Amadude McCrackle (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
snapmccracklepop) wrote2020-08-08 10:11 am
snapmccracklepop) wrote2020-08-08 10:11 am
crowmod
APPLICATION FOR EMPLOYMENT
NAME
Amadeus Rudolf McCracken
NICKNAMES
Resigned to the possibility.
BLOOD STATUS
Halfblood
Amadeus Rudolf McCracken
Resigned to the possibility.
Halfblood
DATE OF BIRTH
03/11/83
AGE
37
RANK & BRANCH
Expert Detective
03/11/83
37
Expert Detective
GENDER/PRONOUNS/SEXUALITY
Male, He/him, Married to his job
CURRENT RESIDENCE
Owns an old farm home just outside of Ithaca, NY. The walls are covered in magical portraits.
He does keep a room at the Crow Bar, just to have somewhere quiet nearby to go and think.
CONCEPT
The walls have eyes, so it's worth listening.
Male, He/him, Married to his job
Owns an old farm home just outside of Ithaca, NY. The walls are covered in magical portraits.
He does keep a room at the Crow Bar, just to have somewhere quiet nearby to go and think.
The walls have eyes, so it's worth listening.
PHYSICAL
DISTINGUISHING FEATURES
- Dark curly hair, a couple caterpillars above his eyes, and a full beard. Usually all in a semi-wild state.
- Missing his right ring finger up to the second knuckle thanks to a cursed object mishap that wasn't even part of the job. (The attics of New England can be dangerous.) Often wears gloves or a prosthetic.
- Wardrobe largely consists of black, black, and some more black. It makes it easy to look somewhere in the realm of professional for the office. His omnipresent canvas sneakers - there's a lot of walking on the job! - are less so.
- Flecks of dried paint frequently found under his fingernails. Expect to find paint smudges all over his fingers and hands too if he's caught in the middle of working.
- If he rolls his shirt sleeves up, ink from sleeve tattoos obtained in his younger, more idealistic days is exposed. He typically leaves them covered.
- Dark curly hair, a couple caterpillars above his eyes, and a full beard. Usually all in a semi-wild state.
- Missing his right ring finger up to the second knuckle thanks to a cursed object mishap that wasn't even part of the job. (The attics of New England can be dangerous.) Often wears gloves or a prosthetic.
- Wardrobe largely consists of black, black, and some more black. It makes it easy to look somewhere in the realm of professional for the office. His omnipresent canvas sneakers - there's a lot of walking on the job! - are less so.
- Flecks of dried paint frequently found under his fingernails. Expect to find paint smudges all over his fingers and hands too if he's caught in the middle of working.
- If he rolls his shirt sleeves up, ink from sleeve tattoos obtained in his younger, more idealistic days is exposed. He typically leaves them covered.
HEIGHT
5'10"
5'10"
BUILD
Lean
Lean
INSPIRATION
PERSONALITY ASSESSMENT
MOTIVATION • reason for becoming an auror
Given his rather stalwart demeanor, it may come as a surprise that Amadeus was once a young hopeless romantic with big dreams of living a dangerous and exciting life of spy vs spy. A little less surprising given the safe and sheltered existence he'd grown up in. Easy to romanticize things when you haven't experienced the grime and the nitty gritty. Like so many others before him, that boy disappeared with age.
Nowadays he's tired. He knows this job isn't the stuff of romantic tales. But beneath the fatigue there's still a great deal of optimism in spite of the grim side of humantity he's been exposed to. There's people at the end of every mystery, and if burning himself out gives someone the closure they need, that makes the whole job worth it.
Given his rather stalwart demeanor, it may come as a surprise that Amadeus was once a young hopeless romantic with big dreams of living a dangerous and exciting life of spy vs spy. A little less surprising given the safe and sheltered existence he'd grown up in. Easy to romanticize things when you haven't experienced the grime and the nitty gritty. Like so many others before him, that boy disappeared with age.
Nowadays he's tired. He knows this job isn't the stuff of romantic tales. But beneath the fatigue there's still a great deal of optimism in spite of the grim side of humantity he's been exposed to. There's people at the end of every mystery, and if burning himself out gives someone the closure they need, that makes the whole job worth it.
