Post by Matthew Thornton on Oct 25, 2008 0:25:47 GMT
The Character
Name: Matthew Thornton
Nicknames: Matt
Age: 17
Year: 7th
House: Ravenclaw
Blood: Half
Wand: 10 inches, Rosemary wood, Dragon heartstring core.
Pets: none
Patronus: owl
Boggart: Matthew is deeply terrified of his mother's dead body. After loosing his father he doesn't want to loose her too. She is all that he has left other than his siblings. By loosing her, he wouldn't know what to do.
Personality:
Matthew is friendly and outgoing. He is emotional; he always wears his heart on his sleeve. The things that people say affect him easily. He rarely pretends, but if he does, he is not very good at hiding what he’s feeling. At times, Matthew can be clumsy. His hand-eye coordination is not the best; especially when he’s feeling pressured. He has an excellent imagination when it comes to thinking up plots or stories, but when it comes down to it, he is no good at lying about the important stuff. Matt loves to laugh, and loves to be around people to make himself feel better. He will really get along with anybody, as long as they aren’t being unfriendly. Matt always tries to see the best in people that are close to him, but is much less accepting of people he doesn't know very well, or people who are very different from him. It’s easy for him to fall in love. Matt really likes to feel like he is needed, and like people like him and the things he likes. He is very prideful of his heritage and his House. He will stick up for the people he cares for and the things he believes in. At times, Matthew can be irrational. He angers easily -- especially in regards to the things he cares most about -- and has a hard time controlling that anger. Matthew likes to have interesting, intriguing and intellectual conversations. He writes in his journal whenever, he thinks it is very important to keep a detailed documentation of his life. He finds it interesting to evaluate his past though processes, and always tries to be honest in his writing. He also thinks it’s important to write down one’s ideas and philosophies, but he would never make his journal public and would me mortified if anybody accessed it. That's what makes Matthew very wise with himself.
Appearance:
Eye Color:
Large, almond-shaped and bright blue in color with short, dark brown lashes. Matt’s eyes are incapable of hiding his emotions. They always give him away. For example, if he’s sad, but putting on a show that he’s happy, his eyes won't smile with the rest of his face.
Hair Color:
Thick and dark brown/ black in color. Matt likes to wear it at a medium length. He doesn't like it to be too short, but it never falls past his ears. It's straight, and he always combs it. He likes it to look a bit kept up.
Height && Weight:
6'0 foot 175 pounds
General Description:
Matt has very angular features. His jaw is square, and his cheek bones are prominent. His brows are very thick and dark. Matt has a triangular nose, which is a bit crooked. He has a large mouth with full lips. His teeth are large and square, and an off-white color, and fit his mouth nicely. Matt is almost always smiling. He is tall with an average build. He's not overweight, but not extremely thin either. He has a bit of muscle tone to him, but not a lot. Matthew is very relaxed, and his stance is always casual but confident. He often slouches or keeps his hands in his pockets. Matt cares quite a bit about his appearance, but he is not overly absorbed with it. He likes to look his best, but not like he’s trying too hard. He’s not obsessive about his appearance; as long as he leaves feeling like he looks good, then he’s content.
Parents && Siblings
: Parents:Michael and Linda Thornton
Siblings:Two siblings – one brother and one sister. Both are younger than him. Kevin is thirteen and in his third year at Hogwarts, while Mallory is eleven and in her first year.
History:
Linda was stay-at-home mother for her children while her husband was alive. She has been searching for a steady job ever since he passed away, in order to properly take care of her children. The family had a hard time adjusting to having less money, and it was really hard on Matthew. He was used to having a bit more luxury and freedom. Luckily, their home was passed down from Michael's side of the family, so they got to continue living there. But as the oldest child, Linda asked for his help a lot. He understood the responsibility he had to assume, and helped out when he could. Of course, none of this happened until he turned fifteen.
Matthew, Kevin and Mallory had a wonderful childhood together. All of Matt’s memories from when he was young are happy ones. Even the times when he got in trouble, he looks back fondly upon. All three children were born and raised in the same household – the family has never moved – in Killarney, Ireland. It is a small, comfortable cottage, but with acres and acres of beautiful land surrounding it. It was here that Matthew found his love for being out of doors. There was always some new place to explore. The children always played Quidditch together. Matthew loved the sport and enjoyed teaching the rules to his younger siblings. He always dreamed of being a Quidditch star one day.
The boy loved to learn, even when he was young. Matthew loved to explore their family's land and learn about the plants and animals living there. But he also loved to read books. He always loved story books and works of fiction, as well as research and text books. He loved sitting with his father in the study, on Michael's days off, and just reading quietly with him.
Matt was very excited to start his first year of Hogwarts. He was most excited for his wand... and to be able to preform spells like his father and mother. One thing that did upset him was that he was not allowed to bring his own broomstick, or try out for the Quidditch team. He did very well in his flying class; the instructor called him a natural. However this was slightly due to the fact that he'd already been flying around at home. The boy was not an excellent flier, however. Some of the other students exceeded him in skill quickly. Matthew fit in very well with his fellow students. He mostly spent his time with first years and younger students, but he was a friendly face and a very talkative boy. Matthew did well in all of his classes, and passed his exams with flying colors.
