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 Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 6:26 pm
Please follow any rules he has.
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Posted: Sat Aug 16, 2008 10:48 am
Welcome
Gerald's Room Is Currently...
Unlocked and Occupied
Room Description
Gerald keeps his room tidy. The walls and high ceiling have been left the color they were when he arrived, a cool off-white. The room's best feature is easily its polished wood floor. On the far wall, there are two fair-sized windows, on which the shades are most often pulled up to provide a clear view across campus. His bed is pushed against the right wall, hemmed in by a nightstand next to the headboard and a large trunk against the footboard. His bookcases are also along that wall, nearer to the door, a sturdy wooden chair sitting between the two of them. The door itself is flanked by his dresser to the right and wardrobe to the left. Along the left wall sits a smaller trunk, his desk, and a comfortable, wheeled desk chair. Usually, everything is picked up and put away, with perhaps a few neat stacks of work on his desk.
Rules
+ Feel free to post in this thread, but if no one is here, no one is going to answer. I will edit the top of this post so you can tell at a glance whether anyone is here or not. If you have something you would like to RP in this thread, feel free to PM me. I'll pop Gerald back to his room.
+ I am going to keep a few posts on the front page updated with reference information. Besides these posts, this thread will be used as an in-character, roleplaying environment. If you have any out-of-character questions, feel free to PM me. I don't mind at all.
Edited January 26, 2009
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Posted: Sat Aug 16, 2008 10:48 am
Words
+ Character Profile
Current Thread
February + HERE
Threads in Progress
None +
Year One Archives
July + [Home] Summertime (August 11, 200 cool
August, First Day + [Room 105] Arrival (August 14, 200 cool
August, First Day + [Oak Grove] Gerald meets Verdi (August 16, 200 cool
August, First Day + [Water Gardens] First Trip to Moliné (August 16, 200 cool
August, First Day + [The Worn Sword] Stopping by the Blacksmith (August 17, 200 cool
August, First Day + [Hogen the Trader] An Unexpected Kiss (August 19, 200 cool
August, First Day + [Charlotte-Elisabeth Vernier, Clothier] The Evil Spirit (August 25, 200 cool
August, First Day + [Room 105] Interlude to Insanity (November 2, 200 cool
August, First Day + [Grand Gazebo] Adjusting Reality (November 2, 200 cool
Late September + [Room 105] Unanswered Questions (December 28, 200 cool
October + [Room 105] Nightmares (January 1, 2009)
November + [Room 105] Keeping Secrets (January 2, 2009)
December, Winter Ball + [Winter Ball] Losses (December 28, 200 cool
December, Winter Ball + [Room 105] Aftermath (January 31, 2009)
January + [Room 105] The Story (February 1, 2009)
Edited February 1, 2009
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Posted: Sat Aug 16, 2008 10:49 am
Images
Acceptance Letter
Grove Academy Badge
Edited August 16, 2008
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Posted: Sat Aug 16, 2008 10:51 am
Sounds
iPod
A selection of music from Gerald's library
Bert Jansch & John Renbourn - "Soho"
Creedence Clearwater Revival - "Fortunate Son"
Donovan - "Queen Mab"
Fleetwood Mac - "The Chain"
Harry Chapin - "Cat's In The Cradle"
Kansas - "Dust in the Wind"
Paul Simon - "Patterns"
Paul Simon - "The Sounds Of Silence"
Simon & Garfunkel - "I Am a Rock"
Simon & Garfunkel - "The Sounds of Silence"
Supertramp - "Logical Song"
The Eagles - "New Kid in Town"
The Rolling Stones - "You Can't Always Get What You Want"
The Wallflowers - "God Says Nothing Back"
The Wallflowers - "I've Been Delivered"
The Who - "Behind Blue Eyes"
The Who - "Pinball Wizard"
U2 - "One"
Other
If you have an account on Pandora, feel free to check out the station I created for Gerald.
