Accepted ~ Analiza Snark

About You, the Writer:
We will never ask any member to disclose any personal information.
Your Nickname: Penny
Have you read and do you agree to the Code of Conduct?: I have
How did you find us and decide to write with us? Jessica made me do it.
If you have written other characters here, list them all: Fiana Flynn, Ferguson Amherst

Full Character Name: Declan Gilroy Murphy
Character Birthday & Age: 27 / August 18th, 1981
City & Country of Birth:  Glasmór, Dublin County, Ireland
Pureblood, Halfblood or Muggleborn?: half-blood
Alma Mater: Hogwarts / Hufflepuff
Job: Hit Wizard working with the Magical Law Enforcement Squad

Wand: Alder, 12 inches, Phoenix feather core, supple with a knobby shaft

Physical Description:

 At 6'1, Declan is not short by any means. He has a very sturdy, solid build with broad shoulders. His medium brown hair is kept short, so that it's easily maintained and stays out of his eyes. Due to most of his free time being spent outdoors, his skin generally sports a tan. Declan has a strong face with a square jaw which he has a tendency to clench when stressed or angered. His light blue eyes are deep set and a little broody, set beneath heavy brows. His nose is crooked from where it was broken during a Quidditch match back in school, and he has full lips. In his manner of dress, Declan is a country boy at heart. He prefers plain t-shirts and jeans, and his favorite pair of worn, sturdy brown boots to anything else. If necessary, he will dress up in a suit and tie, but he is very uncomfortable in such restrictive formal wear.

Personality Description:
 Declan is a firm believer in justice. The good guys should win, the bad guys should get what's coming to them. He understands that the world is not fair, but where we can help to make it a little more so, an effort should be made. This is one of the reasons he decided to enter the law enforcement field.

 Although he tries to maintain a tough exterior, inside Declan is a big softy. He's extremely loyal to his friends, family, and loved ones, and would do anything for them. His stance on things is that a person can mess with him all they want, but mess with those he cares about and be prepared to face retribution. Declan sticks up for the underdog and he hates bullies.

 His mama raised him right, and he knows how to treat a lady. He's the kind of guy who opens doors for girls, carried their books in school, and would probably carry them across puddles if the occasion called for it. He has an old fashioned code of honor, and would never hurt a woman if he could help it.

 Declan likes to think of himself as being the strong, silent type. He's not particularly talkative and believes in keeping negative emotions locked up. Nobody likes a sissy boy, right? That is his opinion, anyway. He is also a little socially awkward, to be honest, which adds to the silent part. He just doesn't know what to say sometimes, so figures clamming up is the best way to keep from looking stupid.

 Declan is in general a pretty laid back guy, but he's not a push over by any means. As a matter of fact, he can be very stubborn at times. When he wishes to achieve a goal, he pushes towards it no matter what. He's not the type to give up easily.

 Although it takes a lot to make him angry and it tends to burn out fast, he has a problem keeping his temper in check when he is. Perhaps this is a result of growing up with four brothers, who all liked to vent their frustrations physically, but he has a tendency to throw a punch first and think about the consequences later. This was easy with his brothers growing up - they were all younger and smaller than him at the time - but not something that is always the best idea now. It's landed him in trouble on more than one occasion. Declan can also be quite competitive. He likes winning, especially when he is up against his brothers or his friends. But mostly he just enjoys the challenge of pushing himself to be the best that he can be.

History:
 Declan's parents met in Egypt, where they were both visiting on business. Robert Murphy was at the time a cursebreaker for Gringotts, and Kate was translating heiroglyphics. They were working in the same location, and found themselves running into each other several times. Robert was instantly charmed by Kate's dorky overalls and goofy grin. They began dating and two years later were married.

 Declan came along shortly after that. In quick succession four younger siblings followed, three boys (Brennan, Michael, and Seamus) and the youngest a girl, his baby sister Teagan. The Murphy's being a gregarious clan, being one of five suited Declan perfectly, as did being the eldest. He was from the start very close to and protective of his siblings, particularly Teagan.

