FULL NAME: Audrey Ellis Poke
NICKNAMES: Her last name does get used. Sometimes. Most names are fine. Her dad calls her various names of fast food. Please don't do that.
AGE/DOB: 17; April 4, 2002
YEAR: Senior
BLOOD STATUS: Halfblood; both her parents are halfblood. Nothing notable.
GENDER/PRONOUNS: Female; She/her
SEXUALITY: Whatever. Whoever. Audrey tends toward kissy friends at best as opposed to any serious relationships. She likes to keep a facade of things being easy, while also harboring deep-felt secret crushes that she'll never, never reveal to the other person. It's painful and very stupid.
HOMETOWN: Pahrump, NV
APPEARANCE:She errs on the side of unkempt, but very comfortable-looking. Audrey wears her hair in long dreadlocks that she usually ties back into a neat (or you know what, sometimes not, it's fine,) cluster at the back of her head. They're occasionally adorned with beads or flowers, if that's struck her fancy. She dresses in soft t-shirts or tank tops if it's warm enough, with generally ripped, rarely tight jeans or shorts and sneakers. Formalwear's unheard of. She gets cold kind of easily and wraps in layers of flowy sweaters and scarves, all brown or grey, light blue or green. She favors earth tones. Her makeup is minimal, and rare at all. She wears a few simple pieces of jewelry that almost all has meaning to her. A turquoise-and-silver cloud on a silver chain around her wrist to signify the first thunderstorm she predicted. A little cross around her neck from her mother. A pink plastic ring from a quarter machine from her little sister/cousin.
She has tattoos, but they change quite frequently. They aren't in permanent ink, most of them. When she sees something she thinks will matter or happen, she sketches a symbol of it temporarily on to her skin. If she sees the symbol again or the prediction comes true, she'll ink it in permanently. Right now, the only permanent tattoos she has are the leafless tree on her left thigh, the little moth on her ankle, and her very first stick and poke, a little sun and raincloud on her left arm. That one's bad but it has great sentimental value, so it stays. Her temporary tattoos change around a lot, and she's a clean slate at the beginning of the school year.
Audrey moves quietly through the world. She doesn't make much noise while moving around, and sinks into corners more than she's thrust into the spotlight. Her voice is warm and low, going into a mumble too easily when she gets embarrassed or unsure of something she's saying.
HEIGHT: 5'1'
BUILD: Slim curves, DECIDEDLY not athletic
PB: Sasha Lane
INSPO: Pinterest! What would others say is their most prominent personality trait — what's the first thing people notice about them?Audrey seems fundamentally chill. A warm, calming force. Frustratingly so, actually. Audrey is easy, and uncomplicated at a first glance. She rolls with every punch. She hangs out with everyone and isn't very challenging. Just kind of a warm cup of chamomile of a person. Until someone tries to talk to her about something she's uncomfortable with, and realizes that under that warm exterior lies a series of stone walls. Audrey's very guarded, which is pretty apparent when you try to ask her personal questions. She doesn't want to tell you about her life, because chances are, she's still puzzling out how to change aspects of it for the better. Audrey isn't exactly an obviously flighty person, but she doesn't commit very easily, and that's written all over her skin. Literally. She was happy to learn temporary tattoing; her visions feel like part of her, but she doesn't want to commit to them. Part of the reason is that she knows once she does, it's difficult for her to back down. So she dances around an idea or even person until she can't help but stick to them.
In practice, this looks like Audrey being flaky up until a time she decides she's invested in something, and then she's all in. Those who know her best know that she won't come to club meetings often until something hooks her, and then she'll be there all the time. With snacks. She talks to people she likes for ten minutes every two weeks, until she's resolved herself, and then she's over every night. It takes a lot of circling around to get her to stay, and sometimes that's uncomfortable, and sometimes she's not worth the wait.
How would this character describe themself? What do they think are their best and worst qualities?Audrey would meet this question with a long stare and maybe a refusal to answer, which is probably a worst quality of its own. But she knows. She's incredibly introspective and can get fixated on her own thoughts and motivations to a fault. She likes to think that she's open and accepting, and she is. She takes people where they come from, and doesn't judge. She also thinks that she's perceptive, and that's true, too. She's empathetic and sensitive to other people's pain to a fault. She takes on a lot of problems that aren't her own. She's not a meddler exactly, more a voyeur of suffering, meaning she won't try to fix the problems, but she
will sincerely ask people if they're okay. Which is sometimes welcome, sometimes not.
