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lilyana-dumont

          Glove fingers instantly reached up to touch the old hat, as if she had all but forgotten about it. Silly thought, she had lost her tea because of the thing. A genuine smile made a rare appearance, as her hand dropped back to her side. “Thank you Mister Clarke.” She kept herself from mentioning that it had been her older sisters, a preloved hat was nothing to brag about. She was thinking about complementing him on his attire, but thought better of it.

          Eyes widening, Lilyana grinned from ear to ear. Camping? And it all came down to a class she loved, that lifted her spirits. “Now that, would be an extraordinary night.” She defiantly didn’t want to think about how sleep would go, wouldn’t want to get lost when her restless legs took elsewhere. “Thank you, but I’ve already had a slice.” She politely turns down the offer, “Could I get you some tea?” 

     The man nodded and turned around to pour some tea for Lilyana. He smiled in the process, meditating on the good response she had to his proposal. Cornelius did think it was an awesome idea and no one had the right to think it was boring. He dreaded that tag, he wanted to be perceived as anything but boring, useless or dull. Perhaps it was due to how much his wife used those words to describe him. She had always been so hard to please. 

As he passed the cup to the girl, he thought to himself how terrible it would be to take lady Dumont on that adventure specifically. A sleepwalking girl in the wild was far more dangerous that a sleepwalking girl inside the school. His gesture shifted a little. “There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you, Lyliana” he started, with a sober tone of voice. “How have your nights been recently? Have you been able to rest properly?” there was a strange idea going through the teacher’s mind. And he was strangely confident that it could be of help. 

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ladymcntagu

          For Lydia, there was something comforting about events such as these. The dainty finger sandwiches and neatly finished pastries could only complement the fine weather that  had been blessed upon them —and a gentle ( fond ) memory of her gardens back home. Likewise, there was something about the energy that she could not exactly pinpoint, but she knew that it lifted her spirits greatly. She was not exactly eager to be at a ‘home for ladies’, especially when looking at the history of the location in question. However, so far, it had not been as horrid as she first imagined it to be. In fact, it was rather pleasant and tranquil; something she needed after years of London pandemonium.

Being out on the South Lawn gave her the opportunity to dress in something less dull. With her family members absent and court being at a distance, lighter colours made their way into her wardrobe, and already she felt better for it. She seemed peaceful enough to gaze off to the various joyful scenes —not quite ready to participate herself, but it did bring a smile to her face. It was only when she heard the voice beside her that she came to. Initially humming at his question, before turning her head slightly to him. “Indeed, it does make one feel less dull.” She mentioned with a soft smile. “I do hope that these will be regular occurrences.”

     His approach was pleasantly reciprocated by the lady standing besides him, the man gently moved his body to respectfully face hers. To his eyes, Lydia seemed to be the perfect guest to have around. Her gracefulness and wit seemed to lit up the place a little bit and projected a good shadow on the students of the School. Undoubtedly, she was a good example of what the young girls roaming around should look forward to become. Mister Clarke took quite a bit of effort on teaching not only on his subject, but also on anything else that could be of help in the outside world. As a man himself, he knew how cruel and overpowering they could be and how many didn’t have much luck once they were sent off with some stranger. 

The man had known and shortly worked alongside the gentleman that was to be Lydia’s husband, not being able to call it a pleasure since he very strongly thanked he was dead. Sadly, Cornelius, not being of great prestige or importance, didn’t have the luck of having a wife picked out for him from the finest calibre (he meditated for a second on why for the higher classes, a wife seemed more of a lifelong fruit from a market). His own wife had been very eager to disappoint him and run to the arms of other lovers; Cornelius wasn’t shy to blame himself for that. “I am glad to hear you are enjoying yourself” he offered her a smile. “And I am sorry for your loss” that was some sort of forced formality. “I do hope I can be of help for you during your stay, have you made yourself familiar with the place already? I have quite a few favorite locations myself” 

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missnoralancaster

Nora was supposed to be in class but she found herself outside,watching the rather grisly cleaning from the party finish.Sitting in the muddy grass Nora cradled one of the birds in her hands, looking it over,fascinated. “ There’s just no explanation for the loss of this poor little thing.” She said aloud and turned around to see someone there. “What do you think happened?” She asked.

