Post by Liam Kelly on Dec 1, 2017 23:11:01 GMT -5
Full Character Name: William "Liam" Caron Kelly
D.o.B./Age: 1 December 2000, age 28
Place of Residency: Brodie, Scotland (this is a fictional place to the best of my knowledge); Fife, Scotland (sometimes); St. Andrews, Scotland (other times)
Blood Status: (regrettably) Mixed Blood
Former School / House: Hogwarts/Hufflepuff
Wand: Ash, dragon heartstring, 12", unyielding
Position Requesting: Professional Quidditch player (Kenmare Kestrels, Chaser/Team Captain)
Credentials:
History:
Irish Birth: Born in Killarney, Ireland on 1 December 2000, William Caron Kelly was his parents' only child. They had no other children but Mrs. Kelly decided William was quite enough. Mr. Kelly, a hard worker for the Ministry, never seemed to be able to forgive William for some unknown reason. He was rather hard on his son, causing the boy to develop a sense of inadequacy around his father. He preferred keeping company with his mother instead, as she showered him with love and always called him her "little wonder boy".
Outward Appearances: The Kellys enjoyed their good social standing in their small community in southwestern Ireland. Mostly consisting of farmers, weekenders from England, Scotland and Dublin, and tourists, Killarney usually had lots to do until winter drove outsiders away. Three expectations existed in the community: (1) that all its boys be manly and excel at sports, (2) that all its girls be neat and clean, witty and strong (if not pretty), and (3) that all its families be spotted attending the Catholic Church in town. Being a Pureblood Wizarding Family (perhaps Ireland's second oldest behind the McMahons), the Kellys struggled with Muggle affairs, especially religious duties. Mr. Kelly, Mrs. Kelly, and William were all baptized in the Catholic Church, but their adherence to its theology and social rules were more relaxed than most others. William learned how to balance his magical life (kept inside the home) with his Muggle life (kept outside the home). Outside the home, of course, he followed the expectations of Killarney society, and he was quite good at keeping up appearances.
The Clever Boy: Liam began school at a young age (5) and he was always the youngest in his class, but he was very clever. When he was in the third-grade (ages 7-8), he learned how to pick on kids that knew less than he did. He often took some of his classes in the fourth-grade room, so he felt he was superior to his third-grade classmates. His cleverness helped him in later years as well. He was always hanging around the older grades anyway. Boys in the older years called him "the Clever Boy" because he fought back with them when they picked on him, and usually he could hold his own.
Hogwarts: Knowing he was a Wizard from birth shed some light on Liam's later years in grade school. Mr. Kelly liked to pull him aside and "give him lessons" on how to treat Muggles once he was accepted to Hogwarts. Liam didn't like the attitude his father took toward his Muggle classmates, but in these "lessons" he did find some value: he knew he would have to say goodbye to his Muggle friends someday, and he knew that he'd have to be strong when answering questions from his peers regarding his new school. It was in these preparatory moments that Liam began to build foundations of caring for others, particularly those who he'd picked on. He felt a need to protect them from something...maybe him, maybe his world...but he couldn't tell what it was. Once he began school at Hogwarts, all the frightening aspects of magic convinced Liam that the Statute of Secrecy was a very good thing, that his world and the Muggle world should be separate.
Quidditch: Liam fell in love with Quidditch. He'd always been interested in sports and he'd competed in sports as a Muggle school student in Killarney, but from his very first flying lesson, he was smitten with the popular Wizarding game. He tried out for the Hufflepuff team in his second year (since first years weren't traditionally allowed to play) and was stunned to be accepted as a chaser. He would play that role all his Quidditch lifetime. Hufflepuff was a solid team throughout his time at Hogwarts, but the Quidditch Cup always seemed to escape them at the last moment. Liam was able to get through his six years of Quidditch without any major injuries, and that led him to believe he was invincible.
Post-Hogwarts: Liam was sought after by a few professional Quidditch clubs in the British and Irish Quidditch League. The Chudley Canons thought he would be a great addition to their aging squad. Puddlemere United wanted him as a Reserve Chaser, putting him on a trial period to see what he might be able to do to help their (already good) chances of taking home the League Cup again. The Ballycastle Bats attended all three of his Seventh Year matches with Hufflepuff. The Kenmare Kestrels took great interest in him...from afar...but ultimately decided not to pursue recruiting him to their side. They wanted a champion-caliber player, and his Hufflepuff record didn't include a Quidditch Cup in it. In the end, he had offers from both Puddlemere and Ballycastle. Ultimately, Liam thought Puddlemere United might be his best chance to win a championship, given the caliber of players the side had recruited, but he also graciously thanked Ballycastle for their investments in him, and he looked forward to working with them in the future, should fate put them together again. Liam was disappointed his hometown side had dismissed him so readily. He proved the Kestrels wrong...eventually. Liam's scholastic interests brought him home to Killarney as well. Maeve's School - not a year-round school due to Hogwarts' coverage of the UK and Ireland - had never been on his radar (thanks to Mr. Kelly and his need to keep up Muggle appearances) until he had met with his advisor at Hogwarts to discuss his future. He was surprised to find that the summer school was interested in taking on an intern. But once he understood what his commitments would be with Puddlemere United, Liam had to withdraw his application to intern at Maeve's School (regrettably). This set-back brought to his attention his interests in teaching, which he'd never really explored until this moment in his life.