 The Murphy children were raised in the small town of Glasmór, about twenty miles outside of Dublin. They lived in a neighborhood primarily populated by other wizards, on the outer fringes of town, near a few miles of woods. Growing up, Declan enjoyed outdoorsy pursuits such as fishing, hunting, and climbing trees.
 
 As soon as they were old enough, each of the Murphy children attended the local muggle primary school. He had spent the majority of his time prior to that playing out of doors, and found being cooped up inside listening to a teacher drone on about the kings of england and how one plus one equals two to be very trying. It took him a couple years to get used to the idea of being cooped up most of the day.

Declan was accepted into Hogwarts at age 11, in 1992, and was sorted into Hufflepuff, which suited his loyal nature perfectly. He was very homesick the first year, which seemed to drag on forever, and immensely relieved when summer vacation came. He had missed his family so much, never having been parted from them for longer than a few days prior to this occasion.

Second year he settled in a lot better, his circle of friends widened at school and so he didn't become lonely and was not homesick nearly as often. Hogwarts soon became his home away from home, and he was quite comfortable there. In his third year, he hit his first big growth spurt and had to buy all new clothes. He joined the quidditch team as a beater, which he showed a lot of promise at. During his fourth year he faced the trial of his voice embarrassingly beginning to change. This was doubly unfortunate for the young man, as he had also discovered the female sex. Whenever he tried to talk to a girl, his voice would do that squeaky thing and she'd giggle at him. Horrifying. Fortunately he eventually grew out of that, as all young men do.

 Fifth year found Declan with his nose to the grindstone all year, working towards his OWLs. He had long ago decided that he wanted to work with Magical Law Enforcement. Declan had been fascinated by cop movies growing up, he wanted to be just like the blokes in those films, and had always been a defender of the weak. Everyone deserves to be safe, he believes, and so he planned to do his part to ensure that they were. Since one couldn't work for the DMLE without good grades, he knew he would have to study hard. Luckily he is a hard worker when the occasion calls for it, and managed to produce high enough scores to make anyone happy.

 Sixth year should have been a pleasant relief from the constant studying, but the war prevented it from being anything but stressful. When the Battle of Hogwarts broke out, Declan was among those that chose to stay behind and fight alongside Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Declan was knocked unconscious only a few minutes into the battle, however, and ended up missing most of it, much to his chagrin. Still, his family and friends were proud, and the good guys ended up winning out that time, so it wasn't in vain.

 Finally seventh year rolled around and it was back to the library, preparing for NEWTs. These he passed well enough that after graduation in 1999 he was able to enter training as a hit wizard. He has now been at the job for ten years, and has found no reason to be dissatisfied with his chosen career, except for the suits he must sometimes wear at the office.

OWL Scores:
O - Defense Against the Dark Arts
E - Care of Magical Creatures
A - History of Magic
E - Transfiguration
E - Charms
A - Potions

NEWT Scores:
O - Defense Against the Dark Arts
E - Care of Magical Creatures
E - Transfiguration
E - Charms
A - Potions

What is your job description? How do you go about your job?
How did you get your current job? How does your past and abilities justify your current position?:

 As a hit wizard, Declan assists aurors in the capture of dark witches and wizards. He patrols certain areas known for being up to no good, tracks down and captures criminals, and generally works to keep the public safe. Declan has known since he was a child that this was what he wanted to do, so immediately after Hogwarts he wasted no time in enrolling himself in the training program. Not only is he physically strong, but he is also good with his wand, particularly with defensive spells. He's an observant person and a quick thinker under pressure, all of which aids him in the field.

Writing Sample:
Show your character in a scene that illustrates the best and worst aspects
of their personality. Include action, dialog and thought.

 "Ouch!" Declan exclaimed, wincing, as his younger sister continued to attempt to remove a rather deep splinter out of his palm with a pair of tweezers. He was back home in Glasmór visiting his parents for the weekend, having had a couple days off of work. He did this as often as possible - the tiny London flat he shared with his sister got old fast.

