Accepted ~ Analiza Snark

About You, the Writer: Melissa, here! Grad student, part-time teacher, part-time RPer.
Your Nickname: Melissa/Mel
Have you read and do you agree to the Code of Conduct?: yes!
How did you find us and decide to write with us? Now a member.
If you have written other characters here, list them all: Dreogan Eleor

Full Character Name: Colette Elizabeth Wheaton
Character Birthday & Age: April 30, 1987; aged 21
City & Country of Birth: London, England
Pureblood, Halfblood or Muggleborn?: Halfblood
Alma Mater: Gryffindor
Job: Copy editor, Daily Prophet

Wand: Lignum vitae; phoenix feather core; 11"; inflexible. Purchased at Ollivander's. When chosen, the price marking on the box lowered in price. Unfortunately, Ollivander did not oblige, despite much attempted cajoling on Colette's end.

Physical Description:
Colette has a sweet face with soft features and long brown hair that is usually worn down in a soft and romantic style. Looks are deceiving. Her frame is thin and athletic, with the build of a ballerina, though usually applied more to Quidditch and other athletic feats, though there is a certain grace about Colette, particularly in the confident way she carries herself.

Colette has an eye for detail and wants to, in all situations, be "right." This leads her to take a great deal of care in her personal appearance, wanting to make sure she broadcasts herself properly. Here, looks are dead-on. Colette's wardrobe consists of soft, whispy dresses in lavender and brown leather quidditch boots, tied together with dangling earrings and cuff bracelets. Her favourite accessory is her purple leather jacket, which she feels is both feminine and powerful, like her.

Personality Description:
Like many children, Colette's first word was "no." However, when it was followed a week later by "don' dare," her parents suspected they had a special case on their hands. Stubborn to the core, Colette Wheaton is a woman who, knowing what she wants, does not back down. As a Keeper in her school days, Colette was known for her heckling of opposing Chasers, adding "Is that all you've got?" and "Come on! Give me something to work up a sweat!" to her repertoire of growing jeers.

However, her competitive and obstinate edge is softened by a moral compass. While ambitious -- nearly being placed in Slytherin -- she lets herself be governed primarily by her principles which are largely civic minded. Considering the greater whole where necessary and yet wanting to look out for the helpless, Colette attempts to treat those who deserve respect with deference, those who deserve chastisement with derision, and those who need support with friendship.

Colette tries to be approachable and always is to her friends in need, being a confidant of choice among fellow housemates. However, her first impression is invariably intimidating; Colette likes to set herself up as an authority, not willing herself to be wrong or weak for any reason. The benefit to such a mentality is that her business of being right has become systematised which can benefit others; particularly her friends. When helping them in situations, she has a critical mind to make things "right."

History:

Colette Elizabeth Wheaton was born the oldest child into a loving family in London. Her father, Oliver Wheaton, owns Quality Quidditch Supplies, formerly Harry Potter's favourite store. (And there is a sign in the window to announce this fact.) Oliver, a Slytherin alumni, has an eye for business and profit, having at a young age started a series of small businesses which he abandoned in favour of buying out the Quality Quidditch Supplies enterprise from former owner Tobias Sibblerstrone upon the strong encouragement of his wife, Paulette Wheaton, formerly a star Ravenclaw Chaser. While Paulette went professional, for five years with the renowned Caerphilly Catapults, upon her marriage to Oliver, she decided that a career in sports reporting would be more stable and conducive to raising a large family.

Paulette gave birth to a stubborn daughter; however, being rather stubborn herself, Paulette kept her daughter's sometimes tempestuous sensibilities in check. Colette learned principles and the consequences of her decisions. Helping in the household chores -- particularly as punishment for tantrums -- and flying her broomstick, Colette became the spitting image of her mother.

When she entered Hogwarts, Colette had a five-minute long conversation with the Sorting Hat as they debated between Slytherin and Gryffindor, rivalling Harry Potter's rather long debaucle. Unlike her famous house-mate, however, Colette did not have a strong preference. She simply wanted the piece of fabric to make up its mind; it was embarrassing having all eyes on her. A lecture ensued. Colette is perhaps the first student in the history of the school to be reprimanded by the Sorting Hat, a tidbit she finds simultaneously and alternatively amusing and embarrassing.

This would play itself out throughout her academic career. Colette was, on one hand, a model student, working hard, adhering to the rules, and being a superb Keeper and essayist. It was in the execution of all these things that professors often struggled with deciding whether or not to reprimand. On the one hand, it was a good thing that Colette was so willing to study for hours on end in the library. And quite another when she forbade with strong language, any other students from sitting at her table while in the thick of writing, lest she become "distracted." Nevertheless, despite a temper and some minor disciplinary actions, Colette made it to Prefect status in her fifth year, though never had ambition enough to make Head Girl; she contented herself with simultaneously serving as Team Captain for the Gryffindor Quidditch team her sixth and seventh years. She graduated with high marks, earning nine O.W.L.s, and found it easy to get offers both from the Holyhead Harpies as a reserve seeker and a position at the Prophet. As could be expected, Colette found the offer to be reserve a blow to her ego -- it mattered little that their present keeper, Corianthe Lysander would be on her way out in two years' time, time sufficient for her to hone her ability and familiarise herself with the team's style -- and found it a bit more difficult to get along with some of the stronger personalities in journalism. Coming from a quidditch-engrained family, Colette decided to assert her independence in accepting the Prophet's offer instead, giving up her hopes and dreams of quidditch.  Nevertheless, Colette's ambition, eloquence, and savviness quickly helped her climb to the top in her department, making her much more comfortable as she had to take fewer and fewer orders from her superiors as, in time, her number of superiors grew to be less and less.

