MCKINNON, Marlene Isobel

[MARLENE ISOBEL MCKINNON]

Marlene Isobel McKinnon

[/center]

--------------------------------------------------------
Don't you dare look out your window
Darling, everything's on fire

[/color]
----------------------------------------------------------
•the basics • the basics • the basics •[/center][/size]

Full Name:Marlene Isobel McKinnon
Nicknames: Mars, Mar, and Marley (which she loathes). They’re all shortened forms of Marlene (“because two syllables is so hard to pronounce, after all…”).
Age/Year: 17 / 7th
House: Gryffindor
Blood Status: Pureblood
Wand: 11" Unicorn Tail Hair core, Cedar Wood.

According to Ollivander: "Whenever I meet one who carries a cedar wand, I find strength of character and unusual loyalty. My father, Gervaise Ollivander, used always to say, ‘you will never fool the cedar carrier,’ and I agree: the cedar wand finds its perfect home where there is perspicacity and perception. I would go further than my father, however, in saying that I have never yet met the owner of a cedar wand whom I would care to cross, especially if harm is done to those of whom they are fond. The witch or wizard who is well-matched with cedar carries the potential to be a frightening adversary, which often comes as a shock to those who have thoughtlessly challenged them."
Alliance: Order of the Phoenix
Play-by:Alyson Michalka

--------------------------------------------------------
The war outside our door keeps raging on
Hold on to this lullaby
----------------------------------------------------------
• personality • personality • personality •

[/size]

Likes: Quidditch, flying, The Marauders, thunderstorms, her friends, singing, playing piano, music involving trumpets, cuddling up by the fireplace in a blanket, traveling, romance, keeping in shape, watching the sun set and sometimes rise, her friends and family, cats, jumpers and scarves, Defense Against the Dark Arts and Charms, and boys
Dislikes: Pureblood superiority, closed-mindedness, Death Eaters, sour things, early mornings, the dark arts, the color pink, dressing up, summer heat, cooking, Astronomy and Arithmancy, and Evan Rosier (“which should really go under some kind of ‘things Mars wishes were dead’ list.’ It would be a very short list.”)
Strengths: Photographic memory, loyal, honest, quick, confident, superb chaser, intuitive, sympathetic, friendly, nonjudgmental, resilient.
Weaknesses: loud, stubborn, impulsive, reckless, obnoxious, blunt, disorganized, perfectionist
Amortentia: the ocean, wet pavement, clean laundry, chocolate
Dementor: Losing her brother.
Boggart: Needles
Veritaserum: She was abused by her ex-boyfriend, Evan Rosier.
Personality: To put it simply - Marlene is a lioness with an enormous heart, a big mouth, and very sharp claws.

Sassy/Quick-witted – Marlene McKinnon is and always has been one girl you don’t want to have an argument. She always has some kind of comment, and most of them aren’t really nice. She’s full of insults for those who deserve them, and even some for those who don’t. She’s found herself in many verbal sparring matches over the years. She uses her wit to make people laugh when she can, and she thoroughly enjoys the ‘jaw on the floor’ or ‘deer in the headlights’ look people sometimes give her when a comment slips past her lips.

Obnoxious/Loud/Blunt – Marlene says what she means. She doesn’t play games with people. She’ll always be honest with you, whether you want to hear it or not, but only when she knows it’s good for you. She’s not honest to the point of being rude… most of the time. Sometimes, if you deserve it, she’ll be too honest with you just to put you in your place. Marlene is very honest with herself, too. She’s very aware of her flaws and she accepts them. She isn’t ashamed of who she is, and she wishes more people were like that. On occasion she’ll be too honest with her friends, too. She’s gotten into a few rows over her comments before. And Merlin knows James Potter never wants to hear what she has to say about practices. She’s always been loud, and a bit obnoxious, especially when she’s had sugar or firewhiskey.

