Accepted~ AnalizaAbout You, the Writer:We will never ask any member to disclose any personal information.Your Nickname: Pamela
Have you read and do you agree to the Code of Conduct?: Yes
How did you find us and decide to write with us? SR
If you have written other characters here, list them all:Full Character Name: Marietta Sofya Grimlish
Character Birthday & Age: 33; October 28th, 1974
City & Country of Birth: Oradea, Transylvania
Pureblood, Halfblood or Muggleborn?: Halfbood, Muggle Mother
Alma Mater: Hogwarts, Ravenclaw
Job: Unspeakable
Wand: 11” Yew, Kelpie hair wand. Bendy.
Physical Description:As one first sweeps their eyes over Marietta’s stately form, they note a rather disturbing lack of color. Having spent most of her life acclimating herself to the vampiric lifestyle, Marietta has come to embody most of their stereotypes. She dresses primarily in black, if not the shade precisely than a dark enough shade of other deep colors to convey the impression of darkness. Her short, chopped haircut emulates her practical manner, as does her refusal to use cosmetic products. While she keeps herself in check with modern standards of hygiene, she does little else, preferring to let her body develop as nature intended. Her eyebrows sweep over her brown eyes with a fullness that accentuates rather than hides them. Her posture keeps every inch of her height at 5’6.”
Personality Description:Marietta has a more solemn personality, never opening her mouth until she has something to say that she feels is worth saying. By doing so, she is often perceived as wiser than she truly is, which is sometimes to her advantage. Although she is typically quiet, Marietta can become quite excitable at the brink of a new breakthrough or upon discovering a new tidbit of knowledge, or even at a festive occasion. However, these excitable moments are only displayed in public when she feels that she can get away with them without disrupting the cosmos too badly. She is a stable being, often a rock during others' more dramatic moments. Marietta enjoys people watching, feeding off their emotions and reactions, human beings having their own superstitions and rituals that she found as equally fascinating as that of the dead. With such practice, Marietta has grown quick at detecting a lie and reading other emotions from others.
History:(See also
Ophelia Grimlish)
Marietta was born to Antoinette and Osgood Grimlish on a hazy October night, the twenty-eighth in fact, outside Melrose Abbey under the full moon. The happily married couple, with little Dimitri in tow, had been crossing the country in search of book ideas and studying local magic. A few years later, Antoinette's six-hour labour of love produced the young Marietta Grimlish. Antoinette took over her elementary education, having been brought up with muggle-values being a muggle herself. Thus Marietta learned her three R's of life, but it was up to Osgood to educate her on the finer points of the life she inherited. Her education was partly empirical, but also based on life experiences. She learned how small she could be inside the Catacombs, how silence could be deafening inside a crypt, and how the search for immortality transcended time from the Pharoahs of Egypt to the Vampires of Transylvania. The latter group had always been of particular interest to her, as she had been brought into the world under a watchful vampire’s eye.
As Marietta developed physically and mentally, she was allowed further access into her father's world. From there she learned of darker spirits, of the nuances of magic that allowed such creatures access to the living world. Eventually the family settled in England, as their family faced its first splintering with Dmitri going off to school. Once Marietta was accepted to Hogwarts, her education was supplemented by Osgood with how the rules she learned came into being, and how they could be altered. Her professors adored her eagerness for learning and either enjoyed or ignored her ceaseless questions. There were those who thought her a fussbudget, but those who appreciated her curiosity. This division was echoed among her classmates as many thought her "weird" or "freakish" to Marietta's social dismay. As a result her group of friends was very slim, including her younger sister Ophelia once she was old enough to join Marietta at Hogwarts, Dmitri having already graduated from the house of Slytherin.
It was during one summer home that the single greatest moment of her life occurred. It was October 31st, Marietta had just turned sixteen and was just enjoying the dying fades of ecstasy her birthday usually left her with. It was then, that the face reflected in the rain-streaked window she was staring out, transformed into something entirely different. It was the face of a beautiful young man, the epitome of Marietta's most fantastic dreams. The reflection grew darker, gaining dimension and shape as it seemed to form out of the window, and step into Marietta's moonlit room. A wave of fear and awe swept over Marietta as she found her heart stilled within her. It was also her first glimpse of a naked male, the best yet for her as later reflections found. "Marietta" he spoke, his voice like dark ink seeping into her skin. She had never heard her name sound as beautiful and entrancing on anyone elses lips. "You must free me, my love," he spoke further, a chilled hand resting against her young cheek, "Then we can be one." Closing her eyes, Marietta could feel his face an inch from hers, an inch from fulfilling the highest moment Marietta thought she could ever reach in her life. A small wind met her lips instead, and she opened her eyes to find him gone, with only a small black smudge against the window. All her knowledge of vampires only led her to hope that she may have been his lost love from centuries ago, reincarnated in her own body. Marietta poured through dozens of genealogical records, searching for her former self to find any record of their lost love. Each night was spent remembering each strand of his pitch-black hair, the line of his nose, the fullness of his lips, and the speech-defying beauty of his body.