Puddlemere United: True to form, Puddlemere fielded a team to be proud of. Even in the reserves, Liam worked very hard in training and earned himself three starts because of his work. In his first-ever appearance, he scored seven goals (70 points) and contributed to a narrow victory against Wigtown. The media lauded him as one among the League's Promising Young Players. Liam improved upon his premier, notching a career-high twelve goals (120 points) in a blow-away victory against Chudley Cannons in his second start, midway through the season. His final start came in the last match of the season, against Wimborne. The Wasps entered the match with the league's best 10-1 record, against United's 9-2 tally, pitting #1 against #2. Liam was confounded by Wimborne's defense and he struggled to put in his total six goals (60 points, lowest of his three starts). United fell to defeat in the match, after pulling even with Wimborne at 620-620, when Wimborne plucked the snitch out of the sky for a final score 770-620. Liam wanted to get a start in the Quarterfinal match versus Tutshill, but the manager kept him benched during the thrilling 700-360 victory. He applied to the manager for a start in the Semifinal match against Holyhead, but again he was benched ("not enough experience in the pro-league tournament," being the excuse); United went on to sneak past the Harpies, 550-390. Management met with Liam prior to the Finals match against Wimborne, letting him know that they appreciated his work and his contributions to the team, but they had an offer to trade him to Ballycastle for the Bats' second-best Chaser, and they had taken the bid. Liam didn't even try to vouch for himself in the Finals, and he was benched all the same. Wimborne collected the snitch again, but this time they fell short against a ferocious United offense that scored 98 goals in gameplay and became champions by a final score of 980-880.
Ballycastle Bats:
2021: Liam's first season was disastrous. He didn't click with the other Chasers and his practices almost always led to fights among his teammates. There was no chemistry, and Liam meant to say something about it, but he never did; being a rookie, he knew his place. When they did manage to win, it was a huge surprise to everyone involved. Needless to say, their coach was fired at the end of the season, and several players decided to pursue other professional options in leagues abroad.
2022: At the start of Liam's second season, there were three new Chasers (one on reserve), two new Beaters (both replacing the Beaters who were planning to retire at the season's end) and a new Seeker (good riddance!). The team struggled through its 12-match schedule but managed to start off 2-2. They lost three straight before winning again, improving to 3-5. At this point, the team got together and really started to work on chemistry and cohesion. Even though they would finish 4-8 and fail to qualify for the tournament, they played their final four matches like a well-oiled machine.
2023: Liam's final season on contract with Ballycastle saw a disappointing 0-4 start to the season, despite a great off-season for the club. Each of the four losses came on the road and by a margin of fewer than 100 points each. The side came alive in their first home match against Holyhead, outscoring the Harpies 470-250. The well-oiled machine proceeded to rattle off six straight wins for a 7-4 record heading into their final showdown. This match saw Liam deal with his first major injury, and Falmouth (the eventual champions) downed the Bats a disappointing 680-350. Liam was taken out of the match by a bludger halfway through, sustaining an injury in his right leg that hospitalized him for a week. As such, when the Bats met the Holyhead Harpies in the 2023 Quarterfinals, Liam had only just been cleared to play. The Harpies snagged a 290-260 win by catching the snitch.
Kenmare Kestrels: Liam hesitated before re-signing with Ballycastle. He saw them going in a direction that he was interested in being a part of, but he wasn't excited to continue working with them. His then-best friend Shannon Sullivan had taken an offer to play with Kenmare, and the Kestrels wanted Liam to come as well. He did, finally, despite having doubts about leaving Ballycastle.
2024 season: Liam's first season came with the highs and lows expected in professional sports, but in his relationship with Shannon, there seemed to be no ceiling. Following their quarterfinals win, Liam and Shannon decided to prove rumors correct and become a couple. Though their Finals loss to Puddlemere saturated their party, Kestrels fans avowed the couple that they didn't blame them for the loss. This proved to be fickle and untrue.
2025 season: Going into the new season, Liam and Shannon faced some push back on their relationship from fans who wanted to see them pay for the Finals loss, especially when one fan cited Liam's history with the champions and drew conclusions that Liam had thrown the match due to some sick obsession with the team that gave him away. While attempting to weather the storm gracefully in the public eye, some of their teammates appeared to be skeptical about the two chasers' abilities to focus on the game and not each other. Inexplicably, though, Shannon cracked under the public pressure and initiated a transfer away from Kenmare to Holyhead midway through the season. With Shannon gone, Liam focused his attention on succeeding, taking every loss personally. A shocking loss to Tutshill saw Liam almost lose his cool with the press. Where he had been a darling of the league before, support for him now soured in the wake of his outburst. Two matches later, the 8-1 Kestrels faced a similar setback against Chudley, following a stunning defeat of Montrose with an equally stunning loss to Chudley. This time, Liam lost his cool with the press when badgered, and from then on, he was labeled as the "Fighting Irishman". Kenmare went on to finish the season 10-2 and to pull off a vengeful Semifinal round win against Tutshill, 900-670. To the displeasure of the Wizarding community, Kenmare and the Fighting Irishman downed Falmouth in the final to take away the League Cup. It would be Liam's last League Cup win of this edition of his Quidditch career.