APPLICATION • skills and work methods
Despite the often solitary cerebral nature of detective work, Amadeus would consider himself people oriented. Or rather, it's important to not forget the people in pursuit of accomplishing the task. His work has often brought him in contact with people living through a nightmare, and for their sake, he considers it important to approach the job with a great deal of care. The academic challenge of the mystery has never been what drew him to detective work, but the truth as a means of closure? That's important. And he recognizes that sometimes the process can hinder that result.
While Amadeus prefers to puzzle through things quietly - there's usually quite a few thoughts barreling through his head that he's trying to make sense of - he's not opposed to working with others. He hardly fancies himself the brightest person in the room, and recognizes that everyone has their own methods. His happen to involve a lot of quiet, fidgeting, sleepless nights, baked goods and cups of coffee.
For both personal and professional reasons, he becomes well acquainted with the various portraits in local hot spots whenever he hits a new town.
Despite the often solitary cerebral nature of detective work, Amadeus would consider himself people oriented. Or rather, it's important to not forget the people in pursuit of accomplishing the task. His work has often brought him in contact with people living through a nightmare, and for their sake, he considers it important to approach the job with a great deal of care. The academic challenge of the mystery has never been what drew him to detective work, but the truth as a means of closure? That's important. And he recognizes that sometimes the process can hinder that result.
While Amadeus prefers to puzzle through things quietly - there's usually quite a few thoughts barreling through his head that he's trying to make sense of - he's not opposed to working with others. He hardly fancies himself the brightest person in the room, and recognizes that everyone has their own methods. His happen to involve a lot of quiet, fidgeting, sleepless nights, baked goods and cups of coffee.
For both personal and professional reasons, he becomes well acquainted with the various portraits in local hot spots whenever he hits a new town.
RISK • potential risks to themselves or others
A note added to Amadeus's permanent file from the earliest days of his career reads: too sensitive.
He is, at his core, a soft boy that got burned and is perhaps not dealing with it in the most healthy manner as a grown man. He's known to burn the candle from both ends, throwing himself into cases, and not doing much in the way of forming personal connections outside of pleasantries exchanged with co-workers. Obsessive. Fueled by caffeine. It gets the job done but at what cost?
Outside of the emotional, he's never much distinguished himself as a duelist. Sure, he's a cut above the average wizard by virtue of being trained as an auror, but he's really not top pick when cornered into a fight. And oh boy does he need to learn how to properly throw a punch. (*whispers* He's a nerrrrrrd.)
A note added to Amadeus's permanent file from the earliest days of his career reads: too sensitive.
He is, at his core, a soft boy that got burned and is perhaps not dealing with it in the most healthy manner as a grown man. He's known to burn the candle from both ends, throwing himself into cases, and not doing much in the way of forming personal connections outside of pleasantries exchanged with co-workers. Obsessive. Fueled by caffeine. It gets the job done but at what cost?
Outside of the emotional, he's never much distinguished himself as a duelist. Sure, he's a cut above the average wizard by virtue of being trained as an auror, but he's really not top pick when cornered into a fight. And oh boy does he need to learn how to properly throw a punch. (*whispers* He's a nerrrrrrd.)
INTEGRITY • morality, authority and tradition
When it comes to the rules, Amadeus's chief concern is not to do anything to compromise an investigation. All other rules he's willing to play fast and loose with if they're impeding things, but he'll dig in his heels fast if someone wants to cut corners in a way that could call an investigation into question. A balancing act between process and results, perhaps.
Rules, when broken, are mindfully done, as is his way with most things. There's an ideal way of doing things, and then there's the practical way. Given the two, quiet pragmatism often wins the day. Thankfully, by now, he's well aware of which rules can bend a little when things are starting to feel buried in red tape.
Beyond the rules, Amadeus is generally a man of strong integrity. He still wants to bring things to a happy ending, if at all possible, and that's considerably harder to do when things get mired up in grey morals.
When it comes to the rules, Amadeus's chief concern is not to do anything to compromise an investigation. All other rules he's willing to play fast and loose with if they're impeding things, but he'll dig in his heels fast if someone wants to cut corners in a way that could call an investigation into question. A balancing act between process and results, perhaps.