It was then that she swore to free him, and to free all other vampires from their plight. They were slaves the magic that held them, and slaves to the limitations that entrapped them in a world of dark bloodlust. She renewed her interest in vampirism, almost to the point of scaring off the last true friend that remained to her during their last year at Hogwarts. Although her family knew quite well of her obsession of her vampires, and even her goal of freeing them from their bonds, which was met with much approval, she only shared her visitation with her sister Ophelia. Only she could understand what occurred, the passion and intensity of the moment, rather than view it with a cold, calculated perspective as her father or Dimitri might.
Her obsession took a darker turn, though, as her experimentation with the vampiric lifestyle led to her attempt to try it herself. Although a few elements did not suit her lifestyle, many elements stayed with her as she attempted to connect with her vampiric roots. After a week of sleeping in a crudely fashioned coffin from blankets and an unused cardboard box, Osgood constructed her a true black oak coffin, lacquered to gleam in the moonlight and lined with crimson silk. The only drawback was it tended to make sleepovers with friends a bit uncomfortable. It was awkward to convey it to her friends' house, and oftentimes there was no room for her six foot coffin inside the room. It did, however, make a fantastic embankmant for pillow fights. Choosing to abhor sunlight like her fellow vampires, Marietta consistently walks in the shade and carries a heavy black umbrella when shade is not available. As her brother and sisters could not enjoy the sunlight, Marietta chose to deny herself the same privilege until she had freed them all. As a result, Marietta came to abhor the color yellow as well, yellow being the symbol of day, light, abominable happy faces, and the instictive color children chose when drawing a happy sun to shine over their red-roofed families. Fortunately her family was willing to cease wearing yellow clothing in her presence. Any other times they indulged in the practice, Marietta only asked them not to mention it to her. Marietta also grew found of bats, ironically having already chosen one as her familiar for Hogwarts, a beautiful fruit bat by the name of Duana, who kept her company during that special night. Two years later, Duana had a more successful night than Marietta's and later gave birth to a son, Duane. The two accompany Marietta in most of her ventures, although Duane is more prone to wander off.
Upon graduation from Hogwarts, Marietta learned that the mysteries of the undead could not be learned solely through the study of nature. She needed to learn the magic as well. She had picked up many languages and learned many secrets of ancient shamans and priests, but she could go only so far before hitting a wall, either by her limitations as a female or lack of any authority to tout behind her theories. After much consideration, Marietta decided to join the Ministry of Magic, seeing as the authority on magical happenings would give her the easiest access to all things magical and mysterious. After gaining admission to the Department of Mysteries, Marietta found herself training to be an Unspeakable.
Under the tutelage of Josefina Noirtu, Marietta was given the chance to tour the continents in 1993 with the Senior Unspeakable as well as a fellow Unspeakable-in-training, Analiza Snark. They spent 7 years, briefly studying the ideologies of magic and its variations and evolutions throughout the world. It was interesting for Marietta to be introduced to various cultures by someone other than her father. It was interesting for her to bond on her own, without the safety net Osgood provided. Her previous knowledge was tested and proven true, often to the surprise of her trainer. Unfortunately their group fractured in their fifth year. Josefina and Marietta continued on to study the wild magic of the Mayans while Ms. Snark, returned home due to family issues.
After the tour finished, Marietta was promoted to a full-blooded Unspeakable. Having displayed herself as characterizing every aspect of what an Unspeakable was meant to be, most of all through secrecy and curiosity, the "-in-training" was then erased off her badge in a shimmering glow. Years of research followed, with Grimlish’s name as a byline to numerous Ministry projects in the fields of prophecy, time travel, and spell enhancers. Through an obscure spell backfire, the Department Head suffered fatal injuries. Analiza Snark succeeded her, in a political move that Marietta still remains somewhat oblivious to. As long as she was able to continue her research, Marietta couldn’t care less.
As her family grew and diminished, Marietta experienced her own growth. In 1999, not long after Snark’s departure from their expedition, Marietta stumbled upon her own family in the Canadian wilds. While stopping in Calgary, Alberta, Marietta was looking for a local storyteller to interview when she saw two small children performing on a street corner. The children obviously had magical roots, displayed by the unusual tricks they performed for the dollars thrown into a nearby top hat. What stopped Marietta in her tracks, however, was a large brooch pinned to the girl’s cloak. She had seen it only once before, the crest upon it also pinned upon the cloak of someone far more influential upon her life: the vampire lover of her adolescent dreaming.
Desperate at the idea of another link from her past, Marietta immediately took the children aside. Upon finding they had no known parents, having belonged only previously to the orphanage they escaped from, Marietta took them under her wing. Evelyn and Elijah, soon became Grimlishes, as Marietta knew they had been sent by her Lucian as their own children**. It was destiny, and Marietta could not ignore it. While Madame Noirtu objected to their presence, Marietta won her over and they accompanied the Unspeakables through the rest of the tour. After visiting the muggle orphanage to go through the proper legal channels and assuring them the children were safe once more, Marietta found the two twins, aged 8 as far as anyone could tell, had no acknowledged parents, being dropped off at the orphanage’s door with a blanket pinned around them by the brooch.
