Welcome to Hawthorne Academy, an elite private college tucked away in upstate New York that's more difficult to get into than any Ivy or top-tier international school. It also happens to be home to some of the oldest magical artifacts known to exist, it's own private railway and what may or may not be a portal to another dimension. Admissions decisions were just released: were you accepted?

An IMPORTANT note about story length; please read before you do anything else

At minimum please provide 3 complete sentences per round that are relevant to the task being presented. At maximum please feel free to write as much as you want but note that you don't need to write the same amount for each round. I know life happens, inspiration bubbles and then fizzles, or you just feel blocked but still want to play along it's 1,000,000% okay to not write a novella every round.

An important note about judging: Story writing contests are notoriously difficult to judge and so in addition to two winners for each round (best story and best dressed), there will be participation banners for each participant. All banners will be uploaded after the final round. Additionally, the winners in each round will receive a bonus going into the text round.

To keep scoring transparent, the best story winner will be awarded 10 points for the round. The best dressed winner will be awarded 5 points for the round per outfiit. All other contestants will receive 5 points for their story and 3 points per outfit for their looks.



Basic Rules

One entry per participant with a consistent look and personality throughout the contest (any major alterations e.g. hair color change must be explained in the story in some way e.g. you don't have to detail the process of dying your hair but another character should notice it).

This contest is 5 rounds, every round will last 72 hours

The contest is both edit and non-edit

Please keep my characters as I wrote them. Most of us know Tonk's Lucifer rule, it's a great one, please follow it.

Tonk's Lucifer Rule

Going Out of character.
So I've got a description of my character:
Mr. Lucifer is the ruler of darkness who brings his wrath and envy upon all living creatures, creating chaos on earth.
And now someone writes:
Mr. Lucifer blushed when I I winked at him.
...
No...He did not blush.
So watch out for that.  They have their personalities, just as you have yours.

Round 1 requirements

Name

Age (Please make it between 18-21, this will determine whether you're a freshman, sophomore, junior or senior)

Face Claim

Personality Traits

Interests ( up to 3 selected from the extras, indicate if it's romantic or friendly)

Story Tell me why you chose Hawthorne Academy and what you hope to get from the experience of going to school here and what you did during the activity (see second post for activities).

*If you choose not to attend your activity you need to tell me what you did instead.

*ALL extra will be in attendance at the activity for their designated age group

*If you interact with any of your interests I'll give you their impressions at the start of round 2.

Outfits Show me what you were wearing when you first arrived on campus and what you were wearing for your activity

*If you choose not to attend your activity you still need two outfits.

When your entry is complete please write R1 complete or something similar in your entry.


Round 1 ends at 11:30pm EST on November 20th

Last edited by Dare (18/11/2019 at 18:47)

Activities

Freshmen(all 18 year olds)

The Freshman Fun Run is a Hawthorne tradition. It's a mandatory 15 mile run in the woods surrounding campus. Be sure to wear sneakers and skip it at your own peril.

Sophomores(all 19 year olds)

The Sophomore Slumber Party is a Hawthorne tradition. It's an evening spent in the catacombs under the oldest building on campus and coming in your pajamas is an absolute must. Miss it if you want, but you'll be missing a killer time.

Juniors(all 20 year olds)

The Junior Jam is a Hawthorne tradition. It's an open mic and everyone in attendance is expected to participate. Come prepared to show-off and make sure you show up.

Seniors(all 21 years olds)

The Senior Sunrise Brunch is a Hawthorne tradition. It's strictly black-tie (come in your best cocktail dress and heels) and to miss it would be a major mistake.

Extras

Abby McGee

David's younger cousin, has a crush on Jasper

Age 18

Abby is a legacy at Hawthorne, since the McGee's were one of the school's founding families. She knows that her spot at the school is secure and based on that has no fear of breaking any rules.

Likes: people unafraid to speak their minds, ghost hunting, and the way her name seems to open every door.

Dislikes: overachievers, public transportation, and not getting her way

Connor Price

Best friends with Melissa who he's super protective of

Age 21

Connor barely got into Hawthorne but has proven repeatedly that he deserves to be here. You're more likely to find him in one of Hawthorne's libraries working on one of several independent studies than you are to find him in any of the student lounges.

Likes: puzzles, pastries, and the book "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies."

Dislikes: fake accents, the creatures that live in Hawthorne's moat, and cheese

Melissa Flannery

Best friends with Connor who she's super protective of even though he's older

Age 20

Melissa is a natural skeptic who grew up watching too much "Scooby Doo", based on that despite having been at Hawthorne for three years she's still not completely sold on everything being what it seems.

Likes: Debating, fly-fishing, and frozen burritos

Dislikes: blind obedience to authority, electronic dance music, and heavy perfumes/colonges

Sam Madison

Age 19

Sam just transferred to Hawthorne and he's hoping to find a way to marry the tech he's familiar with to the magic he's just now learning about. He's a natural flirt, funny, and always willing to answer a question.

Likes: stupid jokes, axe throwing, and sleeping in

Dislikes: show offs, bad pizza, and heights

Stella Richards

Ex-girlfriend of Rafael, she no longer has feelings for him

Age 19

Stella is the queen bee of Hawthorne's sophomore class. She's witty, well dressed, and can do magic without a wand.

Likes: Riddles, 90s R&B, and glamours

Dislikes: procrastinators, poltergeist, and any mentions of high school prom

AJ Kincaid

Has a strong hatred of the McGee family in general, but maintains a tense friendship with David, also friends with Rafael

Age 20

AJ is an orphan who grew up on the grounds of Hawthorne. He's not officially a student, but he runs one of the best secret societies on campus.

Likes: Proper etiquette, Renaissance literature, and midnight trips to the Hawthorne kitchens.

Dislikes: Italian food, underachievers, and bumper cars

Mara Matthews

Friends with Stella

Age 21

Mara is an Instagram influencer who gets most of her clout from the fact that she attends Hawthorne. She's creative, ambitious, and anything goes if it makes for good content.

Likes: Attention, Inspiring people, and expensive presents

Dislikes: fast fashion, fake fur, and her physics teacher

Jasper Maddox

Age 18

Jasper is an a-list actor who's hoping to become anonymous at Hawthorne. He's genuinely here to learn and not as a PR stunt.

Likes: pancakes for dinner, long drives at night, and collecting random knick-knacks

Dislikes: Entitled people, texting, and the sound of bells

Rafael Riggs

Ex-boyfriend of Stella, has a crush on Mara but is open to distractions. Friends with AJ and Mateo

Age 19

Rafael is a trickster whose pranks can sometimes be mean-spirited. Because of this he has a small circle of friends.

Likes: Norse mythology, hidden museum exhibits, and vegan junk food

Dislikes: overly sensitive people, social media, and dy shampoo

David McGee

Abby's cousin, he wants her to do well but isn't great at expressing it

Age 20

David's done the impossible and achieved a work/life balance. He's a great student who doesn't rely on his family name to get ahead and throws some of the best parties at Hawthorne.

Likes: Mazes, mystery novels, and silent dance parties

Dislikes: horror movies, snobs, and social climbers

Mateo Phan

Friends with Rafael

Age 20

Mateo views Hawthorne as the place where he was finally able to be himself. He's friendly, and flirtatious but can be a fire starter.

Likes: practical magic, pirate lore, and printmaking

Dislikes: drastic change, being cold, and custard

Last edited by Dare (18/11/2019 at 17:40)

Name: Noelle "Ella" Elderbrook

Age 19

Face Claim: Genevieve Gaunt

Personality Traits: calls it as she sees it and claps back when she wants to, the one who listens and advises, sticks to her guns and decisions, hard to convince to change her course, learns from practice, charming when she wants it, often seen reading a comic book, she generally doesn't seek social interactions on her own, often spends time alone in the crowd, happens to be awkward in social situations from time to time

Interests: Abby, Mateo, Sam

Story

"Noelle."
When her grandmother addressed her, it was always her full name, she never used the abbreviation all of the family was content with and it was always that tone, tone of being disappointed. Brown eyes looked at the elderly woman, obviously dressed at her finest while her on granddaughter was simply idling her time in checkered shorts and bra, reading a comic book before breakfast per her usual activity.
"Why aren't you packed yet, you're leaving at evening."
"I beg your pardon? I think you should direct this question towards Carmen."
Everybody pinned on Carmen, she was that perfect daughter and even though they both were directed to be ones, Ella always felt a bit inferior to her younger sister.
"She doesn't have hat you have, obviously" she could hear the contempt. Of course she valued Carmen more, but Ella knew what the woman referred to. Ever since she was a child, Ella displayed... talents. "That's why you're going to Hawthorne."
"I will not. I have friends in..."
"What friends, Noelle? Nobody wanted to be your friend, only Carmen's."
Ella couldn't stop the eyeroll. Of course, the woman would say that. She was always the salty one, whenever someobdy even dared to oppose her.
"I wish you'd stop being such a sore looser, grandma" Ella replied calmly. "Just because your husbands were leaving you doesn't meant you have to put everyone else down. Now, please leave me alone, I'm not going anywhere."
And obviously it didn't work. And off she was to Hawthorne, somewhere else than her home, forced to transfer.
She has been receiving countless messages, most from Carmen, obviously, traitor being the frequent one. And Ella ignored then after the tenth one. They got repetitive

~*~

She can't say that the academy doesn't have its own share of quiet spots. She had just found one after finding her room and later wandering around. Seemed quiet enough for her to sit there and pull out the comic book. Reading those, she quickly shifts her focus away from her surroundings, becoming more interested in the story... well, some things just could pull her out of it, like the comment on her tights. She quickly looked to see who said that, a girl that dressed like someone from another decade. But she quickly returned to the story, ignoring everything else around her. She's not here to judge after all.
"You're Elderbrook" she heard a girl's voice. With a sigh, she looked at her hand; she hadn't taken off the ring she was given, a sign of this generation of Elderbrooks that enters Hawthorne. "I know there's at least one of you each generation."
"Yes" she only replied, looking at dark-skinned girl that bothered her. "It would seem so."
That was what those old families knew about Elderbrooks. There is always one Elderbrook each generation, could be more, but never none and each of them had some dabbles in the arcane, some were the gatherers of knowledge and some had just talent in this particular field. Ella vaguely remembers that one of her aunt even took up a career in fortune telling. Well, she hadn't spoken much with that particular aunt.
"I'm Abby McGee" the girl outstretched her hand which Ella reluctantly took. McGee seemed familiar, she's pretty sure grandma mentioned something.
"Ella Elderbrook." She introduced herself, but her eyes were still showing the thinking process.
"McGees are one of the founders of this academy" girl answered her unspoken question. "How could you not know?"
THat was painfully close to how her grandma sounded; she felt her mechanisms triggering. And it clicked, as the old woman urged her to make a connections with somebody from the McGee family.
"My grandma must've mentioned that and since I'm ignoring what she said in general..." she left the sentence unfinished. Abby seemed intelligent enough, so she could finish it herself. "Anyway, I'm sure Elderbrooks are just an oddity here, unlike your family or others."
"Still, some would know you and that may open doors."
"Not my preferred tactic of getting things done" Ella shrugged, the conversation started to become boring. "But I'm not judging."
She knew this sentence could mean otherwise and she hardly cared. Known name as good to know, but she didn't really want to find anybody and socialize. So voluntarily making any type of connection was out of the question.
Thankfully, a beeping of her phone took her out of this rather awkward conversation, so she excused herself and left to take the call.
And it was Carmen, obviously. Ella almost cursed herself for not seeing the name of the caller, so she listened to another string of complaints just standing at one place, each word made her even more bored.
"Stop being bitter, Carmen" she finally interjected when her sister took a breath. "It's not like I wanted to go here in the first place, I was forced to, mind you. So stop calling me traitor and being an idiot. Bye."
She ended the call, feeling the fury bubbling. Not looking, she moved... and crashed onto someone, which almost sent her to the ground, but she took step back and maintained her balance. Of course, she crashed ito a guy, obviously. There seemed to be a bunch of them around.
"Whoa, you okay?" she heard the second after she crashed into him.
"Yeah, sorry" she said quickly, not wanting to engge in another awkward conversation.
"You're new, aren't you?" he said, smiling rather amiably. "Haven't seen you here."
"Yeah, I transferred" she replied, mentally singing praise that he didn't seem to recognize her just from the ring or some family stories or something similar. "I'm Ella, sophomore year."
"Nice to meet you, Ella. My name is Mateo" he was smiling rather amiably. "You sure you're okay?"
"Yes, I am. I haven't fell." She wanted to say something else, but a soft grumbling interrupted her, before she even formed a sentence. "Can you direct me to the cafeteria? It seems that my stomach needs food."
Yeah, she forgot that she has to eat something in the midst of awkward conversations and angry phone calls.

~*~

The sleepover seemed like a good time to just relax, providing that there wouldn't be any people wanting to socialize with her. There could be, so she grabbed one of the thicker anthologies she brought with her and threw the sweather on her classic shorts-bra combo, added socks and was ready to go to the catacombs. The thought of sleepover in the catacombs amused her a little, yet the fact of catacombs made her a little uneasy.
And so she was, in rather secluded spot, with pillow and her anthology, toning down the chatter and everybody's presence... well, trying to. She was looking at people between the reading, turning her eyes to them and back to the comic. She was listening to tales of what people did at the summer, it seemed that there were a few transfers just like her making their acquaintance with others. She didn't feel the need to, even it if was the purpose of the event, reconnect and connect with new people it there are any. Maybe the proximity of so many people brought her curiosity out, a rare moment when this happened.
"Hey" she heard the moment she was supposed to return to the lecture.
"Hey" she turned to the person who spoke to her, a boy in glasses. She braced herself for another awkward moment.
"I'm Sam, I transferred this year" he said with a smile and oustretched hand. She took it.
"Ella. I also transferred."
"Really?" she nodded to that. "Well, this is exciting, isn't it? The magic and things here."
"I don't know" she admitted. "I don't have opinion yet."
Well, she lied a bit. Her opinion was still on not wanting to be here.
"But it is strange, isn't it? There's this whole magic layer most people don't know about... well, I didn't."
"I knew of magic" Ella said. "My family has at least one member of each generation with... a talent of some sort. So they are usually shipped here to learn more."
"And you are the one, as they call it" she cracked a slight smile after it, the way he put in into words seemed funny a bit. "So... you don't have opinion."
"I tend not to judge things, well, I'm trying to, but circumstances kind of interfere with that. A bit of a story."

