Accepted! -- Sparky

Your Nickname: Aero
Have you read and do you agree to the Code of Conduct?: Yes
Are you over thirteen? Yes
How did you find us and decide to write with us? Other
If you have written other characters here: Yes
If Yes, list them all: Demitria Strelnikov
Taras Strelnikov
Fyetka Strelnikov
Amile Vaillancourt
Harper O'Malley
Is this a Primary or Secondary Character?: Primary

Full Character Name: Ella Francisca Alvares
Character Birthday & Age: August 20, 1995
City & Country of Birth: Malibu, California
Pureblood, Halfblood or Muggleborn: Halfblood
House & Year: Salem Freshman; Ptolemy Hall

Wand: 11", Blackwood and Sodalite, Pegasus Feather, Twisted and Sturdy

Physical Description: Ella is of fairly average height, standing at 5’4” and doesn’t have a typical teenage figure. She isn’t trying to be a stick thin model… and in fact her heritage doesn’t allow her the pleasure. From her Brazilian family, she inherited strong facial features and the wonderful magic of curves. Nevertheless, Ella keeps her natural tendency to be... well, rather voluptuous down by surfing and swimming constantly. Thus, she maintains a good, even slim, figure. At fourteen years old, she’s at the tail end of the awkward years. Her face is still a little round, but is finally squaring out nicely.

Her face has deep set, dark brown eyes which give off the impression that she knows more than you. That’s not always the case, but it keeps the people around her guessing. She also has a slight smatter of freckles over the bridge of her nose and on her cheekbones from extended stints in the California sun. Her skin isn’t very dark, but she rarely, if ever burns, and is always a shade of deep, tanned, olive. Ella’s lips are rather full, once again inherited from her mother, though not supremely so. She never highlights them, only putting on a nude or very light pink gloss to prevent them stand out more than needed.

Ella’s hair is luscious. It waves and curls crazily and falls almost to her hips. As long as she can remember, her muggle friends have called it her beautiful mermaid hair. Of course, none of them had ever seen a true mermaid, but to them it was the epitome of the Hollywood mermaid image. Considering that Ella spends most of her home life in the water, the image is upheld.

Ella’s family is not rich, but they are well to do. Her grandmother’s family owned the house long before the mad dash of famous people to the SoCal. Thus, she dresses nicely, but not extravagantly. Being a surfer, she usually wears something rather Boho over her swimsuit. Loose, flowing tops and jeans or skirts are common for her when in and out of uniform.


Personality Description: Ella is a true California girl. Queen of everything sand and water, west coast swag emanates from her like the sun she loves so dearly. She does yoga, eats avocados like candy, and reads Muggle magazines rabidly. She makes sure she's on top of all the trends even if she never participates in them. She needs to know what, who, when, where, and why to just about every question. This could easily be obnoxious, but they way she learns everything prevents her from being obviously annoying. She spreads her questions out and uses Google like a lifeline when not at Salem. When at Salem, she still maintains her tireless pursuit of knowledge by spending more than enough time in the library.
 
Even on the far more regimented east coast, she maintains her spontaneous outlook. She laughs brightly and often as just about anything in the world can set her giggling. She's not very organized, but manages somehow. She's also a terrible procrastinator, but when she can manage to sit still for more than 15 minutes, she shows how intelligent she can be. 3 foot essays the night before they're due anyone? That pretty much sums it up. As she goes from Salem Junior to Salem Senior, though, she might have to learns some new *ahem* study habits (to which Ella asks: Studying? What's that?).

When faced with adversity, Ella is just about as chill as anyone could be. She doesn't blow up. She doesn't get angry. She doesn't get frustrated... at least not visually. She'll shrug, laugh, and then disappear for a few hours. Even though she initially comes off as a social being, Ella grew up in the water on a surfboard completely alone. Once she was old enough to ride on her own, she wouldn't wait around for her father to come home. She'd just rush outside and swim and surf for hours. So at Salem, if one can't find her, it's because she doesn't want to be found. She's probably out running, swimming, or up a tree reading. These are the only times when her ADD (she doesn't actually have it, but it's a long running speculation)  seems to evaporate leaving someone just as home in the wild outdoors as they are in a party.


History: ((This one's a doozy! Sorry in advance...)

Amalia Ferreira was born in Malibu, California to two Brazilian immigrants. She attended Northwest Witches Academy. After graduating, she began an Apprenticeship in Potions hoping to someday run her own apothecary. Stefan Alvarez was born in Boston, Massachusettes to a Brazilian father and an American mother. He attended Salem Witches Academy. A businessman at heart, he began working on transactions that required both magical and muggle cooperation.

