Marlene McKinnon

[Marlene McKinnon]

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{ A B O U T . Y O U }

Name: Skarletta
Gender: Femme fatale!
Age: Old enough (;
E-mail: You have it.
Twitter: blankity blank
Years of RPG Experience: blankity blank
Other: lYKe zOmgG!1!

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{ Q U I C K . Q U I Z }

How did you find us? Luck.
What about ISS inspired you to join? Canons.
Do you have any suggestions for us? blankity blank

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{ A B O U T . T H E . C H A R A C T E R }

Name: Marlene Sophia McKinnon
Age: 17
Gender: Female
Year: Graduate
Face Claim: Sophia Bush

Canon or Original? Canon

Facial Properties: She’s got a round face that would be chubby and almost child-like were it not for the saving properties of her hair, lips, chin and eyes. It’s always the eyes with these girls, isn’t it? She’s got a mole—that despised imperfection she so wishes she could erase—on the right side of her face, and she’s got a smile that could light up your sky if only you’d allow it to. Marlene knows she can work herself to her own advantage, and she does so shamelessly. After all, looks were bestowed for a reason, weren’t they? Her hazel eyes are framed by dark lashes that more often than not are enhanced and thickened by glamours and muggle products. Those are topped by heavily arched eyebrows that most people can see lifted in haughtiness when she’s talking to someone she intensely dislikes. Or one of them raised flirtatiously whenever she’s around her boys. It’s all about being expressive with your gestures, and Marlene sure lives up to that. One can learn so many things by learning to observe a person’s face, and Marlene is almost like an open book when she’s careless and free. That dimpled smile she bestows on a hand-picked bunch can make or break your day. Make it if it’s being directed at you, and break it by knowing you’ll never be on the receiving end of it. The pink in her lips only compliments all of this, makes her smile all that much more noticeable, her laugh all that more enticing and inviting. Her hair frames her face perfectly—she does make sure that’s how it is before she leaves her room—and it has been shoulder-length for the majority of her life. Her daddy likes it long, but she doesn’t like it too long. So shoulder-length has been their happy agreement for as long as she can remember. After all, her father just wants to remember her mom, and deep down, Marlene only wants to make him happy—somehow.

Physique: Okay, so what’s the point of lying? Marlene’s short. Like, really, really short. But she’s learned to deal with it. After a whole lifetime of being shorter than most of your classmates, and having like three or four merciless cousins teasing you constantly, you really have no other option. That, and of course, the occasional comments of ‘Oh my gosh, I’m so jealous, you’re so petite!’ kind of made things more bearable for her. Being 5.3” isn’t all that’s what’s cracked up to be, since it does have numerous disadvantages, but then again, Marlene has always been able to find the best in every situation, no matter how much of a drama queen she can be. So of course, for every shelf she couldn’t reach there was this one cute boy she could ask for assistance, and one more date she always managed to bag. Things like that make being short so wonderfully okay, Marlene has forgotten all about it. Of course, you have the added advantage of the wonderful invention humankind calls ‘high heels’, and voila! Marlene’s life is once again solved and perfect, running as smoothly as she in her YSL pumps.

Other than being short, Marlene’s features include square shoulders that are always perfectly aligned for better posture and garb, a slender frame complimented by slender arms, and a graceful neck that she always uses to hold her head high. Weight has never been an issue for her. Not only is Marlene vegetarian, but she doesn’t eat fried foods, or anything that has an excessive amount of calories and fat. It’s not that she watches her weight either. She just doesn’t like the aftertaste all of those things leave in her mouth. Sure, she doesn’t have the million galleon legs she would adore to have, but she’s content with what she has. Confidence is what matters most in a girl, and boy, does Marlene have enough of it to go around. In order for her to be that confident, though, she had to accept herself completely. Her tiny feet, her weirdly shaped hands (in her opinion), and that disgusting mole that she really, really wishes she could blast off her face. All in all, one day she decided that was good enough for the world and the entire universe, and that was that. Nobody has dared to contradict her.