#completed

Last edited by Siri (19/11/2019 at 21:06)

R1 complete
Name: Violet Green
Age: 18
Face Claim: Grace Van Dien

Personality traits: funny, honest, quiet, curious
Interests: Jasper (romantic), Rafael (romantic), Sam (friendly)
Story: I chose Hawthorne Academy because I wanted to go to a school with a good reputation and one that would really help me with the future. I hope that it will help me achieve my dreams. I went to the Freshmen Fun Run. I like sports, so the run was fun for me. 15 miles is quite long though. I had to stop a few times, and I was not the only one! I  got to meet some of the students, although I did not talk much. There was only one guy that I talked to; Jasper. We took a short break at the same time and introduced ourselves to each other. After a small chat I have enough confidence to talk to him the next time I see him. I hope that I will get to know the students better and make some friends soon!
Outfits:
 

Name: Adalind Slutsky

Age: 19

Face Claim: Barbara Palvin



Personality Traits: exacting; audacious; retro aesthetic

Interests: A.J. / Melissa / David [friendship]

Story: 

Always on the fast-track, Adalind had tunnel-vision regarding Hawthorne - nothing else would do, she simply can't fail at getting admitted. Or rather she simply 'kahhn-t'. That was her one indulgence.. okay, I lied, one of many. An affectation of her own affection for received pronunciation. Language today could be so inelegant, and though she put no stock in first impressions, she did believe in creating one with the choices you made. Her love of both Donna Reed and serial killers may inform on her personal style or the voices in her head, but those voices had best learn proper elocution if they wanted her to heed!

She arrived at the Academy. Oh, did she plan to arrive.

This would be the stepping stone to a successful and profitable future, unlike the one she left behind. Best not to delve.



She passed by a brunette at the sophomore hall, commenting on her text tights with the most perfectly pink-hued poodle skirt festooned with rosettes. She barely looked up from her comic book with big doe eyes, and it gave Adalind another idea - scratch 'n sniff comic books. Or just books. Stories.

She played the thought out in her head as she followed the map that had come in her welcome packet. Adalind had ambitions to learn and cultivate a whole new market for spellcasting. Hawthorne was rumored to have access to ancient artifacts, alchemical wonders that Adalind was positive the phrase "if only you could bottle it" was made for. Not hokey hippie love potions or eye of newt, but a place that could dispense small vials of mood-altering elixirs that gave your self-esteem a boost. She was a big believer in mind-over-matter, and knew how susceptible most people were. A careless word here, a gushing one there, and a person was involuntarily open to suggestion, physically feeling their spirits depress or take flight. The pharmacological implications were enormous, the psychiatric community had certainly figured that out, pumping veins full of everything from aspirin to xanax. She wanted a piece of that pie. And if she had to bake it with toe of frog or four and twenty blackbirds, so be it!

She wanted to embark on her own empire of parfumerie pharmacy, if you will. Finding the right concoctions she could work into a powder that you could either scratch the thought bubble in your favorite tome about a barefoot princess or a masked avenger and voila, instantaneously take on their personality, as if you could live their life, instead of the one you were stuck in.. or keep a small store in your pillbox ring for dispensing surreptitiously into your loved one's tea.. uh.. voila?!

It was ironic when she found herself a few moments later stuck in an elevator with a gaggle of girls drenched in a sickeningly cloying cologne. When they got off and it was just Adalind and another girl, they turned to each other and burst out in a confused crossing of mad coughing and giggles. Waving her hand through the soiled air, she introduced herself as Melissa and they jumped out of the lift, agreeing that heady scents were the worst and people who tortured the general public with their "personal scent" should go to the gallows. That may have just been Adalind's opinion. But they did concur that waterboarding couldn't be worse than a windpipe smothered in Jean Nate.

They had only chatted for a few moments, but Adalind liked her. She also liked that she was slightly older. Adhering to the adage that you should dress for the job you want, not the one you have, she planned to mingle with the juniors, as she always liked to be one step ahead and wanted to be enmeshed in that world, rather than the lowly one she may temporarily be stuck in.

So though she had an invitation to the Sophomore Slumber Party that night, she wandered the campus a bit before ducking into the catacombs. A guy who dug her Playboy-bunny-meets-Esther-Williams pajamas told her about A.J. Kincaid, who had a reputation for being the head of Hawthorne's most prestigious secret society. That sounded amazing and fraught with prosperous possibility, she had to track him down.

Unfortunately, it wouldn't be with tonight's set of teeny-boppers, some who gave new meaning to the term 'sophomoric'. Adalind assiduously applied her face mask and adjusted her hair net - she always scooped her hair back in a net, it kept every strand in it's place, always presentable. It was a little difficult getting to sleep, not from the chatter but as she was used to her stand and had to leave it back at her room. It was a vintage one from the MGM studios. Back in the day when they would sew actresses into these form-fitting gowns, they would tilt them back on these dollies so they could stay standing rather than attempt sitting, which was impossible when the fabric cocooned as tight as a second skin. It was a good name for it, dolly, because she always felt like a life-size doll coming in out and out of her display box for the night. And that was fine with her. If it helped with with perfect posture, it was one extra thing she could work on during the useless hours of sleep.




                         R1 complete

Name  ❃❤️ Ｚｏｅｙ Ｂｌａｃｋｍａｎ ❤️❃

Age 20

Face Claim Jasmine Sanders (German Model)

Spoiler Click to display

Personality Traits Determined, Enthusiastic, Mischievous, & Flirty

Interests Rafael(romantic) Mara(Friendly) Mateo(Friendly/TBD)

Story When I think back on it, I cannot remember a time that attending Hawthorne Academy was not the top priority in my life. Sorcery runs in my family and I have been focused and determined to earn a degree in Parapsychology from Hawthorne since I was very young. With the help and support of my family, my dreams came true. And now, dream number two, performing at Hawthorne's traditional Junior Jam has finally come true. I was so excited to show everyone my singing skills on stage! To be honest, it sort of turned out more of a comedy than a vocal success but it was great fun! Life is too short to take things so seriously right? Anyway, I got a chance to mix and mingle with a lot of the other juniors. I think I really hit if off with a pair, Mateo and AJ who were talking about one of the sophomore's, Rafael, practical jokes that he had just done recently. He sounds wild... and interesting. Perhaps I will see them all around sometime soon.

Looks


R1 complete

Last edited by BambiFoxx (20/11/2019 at 00:25)

Name Esmeralda Silver

Age 18

Face Claim Ivana Baquero



Personality Traits  Animal Lover, Introvert, Observant, Loves Horror movies & Listening to music

Interests  Mateo (Romantic), Connor (Romantic), Abby (Friendly)

Story I decided to attend Hawthorne Academy to discover the truth about the rumor regarding the portal that leads to another dimension. No other portals were discovered in history, so I'd really like to know what is hidden behind it.  The Fun Run held for Freshmen was a perfect opportunity to start digging around. Although I don't yet know my way around the place, stopping to catch my breath gave me enough time to snoop a bit around in the woods. Obviously I ended up getting cut off from the other Freshmen and I was lost, by myself, in the woods. As I was walking around trying to find the others, I accidentally stumbled upon the Juniors at their Junior Jam. Some time passed by and it came to my senses that I was with the wrong crowd! I saw a guy with black hair approaching me but I didn't want to get caught on my first day, so I ran away. Eventually I ended up finding the Freshmen once again, and my absence went unnoticed.

Looks
   

R1 Completed

Last edited by chayanne03 (19/11/2019 at 13:16)

Round 1 is now closed. (sorry I have an early morning tomorrow and have to get to bed)

Welcome to Round 2!

Round 1 Winners

Congratulations!

Best story: Virgilia

Best outfits: Bambifoxx

For each of you, your bonus moving forward is that you get to choose which of the three houses (elemental, kinetic or chaotic) at Hawthorne you belong to.

Now that you’ve all had a chance to make your first impressions, it’s time to get settled into life at Hawthorne. Unlike traditional schools where students are separated based solely on their grade level, at Hawthorne the school is also broken up into three houses allowing for greater interaction among the student body. The houses are the elementals, the kinetics, and the chaotics, and you’ve already been sorted. Because AJ isn’t a student, he doesn’t belong to any of the houses.

The Elementals: BearHugs6

Elementals are people capable of manipulating the four elements (earth, air, wind, and fire) equally well. Many elementals spend their lives perfecting how to use one of these elements, but the ultimate goal is to learn how to tap into and manipulate the fifth element: the human spirit. Don’t get any ideas though this hasn’t been done for millennia.

The following extras are elementals:

Mateo is an elemental, his specialty is fire.

David is an elemental, his specialty is air.

Jasper is an elemental, he’s discovering he can manipulate earth.

The Kinetics: Chayanne03

Kinetics are people capable of moving matter with their minds. This includes everything from being able to bring a book to you from across a room to slowing or speeding up the heartbeat of a living organism.

The following extras are kinetics:

Michelle, she's good at it but her skepticism makes it difficult for her to believe that she’s actually doing what she does.

Stella,she’s a natural and her natural kinetic abilities explains why wandless magic comes so easily to her.

Sam, he’s delighted to learn that he can throw an axe, and just about anything else, with his mind, although he’s still learning how to do it.

The Chaotics: Siri

Chaotics are a mixed group with undefined or unrefined powers. They can be empaths, shifters, or temporal manipulators. Many end up becoming low level trickster Gods.

The following extras are chaotics:

Rafael,he likens himself to a modern-day Loki

Abby, she can manipulate time and can sense other people’s desires

Mara, she’s proficient in glamors and suppresses her empathic side

Connor, his powers are varied but scattered and unpredictable making him powerful but also kind of dangerous though he doesn't mean to be.

This round will encompass three months: September, October and November.

In September you’ll be starting classes and becoming equated with your house mates. At the end of the month you’ll be expected to display an example of your power to your housemates. No one expects this to be perfect.

For the entire month of October Hawthorne celebrates Halloween as their version of New Years. On the 31st you can choose to go to a séance in the grand cathedral where you’ll be given a chance to commune with the spirit of your choosing, a scavenger hunt in the woods that will end with moonlight picnic, or tea in the fairy court where you’d be wise not to give anyone your name, eat any of the food or be impolite at all.


The séance in the grand cathedral will be attended by the following extras:

Abby, Sam, Jasper, and David

If you choose to go to this you must wear all white, including your accessories.

The scavenger hunt in the woods will be attended by the following extras:

Rafael (he’s there solely to make trouble by creating fake items for people to find), Mateo, Connor and Michelle

If you choose to do this dress warmly and wear flat shoes

Tea in the fairy court will be attended by the following extras:

AJ, Stella and Mara

If you choose to do this dress as if you’re going to a fancy tea party and be sure to include a hat

November is full of studying but it’s also when the secret societies on campus start selecting recruits. Knowing this some students try to do things to stand out, others though do nothing at all. How you act is up to you though. Additionally, you can also choose whether you want to go home for the Thanksgiving holiday or stay on campus. Most of the extras will go home for the holidays but AJ, Sam and Connor are staying behind.

For round 2 please include all of the following:

Name

Story Tell me about your first three months, include things like being sorted, how you displayed your power, what you did for Halloween, and whether or not you went home for Thanksgiving and/or tried to get noticed by a secret society (you can of course include anything else you think is relevant and write as little or as much if you like). This round should end right after Thanksgiving. The impressions for the characters that you indicated being interested in are in the post directly following this one.

Outfits Show off what you were wearing when you displayed your power and your Halloween look. The look for Halloween should be appropriate to the activity you chose.

Interests (up to 3 BUT please include at least a brief interaction with them even if it's only seeing them in a particular place and having a thought about them so I have something to base the impressions off of).

This round will end at 10pm on November 23rd.

Last edited by Dare (21/11/2019 at 03:17)

Impressions

These are the impressions of the extra and including them in your stories is optional but including them helps to move your story with them forward.

Siri as Ella Elderbrook

Abby: She was grateful to see that you were the Elderbrook chosen and not your sister Carmen who’d she’d been introduced to previously despite it being clear that she had no magic. She’ll invite you to hang out with her at the séance in October.

Mateo: He’ll see you reading one of your comic books and make a complimentary comment about the cover, you can choose from there if you want to continue the conversation.

Sam: He may not have known about magic but he can tell when someone is holding something back. He’s going to the séance on the 31st and he’ll ask you what you know about this particular type of magic (light necromancy) and if you’d like to hang out with him afterwards as he explores the graveyard.

BearHugs6 as Violet Green

Jasper: Jasper was impressed that you spoke to him like just another student and not like a celebrity so when he finds out that you’re both elementals he’ll use it as an excuse to approach you to see if you want to practice together.

Rafael: Rafael doesn’t make it a habit of talking to underclassmen who aren’t in his house. If you want to try and strike up a conversation with him your best chance to do so will be during the scavenger hunt in the woods where he’ll be causing chaos.

Sam: While Sam is a sophomore he’s also a transfer student and still getting used to the campus. If you see him around feel free to chat him up and see where it goes.

Virgilia as Adalind Slutsky

AJ: Your vintage style and clear individuality are both big pluses for AJ. He’ll seek you out in October and invite you to join him as he attends tea in the fairy court.

Melissa: While you two shared a moment on your first day, if you want to get to know her you’ll have to seek her out. Just be prepared for Connor to likely be by her side and taking up her attention.

David: David spends a lot of time meditating in the central labyrinth on campus, and will be there a lot in the September. If you want to talk to him you can try to make your way to the center to talk to him.

BambiFoxx as Zoey Blackman

Rafael: AJ and Mateo told Rafael about you after the Junior Jam and he’s a bit intrigued that you got both of his best friends talking. He’ll invite you to hang out at the scavenger hunt where he’ll be stirring up chaos (he’s obviously not going to tell you that’s his plan though when he asks).

Mara: Mara caught a glimpse of your first day outfit and thought it was fabulous. She’ll scope your style out throughout the first month and invite you to join her and Stella for tea in the fairy court (this is the same night as the scavenger hunt and you can’t do both).

Mateo: When he mentioned you to Rafael he wasn’t trying to get his friend interested in you, he was trying to process how he felt about you. If you choose to go to the scavenger hunt he’ll seek you out at some point during the night and ask you if you want to hang out with him solo sometime soon.

Chayanne03 as Esmeralda Silver

Mateo: Once school officially starts Mateo can usually be found near the moat or at the swimming pool practicing his fire spells. If you spot him at one of these locations he’ll recognize you from the Junior Jam and strike up a friendly conversation with you.

Connor: As a freshman who’s not in his house it’s unlikely Connor will know who you are, not because he’s not a nice guy but because he’s trying to get a better grasp of his powers. You can try talking to him if you see him in the library or if you attend the scavenger hunt but any conversation will need to be kept brief.

Abby: She knows that you want to see the portal and she’ll call you out on it one day right before the Thanksgiving holiday. She’ll offer to show it to you...for a price (If you take Abby up on this just say whether you agree or disagree).