2026: Early in the 2026 season, Liam was targeted by a Wimborne beater and in the midst of the match. His injury was healed quickly, and he helped lead the Kestrels to an undefeated season, but after a finals defeat to Montrose, the media pounced on him again. Liam considered retiring from Quidditch and he didn't re-sign with the Kestrels at his contract deadline. Kenmare released him after lengthy conversations about his future.
Life After Quidditch: The summer of 2026, Liam spent in Killarney as the Dark Arts Defense Instructor at Maeve's School of Magic. Teaching was quickly becoming his new passion, and he loved helping his students increase their knowledge and understanding of their world through his lessons. Still, he felt like a bird with a broken wing, and he was unsure how to fill the void Quidditch left.
In the year of 2026-2027, Liam spent a lot of time zig-zagging across the UK and Ireland. Liam's successes as a Professional Quidditch player helped him reach upper-middle-class status, economically, and in 2027, he chose to move to Scotland for a while, just to get out of the public eye. He still communicated with his ex-girlfriend (they split in the middle of the 2025 season, deciding that it was easier to be friends than lovers), but for a long time, Shannon was the only person with whom he maintained a connection.
Brodie: Liam became a proud puppy owner within the last year after he found a Jack Russell Terrier struggling in the Yorkshire Moors. The stray had managed to escape the pound where she had lived from birth, but she'd gotten herself in the thick of it in the saturated moors. When Liam decided to adopt her, he struggled over names for her. Emily was one he'd considered (after famous authoress Emily Bronte), and Catherine was another (for Bronte's the reckless and spirited female hero of Wuthering Heights). Ultimately, though, he settled on Brodie, named for the Scottish village he lived in at that time. Brodie and Liam have been bonded to each other ever since.
Ellie: Reverting back to some of his old habits, Liam began to put himself out in the Brodie community, choosing first to check out and attend their local community church. It wasn't Catholic, but it felt like a good fit given Liam's present crisis in his life. As part of the membership process, Liam had to meet with persons on the church council; one of these persons was the Minister's daughter, Ellie Douglas. She was around the same age as Liam and was, herself, seeking a professional life. Her's was to follow in her father's footsteps and become a minister. Liam had never seen a female minister before (his background being primarily in the Catholic Church) and as he began to learn little bits and pieces of Ellie's story, he became more and more interested in knowing her. Their's were some of the greatest debates surrounding church life, faith, theology (as much as Liam could understand of it) and the state of being human and what it meant. He was careful not to mention his own magic abilities to Ellie, fearing that she might not continue to be interested in him when she found out. Nevertheless, he began to feel uncomfortable denying himself a huge portion of who he was; his thoughts and desires turned back to life in the Wizarding World.
The End of the Statute of Secrecy (and its impact on Liam's life): When the Statute of Secrecy was lifted in the late 2020s, Liam's family stood out in opposition to it. They agreed that the Muggle World and the Magic World were too dangerous for the other to be overlapped, and they put pressure on Liam to take their side. Liam didn't take any side, initially, because he saw merits to both the worlds and the people in them, because he didn't like living in secrecy, and because he found his parents' stance to be very hypocritical (especially because they had kept a foot in each world for all his life). His neutrality drove a wedge down the middle of his family as some came to his support and other condemned him for not siding with family. His mother wrote him a very long and emotional owl in which she begged him to take their side and pointed out to him that, "The Muggle world is so much more dangerous today because of the lifting of the Statute. Hogwarts is being bombed, students are being harassed, and the overall perception of Wizards and Witches is not good. Is that the world you want to live in?" Until moving to Brodie, Liam remained neutral in his stance. And then he met Ellie. What might she say if a Wizard walked into and became a member of the church community she loved so much? How might that totally change her life? In caring for her wellbeing, Liam found himself torn again between the Yeah and the Nay camps of the Lifting the Statute debate. If she found out about him, would he lose her?
Return to the Wizard World: Heavy-hearted, in late 2027, Liam decided that he needed to be with his people again, doing the things he loved to do. He made a public announcement to the Professional Quidditch media about his return, sparking a frenzy among the public (some who had now repented for their condemnation of him and pleaded for his return) and the professional teams as well. The Irish National Team approached him first, informing him that there was still a place for him to join the team, but he would need to go through rigorous training and conditioning before being found able to play, and there were no guarantees he would be given a spot either, after being tested physically, psychologically and technically (skills). He attended several training camps for professional teams in the recruiting process, during the early months of 2028
Personality and Fun facts:
Liam can be a prick, he can be tough to be around (stubborn, like most Irish), he can even make himself very dislikable; but at his core, Liam is very good. He longs to care for others but he is still rough around the edges and (if it seems possible) socially awkward enough that he doesn't know how to express care sometimes. His pursuit to be a DADA Professor is one expression of his desire to care for students. He is also developing a sense of who he wants to be. Will he be a parent? Will he continue pursuing teaching? Would he like to be a husband? A boyfriend? A mentor?
