sleeping jiva
Audra Fleming
Hufflepuff
Sixth Year
Keeper |
Charles Weasley
Order of the Phoenix |
Posts: 116
(8/17/04 3:12 pm)
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Toast Aberdeen
A note about this character: as I was in general disappointed with my bios and characterization on HANA v.1, I decided to start off fresh with a mostly new cast. But along with Elias, who was one of my favorites, Toast Aldape also held a soft spot for me, and I want to bring him back. However, it’s not exactly the same character, and won’t be RP-ed exactly the same way – this Toast is louder, more accessible, but not anymore serious than the last. Anyhow, for those from v.1, beware of the changes. Including last name. 
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~About You~
This is for Lia 
Your preferred name: (What can we call you?) Anne
How long have you been affiliated with ezBoard? two years
How long have you role-played? one year
How long have you Harry Potter role-played? one year
Code: HANA RR
~About Your Character~
What is your character's full name? Toast Aberdeen
Character's age? 17
Give a detailed physical description of your character:
Toast is no pin-up. He has no chiseled features, rock-hard abs, or alluring mystique. In fact, the only way the poor boy ever gets ogled over is by horrid aunts declaring, “look how much you’ve grown!”. And they’re right, of course – the summer before his sixth year, Toast went from being a pretty skinny guy at 5’10” to being a downright beanpole at 6’3”. The growth spurt that was on perpetual holiday finally opened for business in a three-month span, firmly shoving Toast into a gangly, awkward frame. Currently, he measures in at 6’4” and only 145 pounds, a boy-waif. But due to a penchant for terribly manly things (chopping wood, laying bricks, other activities requiring no shirt and very short shorts, and of course Quidditch) and a beyond large appetite (compensated for by one of those miraculously resilient metabolisms that only boys seem to be blessed with) he doesn’t exactly crack any ribs sneezing. But other than very nicely defined calves, Toast has a very thin, boyish figure.
As if to add insult to injury, Toast has that darn Irish blood in him. Naturally fair skinned and freckly, with auburn tresses. Although as he’s grown, the majority of his freckles have receded to his arms and legs, and don’t make much of an appearance on his face unless he’s been doing some serious sunning. Just when one would think that, genetically, he’d already gotten enough of a bad hand. But due to Toast not caring at all what he looks like, he just goes with it. His reddish-brown hair is very thick and naturally curly, though the curls are usually weighed down because he never combs his hair. Not ever. Even a finger-once-through is usually too much of a hassle. He has borderline thick eyebrows, with plenty of strays, but would never consider taming them in the least. His dark brown eyelashes are very thick and long, the kind most girls would kill for – but just like the ability to eat loads and not gain a pound, usually only the male species get to be blessed with the eyelashes that need no mascara. And those envy-inducing lashes get to be in close contact with his beautiful large dark brown eyes. He didn’t get shorted entirely in the gene pool, evidently. Other than that, his nose is standard, his lips a bit on the thin and chapped side, his teeth straight and decently white, but not so much that he would be mistaken for anything other than a British citizen.
As one would figure, Toast is not exactly fashion conscious. It even took him a fair amount of pleading from his mother before he would buy new Hogwarts uniform attire, even after the inseam of his slacks were clearly four or five inches too short. He didn’t look too bad in that whole cropped-pant idea the girls were always going on about, he figured. In fact, playing around with the feminine has always made Toast giggle. Besides the uniforms and wizard wear he has to wear, he loves wearing t-shirts over less-than-matching pants. Instead of jeans, old threadbare slacks, mechanic’s coveralls with the top part unzipped and hanging from his hips, anything else. Just never the expected. And those t-shirts usually sport the humorous, and owing to his skinny frame, often are girl’s shirts, always bought from secondhand thrift stores. Other than serving as a necessity for keeping him not naked, Toast also looks to his clothes for some amusement. But not so camp that he accessorizes to boot. Except for an experiment in self ear piercing (funny enough, followed his first and only experiment with drunken partying), he never wears any jewelry, and sports an oddly slanted scar in his left earlobe rather than any earrings. Other than that, the only distinguishing feature Toast has is a funny shaped freckle next to his navel that looks exactly like a heart – when he’s bored, which is pretty often, he’ll trace around it and give himself a temporary tattoo. Even if it’s not exactly what graces glossy magazines, Toast’s outward appearance matches what’s within – a unique, sunny dispositioned, light hearted young man.
Describe his/her personality - including fears, hobbies, interests, habits, strengths & weaknesses:
Toast, unwittingly, is one of those people who never fails to surprise – it’s just nearly impossible to get him pegged. He just seems to have a very odd blend of wit, vulnerability, common sense, and buoyancy. He has a very conventional, logical way of looking at the world and how everything has to work, but doesn’t seem to get depressed about it. He is also blessed with a sense of humor, and is often cracking jokes, even in class. He doesn’t take classes all that seriously – he’s not necessarily a smart guy, and has never let that get to him, but he doesn’t try to live up to his potential, limited though it might be.
