Accepted! ~Elle/Fauna

About You, the Writer:
Your Nickname: Kat
Have you read and do you agree to the Code of Conduct?: Yes
How did you find us and decide to write with us? From SR
If you have written other characters here, list them all: No

Full Character Name: Alexander Rhys Snark
Character Birthday & Age: April 6th, 1991; 17
City & Country of Birth: London, UK
Pureblood, Halfblood or Muggleborn: Halfblood
House & Year: 7th year Slytherin

Wand: Made of the finest elm wood, Alex’s wand is light in color with a dragon’s heartstring at its core.  Its light color does not reflect its performance, however.  Inflexible but sturdy, the wand reflects the unyielding nature of its wielder.  

Physical Description:  Alex is fairly tall, standing at a height of 6’1”.  Much of his body mass is composed of muscle due to rigorous activity (running, quidditch, etc).  Alex is mindful about his body, always giving himself a second (or third) look in the mirror before heading out.  He likes to make sure he keeps himself in good shape for his various activities which may, or may not, include playing the eye candy for wondering teenage girls.  

Alex has dark brown hair that he keeps long enough to put gel in and style it in various ways.  His hair style usually differs on a day-to-day basis.  His mood determines how much work he wants to put into making himself look good.  Because of his uncle, Gavin, having held scissors up to Alex’s hair and threatening to cut it off when the two were young, Alex has always been protective of his hair.  Nothing annoys him more than when someone purposely messes it up.  Many people have been known to end up in the Hospital Wing after touching Alex’s hair.

Alex’s gold eyes are a gift that he inherited from his mother.  Many people have told him that his eyes are his most attractive feature; though, Alex argues that everything about him is attractive.  Okay, so, he wouldn’t argue that his teeth are extremely attractive.  Everyone has dental issues, right?  Well, Alex’s teeth were never quite straight to begin with.  His problem is common: his teeth are too big for his mouth, meaning that there just simply isn’t enough room in his mouth for all his teeth.  Past visits to the dentist have resulted in teeth being pulled.  Yet, his teeth are still crooked.  He has two pointed teeth (the ones that most everyone does) that he calls his ‘fangs’.  Often, to scare younger kids, Alex would tell them that he would sneak up to their beds at night and suck every last drop of blood from their bodies while they were sleeping.  

When he smiles, two dimples can be seen on either side of his face.  As a kid, these dimples were seen to be extremely cute and adorable.  Now, however, Alex considers them a curse.  He hates being told how ‘cute’ his dimples are.  They aren’t cute.  They’re hideous indentions on his face that make him look boyish.  According to Alex, he’s already a man, so having people point out his dimples is an insult to his so called ‘manhood’.

When not in school uniform, Alex normally wears a t-shirt and jeans.  Usually he throws on whatever he knows is clean, is nearest to his bed, and whatever his hand grabs first.  Whatever he does have on, however, Alex always seems to pull it off with pizzazz, sometimes adding his own touch in one way or the other.  Often he’ll have his shirts partial unbuttoned to show off his chest.  Other times he’ll be wearing a muggle or magical sport team’s shirt with a loose tie.  Alex has been known to even make the school uniform unique.  He’ll wear his tie around his waist and his belt around his neck.  This, he says, is his way of ‘sticking it’ to the Uniform Man.  

Personality Description:  To describe Alex in a few words would not do him justice in the least bit.  Alex is many things; Alex is a troublemaker, a nuisance, a prankster, a jock, a musician, and a shameless Casanova.  He gets a thrill out of playing tricks on anyone.  Teachers find him to be an irritation and waste of their time because Alex never shows any interest in learning.  If he’s not talking back to the teacher in class then he can often be caught sleeping in the back corner desk.  

Despite his lack of effort in school, Alex is actually a very bright boy.  Most of his intelligence is poured into inventing new-fangled ways to trick people or, occasionally, picking up a novel or two to read in his down time.  In addition to being a pain in the butt, Alex loves sports, whether it be quidditch, football, basketball… Alex loves anything that keeps him moving.  Posters of quidditch and muggle baseball teams can be found covering the walls of his bedroom.