Liam likes to play with the big kids (and he always has), but he dislikes it when he gets picked on for being "the runt" of the group (also a dislike since childhood). He's grown to like young people, especially teens, because of their vision for their future. Teaching youth has been one of the greatest lessons for Liam. He loves Quidditch, mostly because he was good enough to go professional with it, but Quidditch reminds him of his inadequacy issues, particularly now that he can't play it like he used to. In that vein, Liam hates his crippled leg; he hates what it has taken away from him, and he hates that he appears to be a person who is broken.
Spellcasting has always been a fascination of Liam's. He has always been fond of (and skilled with) silent incantations. When he was working with Maeve's School of Magic in Killarney, he worked best with students who were learning to cast spells wordlessly. He's always wanted to study Occlumency for this reason as the magic of the mind remains a life-long fascination for him.
Though he chooses to be a merry person, Liam isn't always very pleasant to be around. Especially, he despises anyone who reminds him of his inability to play Quidditch anymore. At the mention of his shortcomings, he can either explode in a temper at the person, or he can internalize his rage and self-medicate through binge-drinking. He is working very hard to be sober...okay, not sober, but not belligerent drunk all the time...and he has learned that he can be a highly functioning drunk/tipsy person.
When they were dating still, Shannon knew that Liam's weak spot was just below his ear. He would have no defenses if anyone so much as blew on that spot. He was that ticklish there. She also knew that he had no defenses against monkey faces, or monkey imitations, no matter how hard he tried to resist. When he'd get grumpy or stubborn, she would make a monkey face at him to snap him out of it. Even now, as his friend, she knows how to break him of his melancholy.
Physical Description:
Liam maintains a good physique. He looks like a Chaser (if ever they had a look) with broad shoulders and muscular arms, but his whole physique is similar to that of a European footballer.
Height: The Irish aren't known for being very tall (though some are). Liam is almost 5'9.
Build: Liam still works out as much as he's able so that he can maintain his athletic figure.
Skin Tone: The Irish are not known for their tan skin, so Liam is fairly white.
Hair Color and Style: Liam has sandy colored hair. He keeps it short by practice: the Kestrels wanted a neat appearance from their players, and as a Kestrels Team Captain, Liam knows how to appear in public. If he had his way, he'd probably wear his hair a little longer and he'd likely dye it (what color? Black; maybe White).
Eye Color: Liam is pretty pleased with his emerald green eyes. Sometimes they appear to be grey though, simply because lighting and accompanying colors can change how one's eyes look. At the core, they are green.
Clothing Style: Liam chooses to dress in solid colors, most particularly in blacks, whites, and greys.
Personal Scent: Cheap cologne (sorry... just trying to mask the smell of the pub)
Other:
RP Example:
The village of Brodie probably shouldn't have existed, Liam thought as he hobbled along the Outer Road that circled the small village. On one side, mountains rose into the clouds and formed a semicircle partially cutting Brodie off from the cold Irish Sea. His own Brodie trod alongside him, her tongue out and her tail wagging. She had a limp too, from her accident in the Moors. Perhaps we were meant for each other, the ex-Fighting Irishman pondered as he watched her working hard to keep in front of him.
The day had gone before them, a series of forgettable events, strung together by the weaving in and out of time. Liam had considered writing a book about his life, but when he'd sat down to begin planning it out, he realized how much he didn't know about it. Incredible, he mused, that it is my own life, and yet there are so many parts of it I must research! Of course, the irony of time has that effect on us all, taking well-made moments and converting them to wisps of memory, too easily blown away by the winds of change. He was only 28, and yet Liam thought he had seen it all, that he knew it all. Or at least that he knew enough of it all to write.
Brodie limped alongside him, her warm body brushing up against his crippled leg at precisely the moment when he put ginger weight on it. She looked up at him, love in her eyes, each time they touched, and for those moments, Liam thought that perhaps there was a God who could bring the miserable to peace simply through contact. After all, he had found Brodie (or maybe she had found him), and were they not, separately, miserable creatures? But together, well, they were whole.