Interests:(alphabetical order) Abby, Mateo, Sam

Story

"You didn't tell me, what you could do" Abby joined her at the cafeteria table one day, when Ella just preferred to do some reading. Classes were in full motion even if they just started and she opted for more mundane courses, just to have a little more normality before the magic kicks in.
"Well, I did stop a berserker rotweiller before it got to my stroller" she said after a second of pondering. "I mean, it stopped moving and its owners were very confused, so did my parents."
"Wait, so only the dog wasn't moving at all? Like completely frozen in time?"
"It would seem so. I did got better after a time, so I wouldn't do it emotionally-influenced. THere may be more, though."
"More?"
"I guess. I don't know if temporal stasis is the only one talent I have."
She did have another. Something she's just as confused as everybody else in the family were when she first displayed it. But so far those symbols were meaningless, she could only draw them, yet she had an idea...
WHich came to fruition at the moment all gathered to display their abilities. Some shifted, Abby displayed time manipulation, some even did something with emotions... and then it was her turn. She was nervous, it was showing a bit, but she knew she could do it. Just performing it in front of the big crowd was the factor.
And it was her turn to show what she can do. Surprisingly, Abby gave her two thumbs up, perhaps eager to see what it was all about.
The mechanical toy starter moving, all eyes od the house of ner, she dre a symbol in the air, just at the height of the toy... and it stopped in its tracks, while all the others just looked at it, she has no idea hat they would think. And Abby seemed o be a little dumbfounded for a second.
"Well... it's a singular temporal stasis, at least that's how I call it" Ella explained rather awkwardly, not knowing what is happening. She then erased the sympol that was floating around her and the toy started moving again until the winding key stopped.
She doesn't know why some people were rather confused.
"You didn't tell me that you're also a Runecrafter" Abby's tone was almost accusatory.
"A what?" And now Ella was confused.
"Runecrafter. It's rare, hereditary ability of using magical symbols to replicate magical effects on items or as a conduit to another powers Runecrafter might possess. Still, to replicate magical effect would require a lots of its study to do it properly and some said that they had to do something with creaction of Excalibur."
"It's hereditary?" Only this one word rang a bell of warning. None of her parents displayed any magic at all, it was a random event in the Elderbrook family, to display magic and since everybody in it had a latent magical gene, it was only a matter of perfect combination of genetic material for it to be displayed. "So, a Runcrafter parent is always producing Runecrafter offspring?"
"That's it."
Now she knows that there is something horribly wrong. But she doesn't want to call her family. They weren't happy with her being chosed as alumni of Hawthorne, so it could get even worse if she'd call them with a possibility that one of her parents isn't her biological parent at all...

~*~

There was that weird feeling in her stomach that wouldn't just go away. It wasn't something that would interefere, yet it was eating her slightly. She looked up to the students archive for the last Runecrafter that attended Hawthorne and practically found no name that would be fairly recent. It would seem that the last Runecrafter was seen back in the early 20th century which was really suspicious. The same seemed to be with the last Elderbrook, which was her aunt Melissa... But she wasn't even listed with time manipulation powers, she was more of empathic fortuneteller as far as it went. Which was extra weird for her...
"You know, we should ask this runecrafter at seance if he had any offspring" Abby proposed when the two met once again at cafeteria.
In terms of Abby, Ella had a little mixed opinion. It wasn't like she wanted to make a powerful connection, but it simply happened when the girl just hung out with her when she was didn't do her usual things. Did she mind? Not really. After all, it was Abby who told her about the RUnecrafters so it felt natural to share with her the plans. And so Ella did, sharing her latest disappointment.
"Seems like a good idea, but what if it fails? I mean, in scientifical terms, disturbing the energy could get any unwanted consequences."
"That's why it's set up by professionals. COme on, aren't you curious?"
"I am..."
"Then come to the seance. I can give you moral support or something."
"Fine."
Needless to say, Ella was skeptical about the whole thing. She hadn't really learned any magic lore in the house, mostly because her family pinned on Carmen to show the talent and fed her the knowledge. Elderbrooks had time until their 18th birthday to display any signs. And when it was clear that she didn't have any genetical predisposition, attention shifted to already uninterested Ella who had her own life and was ready to forget that she has any magic.
"You don't believe me."
"It's not like I had any knowledge beforehand" brunette shrugged. "You know, Carmen."
"Yeah, met her before" Abby deflated a little bit. "Your family is weird. She clearly had no magic trace and they advertised her like she had any."
"Must've been before her 18th birthday. There were precedences when Elderbrook heir revealed their ability in late puberty, so..."
"Now I get it. Your family is random."
"Yep, pretty much."
Nevertheless, she accepted the invitation. She felt that it could be even worse if she didn't address it as soon as possible.
What she perceived strange was that all-white code. It was clear that ghosts weren't white, but only translucent and with paled colors... that's what some comics said.
"Haven't expected to see you here" she encountered Sam the moment she entered the cathedral. "You want to see the ghosts?"
"Maybe" she shrugged. "Question is, why are you standing like that? As if you waited for me or something."
"How did you tell?" he smiled, she wasn't sure if he was joking.
"Call it my instincts" she decided to play along for a moment. "Seen Abby somewhere?"
"She's there" he pointed. Of course, the girl has taken the best seats. "Say, you know how it works?"
"Um... no? I wasn't interested and educated in magical lore, so can't say for certain. Probably some necromancy going on, no idea."
"Oh... Want to hang out after the seance?"
"Might do" she smiled.
When the whole thing was about to start, she carefully picked question she wanted to ask. Assuming that this RUnecrafter was dead, she might've get some answers.
"I call the spirit of Elijah Kovan" she said quietly, but clearly...
And it seemed that nothing happened. She was puzzled a bit, but soon there was that translucent figure of a very irritated older man.
"What? I had great sleep" he complained. "Who disturbed my rest?"
"That would be me" Ella sighed. "My name is Noelle Elderbrook..."
"Elderbrook? I see..." he didn't seem pleased. "Ask one question."
"Did you have a child that hadn't attended Hawthorne?"
"I had no children." And he vanished, leaving her confused.
"That didn't help" she concluded.
"Or maybe there are other Runecrafter families that don't attend."
"Could be it."
She might've look up a little more information, but not at this day.
She joined Sam after seance ended, ignoring Abby's look that seemed to know something. Still confused, she decided to discard that and had some fun exploring the graveyard.
And actually, fun she had. THere were tombstones of many people that were linked to Hawthorne, professors and magicians that probably either had no families or wanted to be buried on this ground. She did find the grave of Elijah Kovan which was labeled as The Last Runecrafter. That was weird to her, but it could have more than one meaning. This still hadn't answered her questions.
They chatter while exploring the place ad reading some of the intriguing epitaph... until Ella saw her own family name. This brought her to a halt, as she knew that all of the Elderbrooks were buried back in her hometown, but now she saw it here... And yet nobody mentioned anything about it, not even to Carmen when Ella overheard family history lesson her younger sister was given. This just couldn't be possible...
"Ella?"
She hadn't responded. She just stared at one tombstone, carved with very familiar symbol she had most of the time on the ring she was given. And the name...
Alice Elderbrook
A mother, casted out, erased, but never forgotten.
The date of death was painfully close to date of Ella's own birth.
Coincidence...?

~*~

November was rather eventful in terms of socialization. Abby and Sam were those obvious people with whom she talked the most, but she had even time to speak to other students. Of course she heard about the secret organizations, yet she doubted if her talents or character would fit into one of them. She did have other problems as well.
Mysterious Alice Elderbrook, who seemed to be nearly her age when she died. Mysterious epitaph seemed to be engraved in her mind and it was very interesting. She had no idea if such person really existed in her family and what she had done to be casted out. She had no idea and that was eating her out, if she was to be honest.
Reading comics gave her much needed respite from everything, that's why she was outside the buildings on the chilly November day, reading. Cold air seemed to help her calm down.
"That's a cool cover" she heard close to her. Looking up, she saw Mateo with whom she also exchanged few words.
"Limited edition" she replied, smiling to him. "Took me a while to hunt it down. But I did it." She was very proud of herself because of it.
"Congratulations" he sat down. "Seen you talking to couple of people recently. Think you can get somewhere?"
She knew what he meant. Everybody seemed to be aware that there are secret organizations and they were recruiting.
"Can't say it it didn't cross my mind, but we'll see. Are you going home for Thanksgiving?"
She did seem a bit more comfortable and despite what happened, she was. Hawthorne started growing on her, even if she had frequent contact with people back in her hometown. Regardless of what her grandmother said, she did have her own group she was confident about.
"I am" he didn't seem to be that delighted about it, but she wasn't intending to pry. "What about you?"
"I do too" she answered. "All my friends will be home." And she had a couple of questions to her family.
"That's great."
They chatted a bit more than that, mostly about comic books and where she was acquiring them, but she really felt at ease, just chatting casually.
Only that when she returned to Hawthorne from Thanksgiving some time later, she didn't seem to be that happy, as if something wrong happened...

#completed

Last edited by Siri (23/11/2019 at 13:37)

R2 Complete

Esmeralda Silver

Story

Spoiler Click to display

I was really looking forward to the sorting day! Although I didn't really mind into which house I got sorted into, I always felt a special connection to the House of Kinetics. It was an exciting moment when I got sorted into it; I was finally given an ability to strengthen my mind and become more powerful. I started practicing my magic whenever I could so that I could demonstrate how much I've learned at the end of September. During classes I became friends with Sam; his jokes always crack me up and his axe-throwing is even funnier! I also became acquaintances with Stella, a natural at magic. It's amazing how she can do it without using a wand. So far, they're the only people in my class who I've talked to. Coming out of my comfort zone is proving to be a real challenge but finding the secret portal is my main goal. Eventually we had to display our power in front of the whole class and my insecurities all started kicking in! I had prepared beforehand for this moment, but being in it at the actual moment was hard. I tried to find something in the room to create a bond with by using my mind, but nothing peaked my interest. Suddenly I saw a flock of birds flying in the blue sky, and I knew just what to do. I created a connection between my mind and the birds and finally, I managed to move 2 of them around me. I was glad to overcome my insecurities in that moment, to have proved my worth. The class applauded me and I'm pretty sure I saw Sam give me a thumbs up! A few days later I was passing by the moat outside the castle and I saw Mateo practicing his fire spells. Of course, being a flirt, he was surrounded by other girls. If only I had the courage to talk to him first, I thought! Just as I turned my back and continued on to my path, I felt someone tap me on my shoulder and when I turned around he was there, with a big smile on his face. I was so surprised that I didn't even realize he was holding out his hand for me to shake. He introduced himself and so did I, then he told me to ask him if I ever need any help. After we said goodbye, he called my name and proceeded to ask why I was at the Junior Jam. My mind went blank and I had absolutely no idea whether to say the truth or make up a lie, and I accidentally said portal! Mateo was surprised by my reply; I was so ashamed and mad at myself that I just smiled and left immediately, before ridiculing myself in front of him even more.
Halloween arrived and I decided to go to the scavenger hunt in the woods. It was the perfect opportunity to continue snooping around but this time it was risky since there were more people who knew me, so I could be easily recognized. As soon as I arrived I noticed that Mateo was participating in this activity as well, along with his friend (a trickster, apparently). He came to greet me, introduced me to his friend, Rafael, and asked me whether I wanted to stick with them in the woods. I said yes; my plan was to start wandering around with them and then try to cut myself off which gave me enough time to discover more. The time that I spent with them was definitely entertaining; Rafael  kept creating fake items for others to find while Mateo went on about pirate lore. Although it's not something I have a huge interest in, it was fun to learn about. Midnight struck and we all gathered together. Apparently the event always ends with a moonlight picnic (which I had no idea about since I wasn't paying attention) and so, I lost my chance to go look for the secret portal.
A while before Thanksgiving, a Freshmen, called Abby McGee, approached me quietly and asked me whether I was looking for something secretive. I instantly knew what she was referring to so I decided to confide in her and said yes. She offered to show it to me for a price and in disbelief, I agreed. Hopefully the 'price' won't be so terrible, or else I'll have to go back on my word. During Thanksgiving I decided to stay on campus so I could study and also continue looking for the portal, my true goal. By day I decided to study in the library so that I could become better at moving matters. I was so happy when I saw Sam still on campus! I spent a lot of time with him and we got to know each other better. Each time I went to the library there was the same guy studying, always at the same table and always with the same books. I truly wished for him to achieve whatever it was he wanted. Once I left him a coffee on the table that he stays at so that he doesn't tire himself out. When it got dark I went around the woods by myself, with only a flashlight in my hand, but never found anything until.. I saw a strange figure dressed in all black, under the moonlight, with a key in his hand.