 This particular afternoon, he'd gone fishing with his da, and had had the brilliant idea of climbing into a tree that hung out over the creek. That had not ended up going as he'd imagined. He'd slipped and not only had he managed to get soaked, but the branch that he had attempted to (unsuccessfully) pull himself back up with had given him the gift of a deep splinter. Just my luck.

 "Oh, don't be such a baby," his little sister grinned, continuing her work. "You're supposed to be this big tough guy. Don't tell me one little splinter is all it takes to turn you into a pansy. If so, I think you should definitely look into a different line of work."

 "It is not a little splinter," Declan stuck his tongue out at her - showing his mature side. "It's big enough to be a freakin' tree tru-" he broke off, hissing, as Teagan finally yanked the tiny sliver of wood out of his hand. He swore under his breath, flexing his hand. He didn't care what Teagan said - that hurt.

 "There, see?" the brunette girl held up the tweezers, still holding the splinter in them. It was a lot smaller than it felt like. "All this fuss over nothing. If you'd squirmed less, it would've been out a lot sooner."

 "Enough smart talk from you," he said sternly, reaching out to yank - not hard - on a lock of her dark brown hair before getting to his feet. However rough he might play with his brothers, with his sister he was always pretty gentle. "Come on, let's go see what Mom's making for dinner."


Sum up your character in one paragraph:
 Declan is a Hufflepuff at heart. He is very loyal and a firm believer in justice. He works hard when he has to, but knows how to have fun, too. He loves his family, he loves his friends, and would do anything to keep them safe and happy.

Accepted! ~Elle

Character Name: Declan Murphy
Link to Application: here

Sections Changed: History:
last paragraph

 Finally seventh year rolled around and it was back to the library, preparing for NEWTs. These he passed well enough that after graduation in 1999 he was able to enter training as a hit wizard. He has now been at the job for ten years, and has found no reason to be dissatisfied with his chosen career, except for the suits he must sometimes wear at the office.

What is your job description? How do you go about your job?
How did you get your current job? How does your past and abilities justify your current position?:

As a hit wizard, Declan assists aurors in the capture of dark witches and wizards. He patrols certain areas known for being up to no good, tracks down and captures criminals, and generally works to keep the public safe. Declan has known since he was a child that this was what he wanted to do, so immediately after Hogwarts he wasted no time in enrolling himself in the training program. Not only is he physically strong, but he is also good with his wand, particularly with defensive spells. He's an observant person and a quick thinker under pressure, all of which aids him in the field.
Requested Changes: b]History:[/b]

Finally seventh year rolled around and it was back to the library, preparing for NEWTs. These he passed well enough that after graduation in 1999 he was able to enter training with the Magical Law Enforcement Squad. He has now been at the job for ten years, and has found no reason to be dissatisfied with his chosen career, except for the suits he must sometimes wear at the office.

What is your job description? How do you go about your job?
How did you get your current job? How does your past and abilities justify your current position?:

Declan is basically the wizarding equivalent of a regular police officer. He patrols neighborhoods known for having a shady reputation to prevent criminal activity, and does his best to stop such activity when he comes across it. He aids in the investigation of crimes such as break ins, robberies, and assault, and arrests and interrogates suspects for these crimes.

He has known since he was a child that this was what he wanted to do with his life, and enrolled himself in the training program as soon as he graduated from Hogwarts. Not only is he physically strong, but he is also good with his wand, particularly with defensive spells. He's an observant person and a quick thinker under pressure, all of which aids him in the field. But the quality that serves him best is his devotion to justice and dedication to ensuring the safety of the people.


Why do you wish to change these area(s): When I initially submitted Declan's application, I was under the impression that hitwizards functioned pretty much as wizard police officers. I didn't want Declan to be an auror, since it's kind of a prestigious position, and I don't think Declan would like that. But anyway, it seems that hit wizards actually hunt down and capture dangerous dark wizards, and that's not what Declan's about. He's about protecting the people on a day to day basis. This fits him much better.
Other RPed Characters this may affect: Candice Stevenson (already notified), Tamis Raynor (since she's his Big Boss)