Your Nickname: Sarah
Have you read and do you agree to the Code of Conduct?: Yes, I agree
How did you find us and decide to write with us? I helped make A.O.
If you have written other characters here, list them all: Knox Greyfriar, Theodora Kingstreet
Nate Briggs
Character Birthday & Age: 25, b. June 11, 1983
City & Country of Birth: Milton Keynes, England
Pureblood, Halfblood or Muggleborn: Halfblood
Alma Mater: Sorted Ravenclaw 1994. Dropped out at 16, in 1999
Occupations:
2005-2008: Stockboy at Sellaphix Apothecary in Diagon Alley
2008-2009: Kitchen Help at Calevaras, in Diagon Alley
2009 - 2010: Prisoner in Azkaban
2010 - Present: Cook at Calaveras, in Diagon Alley
Wand:
13 inch, twitchy, walnut, dragon heartstring.
Confiscated then returned by the Ministry of Magic
Physical Description:Unkempt, untucked, undone and under dressed. Nate is shabby and lean. Stubbly face, roustabout hair, and a cheeky grin. His stance is impudent and arrogant, because he well knows he knows something you don't.
His hair is brown, as are his eyes. He's tall and thin, and has calloused hands from working with a broom, and being in contact with occasionally caustic reagents. He is hoping he's not going deaf from mandrake screams. He keeps a rough beard and otherwise does not groom fastidiously. He rarely dresses well, always opting for utility and comfort. Plain shirts, trousers with pockets, and plain robes to go over when the weather or occasion warrant.
He talks quite a bit, and usually quickly in a standard Mid-lands sort of accent.
Personality Description:Nate's not a criminal in his own right, but all of his best mates are, as is his wife, Dazmond Wiedman. He's just a lazy, unjust, two-timing bad apple. Until recently, his crimes are few and involve violence only on the scale of bar fights and abetting thieves.
Nathan is very smart. He's clever, insightful, and unseasonably wise about the ways of the world. He's a strong problem solver. And he knows it. He's impatient with people he perceives to be stupider than he (read: everyone, save a few choice folk.)
He is secretly quite afraid of failure and therefore does not try at most anything other than things he knows he'll win at. He grew up being told he'd never amount to anything and that the world is unfair. That no matter how smart he was, he'd never achieve anything because the Man puts you down. No matter if this is true or not, it is Nate's self-fulfilled prophecy.
He's young and likes having a good time. His favorite place to party is to floo into Signature and rub shoulders with young Finn Grosvenor.
History:Nate is a permanent resident at The Shodding Arms Hotel on Knockturn Ally. His wife, Dazmond is not - she prefers a more nomadic lifestyle. But his rooms do contain a fair amount of her artifacts, as well as, of course, her husband.
The two met at Hogwarts, she a Slytherin and he a Ravenclaw. He had been told by the sorting hat, "You'll do the least damage in RAVENCLAW!" The hat's judgement proved true, and Nate's time at school was actually rather well done. When his work got done, it was done well. But the problem was that it rarely got done, clever Nathan feeling quite above the assignment. He also was prone to mouthing off, slugging younger students, and rule-breaking. No one was very surprised when he didn't show up for his 5th year.
So, 15 years old, he was back in with his folks in Milton Keynes. Back in his childhood home. As a younger boy, Nate's working class parents had been loving, but not doting. They were impatient with mischeivious, mouthy Nate. Being back home after Hogwarts involved a lot of talk about how Hogwarts never wanted him in the first place. With the support of his jaded parents, Nate began to form a deep resentment for the school that had not, in his mind, done well by him.
He soon landed a job for the Daily Prophet in London and he happily up and left home at age 16. He hawked papers in the clandestine way it was done on the streets of muggle London, shouting code words, approaching and ignoring the right people. He was good at it, but it bored him like everything else did. He tangled with a crowd that got him into some minor trouble and he spent a few nights in the lock up for muggle harassment. (An offense he is deeply ashamed of and avoids speaking about.) He kept on at this job for another couple of years.
About the time he was getting out of jail for the first time (a 30 day sentence for bashing post boxes with baseball bats and threatening a goblin), he found Dazmond again. The two, in all their incongruity, were completely devoted to one another, if not in the traditional sense. She was a thief and master potion-maker. He, well, he was working at the apothecary now.
While working at the Apothecary, Nate was caught up in a Runespoor Venom explosion that cause Old Rafe Sellaphix to be sent to Azkaban and Nate only saved his skin by naming names. Consquently, he became very unpopular in Knockturn and had a great many debts to pay. The pressure became to much to avoid and in 2009 he was caught during a robbery and sentenced to three hundred and thirty-three days in Azkaban.
What is your occupation?How do you go about it? How did you get your current occupation? How does your past and abilities justify your current skills?Nate stocks shelves and cleans at the apothecary. He also makes deliveries, and helps customers sometimes. He landed the job a few years ago from a help wanted ad in the Daily Prophet. He does alright at this post. Just good enough not to get fired. He is occasionally late, usually groggy, and generally rude. But the man can put a jar on a shelf. His wife is a master potion-maker, so he knows a thing or two about the art, but he doesn't usually share that lest more is expected of him. It's not up to his potential, but if he told it, his potential is too much for anyone to handle, so he lowers himself for the benefit of mankind. Besides, he says, there are more important things in life than really really nice jobs with good salaries.
Writing Sample:From his time at school...
It was late by the time Nate slunk in like a dog with his tail between his legs. He'd gotten himself into a little more than he could chew that day and knew he'd let his house down. It was a bit humbling for him to realize that his behavior affected other people, his housemates when in the past his actions were his alone.
His double detentions for hitting Gizelle and Matt had not been pleasant nor brief and with an achy groan he sank into a couch.
A housemate approached him, and asked him if he'd had a detention.
"A cornicopia of detentions," Nate said with a weak smile. "More next week."
He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. "Was worth it though."
"I never really took you for a fist-fight type of guy..." she said thoughtfully. "But I suppose Matt is an exception."
Nate giggled a little self consciously. He rolled up his sleeve to show his 'muscles'. "Well, 'ave a look. I ain't no ripper." It was true. Nate wasn't buff by any definition, although he had that wiry muscle that came from doing a lot of running and not as much eating. "Nah. That wanker ain' worth nothing. Shoulda let it go."
Sum up your character in one paragraph:Nate Briggs is troublesome and meddlesome. He is deeply knowledgeable about the Black Market, but does not participate, really. He knows he's smarter than everyone else, and he likes to tell you so.
Nathan Briggs: Cook at Calaveras