Toast has a deeper side to him, certainly. His family is extremely important to him – he’s very protective of both his mother and younger sister (who will enter Hogwarts the year after he leaves) and bonds well with his father. He really does find a lot of what has been happening in the world utterly saddening, but finds putting on a happy face a little easier to do than mope constantly about it. But he certainly has his breaking points. More than anything, he really doesn’t appreciate being made fun of. His masculinity and accent seems to be the big button pushers – calling him feminine or mocking his rather thick Scottish accent and use of slang can get him going in a second. But rather than throwing fits, he just gets mopey and bitter. He’s never really had a burst of rage or any physical demonstration of anger, that’s not how he operates.
Toast’s biggest strength and weakness is his passiveness. It’s a very good asset in coming to diplomatic conclusions, and keeps him out of trouble most of the time. But when there is a major conflict, it can make it so he gets stepped over easily and opens him up to get hurt. And Toast gets hurt easily, he’s rather sensitive. Anything of a personal nature (either regarding him or someone close to him) will cut too deeply. His loyalties are also very strong, which too can be damaging – having his trust broken can be devastating.
But it’s important not to stress just his sensitivity. Although he has no use for schoolwork, and usually just lets it slight, he works very hard on anything he enjoys. As said earlier, he likes to work with his hands and get into real physical work, not the mental sort – he just doesn’t like operating mentally or emotionally, finds actual action more useful. Assisting in the actual construction of the latest family restaurant was a lot of fun, and he is also an avid Quidditch fan and hopeful player, and is a rather competent Beater. Being outdoors and in the elements is one of his more favorite places to be.
Toast has a few bad habits and quirks. He can’t sit up straight in class, almost always slouches. His hair, rarely cut, always falls in his eyes and he’s constantly pushing it out of his way or scratching his poor scalp under all the weight of his coif. When nervous, Toast always starts chewing on his nails. And during meals, he always wolfs down an obscene amount in a ridiculously short amount of time and then talks – never eats leisurely. Oh, and owing to his parents, Toast is a hardcore vegetarian and can’t eat any meat. Really, he can’t – meat is now impossible for him to digest, and if he accidentally eats a bit or has some meat-based broth, he spends the next few hours vomiting up a storm.
Give the names of all members of your character's immediate family:
Saul Aberdeen, father (41)
Veruca Aberdeen, mother (40)
Nicolette Aberdeen, sister (10)
Explain his/her history:
Saul Aberdeen and Veruca Bagley were both from Scottish wizarding families, Saul growing up in Glasgow, Veruca in a small town in the country. Saul’s father and mother were business owners, supplying textiles for different wizardwear shops in Great Britain. It wasn’t very glamorous work, like owning one of the boutiques themselves, but it paid bills sufficiently and had enough left over for Saul, their only child, to attend Hogwarts. Veruca, on the other hand, was part of a large and rowdy clan, with four brothers and two sisters, herself somewhere in the middle of it all. Her parents were in fact farmers, preferring a more Muggle way of life, rustic and busy. Money was extremely tight, with six children to feed and educate. But off to Hogwarts Veruca went, a year after Saul’s arrival.
Saul was sorted into Ravenclaw, owing to his keen mind and already blooming business savvy. Veruca, on the other hand, was a Gryffindor, with her bull-headedness and willingness to try anything at least once. Their personalities were destined for a future clash, but it never exactly happened. The two barely ever saw each other, owing to different houses and years, let alone socialized. Veruca didn’t abide much by Ravenclaws, thought they were a little bit too stuffy. So, in that fashion, Saul left Hogwarts after his seventh year without so much as a conversation with his future wife, and returned to Glasgow to live with his parents while he considered his future – he hadn’t figured out much.
But after a few months of helping his folks with their business, it finally hit Saul. Of course, he wanted to open up his own venture, he had for years, but it was something different. He wanted to open a restaurant. So right away, he picked up a part time job as a busboy at a local Muggle dive, and went to culinary school. By the time his aspirations were taking form, Veruca too had returned to Scotland, and was in fact living in Glasgow with friends. One night at a pub, she recognized Saul and the two briefly reminisced, and remained in contact, and soon after began dating. Four years went by, Saul’s restaurant launched, and he and Veruca were living together, her working on the advertising and design, having quite the knack for it. And, she had influenced the menu – Scottish vegetarian cuisine, after her own convictions about animal rights. The opening caused a small buzz, but received only meager business at first, since most hardcore restaurant goers weren’t into anything new or cutting-edge. But armed with a small staff and good bookkeeping skills, Saul wasn’t doing so bad for himself.
Fittingly, Toast was an “oops” baby. The unexpected pregnancy threw Saul and Veruca through a loop, but the two had a small wedding before Veruca was showing and remained in the same small flat they had been sharing for some time. When Toast was born, however, nothing seemed to fit. The flat was too small, there wasn’t enough money or time to fit into a day. It took some time, and a hefty loan, before they purchased a small house and were back on their feet. Now, about the name – although the couple was certainly a little odd, especially with Veruca’s earth loving tendencies, no one really expected such a name to result. But in light of their hope of future success, they named their son in tribute – as in a toast to their future, not to butter and eat. Saul had some misgivings about naming a child that, but Veruca was so insistent – after all, she had a unique name, and she loved it – that he allowed it.
