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The Basics:
Full Character Name: Joseph Arthur Wilkins
Likes to be called: Joe
Birthdate: April 5th 1782
Age: 11
Residence: Lives on the family's farm, not far from the village of Elmswell in southern England
Blood: muggleborn
Social Class/father’s occupation: his father owns a farmstead, not excessively rich but wealthy enough to employ a staff of farm hands to work his pastures and a selection of tradesmen such as a blacksmith and a cook.
The Personality
Emotional Disposition: What mood is your character usually in? Placid
Core Value: If you ask other people to describe your character's personality in one word, what will they answer? Hardworking
Positive Characteristics: What are the good sides about your character? Are they loyal, friendly, forgiving, easy going, etc
Joe is a reasonable pleasant and hard working boy who has been brought up to appreciate that if a job is worth doing then it is worth doing well. His parents have drummed into him the importance of being civil and respectful for towards other people. He isn't at all shy and will get along with anybody if they are prepared to give him the time of day. He doesn't care much for selfish or unruly behaviour and shows little respect for those who care more about themselves than they do about others.IF someone makes a mistake and is truly sorry for what they have done then he may be prepared to forgive them, as long as he feels he can trust their apology.
Negative Characteristics: What are the darker sides of your personality? Greedy, selfish, bad memory, clumsy... etc
Joseph tries hard and wants to achieve decent results, as he feels that with enough effort he can make anything happen. If he tries his best and he still can't manage the task then he could be come downheartened and believe that he either isn't trying hard enough or that he is totally inept. On the farm, no job he was given was so completely beyond him that he couldn't conquer it eventually, and that is how he has come to see life in general.
Conflict and hardship: The main conflict of joseph is his own sense of identity. Until he got his letter, life was simple. Now he has been told that he is apparently a 'wizard' whatever that means. There have been some nasty stories told about people called 'witches' and 'wizards' being burned at the stake or drowned, and he really doesn't want to share that fate. He is here now though, so however his life unfolds, he has to try to learn who he is and what his role is going to be. He could identify who he 'was', but saying who he now 'is' is much harder. The wizarding world in general is all new to him as well, he initially has no idea how to come to terms with all these new ways of thinking that are so common hereabouts.
Aside from all this, the boy also wants to try and make his father proud of him. He knows the old man doesn't care for people who shirk their responsibilities, and Joseph shares that particular view. He hopes that by working hard and by building a new identity for himself in this new life then maybe he can still prosper even if he can no longer be relied upon to work the farm that has been in the family for the last 3 generations.
Motivation, Passion and Drive: Originally, Joseph had been told that he would one day inherit the family farm, so his sole motivation was to learn all the trades and tasks involved in running the day to day business of a farmstead. APparently though, that path was no longer available to him so he is now trying to develop a new identity for himself. Whatever it is though, he feels he won't achieve his potential without a lot of hard work and by learning all that this strange new school of his has to teach him. Right now his only aim is to succeed.
Motto or catchphrase: If a job is worth doing, it is worth doing well.
Overall personality: Include at least one paragraph on your character's personality, for example are they brave? Loyal? Good or bad friend? How do they interact with others? Any odd habits?
Joseph is a pleasant, easy going boy who ties to get along with anyone, but he will not waste his time on people who show no interest in him. The most important people in his life are his own family, and everybody else has to come a distant second. He is not even remotely selfish, but he values his family as far more prominent in his life than strangers or even close friends. No matter what happens, he will see his father and mother in particular are kept safe and secure.
When Joseph meets someone he likes, he may well become friends with them, especially if they share common interests. He will make a true and loyal friend, but he does ask that those he becomes close to act the same way towards him. He will quickly look elsewhere if he finds that his friends act with malice towards those he cares about or treat him unfairly. He has strong feelings about who is right and honourable and doesn't care for people who would violate those principles.
Joe is not a violent boy by any means, if he doesn't care for a situation then he will walk away from it rather than become aggressive. There are far more productive activities he could engage in rather than simply try to beat an knock out an opponent's teeth. Because of all the work he has undertaken on the farm both before coming to school and during his holidays, Joe is physically strong but he will only resort to violence if he feels he has no other choice.
Diary Entry: A short diary entry from any day of your character's life.
29 July... it has been two weeks since I got that strange letter from that 'Hogwarts' place. I still don't know what it all means. They tell me I am a wizard but Old Barl from the village used to tell old stories about wizards and some cruel ways in which they were killed. Is that going to happen to me? What is wrong with working the farm like father does?
Father isn't sure what to make of it all either. He says that normal folks have no business meddling in magic and all that nonsense. He says keep your nose out of trouble and your eye on the job as the farm won't work itself. Maybe he's right, but I still can't help wondering. Mother seems to think that I should at least be allowed to give it a go, but father doesn't want to back down. Maybe she'll pursuade him, maybe not. I don't know. In the meantime I guess I should make myself scarce. Perhaps I should have a look in the scullery, those pots aren't going to wash themselves after all.
