FULL NAME: Harrison Merriweather Hartshorn
NICKNAMES: Please don't. He hates Harris. A lot.
AGE/DOB: 17 | January 1st (Capricorn)
YEAR: Senior
BLOOD STATUS: Halfblood
GENDER/PRONOUNS: Male | he/him/his
SEXUALITY: Questioning, but also attempts to avoid romantic feelings at all costs (with mixed results), so there's not a lot of exploration going on here.
HOMETOWN: Morgantown, WV by way of Lake Havasu City, AZ (with a few cities in between, including Las Vegas, NV)
APPEARANCE:There's nothing particularly interesting about the way that Harrison dresses - imagine the most basic clothes you can find at a thrift shop, and that's what he's dressed in. Because his family doesn't have a ton of money and because he's practical and capable, almost everything he wears has been mended in some way, but in a manner where it doesn't draw any attention. He tends towards layering, and doesn't seem to own much beyond casual clothing; there's quite a bit of denim in his arsenal. His left ear was pierced when he was a bit younger, but it's mostly closed up so it'd involve a bit of blood to get him back to his 'cool' days. He's always clean-shaven.
HEIGHT: 5'9"
BUILD: Average with a hint of athleticism.
PB: Kiowa Gordon
INSPO: Pinterest Though not an angry person, Harrison is clearly an annoyed person. His default state is a little grumpy and a lot unimpressed, and he's not afraid to let this show on his face or to share this with others. He's also not afraid to let people know he doesn't like them or that they've done something he doesn't like. If the opportunity arises to pass judgement and tell someone they've done something stupid, he just might take that as well. He's also petty enough to withhold any of his edible creations from people who have bothered him, and he maybe gets more than a little satisfaction out of people making mistakes and suffering for it if he doesn't like them or thinks they deserve it.
Despite this less than genial demeanor, there is something nice-ish inside Harrison somewhere. He can be surprisingly generous about mishaps when people clearly are trying or want to do well, and seems to feel at least a little protective of younger or softer students. He's not so much soft-hearted as he is conscious of the fact that some people probably deserve a bit of extra slack, and a bit of extra kindness. In general, though? He's not horribly patient, and he can do without your friendly overtures, alright? He seems to prefer the company of adults, and doesn't seem overly interested in befriending anyone. As far as he's concerned, he's at max friend limit right now.
Harrison clearly prefers some space from people, and seems even more annoyed when in a loud or rowdy environment. Sports games are one of the least enticing places for him to be, but given that his brother plays Quodpot and two of his roommates are Quidditch players, it's not something he's totally been able to avoid. If anyone needed proof that Harrison cares more about his family and those close to him than he lets on, enduring games would be a good place to start. Attachment to others is an uncomfortable subject to him given his home life, so he'd just as soon assume he doesn't really like people that much.
In that vein, Harrison's feelings most often go unexamined by him, meaning he's not very in tune with what he's actually feeling at any given moment. He generally assumes that whatever surface emotion is going on, that's the end of it; he's certain there's nothing complex about him, and people shouldn't read too much into him. Self-reflection is not something he really has any interest in doing, and he'd rather no one else look too closely at his feelings either. Heart-to-hearts might as well make him break out in hives.
Harrison can be rather particular about certain things (particularly being touched or his things being touched), and often becomes more than a little agitated if these boundaries are crossed. He can become almost fussy, but can, in most cases, separate himself from the situation at least. While easily annoyed, Harrison isn't easily offended, so that at least doesn't go on his list of undesirable personality traits.
Motivated to do well and have a practical plan for everything, Harrison lets himself indulge with his hobbies, but mostly tries to keep his nose to the grindstone. He's been self-sufficient for most of his life, and he doesn't want that to stop when he's no longer in the safe embrace of grade school. He's willing to sacrifice fun to making a sensible choice, but that shouldn't be startle anyone. He's not all sourpuss and no fun though, even if sometimes it may seen that way. He'll go to parties sometimes, but don't count on him sticking around the whole time, and when baking or cooking he seems at least a little more open.