Edited January 26, 2009
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Posted: Sat Aug 16, 2008 10:52 am
People
This is a list of the characters Gerald has met, seen, or heard of in the storyline and his impressions of each one.
Annabelle Souris (Miss), Principal Teacher -- Direct. Youthful. Slightly disorganized, on occasion. Elf? Possible healing powers.
Arondis Flameweaver (Miss), Teacher -- Serious. Observant. Magical powers?
Donovan Mikhail Olonov, Oak Dorm -- Typical guy. Russian. Probably well liked. Ran from ghost. Possibly easily freaked out.
Evangeline Burke, Keystone Dorm -- Warrior. Fallen angel? Seems to be one of few students who are part of Headmaster's inner circle.
Fern Everlasting, Keystone Dorm -- Energetic. Loud. Fae. Avoid attracting her notice, if at all possible. Constantly draws attention. Studying to be a healer.
Kaien Sordeau, Headmaster -- Imposing, collected, and unquestionably in charge. A man to respect. Magical powers? Hidden strengths?
MaryAnne Lightburn, Keystone Dorm -- First impressions were timid but friendly. Gorgeous. Angel? Later observations indicate she make be strongly emotional or easily distressed. Has some willpower of her own; isn't completely passive.
Pyralis Flameweaver (Mister), Teacher -- Skilled swordsman. Relation to Miss Flameweaver?
Scarlett Fairchild, Maple Dorm -- Surprisingly normal. Nervous in new situations. Maybe foreign parents? Writer, fantasy genre.
Sebastian Brighton, Keystone Dorm -- Polite but mysterious. Keystone student. Fallen angel? Very powerful. Seems to be one of few students who are part of Headmaster's inner circle.
Verdi Lach, Maple Dorm -- Deceased -- Uncomfortable with social situations, but surprisingly outgoing at times. Nonconformist. Sees spirits? Good source of information but may detract from social status. Unpredictable, fatally so.
Edited February 1, 2009
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Posted: Sat Aug 16, 2008 10:53 am
/ Arrival at Grove Academy /........... / Previous /It didn't take Gerald long to locate Oak Dorm on the provided map of Grove Academy. After his initial meeting with Miss Souris, he headed back to the car, where he directed the driver along the small campus access roads until they had reached his dormitory. The young man made a cursory inspection of his new home. Although obviously aged, the building seemed to be well maintained. He worked his way along the narrow hall of the first floor until he found Room 105 and entered for the first time. The room was small, but it was well lit from two windows along the outside wall. The floors were wood, something not often seen in domicile living, and the provided furniture seemed sturdy and of good quality. Gerald's possessions fit with ease; he had only brought necessities and a few luxury items this first trip. He had a suitcase of clothing, a garment bag with a few more formal items, a large trunk filled with towels, sheets, and toiletries, a smaller trunk of books and school supplies, his computer, a comfortable desk chair, and a small backpack containing accessible items. The room would be sparse for a while; Gerald thought offhand that he would have to send for curtains and a rug at some point. Once everything was safe inside his room, he thanked the two men who had escorted him. Then, he set about changing out of his formal wear. A suit was fine for greeting academy officials, but he was certain he would stick out like a sore thumb in Moliné. There would be plenty of time to unpack and organize later. For now, Gerald wanted to get to town and have his uniforms fitted while there was plenty of daylight left. His backpack was filled with his Grove Academy packet and a few supplies before he exited and locked his room. If he remembered correctly, there was a wooded area outside Oak Dorm open to students. It seemed like a good place to run through his paperwork and prepare for a trip into town. ........... / Next /
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Posted: Sat Nov 01, 2008 9:31 pm
/ Later that Day /........... / Previous /The lock rattled slightly, and Gerald returned to his room. He was feeling exhausted by the morning's events, but he had agreed to meet with Verdi and explore the campus. At least it would give him the opportunity to meet more of the students. Hopefully, not all of them would prove as difficult as Verdi. He spread out his new uniforms on the bare mattress, noting the numerous wrinkles from where he had clenched the material in fear and desperation. They would have to be ironed before classes began. For today, however, they would have to do. The boy went through the motions, changing from his comfortable, casual clothing into the more restrictive uniform as though he had done it a thousand times before. Beneath his blank surface, however, thoughts raced. Verdi. Would she prove to be a big enough asset