How You Found Us: (Optional)
D.o.B./Age: 1 December 2000, age 28
Place of Residency: Brodie, Scotland (this is a fictional place to the best of my knowledge); Fife, Scotland (sometimes); St. Andrews, Scotland (other times)
Blood Status: (regrettably) Mixed Blood
Former School / House: Hogwarts/Hufflepuff
Wand: Ash, dragon heartstring, 12", unyielding
Position Requesting: Professional Quidditch player (Kenmare Kestrels, Chaser/Team Captain)
Credentials:
Quidditch Career:
Highlights:
Puddlemere United (1 year, 9-3 record, 3-0 Tournament record, 1 Title: 2020)
R denotes Reserve Squad player
*denotes Team Captain
Highlights:
| 7 years: 2020-2026 | 52-32 record | 10-3 Tournament record | 2 Titles: 2020, 2025 | 4 Finals: 2020, 2024, 2025, 2026 |
Puddlemere United (1 year, 9-3 record, 3-0 Tournament record, 1 Title: 2020)
| Year | Team/Position | Season Record | Tournament |
| 2020 | Puddlemere/ChaserR | 9-3 | Quarterfinals defeated Tutshill Semifinals defeated Holyhead Finals defeated Wimborne |
Ballycastle Bats (3 years, 13-23 record, 0-1 Tournament record, 0 Titles)
| Year | Team/Position | Season Record | Tournament |
| 2021 | Ballycastle/Chaser | 2-10 | Did Not Qualify |
| 2022 | Ballycastle/Chaser | 4-8 | Did Not Qualify |
| 2023 | Ballycastle/Chaser | 7-5 | Quarterfinals loss to Holyhead |
Kenmare Kestrels (3 years, 30-6 record, 7-2 Tournament record, 1 Title: 2025)
| Year | Team/Position | Season Record | Tournament |
| 2024 | Kenmare/Chaser | 8-4 | Quarterfinals defeat of Chudley Semifinals defeat of Montrose Finals loss to Puddlemere Utd |
| 2025 | Kenmare/Chaser* | 10-2 | Quarterfinals defeat of Portree Semifinals defeat of Tutshill Finals defeat of Falmouth |
| 2026 | Kenmare/Chaser* | 12-0 | Quarterfinals defeat of Appleby Semifinals defeat of Portree Finals loss to Montrose |
Quidditch Career:
Irish National Team (2 World Cup Tournaments: 2022, 2026; 5-1 Group record; 2-2 Tournament record; 1 Finals appearance: 2026; 0 Titles)
Irish National Team (2 World Cup Tournaments: 2022, 2026; 5-1 Group record; 2-2 Tournament record; 1 Finals appearance: 2026; 0 Titles)
| Year | Competition/Position | Record | Tournament |
| 2022 | World Cup/Irish Chaser | Group: 2-1, #2 | Quarterfinals loss to Argentina |
| 2026 | World Cup/Irish Chaser | Group: 3-0, #1 | Quarterfinals defeat of Egypt Semifinals defeat of Spain Finals loss to Australia |
History:
Irish Birth: Born in Killarney, Ireland on 1 December 2000, William Caron Kelly was his parents' only child. They had no other children but Mrs. Kelly decided William was quite enough. Mr. Kelly, a hard worker for the Ministry, never seemed to be able to forgive William for some unknown reason. He was rather hard on his son, causing the boy to develop a sense of inadequacy around his father. He preferred keeping company with his mother instead, as she showered him with love and always called him her "little wonder boy".
Outward Appearances: The Kellys enjoyed their good social standing in their small community in southwestern Ireland. Mostly consisting of farmers, weekenders from England, Scotland and Dublin, and tourists, Killarney usually had lots to do until winter drove outsiders away. Three expectations existed in the community: (1) that all its boys be manly and excel at sports, (2) that all its girls be neat and clean, witty and strong (if not pretty), and (3) that all its families be spotted attending the Catholic Church in town. Being a Pureblood Wizarding Family (perhaps Ireland's second oldest behind the McMahons), the Kellys struggled with Muggle affairs, especially religious duties. Mr. Kelly, Mrs. Kelly, and William were all baptized in the Catholic Church, but their adherence to its theology and social rules were more relaxed than most others. William learned how to balance his magical life (kept inside the home) with his Muggle life (kept outside the home). Outside the home, of course, he followed the expectations of Killarney society, and he was quite good at keeping up appearances.
The Clever Boy: Liam began school at a young age (5) and he was always the youngest in his class, but he was very clever. When he was in the third-grade (ages 7-8), he learned how to pick on kids that knew less than he did. He often took some of his classes in the fourth-grade room, so he felt he was superior to his third-grade classmates. His cleverness helped him in later years as well. He was always hanging around the older grades anyway. Boys in the older years called him "the Clever Boy" because he fought back with them when they picked on him, and usually he could hold his own.
Hogwarts: Knowing he was a Wizard from birth shed some light on Liam's later years in grade school. Mr. Kelly liked to pull him aside and "give him lessons" on how to treat Muggles once he was accepted to Hogwarts. Liam didn't like the attitude his father took toward his Muggle classmates, but in these "lessons" he did find some value: he knew he would have to say goodbye to his Muggle friends someday, and he knew that he'd have to be strong when answering questions from his peers regarding his new school. It was in these preparatory moments that Liam began to build foundations of caring for others, particularly those who he'd picked on. He felt a need to protect them from something...maybe him, maybe his world...but he couldn't tell what it was. Once he began school at Hogwarts, all the frightening aspects of magic convinced Liam that the Statute of Secrecy was a very good thing, that his world and the Muggle world should be separate.
Quidditch: Liam fell in love with Quidditch. He'd always been interested in sports and he'd competed in sports as a Muggle school student in Killarney, but from his very first flying lesson, he was smitten with the popular Wizarding game. He tried out for the Hufflepuff team in his second year (since first years weren't traditionally allowed to play) and was stunned to be accepted as a chaser. He would play that role all his Quidditch lifetime. Hufflepuff was a solid team throughout his time at Hogwarts, but the Quidditch Cup always seemed to escape them at the last moment. Liam was able to get through his six years of Quidditch without any major injuries, and that led him to believe he was invincible.