FUN FACTS:
Likes: Baking, cooking, black coffee, stationary, writing letters, sitting outside at night, nighttime, quiet, a chill in the air, snow, stars, having a quiet smoke, schadenfreude.
Dislikes: Too much noise, poorly executed baked goods, people who aren't willing to put in the work to achieve something, uninvited physical contact (especially from people he's not close with), people touching his things, personal questions, large or deep bodies of water.
Can't swim, and has, up to this point, refused to learn how.
Despite writing lots of letters, his penmanship is not great.
LANGUAGES: English.
HOBBIES: Baking, sitting outside at night, writing letters (primarily to his brother), complaining about how he has to care about sports, smoking (is that a hobby?).
SKILLS:
COOKING - Not a gourmet cook by any means, but he can make something palatable with pretty limited ingredients, and often doesn't need a recipe. It's mostly about practicality for him, though, and he generally prefers basic, functional recipes. He'll occasionally "cheat" with magic to do some of the more mundane steps, like cutting up things. He views this as a necessary skill, though he does enjoy it on some level.
BAKING - This is where Harrison shines. He enjoys baking a great deal, and has put a lot of work into becoming good at it instead of just passable. Though he's most comfortable in the wheelhouse of breads and cakes, he's tried just about everything when the ingredients have been available to him - pies, tarts, scones, soufflés, you name it. He likes to experiment with new flavors and techniques a lot. Along with making delicious things, Harrison can also make good-looking confections with a steady hand and an eye for aesthetics - don't you dare tell him anything looks cute, though. When baking, he refuses to use magic and chides anyone who does, even for simple tasks. Cooking is about sustenance, baking is about the act. Why not just enjoy it?
MENDING - Another practical skill, to help around the house. Money wasn't as tight as it could have been, but it was tight enough that mending clothes was worth the effort. He can't make new things, but he's pretty good at applying at least slightly aesthetically pleasing patches and can stitch up holes pretty invisibly.
GENERAL HOUSEHOLD THINGS - Harrison has essentially the skill set of a sitcom stay-at-home dad and a stereotypical 50s housewife rolled into one. He spent a lot of his life helping manage things around his home because his dad was busy and not that great at it, so he can fix a leaky sink, keep track of expenditures, and knows how to get stains out of most things. He's not going to rewire a house, but he'll MacGyver some shit when he doesn't know the real solution, and it'll be passable.
SMOKE RINGS - Smoking is bad for his lungs and bad for his taste buds, but, well, a habit's a habit. He can blow some cool smoke rings.
DRIVING - He knows how to drive a car and has a license. He's a normal, moderately cautious driver, and can drive stick.
FAMILY:Adrian Merriweather | Mother | High-end Wand Designer
Sharp-tongued, intelligent, and maybe a little selfish, Adrian felt claustrophobic with her overly doting husband and her two children. She left them when Harrison's brother was only six months old and Harrison was just shy of three to pursue a rather successful career in wand design, and has never looked back. Last Harrison heard from her was when she mailed him a wand on his tenth birthday. He's not wild about having her maiden name as his middle name.
Garrett Hartshorn | Father | Security Guard at BoMB
Loving but emotional, Garrett has a bit of a temper and can be a little moody like his sons. This means he's not the easiest guy to get along with, but he loves deeply and tries to let that show. Unfortunately, he falls in love hard and fast, and ever since Adrian left he's had a host of different partners. He at least doesn't have bad taste in people, but given his temperament and the fact that he can often be stifling as a partner means the relationships typically don't last long.
Easton Hartshorn | Younger Brother | 15 | Junior at Malstrom
Easton is in his rebellious phase, which just has Harrison rolling his eyes. Harrison writes to him daily, even if right now he's not writing back as much. Despite the friction, it doesn't really hurt Harrison's feelings since he knows he'll come around once he's done being a moody goth or whatever. Easton plays Quodpot, despite being a moody goth or whatever. He's smart enough to have skipped a grade, despite all the instability in their lives, and Harrison isn't too thrilled about it because older kids are a bad influence, probably.