Audrey is well aware how stubborn she is, but won't admit that to anyone else in the world. As open and accepting as she can be, when Audrey gets an idea in her head, she's probably going to do it. When she decides she doesn't like something or someone, she
really doesn't, and only time and erosion might be able to fix it. Audrey values the truth, and tells it most of the time herself. She thinks that's a good quality, but the way she practices it is pretty flawed. She would rather remain silent than say something's wrong, because she also hates confrontation. She wants to know a lot of things about other people that she's unwilling to say herself, and that's not fair. She knows.
What drives them to action? Doing good? Getting rich? Receiving praise?Honestly? Not a whole hell of a lot. Audrey's been called unmotivated on more than one occasion, and she frankly agrees. All that introspection can be a curse. She gets too cerebral, thinks too long, and that impedes action. She'd rather sit with a bad grade or relationship and then quietly give up than working too hard on changing it. Likely, she's made it out to be such a monumental task in her own head that it doesn't feel worth trying. She doesn't see the point in breaking one's neck just for grades, and she has literally no use for glory. If anything motivates her, it's a search for the truth. She doesn't know what that means all of the time, but it's a reason she likes Divination so much. She doesn't like lies or half-knowing something, and it sits on her like a bug on her neck until she's scratched it off. Audrey will go to great lengths to get answers. It's the reason she sometimes doesn't stop when she's asking questions about friends' lives, and it's the reason that she made her family answer her when she felt they were being shifty about her own past.
It's much more subjective, but inspiration is another force that can move Audrey to action. That's not predictable, and it comes in bursts and waves, but if she really is struck by something beautiful, or has a "vision", or just has a great idea that she wants to see come to fruition, all the energy in Audrey seems to wake up and come back to life. She never seems more alive than when she's creating something beautiful. This is the difference in Audrey's classes. If she's allowed to study something she's interested in, she's a perfect student who reads all of the class material ahead of time. If she's not, she coasts, and gets C's for her troubles, and not all the coaxing or threatening in the world can bother her to care.
Is the glass half empty, half full, or something else?That glass is all the way empty and spilled on to the floor. But it's okay. You can always pick it up and get more water. Audrey doesn't sugarcoat any aspect of the world. She knows life sucks, and she's seen it. She admits it pretty blithely. In fact, she seems to be pretty frustratingly comfortable with the way the fates have doomed the world. But that's just the surface. Really, Audrey thinks the world could be a lot more beautiful, and she looks to the future for that possibility. She can't help but being something of an optimist, in the silence of her own heart. She's pretty guarded, and doesn't want to get disappointed, which is why she isn't vocal about the way she wants to change both her own habits and the circumstances around her. But she sees it. She would've given up long ago if she didn't.
What are their opinions on rules? How do they interact with authority figures?Audrey's something of a stealth rebel. She doesn't really care about rules. She follows them most of the time, because it's easier. When she does break rules, it's quietly, and she tries not to harm anyone. She's not about that. She thinks the world would probably be just fine if you let people do what they want without any laws. She doesn't get into very many disciplinary issues here, but somewhat innocuous transgressions like curfew-breaking and skipping class seem fine more than they should. She doesn't drink often, but she'll be the first one to produce a fake ID to do a friend a favor.
She doesn't like authority just for the sake of it. For people she respects, like most if not all of the teachers here, she understands why it's desirable and more safe to follow their lead. People in authority just better have a good reason she should respect and listen to them, because she doesn't like taking that for granted. She doesn't think adults have their lives together any more than she does. She's seen enough of her family drama to know that.
How does this character handle tense social situations like arguments/fights?Audrey's a peacekeeper at heart, and although she can be passive a good deal of the time, she tries to get out ahead of drama before it starts and quell it. She isn't often the center of arguments herself, because she would've tried to talk it out with the other person, or more likely, just left. If other people are arguing, though, Audrey gets anxious. She doesn't like that kind of energy. So she tries to stop it. She's usually able to be the calm, rational one long enough to get people to stop, but then she has to take a break herself to catch her own breath.