for all the social risk he was taking for her? God knew he was in for a rough ride. Right now, she was needy; he was her only friend. In time, perhaps he could nudge her to make connections with some of the other girls... if she could act normal enough to avoid becoming the class reject. But, for now, he would have to give her a bit of support. She was his only tie at the moment as well, and her status affected his status. Appearances were everything. Of course, Donovan had gotten the full blast of Verdi weirdness, thanks to that apparition in the clothing shop. The other boy had seen the ghost, but he had immediately turned tail and ran. That was an interesting piece of information for Gerald to store. It certainly spoke to the Russian boy's character. Furthermore, if spirits and ghost ever became appropriate conversational material, Gerald had the little tidbit that Donovan had fled in terror from one. All in all, it was an excellent secret to conceal or reveal in the future as he saw fit. That secret, Gerald hoped, also would keep Donovan from being too vocal about Verdi's oddities. If the other boy started spreading ugly rumors, Gerald could easily start up a counter-rumor of his own: Gee, Verdi and Gerald had only been making jokes, and Donovan suddenly got scared over a little ghost story and bolted right out of the clothing shop! Just like that. It was a lot to take in. Spirits? Spirit-seers? He just couldn't be sure of everything yet; it would take time. If Gerald was anything, it was patient. He had all the time in the world. Smoothing out the front of his uniform the best he could, the young man finished his transformation and picked up his bag. His father had taught him that it never paid to keep a lady waiting... even the weird, spirit-seeing ones. ........... / Next /
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Posted: Sun Dec 28, 2008 12:37 pm
/ Late September /........... / Previous /After making a few final notations, Gerald closed his text book and straightened up the desk. His work for the evening was finished, and he sat facing his computer's blank desktop. It had been almost two weeks since his last email home. Gerald wondered if it was too soon to send another. As a rule, he didn't email or call his father or Judy often. Teenage boys were apt to forget such things anyway. Since coming to Grove Academy, his emails had been even shorter and less frequent. Many times, he had started typing what was really on his mind only to delete it and instead send a polite and vague note about classes and activities. So, what did he really want to ask? For starters, Gerald wanted to know how much his father knew about this school. Did Gerald Senior know about his odd classmates? If so, was this a test of some sort? Why Grove Academy? With his father's connections, Gerald could have attended many of the prestigious colleges in the United States. So, why had his father sent him here? Gerald had previously assumed that the old man knew the headmaster or some similar situation, but now, he wondered if there wasn't something more to it. What exactly that was he couldn't even begin to guess. One thing was for certain: this was a lot more challenging than figuring out high school had been. He clicked the icon and waited for his email to load. There was a note from Judy, asking how he was doing and telling him how cold and dismal it was back home. He hit reply and quickly gave a few details about the week's classes. After the email had been sent, he stared at the "New Message" button. He wanted to just come out and ask his father directly, but the fear that Gerald Senior hadn't known exactly what his son was getting into stopped the young man from going through with it. Either his father wouldn't believe him and think he had cracked under the stress, or his father would believe him and pull him out of Grove Academy quicker than you could say "vampire". Gerald wasn't finished here yet. His world had gotten quite a bit more complicated, and he wasn't going to be happy until he figured it all out. He resolutely closed his email and got up. He took his bag and some of his books with him; it was time for more reconnaissance. ........... / Next /
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Posted: Thu Jan 01, 2009 7:40 pm