Rules, when broken, are mindfully done, as is his way with most things. There's an ideal way of doing things, and then there's the practical way. Given the two, quiet pragmatism often wins the day. Thankfully, by now, he's well aware of which rules can bend a little when things are starting to feel buried in red tape.
Beyond the rules, Amadeus is generally a man of strong integrity. He still wants to bring things to a happy ending, if at all possible, and that's considerably harder to do when things get mired up in grey morals.
ATTITUDE • teamwork and general disposition
At first glance, Amadeus comes off as overly serious and humorless. He's actually just shy and awkward, preferring to do his socializing with the artwork rather than the 3D people. Stick with it enough, and he'll reveal himself to have a sly sense of humor. Not particularly rowdy or great at letting loose, but not entirely the uptight bore he comes across as either. It's hit or miss on whether he looks like he'd rather melt into the ground during work parties, though. (Please, please don't make him play ice breakers.)
Amadeus is a very hard worker and it perhaps doesn't take a whole lot of digging to reveal that he's a deeply caring bleeding heart, no matter how tired and jaded he may be feeling at any given moment.
While he's never going to be the office social butterfly, he does without fail bring in coffee and donuts every Monday morning. Sure, it's cliche, but it tastes good.
At first glance, Amadeus comes off as overly serious and humorless. He's actually just shy and awkward, preferring to do his socializing with the artwork rather than the 3D people. Stick with it enough, and he'll reveal himself to have a sly sense of humor. Not particularly rowdy or great at letting loose, but not entirely the uptight bore he comes across as either. It's hit or miss on whether he looks like he'd rather melt into the ground during work parties, though. (Please, please don't make him play ice breakers.)
Amadeus is a very hard worker and it perhaps doesn't take a whole lot of digging to reveal that he's a deeply caring bleeding heart, no matter how tired and jaded he may be feeling at any given moment.
While he's never going to be the office social butterfly, he does without fail bring in coffee and donuts every Monday morning. Sure, it's cliche, but it tastes good.
HISTORY
HOMETOWN
Burlington, VT, in a home strewn with oddities acquired from various New England estates and back alleys. A Bohemian paradise? A hoarder's paradise? Uncertain.
Burlington, VT, in a home strewn with oddities acquired from various New England estates and back alleys. A Bohemian paradise? A hoarder's paradise? Uncertain.
NOTABLE FAMILY
Isadora McCracken, mother. An eccentric crusader of sorts. Amadeus checks in on her regularly.
"Probably Dav", biological father.
Ciaran McCracken, grandfather. 132 kneazles were noted to be living on his estate at the time of his death and they received the bulk of his inheritance, founding The McCracken Kneazle Conservatory. (Open for weddings!)
The Portraits. A rather expansive collection of living portraits rescued from estate sales over the years. While some portraits are of notables persons, the majority are someone's great aunt or second cousin twice removed. They all have interesting tales to tell, though. (note)
Isadora McCracken, mother. An eccentric crusader of sorts. Amadeus checks in on her regularly.
"Probably Dav", biological father.
Ciaran McCracken, grandfather. 132 kneazles were noted to be living on his estate at the time of his death and they received the bulk of his inheritance, founding The McCracken Kneazle Conservatory. (Open for weddings!)
The Portraits. A rather expansive collection of living portraits rescued from estate sales over the years. While some portraits are of notables persons, the majority are someone's great aunt or second cousin twice removed. They all have interesting tales to tell, though. (note)
AUROR ACADEMY
Oddtree Academy (Class of 2004)
Oddtree Academy (Class of 2004)
EARLY LIFE
Unconventional. Free-spirited. Lonely. All words Amadeus would use to describe his earliest years. His mother was a whirlwind, a real social justice sort, bucking at stodgey New England culture all while having a trust fund to bail her out. An early lesson that Amadeus learned was that people loved to collect 'things'. Things that told stories, sometimes quite literally. For as much as she bucked against the ideas of materialism, his mother's home was filled with things, rescued from estate sales and dusty corner shops.
