TDM 1 ⬡ The Oval Portrait

[liburuzaina]

	Casting Call The Oval Portrait Edgar Allan Poe »» "Long — long I read — and devoutly, devotedly I gazed." Name: The Aristocrat Casting Call: Characters with a Birthday from September through December Physical Notes: Desperately wounded, to the point of being bedridden, but not losing consciousness. Personality Notes: Curious, and prone to becoming enraptured by the pursuit of learning about whatever has caught their curiosity. Mildly delirious due to injury. Compulsions: To learn about their surroundings, whether through study of the portraits in the chateau apartment, conversation with a companion, or ill-advised exploration. «« »» "We established ourselves in one of the smallest and least sumptuously furnished apartments." Name: The Valet Casting Call: Characters with an Unknown Birthday Physical Notes: Older than The Aristocrat by ≥ 5 years. Personality Notes: Willing and able (by force or by cleverness) to break in to a home for the well-being of their employer. A caretaker by nature. Compulsions: To see that The Aristocrat is comfortable for the night and their wounds are tended to, and to get some rest themselves once their duty is complete. In the absence of The Aristocrat, The Valet is free to act as they please. «« »» "She was a maiden of rarest beauty, and not more lovely than full of glee." Name: The Maiden Casting Call: Characters with a birthday from May through August Physical Notes: Young, aged from 15-20. Personality Notes: All smiles, loving and cherishing of all things, hating only The Painter's art, for they deprive them of their lover. Compulsions: To live life to the fullest, to love, to be happy... But also to make their husband, The Painter happy, by being a good and willing subject for his portraiture, should he ask. ⬡ Will slowly waste away and die, should they sit and allow themselves to be painted. «« »» "And evil was the hour when she saw, and loved, and wedded the painter." Name: The Painter Casting Call: Characters with a birthday from January through April Physical Notes: Older than the maiden by ≥ 10 years. Personality Notes: Passionate, studious, austere, wild, moody. More in love with his art than his wife. Compulsions: To paint. To paint, and paint, and paint some more. To ask their lovely wife to be the subject for their next piece, and to throw themselves into the completion of it. ⬡ Unaware they are doing harm with their painting, until it is complete. «« code @ efryndiel The Chateau ⬡ Common Cast Characters most likely to originate in The Chateau are The Aristocrat and The Valet ⬡ Literary Description "To all appearance it had been temporarily and very lately abandoned. We established ourselves in one of the smallest and least sumptuously furnished apartments. It lay in a remote turret of the building. Its decorations were rich, yet tattered and antique. Its walls were hung with tapestry and bedecked with manifold and multiform armorial trophies, together with an unusually great number of very spirited modern paintings in frames of rich golden arabesque." ⬡ For Your Exploration Characters may attempt to explore the Chateau, but it will be shrouded in darkness, and every room they enter will bring them back to the apartment chosen by The Valet. What decorations may be seen are dark and victorian in design, and the room and halls may be lit by candlelight. The Maiden's portrait is on the wall, and will initially be cloaked in shadow for The Aristocrat to find. It appears remarkably lifelike, almost as though it is a window instead of a portrait. The other paintings on the walls will contain figures that are almost familiar to The Aristocrat and The Valet - as though they could be someone they know, but only if they squint. There is no electricity. Characters will not have access to any powers. The Artist's Tower ⬡ Common Cast Characters most likely to originate in The Artist's Tower are The Maiden and The Painter ⬡ Literary Description "But she was humble and obedient, and sat meekly for many weeks in the dark, high turret-chamber where the light dripped upon the pale canvas only from overhead. But he, the painter, took glory in his work, which went on from hour to hour, and from day to day." ⬡ For Your Exploration Should characters leave the Painter's studio, they will immediately be transported outside, to a sprawling field of wildflowers. There won't seem to be anything else around, but there will be a light breeze and the sound of the sea in the distance. Inside the studio, the air is stale and musty, smelling of oil paints and turpentine. It's dim, lit only by a skylight. There is a stool for the subject and an easel with canvas sitting in the light, but everything else - art materials, more canvases, both empty and with the beginnings of paintings, and props - are all pushed to the sides of the room and cloaked in shadow. Like The Chateau, there is no electricity, and characters will not have access to their powers. The Library ⬡ Welcome! Free from their roles, through either death, completion of the Story, or from not being pulled into the tale in the first place, characters will find themselves in the gardens outside of the Library itself. As always, it will look and feel like a temperate, autumn afternoon. As this setting is part of the Library itself, characters will have full access to all their powers. ⬡ Grand Opening Coming Soon! The front door will, unfortunately, be locked, and a sign will be taped on the doors, detailing how the Library will be opening soon, but in the meantime to please enjoy the grounds and the pizza party in the courtyard. ⬡ Pizza party? Pizza party! In the courtyard, there will be tables set up that will be absolutely covered in stacks of paper plates, 2-liter bottles of any soda one could dream of, and stacks and stacks of pizza boxes, containing any flavor combination that could be desired. Opening a random box will provide a random, but popular, flavor. Opening a box with an Intent and a Desire for something specific will provide exactly that. Enjoy! It won't run out. navigation • premise • reserves • faq