Wand Type: Willow, 14”, flexible.
Wand Expertise: Care of Magical Creatures
Patronus: Silver fox
Boggart: Standing in the middle of a crowded party room...and being invisible.

Personality:
Marlene likes her boys confident. She likes them confident, self-assured, and just a touch arrogant, because Merlin knows it’s hot. Not to mention, it’s fun to take them down a notch or two every once in a while. So yes, she likes to be entertained, and she likes to be treated like the princess her Daddy ingrained her to believe she was. She likes them attractive in this rugged, bad boy way that makes her feel slightly ridiculous from time to time. Sure, she likes clichés, but actually being a cliché by liking bad boys? Kinda embarrassing; nevertheless, it holds true. That doesn’t mean those are all the boys she likes, because well, Marlene believes in giving everyone a chance. Especially if said ‘everyone’ happens to be attractive and willing. Morals? What are those? Sometimes they’re just a bother and get in the way of fun. Sometimes all you need to do is let go of a touch of your uptightness and you’ll end up having so much more than what you bargained for. And who doesn’t like abundance? Abundance is good. Abundance means you’re on the right track.

Of course, what does this tell you of Marlene so far? I bet it hasn’t painted a pretty picture. But, contrary to popular belief, Marlene is not a slut, and most definitely not a skeeze. Feeling loved and being paid attention is what she lives for, almost on a daily basis. Which does happen on a daily basis because she’s made sure to surround herself with friends and entrench herself firmly and deeply on the social scene of every place she’s ever been to. She’s open and social. Easy to talk to and a great beauty tip giver if you happen to gloss up on the compliments that go her way. Her laughter has this way of drawing people in, because they want to be the cause of that smile. Marlene’s face is the type that goes through an entire transformation when she smiles. Her eyes glow, her cheeks blush…She has star, and anyone who tries to deny it is a liar. Whether it is an acquired skill or an unknown and innate talent for making feel people at home, Marlene has it. Better yet, she works it. And works it in her favor. Boys, girls, adults, Professors….nobody goes by unnoticed, and in turn, she doesn’t go unnoticed. Being such a willing socialite puts her in the spotlight, and you will never hear her say she hates that. Matter of fact, Marlene loves it. She revels in it, and thus, will refuse to let it go, ever. It is a well-known fact that boys are drawn by girls that are confident in themselves and know what they want. Add to that the fact that Marlene has great connections and rep backing her up, and it makes dating all that easier.

It’s a viciously delicious cycle, the one she lives in. She’s social, and she has many friends and dates because she’s social. Dating constantly gives her a rep, which in turn boosts her social status, and boosting her social status means more people who hate you, and the more people who hate you, the more they will talk about you. The more they talk about you, the more that makes you known. Better known means more friends. More friends mean a bright social status…and on, and on it goes. Marlene has known this consciously ever since she had the opportunity to start dating as frequently as she liked—ever since she threw herself into the scene with candor and a will to tear everything down. It’s all a simple-minded game in the end, and the fact that she knows the ropes makes it all the more thrilling. What’s better than being in absolute control, after all?