What were the chances that these two would ever meet? The only thing connecting the Pureblooded Witch and the Half-Blooded Wizard was the heritage they shared. Nevertheless, after finishing her apprenticeship, Amalia ventured out east to New York City, to pursue her career. It was by chance that the apartment she was renting was owned by Stefan's company. She wished to buy the room and the shop underneath. During the transactions, they found they enjoyed the company of the other. Weekend coffees were something they began to have regularly. As time passed, weekend meetings became early morning breakfasts and eventually (to no one's surprise) they married. Their relationship was easy and simple, with only work, friends, and each other to occupy their time.

In 1994, they received terrible news. Amalia's parents had been in a car accident, killing her mother and severely injuring her father. She closed her shop and within the week was back to the Malibu beach house she had grown up in. Stefan followed within the month. It was hard at first, but as her father recovered, things became easier. They knew they couldn't return to New York for some time though. Amalia closed her shop permanently and Stefan continued to fly back and forth. It was taxing, but they managed.
 
The next year, Ella Francisca Alvares was born to the couple. The bouncing, happy child was raised in the sand by her mother, who decided to stay at home and her partially paralyzed grandfather. Ella adored her family, but especially her father, who oftentimes, wasn't even home. That's what made him so special to the little girl. Yet when he was, it was hard to keep him away from the child. Stefan, who had picked up surfing rather quickly, began to teach his daughter from before she could even really stand on the board. Even as an infant, she would lie out on the water with him, blowing bubbles and cooing at the water that covered her toes.

She was homeschooled starting at the age of four, since she was very clearly bright and her parents wanted to take advantage of it at a young age. During her lessons, she would stare absentmindedly at the water and sand. Her family knew what she would rather be doing. By the time she reached eight, she had gained more focus, but only for the things that interested her. Mainly, swimming and surfing, but she loved books and stories as well.

That same year, her grandfather passed away. It was a harsh blow for Ella. She had been raised by him and taught by him. He had been her first teacher and a father figure. No matter how much she adored her true father, Jose had always had a closer connection with her than her father. The small beach house seemed so much emptier. She spent even more time on the water completely alone. Even the her next door neighbors couldn't cheer her up for weeks. Eventually, her closest friend managed to pull her out of her emotional slump.

She showed magic late and for awhile, her family wondered if she would be a squib (the magical portrait of her purist great-grandmother would consistently bring it up, arguing loudly in Portuguese with the portrait of her more lenient great-grandfather). But around nine years old, on a perfectly windless day, Ella was surfing with her Muggle friends. They were frustrated with the lack of waves when all of a sudden, a giant wave materialized out of the water, sweeping all of them off their boards. Amalia had witnessed this and was overjoyed. She managed to pass it off as a sneaker wave, but both mother and daughter knew that her magic had finally manifested itself.

When it finally came time for her to go away to school, Ella despaired that there was no place near Malibu. Her mother tried to convince her to go to Northwest Witches Academy, but eventually she favoured her father's school, Salem. Since Stefan still worked out east part time (they had long since developed a western branch of the company, but he was still required to go to New York every so often), both he and Amalia decided it was a more favourable location as well.

Her first year at Salem was plagued with problems. It was her first year of formal schooling... ever. She proved intelligent, but the teachers didn't know what to do with her! It was obvious she knew more than even some of her classmates, but she didn't work well. She preferred to disrupt the class with her whispering and constant motion. More than once, she was asked to leave. Nevertheless, she got some of the top marks. Before the year was out though, they figured out what her problem was. She needed an outlet. Before, she had never spent more than a few hours out of the water at a time. Now, she was confined to classrooms and her dorm rooms practically 24/7.
 
So they let her swim and surf in the chilly Atlantic Ocean that lay on the border of Salem's property. As time went on, she needed it less, but still tried to whenever she could. She just knew that to stay sane, she needed some familiarity. She was hardly the loudest, but she was one of the most outgoing, friendliest girls in her year. She made friends easily, but some of the more proper girls found her a bit obnoxious. She was well known for being the one blasting muggle music in her dorm room and dancing around while "doing homework."


Classes:

Core Classes Astronomy Charms Defense Against the Dark Arts Herbology History of Magic Potions Transfiguration No

Electives Ancient Runes No Care of Magical Creatures No No

Why Was The Student Allowed/Permitted To Attend The Tournament?: Ella loves to travel. Being raised Brazilian in an American world, a Californian in an Eastern School, and going from being an only child to a school with hundreds of other young witches and wizards, she is used to being out of her comfort zone. She's also only a Freshman so she can't compete, but she is one of the best cheerleaders the school has to offer. With her boundless energy, a bright attitude, and confidence, she'll be awesome moral support.

Writing Sample: Nope =)

Sum up your character in one paragraph: A sunshine-loving, California born, surfer-girl, Ella Alvares is a Brazilian spit-fire. Although she's not ADD, she can hardly sit still for ten minutes at a time. She's naturally bright, but procrastinates terribly. Somehow, in the past, she's managed to come out near the top of her class. She makes friends easily, but her natural west coast swag can come off as too strong and a bit oppressive to some. All in all, she is the light and the brightness that you can see coming from a mile away.