Impulsive/Reckless/Stubborn – Along with occasionally always speaking without thinking, Marlene also acts without thinking. She follows her gut and her emotions, and is very much a short-term thinker. She doesn’t think things through very often. She would run into a burning building if it meant she’ll save only one life, even if she loses her own. She can sometimes be too quick to act. She’s stubborn and doesn’t do well with being told she’s wrong. She always has to have the last word in an argument, including those she has with her superiors (and she has been known to argue with a professor now and again – especially Slughorn and Sprout). Marlene also has the capability to be very manipulative and vindictive, but she chooses to forgive and not forget rather than hold on to grudges.

Resilient/Sympathetic/Loyal – Marlene McKinnon is resilient. She refuses to give up hope no matter how bleak the situation seems. She is a fighter, emotionally and physically (if she has to be), which she learned from a relationship she was in in her fourth year. And while she is aware of her emotional strength she is completely unaware where it comes from. She bounced back from her relationship from hell and the loss of her only brother and she has no idea how. There are times still when she pauses and asks if there’s something wrong with her. She is incredibly sympathetic towards the suffering of others, especially those she cares about, and she will defend those she cares about until her dying breath.

Nonjudgmental – Marlene refuses to judge people when she first meets them, and she knows not to allow people’s pasts to define them. She may make snap judgments about whether you’re obnoxious or not, but she will not hold those things against you unless you prove to be a bad person. She refuses to take other people’s opinions of something and allow them to become her own. She gets to know people for herself, even if people warn her that you’re a bad person or not worth her time. It’s part of her stubborn nature, which can sometimes be a very bad thing, especially in cases like Evan Rosier.

--------------------------------------------------------
Even when the music's gone
Just close your eyes
The sun is going down
----------------------------------------------------------
• appearance • appearance • appearance •

[/size]

Hair color: Marlene has blonde hair which can vary in lightness by how much time she spends in the sun. In the summer it’s very light, and in the winter it tends to darken a bit. It’s also, almost always, wavy and tousled, but she likes it that way. She calls it her mane. She’s a lioness, after all.
Eye color: Mars has close set, green eyes that turn even more noticeably green when she’s been having a good cry. She thinks her eye color is relatively unique since she has blonde hair, so she wouldn’t trade them for anything.
Facial structure: Marlene has a somewhat square chin and a somewhat around face-shape. She used to look a bit awkward when she was younger, but she’s grown into her features quite nicely.
Body structure: Mars is pretty average for her age, or maybe a bit tall. It depends on who you ask. She stands at about 5’8 and weighs 122 lbs. She’s incredibly toned, as keeping fit is one of her favorite things. She very much enjoys her flat stomach. And she was fortunate enough to be blessed with decent sized breasts (“Thanks mum!”). She has a bite mark on her left calf that she got while she was dating Evan Rosier (from his dog).
Clothing Choice: While Mars hates getting dressed up, and would rather be in comfortable clothes like a large jumper or sweatshirt and jeans, she does sometimes let Alice Logan dress her up because she knows it’s one of her favorite things to do.

--------------------------------------------------------
You'll be alright
No one can hurt you now
----------------------------------------------------------
• family • family • family •

[/size]
Mother: Alana McKinnon, 39, Healer
Father: James McKinnon 40, Auror
Siblings: Malcolm McKinnon, brother, deceased
Other: Many aunts and uncles on both sides of her family.
History: Marlene was born the second child and only daughter to an affluent pureblooded family. Alana McKinnon gave birth to Marlene on a rainy day in late January. She was born in the small wizarding village of Pirnmill on the Isle of Arran in Scotland, and she was an heiress from the day she was born. Alana and James, due to their careers, were incredibly wealthy, and incredibly well-known throughout the wizarding world. In some areas of the wizarding world McKinnon was a house-hold name, particularly the affluent, pureblood part of the wizarding community. Though it was clear from a very early age that Marlene’s parents didn’t quite agree with the elitist attitude that some of the other wizarding families seemed to have.