Post-Hogwarts: Liam was sought after by a few professional Quidditch clubs in the British and Irish Quidditch League. The Chudley Canons thought he would be a great addition to their aging squad. Puddlemere United wanted him as a Reserve Chaser, putting him on a trial period to see what he might be able to do to help their (already good) chances of taking home the League Cup again. The Ballycastle Bats attended all three of his Seventh Year matches with Hufflepuff. The Kenmare Kestrels took great interest in him...from afar...but ultimately decided not to pursue recruiting him to their side. They wanted a champion-caliber player, and his Hufflepuff record didn't include a Quidditch Cup in it. In the end, he had offers from both Puddlemere and Ballycastle. Ultimately, Liam thought Puddlemere United might be his best chance to win a championship, given the caliber of players the side had recruited, but he also graciously thanked Ballycastle for their investments in him, and he looked forward to working with them in the future, should fate put them together again. Liam was disappointed his hometown side had dismissed him so readily. He proved the Kestrels wrong...eventually. Liam's scholastic interests brought him home to Killarney as well. Maeve's School - not a year-round school due to Hogwarts' coverage of the UK and Ireland - had never been on his radar (thanks to Mr. Kelly and his need to keep up Muggle appearances) until he had met with his advisor at Hogwarts to discuss his future. He was surprised to find that the summer school was interested in taking on an intern. But once he understood what his commitments would be with Puddlemere United, Liam had to withdraw his application to intern at Maeve's School (regrettably). This set-back brought to his attention his interests in teaching, which he'd never really explored until this moment in his life.
Puddlemere United: True to form, Puddlemere fielded a team to be proud of. Even in the reserves, Liam worked very hard in training and earned himself three starts because of his work. In his first-ever appearance, he scored seven goals (70 points) and contributed to a narrow victory against Wigtown. The media lauded him as one among the League's Promising Young Players. Liam improved upon his premier, notching a career-high twelve goals (120 points) in a blow-away victory against Chudley Cannons in his second start, midway through the season. His final start came in the last match of the season, against Wimborne. The Wasps entered the match with the league's best 10-1 record, against United's 9-2 tally, pitting #1 against #2. Liam was confounded by Wimborne's defense and he struggled to put in his total six goals (60 points, lowest of his three starts). United fell to defeat in the match, after pulling even with Wimborne at 620-620, when Wimborne plucked the snitch out of the sky for a final score 770-620. Liam wanted to get a start in the Quarterfinal match versus Tutshill, but the manager kept him benched during the thrilling 700-360 victory. He applied to the manager for a start in the Semifinal match against Holyhead, but again he was benched ("not enough experience in the pro-league tournament," being the excuse); United went on to sneak past the Harpies, 550-390. Management met with Liam prior to the Finals match against Wimborne, letting him know that they appreciated his work and his contributions to the team, but they had an offer to trade him to Ballycastle for the Bats' second-best Chaser, and they had taken the bid. Liam didn't even try to vouch for himself in the Finals, and he was benched all the same. Wimborne collected the snitch again, but this time they fell short against a ferocious United offense that scored 98 goals in gameplay and became champions by a final score of 980-880.
Ballycastle Bats:
2021: Liam's first season was disastrous. He didn't click with the other Chasers and his practices almost always led to fights among his teammates. There was no chemistry, and Liam meant to say something about it, but he never did; being a rookie, he knew his place. When they did manage to win, it was a huge surprise to everyone involved. Needless to say, their coach was fired at the end of the season, and several players decided to pursue other professional options in leagues abroad.
2022: At the start of Liam's second season, there were three new Chasers (one on reserve), two new Beaters (both replacing the Beaters who were planning to retire at the season's end) and a new Seeker (good riddance!). The team struggled through its 12-match schedule but managed to start off 2-2. They lost three straight before winning again, improving to 3-5. At this point, the team got together and really started to work on chemistry and cohesion. Even though they would finish 4-8 and fail to qualify for the tournament, they played their final four matches like a well-oiled machine.
2023: Liam's final season on contract with Ballycastle saw a disappointing 0-4 start to the season, despite a great off-season for the club. Each of the four losses came on the road and by a margin of fewer than 100 points each. The side came alive in their first home match against Holyhead, outscoring the Harpies 470-250. The well-oiled machine proceeded to rattle off six straight wins for a 7-4 record heading into their final showdown. This match saw Liam deal with his first major injury, and Falmouth (the eventual champions) downed the Bats a disappointing 680-350. Liam was taken out of the match by a bludger halfway through, sustaining an injury in his right leg that hospitalized him for a week. As such, when the Bats met the Holyhead Harpies in the 2023 Quarterfinals, Liam had only just been cleared to play. The Harpies snagged a 290-260 win by catching the snitch.
Kenmare Kestrels: Liam hesitated before re-signing with Ballycastle. He saw them going in a direction that he was interested in being a part of, but he wasn't excited to continue working with them. His then-best friend Shannon Sullivan had taken an offer to play with Kenmare, and the Kestrels wanted Liam to come as well. He did, finally, despite having doubts about leaving Ballycastle.
2024 season: Liam's first season came with the highs and lows expected in professional sports, but in his relationship with Shannon, there seemed to be no ceiling. Following their quarterfinals win, Liam and Shannon decided to prove rumors correct and become a couple. Though their Finals loss to Puddlemere saturated their party, Kestrels fans avowed the couple that they didn't blame them for the loss. This proved to be fickle and untrue.