Colette is a second mother to her younger siblings, albeit much less responsible and more brusque. She looks out for them, trying to guide them to "right" decisions, though they are increasingly uncooperative. Tim, 17, has a singular ability to get under her skin; particularly as he also acted as Beater on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, sometimes going so far as to "accidentally" whack his sister during practises. Colette prefers Liam, 13, which she keeps as no great secret.

Recently, Colette has broken up with her on-again-off-again boyfriend of (rounding up) six years, former Slytherin, Carew Thornton (23). Having lived together for two years, Colette is now in the market for a new roommate, not wanting to live alone or give up her prime real estate on Diagon Alley, as it allows her to be close to her father's shop, where she is known to drop by frequently.

What is your occupation? How do you go about it?
How did you get your current occupation?
How does your past and abilities justify your current skills?:

Colette is a copy editor for the Daily Prophet having multifarious "ins" with her journalistic family. After an internship in which she worked editing and screening external advertisements before they featured in the Prophet, Colette, with an eye for detail now does the final edits on cover stories, quite satisfied with her quick climb up the corporate ladder. Colette is the last person to look at the Prophet before it goes to the press and has full license to make any last-minute grammatical changes, but must contact her supervisor if there are any substantial changes to be made.

However, while Colette has a knack for finding others' faults, she'd much rather be a journalist, producing her own work and writing. She hopes for an opportunity to spin a unique story that will play to her particular strengths. Always a good writer in Hogwarts, Colette distinguished herself with blazen displays of sarcasm and academic jokes in her essays. Being proficient in academic discourse, she was never penalised; on the contrary, most professors found that she was not only able to cogently spin an argument, but make a previously dry subject engaging and lively. However, her shortcomings were always in reading over her own work carefully for errors. Determined to make her writing the best it could be, Colette turned a critical eye to her own work in the last three years of school, making proof-reading a true and integral part of her writing process, prepping her for a job as an editor.

Her sarcasm and strong personal voice have made her employer consider placing her in an editorial column, perhaps criticising A&E events. However, being currently indispensable as a lead copy editor, she has not had the opportunity to move into journalism and bylines.

Writing Sample:
Mounting her broomstick, a Strata 4589 – dad’s newest model from Switzerland – Colette felt herself soaring, rising above everything. Perhaps the initial ascent was a bit showy, a bit too spiraling and graceful, but Colette was considering joining the Figure Flying Association (FFA), after all. Thus the new broom. It felt right. It responded at the lightest touch. It looped, it zagged, and it soared.

She loved the soaring.

“WHEATON! GETCHER ARSE DOWN HERE!” Dillon barked.

Quidditch practise. It was time to see the new recruits, the final cuts from this year’s auditions. Colette dove dramatically downwards, grinning. Yes, the Strata was all her father had been gushing about, and with good reason. She came to an abrupt stop when she recognised a curly mop of hair. Timbo.

Hell’s bells.

“Alright. Welcome Tim and Andrea, our new Beater and Seeker,” Dillon said, his smile growing irritating. It was a good thing Dillon was leaving this year, Colette thought. There was little doubt who would replace him as team captain: her. She smiled at Andrea and nodded to Tim. She might have smiled, if Tim hadn’t blown a kiss. Tim . . . was bizarre. And her brother. Double bizarre. She made a show of shuddering before flitting back up to her goal.

Twenty minutes into practise, Colette had yet to see anything remarkable in her brother’s flying. Tim, obviously nervous, had nearly flown into Andrea twice and his grip had slipped on his club, causing the bludger to go careening off to the side.

When this happened a second time, nearly taking Colette’s head off, she barked angrily, “LITTLE WHEETY! Is that the best you’ve got!?”

There was a tense moment in which her brother angrily turned to face her. Seeing the smirk on his sister’s face, overly confident and yet . . . reassuring, Tim’s smile turned to a smirk. “No.” The bludger, which came wheeling back to him, was once more sent her way.

Colette dodged quickly, but not quick enough. Her shoulder made solid contact with the bludger, nearly causing her to lose grip on her broom. There were some claps. Colette’s smirk was tempered with a cringe as she looked up at her brother. “That’s better, punk.” As congratulations were sent around – for Colette was the hardest player to unseat and a near victory was like a badge of honour – Colette found her own victory in the fact that he was now heralded “Little Wheety.” Hierarchy must be observed, after all.

Sum up your character in one paragraph:

Stubborn, smart, savvy, and above all, snarkily sarcastic, Colette is a fireband and a fireball who is sometimes a moral crusader. Her strong personality makes her difficult to get along with, but if you do, you will be vastly rewarded by a loyal and humorous friend. She has an attention to detail and is in the business of being "right." However, this is not exclusive. A team player, she wants others to be right as well, particularly her friends, so long as her view is acknowledged as valid and sound.