Marlene grew up in a mansion big enough to house half of Hogwarts (or so she thought when she was younger) with even more land surrounding it. The mansion was built on acres of land and directly near the ocean. Her family would often have get-togethers and invite families of all blood stature to partake in the event. Sometimes Marlene (who was forced to dress up like the rich little girl she was for appearances sake, even though she absolutely hated it) overheard some of the wizarding families talking about how they couldn’t believe some of other families that were there. Those comments didn’t sit well with Marlene, even at the young age of six or seven. She was raised that everyone was equal, and sometimes she even told those wizarding families so. Her parents were pretty mad about her after that, but they forgave her. Her parents were out of the house a lot because of their professions, so she and Malcolm were left alone with tutors and housekeepers. Marlene liked about half of them.

When she wasn’t offending pureblooded families at parties or the family help she could be found on a broom, flying around the Quidditch pitch that was built in part of the back area of the house, or even out over the ocean. That was, and still is, one of Marlene’s favorite places in the world. The smell of the sea, the sound of the crashing waves, and the wind in her hair, just sitting above the ocean on a broom – to her there’s no better feeling in the world, but the ocean became a very sad place for her for a while.

Marlene was seven she when it happened. She and her brother were flying out toward the ocean, just sitting around and joking like they usually did when Malcolm went to show off, hanging upside down by his legs on his broom. The nine-year-old slipped, his legs falling off the broom. Marlene screamed as she watched her brother falling, and she reacted, diving after him on her broom, but she was a few seconds too slow, and her brother hit the rocks and the water. Marlene emitted a scream unlike anything she’d ever experienced, and the housekeeper on duty at the time called Marlene to her right away before apparating for help. When Marlene’s feet hi the ground she collapsed, tears streaming down her face, screaming for the woman to help him, to save Malcolm, but by the time the mediwizards arrived, Malcolm was long gone. Her mother had arrived with the mediwizards, and was in shock at the news. But once it sunk in her parents were devastated at the news, and so was Marlene.

After the passing of her brother, Marlene’s parents went on a long vacation, taking Marlene all around the world, showing her their favorite places that they’d always wanted to visit. They wanted to escape the large house that felt so empty without Malcolm, even if it was only for a little while. Marlene was sad about her brother’s death, and while she did stop flying to the ocean for a bit after her brother’s passing, she didn’t fall into the deep depression that most of her family had thought she would. Malcolm had been her only real and true friend. Her parents had sent her to speak with a doctor, just in case, but rather than ever really talking about her feelings, her doctor introduced her to her second love (her first was flying) – the piano.

She picked up the skill rather quickly and after she started playing, she found she had an innate ability to sing well. When her mother found out she was ecstatic and allowed Marlene to practice in the living room as often as she wanted, and she and her female cousins often held small concerts for their parents. They harmonized incredibly well for all being so young (though some of them were older) and the love of piano and singing has stuck with Mars ever since. She can often be heard singing in the shower or down the halls between lessons. Whenever she finds herself feeling sad she’ll sing to make herself feel better.

When she was eleven she received her Hogwarts letter, and she couldn’t wait to go. She was immediately and easily sorted into Gryffindor and became fast friends with few like Alice Logan and Lily Evans (who admittedly took a bit of warming up to her, but they were roommates after all) and an even faster annoyance to others. By that time she had grown into her obnoxious, sassy eleven-year-old self. She also joined the Frog Choir in her first year and has been a member ever since. She adores singing and harmonizing with the group, and sometimes holds impromptu practices in the Great Hall during dinner or lunch, so they can practice songs that are a bit more new-age. The songs they practice in the Great Hall are usually really on-the-fly, but many people in the group have been singing for so long harmonizing comes naturally to them. In her second year she joined the Gryffindor Quidditch team as a chaser, and was so excited to be a part of another group. Mars has always been a social butterfly at heart, though sometimes that she can come off a bit more like a social cougar with the way she approaches things.

She passes all of her subject with ease because she has the gift of a photographic memory (which is sometimes a blessing and a curse), but she certainly doesn't enjoy all of them. Despite the fact that she has a photographic memory she still finds herself rather studious when she needs to be. She wants to be informed and intelligent rather than simply rely on her memory to get her through school. She actually wanted to retain what she was learning, which was likely rare for a student with her abilities. She been aware from a young age that she wants to follow in either her father or her mother's footsteps as far as careers are concerned, she hasn't decided which one just yet.

