Post by Aaron Clarke on Feb 20, 2013 16:38:52 GMT -6
Name: Aaron Christopher Clarke
Nicknames: Ar, Clarky
Age: 27 (b: 21st October 1985)
Blood: muggleborn
Appearance: With quite thick, and surprisingly a lot of, dark blond hair and a now-clear complexion (curse you teenage skin!), Aaron has blue eyes and a mouth that isalmost always quirked upwards into a huge, welcoming smile, flashing a set of incredibly white teeth in the process. He's a happy, sunny person by nature and it shows in his facial expressions - it's rare that you catch him looking in any way pissed off or miserable. He has those kind of blue eyes that if he wanted to, he could do the sad, wounded puppy dog expression and you literally could not say no to him otherwise it would be the equivalent of killing Bambi. He stands at a conveniently precise 6 foot and keeps himself in shape so he's athletic/toned but not muscled to the max. Out of principle he refuses to give money to 'gyms' (aka: 'money grabbing dicks') and so most of his healthy-lifestyle comes through eating insanely healthily, drinking lots of water and fruit juices, and jogging every evening with the occasional additional Sunday afternoon game of football.
Due to his job he mostly wears business-dress (smart trousers, matching jacket, shirt and tie as a rule) but out of work he favours just a casual pair of jeans or jogging bottoms and a simple t-shirt. Do not make him wear high- or stiff-collared clothing for any length of time, he hates his neckline too high and claims he feels claustrophobic if it is; there's nothing more liberating, for him, than when he can finally loosen his tie and undo the top couple of buttons on his shirt after a day at work. He does appear to have a bit of a thing for the casual 'shirt-half-buttoned-over-a-white-t-shirt, combined with black jeans and black chelsea boots' look and plaid shirts make up practically 80% of his non-work clothing. It's also a safe bet to assume that on any given Christmas he will receive multiple white t-shirts, polo shirts of varying hues, or yet another plaid or denim shirt to add to the collection.
Personality: An extremely focused, self-motivated, and determined individual, once Aaron gets an idea in his head or a cause to his heart he doesn't stop until it's followed through until the bitter end. This tendency can make him a bit difficult to reach mid-project. On the whole, however, he is a kind-hearted and warm guy who relishes the chance to meet new people and experience new things. He's a fairly easy bloke to get along with in most social situations, pleasant, polite and placid for the most part. He has a bedrock of quiet confidence about who he is as a person and how his life is going but he doesn't ever really tend to think a lot about himself as an individual or his 'feelings' or whatever, he prefers to focus his attention instead on other people, himself only in relation to how he can help them somehow.
When he gets worked up about something he's deeply passionate about he can come across as a tad preachy about said causes he's interested in. He doesn't ever mean any harm by it at all but this doesn't alter the fact that he can be quite scarily intense at times, assertive and focused in getting across 'the truth' to those who are otherwise ignorant of it. Likewise, despite his naturally happy demeanour, he does once in a blue moon have moments where he sinks into melancholy (though it comes across more as slightly sulky sullenness to those who don't know him very well) and it isn't something he snaps out of easily - his siblings and friends know how to deal with it by this point though.
Meanwhile, Aaron is sociable given the right situation but due to his (at times manic) work-ethic it often takes some persuasion to get him to procrastinate for a few hours at lunchtime or unwind in the pub with a few colleagues after work. Matters of the romantic nature are mostly foreign to him - that's what happens when you spend so long focusing on volunteering in war-torn nations - so he doesn't have any chat-up lines or moves when it comes to dating; if he likes someone, sure he has to work up the courage to ask her if she'd like to go for dinner sometime but, he's just unfalteringly honest, upfront and genuine about it all. He never tries to hide behind bravado or lines.
Background: Born and bred in Manchester to Thomas and Felicia Clarke, Aaron is the eldest of 5 siblings, with Toby (23, a very scathing, anarchist journalist), Cathy (21, aspiring West End actress at drama school) and twins Mary and Sophie (15, at Withington Girls' School) following behind him. Their family is solidly working class, their mother working as a receptionist in a hotel and their father working many years as an office drone in an advertising company before he was promoted to head of graphics and enjoyed a considerable salary rise in recognition. Though not from particularly well-off backgrounds the couple took out crippling loans and saved and scrimped every bit of spare cash to ensure that all their children could receive the best education they could and so be in good stead for their futures. They've always placed great importance on academia, learning and discipline but that's not to say they were over-bearing, in fact the Clarke household was always full of warmth and fun and encouraged their kids to have a healthy work-life balance in the form of extra-curricula activities. For Aaron's part that involved singing and dancing - he was an enthusiastic, energetic kid so sticking him in onstage musicals seemed like the natural step - something which is rarely mentioned nowadays, except for when his parents embarrass him by producing videos of him aged 10 in Grease. (He reprises these roles to this day, just it's only his shower that gets to hear him sing now... and his flat that gets to see his occasional dancing around as though he's in the middle of a one-man Broadway show.)