/ October /........... / Previous /Everything was dark, but even in the pitch black, he could see something moving. He could feel it, like the very ground beneath his feet were made of seething snakes' coils. He stumbled as he tried to run, never seeming to get any farther away. He was falling, sinking into the black. No matter how hard he tried, everything stayed in hideous slow motion. He had to get out. He had to get out!He flew up with a desperate grunt, kicking as the black wrapped around his legs and tried to pull him back down. A moment later, things slipped into normal speed as he hit the hardwood floor hard on one hip. Gerald gasped and crawled away, kicking the thing off his legs and staggering to his feet. The darkness around him started to resolve into more familiar shapes as his mind woke up completely. He was in his dorm room. It was dark because it was nighttime. It was just another nightmare. Gerald tried to catch his breath; he hoped he hadn't been yelling in his sleep. So far, none of his neighbors had complained, but this was the third time he had woken up in a panic since the school year had started. He brushed his hair back from his face, where it was sticking to beads of sweat along his temples, and felt his way to his desk chair. He had no idea what was wrong with him. He was used to being away from home by now; boarding schools had been a fixture in his life growing up. It wasn't the strange room. No, this was something different. He couldn't remember having a full-fledged nightmare ever, and now, he was suddenly being plagued by them? It could be the strangeness of his classmates. Since his first day here, he had discovered more and more people and things that fell outside his neat little version of reality. They seemed to center around the Keystone Dorm and the school administration. There was something afoot at Grove Academy, of that he was certain. He was no closer to figuring out what than he had been when he first arrived. At the very least, Grove Academy was getting cultural exchange students from somewhere a great deal farther away than China. He sighed and ruffled his hair, trying to air dry the damp mess. If anything were causing his nightmares, it would have to be the fantastical weirdness that saturated Grove Academy. Why here? he wondered again. His father had to know something about all this. He wouldn't have sent his prized heir to a school without thoroughly researching it first. What was his father trying to tell him? What did he want Gerald to learn? What, indeed. Gerald rubbed at his eyes. He had classes in the morning, and it wouldn't do to stay up mulling over questions that he already knew he didn't have the answers to. He'd just have to keep his eyes and ears open. Nothing existed without a trace. Eventually, there would be something. If Gerald were going to catch it, he'd have to be alert and vigilant, and that meant he'd have to be well rested. He moved to his bed, eyes just able to make out where everything was. Before climbing in, he straightened out the sheets and shook his twisted blanket off the floor. The nightmares themselves were a sign. His subconscious was trying to work something out, make some sense out of all this. Like everything in life, it would take precious time. He lay back and closed his eyes. Tomorrow was another day, and maybe, he would find his answer in it. ........... / Next /
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Posted: Fri Jan 02, 2009 2:34 pm
/ November /........... / Previous /The quick clatter of the keyboard went silent as Gerald paused to read over his notes. This wasn't class work; he had finished his short essay on Chinese government hours ago. These were his personal notes, on people and events in his life. It wasn't as though he forgot things, but sometimes, putting everything down in black and white made patterns emerge. In the very beginning, he had kept a notebook, but the sort of things he collected were far too valuable. A notebook could be lost or stolen without much difficulty. Now, he kept all his notes in digital form only, encrypted, on a small flash drive. He kept the flash drive well hidden too. He had only run into a few people in his life who had actually tried to steal from him, but the experiences had taught him that a little paranoia went a long way toward keeping himself protected. He'd just finished a few short notes on the group interactions in his Intro to Marketing class. It was amazing what you could pick up on just in those too-brief moments before and after class was in session. He wasn't doing too badly in general. The first year was an important one. He had to make sure to secure his reputation within his own class before he went school wide. He was set within his own classes, but he had to make more of a effort to get involved with the other departments. There was a tendency for students to become segregated by their majors, especially as they got to be upperclassmen. He couldn't afford to lose track of what might be going on around him. He scrolled through the file, stopping to make a few new notes next to certain names. He came across the name of MaryAnne Lightburn and paused. He had seen her today, but she had been on her way to class, surrounded by a few girls he barely recognized, possibly older students. Sitting on a bench in the shade, he had escaped their notice. Still, he couldn't help but glance up after her when she stumbled over a raised edge