The thing that most excited Matthew about starting his second year at Hogwarts was that he would finally be old enough to have his own broom at school, and that he would be able to try out for the Quidditch team. However, when it came down to it, he just wasn't up to scratch with the other players. Matt realized it would be a long shot, trying out for the team -- he was only a second year, after all. But he didn't let it discourage him. He was still an avid fan of the House team and cheered them on at every game. Matthew got a long well with all of his fellow students. He had a few close friends, but got along well with most everyone. He loved all of his classes, and was excited that they were more challenging than his first year. Matthew began to develop a love for Transfiguration, as well as Defense Against the Dark Arts. He could just imagine himself, an Auror one day, just like his father. Matthew did well on his end of the year exams, and passed onto his third year.
Determination had not evaporated in the enthusiastic teenager. Matthew practiced all summer, and when Quidditch try outs rolled around, he gave it all he had. Matthew finally achieved a spot on the reserve Quidditch team for his House in his third year. It was more than he could have hoped for. Although he never got to play a game, he was proud to call himself a part of the team. And Matthew had higher hopes that he would be able to make the playing team next year. As his classes grew harder, Matthew found he was having to really start to work to keep his good grades. He found his interest in classes slipping a bit, as he became preoccupied with friends and gossip and social standings. He managed to pull it together before the end of the year, and made it through the final exams, promising himself he would do better next year.
In his fourth year, Matthew began discovering he had an interest in girls. He also found that this made it harder to focus on classwork. Matt had his first ever date. It would take place at Madame Pudifoot’s, on Valentine’s Day. It had started out well. While walking towards the place, she had actually laughed at one of his lame jokes. But then it slowly came crashing down. Some third years were having a snowball fight and one of the snowballs managed to hit Matt’s date. Now, he wasn’t much of a gentleman at that time. He did know his manners but when he saw her rubbing the side of her head, instead of asking whether she was alright or if she wanted to go see the school nurse, he began talking about the time he had hurt his head. At the time, Matt had thought it would be a good idea to show off a bit. Don’t all girls like that? Apparently not. She was furious when she took her seat in Madame Pudifoot’s, she barely drank her hot chocolate and when came time to leave, she left before he could even kiss her. After that, Matt has had other dates, but they were never really successful or anything serious. Matthew was a hot item among the ladies, but once he got to know them better, he found most of them didn't interest him. To his slight disappointment, Matt only made it onto the reserve Quidditch team again, but he didn't let himself get too down about it. He just kept telling himself, "Next year. Next year you'll get it."
The summer before his fifth year of schooling, Matthew's father passed away. Michael Thornton suffered at the hands of a heart attack. It was something that had always baffled Matt. He had always thought that his father was stronger than that -- untouchable and unstoppable. After all, Michael had a very dangerous job, but he had always survived it. The fact that he would come to the end of his life by something so easy was hard for Matthew to grasp. The death of his father would have been difficult for him no matter what, but it would have been easier to accept if he had known that Michael had died heroically. He didn't feel that his father got the honour he deserved. All of the children were very upset about their father's death. Matthew was so depressed, he considered not going back to Hogwarts. He considered leaving, and helping his mother by getting a job. It was a plan that never fully formulated; really Matthew was afraid of having to face a normal life again, and he knew that. He didn't think he could do it. But in the end, he decided that it was he who would have to carry on the legacy of his father. He was going to go to school, work really hard, and become an Auror like all of his ancestors before him. He knew it was what Michael would have wanted.
His fifth was, perhaps, his darkest year. Matthew wasn't his normal self. He spent most of his time alone, studying. He forgot about Quidditch almost entirely. Matt missed the freedom of flying and wished he could have been on the house team, but he told himself that Quidditch dreams were unrealistic and childish. Matthew knew he would have to work very hard to achieve the O.W.L.s necessary to move on to the appropriate N.E.W.T. classes. While he worked very hard, and knew what he had to do, and was very determined to do it, he was never happy. He lost touch with most of his friends, because they didn't want to be around him. But, to his great pleasure, Matthew managed to do well enough on his O.W.L.s to pass into his Auror-appropriate classes in his next year.
Sixth was the year when Matthew decided that he didn't want to be unhappy anymore. He missed his father terribly, and wanted desperately to be an Auror, but he slowly learned how to live with the pain. He discovered a good way to get one's feelings out, especially when talking is not an option, is on paper. He took to writing in a journal again, something he neglected before his fifth year, and also tried writing poetry. Matthew allowed himself follow along with the Quidditch season, but he didn't try out for the team. Playing Quidditch was a memory for him. He had certainly lost any skills he might have had, in his year of not playing, and he knew what was important. It was being an Auror. Matthew slowly regained his ability to be sociable, and gathered a few friends back, along with several friendly acquaintances. And even though he had loosened up a lot, Matthew didn't allow himself to forget about classes. He kept up on all of his homework and did well in all of his subjects.
RP Sample: (Only if you are applying for a cannon character)