Toast was a good kid. A bit on the hyper, destructive side, but not anything terrible. The only thing that seemed to be off was that he showed absolutely no signs of magical ability. At Veruca’s insistence, he attended a Muggle primary school to get his basic education, and surprisingly, he persisted to be completely mundane. When Toast got upset, he got sulky, he didn’t make anything move or blow up. By the time Toast was nearly seven, Saul had an idea to try and cultivate a wizard side out of the boy, but again they were thrown off course – Veruca was pregnant, again. She certainly had inopportune timing, again. But now, the restaurant was well equipped with both regulars and trendsetters, so things were less stressful than the first pregnancy. The guest room was easily transformed into a nursery, and Nicolette was born. She was quite lovely, and everyone in the family was taken with her, and the next few years were busy ones.
By the time Toast was eleven, Saul and Veruca had decided that their son was certainly a Squib, and they reluctantly resigned themselves to the fact. He was enrolled into a Muggle school for the next year, and the parents had decided amongst themselves not to mention the fact that it would have been his first Hogwarts year, if he had the abilities. No use in making him feel bad, of course, he already felt somewhat of a dunce. But then, surprisingly, a Hogwarts letter came for him, and relief was tangible. He might not have showed it, but Toast was still a wizard, somewhere deep down. They cancelled his registration for the other school and got him all ready to go.
Besides it being a school, Toast liked Hogwarts from the start. Everything was new and interesting, and big enough to get constantly lost in, qualities which he loved. And most of the people weren’t half bad, either. Since he had shown absolutely no aptitude for most of his studies before arrival, his first year was a natural struggle, before he realized his strengths, in about his third year. Things had always taken quite awhile to sink in, so it didn’t seem that disastrous to the chronic optimist. After the commencement of his second year, it was clear that the famous Harry Potter’s arrival marked a definite change in the school. Though he was sometimes one of the last to hear about the events Potter got himself involved in, he still found it rather shocking, amazing, and distressing.
The last two years were the roughest for Toast. Cedric Diggory’s death was certainly a rough blow. Toast had never before lost someone that he considered a friend, even if it wasn’t a close friend. Cedric also represented something that the Hufflepuffs usually didn’t have – a handsome, enigmatic athlete who created a buzz throughout the school – and he had died, supposedly at the hands of Lord Voldemort. And then to top that tragedy off, his sixth year was a disaster, with Dolores Umbridge as reigning dictator of Hogwarts school. When the Weasley Twins made their triumphant exit, Toast too entertained ideas of leaving the school. But there wasn’t much to come home to anymore.
The restaurant had indeed flourished in Glasgow, and the summer before his sixth year his parents decided to make a second attempt in London. Though for a time there was a lot of travel back and forth, Saul ended up renting out a flat above the restaurant and moved in – by himself. The marriage was under a significant amount of strain with work getting Saul’s better interests, and Veruca remaining at home with Nicolette, home schooling her. Toast lived with his father for a time, since the two had more in common, but found it difficult to assimilate to life in a new city and moved back to Glasgow midway through the summer, taking trains every so often to visit his father. It was the same routine for this past summer, and some emotional strain is evident in Toast as he entered his seventh year, as the restaurant opening seemed to also be the commencement of a trial separation.
Wand Type: 13” cedar, unicorn tail hair core
Blood Type: a mutt – family tree full of both wizards and Muggles
Student's Year: 7th
Which house would your character prefer? Hufflepuff
Why? Toast is a unique guy, and although he lacks some of the more prominent qualities of typical Hufflepuffs (you know, that whole “unafraid of toil” bit as it comes to school) he makes up for it in his loyalty and off-beat sweet personality. Although oftentimes wary to let someone in as a true friend, he actually does take his position seriously and makes sure those he cares about are taken care of.
Give an example of your role-playing:
It was a Saturday, and Toast woke up promptly at his usual time, two in the afternoon. He had stayed up exceptionally late playing Exploding Snap and giggling his little head off. But it wasn’t his usual body clock waking him up, it was something else entirely. Marigold, the family owl, must have gotten tired of swooping around at breakfast, waiting for the addressee to show, and instead went to his bed.
“’Lo, Mari,” Toast grumbled, his voice raspy from all the sleep. “Got anything for me?”
The owl hooted its reply, which almost seemed disgruntled, if a barn owl could manage that. Marigold landed abruptly on one of the bedposts, dropping the small package on the mattress.
“Sweets!” Toast cried happily, enjoying the little waver that his voice achieved, still in its sleepy stupor. Indeed, his mum had sent along a miniature carrot cake with her special recipe icing, which was the best thing Toast had probably ever tasted. But along with it was a note, which he looked at with some dread. Probably something depressing that would make him feel all guilty for not being at home with all of them. Right as he was about to tear open the envelope, one of his fellow classmates bounded in, and Toast gratefully abandoned his bed, forgetting all about the dismal arrival of post as he headed off to the kitchens to see if he could nick some food.
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