Post by Professor Benjamin Morrow on Jun 16, 2015 16:55:44 GMT -6
Professor Benjamin Morrow
Full Name: Benjamin Gideon Morrow
Nicknames: He'll go by Ben or Benjamin, whatever you prefer. He's still getting used to being called Professor.
Age: 30
Alignment: Good
Blood Status: Muggleborn and proud of it
Nationality: American
Sexuality: straight
Taken status: single
APPEARANCE
Face Claim: Adrien Brody
Hair Colour: dark brown
Eye Colour: brown
Distinguishing Features: His hair is usually a bit of a mess. His nose is slightly crooked, a souvenir of the only fight he's ever been in. He often has a bit of stubble, since he can't always remember where his razor ended up. He is tall and thin. He usually has ink stains on his hands. He always wears a sweater with large pockets so he can keep everything he needs in hem.
ACADEMIC/PROFESSIONAL HISTORY
Wand: cedar and unicorn hair, 11 inches, rather springy; rather scuffed
Pets: none
Other Items: Ben has an extensive collection of books, mostly on history, although he also enjoys fiction (especially historical fiction). He also has a collection of his old journals. His latest one is always in his pocket, but it's quite old and the pages have a tendency to fall out.
Occupation: History of Magic professor; Ben is brand new this term. Before he came to Aurora, he worked for several years as an independent researcher. His work wasn't paying as much as he needed, so when he heard about the position at Aurora, he applied. He was a bit surprised when he was hired, since he has no previous teaching experience.
Which school(s) did they attend?: Ben attended Williamsburg Wizarding School in the US (located in Virginia) and went on to that school's university. He graduated with honors with a focus on History of Magic.
PERSONALITY
Likes: History, comfy sweaters with big pockets, legends, reading
Dislikes: losing things (but he often does), people laughing at him, being late, smart alecks, dogs who jump on him
Strengths: He really knows his history and he's good at making it come alive. He's also a pretty good cook, though he doesn't do it often. He can pick locks (he taught himself because he keeps forgetting his keys). He knows how to knit and how to mend his own clothes (the Muggle way). He's very good with the younger students. In addition to history, he is passionate about resolving the tension between Muggleborns and Purebloods.
Weaknesses: scatterbrained, shy, has a narrow focus, tendency to babble
Habits: fiddling with things in his pockets, running his hands through his hair, talking too much when it's a subject he enjoys
OPTIONAL:
Mirror of Erised: Ben would love to make a really important discovery, something that changes the way history is viewed. He'd also love to have a family of his own one day.
Boggart: losing someone he cares about
Dementor: Ben's worst memory is from about ten years ago. He was on break from university, visiting his parents in Baltimore. One day he received a phone call—his parents had been in a car accident. Ben didn't have a car (he'd never learned to drive, actually) so he had to take a Muggle taxi to the hospital. His parents were both badly injured, especially his mother, who had a serious head injury. For a while, it seemed that they might not make it. The terror of those hours, thinking he was going to lose his parents, still pains Ben. His father still has a limp and his mother still gets headaches from her injury. Ben is unsure what he will do when his parents finally do pass away. He hopes it will not be for some time yet.
Patronus: Ben's patronus takes the form of a Siamese cat; he uses the memory of the thrill he got the first time he discovered something new about magical history
Overall Personality: Ben is scatterbrained and a bit socially awkward, but he's a sweet fellow. He's got a terrible memory and loses things all the time. It doesn't help that he's also a slob. He loves his work--both teaching and researching magical history--and can often get caught up in it. He has trouble socializing with his peers and has a tendency to apologize a lot in social situations. When he's talking about a subject he loves, he can be quite verbose, but most of the time he hangs back and just watches other people. He has few close friends, but he would do anything for the friends that he does have. He believes in being fair and honest and in hearing all sides of a story before passing judgment. He tends to bite off more than he can chew with projects, but manages to muddle his way through most of what he takes on.
HISTORY
Hometown: Ben grew up in Baltimore, Maryland. He attended Williamsburg Wizarding Academy in Virginia, where he met Nita Elwyn. The two have remained close friends ever since. After graduating, Ben took a job as a researcher in Sault St. Marie, Michigan, a city on the state's upper peninsula, near the border to Canada. He worked there until last year. He no longer has a home there, as he sold his apartment when he was hired at Aurora. He plans on getting an apartment near Snowy Vale or seeing if he can stay at the school for the summer.
Family: Ben's parents, Paul and Rosie Morris, are both Muggles. Paul is a doctor. Rosie owns a yarn shop in Baltimore. Ben has worked a bit on tracing his family tree but has run into roadblocks and put that project to the side for the moment. (Digging through Muggle records isn't nearly as fun as digging through magical ones anyways.)
Overall History: Ben had a wonderful childhood. His parents had him rather late in life, so he was their only son and they loved him dearly. His mother taught him how to cook and how to knit. His father taught him to love reading and knowledge. The Morrows were quite were surprised when a wizard came to their house to tell Ben he had magic, but they were very supportive once everything had been explained. They were very proud of Ben when he graduated from WWA.
Nowadays the Morrows still live in Baltimore. Paul walks with a limp now, thanks to the car accident, but he still works in his medical practice. Rosie still gets horrible headaches and has less time for knitting, as focusing on the work often gives her a headache. She still manages to knit Ben socks and a new sweater every year for Christmas. Ben writes to them whenever he remembers and he plans to visit them this coming Christmas break. He worries about his parents, but they've assured him that they're fine and that he needs to go on with his own life.
Ben has grown a lot as a professor over the past year. He cares deeply for his students and would do anything to help them, whether with their schoolwork or with their personal problems. He initially took the Head of Boreas role hesitantly, but has grown to love it over the past year.
ROLEPLAYER
Alias: Anne
Experience: 1 year
Other Characters: Ally Jacobs, Hazel Franklin, Nita Elwyn
Your word of honor that you have read the rules: I have read and liked the rules.
Sample RP:
Ben Morrow sighed and ran his hands through his already messy hair. He closed his eyes. He'd been poring over his books and notes for nearly three hours now and he could feel a headache building. Over the course of the past school year, he had collected an overwhelming amount of information on the founders of the Aurora Borealis Academy. He'd taken the summer to pull all of his information together and organize it. Now, with only a week or so left before he had to return to work, he was trying to figure out what to focus on next.
He was certain there was still more information out there about the founders but maybe he'd chosen too broad a topic. Maybe he needed to focus on just one founder at a time. He opened his eyes again and fished around the desk for his journal. Finding it, he flipped to a clean page and wrote, Focus on one founder at a time. Build biographies, then connect with the others.
Ben paused, trying to think of which founder to start with. He was about to pull out his materials again when a voice came out of his fireplace and he turned around in surprise.