#thehoundsofcaldwooduniversity

[rcsthewriter]

Introduction

Greetings and salutations.

I am @rcsthewriter and this is my writeblr.

About Me

As this is anonymous, I won't reveal much but I am a twenty-five-year-old human currently living in the southern hemisphere with an academic background in English Literature, Psychology, and Library Sciences. I dabble in paganism and witchcraft very quietly. To me, life is not worth living if I cannot listen to music and look after my cats. My grammar is pretty terrible but I promise I am working on it.

About This Blog

I grew up writing poetry and stories but this passion was squashed by school and people and life. This blog is a place for me to get back into writing and to test out my (many) ideas. As a long-time lurker in the writeblr community, I am excited to meet other writers and readers. The plan is to write for the characters of my unnamed WIP, to reblog posts that I like, and to engage with other people.

About My Writing

My WIP is a dark academia novel that involves the interweaving of history, science, and magic. I will be delving into the mythologies and folklore of a variety of locations, the horrors of scholarly conspiracies, and the desperate and often obsessive goal to gain knowledge.

That is all for now. I am sure I will add an edit to this post as I get my bearings being an active community member rather than a lurker.

27/01/24 Edit:

I just wanted to add a disclaimer about this blog: None of the photos used in original posts are mine, though they have been edited. They were all found on Pinterest. If you spot your photo and wish to have me remove it, please send me a message and I'll do so.

27/02/24 Edit:

I have created a sideblog that is solely dedicated to reblogs. You can find it at: @rcsthewriterreblogs

🗡𝔯𝔠𝔰𝔱𝔥𝔢𝔴𝔯𝔦𝔱𝔢𝔯

[rcsthewriter]

"OC in 3" Tag

Greetings and salutations.

Thank you @morgayz for the tag!

Tag Rule: Post three images that you feel represent a character.

Here are three photos that represent my protagonist Xander:

I'll tag @kaylinalexanderbooks @faeriecinna @infinnative @syrensaft @dogmomwrites

Please do not feel pressured to take part.

🗡𝔯𝔠𝔰𝔱𝔥𝔢𝔴𝔯𝔦𝔱𝔢𝔯

[rcsthewriter]

Character Introduction: Thimothée

Thimothée Darrow; 18; Male; Scottish; 05/07

Kind; Gentle; Patient; Humorous; Benevolent

Background

He was born in Scotland but his ancestry traces back to France and Haiti. His mother is an primary school teacher and his father works at the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh.

Met Isla at the Royal Botanic Garden during his high school years. It was love at first collaborative plant re-potting. They've been inseparable ever since.

Heading to Caldwood University to study Medieval Sciences and Archaeobotany. Thrilled at the prospect of studying under the eccentric eye of Professor Philomena Norwood, a world-renowned archaeobotanist and the head of the Archaeology department of the University.

Headcanons

✏︎ Phones his parents every Sunday

✏︎ Has a scar from falling out of a bird cherry tree when he was young

✏︎ All of his clothing is made from natural fibres like linen and hemp

🗡𝔯𝔠𝔰𝔱𝔥𝔢𝔴𝔯𝔦𝔱𝔢𝔯

[rcsthewriter]

Character Introduction: Isla

Isla Mac Dhuibh; 18; Female; Scottish; 15/10

Gracious; Extroverted; Nurturing; Dauntless; Whimsical

Background

Isla was born in the Scottish Highlands to her artist mother and conservation biologist father. Her Scottish ancestry spans generations.

While on a trip to the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh with her father, Isla flustered Thimothée so much that he dropped a pot he was carrying. Isla immediately gave her aid to help him re-pot it. They bonded over their love for botany and nature in general.

Moving to England to pursue Archeaobotony and Biology at Caldwod University made her parents both proud and anxious. The University is the caretaker of both a royal forest and an unusual lake that Isla has been reading about for years so the opportunity to see and study both in person is too valuable to pass up.

Headcanons

✏︎ Brilliant with plants, terrible with children

✏︎ Always smells of freshly turned earth and bluebells

✏︎ Basically a walking edible plant encyclopedia

🗡𝔯𝔠𝔰𝔱𝔥𝔢𝔴𝔯𝔦𝔱𝔢𝔯

[rcsthewriter]

WIP Introduction

𝔚𝔬𝔯𝔨𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔗𝔦𝔱𝔩𝔢: The Hounds of Caldwood University

𝔊𝔢𝔫𝔯𝔢: Dark Academia; Dark Fantasy; Gothic

𝔓𝔬𝔦𝔫𝔱-𝔬𝔣-𝔙𝔦𝔢𝔴: Third Person

𝔖𝔢𝔱𝔱𝔦𝔫𝔤: A fictional castle-turned-university in England and its neighbouring town. The date is undetermined.

