Your Nickname: Will (evilpizza)
Have you read and do you agree to the Code of Conduct?: Yes
Are you over thirteen? Indubitably
How did you find us and decide to write with us? Been here for over a year
If you have written other characters here: You bet
If Yes, list them all: Member BoardIs this a Primary or Secondary Character?: Secondary
((other secondaries that are Creatures, Dingy the House Elf and Beverly the Pooka, are infrequent posters and tied to specific character plots. Martin is more independent for use of potentially any adult world plot in a supporting role))
Full Character Name: Martin Dalaigh O'DohertyCharacter Birthday & Age: March 10 1973 (36)
City & Country of Birth: Ireland
Pureblood, Halfblood or Muggleborn: Pureblood ((though Casey is not, the other O'Dohertys have been described as pure))
Job/Position: Attorney/Lobbyist
Alma Mater: Hogwarts, Slytherin, Class of 1990
Wand: Black Walnut, Dragon Heartstring, 9 3/4ths inches
Commonly called the "withered stick" when compared to the legendary O'Doherty family wand of Leprechaun hair core, this wand was once well polished but incredibly shabby as of late. The diameter is also thinner than most standard wands. In the qualities of wood as researched by those versed in Wandlore, Black Walnut is a rare and handsome wood but difficult to master because it is sensitive to inner conflict. In these cases Black Walnut considerably looses power and may not ever achieve its former glory. For Martin, the wand has not performed as well as it had during his school days but he hasn't bothered to replace it, using it for utilitarian matters.
Physical Description:
Martin is tall and sleek with sharp features but isn't actually imposing. On reason is his unfortunate pair of eyes as his mother describes them. They eyes reveal that with enough pressure, Martin will show his true colors of being an abject coward, spineless through and through.
His hair rarely deviates from one style. Black, parted down the middle and slicked back. His suits show well grooming and maintenance, there are no signs of ever having to resort to physical labor on his person.
Also, there's something off about his smile or when he expresses any positive emotion. He hasn't aged well and can appear almost a decade older than his thirty six years. Altogether this makes him appear as the most mature and most striking of the O'Dohertys but this is a mixed bag in reactions. Some may find him attractive, others find him useful to make themselves look nicer, some can't stand being in his presence for too long.
Personality Description: Martin is a broken and reshaped man. The consistent elements of his personality have been a high-born sense of entitlement, aspirations to be seen as clever and a smooth talking schmoozer to get what he wants. In his younger years, this fueled a rebellious streak from the wishes of his family but he lacked the conviction to remove himself from the grasp of the Irish loan sharks.
Now, he's been rendered completely subservient to the O'Doherty enterprises. No longer is there any upstart behavior as he fearfully clings to the comforts he has redeemed. But don't try to tell him that he is a little man. He is a shrewd businessman and fancies himself the cleverest person in the room although rarely is this the case. He is good at what he is good at, that being one of the most silver tongued from Slytherin. He puts up a brave and independent front but can crack under pressure.
Martin is not a powerful wizard. He has fallen out of practice with his wand and is bitter about his stunted magical ability, feeling if he had his chance with family wand he would be more powerful. Also, there is no love in the man. Any previous loving gesture, authentic affection or facsimile, has been stripped away, leaving a man who when not in the company of others broods alone.
Though for the smarminess and moodiness Martin does appear dedicated and reasonably intelligent. He is very thorough in legal work from attention to fussy details. While not the most pleasant man to call a friend he is invaluable to have in your business network.
History: From the day he was born, Martin was told that if he became an exceptional wizard one day all of this would be his. 'All of this' being in control of the vast O'Doherty fortune. Martin is the eldest child of Ainbheartach and Neasa and as per family tradition, was set to become the successor of the family enterprises as the firstborn son. Thus he always felt superior to his almost a squib sister Suanach and dim-witted brother Torna.
However, Martin was groomed to be the next scion while his parents were in the last of their prime. As such he faced intensive scrutiny. Before he entered Hogwarts in 1983 Martin was paired with a school wand 'until he was able to use the family wand full time.' The also demanded perfection in grades and that he take certain classes or clubs. Even one year they backed the placement of a DADA Professor (as there was a jinx on the profession) just to monitor his school activities.
In Slytherin house, Martin began to feel a loose freedom being apart from his oppressive parents in spite of their meddling. The seeds of rebellion were planted when he found friends and activities just beyond his parents' control. He found that he had a penchant for winning arguments, building a striking number of wins in verbal jousts with friends, rivals, and even professors on the status of some of his assignments. He was able to feign having higher grades for his parents that what his actual knowledge in the subjects were. Buttering up, blackmailing, arguing or loafing off of the efforts of others made Martin more of a social climber in school than an academic achiever.