A Rotating Cast of His Father's Partners
Harrison has learned to not get too attached, though he does occasionally hear from a few of his dad's previous partners from time to time. He's stopped trying to talk his dad out of it and just sort of accepts that every time he goes home there will probably be someone else there. The two most worthy of note are Patience Barley, a mediwitch that Garrett dated for a year when they first moved to Morgantown, and Andoni Andonius, a Las Vegas entrepreneur that has stayed involved in Harrison and Easton's lives after dating their father when Harrison was 11.
BACKGROUND:High school sweethearts that had been together off and on since they were 15, Garrett Hartshorn and Adrian Merriweather were not set up for a successful marriage. Garrett's moody and suffocating nature conflicted significantly with Adrian's independence and lack of patience, so the unexpected, impending arrival of Harrison shortly after they'd graduated was only one complication in their relationship. They married the moment they realized Adrian was pregnant, moved in together to a small apartment, and tried to make things work. With both parents working to support themselves, Harrison was often without parental contact for long stretches. Still, initially Adrian was enamored with the idea of a baby, but she found that her fascination waned quickly; Harrison wasn't a fussy child by nature, but even so he required a lot of attention, and so did Garrett.
Harrison obviously doesn't really remember, but there were lots of fights, and searching for the joy that having a baby had initially brought, Adrian and Garrett had another child when Harrison was two. Unsurprisingly, this did nothing to fix any of their issues - Adrian left when Harrison's younger brother Easton was about six months old, sick of her smothering husband, the pressure of caring for children, and dead end jobs in Lake Havasu City. Garrett was devastated and quickly threw himself into serial dating, often finding new partners in the babysitters that came to look after his sons. Thus, Harrison's upbringing was rather tumultuous, filled with rotating parental figures, unstable finances, and a bit of moving around Arizona as Garrett chased partners and meaning. The only clear stability was a day school (Sand and Star K-12) the pair of boys began attending in Las Vegas, NV when Harrison was in 3rd grade. Otherwise, he quickly learned how to make his own stability.
From the moment he could, Harrison became partial caretaker of his younger brother, and to some extent, his father, managing household chores, meals, and keeping things running in general. A bit more stability came when they actually moved to Las Vegas when Harrison was about 10; they lived there for a good three years, and Garrett had a moderately stable relationship with a local restauranteur named Andoni Andonius. For almost a year, the boys had another parental figure, and it felt like, maybe, things would calm down. Harrison finally felt like he was settling in, he had a small but close group of friends at his school... and, well, maybe things were going to stay sort of normal. But, of course, they didn't, and the relationship didn't last. Chasing another relationship and wanting a change of pace, Garrett moved the family to Morgantown when Harrison was 13, and everyone had to start all over again, with the boys attending Elflock Local and Garrett starting a job at the Bureau of Magical Beings.
Another stable relationship, this time with a mediwitch named Patience Barley, gave Harrison some consistency again almost immediately, but by this time he'd learned not to get too attached or to expect too much from his father's partners. Patience was kind and involved much like Andoni was, though, and it was hard for Harrison to not rely on her a little to lift some of the burden of being the caretaker of the family. After a year and a half, though, Garrett and Patience's relationship soured, though she remained in touch with the boys.
Not wanting to go too far from home and his family, even though he claimed to be not that concerned about it, Harrison started at Peckenpaugh his freshmen year. A year after Easton followed him, but wanting space from his older brother and wanting to rebel, he transferred to Malstrom his sophomore year. Harrison didn't argue and kept on at Peckenpaugh - it wasn't his business, anyway. And Easton would stop being so annoying eventually.
WAND: Hawthorn, manticore claw, 13". It's a present from his mother, one that she designed, which gives him a complicated relationship with it. It's left as rather natural, uneven wood on the main section of the wand, so that it nearly looks like a branch, but the hilt is smoothed down and covered in small carvings that are so delicate they're hard to see unless you really look. It's a pain in the ass to clean, and he often complains about it.
FAMILIAR: A raven named Caw (shut up, please) that is more chatty that Harrison half the time. Incredibly friendly, curious, and playful, Caw loves to do aerial stunts, especially around people on brooms. She tells Harrison to fly sometimes. He won't. She has a very good grasp of the
English language, but often just says very silly or weird things.
