Accepted! ~Elle/Fauna

About You, the Writer:

Your Nickname: Bean
Have you read and do you agree to the Code of Conduct?: Ja!!
How did you find us and decide to write with us? Blame the Paz
If you have written other characters here, list them all: Not here, but on SR.

Full Character Name: Marni Thistle
Character Birthday & Age: 17 October 1991, 17 years old
City & Country of Birth: Obar Dheathain (Aberdeen), Scotland
Pureblood, Halfblood or Muggleborn: Muggleborn
House & Year: Hufflepuff, 7th year

Wand:
Ivy, Phoenix Feather, Supple and Knobby.  Approximately 11 inches and showing some minor wear and tear.  It is possibly in need of a good polish, but it's the end of the year. . . you can't expect a student to keep on these things can you?

Physical Description:
Marni has thick plain brown hair she frequently wears back in a braid.  She is just over 5 feet tall and solidly built.  She is by no means slender, but rather built to withstand the Scottish highlands from which she was brought up on.  

Her eyes are a pale blue almost grey.  Her skin is pale, but she turns red in a flash if she is either embarrassed or angry.  She is not prone to sunburns as much as some might think.  Growing up on the Scottish moors has toughened her quite a bit, not so say she has tough skin, but it certainly can withstand anything the weather throws at her.

Typically seen her in school robes, Marni is not exactly a looker.  Some may think so, but she finds her looks quite plain.  On Hogsmeade trips and other excursions, she is frequently seen in less than may be deemed weather appropriate.  Comfortable in the simple and efficient, Marni could care less about fashion.  She does try to match though.  And she does not believe that robe-wearing is all that comfortable, she is much happier in her Muggle-wardrobe.

Personality Description:  
That Scottish temper has seen Marni with several detentions until the wee hours.  Not that she is a trouble maker, rather she is dedicated to her ideas.  Dedication was something her parents instilled in her.  Apparently it skipped her sister Ida, who seems constantly at a crossroad of what to do and who to see.  Flighty is a word for Ida, but not for Marni.

Marni is quiet, most of the time.  She's always had trouble absorbing information, especially when it comes to school, so 110% of her attention is focused on the professor and what he/she is saying.  Her professors and classmates may get exasperated with her at times, and that can lead to either her ignoring their looks or a spark of temper.  One never knows.  To learn her books, spells, etc Marni has taken to reading out loud to herself under her breath.  Wordless spells have taken ages, and a lot of patience from everyone around her.

Through all of this you rarely see Marni frustrated at herself, but she is quick with the repartee and just as fast to apologise when she is in the wrong.  As the oldest of her siblings, Marni was always fast with a response of some sort.  She is very observant of other people's feelings sometimes before they even come out to express it.  She never lords an idea over anyone either.  Another sisterly trait.  Her siblings know she's not a pushover, rather quite solid in her ideas.

Even with all her good qualities, Marni is not the most popular of girls.  She keeps to herself and doesn't seek out the company of others, rather they need to seek her out.  She is not opposed to other people, but she doesn't feel right pushing herself into the lives of others.

History:
Childhood -- Marni was born the eldest of 3 to her parents, Lea and Marcus, at the family home in Aberdeen on the 17th of October 1991. She was nary spoiled nor ignored, but rather given what was thought best for her, and knowing nothing else accepted it as the way things were.  She was a child that took things as they came to her and never sought adventure and mayhem like her parents were afraid she would.  There was a spark to her they didn't like to set off.  Even as a child, the girl had a set of lungs and the willpower to see her opinion out.

Marni's parents were grateful to have such a daughter as their lives were rather busy.  Marcus worked in the city council and Lea taught at the University.  Soon they were wishing for a second child.

At the age of two her sister Ida was born.  Ida was all attention attention attention.  Marni treated her with some curiosity and then indifference.  If her new sister was going to spend her whole life shrieking because no one held her, so be it.  Marni followed her parents rules quite well, she was too little to hold Ida, so she didn't.  This led her to the conclusion that if she was too little to hold Ida, she was also too little to be bothered with her.  So she wandered off in search of other things to do.  

When Ida was safely tucked away into bed and blissfully sleeping, Marcus would take Marni for walks.  They would wander the streets of Aberdeen and he would point out the little animals and birds and the buildings.  Marni tried to remember them all, but never quite got them right.  