     The whole incident at the picnic had been definitely painful to watch and even more difficult to understand. It was beyond his understanding what caused such thing and Cornelius certainly refused to believe it was some sort of supernatural event. Even though it sure as hell had seemed like one. He placed a hand on Nora’s shoulder as a display of support. “We’ll find an explanation, miss Lancaster -- there’s plenty of phenomenons that are yet to be explored” he let out a small sigh. “How are you feeling? It is understandable to be disturbed” 

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powellsir

Over the past hour or so, Robin had become certain of one thing; that the best way to begin a term was with a celebration — and namely one which involves copious amounts of the finest food and drink. Sweet stuffs especially, though ( somehow ) he’d managed to cap the amount of sugared goods he all but inhaled and found himself ( somewhat begrudgingly ) reaching for an apple. The fruit could be sweet in its own right, at least. Having plucked a shining fruit from an equally colourful bowl, he headed toward the end of the table in order to not be an obstruction to others.

He came to an abrupt halt, a dark brow quirking until his gaze settled upon a familiar face and the accompanying words registered. Offering a warm smile and a nod in agreement, Robin took up the empty spot by the older’s side. “Certainly,” he enthused warmly, scanning the contentment spread out before them. “Good food and the company of others often has that effect. Or so they say,” his smile widened slightly, head turned towards the other. “It’s the right weather for it, too — which makes a change.”

     Cornelius was enjoying the cake a little bit too much. He bit into it quite enthusiastically while continuing to watch the people enjoy and have fun around the garden. It was actually pleasing to see everyone happy and getting energies to start the new term in the best of moods. Cornelius did not like or tolerate absent minded people in his class, he was somehow entitled to not understand why would someone not enjoy it.

“I agree with that” he responded to his colleague, struggling a little to swallow the piece of cake. “They are far too young to worry about anything else” at the current world how it was, men were silly enough to believe women didn’t have much to worry about, that it was them who had to work and support the family. But the truth was that so much more went through these young ladies’ heads and it was only by actually interacting with them that Mister Clarke had realized that. No one could escape the pressure and the fear of living. “How has your stay been? Believing in any of those ghost stories yet?” the man let out a slight laugh, actually curious. If anyone had seen the world more than him, it was definitely Robin Powell.

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psst all the new guys can reply to this starter i posted a while ago pls

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Danse Macabre (Dance Of Death) Op. 40, Tone Poem For Orchestra By Composer Charles-Camille Saint-Saens Performed By Conductor Alexander Gibson And The London Symphony Orchestra

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ladyxvirginia

The girl was hardly paying attention the chaos of the event going on around her. Despite her usually charismatic and outgoing nature, Virginia despised large events such as these that she was often forced into going to. As a way of silent protest, she often sat herself off to the side to simply observe everyone else, being polite where she must and staying quiet where she wasn’t required to talk. 

It was obvious that the entire ordeal was just an attempt to distract the students and their parents to disguise the recent ghost scandal, so it disgusted her even further to be participating in it. She was distracted from her internal monologue by a sudden voice behind her, and she glanced to her right to see who it was. “Ah, yes, Mister Clarke,” Virginia replied with a polite smile, “It’s absolutely lovely.” Her tone contrasted with her words, though, coming across as flat and bored.

   Cornelius had had a slight, absent minded grin throughout the whole event, he liked to observe and analyze the patterns of the ladies and the professors walking around. He had a cup of tea in his hands and when he received the response from the young woman beside him, he turned around to face Lady Alcock and was quick to notice she wasn’t her usual self. As a professor, it was easy for him to draw the personalities of his students slowly in his mind and Virginia was not the exception.

“Well – why the long face, Lady Alcock? Is something troubling your mind?” he inquired, quite directly while pouring a cup of the tea for her. “I can’t help but notice you’ve been rather quiet” he now spoke softer, as if he were whispering a secret finding on his. It was just a sweet attempt to earn her trust.

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msnysell

     There was something in the air, Ida thought, but couldn’t find an explanation for what she was feeling. It was something she had felt before, many years ago, and something she’d surely feel again, now that she was the head of the institution she so much cherished, where strange things sometimes happened in the dead of night. Miss Nysell’s eyes scanned around her for something out of place, but only found smiles and leisure.  

