started out at school, working so hard in order to make her proud of him, but he was never as attached to her as he was to his father.
Aberforth
Albus wishes he was closer to Aberforth than he is, but he acknowledges that the distance between them is his own fault and believes that he's earned any resentment or hate his brother has for him. He cares about him all the same, but knows the feeling will likely never be mutual.
Ariana
Albus is very conflicted about how he feels for his sister. He does love her, but he doesn't know how to act around her or how to take care of her, so he normally left that up to the other people she seemed to prefer (namely Aberforth).
Samples (First-person, Dumbledore)
It's fascinating, really, the things a person's mind will wander to when one is confined to bed for a month.
There is the obvious, of course: Possible ways to make medicinal potions taste better without making them useless, cracks on the ceiling, the desire to be outside watching a Puddlemere United match. Then you move onto the slightly less overt: The uniform the Healers wear, the need to have all hospital sheets perfectly white.
And eventually your mind goes down the philosophical route you start to wander about why Healers become Healers, famous authors who have stayed in hospitals and how their future works may have been affected, and how do the hospital administrators decide which paintings and portraits belong in which wards and corridors. I had quite an interesting discussion with my Healer about the wisdom of having a portrait of Cliodne hanging down in the ward for beast-induced injuries. I fell asleep before we were finished, sadly, but I suppose it wasn't entirely unexpected. I'm in this bed for a reason, after all.
Who does your character support? I think that's complicated. I've read the categories, but I'm not really sure where Albus quite fits in there. Could we maybe discuss it over AIM?
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