Pinned Intro Post
I’ve got a link to Dirk’s bio HERE for folks to use :D
Or have a look below the cut for a full intro! :D
Character name: Dirk Cresswell Age & Birthday: Age 20, Birthday March 18th Gender & Pronouns: CisMale He/Him Occupation: Goblin Liaison Officer Blood status: Muggleborn Previous house: Hufflepuff Previous Affiliation: Order Face claim: Ryan Potter Traits:
Positive: Stalwart, Loving, Empathetic
Stalwart: Dirk was instilled with firm beliefs from his family, to always be kind, and always stand up for those who need it. Because of this, he won’t stand idly by while someone’d being mistreated (Human, Beast of Being) and is heavily involved in several rights advocation groups around the ministry.
Loving: Dirk loves to love. He’s always open to make new friends and (possibly) find someone to share his life with. This also led him to have an open mind, even with those who’re rude to him. He’d rather sit down a racist or blood-supremacist and get them to see him as a person and how they can relate to one another then give up on them entirely.
Empathetic: It’s one of Dirk’s strongest traits to always see the world from the point of view of another and understand how things can be difficult for them. Because of this he’s a great person to come to with a problem that needs to be solved.
Negative: Impulsive, Naive, Self-Sacrificing
Impulsive: Dirk is easily swayed by emotions, to the point that he’s (more than once) yelled out in the middle of a meeting and been unable to see the logic past the feelings. This can cause him to act impulsively which can make problems down the line.
Naive: Dirk’s always been taught to see the good in people and this can sometimes cause him to overlook obvious flaws in others can get himself into less-than-ideal situations.
Self-Sacrificing: Dirk is the kind of guy who’ll end up setting himself on fire to keep others warm and on more than one occasion has left himself unhealthily exhausted stepping in to help a friend.
CHARACTER SUMMARY:
TW: Racism
Dirk was no stranger to being different, he’d felt singled out since the moment he was old enough to realise the other kids in his school looked different. His mother was British, his father Japanese and he’d spent the first four years of his life being raised in Tokyo. His father was a prominent businessman and when he was transferred to London he and his mother didn’t hesitate to immigrate, the pay and benefits too good to pass up. They’d only been in London for a few months before Dirk was enrolled in nursery and already his linguistic skills were starting to show themselves. He picked up English quicker than some of his native schoolmates and had thought they’d all be good friends until another boy in his class told him to ‘go back to China.’ He’d been confused, he was Japanese? And upset. Running home after school he cried to his mother who sat him down and explained some people, small minded, cruel people, wouldn’t accept him simply because he was born somewhere different. But, despite their cruelty, he needed to stay kind. It was a lesson he strove to never forget.
So, Dirk continued to grow as a happy, healthy boy. His passions were, Akido, which his father taught him every evening (with a bo staff and without), and languages, which his mother taught him more when he got home from school. By the time he was eleven Dirk he’d earned his first dan grade (entry black belt) in Akido and spoke fluent English, Japanese, Mandarin and some French. It had been a usual afternoon in the summer holidays when a knock came to their door and a strangely dressed man came in to speak to his parents. It turned out he had magic! Strange as it seemed some things made sense to Dirk now… a time he’d swore a cup moved before he touched it, or when a bad fall in a sparring match didn’t seem to hurt him at all. But, having it confirmed in such a way was shocking. His parents, ever practical, had a million questions and Dirk sat quietly and politely, drinking in as much as he could.
Hogwarts was… amazing and terrifying in equal measure. He’d followed the other kids, though ended up standing with the more nervous looking ones as a stern woman held a hat out then placed it on his head. A voice told him he showed great intelligence, and a kindness and understanding beyond his years. It asked him if he’d rather be smart or kind and remembering his mother’s words he’d answered ‘kind.’ “Hufflepuff!” Was yelled to the hall and he stood on wobbly legs to go over to his new table, seeing several friendly faces greeting him. Turns out, he’d chosen wisely, by the end of the feast he had several friends who seemed as interested in his muggle life as he was in their magical ones. Even better, a girl in his year came from normal- muggle- parents as well!
He excelled in school but was saddened when he saw no languages on his timetable. Dirk held back after a Herbology lesson to speak with Professor Sprout and tried to explain to her how much he loved languages and all the different ones he could speak. She listened and thrilled with his passion passed on his request to Professor Dumbledore. Within a week he was pulled from a class to meet Arlor, a goblin from Gringotts and Vorsel Udek, a member of the mertribe in Hogwarts’ Great Lake. His face lit up as he learned both were willing to teach him their languages and Dirk’s time in school became set. By his fifth year he’d mastered both languages and was close friends with the mertribe of the Great Lake and several members of Gringotts, chatting fluent Gobbledegook when he stopped by every August with his parents. He left Hogwarts with O’s and E’s in his Newts and (partly thanks to a very strong reference from Arlor) a job training with the Goblin Liaison Office under the department’s head, Cuthbert Mockridge. Despite his age he fit in well and carried out as much work as he could, other departments even asking to borrow him on occasion for his polyglot abilities.
Despite being so settled in the magical world, Dirk never forgot his muggle upbringing. He finished learning Mandarin, earned his second dan blackbelt (a third could only be offered to a master sensei) and still loved muggle culture. He had a TV in his own small London apartment, phones installed and spoke to his family and some old primary school friends. Dirk saw himself as a mixture of many cultures, British, Japanese, Magical and Muggle. He strove to be kind to everyone, being or beast and treat all equally, this only endeared him further to goblins and merfolk and many other people at the ministry. As the conflict between the Order and Death Eaters began, Professor Dumbledore came to him with a request to join the Order and he accepted; while he never saw conflict, Dirk made himself very useful chatting with Goblins, Merfolk and Giants (he was one of five people in the UK who were passable in Giantongue) earning intel and building alliances. When the battle came to a swift conclusion, Dirk happily continued with his life, working at the ministry, meeting friends and living the best life he could!
Anything else?:
I have some headcanons I’d love to share!
1. Dirk is a black belt in Akido. His father is Japanese and despite moving to London for work didn’t want Dirk losing his birth culture. So, every night he and his father bonded by running through movements, sparring with one another and the meetings became a safe space for the father and son to bond. Even now if he’s feeling bad about something Dirk will visit his parents and as his father to spar, then afterwards they’ll talk. While he’s only had to use the skills on a handful of occasions, he’ll never forget the look of shock on a schoolmate’s face when he disarmed them of their wand after they threatened to jinx his friend. Magic was powerful, but sometimes a little physical skill was needed too.
2.Dirk speaks eight languages. English, Japanese, Mandarin, Latin, Gobbledegook, Mermish & some Gianttongue. He’d always had a gift for languages which he and his parents discovered when he was learning English after moving from Tokyo. He picked it up so quickly that they ended up buying his other books on language to encourage the skill. When he was in Hogwarts it saddened him that there were no language options and Professors Sprout and Dumbledore managed to find him a tutor for Gobbledegook and Mermish so that he could learn those alongside his usual classes. Now he’s got several friends in Mertribes and Goblin society and hopes to put his Gianttongue to use as well.
3.Dirk hair is a bright green colour. During his second year at Hogwarts Dirk was taking a potions class when there was an enormous explosion behind him and he was covered head to toe in the content of his classmates’ cauldron. While it did his skin no harm, it left his hair a vibrant green. Far from being put off, he ended up loving the colour, Dirk loved it and (after as close to a huge argument as he got with his parents) was allowed to keep it. If nothing else, he’s very easy to spot around the ministry now!