on the path. Ridiculous, he told himself. Although he occasionally had escorted girls to dances, he did not keep a girlfriend. They fell into the same category as best friends: unnecessary complications. He'd never much been interested. Even if he had been, it took too much time to maintain that sort of relationship... time that was better devoted to maintaining social connections and gathering information. He breathed out softly through his nose and kept scrolling. Finding nothing else to add, he saved the file and encrypted it before removing the flash drive and tucking it into his inside pocket. He'd slip it back into its hiding place when he went out. He didn't keep it inside his room. It was the first place someone would look for it. Instead, he hid it out of the way places, changing locations every few weeks or whenever he got the feeling someone might have seen him in the area. It never paid to be careless. He shut the computer down for the evening, then spun his chair back and forth as he looked around the room. When he only concentrated on the small things, everything seemed to be falling into place. It was when he swept back and took a look at the big picture that things didn't fit together as nicely as he would like. Gerald wanted to do well here. There was certainly enough society to keep him busy. Even so, he couldn't let go of those nagging questions, those things that didn't make sense and forced him to keep redefining the edges of reality. Sighing, he got up and grabbed his overcoat. His uniform had been exchanged for more casual clothing as soon as dinner was over, but it didn't matter this late a night. He just wanted to take a stroll around the dorm, get some fresh air in his lungs. He tended to sleep better that way. Turning off the lights and locking the door carefully behind him, he made his way through the halls and out into the chill evening. ........... / Next /
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Posted: Sat Jan 31, 2009 12:38 pm
A man and boy walked at a steady pace down the hall. Both were dressed formally, the man's outfit far different from the boy's without even noting the fact that the the man carried a sword. The only link between the two was the sorrowful air that surrounded them. It was a sorrow that would blanket the school in time before it was lifted.
Stopping at the door of the student's dorm, Pyralis check it first to see if it was locked. Thankfully, it wasn't and he was able to usher Gerald inside without any more fuss.
His sharp eyes scanned the room quickly and decided on the best place to set the boy: the chair between the two bookcases. It wasn't the most comfortable seat in the room, but the man figured this boy needed something firm and unmoving for the time being. He hadn't spoken once the whole walk here. Pyralis had tried to get something out of him a few times, but it seemd Gerald was too shocked and had to concentrate more on walking rather than any kind of thinking or conversation. It wasn't that he minded the silence, but Pyralis wanted to get something out of the student to make sure he would be alright.
"Gerald." He knelt down next to the chair to make eye contact. What kind of comfort could he offer? Pyralis thought back to the times he had seen Verdi and when he had glimpsed her that night. "Verdi seemed shy, but I know she talked with you. She was very brave tonight." Foolish, perhaps, but it had been a brave action.
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Posted: Sat Jan 31, 2009 1:04 pm
/ Aftermath /........... / Previous /Gerald's eyes shifted away from Pyralis, down toward the floor. " Stupid." The word was barely murmured, but behind it was a swirl of emotions the boy hadn't even begun to properly feel. Mixed with the sadness were distinct portions of disbelief and anger. He couldn't believe she was actually dead. He couldn't fathom why she had thrown herself into such danger. He kept replaying those last minutes over and over, as though he could somehow rearrange them into something that made more sense. He blinked, forcing himself to focus on the floor, then the sounds in the room. He didn't raise his eyes to glance at Pyralis's face; he neither knew nor cared what the teacher's reaction was to his correction. He only knew that he had never wanted so much to be left alone in his entire life. He couldn't think properly at the moment, never mind deal with performing for the benefit of others. The man was still waiting for something... what was it? Gerald kicked his mind into action. He had to say something... needed to get Pyralis to leave. "Thank you for walking me back." It was difficult to be dismissive without being rude, and Gerald felt like he was working under massive handicap at the moment. He hoped the teacher would get the hint. ........... / Next /
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