When she was 7 her brother Camdyn was born.  He was a delightful child that adored his eldest sister.  Ida was 5, and quite petulant at the time. She did not like the lack of attention and threw many a fit, unless Marni came in to distract her with something else.  Camdyn on the other hand would follow Marni around like a puppy.  Marni took this in stride but very firmly taught him the limits.  He could not come into the toilet with her, and he could not go to school with her.  Bathtime was private time, and that was that.  She did let him sleep with her when he got scared and Ida was sleeping between their parents.

At age 9 her magical skills started to show.  At first it was tiny things, a tulip would go from red to yellow, the cat turned from grey tabby to mancoon.  They had a few visitors during those incidents who calmly took care of everything and the neighbors never knew about them.  But Marni's special new talent didn't stop there.  One summer afternoon Marni turned poor Ida into a goat. Whoops.  She still isn't clear how it happened.  All she knew was one minute her sister was playing with a  skipping rope.  The next, her sister was trying to eat it and Marni had tripped over her own feet and fallen to the ground.

That brought about some attention.  Even her parents couldn't ignore that.  So far they thought she had learned some strange magic tricks from a magician that came to her school.  But turning Ida into a goat just wasn't normal. . . Especially one that still had Ida's clothes on and was meticulously munching away on shoelaces.  Soon enough the Ministry of Magic had a sit down with the Thistle family and explained what was going on.  Ida was no longer a goat, Marni feared she'd turn someone into a cow next and Cam thought it was hilarious.

Soon after it was explained that Marni was a witch, Lea and Marcus fainted dead away.  Magic was not a practical explanation for this, but Marni merely took it in stride and then told the Ministry Officials they needed to make her parents better as it was almost time for dinner and she was hungry.

As soon as she turned 10 that infamous Hogwarts Owl made its arrival.  Apparently her autumn birthday was going to put her into Hogwarts a bit young.   The Thistle family was ready for it and took the trip down to London the following summer to get her school-things.  Soon enough, she was waiting for the Hogwarts Express with her trunk (why she couldn't bring her luggage kit, she never knew, but the rules said trunk).

Upon arriving at the Castle, Marni was placed in Hufflepuff by a talking hat.  That was new.  And she liked badgers, and she liked her fellow housemates well enough.  Getting through classes was tough, but with the help of the prefects and older students she managed to figure out a pattern.  The biggest pattern was avoiding Slytherin students.  They had the least amount of patience with her slow going.  Her Ravenclaw classmates just shook their heads as she was miles behind them in grasping her studies.  Pity was never asked for, but some felt bad for her.

The best moment was when Marni found her comfort zone in Transfiguration and Charms.  Her professors were quite pleased with her.  Her other classes were not as easy, but with a lot of determination and late nights, she managed to get by with fairly good grades.  Hard work and perseverance were her gifts, and she was going to use them.


How Do You Fit Into Your House?:
She was put into Hufflepuff as a toddling first year due to 1. Her Muggle nature and inability to grasp most things magical.  2. Her dedication to her friends.  3. Her desire to learn and work hard.  


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

Marni wandered into the Great Hall and was faced with a cacophony of noise.  This wasn't unusual, but the splitting headache she had from Potions class did not help her situation.  After knocking her cauldron off the table, smashing several phials of greenish-blue liquid and setting her parchment on fire she felt her day could only improve.  

Plunking down at a gap on the Hufflepuff Table, Marni proceeded to fill her plate with the daily fare.  Munching away she could hear some girls chatting about a rather cute 7th year.  Why did it always have to be about a 7th year?  They were no older than 4th year?!?!  The fuse was already short on her temper, and for some reason this just pushed her over the edge.  

"Ye twits!! What do ye think yer doin slackjawed about a 7th year?  Do ye think he'll even notice yer moonin' and fawnin' over him? And fer goodness sakes, yer hair looks a mess.  I doubt the bloke would be the least bit chuffed to know he's got lass's younger than his sister lookin' at him as a prime piece of meat."  

Shoving her plate away from her Marni prepared to stand up and instead fell backwards off the bench.  Peals of girlish laughter washed over her.  Fuming and red-faced Marni stormed off trailing her pack after her.  This day just couldn't get any worse, could it?

Sum up your character in one paragraph:
Marni is a clumsy girl who is dedicated to school.  She loves it, but just can't make her effort show through. Try as she might, she bumbles along a bit more than your typical student.  Her temper doesn't help either.  No matter what, at least once a day it gets the better of her.  Just give her a bit of space and some quiet time and she'll calm down.  It also helps if she's interested in what she's learning.  Even with all her fumbles, she is quite a force to be reckoned with.