Outfits 


Interests Mateo, Connor, Abby

Last edited by chayanne03 (23/11/2019 at 13:42)

NAME ❃❤️ Ｚｏｅｙ Ｂｌａｃｋｍａｎ ❤️❃

OUTFITS

1st SEMESTER STORY

The Junior mixer was such a freaking blast that it really got me riled up for the upcoming semester. Remembering chatting with A.J. and Mateo still had me chuckling the day after over their friend Rafael. I was really looking forward to meeting more classmates soon. It all had me anxious and excited over the upcoming house selections. Having studied abroad over the past two years I was initially surprised to learn about Hawthorne’s talent focus structure versus a more traditional “all-around” growth track… although I shouldn’t have been. It made perfect sense. Logically, this was what made Hawthorne the crème-de-la-crème in the witching world. It is why the best of the best sought enrollment, because they knew how to enhance and develop talents!  Anyway, I could not abate my excitement and I ended up showing up to the orientation enthusiastically early.  Of course, there were a few other “new” students browsing around the hall, checking out house details and even mingling a little with some of the professors that were on hand, although there were obviously a few more reserved and introverted pupils silently waiting for the selection process to begin. I took the opportunity to introduce myself to the faculty head of each house, trying to garner an idea of which place I belonged. I knew the decision wasn’t up to me but I really didn’t know how they judged and determined house selection. I was so used to identifying myself as an “all-around” student that fitting into one designation seemed foreign to me. I had always assumed with my sorceress ancestry it made sense that I would dabble in many forms of witchcraft and wizardry. I knew that I had some supernatural cognitive abilities but I was also a fine student that learned to utilize spells, potions and charms skillfully.
As I was speaking to one professor a pretty dark-haired girl approached and complimented my style. I admit, I turned a bit fangirl as I recognized her from Instagram. Mara was her name and I definitely had an interest in her blog, not only because of her fashion sense but because she was a proponent of the supernatural. She was really outgoing and seemed to really love that I was aware of her social media presence. As we talked, she mentioned her skills with glamour and I immediately shared my recent attempts at exploring an emerging shapeshifting ability. It was kind of sporadic and completely uncontrollable for now, but I was hopeful that I would get better at it over time. There were a lot of classmates vying for her attention, so we only chatted briefly, but she seemed super down to earth and friendly even with her notoriety.
I bumped into Mateo and A.J. as well, this time they were gathered with their friend Rafael who they introduced me to. I have to admit, Rafael was super hot and I was completely drawn in by his wicked and witty humor. And if the rumors I was hearing about him were true… he totally seemed like the bad boy type, and who doesn’t like that? I certainly was not immune to his charms, but I found myself grinning shamelessly at Mateo’s flirty magnetism as well. Either way, house selections were beginning to go down so I ended up excusing myself from their group and drew my attention to the division of students.
Day’s later I was completely engrossed in my classes. Having been assigned to The Chaotics made me both proud and nervous. I had some high standards to keep up with. Already I was a bit overwhelmed by my classmates and really trying to put my best forward. Each of my classmates had been focused on their specialty for years and I was just starting to develop this innate ability of shapeshifting that was just beginning to manifest within me. It didn’t help that Rafael constantly had me laughing with his wicked antics or that Mara was intimidating with her celebrity accomplishments, but I was also classed with Abby and even Ella, who were both natural phenomena and legacy students to boot. Even Connor was mind-blowingly powerful but at least he was almost as unpredictable as me. Whichever way I looked at it, I had to buckle down and really strive to “keep up with the joneses” so to speak. By the time of the big presentation I was nervous as a cat in a doghouse and not at all certain that I would pull this off at all. I had been having so many backfires and mishaps, but it was time to show and tell. So, without further ado I made my way to the front of the classroom and stood anxiously in front of my classmates. All eyes on me… waiting expectantly for whatever awesome display I had planned. I braced myself, took several deep breathes and attempted to clear my mind of all the apprehension. Then I shook off my jitters before closing my eyes and beginning my transformation. I could feel my body morphing and was thrilled as my legs began to split, mentally visualizing each molecule shifting and rearranging into smaller, slender, longer appendages. I could hear my clothing begin to shred as my body changed.  My pelvis began to stretch and expand, pushing backward and swelling fully to encompass the rear hunches of the beginnings of my full-bodied tarantula. But then… suddenly, things began to go haywire. Randomly an image of a dragon appeared in my head and I could literally feel what could only be described as a dragon bone helm beginning to push through my skull, inch by inch ruining my presentation. I was mortified as everyone watched in either awe or horror at the shambles I made of my body. Then I just stopped and burst out laughing, half my body spider, half human and these ridiculously awkward horns. It really was a big ole’ mess. Luckily, as my professor pointed out… I was making progress. And I took that as a win.
Weeks later, with far more practice under my belt, it was time for the Halloween socials. With my focus on improving my ability I hadn’t really given a lot of thought to which event I would attend. Rafael along with Mateo continued to be an open source of entertainment and kept me giggling almost every day while Mara seemed to be really taking an interest in offering suggestions and inspiration to improve my abilities. I felt encouraged and motivated by her guidance and advice. So, when Mara approached me and invited me to join her and her friend Stella at the Tea Party in Fairy Court, how could I say no. I was certain it would be a lot of fun dressing fancy and spending the day with such amazing women. I committed without a moment’s hesitation.
Unfortunately, not more than an hour later, Rafael approached me and invited me to hang at the scavenger hunt. Talk about disappointment! My heart raced so fast at the invitation, excited and eager to spend more time with him and then seconds later Mateo approached, agreeing that I should attend the Scavenger hunt. The temptation was real! My stomach coiled and I seriously considered changing my plans because both Rafael and Mateo were a lot of fun but… I had made a commitment. And I valued keeping my word, so I gave my regrets and promised them both that I would totally join them next time. Besides… I was beginning to have some conflicting emotions over liking both Rafael and Mateo, so it might have been a bit risky going to the scavenger hunt with them both there. I had no idea if one or even if either of them were thinking of me romantically so it might be better to give myself some space and time to try and figure out what may be happening there. I kind of had a suspicion that Rafael kind of liked Mara and I knew for a fact that he used to date the girl Stella I would be meeting at the Tea Party and well… Mateo was a huge flirt and seemed to have several girls chasing after him at the school. With them being friends and my budding friendship with Mara and possibly Stella this whole situation could be problematic. Time… time was what I needed to figure this all out. So to the Tea Party I go!
And what I time I had! The Tea Party was amazing. I had always loved to dress up and had so many tea parties in my back yard as a little kid that this seemed like such a great experience to actually be able to share with others. The variety of tea available was interesting and some were a bit wild considering the Halloween theme but while technically I shouldn’t have due to my age… I totally partook of the tasty Hot Totties on that cool autumn evening while we gossiped and played cards. The night was full of sharing secrets, telling tales and giggles of laughter. Of course, everyone was primly proper, speaking with fake British accents and pinky-fingered drinking. It was every girly-girls fantasy fairy tale night come true. I will never forget the experience for the rest of my life.
The weeks progressed after the social and I was steadily building a reputation within our house with my budding morphing skills. Whether that reputation was good or bad depended I guess on who you asked.  I simply made an effort to enjoy my experience as a student at the academy and to continue to strive for improvements to my abilities as much as I possibly could.  I was aware that there were a group of students staying on campus over the holiday and it seriously was beginning to sound like there would be some sort of clandestine gathering. It was all super hush-hush while still being slyly circulated between the student body. I was really tempted to ditch my holiday plans…. for a whole minute! Really, the holidays were very important in my family and I looked forward to sharing the time with them. I did try to snoop around a little to find out more information about these secret societies but they were all really good about their covertness.  So, I decided instead to take advantage of the time off and headed home for Thanksgiving… besides, no one at Hawthorne could make pumpkin pie like my Grams! Perhaps when I got back, I would find out one of my new friends had some connection to one of these groups and would give me an introduction. I just had to keep my fingers crossed that one of the groups may have taken an interest in my hard work or skills.

INTERESTS Rafael(romantic) Mara(Friendly) Mateo(Friendly/TBD)

R2 complete

R1+2 complete
Name: Violet Green

story

I was not surprised when I got sorted into the elementals house. In fact, it is the house that I wanted to be in. I was also glad to see Jasper in the same house since I have already spoken to him. I was so excited on the first day of classes! We were introduced to the elemental power, which was magical! I also felt like I fit in with the people there. After the first day, I shared my excitement of it all with Jasper, who was equally as excited. We grabbed lunch together before we went our separate ways. The next day of class was equally as exciting.
"Do you want to practice together after classes?" Jasper asked me after a few days. "Yeah, sure! I think that would be helpful for both of us" I said. And for most of the week, we meet after classes to practice and grab dinner together. Sometimes we also joined by Mateo and David. This is a good way for us to get to know each other and by Halloween, all of us had already gotten quite close. We had to show off what we learned in class and we all did pretty well thanks to the practicing we did.
During a class I had to go to the bathroom and as soon as I got out of the door I got knocked down. A guy was running and did not even realise he pushed me. When I got up he came running back and almost pushed me again. I called out to him. "Hey! Do you mind if you walk properly? I almost fell twice here. You're going to injure yourself." He then turned around and looked at me "I'm so sorry!" he told me "I didn't even see you. Are you okay?" "I'm fine. Why are you running? Is everything okay? Do you need something?" I asked him. "My class changed the location and I cannot find it. On top of that I slept in and now I'm late!" He said. I asked him the location of the class and walked him to it. "Thank you so much! You're a life-saver. I'm Sam. I hope I see you around" He said with a smile when we arrived and went in.
On Halloween, I decided to go to the Seance in the grand cathedral. Jasper really wanted to attend that one and practically begged me to go. There was also our friend David and the guy I had met, Sam. I was happy to see him there. The Seance was, well, creepy. I had never done it before. We all sat down and a man led the whole thing. It was dark and too quiet. All of a sudden, we started hearing noises everywhere. We all tightened our hands together because it was terrifying. When it was time to go home I was glad it was over. We all got home still scared. The next day however, we laughed about it.
November got around and everyone started to get stressed. Everyone seemed to be sticking their noses in books. They panicked me! I knew I had to do the same but I just couldn't get into it. I tried to go study outside, where I saw Sam. He was alone, also with a book, so I joined him. He inspired me to start studying.
The following week, I started to notice people getting a bit wilder. "What's going on?" I asked Sam. "Don't you know? The secret societies will be recruiting soon. Everyone wants to be recruited but not everyone gets chosen." I knew it was now time to be standing out now, so that is what I did. I tried to look good every day and even used my magic when I got the opportunity. I wanted to be recruited. Jasper, however, seemed like he did not want to stand out. When I asked him why he always tried to change the subject.
For Thanksgiving I decided to go home. I wanted to see my family, although I missed my friends the minute I left.

Outfits:  
interests: Jasper and Sam

Name: Adalind Slutsky

Story: So this wasn't going well.

Their first big assignment had her in a tizzy. The dean had called her in, disappointed, not finding a direct fit for her in any of the houses. Adalind wasn't crushed, she wasn't there to play house, she was more into passing go and collecting $200. Besides, she had seen Revenge of the Nerds, she knew this pledge thing didn't end well. So she assured the powers-that-be that she would manifest her powers-to-be impressive enough to allow her to continue her studies.

Spoiler: This is where it started to not go well.

She liked to roam the gardens, there was a majestic labyrinth that had captured her attention. There she had met David. Perhaps 'met' was too strong a word. As he was clearly a man of few of those, at least he didn't seem to mind when she joined in on some of his meditative studies.

Perhaps 'meditative' was too strong a word, for Adalind, as she found it far too hard to quiet the many warring voices in her head, none of which apparently belonging to a yogi. But she made an effort, as he projected such a sense of calm & peace, it was contagious. And slowly the embers of an idea began to take fire.

Unfortunately.. literally.

Coming from Greek studies, Adalind found herself walking down the path towards the labyrinth, an image of the minotaur came to mind and the hopeless task beset upon Odysseus.

Perseus?

Theseus? It was an "us", okay? Let's go with it.

And so she did.

Because if he, who we dare not speak his name, could find a way out of that hellish gauntlet, surely she could be cunning enough to pass one lousy exam - her professor was certainly as stubborn as a bull.

She liked to think she had woven quite the tapestry, befitting the Moirai weaving their fates. Why couldn't she just pluck at one of those loose threads and.. unravel the whole shebang! Take matters in her own hands and make her own destiny! Her presentation would be so hot!

"Aaaaa!"

Lost in plot, she barely turned her head as an axe blade sang a song by her ear, just nicking her hair net and allowing a few tendrils to go rogue.

"Ss-sorry!" the boy gulped apologetically as he ran by to retrieve his weapon. Sam. Not the type you would have thought would be part Sioux, but there he was on most days out practicing his skills. He grinned and Adalind rolled her eyes, patting her coiffure and waving a hand. It hardly mattered.

She really had to focus anyway. Rome wasn't built in a day.

Weren't we talking about the Greeks?

I told you, it hardly matters! It's all Greek to me!

So Pompeii, right? You know the saga? At least that was what she told the class as she stood up there, perfectly in character, presentation was everything and finally there was an appropriate reason to wear a toga on a campus.

She had been working on her Elementals and figured if she could hone her fiery temper, perhaps she could bring forth that fire that always seemed to fizzle out during pop quiz time. Again, her meditation taught her she needed to focus.. she was a volcano.. bubbling forth with lava and brimstone..

Okay, fine. She did what she always did and over.. did it. Her temperature rose, skin so hot to the touch that it went white-hot, leaving a sickly grey sheen pallor that took it's sweet time dissipating over the next two months. Singeing the ends of her hair black, even!

It was awful. She was a laughing stock. Pretty sure she was gonna be expelled.

You don't want to know what happened next.

She heard about the seance they were throwing for Halloween, check.

She was so stoked, she showed up in homage to the Whitechapel lasses who had lost their lives to Jack the Ripper, hoping to make contact with him!

You should have seen the commotion that caused! She was at a loss, she had worn all white as requested, what was their damage?

Before they started throwing tomatoes, she backed down the path, remembering the tea party on other side of the quad. A.J was gonna be there. She had been avoiding him since the whole 50 shades of grey thing.. but she really wanted to try to get in to the secret society. Maybe she could crash their little shindig....

Yeah, yeah.. formal attire and hat required. What was it with schools and dress codes?

She stumbled through the woods, luckily her dagger making for a makeshift machete. At the edge of the gates, she swiped one of the Halloween decorations, a giant paper mache spider, and weaved it's legs under her hair net so that she could make a proper entrance. Arachne would be proud.

Or at least the Mad Hatter.

You wanna know what happened then? I think it would be best be described by the look of sheer disgust on Princess Stella's face.

And thank the gods that that is another story.

Round 2 is now closed.

Welcome to Round 3!

Round 1 Winners

Congratulations!

Best story: Virgilia

Best outfits: Siri

For each of you, your bonus moving forward is that you can enter an extra outfit which can increase your final score

The first three months at Hawthorne have been a whirlwind of activity and while some of you are finding that life on campus is leading to more questions than answers, is that really a bad thing?

This round will encompass two months: December and January.

In December the secret societies will reach out to their desired recruits. Each group has its unique pros and cons. It’s up to you if you want to join.

Siri as Ella Elderbrook

Congrats you’ve been approached by two secret societies. You can only join one though.

David will approach you to join the Legacies. This is a group of students who have a significant connection to Hawthorne Academy. The pros of being a member is that all Legacies basically have free run of the campus, even the parts that would be otherwise off limits to you based on your house and grade. The cons are that in joining you’re only supposed to fraternize with other Legacies and in your case that would limit your social circle to David and Abby.

If you choose to join please wear a simple all blue to attend an initiation ceremony in the bell tower.

Rafael will begrudgingly approach you to join the Incarnates. This is a group of students who’ve shown the promise of possibly being marked as the next generation of Gods and Goddesses. The pros of being an Incarnate are that they’re offered extra help in developing their powers and given access to special aids and enhancements. The cons of being an Incarnate is that because of how powerful they may be they’re relationships are tightly regulated, this includes both friendships and romantic relationships.

In you choose to join please wear an elaborate black and gold outfit to attend the initiation ceremony in the church ruins.

If you choose not to join either please wear all black as is Hawthorne custom for students who snub secret societies on the eve of initiations.

BearHugs6 as Violet Green

Unfortunately your attempts at being recruited directly by one of the secret societies didn’t result in any of the official groups taking interest, however if you happen to express your displeasure at this within earshot of Melissa you’ll be invited to her dorm room after hours for a movie marathon; she may be skeptical but she’s not heartless.

If you choose to go please wear pajamas.

If you choose not to go please wear all gray as is the traditional Hawthorn custom for students who aren’t asked to join any groups on the eve of initiation.

Virgilia as Adalind Slutsky

Congrats you’ve been approached by two secret societies. You can only join one though.