They also had a tendency to bicker a lot and complain. The portraits, that is. His mother's favorite thing to collect. She also eschewed the idea of traditional schooling, so Amadeus found himself with limited options for socialization. From a young age he became an amateur portrait counselor of sorts, helping to sort out grievances for a large cast of characters as best he could, and over time, with the portraits' help, he learned how to apply brush to canvas to make changes to them.
Fatefully, in his later teens, his mother procured the portrait of Sherman Hart, a former auror who'd been active during the height of the Cold War. And boy did Sherman have some stories to tell. Throughly enamoured with tales of spy versus spy, Amadeus begged his mother to let him attend Ilvermorny for his senior year so he could take proper qualifying exams. She balked, and eventually relented.
It was a considerable change for Amadeus, who initially picqued interests as The New Kid, but soon enough was labeled a weird kid. Plenty could be said about that year and how socially awkward Amadeus proved to be, but the important takeaway is that he made it into the auror program.
Unconventional. Free-spirited. Lonely. All words Amadeus would use to describe his earliest years. His mother was a whirlwind, a real social justice sort, bucking at stodgey New England culture all while having a trust fund to bail her out. An early lesson that Amadeus learned was that people loved to collect 'things'. Things that told stories, sometimes quite literally. For as much as she bucked against the ideas of materialism, his mother's home was filled with things, rescued from estate sales and dusty corner shops.
They also had a tendency to bicker a lot and complain. The portraits, that is. His mother's favorite thing to collect. She also eschewed the idea of traditional schooling, so Amadeus found himself with limited options for socialization. From a young age he became an amateur portrait counselor of sorts, helping to sort out grievances for a large cast of characters as best he could, and over time, with the portraits' help, he learned how to apply brush to canvas to make changes to them.
Fatefully, in his later teens, his mother procured the portrait of Sherman Hart, a former auror who'd been active during the height of the Cold War. And boy did Sherman have some stories to tell. Throughly enamoured with tales of spy versus spy, Amadeus begged his mother to let him attend Ilvermorny for his senior year so he could take proper qualifying exams. She balked, and eventually relented.
It was a considerable change for Amadeus, who initially picqued interests as The New Kid, but soon enough was labeled a weird kid. Plenty could be said about that year and how socially awkward Amadeus proved to be, but the important takeaway is that he made it into the auror program.
CAREER HISTORY
Acceptance at Oddtree was unexpected, but an honor. Typical of a sheltered kid, the next three years were spent collecting experiences in and out of the classroom. There's some wild stories he could tell, not that he looks it now. Inside the classroom, he was quiet and hardworking, with bets generally on him landing in a tech role upon graduation. A no brainer, really. He certainly wasn't oozing with charisma like the usual spy candidates, and yet that's what his heart was set on.
Amadeus left Oddtree Academy as starry eyed as when he'd entered it. A year or so into his career, he landed that undercover gig he'd been dreaming of. And boy did he make a mess of that one. Tapped for the job due to his artistic inclinations, infiltrating the ring of forgers went well enough, and everything continued to go well until he violated spy rule number one and caught a case of the heart hornies. A puppy love romance turned out to actually be the target playing him. His cover blown, he barely managed to get out and the whole operation was set back.
If not for those Oddtree connections, his career might have been done for then and there. It'd been a dumb mistake, and certainly not one that 'anyone could've made'. He was transferred to tech after that, where it was reasoned he should've been all along. Truthfully, he could've done well there, but he was unsatisfied. The whole undercover incident had left him obsessive, and more than a little jaded. Arguably good traits to possess where detective work was concerned. A few strings were pulled and he found himself back in the field, in a role safer, on the whole, from any lingering romanticism.
Detective work proved to be a considerably better match for Amadeus than spy work ever was. Less romantic, more grim. A lot of sad tales to tell, not a whole lot of happy endings, but Amadeus gained a reputation for quiet professionalism and doggedly seeing things through to provide closure. He's spent some time in most of the major offices across the country at this point, never quite long enough to make strong emotional ties, and made some headline worthy wins along with some losses, but never anything like the mistakes of his younger days. This isn't the first task force invitation he's received, and it's an unsurprising one, given the nature of the crime. It was just about time to move along anyway.