It was something of a surprise when Aaron began to show signs of magical potential aged 7, especially surprising when it was in the middle of the school playground and his parents were called into the office to discuss Aaron's odd behaviour! Thankfully for everyone involved someone put them on to the right world/people so instead of having Aaron studied by a mental health professional, they learnt of the wizarding world. His letter for Hogwarts came accordingly and he was shipped off to the wizarding school where he was sorted into Gryffindor. Aaron is incredibly thankful for everything his parents sacrificed to make sure their children got the best education possible so they could be/do anything they wanted to in the future. Their unwavering support for what he chose to do after graduation is one of the reasons he's happily following his interests to this day without worry of any kind of parental expectation of a 'good career', it's just handy that he fell into wanting to be a human rights lawyer of all things.
At Hogwarts he was a top student and extremely active in the student population, organising many a petition and demonstration for various causes he took under his wing. He was extremely vocal in the muggleborn rights arena, a cause obviously very close to his own heart, when it was a dangerous time to have such opinions but that didn't stop him. He became Prefect in 5th year and later Head Boy, graduating in 2004 with a set of brilliant exam results, lots of enthusiastic recommendations from his professors, and a wealth of extra-curricula activities under his belt. After a stint working in the London headquarters of the human-rights pressure group 'Liberty' he then chose to volunteer on various overseas missions for Oxfam and Water Aid, the latter of which meant he got to spend an eye-opening year in districts of both Zambia and India, helping to raise funds and then build clean-water supplies for rural villages. When he returned to England in 2008, he started training in law at the Manchester-based law firm Sand and Price where he was diligent and focused in his pursuit of his now-chosen career. Always his social life was put on hold for the benefit of his work and his various charitable causes that were constantly at the forefront of his mind in equal measure. The one exception to this is his family, he always makes time to see his siblings and parents every week and talks to/texts at least one of them pretty much every day.
He recently made the big step to transfer (on the recommendation of Mr Sand of 'Sand and Price') to London-based law firm 'Smythe-Jones, Walker and Holmes' as the group was branching out from their usual remit and beginning to take on more cases of national significance relating to his particular interest in the protection of human rights on local, national, and even international levels. He feels extremely lucky to have been so highly recommended to this new firm and while the step to London (where he doesn't have a lot of contacts or knowledge of the place at all) was a huge one for him, he hopes to make the best of the amazing opportunity in the future. He recently completed his last set of bar examinations, meaning he is now a newly minted lawyer fully eligible to practice at the firm.
Characteristics: He has very little tolerance for selfishness and laziness and the one time you will see him get truly angry at someone is if they are shirking their own responsibilities out of a sheer 'can't be arsed' attitude. He has no time for people who just sail along in life having things handed to them on a silver platter.
Do not get him onto the subject of politics unless you want to be roped into what he considers "a healthy debate" on the issue at hand. No, seriously, don't ask unless you really, really want to have a lengthy and impassioned debate.
He doesn't drink a whole lot - he's not averse to a couple of beers after work but not one for binge drinking or clubbing - so when he is persuaded out to an event/special occasion/piss-up, he has trouble gauging his limit and is often very much led astray by his mates who egg him on. His naturally goofy side, ordinarily so well buried underneath all his seriousness and professionalism during the day, definitely comes out to play when he's tipsy; he's a grinning, overly affectionate, impishly playful, downright goofy drunk, utterly harmless of course (think puppy), and copious video evidence exists to prove this.
Other: He's from a Protestant family, went to Church every Sunday growing up, and definitely believes that there is an unknowable something there. However he's not especially fond of Church institutions, traditions, or imposed religious dogma as a rule and as such is uncertain how to identify his own faith in such certain labels.