     “I certainly hope so, I doubt there’s reason to expect otherwise.” She replied with a warm smile after hearing the professor speak. <<At least not yet>> her own voice argued in her mind, but such dark thought was swallowed down with a sip of her drink before it contaminated her semblance. “Is the cake any good? I’m confident it’s not as dry as what we were given when I was a student here,” Ida bantered in a cheerful manner. 

    Cornelius had taken the very stupid decision to put an absurdly big piece of cake in his mouth right after talking to whoever was next to him. He was supposed to calmly chew and swallow before delivering an answer but for some reason foreign to him, he seemed to almost choke with the food in his mouth when it was Miss Ida Nysell who replied. The plate in his hand shook a little causing a faintly audible rattling noise that didn’t help the situation. What did he owe that reaction to? He proceeded to recover himself and chew a little faster, all of this happening in just a couple of seconds. With a faint smile, he attempted to cover up his silly response.

“The cake is actually delicious– Not dry at all, although my palate is not too demanding” he chuckled a little bit and left a moment of silence to reflect. There was something in Ida that was rather mysterious and even intimidating, the woman had a mystic halo around her, perhaps it was the haunting mix of her being extremely talented and extremely beautiful. Mister Clarke rarely took time to meditate on such things and it was surprising even to himself how vaguely difficult it seemed for him to just overlook the headmistress’s charms. “Well… Where are my manners? Let me get a piece for you”  

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lilyana-dumont

          The change of location was nice for Lilyana, the idea of celebrating inside was dreadful. Even if it meant socializing, feeling the sun kiss the smallest parts of exposed skin was more than accepted. She was in her own world, observing the birds in the trees, and catching sight of a snake slithering on by more that once. Beverage in hand, she readjusted her hat. Off in her own little world, and not entirely aware of when her hand tilted downward. Lilyana head the small splash, turned her eyes down just in time to watch the grass absorb the remaining. 

          Her eyes flickered upward, with hope that no one lay witness to her foolish behavior. The tips of her ears darkened, as she walked over towards the table that held the refreshments. With a fresh drink in hand, the blonde took a small sip when her teacher spoke. With a polite smile, Lilyana nodded in agreement. “It looks as such,” she glanced his way, and tilted her head. “It’s not everyday we get to gather outside and have cake. The enjoyment of the evening is unavoidable.”

     He gave her a big smile, it was certainly pleasing to hear a confirmation from the young Lilyana. Cornelius was rather amused as well how the ladies dressed up for the occasion, bringing their best dresses and hats. Men were oh so simple and monochromatic. “That’s a nice hat, miss Dumont” he acknowledged, giving her a polite nod with the compliment. Her golden locks seemed to catch the light of the sun to match the whole picture. 

“You are completely right, we should enjoy the outdoors more often. In fact, I am planning a night camping class next month with exploratory purposes” Cornelius did believe the recent evens had become a reason for everyone to be afraid of the dark, all those silly ghost stories had been overly exaggerated and it was time to push the girls out of their comfort zone. He actually sounded a bit too excited about this idea and about sharing it with the young woman next to him. “Would you like a piece of cake?” he motioned towards the table. 

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lordjackgrantham

Had he offended his Great Aunt at some point in time that he wasn’t aware of? Was this her vengeance from the grave to place Jack in his own personal hell of being trapped at this school? As a boy, he had come here to visit his Great Aunt and he couldn’t lie, he was fond of those memories even if he called her an old hag at times. She had been well aware of it. His Great Aunt had seemed to understand him in a way none of the other family did. They clearly didn’t understand the old ladies bequeathing her entire fortune to him. She was laughing wherever her soul was resting at. 

It was a celebration of Founders Day, and it could come into question whether or not he had a heart with many of his actions, but somehow he felt he had to at least appear sober in celebration of the woman. So, he sat there, trying to pretend like he was actually drinking his tea. Raising it to his lips and pretending to sip from it counted.  He was bored, the recently risen young Lord would rather be anywhere else as he raised a hand to rub at his temple to attempt to try and relieve the pounding of his head. Had he been there long enough so that he could slip away and say he did his duty?