Acceptance at Oddtree was unexpected, but an honor. Typical of a sheltered kid, the next three years were spent collecting experiences in and out of the classroom. There's some wild stories he could tell, not that he looks it now. Inside the classroom, he was quiet and hardworking, with bets generally on him landing in a tech role upon graduation. A no brainer, really. He certainly wasn't oozing with charisma like the usual spy candidates, and yet that's what his heart was set on.
Amadeus left Oddtree Academy as starry eyed as when he'd entered it. A year or so into his career, he landed that undercover gig he'd been dreaming of. And boy did he make a mess of that one. Tapped for the job due to his artistic inclinations, infiltrating the ring of forgers went well enough, and everything continued to go well until he violated spy rule number one and caught a case of the heart hornies. A puppy love romance turned out to actually be the target playing him. His cover blown, he barely managed to get out and the whole operation was set back.
If not for those Oddtree connections, his career might have been done for then and there. It'd been a dumb mistake, and certainly not one that 'anyone could've made'. He was transferred to tech after that, where it was reasoned he should've been all along. Truthfully, he could've done well there, but he was unsatisfied. The whole undercover incident had left him obsessive, and more than a little jaded. Arguably good traits to possess where detective work was concerned. A few strings were pulled and he found himself back in the field, in a role safer, on the whole, from any lingering romanticism.
Detective work proved to be a considerably better match for Amadeus than spy work ever was. Less romantic, more grim. A lot of sad tales to tell, not a whole lot of happy endings, but Amadeus gained a reputation for quiet professionalism and doggedly seeing things through to provide closure. He's spent some time in most of the major offices across the country at this point, never quite long enough to make strong emotional ties, and made some headline worthy wins along with some losses, but never anything like the mistakes of his younger days. This isn't the first task force invitation he's received, and it's an unsurprising one, given the nature of the crime. It was just about time to move along anyway.
SKILLS
LANGUAGES
English, and passably conversational in German and Dutch thanks to some of the portraits, though he might sound a little outdated at times to modern speakers
English, and passably conversational in German and Dutch thanks to some of the portraits, though he might sound a little outdated at times to modern speakers
HOBBIES
- Antiquing/Thrifting, particularly to rescue abandoned magical portraits
- Painting, generally abstract if for hobby reasons
- Cemetary cleaning
- Bingo
- Subsisting off baked goods and too much coffee
- Just quietly chatting with flat people (portraits)
- Antiquing/Thrifting, particularly to rescue abandoned magical portraits
- Painting, generally abstract if for hobby reasons
- Cemetary cleaning
- Bingo
- Subsisting off baked goods and too much coffee
- Just quietly chatting with flat people (portraits)
SKILLS
MISCELLANEOUS
WAND
Mahogany and Aralez feather, 12.5", unflinching.
Mahogany and Aralez feather, 12.5", unflinching.
PATRONUS
Ferret
Ferret
OTHER DETAILS
- Has been cursed half a dozen times over the years by his recollection thanks to shoddily thrown together estate sales, though thankfully nothing too nasty that couldn't be cleared up. (Aside from the finger.)
- Typically has a fidget toy in his pocket. His desk is also littered with them.
- Allergic to kneazles.
- Brings coffee and assorted donuts in every Monday morning, without fail, from a local bakery in Ithaca.
- Prefers to do his drinking at the Clown Car. The decor is reminiscent of home.
- INFJ, the Advocate / 4w5, the Bohemian
- Has been cursed half a dozen times over the years by his recollection thanks to shoddily thrown together estate sales, though thankfully nothing too nasty that couldn't be cleared up. (Aside from the finger.)
- Typically has a fidget toy in his pocket. His desk is also littered with them.
- Allergic to kneazles.
- Brings coffee and assorted donuts in every Monday morning, without fail, from a local bakery in Ithaca.
- Prefers to do his drinking at the Clown Car. The decor is reminiscent of home.
- INFJ, the Advocate / 4w5, the Bohemian
OOC
PLAYER NAME
Manx
EMAIL
mahoushoujomanx @ gmail
Manx
mahoushoujomanx @ gmail
OTHER CONTACT
TIME ZONE
Eastern
Eastern
The Portraits
Sherman Hart, DMLE spy at the height of the Cold War era.
Artemis Robins, magical portrait artist. Active during the late 1800s.