𝔖𝔱𝔞𝔱𝔲𝔰: Outlining & First Draft

Brief Synopsis

Xander Holt Marsh has always been able to see auras. No matter how or where he looks, he cannot see his own.

After a lonely adolescence, Xander moves onto the campus of Caldwood University to study Medieval Sciences with the enigmatic Professor Munson. Following the suspicious death of his classmate's girlfriend, Xander and his new academic counterparts are drawn into a conspiracy that has the potential to prove that magic is both very real and very dangerous.

🗡𝔯𝔠𝔰𝔱𝔥𝔢𝔴𝔯𝔦𝔱𝔢𝔯

[rcsthewriter]

Our Students

"No one can tell them apart. You've been here two minutes and you can immediately tell them apart without even checking?"

"Yes?"

"How?"

"I don't know?"

He does.

"I'm hiding from Lucien. Pretty sure I got blood on his designer coat again."

"You picked a fight while wearing it? Have you lost your mind?"

"I don't think I'll be answering either of those questions, thanks."

"I want you to join me, to be with me! Think of the power we could wield together."

"We would never be equal. I won't bow down to you."

"Very well. If you won't join me willingly, I suppose I'll just have to persuade you."

🗡𝔯𝔠𝔰𝔱𝔥𝔢𝔴𝔯𝔦𝔱𝔢𝔯

[rcsthewriter]

Character Introduction: Charles

Charles Merchant; 18; Male; English; 25/03

Intense; Ambitious; Resourceful; Arrogant; Reserved

Background

From an old, wealthy family. The average person can tell this without ever hearing his name. He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and never having to worry about money means he's had the time to chase his curiosity.

This curiosity has always aligned with the supernatural. He's flown to some of the most haunted locations in Europe. Having a sense of the auras that move around people and an awareness that he could be something more powerful, he's on a mission to unravel the mysteries of these auras.

He believes in the connection between history, science, and folklore; making Caldwood University the perfect place to get some answers and find some people who are either like-minded or willing to be persuaded to help him out.

Headcanons

✏︎ Finds people fascinating

✏︎ Feels like he was born in the wrong era

✏︎ Always well put together

🗡𝔯𝔠𝔰𝔱𝔥𝔢𝔴𝔯𝔦𝔱𝔢𝔯

[rcsthewriter]

Character Introduction: Aurore

Aurore Catherine Leclair; 18; Female; English-French; 30/10

Bright; Perceptive; Intelligent; Blunt; Impatient

Background

Grew up in France with her parents but travelled frequently to England to visit her whimsical grandparents in their country home. She grew up doing ballet with a very intense Russian teacher. Aurore flourished under the pressure. This teacher also ignited her love for languages.

Met a strange duo of boys when she was in secondary school.

Will be attending Caldwood University to study Medieval Languages.

Headcanons

✏︎ Won't start fights; will absolutely finish them, though

✏︎ Believes in the supernatural, specifically ghosts

✏︎ Bites her nails until they bleed

🗡𝔯𝔠𝔰𝔱𝔥𝔢𝔴𝔯𝔦𝔱𝔢𝔯

[rcsthewriter]

Character Introduction: Lucien

Lucien Germain; 19; Male; French; 19/07

Confident; Punctual; Reliable; Warm; Intimidating

Biography

Grew up in France with wealthy parents. While his parents love him, they are quite distant due to their jobs. His nanny was a superstitious woman. She instilled a respect for folklore and the supernatural in Lucien from a young age.

Though he was always popular, he never quite felt like he belonged with the people around him. That changed one cold day in Paris when he met a bloody-nosed kid sitting on a kid twice his size.

Followed said kid to Caldwood University years later, with their third friend in tow. The university is an opportunity to watch his friends grow and figure out exactly what he wants in life.

Headcanons

✏︎ Certified "Mom-Friend"

✏︎ Usually the tallest person in a room

✏︎ Keeps a swear jar on hand; rarely swears

🗡𝔯𝔠𝔰𝔱𝔥𝔢𝔴𝔯𝔦𝔱𝔢𝔯

[rcsthewriter]

Character Introduction: Dmitriy

Dmitriy Carlisle; 19; Male; English-Slavic; 22/05

Impulsive; Loyal; Witty; Confident; Abrasive

Biography

He grew up with his Slavic mother on the outskirts of London. His English father was a cruel but wealthy man. He abandoned the family soon after Dmitriy's birth. Though he was a deadbeat, he sent the young boy to a boarding school for boys when Dmitriy's mother was unable to afford tuition.