Before he could even think of such a thing, someone spoke to him. He turned his head a little to fast and regretted it as his headache reminded him he wasn’t as sober as he pretended to be. Realizing who had spoken to him, he wondered if the professor was a little tipsy as himself, God only knew that the man wasn’t his biggest supporter. “I think you and I differ greatly on what is considered fun.” 

Torture more like in his mind. While girl’s and young women gossipped and celebrated their womenly liberties or whatever it was. His Great Aunt would have slapped him for such a thought, she had been a supporter of women’s rights and it’s not that he didn’t believe they deserved such thing, it’s just that he really didn’t care one way or another. It didn’t affect him, therefore it didn’t matter.

“But if we’re judging this by the standards of a Biology Professor,” He snarked, “Then I’ll agree, it does appear that way.”

   Soon after his quick intervention, Cornelius regretted his poorly aimed comment. It had been received by Lord Jonathan Grantham, a person he had known for quite a while and, to Clarke’s eyes, the personification of reckless youth if he had ever encountered one. Apparently, what he had thought to be simply a teenage rebellion had taken a part much further than that, and leaked through the man’s adult years; Jack was still the same he was ever since they met. Cornelius had never understood the reason why he seemed to be the light of his great aunt’s eyes. What could a woman with so much vision and character see in a man like him? It was beyond belief... but perhaps it was just Cornelius’ lack of a family of his own that led him to never quite understanding that blind love and care.

One could say his biggest problem with Jack being around was the impact that he had amongst the young easily impressed ladies at the school. They could effortlessly be fooled to believe that Jack was the perfect catch - handsome and rich. For one moment, Cornelius Clarke even wondered how he could include a ‘Guide to Proper Martial Decisions’ in his Biology class to prevent those young girls from going through the hassle of getting to a man like Lord Grantham and becoming extremely disappointed short after. But the ideas fell short. 

“I do enjoy seeing them having fun, Lord Grantham” the teacher said, with a slight shrug almost like he couldn’t understand how he didn’t think the same. Sadly, Cornelius had given his whole youth of studies and science and never got to really experience the fun of proper parties, his mind could barely grasp the things that Jonathan probably considered fun.

Mister Clarke would be lying if he said he didn’t feel disdain in his voice. It was pointing out the obvious: how his position was lesser than his, despite the hard work that was behind it. Luckily enough, he was not a jealous man and even if he hated to admit it, the Grantham’s money sponsored all of his hobbies, including the illicit, private experiments he liked to run for his own pleasure. “Enlighten me, please” the emphasis in the last word was uncalled for. “What is it that you consider to be fun? To a young heir’s standards”

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    It was probably not known or obvious, but Cornelius definitely enjoyed these special occasions. He was very prompt to be seen eating more than one piece of cake and standing aside while observing everyone having fun. There was something about how lively everyone looked. He could feed on everyone’s energies somehow and even if he hadn’t had a good night’s sleep, he managed to stay on his feet. It was moments like this that seemed to fulfill him, while many other men would have a wife and children of their own to have playing in the gardens, he had very sadly realized that that didn’t seem to be very likely in his future. But he could settle for this. 

After the recent events and the recent scandals about the ghost stories told in the school and the apparent mayhem that it was causing in the mind of the young pupils, a distraction was well deserved. Mister Clarke insisted that such impossible things shouldn’t take people’s minds away from real and important things - and by that he meant classes and studies. “Everyone seems to be having fun, huh?” he motioned to the person beside him, kind of absent minded and not thinking twice about who it was. 

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Full Name: Professor Cornelius Clarke Three-five bullet points about your character:

Biology / chemistry teacher, his classes are more practical than theoretical, often taking the class outside at different times of the day and night to explore both the flora and fauna of the area. He varies the classes from the greenhouse (which he makes sure is kept in perfect state), the gardens and a big classroom that he has turned into a laboratory. When someone breaks something or fails to care for the class material, he gets pretty upset and makes it very clear that all the plants, herbs, flowers, etc that are grown for the purpose of his class need to be taken care of perfectly. Do not step on them. 

basically mad scientist teacher with a big garden lmao 

Extremely protective of all the girls at the school, he makes up for losing his daughter very early by making sure he does his best to protect the pupils. He tries to be kind at always and open to them in case the face issues. He really tries to build a personal relationship with each one of them and leads them as best as he can. The girls at the Gardening Club are probably his favorites tbh. (he denies playing favorites though)

Very strict and grumpy at times, doesn’t like the class being loud of not paying attention since he puts a lot of effort on making them fun and diverse, will always make sure everyone is following the rules. He has trouble sleeping so he roams around the facilities very late at night. The type of guy that catches you sneaking out and will send you to detention without hesitation. 