When
she gets in an argument, Audrey's passivity leads to that ugly quality of passive aggression. It's deeply hypocritical,since she appreciates honesty from others so much. But she's the queen of saying that nothing's wrong, when clearly everything is. From Audrey, the silent treatment is especially frustrating because she's pretty quiet to start out with. It takes a few hours to notice that she probably did notice you calling her name; she's just ignoring it. The good news is, she usually just needs time and space to sort her own head out, and is pretty good at coming to people to resolve arguments eventually. Don't try to reach out to her beforehand, because that just prolongs everything.
What is their sense of humor like? Are they chronically unserious? How's their comedic timing? Do they hate potty humor?From the outside, Audrey looks like someone who's never seen a joke in their life. She has sort of a somber, wise presence, with a lot of wide-eyed staring and quiet contemplation. That's definitely the image she's cultivated; a wizened old soul with the knowledge of the ages. But the second you buy into that is the second she's won, and please don't let that happen. Point being, Audrey has a well-ingrained somewhat off-beat, sometimes immature, sense of humor. She's not as serious as she seems. Her joke delivery is
also straight-laced and completely deadpan, but she knows what she's doing. Puns are fun. She's appreciates toilet humor with all the gusto of a thirteen year old boy, except that she just expresses that with a straight face that is
maybe broken by a little smile. Audrey's very lowbrow, from salt-of-the-earth types. She may appear to be artistic and take herself awfully seriously, but honestly, right under that exterior is someone who thinks burping is hilarious sometimes, and pranks are fun always. She can be written off as a killjoy by those who don't know her, but those who
do probably have seen the side of Audrey that is the first to jump at a stupid and fun sounding idea.
FUN FACTS:
🔮Has read and memorized each of her friends' palms if allowed to do so.
🔮Doesn't like to drink or use any kind of substance. Not even caffeine too close to bedtime. Alcohol and other substances make her headaches bad and her dreams weird. Not the good kind. She can be persuaded to lightly indulge at parties, but she's the sober friend more often than not.
🔮She has a teacup and tea collection for leaf reading. Any contribution is met with sincere thanks. She has some pretty cool cups so far.
🔮 She gets migraine headaches easily, some of her triggers being alcohol, smoke, stress, and potion fumes. She doesn't take medication until she absolutely has to because she believes they actually assist her in gathering psychic energy toward her to make visions. It's maybe a problem-theory. She does take potions before she's completely incapacitated, usually, but if she's wearing sunglasses and mumbling a lot more than usual, probably it's a good indication that she's hurting.
LANGUAGES:Just English.
HOBBIES: Drawing,inflicting temporary (or permanent, for the brave) tattoos on herself and her friends, hiking, soaking in sun where she can find it
SKILLS:
Art!: Duh. She's got whole notebooks full of inked doodles, mostly delicately lined sketches of her friends, the trees, weird symbols that are meant to represent her visions, etc.
Tattooing: She does stick and poke tattoos the muggle way, aided with a little magic where she thinks it fits. More legally, she's good at transferring ink drawings to people's skins in a wizarding version of removable tattoos.
Divination: Whether because she's an actual Seer lying in wait (REALLY thinks she's an asshole for even thinking that) or just super sensitive to psychic energy (THAT one sounds pretty cringey too,) Audrey is especially attuned to hints about what's going to happen in the future. She's hooked, though, and practices this everywhere, looking for fates in palms, and sometimes waking up from cold sweats from dreams she's sure will come true. Then she records it as non-permanent tattoos. She's not sure to what end any of this is, but she likes exploring the craft.
Thrift Shopping: I mean, that's maybe because she works at Spellunking, but she can find you a cute outfit on a bargain. And also weird memorabilia.
Kids: She gets along really well with them, having two much younger adopted siblings. Falls distinctly into the role of Cool Babysitter/Aunt over Bossy Older Sister or Faux-Mom.
FAMILY:
Lina Humphrey: Birth Mom. Attorney in Seattle. Audrey grew up thinking she was her older cousin. They've started writing more frequently and still see each other at family gatherings.
Branson Braide: Birth dad. He's a healer in LA. They started writing when Audrey was in Bottleby, and they met up to hang out this last summer. It's a relationship that's budding.
Natalie (Humphrey) Poke: Aunt; adopted mother. Wizard counselor. They went through a little of a rough patch, but they've reconciled. She loves and admires her a lot.