The children were immediately embraced by the Grimlish family, and eventually embraced by the children in turn. In 2002, they received their letters to Hogwarts and were dazzled by the fact that they were magical beings. Control and exploration were taught carefully, and Marietta was amused to find how much she enjoyed the title of mother. Her work relations with Analiza were strengthened further as they soon exchanged parenting advice as well as theories on spell evolution. Marietta’s own research into vampirism was renewed as she was further determined to free her lover. While the children attend school, Marietta lives within the apartment complex run by Alexander Belisario. During the summer, however, the family stays with the rest of the Grimlish family in the manor.
** Note: Evelyn and Elijah Grimlish are not the biological children of Marietta and the vampire Lucien. As vampires are unable to reproduce, this would be impossible. However, in Marietta's mind, they are. This is an erroneous but personal belief of the character. Please respect it as such.
What is your job description? How do you go about your job?
How did you get your current job? How does your past and abilities justify your current position?:As an Unspeakable, Marietta experiments with the complexities and nuances of magic that make it such an elusive art form. She will also be continuing her research in the realm of vampirism, with the goal of taming the process and transforming its limitations into livable boundaries to unite the race of vampires and humans to live together in harmony. Marietta will also seek to improve the Wizarding World's knowledge of magic and protect society from the darker side of magic. Her vast experience with various cultures places her in a advantageous position from which to observe, discuss, and create various magics for the Wizarding World’s progress.
Writing Sample:Show your character in a scene that illustrates their best and worst aspects
of their personality. Include action, dialog and thought.(Sampled from the thread
Magic is Dead from SR, also containing writing by the characters Samuel Harcroft and Felix Sellaphix as indicated by italics)
"Zombies!"
Zombies? She wanted to ask where they were but was distracted by the good Senior Auror Harcroft who was somehow determined to take her vampire into custody. Fortunately for Sellabit, Marietta was just as determined not to let him. Red tape was notorious for taking ages to cut through, and the DoM used double-sided tape. It would take Harcroft more time than it was worth to sort through all the documents that would let him have access to the vampire.
"if he cannot speak, i will ahve to bring him in, and let yuor department head deal with getting him out if indeed, an experiment was being performed. hwoever, his conduct is not that of someone on an assignment from any department. he would have been told not to gibe orders to an Auror, and to co-operate with the Aurors. Aposd, there is still a breach of procedure."
Or maybe it wouldn't. Marietta's next words were taken from her as the witch found herself with the business end of a wand shoved into her larynx. Her first reaction was to fight him off, but a moment of clarity broke through. It was a bluff of course! As to how he procured the wand was another question, but by then Marietta was sure nothing could surprise her about him. She stood stock still, gazing at the Senior Auror, almost daring him to try something.
"No questions! and no more name-calling! You don't speak ill of the dead!"
A feeling of pride seemed to kindle within Marietta's ribcage. No one was to ever speak ill of the dead, that was for sure. She wished there was something more she could do, but then there was. No one fell for an unconvincing bluff! Adapting the persona of what she perceived as a damsel in distress, Marietta began mock flailing about, only little movements that wouldn't jar herself or her 'kidnapper' too much. "Help me!" she cried out in a high falsetto, "Don't let him kill me!"
Again, things did not go as Marietta thought. The auror drew his wand, and Marietta cringed at his loud 'Expelliarmus.' But nothing happened. Unbeknownst to Marietta and company, Duana had been watching the play with an enraged eye. Felix's manhandling of her owner was the last straw and the fearless bat dove down to protect her witch. Unfortunately she chose the moment the spell was cast to dive in front of Marietta, taking the brunt of the spell. A faint chirp on the ground stopped Marietta's heart from beating for two seconds as she identified the small form.
"DUANA!" a heartwrenching cry broke from her chest. Marietta broke free of her 'captor's' hold and kneeled down before the small bat. She picked up Duana's small, lifeless form and held her beloved friend in her palm. "Duana," she sniffled, a tears coursing from her eyes at the sight. She remembered the day her brother had taken her to the belfrey at the Hagia Sofia. A small bat was sleeping in the corner, and Marietta was enchanted with the small rodent. It seemed she had been injured, and left by her group. Duana had come home with Marietta that day and never left her side since.
And now she was dead. Cradling the small form against her chest, Marietta leaned back on her knees, head tilted towards the sky as she mourned her friend. "DUANA!" she cried out, sobbing through the syllables as she attempted to call her bat's spirit back into the small body. But alas, the dead was done. Duana was no more.
Sum up your character in one paragraph:Marietta is a scholarly young woman, embracing the joys of research as tempered by the responsibilities of family. Her primarily goals are to respect and honor the magic she has been gifted with by exploring its variations and experimenting with it in a way that progresses and improves its livelihood. She seeks tolerance and understanding for all in a general sense. However, on an individual basis she can come across as awkward and somewhat socially inept, having spent most of her life studying magic, not humanity.
Marietta Grimlish: Unspeakable [Secondary]