In her fourth year she learned the true meaning of bravery and that she was truly a lioness at heart. She started dating Evan Rosier (who she’d been warned was a bad seed more times than she cares to remember) after he’d been paired up with her for Potions (which she hates. But he was good at them! He helped her!). Today she blames the relationship on a mixture of idiocy, naivety, and hormones. But the relationship happened, regardless of the reasons, and for a while it actually went rather well. He was sweet (as sweet as a Slytherin can get, anyway) and she met his parents over Christmas holiday, and he went to visit her family for a bit as well. In September of her fifth year things started to change between them. Rosier was cold, mean, uncaring. Something had changed him, though she couldn’t pinpoint what. His insults started out snide and few, but grew in both intensity and number as time went by. Marlene fought back with words of her own, which she will never regret, until one day things turned physical. Evan Rosier laid his hands on her in the form of punches before pulling his wand on her. She was quick to pull out her own, and she hid the bruises well (most were underneath her clothes. “Apparently Rosier’s pretty experienced with the whole beating his girlfriend thing. Prick.”)

But Marlene was stupid and stayed in the relationship. (“Blame the hormones! He was a good kisser, as much as admitting that makes me want to throw up.”) She was invited to his house by his parents for Christmas holiday, and she accepted because that’s what was right of her to do as a guest. After the dinner meal Rosier asked her to go for a walk outside. Was he going to apologize? (“Mars, MERLIN you were naïve…”). But he didn’t apologize. Instead, he gagged her and tied her to a tree (physically; he couldn’t use magic outside of school), and while Marlene struggled and did get a good punch on him, he still overpowered her. And then he sicked his dog on her. And that’s when it all came out.

“Blood traitor! You and your whole family!” he shouted as the dog clamped onto her calf, but Marlene wasn’t stupid. She was a girl, and while she’s heavily against animal violence and animal abuse, she dug her right heel into that dog as hard as she could, and it yelped and ran away. The dog making noise was enough to get his family’s attention, and he untied her just before his parents arrived, they saw the gash on his leg, and Evan Rosier played the hero.

“Mum, dad, I don’t know what happened! Rosco just attacked her!” Rosier shouted, and that was when Marlene McKinnon lost it.

“He is a liar! He tied me to a tree and then SICKED Rosco on me like I was some kind of chew toy! Your son’s a bloody lunatic, calling me a blood-traitor,” she spat at the parents, who at first looked shocked at the accusations, but soon their shocked looks faded into… were those smiles of approval? WHAT? Marlene’s eyes widened and she let out an infuriating growl and kicked the dirt.

“Send me home – NOW! I never want to see any of you again, and I hope your bloody dog dies!” she shouted angrily at them, though inwardly she actually felt terrible about the dog, and she didn’t really want it to die. The Rosier’s took her home without hesitation, and then things got even worse; Marlene couldn’t keep her mouth shut now that it was out, and she told her parents everything about the dog and the beatings and the stupid bloody elitism and the calling her a blood-traitor.

Needless to say her parents weren’t happy, and when you pit one affluent pureblood wizarding family against another pureblood affluent wizarding family of opposite opinion on blood status elitism… well, things got ugly. Courts were involved, and by the time the winter Holiday was over the news was out about the whole wizarding world knew. It was all over the Prophet’s front page. But Marlene walked around the school with her head held high (her family won the case, of course). Because Rosier was a minor, though, no charges were brought against him. His parents were issued rather extensive fines. And Rosco did end up surviving Marlene’s heel attack.

Since then Marlene has lived happily forgetting about the entire ordeal with Rosier and has openly mocked him and the rest of the pureblood elitist society ever since (even more though than she did before). She's even found herself crushing on a few boys again.

--------------------------------------------------------
Come morning light
You and I'll be safe and sound
----------------------------------------------------------
• the player • the player • the player •

[/size]

Alias: Neon!
Age: 22
Experience: So many years!
Code Word: alohamora!
RP Sample:

RPample goes here, minimum of 250 words

[/color]

[ϟ ADMIN ADRI]