Alex has a bad temper.  It doesn’t take much to set off his short fuse.  Making cracks about him or his family, especially Gavin, is a sure fire way to set Alex off.  Though he is skilled with his wand, Alex prefers the muggle way of fighting – fist to fist.  Magic provides for an interesting fight, sure, but Alex believes that a nice blow to the face is more painful.  People are advised to stay off of this boy’s bad side, because if the teasing and fighting doesn’t get the message across, then the endless pranks will.  

To say Alex is protective is correct.  He’s protective of all those close to him because of tragic events in his past.  The last thing he wants is to lose someone else in his life.  So, if someone even looks at a loved one in the wrong way, Alex can be sure to be at the ready with his wand.  And, even though he’s a known cheater, he won’t tolerate being cheated on by a girlfriend.  His jealousy blinds him and he’s quick to get revenge on both parties.  

There will be a period of about one to two weeks every month when Alex will become extremely lazy and do nothing.  His class attendance drops drastically and his homework sits undone in his bag.  During these ‘lazy streaks’, Alex can be found in bed or in the Slytherin common room laying in his favorite armchair by the fire.  No one likes to bother Alex when he’s like this because he can be extremely nasty.  The only one who can really reason with him during his lazy weeks is Gavin.  His uncle is the only one Alex will really put up with when he’s ‘out-of-it’.  

To say Alex is a romantic is putting it lightly.  He’s a shameless flirt and brazen lover.  Yes, he’s a cheater.  His longest relationship lasted three months.  Alex knows the things that girls want to hear and he uses that knowledge to his advantage.  He loves the chase, enjoys the catch, then moves on.  Alex avoids serious relationships because they require too much commitment for him.  Staying with one person too long would drive Alex nuts.  He’d get bored, as he always does, and eventually move on.  

History:  Alexander Rhys Snark was born on April 6th, 1991 to Analiza Snark and James Davis (who left Analiza three months into the pregnancy), just two days after his Uncle Gavin was born.  When Alex was just fifteen months old, the stress of being a single mother caught up with Analiza.  She announced to the family that she would be working as an unspeakable at the Ministry of Magic; even with the knowledge that this would take her away from her son and family.  Alex was then left in the care of Gustav and Grace, his grandfather and step-grandmother and parents of Gavin.

Alex was a mischievous kid from the start.  Even as a toddler he would cause trouble for his aunt.  From the moment he had learnt to crawl, Alex was always on the move; crawling and hiding in every nook and niche in the house.  He would take things and hide them, taking pleasure in the frustrated reaction of Gustav and Grace.  Of course, Alex didn’t always act alone.  Gavin could almost always be found right there crawling at Alex’s side.  

Late in the year of 1994, Grace, realizing that Lord Voldemort’s return means danger for herself and her family, pleaded with Gustav to let her and Gavin go off to their Italian summer home for safety.  Gus agreed, staying at the family home with Alex.  Alex, now three, could not believe that his grandfather and grandmother were going to separate him and Gavin.  He thought that they were separating Gavin and him because they had caused too much trouble.  Alex spent weeks throwing tantrums and fits, demanding Gavin’s return.  The distraught boy even threatened to run away, saying if Gustav wouldn’t let him see Gavin, then he would go and see Gav himself!

A few years passed, and Alex was able to forgive the separation from his ‘brother’.  He spent a lot of time outside with neighborhood kids playing baseball, and coming up with new tricks.  Alex’s plan was to, once he was reunited with Gavin (and he knew he would be), create an infamous prankster duo and instills fear in all the adults who crossed their path!  His impatient waiting to be reunited with Gavin was soon to come to an end, though, not in the way Alex would have hoped.

In October of 1997, Grace was killed by Death Eaters who had discovered her position.  Gustav arrived in enough time to save Gavin, who had witnessed the entire event.  The two boys were six-years-old.  Gavin was brought back home to live with Gustav and Alex.  From the moment he was back, Alex noticed changes in both Gus and Gavin.  He, too, was upset by Grace’s death, but he thought that now that Gavin was with him again, everything would be better!  Alex tried as hard as he could to cheer Gav up.  He showed him all the new pranks he had schemed and executed, and would even sit infront of Gavin making silly faces.  None of his efforts seemed to work, though, but Alex wasn’t about to give up on Gavin.  He loved his uncle too much.