He spent a brief time kipping temporarily on his good friend (and fellow activist) Douglas Pearson's sofa whilst he looked for his own flat in London. He knows Doug primarily due to their fellow causes and penchants for protest but the strength of this penchant is, on his part, a fact he keeps mostly on the down low since he has been arrested when younger for protesting and he would like those moments to disappear from his otherwise shiny record if at all possible! He's now found a suitable place to live, namely sharing a flat in central London with Rose Turner, someone he knew from Hogwarts.
Nicknames: Ar, Clarky
Age: 27 (b: 21st October 1985)
Blood: muggleborn
Appearance: With quite thick, and surprisingly a lot of, dark blond hair and a now-clear complexion (curse you teenage skin!), Aaron has blue eyes and a mouth that is
Due to his job he mostly wears business-dress (smart trousers, matching jacket, shirt and tie as a rule) but out of work he favours just a casual pair of jeans or jogging bottoms and a simple t-shirt. Do not make him wear high- or stiff-collared clothing for any length of time, he hates his neckline too high and claims he feels claustrophobic if it is; there's nothing more liberating, for him, than when he can finally loosen his tie and undo the top couple of buttons on his shirt after a day at work. He does appear to have a bit of a thing for the casual 'shirt-half-buttoned-over-a-white-t-shirt, combined with black jeans and black chelsea boots' look and plaid shirts make up practically 80% of his non-work clothing. It's also a safe bet to assume that on any given Christmas he will receive multiple white t-shirts, polo shirts of varying hues, or yet another plaid or denim shirt to add to the collection.
Personality: An extremely focused, self-motivated, and determined individual, once Aaron gets an idea in his head or a cause to his heart he doesn't stop until it's followed through until the bitter end. This tendency can make him a bit difficult to reach mid-project. On the whole, however, he is a kind-hearted and warm guy who relishes the chance to meet new people and experience new things. He's a fairly easy bloke to get along with in most social situations, pleasant, polite and placid for the most part. He has a bedrock of quiet confidence about who he is as a person and how his life is going but he doesn't ever really tend to think a lot about himself as an individual or his 'feelings' or whatever, he prefers to focus his attention instead on other people, himself only in relation to how he can help them somehow.
When he gets worked up about something he's deeply passionate about he can come across as a tad preachy about said causes he's interested in. He doesn't ever mean any harm by it at all but this doesn't alter the fact that he can be quite scarily intense at times, assertive and focused in getting across 'the truth' to those who are otherwise ignorant of it. Likewise, despite his naturally happy demeanour, he does once in a blue moon have moments where he sinks into melancholy (though it comes across more as slightly sulky sullenness to those who don't know him very well) and it isn't something he snaps out of easily - his siblings and friends know how to deal with it by this point though.
Meanwhile, Aaron is sociable given the right situation but due to his (at times manic) work-ethic it often takes some persuasion to get him to procrastinate for a few hours at lunchtime or unwind in the pub with a few colleagues after work. Matters of the romantic nature are mostly foreign to him - that's what happens when you spend so long focusing on volunteering in war-torn nations - so he doesn't have any chat-up lines or moves when it comes to dating; if he likes someone, sure he has to work up the courage to ask her if she'd like to go for dinner sometime but, he's just unfalteringly honest, upfront and genuine about it all. He never tries to hide behind bravado or lines.
Background: Born and bred in Manchester to Thomas and Felicia Clarke, Aaron is the eldest of 5 siblings, with Toby (23, a very scathing, anarchist journalist), Cathy (21, aspiring West End actress at drama school) and twins Mary and Sophie (15, at Withington Girls' School) following behind him. Their family is solidly working class, their mother working as a receptionist in a hotel and their father working many years as an office drone in an advertising company before he was promoted to head of graphics and enjoyed a considerable salary rise in recognition. Though not from particularly well-off backgrounds the couple took out crippling loans and saved and scrimped every bit of spare cash to ensure that all their children could receive the best education they could and so be in good stead for their futures. They've always placed great importance on academia, learning and discipline but that's not to say they were over-bearing, in fact the Clarke household was always full of warmth and fun and encouraged their kids to have a healthy work-life balance in the form of extra-curricula activities. For Aaron's part that involved singing and dancing - he was an enthusiastic, energetic kid so sticking him in onstage musicals seemed like the natural step - something which is rarely mentioned nowadays, except for when his parents embarrass him by producing videos of him aged 10 in Grease. (He reprises these roles to this day, just it's only his shower that gets to hear him sing now... and his flat that gets to see his occasional dancing around as though he's in the middle of a one-man Broadway show.)