2025 season: Going into the new season, Liam and Shannon faced some push back on their relationship from fans who wanted to see them pay for the Finals loss, especially when one fan cited Liam's history with the champions and drew conclusions that Liam had thrown the match due to some sick obsession with the team that gave him away. While attempting to weather the storm gracefully in the public eye, some of their teammates appeared to be skeptical about the two chasers' abilities to focus on the game and not each other. Inexplicably, though, Shannon cracked under the public pressure and initiated a transfer away from Kenmare to Holyhead midway through the season. With Shannon gone, Liam focused his attention on succeeding, taking every loss personally. A shocking loss to Tutshill saw Liam almost lose his cool with the press. Where he had been a darling of the league before, support for him now soured in the wake of his outburst. Two matches later, the 8-1 Kestrels faced a similar setback against Chudley, following a stunning defeat of Montrose with an equally stunning loss to Chudley. This time, Liam lost his cool with the press when badgered, and from then on, he was labeled as the "Fighting Irishman". Kenmare went on to finish the season 10-2 and to pull off a vengeful Semifinal round win against Tutshill, 900-670. To the displeasure of the Wizarding community, Kenmare and the Fighting Irishman downed Falmouth in the final to take away the League Cup. It would be Liam's last League Cup win of this edition of his Quidditch career.
2026: Early in the 2026 season, Liam was targeted by a Wimborne beater and in the midst of the match. His injury was healed quickly, and he helped lead the Kestrels to an undefeated season, but after a finals defeat to Montrose, the media pounced on him again. Liam considered retiring from Quidditch and he didn't re-sign with the Kestrels at his contract deadline. Kenmare released him after lengthy conversations about his future.
Life After Quidditch: The summer of 2026, Liam spent in Killarney as the Dark Arts Defense Instructor at Maeve's School of Magic. Teaching was quickly becoming his new passion, and he loved helping his students increase their knowledge and understanding of their world through his lessons. Still, he felt like a bird with a broken wing, and he was unsure how to fill the void Quidditch left.
In the year of 2026-2027, Liam spent a lot of time zig-zagging across the UK and Ireland. Liam's successes as a Professional Quidditch player helped him reach upper-middle-class status, economically, and in 2027, he chose to move to Scotland for a while, just to get out of the public eye. He still communicated with his ex-girlfriend (they split in the middle of the 2025 season, deciding that it was easier to be friends than lovers), but for a long time, Shannon was the only person with whom he maintained a connection.
Brodie: Liam became a proud puppy owner within the last year after he found a Jack Russell Terrier struggling in the Yorkshire Moors. The stray had managed to escape the pound where she had lived from birth, but she'd gotten herself in the thick of it in the saturated moors. When Liam decided to adopt her, he struggled over names for her. Emily was one he'd considered (after famous authoress Emily Bronte), and Catherine was another (for Bronte's the reckless and spirited female hero of Wuthering Heights). Ultimately, though, he settled on Brodie, named for the Scottish village he lived in at that time. Brodie and Liam have been bonded to each other ever since.
Ellie: Reverting back to some of his old habits, Liam began to put himself out in the Brodie community, choosing first to check out and attend their local community church. It wasn't Catholic, but it felt like a good fit given Liam's present crisis in his life. As part of the membership process, Liam had to meet with persons on the church council; one of these persons was the Minister's daughter, Ellie Douglas. She was around the same age as Liam and was, herself, seeking a professional life. Her's was to follow in her father's footsteps and become a minister. Liam had never seen a female minister before (his background being primarily in the Catholic Church) and as he began to learn little bits and pieces of Ellie's story, he became more and more interested in knowing her. Their's were some of the greatest debates surrounding church life, faith, theology (as much as Liam could understand of it) and the state of being human and what it meant. He was careful not to mention his own magic abilities to Ellie, fearing that she might not continue to be interested in him when she found out. Nevertheless, he began to feel uncomfortable denying himself a huge portion of who he was; his thoughts and desires turned back to life in the Wizarding World.
The End of the Statute of Secrecy (and its impact on Liam's life): When the Statute of Secrecy was lifted in the late 2020s, Liam's family stood out in opposition to it. They agreed that the Muggle World and the Magic World were too dangerous for the other to be overlapped, and they put pressure on Liam to take their side. Liam didn't take any side, initially, because he saw merits to both the worlds and the people in them, because he didn't like living in secrecy, and because he found his parents' stance to be very hypocritical (especially because they had kept a foot in each world for all his life). His neutrality drove a wedge down the middle of his family as some came to his support and other condemned him for not siding with family. His mother wrote him a very long and emotional owl in which she begged him to take their side and pointed out to him that, "The Muggle world is so much more dangerous today because of the lifting of the Statute. Hogwarts is being bombed, students are being harassed, and the overall perception of Wizards and Witches is not good. Is that the world you want to live in?" Until moving to Brodie, Liam remained neutral in his stance. And then he met Ellie. What might she say if a Wizard walked into and became a member of the church community she loved so much? How might that totally change her life? In caring for her wellbeing, Liam found himself torn again between the Yeah and the Nay camps of the Lifting the Statute debate. If she found out about him, would he lose her?