POST SCHOOL
By the time he barely passed NEWTs, Martin was growing sick of all the effort his family expected of him to get what should be his rightful inheritance as the next family leader. Pleasure was becoming more enjoyable than business, so to spite his family he schemed a way to abscond with a large portion of the family wealth. Opportunity came when Flourish and Blotts, the booksellers in Diagon Alley, nearly lost everything after misplacing a shipment of
Invisible Books of Invisibility. Martin agreed to help his father attempt to purchase the franchise although Torna, still in school, bungled that effort. It did give Martin the chance to swindle his family out of the gold he wanted.
Turning his heels from the O'Doherty family, Martin began a lifestyle to defy all his parents opposed. With his own mansion bought, he began to navigate the high society circles of muggles. Muggles were beneath him, of course, but he could easily impress with his wealth and subtle use of magical ability. It was how he met his wife,
Darla Higgins, a beautiful but frail woman easily impressed by his 'charm.' Promising her the world, they wed and lived in luxury until the birth of their only child.
The good years would not last. Martin spent lavishly and his sizable but limited fortune was depleting rapidly. Although he had no other means of income Martin was against the idea of any labor. Although he had developed an interest in magical law but was reluctant to stoop as low as a internship at the ministry.
When
Casey was born Martin was bewildered as to what to do with his intersex offspring. Fearing of what his family would do if they discovered he had a 'first born son' of sorts he agreed with his wife to raise Casey as a daughter. But birth had left Darla severely weakened and the child also had health problems. To care for his family Martin worked through the Office of House Elf Relocation to secure an elf, not realizing that the elf he received,
Dingy, was the offspring of the O'Doherty family house elves that had raised him for years. This ploy was the start for the O'Dohertys to break their prodigal son.
Faced with ruin, Martin finally accepted work as a clerk in the Wizengamot, hopeful that he would have his own law practice instead of this grunt work. His parents also put out more feelers, suggestions that as was well, everything was water under the bridge and he should visit with his family.
All a lie. His parents had never forgotten how their son had wronged them.
Desperate for the support, Martin agreed to the terms ignorant of the noose he was tying for himself. His parents seized his funds, his elf, his house and his opportunity to secure a career, forcing him
back into the fold.
And thus Martin's generation was skipped. Ainbheartach and Neasa finding their children to be a backstabber, a sterile drunk and a third born, all unsuitable successors, they instead concentrated on the grandchildren to fill the role. Casey showed far more magical potential as a child than Martin had. As for being intersex and a half blood, as long as Darla was shut away and feminine attributes in Casey were discouraged, the O'Doherty family had a new successor.
Martin abandoned his family, in a sense, to the whims of his parents. He has never been close to Casey since then, jealous and conflicted for how his son received all he ever wanted. Freed from the burden of family he continued his work in wizarding law, now that the his parents allowed it. In recent years he bought a business apartment in London to be close to the Ministry and Diagon, a 'freedom' from living in Doherty Manor all the time.
Describe the duties of their position and how they go about them: As an attorney, Martin is the third party barrister able to speak on the behalf of defendants he picks as clients, though it is rare to find a spokesperson to continually aid the side of the defense. Although many of the clients he helps seem to be unsavory, able to pay, and probably were guilty. Even if a criminal cannot afford his terms, if they will be a future use to the O'Doherty family they can utilize his services in debt to the Irish loan sharks.
When not in court, Martin is still about the ministry for other reasons. In a way he has become the figurehead for the O'Doherty enterprises, not as the grand architect but merely the tool. The oily haired man is the grease to the political machine in offering funds, notarizing and enforcing business contracts and the other work to promote political change. The 'clean money' at any rate. In the underground of the wizarding world Martin also processes the 'dirty money' loans and funds for criminal endeavors, all while ensuring the O'Doherty family is kept safe.
What expertise makes your character qualified for their position?:Martin spent the majority of his school years mastering the fine art of debate and weaving through social circles. As the O'Doherty family values business he was curious about wizarding law. Not to make or uphold the law, instead how to use and bend the law. Work as a Wizengamot clerk gave him access to Ministry archives and legal libraries, documents he studied to better his own arguments and counsel for the defense. He eventually established his own services as an attorney. With his attention to detail he his skilled at applying the necessary paperwork, his speciality with contracts with so many subtle yet specific clauses Ainbheartach has on occasion called them 'written Unbreakable Vows.'
Writing Sample:--
Sum up your character in one paragraph:Martin O'Doherty is an attorney and lobbyist, the mover and shaker the wizarding world needs on both sides of the law. For help with legal mumbo jumbo or representation for your defense, you can call on his services...if it will be to benefit of the O'Doherty family. His life is entirely devoted to business as he has purposefully neglected certain members of his family.
Martin O'Doherty