Say it with me: she’s a manipulative, cunning, little bitch. But, oh, the skills she has, you’ve got to admit they’re something you’d like to have every once in a while. When a person is able to charm/laugh/flirt/blow their way out of problems, you know he or she’s got talent. And Marlene? Well, Marlene is that person. Ever since she was a little girl, getting her way was the only way in the household. Things were different when her mother Andrea was alive, but thing is…Marlene doesn’t remember those times. She only remembers the chocolates, the balloons, the parties in her honor, the gifts she only had to point in order to receive them the next day, or that very instant…she remembers how everyone seemed to coo and tell her daddy she was ‘the prettiest child’ they had ever seen, and she definitely remembers her daddy’s proud response as he looked fondly down at her. She’s used to meaning the entire world to someone, and once you have a taste of that feeling…it’s something you don’t ever want to let go of. Which is why, once she was out of her household and into the bustling activity of Hogwarts, she felt disoriented and out of place for a couple of days. Where was that adoration? Where was that absolute response to her needs and wants? For the first time in her life, Marlene had to work to get what she wanted, and while it wasn’t pleasurable, having to pretend to like people she really didn’t, and having to go out with girls she loathed and share secrets with them as if they were best friends, it made her realize something: even if some goals can’t be accomplished in the blink of an eye, they can and will be accomplished if you put your entire self to it. If you dedicate your heart and mind to getting what you want, things always come true. It doesn’t matter how far-fetched and impossible it seems. When you want something, you get it. Marlene discovered the power of motivation and confidence in that first year at Hogwarts, and it served to build up her personality even more.

Her strength had relied solely on her father, but now, as she spread out and started getting a feel for the new world around her, her strength—slowly but surely—started becoming her own. Its foundations started recreating themselves in her skills, her intelligence and wit, and the ability to adapt to situations that most people find hard to control. She learned to be malleable when the occasion called for it, but never to lose her true self. Being stubborn by nature sure helped in this process, and it got even more marked. She was getting what she wanted, no matter what. Things were going to be fine because she was willing them to be fine.

So you’ve got a strong, flirty, independent girl. What’s missing? The friends, of course. The real ones, anyway. Which, Marlene feels compelled to add, aren’t that many. However, they are important to her. They’re the untouchable ones. Not by her, and not by anyone else. If she finds out someone is messing with them, you better watch out for any retaliations Marlene’s Style, because she’s got quite the fame for them. She has no qualms about pushing her moral side to the side, and well, add to that the fact that she will be pissed if you mess with her people…you really better be prepared for social suicide. And you better throw in some personal problems in as well. Just for good measure. She’s unstoppable, and has a mean side to her that when you get to see it, you wish you hadn’t, because it’s been known to change the perspective one could have of her. See, if she likes you, she’s really sweet, and funny and quite the Marlene everyone knows. If she doesn’t like you…well, that’s a story you have to find out for yourself. Just know that it’s not pretty and most definitely not nice. It’s not about physical violence—although it has come to those un-classy ends very few times—but it’s most definitely about psychological mess ups. Even without the specifics, are you willing to risk it? Sometimes, though, you have to risk it. Her friends are people who have proved their worth in gold, and once you’re in, you’re most probably in for life, unless you do some serious backstabbing.

Marlene is an innately selfish person. She puts herself before anyone else, and if she doesn’t like it, she’ll make it known same way or another. She has competitive issues, and she doesn’t like feeling put out or put down. It comes with the terrain of being accustomed to the center of attention, and although she knows it’s a negative trait and hates anyone who possesses it—other than her, of course—it’s something she doesn’t want to let go of, no matter how times she has met with a wall due to it. She’s possessive, and when she’s angry, she doesn’t really make much of an exception, unless you happen to be one damn special person to her. She knows no limits, and when it looks like she’s finally reaching hers, she pushes herself even more, because nothing less than the best is acceptable. In appearance, in attitude, in posture…it’s all about being so happily perfect. The one area where Marlene allows herself to regularly slack is her studies. But then again, who needs school when you’ve got friends, parties and boys to entertain you? Life’s meant to be lived to its fullest extent. Who are you to deny yourself that pleasure? School will always be there. Your life, however, will not. What’s the use in trying to deny she’s one capricious, insufferable witch?

Either you love her or you hate her. There are no in-betweens for her.

