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Nov 25, 2009, 12:05pm

Haunting Academy of the Magical Arts :: In Character - Miscellaneous :: Flashbacks and Retro Posts :: Once Upon A Time [Open]

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Topic: Once Upon A Time [Open] (Read 49 times)

Melanie Tearose
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Rutilus
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Have Faith In Your Dreams

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Once Upon A Time [Open]
« Thread Started on Apr 22, 2009, 10:42pm »

The furious scratching of a quill upon parchment could be heard clearly (and annoyingly, to the thoughts of some) in the whole of the Rutilus common room on a chilly day in November. The entirety of one of the room's tables was covered in written-on parchments, many looking as though they had seen better days and been scribbled on one too many times.

"Once... Upon... A... Time..." above it all, Melanie Tearose's voice could be heard reciting each word slowly, under her breath, as she wrote in down. A couple of older students just rolled their eyes, used to this display after the last two years. A few first years looked on in bewilderment, wondering if this girl was slightly more "off-kilter" than others.

Despite the reactions of her fellow students, Melanie was completely focused on her writing. After some time and many different housemates wandering throughout the common room, the third year finally had written down her edited version of about four pages of writing she'd gotten down five times previously. But now, it was really the finished product. She could feel it in her bones.

Convinced of the current writing's permanence, the dark-haired young witch moved on to a new sheaf of parchment, pushing her mind to new ideas and different ways of posing her next section. Since entering the room earlier that day, however, the place had become rather noisy and was filtering into her thoughts. With an irritated sigh, Melanie set about gathering all of her things and at last made her way up to her dormitory.

To her misfortune it seemed that three of her roommates were chatting away loudly and did not seem to plan on moving soon. Another, more irritable, sigh and the young witch headed back downstairs and found the room now heavily occupied by the crowd of students that did not want to be out past curfew. Sighing for the third and final time, Melanie sat again at a table and laid out her things, pretty much prepared for an uncomfortable and pointless excercise in creative futility.

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Mel Jackson
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Re: Once Upon A Time [Open]
« Reply #1 on May 14, 2009, 3:54pm »

Mel Jackson gave a particularly emphatic yawn as she tromped into the common room of the Rutilus dormitories, eager to be out of the chill so she could doff her heavy winter cloak and soak up some warmth by the fire. Unfortunately, though, she couldn't curl up under a blanket and bury herself in her favorite book of defensive spells as she wanted to; she had a Charms essay to write, another for Potions about everlasting elixirs, star charts to complete for Astronomy, and Transfiguration to practice. She'd be lucky if she wasn't up all night, and that was after spending hours in the library!

Mel was so focused on just getting into the common room and out of the cold, then, that she was hardly looking where she was going at all, instead just letting her feet take her to a randomly chosen table. It wasn't until the fourth-year girl had quite nearly tossed her bag down onto the table that she realized someone else had just seated herself there. The result was that Mel gasped, jumped back, and had to snatch her bag back mid-toss. This meant that the bag, which was full of books and thus quite capable of picking up a good bit of momentum, lurched sideways and slipped out of Mel's hands, landing with an echoing THUD on the carpet covering the common room's hardwood floor and spilling books, parchment, and quills all over the place.

"Gah! Sorry! I'm sorry!" Mel gasped, trying to apologize and keep herself from simultaneously laughing and crying at the same time. "I wasn't paying attention, and I didn't see you 'til the last minute. I hope I didn't mess any of your stuff up."

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Melanie Tearose
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Rutilus
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Have Faith In Your Dreams

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Re: Once Upon A Time [Open]
« Reply #2 on Jul 24, 2009, 10:40pm »

The writing process had become so depressingly unfascinating that Melanie was far more aware of her surroundings than she usually was while writing. Well, it was more like trying to write at that moment, but just the same she was more aware of the world. Jonathan would be happy, she imagined. Even at eleven he was already showing himself to be responsible and world-wise.

What with being so aware, the thirteen-year-old swiftly noticed the bag flying to land smack in the middle of the table on top of all her writings. She gasped in apprehension the same as someone else in the common room and time slowed for a moment for her. It was all very surreal feeling, her eyes riveted to the bag as it came nearer the tabletop, until someone reached out and stopped the bag mid-air. The rush of relief Melanie felt was short-lived, however, for now she saw that the person (whom she now realized was a girl) had saved the third-year's papers only to send her own things flying. She thought she recoignized the other girl slightly, but she was so solitary that most people she didn't know very well.

"It's okay, really. Nothing is messed up," Melanie assured the other girl, rising in order to bend down and help pick up the scattered items, "You caught it just in time. I hope none of your things are ruined either."

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Mel Jackson
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Re: Once Upon A Time [Open]
« Reply #3 on Jul 26, 2009, 10:51am »

"Oh, everything's fine," Mel reassured the other girl - Mel thought she might be in the year below her - as she pulled out her wand and began magically retrieving her scattered belongings. Despite being in the middle of her fourth year at Haunting Academy, it was still sometimes hard to believe that she was a witch. A real, live witch! She gave a wry chuckle and had to give her head a shake to clear her mind and pull herself back to the present.

"Thanks for the help," she said to the other girl with a friendly grin. "I'm sorry I almost destroyed your project."