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[purport]

[ And who should greet him but a slight, young-looking fellow in dark armor wielding of all things, a tray covered with all the trappings of afternoon coffee. Curiously, he has no trouble at all balancing the tray, loaded as it is. Neither does his armor so much as clink as he moves, suggesting something else altogether.

Peculiar as he may appear, thus enters a valet. His idea of looking after someone is, well... ]

You'll have to excuse me, the coffee is only at its best for so long.

[ He should know, after an eternity concerning himself with this one very specific craft. Call it a hobby. Call it an obsession. Regardless, the aroma drifting through the air bespeaks the fruits of his millennia of effort as he sweeps into the room with graceful, if overly swift steps. ]

Did you desire the fireplace be lit? I doubt you've need for that poker, otherwise.

[ambitiousblond]

Coffee.

[He wasn't sure what he was expecting but being offered coffee that has such a tantalizing aroma. He hadn't had coffee in over a year, let alone anything that seemed so luxurious. They had had more important things than suitable coffee to deal with after Meteorfall so it was difficult to resist such temptation.

But he tries not to let himself get distracted by trying to pick out as much information about his new valet as he could while the coffee was being served. He didn't realize how run down he felt after such a long day that had been rather eventful.

He glances at the poker that sits on the bed beside him before looking back at the strange man bearing coffee. He had never seen an object like this before, it had seemed like the best option to defend himself with but eventually, he nods.]

Yes, a fire would be appreciated.

[purport]

Then please, have a seat.

[ After safely depositing the tray on the nearest table, he gestures to an armchair close at hand. It looks reasonably comfortable, and for reasons he doesn't understand, it seems imperative to him that this man should be at ease.

He transfers the items from his tray to the table with a certain practiced ease, deftly arranging everything in what he deems the most easily accessible. Surely, the man need not trouble himself while enjoying his coffee, that wouldn't be right at all.

Though he takes pause as something occurs to him - information he ought to know and doesn't. Despite being aware that this isn't something he can help, he feels pointedly remiss. ]

How do you take your coffee?

[ambitiousblond]

[It takes him a moment to carefully pull himself to his feet, his strength would slowly return but until that day he would have to be cautious. He only leans on his cane slightly on his way to the armchair, sinking down onto the cushion.]

Black, no cream or sugar.

[He's used to having others wait on him but he's never met this person before which makes it feel slightly strange. Yet, something tells him that this is how things are supposed to be as if they had always been this way.]

I just hope it's hot, I could use something strong right now.

[purport]

[ It always has been pleasing to find others who have a palate for coffee without any additions to sully its flavor. Though it was millennia ago, he does remember how terribly bitter it was and how difficult it was to adjust to, but he's acquired a deep appreciation for coffee just as it is. Just as it should be.

He'll make adjustments for those who need them, but there's no concealing a faint hint of satisfaction in his smile that no such accommodation is necessary today. ]

Worry not, I've only just prepared it. [ His movements are no less graceful as he pours the coffee, not a drop more or less than fills the cup just so. After sparing it a moment's scrutiny, he offers the cup, poised on its saucer, to the man. ] Hopefully it's to your liking.

[ This is a stranger, he knows, and yet he's anxious as to whether he will enjoy the coffee just the same. But that's not so different from when he ran a food stall, is it? ]