Likes:
+ Summer
+ Fashion
+ Shopping
+ Hogwarts Hogsmeade weekends
+ Chocolate Frogs
+ Compliments
+ Autumn
+ Boys
+ Gossiping
+ Flirting
+ Being the center of attention
+ Feeling loved
+ Slytherins
+ Getting away with what she wants
+ The smell of Hogwarts’ courtyard in the first snowing
+ Fairs and carnivals
+ Ferris wheels
+ Witch Weekly
+ Having her picture taken
+ Clichés
+ Silver jewelry
+ High heels
+ Short skirts
+ Boys whose smile can make you melt
+ Being whispered ‘I love you’
+ Ripped jeans on a guy
+ Being good at stuff
+ Being asked for advice
+ Foreign accents
+ Eating healthy
+ Working out
+ Procrastinating
+ A good glass of Merlot
+ Girls’ nights out
+ Traveling
+ Electronica
+ Foreign languages

Dislikes:
– Butterbeer
– Homework
– Liars
– Rainy days
– Know-it-alls
– Lily Evans
– Goody Two-Shoes
– Lily Evans…again
– Being wrong
– Misplacing things
– Her mole
– Being contradicted
– Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans
– The smell of Hogwarts’ library—or any library, really
– Scratchy voices
– Whiny and clingy people
– Being followed
– Heartbreak
– Bad and tasteless drama—everyone has to have their own style.
– Badly-dressed people
– Corniness
– Bad first dates
– Boys who try too hard and too much
– Boys who wear excessive cologne
– Girls who wear excessive perfume
– Physical pain
– Cramps
– Feeling overweight
– Lazy bums
– Self-centered people, as hypocritical as that is.
– Show-offs
– Animals
– People who go on and on about themselves when you really don’t care
– Obnoxious voices
– Places with too many people
– Tramps—and there are plenty here at Hogwarts.

History:
She was four when her mother died. She doesn’t remember what it’s like to be held by her, or to be hugged by her, no matter how hard she tries, or how many ways she imagines it, it’s still not real. All she knows is that she was killed while out on an assignment, and that her daddy retired as soon as the news of her death came. That, and a light went out of his eyes. It was a terrible blow for the family, but somehow, some way, they managed to go on. Being an only child, and being so young, Marlene didn’t really understand what was going on. What she does remember is the feeling she had every time she would look into her father’s eyes and discover those shiny, unshed tears. The feeling—no, the need—to make him feel better. The desire to see him smile, to give him a reason to be proud of still being alive, even when his soul mate wasn’t—Marlene wanted to see her father happy. So when he came out of his depressed state, she made sure to become the apple of his eyes. Whether consciously or unconsciously—one could argue she was too young for that type of logic—she started doing things that she knew would please him. Steadily and surely, she climbed her way to the very top of her father’s priority list. Of course, needless to say, being an only child did certainly help her get there. Her physical similarities with her mother also helped along the way, and they help even more, now that Marlene is older and the resemblance is more marked. Inseparable. That’s the word you’re looking for when you take a look at their relationship. Unbeknownst to her, his father is as vital to her as she is to him. Somewhere along the way they became each other’s lifelines, ones to which they clung desperately to in times of shifts and changes. Those kind of relationships leave marks, and for Marlene, it’s shaped her world into what it is today. Aurors were respected but not welcome when they came over to invite them to the yearly ceremony they held in fallen Aurors’ honor. Her father, once a renowned Auror had retired. While his name was still recognized around the field, he didn’t want anything to do with them anymore. Too much pain was associated to those memories, and thus, Marlene was taught what it felt like to be in awe of something that was bigger than her, even if it was just a system that seemed to be fighting for the greater good that never seemed to come.

And life continued as she knew it. Modifying slightly every so often to suit her needs, with her father wrapped so tightly around her manicured finger that she could do no wrong in his eyes. Now, she’s the love of his life, even if he knows that sometimes she strays from the things she knows are right and wrong, he will always love her unconditionally, because she’s his little Sophie, the girl who tried so hard to get him back in his own two feet. And while Marlene doesn’t even know this, she is looking for the guy that will love her the way her father does: irrevocably and eternally. There’s no way someone will be able to fill her father’s shoes, but unconsciously, Marlene is looking for someone who will see her through her father’s eyes, almost. For someone to acknowledge her efforts and pardon her blunders. She doesn’t remember it, but for four years she witnessed the type of love a select few are lucky to witness. The type of love her parents had was unquenchable and endless. They gave themselves to each other unselfishly, always thinking about the other one first. She grew up in a household that was held together by those kind of bonds, and even with Andrea gone, they still held fast.