Tragedy was to, again, strike the family just seven months after Grace’s death.  Gustav was killed in the Battle of Hogwarts protecting Beatrix Snark, Augustus’ wife, who also ended up dying in the battle.  Three days after Gustav’s death, Analiza returned to take care of seven-year-olds Alex and Gavin, becoming Gavin’s guardian.  

The years to come were a much more relaxed time for Alex.  Gavin seemed to come around to his old self, and it wasn’t long before the two were acting as siblings once again.  Alex resumed his troublesome nature, though, no matter how much havoc he managed, the boy was always able to sweet talk his way out of trouble.  It helped that he was his mum’s pride, and that he could pull off quite a convincing innocent look.

The year finally came in 2002 when Alex and Gavin were accepted into Hogwarts.  Both were sorted into Slytherin.  Alex was awed by the grandeur of the castle.  It was so huge and there were so many people!  A lot of people meant a lot of pranking opportunities, and pranking opportunities meant more brainstorming for new pranks!  Hogwarts was going to be Heaven.  Alex also saw other opportunities at Hogwarts: girls.  Even as a young first year, Alex had begun building his career as a romantic.

Alex didn’t waste any time getting involved at Hogwarts.  He tried out for the Quidditch team and managed to snag a spot as a beater.  His love for music pushed him to practice his guitar often in the Common Room.  He then discovered that girls just couldn’t keep their eyes off a guy with a guitar.  Alex became a favorite among many of the Slytherins and one of the teachers’ least favorites.  They were never too fond of his wise cracks in class.

Now, as Alex finishes up his sixth year and prepares himself for his seventh, he views the upcoming school year as HIS year.  As always, he plans to be the most loved/feared/and sought after guy at Hogwarts, that is, next to Gavin, of course.

How Do You Fit Into Your House?:

Both of Alex’s parents were in Slytherin.  He’s picked up a lot of the Slytherin traits and pride from his mother.  Alex doesn’t exactly always play nice pranks. As an enemy, Alex is fierce. He’ll slyly turn friends against each other if he feels like it. Slytherin is in his veins and he’s proud of that fact.

Writing Sample:

Alex rolled his eyes as the shouts of his angry girlfriend went through him. This girl was really starting to get on his nerves. They had only been going out for a few weeks and already Alex felt like she was getting to be too clingy. He didn’t like the fact that she popped up everywhere all the time. The only times he hadn’t seen her for more than one hour was when he was sleeping in the boys’ dormitory.

[/i]“How could you, Alex? And with Gryffindor filth too!”[/i] she huffed. Tears began forming in her eyes and running down her cheeks. That killed Alex. Girls were always so overdramatic.  If he wasn’t so annoyed with her then Alex might have been a little sympathetic, but he couldn’t even manage a false guilty look.

Alex crossed his arms over his chest as his girlfriend continued on. Now she was getting into the phony stuff. Stuff like she thought they were ‘meant to be’ and how she was ‘so in love’. Honestly Alex wasn’t planning on dating her for that long. The only reason he was interested in the first place was because she was a bit of a prankster herself and was a good kisser.

“You knew I was this way when you first started going out with me,” Alex said simply when she had finished her babbling, “What made you think I would be different with you? Sorry, babe, but I’m through with you.”

“What, so you prefer Gryffindor rubbish to ME?”

’Well, as long as they got curves in all the right places then why the heck not?’ “Anyday,” Alex replied with a smirk and then walked away towards the Great Hall where everyone else was gathering for dinner.  He wasn’t completely finished with her yet. To pay her back for all that time wasted listening to her yelling, he planned to give her a little surprise. When that poor girl awakes with acne and warts covering her once perfect skin, she’d probably regret the day she ever got involved with Alexander Rhys Snark-Marren.

Sum up your character in one paragraph:

Truthfully, there is no one like Alexander Snark, at least, that’s what he thinks.  In his mind, Alex is the only one who could pull off being a prankster, athlete, romantic, and closet scholar as well as he does.  His vanity is unmatched, as is his romantic and troublesome nature.  It can safely be said that Alex lives in a world in which he has declared himself the equivalent of a king, perhaps even a God.