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Melanie Tearose
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Rutilus
Sixth Year
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Have Faith In Your Dreams

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Re: Once Upon A Time [Open]
« Reply #4 on Jul 26, 2009, 5:06pm »

Melanie could have slapped herself once she saw the other girl using her wand to summon the things from the floor. Why hadn't she thought of that? Her brain was clearly not functioning properly at the time.

"Oh, it's fine," the thirteen-year-old responded with a smile, "I admit I was terrified one I saw how close the bag was to my writings, but really it was nothing that isn't already in my head. Don't worry about it anymore, uh... oh. I'm sorry, my name's Melanie. What's yours?"

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Mel Jackson
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Re: Once Upon A Time [Open]
« Reply #5 on Jul 26, 2009, 6:57pm »

"Melanie!" Mel laughed, finally finishing her gathering and gently dropping her bag on the floor so she could begin taking off her cloak and the rest of her random assortment of outerwear, such as scarf and gloves. "I mean, that's my name too. Melanie Jackson. Everyone just calls me Mel, though. I'm a Fourth Year. You?"

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Melanie Tearose
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Rutilus
Sixth Year
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Have Faith In Your Dreams

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Re: Once Upon A Time [Open]
« Reply #6 on Jul 26, 2009, 7:38pm »

Another laughed escaped Melanie upon hearing the other girl's name.

"Really?" the mildly incredulous statement was rhetorical, but it just rolled off her tongue, "I never imagined I'd meet another Melanie here at Haunting, of all places! I'm a third year. Actually, based on our years, it may seem a little strange that we haven't met before. But I'm so solitary usually, so it's not surprising really I guess."

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Mel Jackson
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Re: Once Upon A Time [Open]
« Reply #7 on Jul 26, 2009, 8:20pm »

"Well," Mel said with a shrug, finally getting out of the last of her outerwear and relishing the warmth of the fire, "Haunting's a pretty huge school. I guess it was only a matter of time before we met other Melanies.

"Huh? What's that?" she asked, finally noticing the pages, packed with handwriting, that lay scattered all over the table. "Are you working on something?"

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Melanie Tearose
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Rutilus
Sixth Year
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Have Faith In Your Dreams

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Re: Once Upon A Time [Open]
« Reply #8 on Jul 28, 2009, 7:25pm »

"What?" Melanie looked up to find Mel gesturing at the papers across the table while asking about them, "Oh... Uh, well, I write... stories. Fiction Stories."

The third year laughed nervously just after she said this. She couldn't help smoothing her unrestrained black hair away from her face and twisting her ankles together, causing her black heels to get just slightly entangled at the ends. Most people were annoyed at her writing and her daydreams, so she didn't take much hope that it would be accepted any time soon. She wouldn't give it up by any means, of course, but it was always a point in the discussion where there was a lengthy pause and then a change of conversation. She was ready for that just now.

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Mel Jackson
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Rutilus
Seventh Year
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Re: Once Upon A Time [Open]
« Reply #9 on Oct 17, 2009, 8:54pm »

"Whoa, really?" Mel asked, looking with interest at the pages scattered across the table. "That's so cool!"

It was obvious by the look on her face that she wasn't just saying that. Having peeled off all the extraneous layers, Mel tossed her hat and gloves atop her cloak and tried to get a closer look without actually reading the pages without permission.

"My Dad used to tell me stories all the time," she explained with a sad smile. "I grew up hearing all kinds of things about fairies and witches and goblins, so I really like stuff like this."

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Melanie Tearose
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Rutilus
Sixth Year
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Have Faith In Your Dreams

Joined: Jul 2008
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Re: Once Upon A Time [Open]
« Reply #10 on Oct 17, 2009, 9:09pm »

"You do? Really?" Melanie was pleasantly surprised by this revelation, though internally hitting herself again for using 'really' twice in a row, "Most people think I'm strange for it. I just love it, though."

The sad smile upon the other girl's face didn't escape notice, but Melanie didn't want to pry. Instead, she focused on the topic at hand.

"My big brother," here a fond smile lit the third-year's face, "always tells us stories. Or at least my youngest siblings, but I like to listen in and maybe get ideas for my own writing. My mother used to tell stories, as well, when I was little, but then we moved."

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Mel Jackson
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Rutilus
Seventh Year
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Re: Once Upon A Time [Open]
« Reply #11 on Oct 17, 2009, 9:25pm »

"Yeah," Mel agreed with a nod. "I remember... my Dad used to tell us all these amazing stories about a whole world filled with magic and fantastic creatures and even friendly witches. Who'd have thought his stories were actually true all along?" She tucked a stray bit of hair over her ear; thinking about this reminded her of staying up late looking at the stars or reading stories out of those books of his that looked like they could have come out of a fairy tale themselves. It had come as a huge shock to her to see a more modern-looking copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard on a Hauntington bookshelf.

"So..." she began a little hesitantly, "do you ever share what you write with other people?"

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Melanie Tearose
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Rutilus
Sixth Year
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Have Faith In Your Dreams

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Re: Once Upon A Time [Open]
« Reply #12 on Oct 17, 2009, 9:41pm »

"I know, right?" Melanie smiled in good humor, although vividly remembering how easily she had melded into the magical world that she had always wished to be real, "But I have to say it wasn't as hard for me, since I already lived so much in my own little fairy tale at times."

The mention of sharing her writing had the dark-haired teen a little on edge, but if someone wanted to read her writing with true interest, she never imagined she'd say no.

"Well, I might," Melanie admitted slowly, "but only if they really were interested and not going to make fun of it."

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