What might make them feel jealous towards somebody else? Is there anyone they are jealous of, or have been jealous of in the past? How do they deal with jealousy? Cornelius is not an extremely sentimental person, they can become detached very easily. If he feels threatened in some way, his response is to simply walk away, assuming it is the best. He is not one to compete, or at least hasn’t found a reason that brings out that side of him. 

How did your character come MG’s? Cornelius was married to a woman that he didn’t particularly loved but he really cared for. They had a daughter that passed away just a few days after being born. After this, his wife had a brief affair that broke the marriage and he decided to leave, he was offered to come to MG’s as a Biology teacher and ever since then it has been the best kind of refuge. He feels much more accomplished.

How are they settling in since term/season began? Very well, he has no issues as he takes everything very professionally. He is usually kind of awkward when it comes to meeting new people and making friends amongst the staff, but he aims at business and not pleasure. 

Does your character believe in the supernatural? Have they experienced anything yet? He considers himself a man of science, which makes him be very skeptical when it comes to the supernatural. Cornelius probably takes it very lightly and even can tell some ghost stories to scare his students

If your character had a theme song what would it be? not a song but this probably plays in the background every time he speaks tbh 

Does your character have any secrets. Share one if possible. He has been developing very strong pain due to a disease he still hasn’t identified. He experiments a lot in his lab with different components (including opioids and morphine) to ease the pain. He is aware that this is not good and does not want anyone to see him as a potential drug addict. Sometimes he doesn’t even know what the outcome of his experiments will be, just just hopes he won’t die. 

What is one of your character’s greatest fears? Sometimes he fears the effects his experiments may have on his body and that he may in the future lose himself or start having changes on his personality. He is also scared of failing at whatever he is doing at the school. That includes failing to protect the pupils. 

What is one thing that your character wants to accomplish at MG? Fulfill his failed role as a father lmao. Just become a positive figure in the pupil’s life and teach them a lot about biology and science. 

What is your character’s sexuality and romantic orientation? He is probably heterosexual / biromantic. He has never actually fallen in love before, so he is mostly apathetic towards the subject. 

How healthy is your character? Do they have any physical or mental illnesses? As explained before, he has a curious disease that causes him incredible physical pain. He doesn’t sleep very well and has fallen into some drug usage to ease the pain. So far it hasn’t gotten out of hand for him but it is unsure how long he can continue to inject and consume experimental medicine without being affected. 

Does your character have any strong political opinions? Not really, he only cares about science. 

How does your character handle embarrassment? Not very well, which leads to him never daring to put himself in embarrassing situations and avoid any spotlight completely. 

Are they able to concentrate on lots of things? Can they hold their concentration well? Or are they easily distracted? They concentrate very easily and hates when someone can’t concentrate or organize their thoughts. 

Do they have any special skills or talents that impress other people and gain them praise? Lots of funky scientific experiments, besides that, nothing much. He is pretty quiet in social scenarios, after a few drinks he may attempt to play the piano and fail miserably. 

Do they tend to stick up for themselves or do they let others push them around? Why? He is a strong willed person and very strict. He can be quite stubborn at times, he does not let himself be pushed around at all unless there is a sentimental bond. In that case he might be easy to manipulate through him caring for the other person. He cannot stand people taking advantage of the weak, or over using their power.

Do they admit when they’re wrong? If they make a mistake, do they try to correct it? He is quite vainglorious for such a quiet person. He believes that he is very smart and does not twist his arm easily. Don’t try to prove him wrong or he’ll feel threatened. 

How do they show affection for others? By being protective and lots of emotional giving. Romantically he might be more awkward than flirtatious but with friendships / pupils, he is always kind. He believes that correcting bad behaviors is also a display of affection.

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We’re waiting by the willow

Our milky milky cradle

Our lockets long have rusted

His picture worn and weathered

Our hair is in the garden

Our voices in mitosis

Our wombs are in the blossoms

Our arms are in the branches

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