Rafael will begrudgingly approach you to join the Incarnates. This is a group of students who’ve shown the promise of possibly being marked as the next generation of Gods and Goddesses. The pros of being an Incarnate are that they’re offered extra help in developing their powers and given access to special aids and enhancements. The cons of being an Incarnate is that because of how powerful they may be they’re relationships are tightly regulated, this includes both friendships and romantic relationships.

In you choose to join please wear an elaborate black and gold outfit to attend the initiation ceremony in the church ruins.

AJ enjoys your antics and he’ll invite you to join the Order of Dusk. This is a group that includes a select few students but it mostly made up of “others” like AJ. The pros of being a member of the Order of Dusk is that they’re collectors of the odd, the wild and the powerful. They’re proud misfits revel in that status. The cons of being among their ranks are that you’ll have to be “turned” and this bit isn’t optional (this will come in the next round).

If you choose to join please wear all red to attend the initiation ceremony held in Hawthorne’s shadow sanctum which is located underneath the main chapel.

If you choose not to join either please wear all black as is Hawthorne custom for students who snub secret societies on the eve of initiations.

BambiFoxx as Zoey Blackman

Congrats, you’ve been approached by two secret societies. You can only join one though.

Rafael will begrudgingly approach you to join the Incarnates. This is a group of students who’ve shown the promise of possibly being marked as the next generation of Gods and Goddesses. The pros of being an Incarnate are that they’re offered extra help in developing their powers and given access to special aids and enhancements. The cons of being an Incarnate is that because of how powerful they may be they’re relationships are tightly regulated, this includes both friendships and romantic relationships.

In you choose to join please wear an elaborate black and gold outfit to attend the initiation ceremony in the church ruins.

Mara will cheerfully invite you to join the Fades. Your ability to safely eat and drink at the fairy court marks you as a special sort of shifter. The pros of being a Fade is that you’ll have access to the fairy court without needing to worry about the rules that most humans are bound by. The cons of being a Fade are that there will come a point where you’re asked to offer a sacrifice that you must abide by (this will come in the next round).

If you choose to join please wear all yellow to attend an initiation ceremony in the fairy court.

If you choose not to join either please wear all black as is Hawthorne custom for students who snub secret societies on the eve of initiations.

Chayanne03 as Esmeralda Silver

Unfortunately, none of the official secret societies took interest in you, however if you happen to express your displeasure at this within earshot of Melissa you’ll be invited to her dorm room after hours for a movie marathon; she may be skeptical but she’s not heartless.

If you choose to go please wear pajamas.

If you choose not to go please wear all gray as is the traditional Hawthorn custom for students who aren’t asked to join any groups on the eve of initiation.

In December there will also be a Yule ball. This is a black-tie event and it’s mandatory that all students attend appropriately dressed. Some of you will be asked to this ball, some of you may need to ask other students if you want a date. Please see the impressions.

In January you’ll learn that being tapped was a secret society was only the first part. If you joined up, now is the time to start proving you can be a loyal and valuable member. Please see the impressions. If you weren’t initially selected this is your second chance to get noticed.

For round 2 please include all of the following:

Name

Story Tell me about finding out whether or not you were asked to or chose to join a secret society and if you did join up let me know why and what you hoped to gain from it. Let me know your experience with the Yule ball and how you proved your loyalty/value for the secret societies or how you tried to gain entry Please see the impressions for directions

Outfits Show off what you were wearing on the eve of the secret society initiation and your look for the Yule ball As per your bonus Siri and Virgilia you can also enter one additional outfit, please just specify what it's for.

Interests (up to 3)

Round 3 will close at 11pm EST on November 26th

Last edited by Dare (24/11/2019 at 17:34)

Impressions

These are the impressions of the extra and including them in your stories is optional but including them helps to move your story with them forward.

Siri as Ella Elderbrook

Abby: She’s glad you chose to come to the séance and will strongly suggest that you should join the Legacies.

Mateo: He thinks you have great tastes in comics but he’s not sure you have anything really in common. He’ll be cordial if you approach him but he won’t approach you.

Sam: He’s fascinated by you and will ask you to the Yule ball.

If you join the Legacies they’ll ask you to prove your loyalty by siphoning some magic from the founding stone, the act itself is simple...once you figure out which stone on which building it actually is.

If you join the Incarnate they’ll ask you to prove your loyalty by agreeing to the pair bonding of their choosing (who this is will be revealed in the next round).

BearHugs6 as Violet Green

Jasper: Jasper thinks you’re great and he’ll invite you to be his date for the Yule ball.

Sam: Sam is appreciative of your help and he’ll be friendly if he’s sees you on campus.

Virgilia as Adalind Slutsky

I know you didn’t indicate any interests for this round -3 points for that despite your great story. Based on what you wrote though I do have an interaction for you.

AJ: He’ll invite you to the Yule ball.

If you join the Incarnate they’ll ask you to prove your loyalty by agreeing to the pair bonding of their choosing (who this is will be revealed in the next round).

If you join the Order of Dusk they’ll ask you to prove your loyalty by bringing them the three hairs: one from Ella Elderbrook, one from Abby or David McGee and one from Connor Price.

BambiFoxx as Zoey Blackman

Rafael: He’s sulky about the fact that you turned him down to hang out with Mara and Stella. Whenever you see him on campus he’ll be cuddled up next to some random girl. While he’s tasked with asking you to join the Incarnate he’s not happy about it.

Mara: She had an amazing time hanging out with you and will try to sell you hard on being a Fade.

Mateo: He’ll seek you out on campus and ask you to hang out. If it goes well he’ll ask you to the Yule ball.

If you join the Incarnate they’ll ask you to prove your loyalty by agreeing to the pair bonding of their choosing (who this is will be revealed in the next round).

If you join the Fades they’ll ask you to prove your loyalty by “borrowing” the powers of someone you care for (the result of this will be revealed in the next round based on who you borrow from.

Chayanne03 as Esmeralda Silver

Mateo: He was taken aback when he heard you mention the portal. He’ll seek you out to tell you the truth; the portal doesn’t actually exist.

Connor: Connor noticed that you left the coffee for him and while he meant to say “thank you” he got caught up in some advanced spell work. If you choose to go to Michelle’s room he’ll be there. If you want you can ask him to the Yule ball.

Abby: She knew you’d say yes to her offer which is too bad for you. Agreeing to a deal with her means that she now has the power to manipulate your perception of time. You can choose to confront her if you want but she won’t be apologetic.

bonus outfit: loyalty proving/information searching

Story

Thanksgiving left her with more questions than answers. And it had a lot to do with being outright denied the knowledge by very panicked parents. VERY panicked. Which proved that she wasn't real daughter to at least one of them. That and being barred from accessing the archives. What did she know was that there was something that was basically a taboo within. So no wonder that it left her questioning who she really was. The only thing reassuring was that she was Elderbrrok by blood, fact confirmed by her aunt Melissa. But this was just tip of the iceberg...
She got noticed by the societies. Two of them, as picky as her grandmother in terms of recruiting. The Legacies, which was obvious in retrospective since she was actually old family, even if it had no hand in establishing the academy. And Incarnates, which was a bit surprising. Having the philosophy that rare ability wasn't making her a goddess, she considered not bothering.
Abby was rather insisting of her joining the former. Ella really had no idea why, it wasn't that she looked forward to hanging out only with her and her cousin; yes, she did the research, both were in favor of controlling the relationships... but it won't really stop her, that's what she thought. And being a part of group that gathers old families was not on her agenda at all.
She could've just tel both of them to leave her alone. She couldn't, though, something pulled her towards the prospect of being a being with higher power. So no wonder she showed up at the ritual wearing what they wanted. It felt complete, even if that might put a strain later.

~*~

Abby was disappointed in her for not joining the Legacies, she did voice that a couple of times, before Ella had enough of this and told her to just cool it, it wasn't Abby's life, it was Ella's. And it was her own decision. She did wonder if she should've tell her to leave her alone from the beginning, but it wasn't that she didn't need any people to talk to. Which brought her attention to Mateo of all people. They did exchange some words, but it started to resemble the situation where she spoke first. And that was a bit uncomfortable. So they did exchange a couple of words, mostly about nothing but that's about it. She wasn't asking why.
Yet, when the Yule ball was approaching, she found herself compelled to go. It was kind of a must, but huge social events were something she wasn't even included in, no wonder she felt the curiosity. Fortunately, she wasn't raised as a savage, so she could do fine.
She planned to go alone, just see what this was about. Life had other plans. She was asked, by Sam nonetheless. Which suited her, he was funny and she found his company pleasant. It didn't took long for her to accept.
When the event approached, she planned to just have fun, not really knowing what to do on such event. It was fortunate that Sam was there, with his ability to make her giggle a little. She wasn't sure if he was trying to flirt a bit, a small game she reciprocated. But if she was to ponder on it for a longer while, she had some kind of liking for him, she couldn't piece together what it was, for her it was still early.
That didn't distracted her from having fun, even if dressed in a gown in a color she had fondness of for reasons unknown. Fun she had, conversation she had and maybe Sam's presence helped her out of her shell for just a little bit.

~*~

January found her struggling, taking a bit too much at once. Her talents as a Runecrafter required a lot to master, but she managed to invoke a magical effect that she observer at one of the elementals, a small bolt of fire. This was a success and she was eager to explore this side of her powers more. Her research about her own identity wasn't going as well, she was blocked from the access to some crucial resources, but she managed to asses that there was another person bearing Elderbrook name that studied here around the time mysterious Alice started her studies, a male by the name of Alan. Which may have the conclusion that Alice was introducted to the family by marriage and Alice might've not been her real name all along. Which could get her towards the conclusion of the woman being disowned from her family... It was too many theories at once, her head started to hurt.
SHe had small time for social life, finding herself spending a little more time with Sam for a time being, talking to Abby and Mateo amongst other people, even if the former still was voicing her disappointment and the latter wasn't seeking her on his own. And she had a couple of other people, surprisingly, less significant in the grand scheme of things, but nontheless important. She guessed that so far her relationships got approval and weren't serious enough to be considered a problem. That was when it approached.
Being part of Incarnates, Ella was informed of pair bonding. She wasn't sure what this entailed, possibly forming a connection that would be huge in her life, possibly emotions were in play. She had her doubts about how it would work, she wasn't really ready to loose what she had, she felt that she was going somewhere. So she took precautions, another thing for excessive study.
And she agreed. But took precautions, hoping they would work.

Interests: Sam, Abby, Mateo?(if there is something at all)

#completed

Last edited by Siri (27/11/2019 at 08:11)

R3 Complete.
Esmeralda Silver

Story

Spoiler Click to display

December arrived; none of the secret societies approached me and I was a bit disappointed, so I promised myself to work harder so that I could be approached later on, hopefully. One of my classmates, Melissa Flannery, was kind enough to invite me to her dorm for a movie marathon after  overhearing me tell Sam about not receiving any secret societies invitations during class. I decided to go, since I'm a big fan of movies. Although there were many students attending, I couldn't help but notice that the same guy that was in the library was in Melissa's dorm. He came up to me to introduce himself and to thank me for the coffee, and asked me if he could somehow repay me. I was feeling bold so I took a risk and asked him if he wanted to accompany me to the Yule Ball which was coming up. To my surprise, he didn't reject my offer and said yes.
The day after I was approached by Mateo and he brought up the same topic of the other day, the portal. He told me that the portal doesn't really exist, and in that moment, I had a breakthrough. It finally all made sense! What if the portal isn't really a portal but a secret door? Maybe the person that I saw in the woods was a member of one of the secret societies, and the key he was holding was the key that led to the secret door. This made me work even harder to get noticed by the secret societies. However, I thanked Mateo for being honest with me about the portal and left in a rush to the library. For a split second, I thought he was going to ask me to go to the Yule Ball with him (which is what I would've really wanted) but at least I can enjoy it with Connor instead. Rather than always studying in the library, I also started looking at blueprints of the Academy, its most important figures, and its history. Once I met with Abby; she reminded me of the deal we had made, which was a complete disappointment since now she has more power over me. I decided not to confront her because I knew it'd be absolutely useless. I asked her what she wanted (nothing major I hope) and she said that she'll let me know very soon.
The Yule Ball eventually arrived; I tried to look the best that I could and to hopefully impress both Connor and Mateo. The night was magical and enjoyable, I became better friends with Connor and also got to know Melissa a bit better since we hung out with her too. I agreed with her on the fact that not everything is what it seems indeed. While going to get a drink, I bumped into Mateo and he was looking as dashing as ever. We talked for a bit and a part of me was glad when he asked me to dance, but regrettably I had to refuse since Connor was my date for the night, and not him.
It is known as a fact that in January the secret societies might notice more students. Some might have gotten noticed because of their blood line and ancestors, but in my case it was impossible since my parents couldn't do magic. The only person who could do magic in my family was my grandmother, who passed away soon after I was born. However, I decided not to give up and tried my best to stand out. My magical power got better and this time I was prepared to do whatever it takes. I started to study as hard as possible the history of Hawthorne Academy and hoped that this time I would get noticed.

Outfits 
 

Interests Mateo, Connor, Abby

Last edited by chayanne03 (24/11/2019 at 18:38)

NAME ❃❤️ Ｚｏｅｙ Ｂｌａｃｋｍａｎ ❤️❃

2nd SEMESTER STORY

I sighed with relief as I dropped my bags and collapsed on the bed the night I got back from break. One thing I could say about my family, they are awesome… in moderation! All our personalities under one roof for five days straight was definitely exhausting. But I was very pleased I had gone and even happier that I managed to smuggle away a whole pumpkin pie from grams. No lie, I was a glutton for it. Grams had us all addicted to vegan before it was even a thing. The thought of digging into it had my mouth watering but I planned to share it with my classmates, so instead I tossed over and immediately fell asleep.

The next day I woke up late and just tossed on the first thing I could put my hands on and dashed out to class. Ridiculously, the weather did not approve of my haphazard attire, freezing my butt off racing across campus in just a tee and jeans. Clearly wasn’t thinking or even watching where I was going because I bulldozed right into a hard body directly in my path. I squealed and stumbled wildly only to be caught by strong warm hands that grabbed and steadied me. The heat from those hands seemed to course right through me.

“Whoa there…” he uttered in that flirty tone as he disengaged and stood there grinning at me. I giggled and dusted off imaginary dirt from a fall that never happened before I made eye contact.

Mateo was his usual handsome self, stocky build, short dark hair and sharply dressed, any girl would be hard-pressed not to find him attractive. Sadly, I had little time for chit chat so made an apology about our collision and started to bounce past him. “Hold up… Zoey.. I was wondering if you might wanna hang some time?”