CAREER GOALS: Practically, Harrison is planning on pursuing a career in spell research, with a focus on finding better ways to examine spells and sigils' individual parts for caster identification. He's in the process of finding a mentor. If he could do whatever he wanted he'd open a bakery, and a tiny, hidden part of him thinks that maybe he should do that, practicality be damned.
PART-TIME JOB: Baking Assistant at the Gastrognome.
CLASSES: In general, Harrison is a dedicated student that works incredibly hard to understand the material and do well. He's always willing to put in extra time to exceed expectations, but he's not a perfectionist. He does well in all his classes.
CHARMS - Harrison is a practical person and wants to keep up on the core classes, especially one as filled with useful magic as Charms.
POTIONS (H) - It's just like cooking or baking, right? Though he's not a potions whiz or anything, he does well and can clearly follow a recipe.
TRANSFIGURATION - Not just a requirement for Alchemy, but a fundamental skill that his schedule would feel lacking without. This is his least favorite core class, but that's not really saying that much.
DEFENSE AGAINST THE DARK ARTS - Honestly, part of the reason Harrison is in this class is because he knows his father would prefer it. The other reason is that it seems practical. This is the class he feels the least invested in, but he still works hard and gets good grades. (Can
successfully cast a Patronus.)
HOME MAG-EC (H, TA) - This class is Harrison's home away from home - most topics are at least somewhat familiar, and he's never going to complain about getting the chance to improve his more practical abilities. Given that he's TA, he's clearly doing phenomenal in the class, and he has a surprisingly gentle touch with students who need the help and seem to want to learn.
HERMETICISM (H) - Harrison finds the nitpicky, recipe-ish feeling of Hermeticism to be enjoyable and engaging, and is betting on sorting out a research position in this field. He's not as passionate about it as he is baking, but it'll do. This is one of his best classes.
SYMBOLOGY - Much like Hermeticism and Alchemy, symbology is based in creation from piecing things together, and appeals to Harrison quite a bit (and may be valuable for his potential research someday). It's also forcing him to work on his handwriting.
ALCHEMY - A natural extension from his interest in Potions and Hermeticism. Again, he's not going to win any awards for being the best at Potions or anything, but he's capable and views the class as a practical extension of his skills.
EXTRA-CURRICULARS:CULINARY CLUB - While Harrison isn't totally gung-ho about the social aspect of the club, it's hard for him to keep away from something that's satisfying to him. Also, it looks good on your resume to be in clubs, right? Honing his cooking skills is an added bonus.
SORTING?: Sometimes Harrison isn't sure he made the right choice but, well, he's here, and he's going to deal with it, even if he feels a little out of place sometimes in Wildgulch. In many ways, it was a process of elimination - Deeplurk called to him, with its nighttime sky and wisps of breath in the air, but aesthetic isn't everything, and weird questions made him more annoyed than anything else. Thorntrail felt too people-oriented. Mothgarden felt too idealistic. His sorting took a little while.
NAME: Rin
EMAIL: See
hereCDJ: ![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
prowlerOTHER CONTACT: --
TIMEZONE: CST (JST from 4 Oct to 7 Nov)
HOME MAG-EC TA
POSITION: Home Mag-Ec TA
WHY THIS SPOT?: Harrison's home life means that he's got home-ec skills in spades, and while he doesn't seem like the traditional choice due to his less than friendly disposition, he's a good teacher, is very knowledgable, and is actually patient when people put in the effort. A part of him enjoys helping others with something he knows he's good at (and helping them maybe become functional adults), but another part of him just wants something good to put on his resume, even if it's for a class generally regarded as easy.
IDEAS?: Currently nothing too fancy, but I plan on journal posts relating to the position, along with occasional practical session IC/OOCs on various home-ec-y topics (e.g. cooking, sewing, budgets, timed flour baby changing???) since there's not a lot of homework. They'll likely have an RNG element, because who can resist RNG.
ADDITIONAL HISTORY
MEMES
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SCHEDULE