Herbie Poke: Uncle; adopted father. A wizard plumbing specialist. A quiet man who cares about Audrey a lot.They listen to all the Quodpot games on the radio and eat junk food when she's home.
Starla Poke: Cousin/Sister. 12 years old. Reason Audrey has to take all her valuables to school. Starla loves when she's gone so she doesn't have to share a room anymore. Loves when she's there so she has someone to talk to about middle school.
Cyrus Poke: Cousin/Brother. 10 years old. Has begged for a tattoo and she can't do it, and it's sad.
BACKGROUND:Pahrump NV, boasting exactly one Walmart, a golf course, and little else, is a town where Muggles go to retire, mostly. The biggest claims to fame are the fact that it’s only 70 miles to Las Vegas, and also on the periphery of some national parks. Mostly deserts. It’s a perfect place for a small community of what most muggles write off as “quirky locals” to nestle into a corner. They did. The wizarding population of Pahrump is under 200 people, and slowly dwindling. Some stay to farm the nearby deserts for magical ingredients for wands and potions; some have business ventures in nearby Vegas and are a little more well off. It’s not a close-knit community by any means, more a gathering of wizards among muggles, sticking together for protection. They're all very willing to cut and run if a better opportunity comes along, and they all know that about each other. It's a tentative homeostasis, but it suits them just fine. They take care of their own when it counts.
Audrey has lived in Pahrump her whole life, in a shitty little duplex that was bigger, but not ever big enough on the inside. Her step-father was the only wizard plumber in the community, which was lucrative enough, and her mother worked as a counselor, apparating around a lot to remote desert patients who wouldn’t get care otherwise. She had two siblings who looked a lot different than she did, and were a lot younger than she was. Audrey was told that this was because she was the result of her mother’s previous relationship, and her birth father wasn’t around anymore. Her stepfather had adopted her when she was two. Herbie was a good man, hardworking and fair, and Audrey always loved him. But children seek answers, and she was no exception. The questions didn't come often, but sometimes she'd go down the trail. It was usually on her birthday, when she would sit and think for a moment, and then ask who the man on her birth certificate was. Why she’d never met him. What was wrong with him. She was told that it was nothing she should worry about right now. She had a good father, and a big family who were right here for her. No good came from chasing ghosts. And she did have more people to worry about. They were right. Audrey's grandmother Margie and her much older, but still really cool cousin Lina lived in the second half of their duplex, when she was visiting from being a MACUSA attorney in Seattle.
Besides. There was school to worry about. She had a growing life of her own. Their community didn't have its own wizarding grade school, so residents with kids had a choice to homeschool, or transport their offspring to a larger, public wizarding day school called Rabbitfoot Prep, home of the Jackrabbits. It was technically K-12, but the kind of school that young people wandered away from at age 11, when other options became available, unless they had no motivation or choice. It was assumed that Audrey would be among that number. She wasn't a remarkable child by anyone's imagination, except for the fact that she had headaches and nightmares more frequently than her mother cared for. She was helpful at home. She was low-key, easy to deal with, and she filled the house with art. Her parents were a little ashamed in their surprise that at her parent-teacher meeting at ten years old, they were seriously asked what their plans were for their child for the next step in her education. She could stay at Rabbitfoot. But she would not flourish there, they said. Audrey was bright. She got straight A's, and was always one of the last children in class, sitting quietly with a book, just to soak up those last few moments. And she was creative. (Had they
seen her art?) Bottleby was presented as an option. They were a little stunned, but applied. They were even more stunned when she got in.
Audrey didn't want to leave her family. And for a little, they were hesitant, too. They didn't know if she was ready such a commitment, so far away from anyone else. But her teacher at school was insistent they at least look,and when they toured, Audrey couldn't deny the pull. This was a place where people thrived. She could tell. So she went. Audrey flourished at Bottleby for the first two years. She made friends with people in her dormitory and outside it. She was never exactly an academic overachiever, but always bright and naturally curious about a variety of different topics. That served her well. She made a mark for herself with art, and she came home every break with lots of stories and souvenirs for her siblings, who she wrote all the time.