Marlene didn’t grow up alone. Merlin knew she had enough more than enough company to handle what with her three—or are they four? She always seems to forget about one—cousins. Male, wrestle-y, and sarcastic. They are partially responsible for her quick wit and her sometimes violent tendencies. By the time she was eleven, she knew how to put them in their place, even with her petite size. Secretly, she is so thankful to them, because she knows that without them, Hogwarts would’ve probably swallowed her whole, and she would’ve remained a petty ignored brat. Now, she’s still a petty brat, but a popular petty brat, and that single word marks a whole world of difference in her life. Thanks to her cousins’ company, she also had a better grasp on the inner-workings of guys, even if they were rather young. She was the only female in a house full of testosterone, and boy, did it feel good to be the queen of the place. Of course, with her cousins, it was different than with her dad. Daddy was always willing and open for her. Her cousins? Yeah, not so much. They had better things to do than to pay attention to a little girl who, more often than not, annoyed the heck out of them. Marlene, obviously, didn’t take long to notice this, and once she was armed with that knowledge, she set out to change the course of things.

It was unknown, unexplored, and thus unconquered, territory, and by all things holy, she was going to make them buckle.

It wasn’t an easy battle. For years she had to nurse her bruises and bite back some groans and winces as the wrestling was too rough for her, but it only helped to sharpen her tongue, something that was useful when it came to the verbal spats. All her afflictions were turned into witty comebacks—or as witty one can be when in the early years—and after a couple of years of toiling and working her pretty rear off, she was in. Being in meant she had instant access to their world, and having instant access to their world ensured her ticket to a childhood that not many girls have the privilege to have: tomboyhood. Oh yeah, that’s right. Princess ‘Sophie’ grew up with boys, and played with boys, and wrestled with boys, and haggled and argued with boys…do you still have to wonder why she loves boys so much? And as time went by, Marlene’s lines of familiarity with boys became nonexistent, until she was dating before she’d hit thirteen. At that age, it’s not about the shape of your body, or the way you can snog…of course not. It’s about how you can make the boy laugh, or how you can relate to them and their tastes. Needless to say, Marlene passed all those tests with flying colors, and her reputation started to build. She had never known restrictions with boys in her house, and that reflected on the familiarity with which she treated the boys at Hogwarts once she was old enough to attend. Her cousins showed her a world that would’ve remained hidden had they not accepted her, and for that she’s extremely grateful. They were the ones who taught her the most valuable lessons she’s ever come to learn: Girls equal drama, while boys…well, boys equal fun.

Duh.

And thus, her childhood passed and turned into pubescence, and she conquered another world, and pubescence made way into adolescence, and it would be an absolute lie to say that these haven’t been the best years of her life. She’s been broken-hearted more times than she ever thought she would be, but she’s been living life to its fullest extent, just the way she likes it. Friendships have been made and broken. Boys have been played and tossed aside. But all’s fair in life and war.

Sample Post: blankity blank.

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{ C O N T R A C T }

I solemnly swear that I, SKAR, have read the rules, understand clearly what my responsibilities are now that I am joining ISS, and will abide by these standards set by the staff.

[Professor Albus Dumbledore]

Woah - that was a long read! Lovely to see plenty of material to add depth to a character.

Another great app, Alva ^^. However, you have fallen short of the Sample Post minimum by one paragraph. Celeste is going to kill me, but I'm going to let you off on that one as each paragraph's huge in its own right. Plus, your History and Personality fields are practically novels in their own right.

Accepted.