The Appearance
First Impression: when someone sees your character walking by, what would they think about them? Workaholic
On Second thought..: Despite being hardworking, Joe is a moral and sociable boy who will will try to mix with the crowd. He isn't entirely comfortable in large groups, and certain situations make him feel inadequate but he does at least try to fit in.
Overall Appearance: Joe has dark brown hair and brown eyes, he is of medium build and has a number of muscles that he has developed through a lifestyle that even at a yound age involves a fair amount of hard graft. He can be said to be tall for his age but he is no giant. He doesn't have any strange marking or tattoos as he sees no point in them and his parents wouldn't approve anyway. When not required to dress 'proper' he wears knee breeches, a brown shirt and sometiems a felt cap. In cold weather he would wear a wollen top over his shirt.
Basic Skills:
Can your character:
Read: A little, but he is no scholar.
Write: Some, but he can struggle sometimes - especially with long words.
Handle Money: He does at least have samattering of arithmetic, but he sometimes makes mistakes.
Joe's father has tried to teach him some writing and arithmetic but even he wasn't an expert at it. He simply wanted his boy to be able to handle the day-to-day expenses that were involved in the business side of farming. Joe has at least seen money change hands on a number of occasions so he is not entirely unfamiliar with it.
The Family History
Parentage: Father Arthur Wilkins (39), mother Emily Wilkins (38) - father owns a farm, mother enjoys baking and embroidery.
Siblings: Sister: Mary Wilkins (9)
Other important figures: Grandpa Jeff Wilkings (67) - retired, used to work the farm before he handed the business to his son, Arthur... Jeff had a wife called Rose but she passed away in 1778
Emily has a sister, Auntie Hilary (36) and she lives in London.
Reputation: The local community see the Wilkins family as decent, hard working farmers and their staff view them as fair and reasonable employers.
Secrets: Arthur's brother, Uncle Peter has been in trouble with the law on a number of occasions and has spent time in and out of jail. As a man who has been charged with robbing a number of banks, he is an embarrassment to the family and none of them like to talk about him.
General: I think that about covers the basics.
The Wizard Information:
Wand: which wood is your wand made of, and what is it's core? Dragon Heartstring, Yew, 11 inches
Pet: A siamise cat called Horace. Having grown up on a farm, he has lived around animals his entire life so his parents bought him a cat when he started this strange school so he would always have somebody to care for.
the section below consists of 3 parts, please delete the 2 that aren't relevant to your character and answer the questions of the 1 left.
Specific Questions for Muggleborns:
How did your parents react when you received a letter from Hogwarts?
Surprise and a little fear. They too had heard stories about what what was said to happen to witches and wizards and they didn't want this fate to befall their son. Aside from that, Arthur strongly believed that his son should continue the family business. It took some time but his wife eventually brough tim around to the idea that perhaps the boy needed to follow another path.
What explanation is given to your family for your long absences while you are at Hogwarts?
Mother and father know where he goes of course, as do the rest of his immediate family. They tell other people that he has gone to stay with Auntie Hilary for a while.
What future did your character abandon in favor of coming to Hogwarts? Inheriting his father's farm.
How did your character find out they were magical, how long have they known and how did they react when they got their Hogwarts letter?
One day when his father asked him to dig the front garden ready for planting, Joe started doing the work but found that after a while he just got tired. In a fit of frustration he threw the spade down and ran his hand along the soil, imagining it turning at his will. He was amazed to discover that he had soon completed the job and the spade was still laid on the ground, untouched.
This incident happened two years prior to him starting at the school, and Joseph never believed it really happened until the HOgwarts letter mysteriously arrived in the post.
Student Skills:
School Ethic: What is your characters perspective of school? The school environment is new to Joe but the idea of hard work is a familair one, he intends to spend his time studying even if he has no clue what 'going to school' really means.
Teacher Relation: How does your character think about Professors, how are they likely to act in class? Will they be intimidated, show respect, talk back, disobey etc
Professors are adults and authority figures that should be respected and obeyed, just like he obeys his parents. He wouldn't dream of badmouthing one of his tutors as that would be the height of bad manners.
Work Ethic and Diligence: Schoolwork is work by definition, it is a task to be completed and Joe will try his best to do exactly that, even if the subject matter itself is entirely alien to him.
Subjects: assume your character knows which subjects are taught at hogwarts and what they mean, which are they likely to work hard for, and which would they dislike?
Joe would be particularly fond of Care of Magical Creatures as he has an affinity for animals. He may struggle with Transifguration and Potions though since these are not easy subjects to get to grips with. He would give it his best shot though.
Where don't you want to be: Joe wouldn't see himself as being a memmber of Slytherin house.
Edited by Joseph Arthur Wilkins, 21 February 2010 - 12:20 PM.
Sadie can be too, I'm sure...