That drew me up short for a moment and I twist around to face him, this time stepping backwards in the direction of my class. I then noticed that Rafael was nearby as well.. but he seemed completely absorbed with the petite brunette almost draped up the side of his body. She was pretty in a… well, in every way, I guess. I stammered a bit, realizing that this seemed to be a regular thing with him lately. Ever since Halloween, Rafael had been cold and distant, and constantly surrounded by a different giggling, doe-eyed beauty every time I saw him. Even now he barely looked my way, much less spoke. I cleared my throat and looked back to Mateo, still smiling at me so I nodded my head absently, agreeing that it would be cool but that I really had to go before racing away. It was pretty foolish for me to feel disappointed over Rafael’s behavior. I seriously thought there were some sparks between us for a while there. Now the thought of him sent a prang of awareness.. well annoyance, through me.

“ZOEY!” I heard yelled when I entered the classroom followed by an eager hug. I grinned and hugged Mara back as she pulled me into the room and began immediately exclaiming all the excitement she had during her holiday. Yet when Rafael strolled in minutes later Mara’s infectious enthusiasm did nothing to stop the tingling sensation that inched down my spine. I assumed I was doing a good job of being aloof and unfazed by his gruff attitude when Mara continued to ramble on. I really could care less… I told myself over and over again, and really tried to believe it too but the look on Abby’s face as I scanned the room told me I was probably wrong.

Anyway, after class, Mara sat me down and announced with excitement that I had been selected as a recruit to the Fade Society. I admit… I was pretty surprised, not only because of the interest but because I never would have guessed Mara of being in a secret society. One of the only things that gave me pause around her was her constant accounting of her media presence. She seemed obsessed with every detail of her virtual world. How on earth was she able to keep a skeleton in the closet so to speak when she was fiendish about updating statuses and adding content on her social platforms.

“You just have to join!” She boasted cheerfully, “it will be so much fun having you with us…” I guess I must have been giving her positive impressions of interest because she continued explaining all the “totally rad” reasons I needed to join. I mean sure the fairy court sounded fun, and it would clearly send the message that I was more than just an average human. But who would know? It was a secret … wasn’t it?

But then she glossed over the “one little thing” required of all initiates… “Borrowing” power from someone I cared about. She made it sound so harmless. How would I even go about taking power from someone? I suppose they would show me but still… I wasn’t sure adding power to my already unsettled ones was the smartest thing for me to do at this point.

Flattered but more than a bit hesitant I murmured a “Let me think on it okay?” and earned a pouty but meaningful look. She exclaimed she was determined to persuade me, but accepted my “postponement” as she put it.

Two days later, I stood alone in class browsing a table covered in artifacts when I received an oh-so pompous and contemptuous invitation to join the Incarnates. It wasn’t necessarily the society that reeked arrogance but the snooty, disdainful delivery of said invitation that really got under my skin. What the heck was his problem lately?

“So look, this group I'm in wants you to join… not sure why really since you aren’t great with your magic.. must be desperate for new recruits I guess” I turned and whatever smart retort I had planned died on my lips. I hadn’t even heard him enter the room, much less approach and momentarily my heart raced. Having him face to face made me forget everything else. What the hell was he on about? Oh right, society… magic… urgh his attitude left much to be desired.

I shifted, intending to move past him but he quickly drew up before me, blocking my path of escape. I had to tilt my head to manage eye contract and immediately wondered why I bothered when his icy annoyed gaze fell upon me. Fanciful ideas of elbowing him in the gut or kneeing him in the groin crossed my mind.

“Look I don’t really care what you do but they want you to know so I’m telling you…” and he doled out information about this other secret society. Much like the Fades, the Incarnates had an agenda… and requirements for membership. Yes, the stakes were much higher… an offering of desperately needed guidance for my evolving powers, special aids, enhancements… all for the low low cost of giving up any hope at choosing who I love and associate with.

Message delivered, Rafael hovered a bit longer than I expected giving me a look that sent the fires of hell racing down my spine. It left me uneasy in a resenting sort of way. How dare he really look so diabolically gorgeous while act so obtusely ornery? I was on the verge of telling him just where to shove his stupid ill-mannered invite when Abby burst into class causing him to break his gaze and for me to catch my breath.  Rafael shrugged off her apology of interrupting and with his devil-may-care attitude strolled right out of the room.  Abby watched me, and I knew, without a doubt, that she was reading every wanton flustered thought in my head. I seriously considered morphing right into the wall behind me. Instead I elevated my chin and asked her a question about one of the random objects I lifted from the table. Luckily, she didn’t pry but we both knew I was unnerved.

As the weeks continued, I started hanging out with Mateo more and more. He really was friendly, funny and the biggest flirt around. There were so many girls that seemed to find him appealing and I couldn’t blame them. He charmed me daily. So when he asked me to the Yule Ball I naturally agreed. We got along like peas in a pod. We both despised the cold and loved fashion. He even showed me a few of his printmaking designs and I had to admit he was really talented. Then there was his rabid fascination with pirate lore. The way he spoke of characters such as Black Beard, Davy Jones and Calypso made it impossible for me to not become enthralled. He loved the battles with legendary creatures such as kraken, mermaids and banshee… it was all rather romanticized in a graphic violent kind of way. He totally made me a fast fan. Everything with Mateo was fun and blissfully easy.

Dressed in matching plush purple velvet I felt we made a stunning pair at the Yule Ball, in my opinion. People, some classmates and some not, bounced to the music, laughing and living it up. All the bustle and enthusiasm was contagious and I was so glad I was there. The floors echoed the beat coming from the speakers, and I was speechless at the sight of so much activity in one space. We danced and laughed together quite a bit until one of the girls from his class approached and asked if I would mind them sharing a dance.  That’s when I knew I wasn’t wrong about how great he looked. I didn’t mind at all and let him know I would just go grab a drink. Obviously, I officially became the best date ever at that point before he grinned, gave me a peck on the cheek and wandered off onto the crowded dance floor.

After gathering a drink I slipped out the ballroom onto one of the darkened balconies just to cool off a bit. While I thought I looked lovely, that velvet was quite the insulator. After unclasping my cape, I set it aside to let the crisp winter air brush over my heated flesh. Then nearly jump out of my skin when I heard a deep voice call out from the darkness.

“So now you’re dating my buddy” That was definitely an accusation. His unexpected appearance made me hot under the collar, so much for cooling off. I thought by now, almost two whole months since the Halloween event, he would have pulled the corn cob out of his butt and gotten over whatever problem he had with me. What a pipe dream!

“You scared me… what are you doing here?” I demanded in a terse tone. Why bother being polite when he certainly had no intention of ever showing a hint of decorum anymore. “Don’t you have some floozy to snuggle up with in some dark corner”

"Maybe..." He replied then stepped closer and I could finally see the displeasure clear on his face. Jaw clenched, chin lifted slightly and his eyes.. those hooded brandy toned luminous orbs, seemed to bore right through me. A nervous heat ran through my body at his proximity and when he spit out “You don’t belong here” I determined it must be rage I was feeling… rage… right.

What did he even mean… with Mateo? At the ball? At Hawthorne? Was he toying with me? Trying to make me feel insecure and inferior on purpose? I drew my whole 5 foot 7 inches up as high as possible and even then had to tilt my head to keep eye contract with him. Not for the first time I had thoughts of violence towards him, a slap here… a knee there… it would do the arrogant jerk good to knock him down a peg or two. His leg brushed up against me, his chest.. I could even smell the faint hint of punch on his breath and a shockwave burst from my chest to my stomach. Calm down… calm the hell down!

I gritted my teeth when I shoved at the unyielding mass of fit muscle before me.  That seemed to amuse him, making his lips twitch upward at the corners but that was not merriment, just pure wicked glee.

“You’re an asshole” I hissed

“Agreed” he bit back and actually smiled. A stunning, attention-demanding grin fit for the devil reincarnated. But the dead coldness was still in his eyes. He really did act like some God trying to lord over all us “lesser” beings. No one deserved to be so strikingly gorgeous. Right then and there I resolved I should avoid or plain out ignore Rafael as much as humanly possible. I wouldn’t let him continue to psych me out and leave me in unhinged bewilderment. But his next boorish words, spoken in that smooth sultry voice, unfortunately jarred my temper “Go home Zoey, you don’t belong here…”

I fumed, blinked and seconds later was pushing him aside with the power of a morphed grizzly bear. Sadly, he only stumbled a couple steps despite my magic induced strength. By the time I spun back on him I was back in my normal form and seething “You’re wrong! I’ll show you”

I didn’t wait for, or need, a reply. It was blatantly obvious he had no respect for me or my powers. “Go home” I mimicked angrily storming back into the ball barreling right into Mara and her group of bubbly, animated friends. They were all so zealously giddy over the ball that they never even noticed my simmering annoyance. Mateo did though when he strolled over a few minutes later. I assured him I was okay except for a sudden headache. Reluctantly, he offered to call it a night but I shook my head, demanding he stay and enjoy himself while I made excuses to everyone and left.

I tossed and turned that night, still irked over that buffoons condescending remark. Go home indeed! I wasn’t the best shifter around, not yet…  but clearly I had potential. Didn’t his very own society find me good enough to offer membership! That’s when I sprung up, sitting in the dark dorm room as inspiration struck.

The day of initiation I had one last long talk with Mara. She had still been pushing for my entry into the Fades and as I stood there in the church ruins, decked out in my black and gold, rethinking her comments, I knew I was making the right decision for my personal growth. I felt certain that joining the fades would be the easy way out. There didn’t appear to be any challenge or goal and what would I prove by joining them? I still really appreciated and looked up to Mara, but I owed it to myself to see just how far my magic could take me. So I stood there, solemnly prepared to do whatever it took to prove to everyone… not just him I said to myself… that I wasn’t some fly by night gimmick. He would see.. I mean they… they would all see…

OUTFITS


INTERESTS
Rafael-Romantic | Mara-Friendship | Mateo-Friendship

R3 complete

Last edited by BambiFoxx (26/11/2019 at 06:30)

Name: Adalind Slutsky

Story: "Hey, Lindy Longlegs!"

Apparently Rafael wasn't as over Stella as he liked to pretend. It was clear that someone at the coffee klatch tea party had spun a web about my spur-of-the-moment arachnid capper caper. It surely wasn't Mara.. though we all knew he would like that.. she never lifted her eyes from instagram and he eschewed that Kodak moment. So my guess was Rihanna's own Stella-ella-ella, the fashionista who spread goss from her lips even more than gloss.

"Guess your own Black Widow couldn't keep my business under her hat?"

"Ya know we're encouraged to be curious cats here, I take my education seriously."

I regarded his dark eyes and with a hand on my hip, shot from it: "In French, chat, chapeau."

"In Spanish, el gato in a sombrero?"

"Aah, touche." I didn't have much time for my peers, wouldn't mind most of them taking a long walk off a short one.. pier, that is.. but I dug Rafael's moxie. Turns out he wanted to extend an invitation to his D&D frat.

"It's G&G = Gods & Goddesses? The Incarnates?"

"Uh huh. What makes it so prestigious?"

He snorted back, a curly lock falling over his forehead, "If you have to ask.."

"Just because your group is hush-hush, doesn't equate it with a true secret society, Rafe."

"Holding out for the Order? Talk about under-the-radar -"

"Better than being over-your-head," I shrugged.

"Whatever." He seemed quite chipper to be off, his chore done & dusted and mine just begun. I was taking a gamble turning down the Incarnates, and maybe it would have been the Hawthorne move, but I knew there was a big ol' world outside these hallowed grounds, even if most of my classmates were under this mouldy thrall.

I tried to keep that in mind as I struggled through my courses, this whole magicks 'thang not coming naturally for me. My mind wandered and always seemed to focus on the true mysteries. Which I was very excited to find out that David also shared a love for. It was a brief interlude, but one day in the labyrinth, I saw a book drop from his backpack and after picking it up, I told him how much I adored "Murder on the Orient Express".

"I have to tell you, it was one of the selling points of working so hard to get admitted here. Can you believe they have their own private railway? I am dying for a murder mystery party onboard, aren't you? It feels so Miss Fisher, I love it!"

He gave his patented quite smile, but added a knowing nod, which for David McGee said volumes.

Just as enigmatic but far more loquacious, was A.J. Kincaid. And he could say it all with just a look. Oh yeah, heavily dapper. But I meant with just a look in your direction. An arched brow, a slight smirk, he was a haughty hot toddy of a hottie! And for whatever insane reason, he had noticed me! Guess who's got a date to the ball, Cindy?

Bereft of sweatshop worker mice, I had to come up with the perfect ensemble myself. Sans magic! If there was something I could do with my own two hands, it was crafting together a mistake that you couldn't take your eyes off of!

I know, I know, you think this a roundabout, longwinded, scenic route.  You won't be disappointed.

Well, not for the reasons you think.

I went for the brightest, most bodacious hues I could choose. Decorating myself as a human present just begging to be unwrapped. A smoky eye to smolder and obfuscate. Add some fire, a penetrating stare to pin you down like a butterfly to a board.

Finish with a pale, nude lip - to speak the naked truth.

I glitter, therefore I glam!





I think A.J. was pleased enough, at least he didn't suddenly get a call from his sick third cousin twice-removed and have to excuse himself. I consider that a win!

"My Yuletide has come in. I've been trying to think up a subtle way to suss out your feelings on the Order of the Dusk."

"I didn't know you did subtle."

"I didn't know there were things you didn't know, Kincaid."

That earned me a reward of a cool chuckle. "Rafael mentioned as much."

I sighed. "I'll be sure to say a kind word over his grave."

He shook his head amused and looked down at me. "I can't tell you how it will end up, that's up to you, but I know you'll be receiving an initiate invitation for the Order come the new year."

"Oh!" I bounced in my heels and grabbed his lapels in excitement. "Really? Would that make you my psychopomp?" I leaned in and whispered in his ear, "I'll be your pompous psycho!"

He gently removed my hands and straightened his jacket, clearing his throat with what sounded like a cross between befuddlement and approval. "I had no doubt, Adalind, you're lawless and flawless."

"SlutSKY's the limit." We bowed at each other and sashayed into the soiree.

That was a fabu night. So you just know it was all downhill from there.

Yeah, I was stoked to get the coveted RSVP to the Duskies. But just like all things Hawthorne, they had to make it as dsifficult as possible. Before I would even be considered, I had to attain a.. wait for it.. hair.. hair?.. from not one.. not two.. wait for it.. three other people! A strand of hair from a stranger? Do I look like Marie Laveau?

From people I barely knew! Of course, who's to say that we ever really know anyone anyway? Maybe deep down we're all really really BFF's 4eva & eva?

Yeah, I wasn't buying it either, I only play a ditz on tv.

Anxiety.

Depression.

Anger.

It's not a wishlist. Seemed like the stages of Hawthorne grief. And did I seem like I had strong coping skills to start with? Cha!