Return to the Wizard World: Heavy-hearted, in late 2027, Liam decided that he needed to be with his people again, doing the things he loved to do. He made a public announcement to the Professional Quidditch media about his return, sparking a frenzy among the public (some who had now repented for their condemnation of him and pleaded for his return) and the professional teams as well. The Irish National Team approached him first, informing him that there was still a place for him to join the team, but he would need to go through rigorous training and conditioning before being found able to play, and there were no guarantees he would be given a spot either, after being tested physically, psychologically and technically (skills). He attended several training camps for professional teams in the recruiting process, during the early months of 2028
Personality and Fun facts:
Liam can be a prick, he can be tough to be around (stubborn, like most Irish), he can even make himself very dislikable; but at his core, Liam is very good. He longs to care for others but he is still rough around the edges and (if it seems possible) socially awkward enough that he doesn't know how to express care sometimes. His pursuit to be a DADA Professor is one expression of his desire to care for students. He is also developing a sense of who he wants to be. Will he be a parent? Will he continue pursuing teaching? Would he like to be a husband? A boyfriend? A mentor?
Liam likes to play with the big kids (and he always has), but he dislikes it when he gets picked on for being "the runt" of the group (also a dislike since childhood). He's grown to like young people, especially teens, because of their vision for their future. Teaching youth has been one of the greatest lessons for Liam. He loves Quidditch, mostly because he was good enough to go professional with it, but Quidditch reminds him of his inadequacy issues, particularly now that he can't play it like he used to. In that vein, Liam hates his crippled leg; he hates what it has taken away from him, and he hates that he appears to be a person who is broken.
Spellcasting has always been a fascination of Liam's. He has always been fond of (and skilled with) silent incantations. When he was working with Maeve's School of Magic in Killarney, he worked best with students who were learning to cast spells wordlessly. He's always wanted to study Occlumency for this reason as the magic of the mind remains a life-long fascination for him.
Though he chooses to be a merry person, Liam isn't always very pleasant to be around. Especially, he despises anyone who reminds him of his inability to play Quidditch anymore. At the mention of his shortcomings, he can either explode in a temper at the person, or he can internalize his rage and self-medicate through binge-drinking. He is working very hard to be sober...okay, not sober, but not belligerent drunk all the time...and he has learned that he can be a highly functioning drunk/tipsy person.
When they were dating still, Shannon knew that Liam's weak spot was just below his ear. He would have no defenses if anyone so much as blew on that spot. He was that ticklish there. She also knew that he had no defenses against monkey faces, or monkey imitations, no matter how hard he tried to resist. When he'd get grumpy or stubborn, she would make a monkey face at him to snap him out of it. Even now, as his friend, she knows how to break him of his melancholy.
Physical Description:
Liam maintains a good physique. He looks like a Chaser (if ever they had a look) with broad shoulders and muscular arms, but his whole physique is similar to that of a European footballer.
Height: The Irish aren't known for being very tall (though some are). Liam is almost 5'9.
Build: Liam still works out as much as he's able so that he can maintain his athletic figure.
Skin Tone: The Irish are not known for their tan skin, so Liam is fairly white.
Hair Color and Style: Liam has sandy colored hair. He keeps it short by practice: the Kestrels wanted a neat appearance from their players, and as a Kestrels Team Captain, Liam knows how to appear in public. If he had his way, he'd probably wear his hair a little longer and he'd likely dye it (what color? Black; maybe White).
Eye Color: Liam is pretty pleased with his emerald green eyes. Sometimes they appear to be grey though, simply because lighting and accompanying colors can change how one's eyes look. At the core, they are green.
Clothing Style: Liam chooses to dress in solid colors, most particularly in blacks, whites, and greys.
Personal Scent: Cheap cologne (sorry... just trying to mask the smell of the pub)
Other:
RP Example:
The village of Brodie probably shouldn't have existed, Liam thought as he hobbled along the Outer Road that circled the small village. On one side, mountains rose into the clouds and formed a semicircle partially cutting Brodie off from the cold Irish Sea. His own Brodie trod alongside him, her tongue out and her tail wagging. She had a limp too, from her accident in the Moors. Perhaps we were meant for each other, the ex-Fighting Irishman pondered as he watched her working hard to keep in front of him.
The day had gone before them, a series of forgettable events, strung together by the weaving in and out of time. Liam had considered writing a book about his life, but when he'd sat down to begin planning it out, he realized how much he didn't know about it. Incredible, he mused, that it is my own life, and yet there are so many parts of it I must research! Of course, the irony of time has that effect on us all, taking well-made moments and converting them to wisps of memory, too easily blown away by the winds of change. He was only 28, and yet Liam thought he had seen it all, that he knew it all. Or at least that he knew enough of it all to write.
Brodie limped alongside him, her warm body brushing up against his crippled leg at precisely the moment when he put ginger weight on it. She looked up at him, love in her eyes, each time they touched, and for those moments, Liam thought that perhaps there was a God who could bring the miserable to peace simply through contact. After all, he had found Brodie (or maybe she had found him), and were they not, separately, miserable creatures? But together, well, they were whole.
How You Found Us: (Optional)