It was something of a surprise when Aaron began to show signs of magical potential aged 7, especially surprising when it was in the middle of the school playground and his parents were called into the office to discuss Aaron's odd behaviour! Thankfully for everyone involved someone put them on to the right world/people so instead of having Aaron studied by a mental health professional, they learnt of the wizarding world. His letter for Hogwarts came accordingly and he was shipped off to the wizarding school where he was sorted into Gryffindor. Aaron is incredibly thankful for everything his parents sacrificed to make sure their children got the best education possible so they could be/do anything they wanted to in the future. Their unwavering support for what he chose to do after graduation is one of the reasons he's happily following his interests to this day without worry of any kind of parental expectation of a 'good career', it's just handy that he fell into wanting to be a human rights lawyer of all things.
At Hogwarts he was a top student and extremely active in the student population, organising many a petition and demonstration for various causes he took under his wing. He was extremely vocal in the muggleborn rights arena, a cause obviously very close to his own heart, when it was a dangerous time to have such opinions but that didn't stop him. He became Prefect in 5th year and later Head Boy, graduating in 2004 with a set of brilliant exam results, lots of enthusiastic recommendations from his professors, and a wealth of extra-curricula activities under his belt. After a stint working in the London headquarters of the human-rights pressure group 'Liberty' he then chose to volunteer on various overseas missions for Oxfam and Water Aid, the latter of which meant he got to spend an eye-opening year in districts of both Zambia and India, helping to raise funds and then build clean-water supplies for rural villages. When he returned to England in 2008, he started training in law at the Manchester-based law firm Sand and Price where he was diligent and focused in his pursuit of his now-chosen career. Always his social life was put on hold for the benefit of his work and his various charitable causes that were constantly at the forefront of his mind in equal measure. The one exception to this is his family, he always makes time to see his siblings and parents every week and talks to/texts at least one of them pretty much every day.
He recently made the big step to transfer (on the recommendation of Mr Sand of 'Sand and Price') to London-based law firm 'Smythe-Jones, Walker and Holmes' as the group was branching out from their usual remit and beginning to take on more cases of national significance relating to his particular interest in the protection of human rights on local, national, and even international levels. He feels extremely lucky to have been so highly recommended to this new firm and while the step to London (where he doesn't have a lot of contacts or knowledge of the place at all) was a huge one for him, he hopes to make the best of the amazing opportunity in the future. He recently completed his last set of bar examinations, meaning he is now a newly minted lawyer fully eligible to practice at the firm.
Characteristics: He has very little tolerance for selfishness and laziness and the one time you will see him get truly angry at someone is if they are shirking their own responsibilities out of a sheer 'can't be arsed' attitude. He has no time for people who just sail along in life having things handed to them on a silver platter.
Do not get him onto the subject of politics unless you want to be roped into what he considers "a healthy debate" on the issue at hand. No, seriously, don't ask unless you really, really want to have a lengthy and impassioned debate.
He doesn't drink a whole lot - he's not averse to a couple of beers after work but not one for binge drinking or clubbing - so when he is persuaded out to an event/special occasion/piss-up, he has trouble gauging his limit and is often very much led astray by his mates who egg him on. His naturally goofy side, ordinarily so well buried underneath all his seriousness and professionalism during the day, definitely comes out to play when he's tipsy; he's a grinning, overly affectionate, impishly playful, downright goofy drunk, utterly harmless of course (think puppy), and copious video evidence exists to prove this.
Other: He's from a Protestant family, went to Church every Sunday growing up, and definitely believes that there is an unknowable something there. However he's not especially fond of Church institutions, traditions, or imposed religious dogma as a rule and as such is uncertain how to identify his own faith in such certain labels.
He spent a brief time kipping temporarily on his good friend (and fellow activist) Douglas Pearson's sofa whilst he looked for his own flat in London. He knows Doug primarily due to their fellow causes and penchants for protest but the strength of this penchant is, on his part, a fact he keeps mostly on the down low since he has been arrested when younger for protesting and he would like those moments to disappear from his otherwise shiny record if at all possible! He's now found a suitable place to live, namely sharing a flat in central London with Rose Turner, someone he knew from Hogwarts.