When she was thirteen, in the October of her 8th grade year, Audrey's headaches came back. She'd had them on and off when she a child. They went away by themselves, and the only other inconvenience were usually pretty bad dreams. This time was no exception. She dreamt vividly every night for a week of a tree in the desert, split in half by a lightning. A branch almost fell off. Then it glued itself back on again. A week later, Audrey got a letter from a Branson Braide. She opened it, and felt what that thunderclap must have meant.
Branson told her that he'd heard that she was going to his alma mater, where he'd met her mother so many years ago. He'd been trying to get the courage up to write her. He was sorry he hadn't reached out before, but he hadn't known what to say. He hadn't forgotten about her and he thought about her all the time. He was a healer in LA. She could write back if she wanted. He was her father. Audrey wrote to her mother and if she could have ever written a howler, it would've been then. She didn't get any answers until Thanksgiving, which made her angrier still. But her parents explained that they wanted to sit down with Lina, who wasn't her cousin at all. That was her birth mother.
Lina and Branson had met at Bottleby, hadn't exactly fallen in love, but did have a child together in her junior year. He finished school normally, she finished it a year late, leaving her baby in the care of her mother. The couple broke up and went their separate ways. Margie and Natalie were insistent that Lina still pursue her career, and they came to the painful agreement together that it would be easier for Lina to go do what she'd always wanted, and let Natalie, who was getting married soon anyway, raise the child as her own. They thought it would be a little less complicated. Clearly, they had not anticipated the father coming back in the picture.
And Audrey was angry for weeks. She came back to Bottleby, and let her grades sink. She didn't want to draw. She didn't want to do anything. She cried a lot. She hated most of all that she'd been lied to. She went to a friend's house for the next Christmas, and refused all letters from her parents. Any of them, since apparently she had a plethora all of a sudden. She was a whirlwind of emotion for a few months, and it was a pretty dark place for a little girl. Bottleby was strongly suggesting that she look elsewhere for her high school career, when she got just one more letter from her adopted father.
Miss ya, cheese fry.Which is a stupid nickname and a stupid letter, but it was born of her eating stupid junk with her father over Nasbroom and Quodpot, and represented the time they had together. She
did miss it. And him. He attached pictures of her done by her siblings, which was frankly emotional manipulation, but it worked. She sent back a picture of her own. Slowly, she started talking to her parents again. She sent letters to her birth parents too. Slower yet. But the tree was repairing itself, just like her dream thought it would. When she reached the point where she had to pick a high school, Audrey found that she didn't want to stay at Bottleby. She'd effectively tanked her GPA there, and had detention for missing so much class. She would've had to prove herself all over again, and Audrey decided she couldn't deal. She wanted a fresh start somewhere else. It felt suddenly important to run out and find her own way, and Peckenpaugh looked fascinating. It was across the country, which was long, but Audrey craved a little distance. Besides. A little rebellious streak in her screamed that she didn't really want to recreate her birth father's legacy, or whatever he wanted from her. Her parents were pretty wary, but they could hardly refuse her after all that.
Peckenpaugh was the breath of fresh air she needed. It was in a different place, far from all her drama and problems. She promised her siblings she'd write this time, and she's kept that promise. The school was good for Audrey. It expanded her horizons a lot more, and she fell in love with not just the school itself, but the whole town of Elflock Falls. She began working at Spellunking just as soon as they'd let her, and sends home dumb sweaters for her siblings all the time. It was only natural that given her newfound freedom meant a
little rebellion, though, and as a sophomore, Audrey fell in with some seniors who were too cool for their own good and they were
also very bad at stick'n'poke tattoos. This captivated Audrey instantly. Drawing was cool, but drawing permanently on skin? Amazing. The seniors taught her a little. Once home for the summer, she wandered to the town's only combination wizarding liquor store/tattoo parlor and asked the artist to teach her. He said that she looked twelve. But he did teach her how to do temporary tattoos, so she would leave him alone. She came back to school in her junior year absolutely covered with symbols from every dream she'd had for weeks. The art of telling the (maybe) future had roped her in at exactly the same time, and she felt it was more meaningful to document that on herself. She showed more restraint so as to not draw too much attention later on.