Accepted! ~Elle/Fauna

[Character Name: Alexander Snark
[Title Applying For:] Slytherin Quidditch Captain

[How has your past prepared you for this honor?:]

From the moment Alex was able to crawl he was constantly active.  He loved to constantly be in motion, doing one thing or another.  As he grew up, Alex developed a fascination for sports – any and all sports.  Whether it be muggle baseball, basketball, football (known as soccer in the US), or Quidditch, Alex grew to love them all.  He spent hours as a young kid getting to know the rules of each and every game, then going out and playing.  The number of windows broken by his hand is too numerous to count.

Upon entering Hogwarts, Alex was determined to make his claim on the Slytherin quidditch team some way.  As a young student he would always drag his uncle and best friend, Gavin, to the quidditch matches held at school.  Never did he miss a game, never.  The time came when he finally earned himself a spot on the Slytherin team as a beater.  Alex was thoroughly thrilled.  Since then, he has committed himself whole-heartedly to his team – training even in the off season and over summer holiday. 

[What Do You Think the Most Important Aspect of This Job is?:]

The most important job of being a Captain of a Quidditch team is to make your team a true team.  A true team is like a second family.  They work together to achieve an ultimate goal.  They strive through hardships together to reach the top.  There is no one individual on any real ‘team’ that stands above the rest… not even the captain.  The captain is there to simply call the plays and bring everyone together.  Alex understands this and wouldn’t think for even a millisecond of changing this. 

[Tell a Story From Your Past that has Proven Your Mettle:]

The rain poured down hard on the players as they zoomed around the field on their broomsticks.  It was Hufflepuff versus Slytherin – with Hufflepuff in the lead with three goals.  The Slytherins were tired, worn out, but still had a fire burning somewhere inside themselves that kept them playing.  The snitch was still out there.  Surely they could get it and still win the match! 

Alex dodged a bludger that had been sent his way by one of the Hufflepuff team’s beaters.  He squinted to try and spot the fellow so he could return the thoughtful gift, but could hardly see two feet in front of him.  A growl of frustration escaped his lips as he sped forward.  That beater would have to wait, Alex had other things to do.  His first priority was to protect his teammates.  Hurting the other team’s players was second priority. 

“Alex, I could use your help buddy!” Gordon, the Slytherin seeker, yelled.  Alex peered through the rain and was able to see Gordon, seemingly chasing something Alex couldn’t see with a bludger on his tail.  Immediately Alex went to work.  He fell into line with the snitch, Gordon, the bludger, and then himself.  “I’ve got your back, Gor!” Alex yelled to his teammate as he reached forward with his bat, poised to hit the bludger off of Gordon’s tail.

Out of nowhere the other bludger came flying, knocking Alex’s bat out of his hand.  Alex slowed down, stunned.  He turned to see the same Hufflepuff beater laughing at him.  Rage flooded his body and revenge was the single thought on his mind.  How dare that Hufflepuff twit mess with him?!

“ALEX!”

Gordon’s shout out brought Alex back to his senses.  The Huffle could wait.  Gordon was his first priority, afterall, he was within a foot of catching the snitch and a Slytherin victory.  But, without a bat what could Alex possibly do to stop the bludger that was after Gordon?  Their other beater had been knocked off his broom earlier in the game so he was useless!  And by the time Alex would have gone down and retrieved his bad, the bludger would have knocked Gordon senseless!  What do do?!

“Ahhh!!!” Alex yelled out as whizzed forward on his broom.  He managed to catch up to the bludger that was being a pain in the butt, and fly to its side.  Taking a deep breath, Alex moved himself into the small gap between the bludger and Gordon.  Closing his eyes, he slowed down, allowing the bludger to collide with him.

The game ended in a Hufflepuff victory despite Alex’s sacrifice.  Gordon had apparently given up his pursuit of the snitch to make sure Alex was okay.  The Hufflepuff seeker made his move then.  Alex spent a couple days in the Hospital Wing nursing a few broken bones and a dislocated shoulder.  The Slytherin team gained a whole new level of respect for Alex after that game.