User Profile

Sentiments of the Ministry~
The Ministry is a corrupt, paranoid body of propaganda that is proving its ineptness as it issues blanket doctrine to punish the Deatheaters, yet they are doing nothing substantial to ensure it never happens again. That is the belief he lays at the feet of the Old Guard that lead the Ministry. They are too obsessed over protocol and precedence to be an effective body. They are capable of making mistakes- big mistakes- so Michael sees them as for what they are. Scared old men and women who are using the war as an excuse to consolidate their power to make themselves feel safe, while largely ignoring the needs of the public and their beaten enemy. He mostly intends to use his art and writing abilities to playful but sharply jab at this Institution.

Sentiments of the Order of the Phoenix~
The Order of the Phoenix has served its purpose, bled for the people and safeguarded their lives. Its time that it is allowed to disband so its members can regain some semblance of their normal lives. He was honored to serve in their ranks since his graduation from Hogwarts. He sees in them a more selfless body than the Ministry that wants to protect the people. Its sad in a way that none of these people have a mind for political office. They are just the kind needed to restore the Ministry.

Height~ 6'2". He is three inches taller than people remember, thanks to a late growth spurt.
Weight~ 165lbs.
Build~ Thin, but not emaciated. He is naturally slender. Michael's physique is about the same as it was at Hogwarts. If anything he has lost a small amount of weight due to not eating well while out in the field. He tends to eat sparingly and sleep even less when stressed, which can eat at his weight.
Eyes~ Medium Blue
Hair~ Chestnut Brown; fine-textured, straight. Usually styled in business-like fashion. It occasionally falls over an eye. During formal events, he gives his business style haircut a wet look. Its obvious when he has been overworked when his hair is disheveled and he has sparse facial growth.

Discernable Features~
Naturally pale flesh and noticeably redder lips, Michael has the "classic" English witch look about him, save for his eyes. Michael's face is thin without being gaunt. His ears are large and stick out some, so he hides it with his hair. His nose is noticeable because it is somewhat large and has a subtle turndown at the bridge. Around his eyes is usually possessed of a scarletness, hinting at the fact that he rarely gets a full eight hours of sleep.. or he's got some minor hay fever. When he removes his robes, they reveal his frail-looking arms and body. Michael's body is on the side of hairlessness. He only has hair in the usual places, although his legs and forearms have a dark dusting of it.

Michael's default look has a quasi-content quality while connoting a compassion and intelligence. Its almost like he's repeating a personally amusing pun to himself. Looking at him, it would seem unlikely that he has much temper. Michael has a quality that denotes a professional tension to the way he holds his body. When he does smile, he puts his whole body into it which can melt away a degree of his innate tenseness. Michael has the look of someone who is constantly thinking- working things out, thinking of ways to do jobs. Planning his next commission. The hints of Michael being an artist are also seen in the fact that his fingers are usually smudged with ink.

Dress Style~
Nerd-chic, or perhaps more accurately put- reforming nerd. Michael has lost the proverbial pocket protector but is usually seen in crisp, clean oxfords of varying color (he has learned that there is more than just white) that are almost never tucked in. He wears ties on collared shirts and button decoration on banded collars. His choice of trousers are relaxed fit slacks, always with a belt. He wears comfortable dress shoes. He is sometimes seen in clean-lined, oval-shaped wireframe glasses but more often than not he wears contacts. His robes are simple in that they lack luxurious embellishments. He prefers black and dark, subtle tones for his robes- they usually have a hood. Essentially he still dresses as if he were a student.

Physical Merits~ Good eye-hand coordination. Flexible. Steady hands.
Physical Flaws~ Physically weak (not strong). Allergic to dogs and peanut butter. While dogs just make him itch, sneeze and see to it that his eyes water, his peanut butter allergy is nasty. If he touches peanuts, his hands will swell and break out in hives. If he eats a peanut butter sandwich, his throat closes and his tongue swells.

PB~ Shaun Haugh

Achilles Heel~
The notion of combat- of physically hurting another person- is quite distasteful to Michael. Although he has strong moral fiber on issues, he would rather use words than hexes. He has no taste for violence, abhors using it and limits himself to dehibilitating, inconvenient, stunning and disarming spells when brought to physical confrontation. He isn't exactly a coward, but he will fight only in self-defense and only until escape is plausible. He doesn't believe in pre-emptive attack and will only react- defend- himself. Diplomacy to him is always an option, and the first choice.

Boon~
Michael is artistic. He was partial to prose, and still is, but has added an interest in journalism to his repetoire. He sees himself as a creator, not a destroyer and prefers to be a bystander over an active participant these days. He has had his fill of conflict, and lost people he cares for. Michael is artistic in the sense that he draws well and is "good with a quill" in that he is a fair forger. His attention to detail is largely what makes him successful in these ventures. While his writing skill is his vocational interest, drawing is more of a hobby. He isn't very comfortable with fame, however, so almost everything he does is done under a pen name.

Oddities~
Michael likes to collect tribal masks of various worldly indigenous peoples. He is intruiged that a mask has a psychology all its own- the assuming a different face, taking in the power of another through association and- of course- the masks we as Humans put up everyday in our emotions and actions. He is interested in fish and amateur botany. He raises orchids in his small dormitory. Michael sees fish and orchids as "a practice in patience," which is why he does it. Michael reads mystery novels for pleasure because "creativity keeps the mind sharp."

Michael does like Quidditch but can't personally play, not has he ever gone out for any team. His favorite player, “Dangerous” Dai Llewellyn of the Caerphilly Catapults, adorned his walls of Hogwarts during his most intense interest in the sport. Now that Quidditch is back, he will probably renew his own interest.

Michael, aside from his own artistic endeavors, appreciates the fine arts and literature of both teh wizarding and muggle worlds. He indulges in fine music, fine art- especially nude sculpture with mythic themes, and wine. He can't cook, but he'd like to learn. He doesn't drink butterbeer very often (usually just after work with 'the guys' in a social setting) and is laughed at sometimes because he has a taste for chocolate milk. He likes the theatre.

Michael likes romance novels, as silly as that may be for a man. He also writes them under a pen name. His pen name is a woman and although she has never been seen in public, Michael's knowledge of potions could allow "her" to be seen someday, especially if her name grows.

Paradigm & Praxis~
Life is not about wealth or power. Its not about how many sexual partners one person can have and who has the cutest lover. Its not about gross examples of materialism. To Michael, life is about three things- continuing to be educated for the simple sake of personal excellence, and the hope that his stories and art will inspire others, even if he does it through the anonymity of pen names. He likes the idea of moving people with his words and images. To bring the light of culture and contact to the world is his fondest wish. Lastly, life is meant to be experienced. He loves to travel and explore. In Michael's opinion, a writer can only truly write about what he has experienced.

Michael does not see the world as black and white, good and evil. The world is a series of greys, but he is willing to assume someone is a good person when he first meets them. Only through his perception of their actions and their words can he judge otherwise. He likes to think that most people have within them a Divine Spark. Only through their actions can they destroy that little piece of untainted good. Even people who are "evil" can gain Michael's sympathy. Something had to make them evil and he likes to maintain the precept that an evil person can be rehabilitated. Evil to Michael is a mental sickness that doesn't have to be permanent if the right conditions are in place. But Michael will not waste energy on those who do not wish to change. He realizes that there is nothing to salvage for someone like Lord Voldemort. They have killed their divine spark and there is nothing remotely "Human" about them anymore.