Last summer, Audrey met her birth father in person for the first time. It went fine. They just went out for lunch. He's disturbingly normal; he was wearing a suit and everything. He looked like he was about to try to give her money for a belated birthday present for exactly three seconds before she apparated home. She didn't want money. They still talk, though, by letter and by phone. It's still weird, but. It's not nothing. Audrey, in her senior year, is more concerned with telling the future as a general concept than forming her own. She isn't very much worried with a career. Money will come. Maybe she'll be a real deal fortune teller. Or get a tattoo job. Whatever. Her money line is pretty wavy, so she's not banking on riches. She'll figure it all out.
WAND:Cactus Cat spine and Vine; 11.5"
FAMILIAR: She has a black and white rat named Copenhagen, a place she's never been, but thinks would be neat.
PART-TIME JOB: She works part-time at Spellunking, and she likes it a lot.Her belongings are 3/4ths thrifted anyway,and Kyle's really chill.
CLASSES: Transfiguration: Audrey's not great at classes that are mostly based in theory, and Transfiguration is one of those. She's the sort to zone out halfway through lectures and end up with a teacup with a tail.
Charms:A bit more dynamic, so she does a bit better. She's not always preoccupied with flawless wand movement or whatever, so again, her Charms in practice can read a little lazy, but she manages low A grades.
Potions: She's in this still only because she thinks it could benefit her in ink development and other artistic endeavors. If someone brews bad potions she gets pretty bad headaches but that's a risk she takes.
Herbology (H): It's probably super obvious, but Audrey's a little crunchy. She loves the hands in the dirt, growing things
feeling. She's patient enough to have a green thumb, and tend her little plants to plant adulthood.
Astronomy (H): This is the perfect marriage of stars and just enough quiet for her to want to work hard. She likes how integral the heavenly bodies are, and she feels like she needs to know as much about them as possible, so she dedicates a lot to Astronomy.
Cryptozoology/Magizoology: If magic creatures are living all around them, she may as well learn. She doodles a lot in this class, but she's engaged.
Outdoor Magic: Audrey isn't
big into organized sports, but she loves being outdoors whenever she can, and the survival techniques are interesting. So it's worth the sacrifice.
Divination (TA;H): This is what Audrey clearly pours most of her time into. She likes palmistry for long-term outcomes because those are fates that are wrapped up in your skin from the very start. She believes that the best methods are ones written up in the person looking for answers. Drinking tea's a personal experience, and so she likes reading leaves best for dynamic questions. Her most successful method of divination has been her own dreams, but obviously that's pretty unpredictable. In class, she dips in all of it, out of curiosity. She likes the idea that you don't know everything if you haven't explored an avenue, so she'll never mock a method, and tries everything presented to her with the same enthusiasm.
EXTRA-CURRICULARS: Adventure Club: Cue that love of the outdoors, again. She goes on a lot of hikes and camping trips with her family back at home, and this scratches that itch.
Bowling: Audrey is always going to be a sucker for some nice, wholesome fun at the end of the day. Her form isn't terrible, but she isn't in this to be competitive.
Creative Writing Club: She's largely in this for the book discussions, but has taken to writing crossover fanfiction between live action and animated Disney movies. It's not exactly highbrow literature, but she thinks it's funny. Once in a while, she'll slip in a poem she's actually worked hard on.
Culinary Club: There's something just really soothing about cooking and eating food with a group of people. Audrey isn't a gourmand by any standards, but she's decent at whipping up simple comfort food.
Film: In it for the Boss Baby discourse and fodder for her crossover fics.
SORTING?: Audrey dreamed about a ghostly white moth for days before starting Peckenpaugh. She thought maybe it was just because of her research on the school. The word
moth stuck in her head. Still. It was the kind of dream that was interesting; the way it all went black and greyscale except for the light of the single moth, flitting onward, leaving dust as she didn't quite follow. She just watched it go, but it was never any further away. She'd sketched the little moth on to her ankle the day of sorting.
Audrey took her sweet time wandering through the sorting path. She measured each question in turn. When she got into the spring room, the moths running around made her startle and smile. "Where is this place?" She called out. "What are you missing?" was called back. She barely remembered what she answered, just that it flowed out of her, and she followed a little white moth as a light rain began to fall. Her illuminated door was Mothgarden, and she stepped through easily.
NAME: Lyss!
EMAIL:facemcfacerson@gmail.com
CDJ:~helplyss
OTHER CONTACT: No!
TIMEZONE:CST!
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