Developed a fascination with fire during his school years, though he never got in serious trouble for anything more than fighting or setting books alight. His impulsivity and recklessness bloomed under the cold eyes of his teachers and caretakers.

Dmitriy got a scholarship to Caldwood University. His plans are to look for more fights, keep an eye on his friends, and figure out why he never burns.

Headcanons

✏ Bought his car from a junkyard and repaired it

✏︎ Doesn't wear his glasses

✏︎ Constantly forced to put money in a swear jar; said jar does not belong to him

🗡𝔯𝔠𝔰𝔱𝔥𝔢𝔴𝔯𝔦𝔱𝔢𝔯

[rcsthewriter]

“My WIP is a dark academia novel that involves the interweaving of history, science, and magic. I will be delving into the mythologies and folklore of a variety of locations, the horrors of scholarly conspiracies, and the desperate and often obsessive goal to gain knowledge.”

tell me morrreeeee :))))

Greetings and salutations.

I have made a WIP Introduction post, but I will include the "Brief Synopsis" here for your reading pleasure:

Xander Holt Marsh has always been able to see auras. No matter how or where he looks, he cannot see his own.

After a lonely adolescence, Xander moves onto the campus of Caldwood University to study Medieval Sciences with the enigmatic Professor Munson. Following the suspicious death of his classmate’s girlfriend, Xander and his new academic counterparts are drawn into a conspiracy that has the potential to prove that magic is both very real and very dangerous.

To add to that, I will say that the setting is steeped in hidden magic waiting to be given a name and that ghosts are not always what they seem.

I hope this intrigues you and that you enjoy reading about the inner workings of my world.

Have a wonderful day further.

🗡𝔯𝔠𝔰𝔱𝔥𝔢𝔴𝔯𝔦𝔱𝔢𝔯

[rcsthewriter]

Character Introduction: Xander

Our Protagonist

Xander Holt Marsh; 18; Male; Scandinavian-English; 28/12

Reserved; Introverted; Driven; Compassionate; Independant

Background

Born to an English father and a Scandinavian mother, Xander grew up somewhere in Scandinavia. His early days were made up of running through deep forests, fighting mythic warriors with his friend, riding horses with his mother, and hiding from his father. After his mother's untimely passing, Xander's father tore the young teenager away to England, taking over the longstanding family business in London. Marsh Snr. attempted to quash any semblance of Scandinavian heritage Xander had by employing dialect coaches and keeping Xander confined to the family estate with tutors.

After a brief stint in a private psychiatric facility to treat his "Utterly ludicrous delusions and lies", Xander has mastered the art of not mentioning the strange, almost fluid auras that exist around most people. During his final year of study under his congregation of tutors, Xander must decide which university he'll be attending. His father is set on him attending the University of Oxford, his alma mater. Xander receives an unsigned letter about attending Caldwood University. Marsh Snr. is decidedly unimpressed but after much back and forth, he gives in.

Caldwood University seems like a beacon in the dark. A place that can give Xander the connections he so desperately wants, while also helping him get answers about his strange abilities.

Headcanons

✏︎ 70% of the time he's thinking in his mother's native language

✏︎ Doesn't have a driver's license

✏︎ Keeps a journal made up of thoughts and pressed flowers

🗡𝔯𝔠𝔰𝔱𝔥𝔢𝔴𝔯𝔦𝔱𝔢𝔯

[rcsthewriter]

Character Introduction: The Ryland Twins

Benjamin & Bishop Ryland; 18; Both Male; English; 01/01

Benjamin: Quiet; Private; Sensitive; Dreamy; Ingenuous

Bishop: Quiet; Private; Focused; Cautious; Aloof

Background

Orphaned young, the Ryland twins grew up in children's homes, juvenile wards in psychiatric hospitals, and half-way houses before settling in with their foster parents, a lovely and eccentric older couple. While the twins were never formally adopted, they did take on the Ryland surname.

They are both plagued by visions that claw through them, a remnant of their mother who left them on an orphanage's doorstep with only their first names, the name of the town of their ancestors, and an intrinsic fascination with magic and divination.

A dual scholarship to Caldwood University takes them through the heart of their family history and into the possible futures of their friends-to-be.

Headcanons

✏ Thrift the majority of their clothes

✏ Collect old photos and journals

✏ Both are brilliant pianists

🗡𝔯𝔠𝔰𝔱𝔥𝔢𝔴𝔯𝔦𝔱𝔢𝔯