All the leaves were brown and the sky was gray, so I went for a walk on a winter's day. I stopped by a church I passed along the way, and well, I got down on my knees and I pretended to pray. The shadow of a lissome brunette fell over me, she had been in the churchyard studying a tombstone.

"Oh, e.e. cummings, I didn't see you there," I jumped up and wiped the grass from my knees. "But I did see you at the Yule Ball, Ella Emerald Elderbrook! That's what they should have christened you with, you were a vision in that emerald frock! And how you do make this.." I waved my finger up and down in front of her. ".. this preppy plaid schoolgirl work for you, it's a wonder, indeed. We need to commemorate this moment, selfie? Yeah, selfie!"

I threw an arm over her shoulder anedr hugged her close until our heads banged together. "Oww!"

I wasn't sure if her exclamation was from the concussed noggin' or the pinch when my strategically placed barette scraped the side of her scalp. When I removed it later, though my hair net still kept all my follicles in line, I had a shiny strand of darker hair caught up in the works of the clip, which I happily snipped and placed in an envelope. One down, two to go.

Aww, nuts & bolts, this one was ridiculous. Connor Price? I didn't even know him or what his price would be, but I was pretty sure I couldn't afford it!

Connor, Connor, Connor.... I murmured to myself as I headed towards the senior dorms. I actually thought I might have a better shot at finding the quarry with the juniors, given that if I knew anything about him at all, it was that he was remora to Melissa's shark. You'd be tempted to tell them to get a room but.. they were always in the same room!

I had to take the chance, Melissa was so observant and suspicious, I didn't have much of shot at pulling the wool over her eyes. Not that isolation offered me much either, as Connor did not seem to have any chinks in his armor, he pretty much was as he seemed, a standup guy who wasn't likely to fall for my shenanigans.

But if she was his Scully, could he be Mulder? Could I make him believe?

When faced with such an algebraic quandary, I found it best to just barrel ahead through the china shop, bulldoze my way over the obstacles, that's just how I.. auroch.

I'll be here all week, folks, don't forget to tip your waitress.

I found his name under the listings and went up to his floor. There was music playing.. from behind like every other door, it was a dorm, keep up.

But not Connor's. Maybe he was wearing headphones. Then I would definitely need to be loud. Louder.

Louder!

His door flew open and the young man looked a tad startled as he got whiplash looking down both ends of the hallway and only finding me. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"That scream?"

"Oh, did it sound like this?" I proceeded to scream bloody murder.

"Yes!" He knocked his headphones off and they dangled around his neck while his pupils dilated.

"Oh, sure, that was me."

His Adam's apple bobbed as he gulped in confusion. "You.. that was you? What.. why?"

"You ask a lot of questions, that's very forward of you and we haven't even been properly introduced. But I'll forgive you if you help me out."

"Out of what?" he started to regain his composure, running a hand through his hair and getting ready to go back to his privacy.

I stuck my foot in between the door and jamb. "Wait.. wait, wait. I'm a friend of Melissa's!"

He gave me a look that spoke volumes about how intimate he was with the entire workings of the Encyclopedia Melissaca.

"Well, more like acquaintance. But though she may not speak highly of me, she speaks highly of you."

"Highly? Is that it, are you high? She doesn't speak of you at all."

"I know, I know but.. please!"

"Who are you?" He seemed more puzzled than bothered and I thought that was a good juncture to jump off the curb into oncoming traffic.

"I just.. I've been on this juice fast, bottle after bottle after bottle, so much with the liquid! I'm gonna float away, but right now, I really would give my kingdom for a -"

He interrupted wryly, "A horse?"

"No, Shakespeare, for a restroom. Though I definitely have to pee like a racehorse. Could I please use your ladies' room?"

"I... ah.." Yes, definitely picture that look where you just know someone has no clue what on Earth is happening. ".. I don't have a ladies' room."

"That's okay, I'm not a lady." I used his apoplexy to squeeze by him before he caught my arm and held fast.

"Hey! You always get what you want?"

I opened my eyes wide. "Well, when I don't, things tend to get -"

" - Messy?"

I feigned despair. "You cut me to the quick, good sir. But I like people who are quick. I was going to say they get the attention they deserve until my point of view is accepted and agreed upon."

He looked around as if there would be someone there to translate for him, or at least commiserate with.

I took that opportunity to start bobbing again and whimpered until he let go of my arm and waved towards the bathroom, giving up with a: "Go ahead."

I beelined for his honeycomb and once the door was shut, immediately started going through the cabinet drawers until I found the treasure, his hairbrush! I pulled a couple strands from the bristles, wrapped them in a tissue, flushed the toilet, washed my hands.. I'm very method.. and whirled out. "Thank you so much, you're a lifesaver, and I do mean all five flavors. Except grape. No one likes grape!"

Before he could ponder, I bid him adieu and ran out the door, pretty sure they would be putting up a wanted poster of my visage in the senior dorm for someone to take me down dead or alive.

Well, it was nice to be wanted anyway. I hope they got my good side!

Just kidding. They're all good sides!

January insisted on playing it's boring tune, where nothing of any consequence happened until the day of the Dusk and I still hadn't managed to get a McGee hair. Rapunzel, Abby wasn't. She wasn't sitting still in any tower and seemed to disregard decorum, making it hard to find a way to ingratiate myself. Truly her brother's antipode.

And I liked David. He was so.. normal. A most unusual specimen. Secure in hid ways. When do you ever see that? I couldn't disrupt that zen! Really, I was at a loss. Midterms were coming up. I had come down with some nasty virus that made my sinuses pound. Hawthorne was starting to get to me. And now I was out of time. It was the night of the initiation ceremony.

I moved slowly. Laying out my outfit. Taking a hot shower.

It's just like a regular shower, only I'm in it.

Yeah, I'm sick, not dead.

The best I could do was take an extra strand from Connor's stash and place it in the envelope and hope that they wouldn't be going CSI to differentiate the DNA on the different hairs.

I finished dressing just in time, adjusting my chess piece shawl. A playa's gonna play.

I saw A.J. at the entrance to the chapel. His gaze fell over my sword garter before blessing me with his own secret society of a smile he had honed.

I gave my shoulders a shrug and smiled back. "I'm that dark and stormy knight your mother warned you about."

He apparently wasn't a mama's boy, as he enthusiastically offered me his arm.




Interests: A.J. / David [friendship]

R3 Complete

Round 3 is closed. Round 4 will be posted later today.

Welcome to Round 4; New contestants are being accepted!

Round 3 Winners

Congratulations!

Best story: Virgilia

Best outfits: BambiFoxx

For each of you, your bonus moving forward is that you can enter an extra outfit which can increase your final score, please just indicate what the outfit is for.

So you’ve managed to make it this far, but I hope you haven’t gotten too comfortable because things are about to get even more interesting than usual.

This round will encompass three months: February, March and April

In February love is in the air thanks to the arrival of a few Cupids on campus. They’re cloaked so you can’t see their smug faces as they attempt to make love connections.

Siri as Ella Elderbrook

The Cupids are convinced that you and Mateo would be the perfect match, but since you’re an Elderbrook and he’s into someone else they’re having a hard time making their magic stick. You'll be flirty with each other off and on throughout the month but it'll never last for more than a few minutes at a time.

Virgilia as Adalind Slutsky

The Cupids are jealous of the connection that you and AJ already have so they’re looking to make a bit of mischief but their magic misfires and you’re bond grows stronger.

BambiFoxx as Zoey Blackman

The Cupids take one look at you and Rafael in passing and decide that they have to put you two together. For the whole month of February you two are inseparable much to the chagrin of the girls Rafael has been stringing along and Mateo who's developed real feelings for you.

Chayanne03 as Esmeralda Silver

The Cupids see instantly that you’re pining after Connor and they decide to pair the two of you up. His magic is stronger than theirs but they do manage to get him to pay you more attention than he pays his books.

In March there will be a group of new students coming in:

Madeline Carter

Face Claim: Brenda Song



Madeline is half fay since at 19 she's way too young to be a full time member of the fairy court she's chosen to come to Hawthorne to study for a bit.

Likes: Sugary cereal, moonlight rituals, and practical jokes
Dislikes: hairy feet, waiting in line, and long movies

Carter van Houghton

Face Claim: Booboo Stewart



Carter is a Hawthorne junior who spent the first few months of the school year on a top secret independent study project. He's also a member of the Order of the Dusk.

Likes: Silent movies, smoking jackets, and jazz
Dislikes: Tofu, lawn ornaments, and gossip

Roosevelt St. James

Face Claim: Peyton Alex Smith



The St. James family is an old magic family and until last month Roosevelt their youngest son was attending a magic academy abroad. The details are sketchy at best but Hawthorne wasn't going to deny this 20 year old admission.

Likes: Archaeology, Auctions, and secrets.
Dislikes: indirect communication, potion making, and twin sized mattresses

You can choose to interact with them as little or as much as you like.

In April is when you'll find out exactly what your secret societies have in store for you OR if you've finally been tapped for a secret society. Please see the impressions.

For round 4 please include all of the following:

Name

Story Tell me about how what went on because of the intervention of the Cupids, How you felt about the arrival of the new students and how you felt learning what your secret societies had in store for you.

Outfits Surprise me with up to 3 looks, one for each month. Be sure to indicate the context of the looks.

Interests (up to 3 and you can include the new students) Keep in mind that this is 3 interests in total. For example let's say your interest in the previous round were Abby, Connor and Sam for this round your interests can't be Abby, Connor, Sam and Roosevelt, instead you'll need to eliminate one of the earlier interests (if you do that though please try to wrap up your current storyline with them).

Round 4 will end on November 30th at 9:30pm EST

Last edited by Dare (29/11/2019 at 00:34)

Impressions

These are the impressions of the extra and including them in your stories is optional but including them helps to move your story with them forward.

Siri as Ella Elderbrook

Abby: She’s pissed that you didn’t choose to become a Legacy and will demonstrate this by trying to mess with you magically, she’ll even temporarily grant your sister some powers.

Mateo: With the intervention of the Cupids for February Mateo is much more interested in you that usual even if it's only in spurts. When it wears off, he’ll be apologetic if he was too flirtatious and he’ll try to avoid you, you're welcome to seek him out though.

Sam: He had a great time with you at the Yule Ball and will want to spend more time with you. After the chaos with the Cupids wears off (they thought it'd be a laugh to put him and Melissa together) he’ll ask you on a date, you can accept or decline.

As you joined the Incarnate you’re supposed to be pair-bonded in April, the problem though is that as a rune maker there’s an uncertainty about who your magic will best mesh with to test this they temporarily bond you with Connor which causes friction with Melissa who neither of you can tell about the secret society. He’s going to be his normal overworked self so if you want to try and make it work you’ll have to exert all the effort.

Virgilia as Adalind Slutsky

AJ: He’s decidedly smitten with you, especially after the antics with the Cupids backfire. He’ll cover for you with the Order by being the one to turn you himself.

David: You fascinate him but he’s not entirely sure what your angle is. He’ll be open to your friendship but he won’t seek it out.

As you joined the Order of the Dusk you’re going to need to be turned in April which means being further initiated into a vampire caste of Day Walkers. AJ noticed that you didn’t get a hair from one of the McGees and he reasoned with the Order that the extra hair from Connor was more valuable. He volunteers to turn you himself and the others agree. Just an FYI being turned is awful for the first few days, side effects may include uncontrolled shifting, sunburn and a sensitivity to loud noises.

BambiFoxx as Zoey Blackman

Rafael:He’ll be super into you during the month of February but as soon as March 1st comes he’ll be back to his player ways and even more intent on showing off how many different girls he can get.

Mara: She’s really upset that you didn’t become a Fade and in the heat of the moment she’ll let it slip that she’s so disappointed because she cared for you enough to “borrow” some of your powers (welcome to the reason why your magic has been glitching) and she’s too sad to do it any more. It’s up to you if you want to call her out on this.

Mateo: He had a great time with you at the Yule Ball and even while he’s under the spell of the Cupids there’s still a part of him that’s thinking about you (and sad that you and Rafael are so cozy). Come March 1st he's ready to make a grand gesture (you can make up what that is, just stay on character) to show he'd love to try a relationship with you. If you're interested in giving it a go, awesome. If not, be prepared for him to be hurt (but not mean).

As you joined the Incarnate it’s time for your pair bonding in April and despite the friction between you two they’ve decided that you and Rafael should be matched. He’s not happy with the idea and will be juvenile about it.

Chayanne03 as Esmeralda Silver

Mateo: He’ll continue to be polite but he won’t pursue anything beyond a casual friendship.

Connor: Connor will pay extra attention to you while under the spell of the Cupids but he’ll still mostly  be stuck in the library. If you really want to pursue something with him you’ll need to give him a great reason to stop studying and start paying attention to you. Note he'll be much less available in April so any attempts should be made in March.

Abby: She’s in full on rampage mode thanks to Ella rejecting the legacies and she’s taking some of that out on you. Be prepared to have to constantly question “when” you are as she’ll have no problem throwing you back and forth in time. If you want her to stop you’ll have to confront her.

Also while you haven't been officially invited to a secret society Melissa will invite you to watch "Scooby doo" reruns with her every Saturday.

Last edited by Dare (28/11/2019 at 05:46)

Feb: one of the Cupid days; Mar: Carmen situation (and getting a cat); Apr: confronting Abby

Story

Nothing was going well. She was getting late for classes, being denied access to the registry and sometimes she had no idea how long she had been studied ot enjoying the solitude, which in turn caused frictions with some people. This was something she never did during her life, she was never late or so lost in something that she lost the track of time. This brought her to a rather saddening conclusion that somebody was too petty to accept that not everything is going their way.
And this was not all. Something urged her to change her style for a bit, get more into something figure-hugging and a little less of a schoolgirl look. She had a hunch that something was wrong, especially when Mateo was around, very flirty and then acted like nothing happened. Well, she wasn't without fault either, so it was weird back and forth from time to time, either he or she, but weirdly enough never both at the same time. And there was similar situation between Sam and Melissa, which had her questioning what was really going on... until it wore off completely, leaving her as much confused as she was. Until she found out that there were CUpids in school, trying to pair people. That explained some things.
Mateo apologized for his behavior... and started excusing himself when she wanted to just or just said hi. Which really irked her, considering what she learned. And irked, she caught him one day and just told him that he should stop doing that, stop avoiding her because they behaved out of character under the spell. She didn't want to avoid him because of that. Maybe they weren't the type to talk about everything or had many things in common, but for her the happenings weren't the reason to behave like that at all.

