Welcome to Charming, where swirling petticoats, the language of flowers, and old-fashioned duels are only the beginning of what is lying underneath…
After a magical attempt on her life in 1877, Queen Victoria launched a crusade against magic that, while tidied up by the Ministry of Magic, saw the Wizarding community exiled to Hogsmeade, previously little more than a crossroad near the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. In the years that have passed since, Hogsmeade has suffered plagues, fires, and Victorian hypocrisy but is still standing firm.
Thethe year is now 1895. It’s time to join us and immerse yourself in scandal and drama interlaced with magic both light and dark.
With the same account, complete eight different threads where your character interacts with eight different usergroups. At least one must be a non-human, and one a student.
Did You Know?
Braces, or suspenders, were almost universally worn due to the high cut of men's trousers. Belts did not become common until the 1920s. — MJ
Some of the crowd had dispersed almost immediately following the lecture, if they had other places to be or didn’t want to be seen here – and she had spotted one or two people slinking out early, who probably had gotten bored, or hadn’t much cared for what they’d heard – but there were still plenty of people here milling around afterwards, some familiar faces and others who were starting towards the Leaky Cauldron for an encore of the evening’s discussions. Or drinks. Whichever.
Tess was taking advantage of those still lingering to hand out some collateral she had printed and compiled – extracts from the best feminist texts of the day, copies of international news bulletins and so on. Some more food for thought. “Let me know if you’re interested in any further reading on the subject,” she explained here and there as she offered out some sample pamphlets and print (nothing too radical, in public), “or in receiving a regular circulation of writing on women’s rights?” Her tone was friendly, but consciously kept low enough so as not to attract enough attention from any library staff who might think she was stirring up some sort of trouble. (She wasn’t – not directly. But this was much less for Whitby & Co.'s profit than for Tess making new connections for The Cause.)
Xiomara had not been at the library to attend the lecture but she had become curious. And so she had attended and was among those lingering though not entirely on purpose. She was about to head home when a woman spoke to her. Xio supposed she was not adverse. "Would it come discreetly? My employers parents aren't so... enlightened." Xiomara knew Miss Blackwood would not altogether mind so long as she wasn't casting a bad name on her but the elder Blackwoods were a sight more traditional.
“Oh, yes, that’s easily arranged,” Tess said, undaunted. “If it’s sent by owl post we can fashion them into other mail,” – a deceptive outside, or the text disguised as something mundane, that wouldn’t be remarked upon before it was revealed – “or you can even pick them up in person, if you’d rather. Where is it that you work?” And what as, Tess supposed she meant – if she knew, she could help suggest the most suitable alibis and excuses.
(All for a good cause. But if she could avoid getting working women fired for it, she would certainly try.)
Oh, Xiomara had experience with such things. After all, Miss Blackwood enjoyed her being especially discreet about some of the company her employer kept. "I am a ladies maid," Xiomara answered when she was asked what she worked as. "I could certainly pick up in person if one of your drop off points aren't too far off the beaten paths of London."
“Ah, of course,” Tess said warmly, at the ladies’ maid. “I’m based in Hogsmeade, but I can have it sent out to a P.O. box at the post office in Diagon Alley, if that suits,” – she did not want to speak too loudly, in case someone not-cause-inclined thought to track her or her publications down. “Or we can send it straight to the house as a Hairstyle How-To monthly magazine – or something,” she explained; she could enchant it in the printing. Maybe to something with a better title, but – something that would not be second-guessed.
"A P.O. Box would work amazingly," Xiomara said eagerly. The latter idea had merit but she did not want to cause too much work for the other woman. "Is women's rights the only cause your lot do publications about?" She asked out of curiosity.
Tess beamed – an extra mailing to an anonymous P.O. box was terribly easily accomplished. She considered her new friend (or ally?) at the question, as if she could size her and her interests up just by looking at her (naturally, she couldn’t).
“Oh, oftentimes I just do the printing,” Tess said, because the interests of her lot were wider than her personal contributions. And women’s rights could be broad enough, when one delved into them (sex education, birth control, treatises on divorce and against marriage, homemaking and careers and science and philosophy and the rest).
“But – all sorts of writings go through our presses.” Cautiously, she added – “Is there anything else particular you might consider yourself interested in?”
Xiomara did not know what that meant but she assumed the other woman meant she made things for multiple people. "Anything related to our kind, voting rights perhaps and if you get any good fashion literature, I wouldn't say no to that."
So women’s rights, and fashion. “Oh, I can see what we can do,” Tess said brightly, because occasionally they did get fashion pieces through, cheap ladies’ pamphlets or advertisements for the latest new – hat, or something. (Tess did not pay much attention beyond the typesetting in those cases, if she were honest.)
“I’m – Tess Whitby, by the way,” she added, offering her hand to shake in a masculine manner without thinking – and realising it would put a damper on her plans if she did not know this ladies’ maid’s name, to actually send her things. “And you?”
Xiomara was content enough with that. It would be something smart to read when resting in her own bed at night. Aside from the smutty books she had hidden under her mattress anyway.
"A pleasure to meet you, Miss Whitby, I'm Xiomara Thistlewood," she provided, confused for a brief moment about the hand before going with the flow and shaking it. "Do you suppose any of your literature reaches the Ministers eyes?" She asked, a little curious.
“Likewise, Miss Thistlewood,” Tess said brightly, trying not to be awkward about the handshake. Fortunately the question came in good timing, and made her cock her head to imagine it. “I doubt any of it reaches his desk direct,” Tess said, because he was not on the mailing list and had all manner of assistants to filter through his post for him, to spare him the trouble, and she worried if they get traced back to the printshop or the original writer, and they faced negative consequences for any of the more controversial ones. “But I suppose if there’s enough of a stir about one of them, he might hear about it. But he is making a start, about voting reform – do you think his committee will get somewhere, with a bill to pass?”
That made sense or at least as much sense as Xio was able to make of it. "Now that I could not say. I was not raised to be so forward thinking so I do not have quite the skill for it." Indeed, her father had sent her to be in service as soon as her first year had ended. "But having the right to vote and my opinion. Well, that seems something any lady should want."
Tess smiled, a little rueful at Miss Thistlewood’s putting herself down that way – when she was clearly of curious mind, and attending library lectures to educate herself! That probably already made her better informed than half the population, really. (But of course it was usually the people with unfounded opinions and no common sense who always seemed to speak the loudest.)
But perhaps it was safer not to speculate: if Tess got her hopes up about voting and it didn’t materialise, she’d kick herself. “Quite right,” she agreed, with a vehement smile. “And since for now our opinions are all we have, I suppose we may as well share them,” she said – jokingly, but the core of it was sincere. That was all they could do, in pursuit of it. Make their opinions known.
"That is true," Xio said in agreement of the womans joking words. Hopefully one day their words would be more than just that. For now, Xio was content to educate herself and attempt to see beyond the scope and boundaries she had been raised to give herself. "Thank you again but I must hasten back to my Lady." She was also at least partially sure Miss Blackwood would find her pamphlets of interest so perhaps a subtle 'just left my casual reading lying around' could be in order there.