~*~

"What are you doing here?" Ella asked, seeing Carmen on the academy courtyard. Her... she doesn't know if she was her sister or just a relative, but she was standing there, holding a box with a ribbon.
"Hi" Carmen seemed different, more... brighter, happier. "Um... I don't know how to tell you this, but... I have magic now."
"Eeeh?!" That was the most intelligent sound Ella could utter right at the moment. "How?"
"I don't know. I mean, I was convinced I won't have any magic and couple of days ago I sped up blender without touching it... and I did that with the goldfish."
Ella felt like hit with a sledgehammer. She had read that with the proper means one could grant another magic, and somebody did to her sister just that. She had no idea if that was permanent, but judging from the nature of the powers, it could mean one thing.
"Ella?"
"Meow."
That got her attention and she noticed that the lid of the holed box was open and an orange head was sticking out of it. Carmen put the box on her lap and took the lid off, revealing the orange body of a small cat.
"She's for you" Carmen said, but without a smile. "Mom and dad thought it would be nice, since I'm going here anyway."
"Um... thanks." Oh yeah, her birthday was coming up. "So... time manipulation."
"Yes" she beamed up a little. "But grandma got suspicions, so she asked the academy if they could run tests to see if this was real or not."
"Oh, I see" Ella said, observing the cat that curled on her lap. In truth, she didn't want Carmen here... and that made her feel like a horrible human being. She seemed happy to be here, to have magic she desired to have... yet Ella only thought of how it would affect her own stay here. Obviously, something was going on and she didn't like it. "Can I get you to the office?"
"If you could..." even Carmen noticed that she wasn't keen on. "Oh, her name is Mystra, by the way."
"Mystra? Who named her?"
"One of my friends, a total nerd" Carmen explained, while they started walking towards the building. "Or I guess one of our mutual friends. Said the name is of the goddess of magic."
"Yeah, I know whom are you talking about" everybody had that one totally nerdy/geeky person in their circle, whether they knew it or not. "Must be his thing, he named his dog Vorgansharax and that was supposed to be from a dragon."
"Yeah, his thing."
Ella had no idea what she should think of it all. Holding a cat in her arms, she walked Carmen to the office and waited. She knew that if it would be permanent, her sister would come here. Not that it would change anything back at home. It would change things here a bit. It seemed that Carmen grew out of calling her a traitor on every step, yet...
"Ella? When di you get a cat?"
She looked up, saw Sam. And smiled a little, seeing he returned to mostly normal after the whole Cupid thing. She had no idea what happened, maybe she liked him. Maybe.
"Got her from my sister" she explained as the cat was sitting comfortably in her arms, looking curiously at Sam. "She's here, tested for magic."
"Why would she? She doesn't have any magic, right?"
"She got some. Not sure if it's permanent. Could be some temporarily effect... but that would mean someone messes with my family."
"Oh."
Oh indeed. But she waited, with Sam, for what it seemed too long...
"Ella, actually..."
"Yes?"
"We've had fun at the ball, so I thought... if we could go out together. Just the two of us."
"Like a date?" she asked, a little curious.
"Very much like a date."
She smiled. This would be the very fun time.
"Sure" and it was his turn to smile.
Shortly after they got the details, Carmen exited the office, looking very down. For Ella this meant that it didn't go as planned. She seemed sad and disappointed.
"It was just temporary effect" she explained. "As if someone gave me magic."
Someone. Ella wondere who could it be, but when a couple of days passed she had enough evidence to deduce who. A viper in her own house, the spoiled Abby.
Normally Ella was ignoring her. But now she messed with someone else.
It was personal.

~*~

Bound with Connor, she found herself to have very little time for other affairs that weren't involving getting back on Abby, studying or trying to make this work. The last one didn't and she had a hunch that it wouldn't. Just weren't paying attention. No matter if she tried to talk to him about anything, something made her glitch a bit, accidentally putting things in stasis. So... she stopped. They weren't working, so she just sat by him silently, studying and researching methods of how to give the spoiled brat a hint that not everything goes around her.
While studying, she relieved some bits of her date with Sam and that was putting smile on her face, a rare thing when she was so focused. She missed that time, it was a fun thing, even if they just got coffee and play a game of throwing, of course he won, but it was so full of talking and fun jokes that she didn't mind; he tried to teach her anyway. Of course she would go for another date, but being in secret society also had its own demands.
But right now she had her own thing to plot and she was certain that it would work perfectly. She had it nailed down to the last line and the symbol created on what would be perceived as the simple quartz trinket. It would create enough protection from the time magic, or so she hoped. Even Mystra joined her, resting on her shoulders, she was quite a small cat for her age and light enough not to give her too much of weight to carry. It was reassuring, because she still had her doubts, even knowing that Abby wouldn't listen to reason.
"There you are, Abby."
Of course, it didn't take her long to find the spoiled girl.
"Oh, look who it is. Did you have fun?"
"Stop this" Ella hissed, even Mystra acoompanied her with her own hiss. "Stop messing with me or any people close."
"Or what? You can't throw me out of here" she looked too smug for her comfort.
"I'm asking nicely" and Ella was slowly starting to succumb to anger. "If you don't..."
And now she felt a magic wave, which triggered the quartz trinket. Symbol glowed with a bright light that blinded them for a moment with quick flash. Hopefully it triggered a shield... only for her to realize that if produced whole other effect.
"What have you done, Ella?! Where's my magic?!" she hadn't expected that. Not at all.
Forced with a quick decision, she decided to play along, as if it was planned. Fortunately, she knew how long it would last, maybe with that kind of effect up to a week or so.
"You'll get it back" she said, masking her anxiety and confusion. "But remember, if you mess with me or my family, I will not stand by it."
"It wouldn't go that way if you joined Legacies!"
"It wouldn't even come to this, if you weren't such spoiled brat who takes no negative answer. Up until you messed with me, I could pass by, but the moment I found out you gave Carmen magic... You messed with my family and it became personal. I do hope the other McGees will give you an earful for it."
Abby got back her magic, fortunately; the temporary effect could be compared to siphoning or antimagic field.
But it was sad for Ella; she hoped it wouldn't come to this kind of situations. In her mind, the two would never be friends. There was no chance. Not anymore.

Interests: Sam, Abby, Mateo (again, provided it's enough for impressions)

#done

Last edited by Siri (01/12/2019 at 20:59)

Mila St. Germain
Age: 20
FC: Ina Čano
Personality Traits: Confident, borderline cocky at first sight; she is quite introverted until with her friends. Communicative when she needs to be; makes friends fairly easy. Cares about the opinions of other people; cares about other people too. Jealous, which she will deny with fire of seven hells. Tends to venture in the dramatic. Likes to avoid conflict to the point of ignoring people. Passionate. Easily annoyed. Awkward flirt when she likes someone.
Why I decided to transfer to Hawthorne Academy? When I was a child, I was adopted into a good family, family coming from an old magic line and even if it was quite lovely to be one of the elites most days, the expectations came crashing down on me a little bit too harsh. My parents are older than most parents, they adopted me late in their lives, yet it did not show. Having raised two more children before me, they had experience and patience to deal with this imposter syndrome, so finally, I managed to get over this anxiety about going in my brothers' footsteps.
Family
St. Germains are one of the oldest, richest European families and despite many traditions, this Russian-Serbian family draws from their legacy, patriarchy is not one of those. Nikolai St. Germain met his wife Jelena and fell head over heels instantly: her confidence, her assertiveness and her ability to take the control over just about everything really won him over. Jelena was at the same time impressed with the fact her independence was not taken as something bad, but a welcome blessing for the family. Nico and Jelena married only two years after they met, and shortly after had their twins, Alexei & Vuk. Despite their best efforts, more children never showed up and the couple. Jelena's 50th birthday was a turning point for both - the grandchildren were about to arrive, but they decided there were more children to be present in their lives as well. This was my cue to enter: unwanted child might some a little bit harsh to someone, but I like to be aware of my standings and 20 years ago I was abandoned in an orphanage in Belgrade, without anything to my name. They found me and my mother always says she sensed the magic growing inside me since that early age. I could not disagree more: I felt plain for most of my life, both in magic and personality and I decided I would let my appearance talk instead. I am always aware of my image, not in some bad way, but in a way that makes me happy - life is like a stage, they say, so why not dress up for the spotlight each one of those days? Suddenly, those powers my mother sensed came crashing in and to be perfectly honest, those were the absolute best. At first, I could tweak bits of my body to suit the needs of what I wanted to do - a couple inches taller for the times I was not into wearing heels or growing my hair long when I wanted to rock a sleek pony. Nails, lashes. Scars I got as a kid would vanish at my command. Little by little, I would work on changing bits of how I looked into how I wanted to appear on that day, and before I was aware of my doings, I managed to change a little bit more, resemble myself a little bit less - and I enjoyed every moment of the transformation.s
Interests Connor, Jasper, Roosevelt.

Outfits: February - March - April


Story
March always reminds me of that quote. Can't remember what it is, but I'm sure most remember the very tactile description of what March feels like with the shades growing cold and the sun warming you up just to the right point. It felt like that here, at the Hawthorne. I arrived with my brother, Alexei, who managed to say hi to most staff by the time we reached the front door: it was a common thing in the male members of my family: they seem to know everyone who ever lived at one point or another.

"You could finally hand me that secret," I smiled playfully.
"Which one?"
"About the ever-social St.Germain gene," he rolled his eyes at me, throwing a hand over my shoulder.
"You're too young to harness the power," says the joker and I laughed, of course.
"And I am missing the crucial gene if we're being honest."

It slipped - kinda - but at this point, his face was no longer displaying amusement: what my family always made sure to know is that I belonged, genetics or not.

"No," I tried, turning around as he stood in his place. -"I was joking, promise,"
"You know it's hurtful to joke like that," his tone of voice resembles our father's more and more each day, I swear. Even the heavy swallow, the tiny chest sigh he lets out - and it was never my intention to hurt him, ever.
"Dude, come on," I tried a playful smile, stepping into his path. -"I didn't mean to, promise, I was just joking."
"Don't," he replies quite gently. -"Be caref--"

The sentence was not even finished when I bumped into someone, trying to twirl playfully back into the path I was heading.

"Shit, sorry!" I said, stepping onto the persons' foot.
"Roosevelt St.James?" Alexei asked instantly, as I moved to the side with my apologetic expression.
"Mr. St. Germain," the guy replied with some kind of a polite smile only privileged kids saved in their repertoire, made perfectly for times like these: where you are not sure where do you know the person from, but your upbringing is doing like Spiderman sense, tingling with the sense of you having to be on your best behaviour because this person is most likely a long-forgotten relative, friend of your fathers or perhaps someone who can benefit your cause at some point in life.

"I have not expected to see you here," Alexei's tone lowers, the whole sense of secrecy which I have not expected to encounter here.
"Stranger things have happened," the guy replied to him after quickly scanning me up and down.
"In this case, I would like to introduce you to my sister," Alexei places his hand on my back, as he used to whenever he would introduce me when I was younger, quickly reminding me to stand up straight. -"Mila, this is Roosevelt,"
"Nice to meet you," I smiled, extending my hand for a short and quick handshake, pushing my hair back a little. -"New guy?"
"New girl?" he handed me a playful smile. -"This should be fun, you know?"
"What should?"
"Transfer students arriving in the middle of the year," he grinned. -"Mystery is always fun to have around."

---

You can imagine how hazy my days have been after my arrival. This place has a vibe of an old Parisian apartment meeting a haunted English castle, the history soaked up the walls, the windows and doors - there are so many things you could do around this place.

And then you discover the library.

Like, it was a full-blown discovery, the space I really wanted and had absolutely no clue I needed in my life. Smell of old, leather-bound books and the touch of worn-out shine on the old oak desks and the huge chairs you could easily sink into and never want to get out.

For the first time in a long time, I actually wanted to study, actively.

So, I did make that conscious choice which included getting up before a proper time on a Saturday morning, grabbing a coffee for the way and actually being productive.

In perfect honesty, there was not that much to do besides extra-curriculum stuff here. So, studying it was - and shockingly, the place was not empty nor ghost-infested, which was my first guess when I heard a commotion on the other side of the aisle. I reach for a book to see this like-minded person. Well, I reach for a book and add myself an additional five centimetres or so - the bookshelves were quite high here.

I have to say, it's only has been a month of me existing there, dedicating time out of day to my abilities and it felt easier to do whatever I wanted, within my own limits. The strain has been lifted, in a way, the moment of focus have been cut shorter and my limits - at least from my point of view - have been moved a little. Whatever I decided to do was under my control, even if I was scared to push for more - there were times, moments in the morning, while I stood in front of the mirror, drawing on my eyeliner and thinking if I could change my features a little. Just a tiny bit, just for a while.

He seems to be unaware of my existence - which is not a likely scenario - and then, he looked up, I gave it a little try for a smile and he just reached for another book, leaving me there, standing. In hindsight, this should be a good story of how I met Connor, but also how I actually didn't.

Making my way to the other side of the aisle, I found myself face to face with this early bird, and boy was he cute. I smile - mostly to myself - and tried to find out his name.

"Getting an early start?"

The silence was awkward. More awkward than I care to admit if we're honest, which we are not doing.

"Okay," I nodded to myself, flags down and getting to the other table.
"Connor is legitimately not present in the room when he's in the library," a voice startled me a little bit.

If someone told me I'll meet Jasper Maddox in an old library of the Hawthorne, I would have laughed. I blinked a couple of times instead. Then smiled.

"I was beginning to wonder if I turned invisible," I smiled.
"Might as well," he concluded. -"You're new,"
"You're famous," I replied, to which he chuckled - probably because he seemed polite. -"Sorry, this probably sounded horrible,"
"I've had worse," Jasper concluded. -"Jasper,"
"Mila, nice to meet you,"
"Same,"
"You're one of the new transfers?" he says, silently, and I nudged towards a corner little bit further from Connor just to get us out of his hair, if he even managed to notice we were present. Doubt it, but I'm not willing to risk it.

"Shiny and new arrival, yes,"
"Middle of the year arrival,"
"What can I say," my shoulders go up and down quickly and unintentionally. -"I caved in,"
"Legacy?"

So, I could have explained my rags-to-riches orphanage story, but I wasn't willing to turn Annie just yet.

"My brothers paved a pretty little brick lane for me here, yeah,"
"Must be fun,"
"Oh, totally," I chuckled, setting the books down finally. -"You know how it is, two gorgeous twin overachievers who never did the awkward puberty bit and managed to be social highlights and talented students," I nodded.
"So, no pressure?"
"Exactly," I gave it a little laugh. -"Fun times,"

There's a short 'shhhh' coming from someplace in the back, so we decide to study and have a break in an hour or so, maybe chat some more.

Whoever told you not to meet celebrities because you might be disappointed has clearly never met Jasper Maddox.

// DONE (sorry for the delay, shortness and all)

Last edited by Zaralee (04/12/2019 at 08:29)