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

Comments

[youcanyouup]

"Yeah, dude," says Shen Qingqiu, annoyed, "Why do you think I look like this again? That bastard Zhuzhi-Lang took this body to the Holy Mausoleum to bring it back to life so they could... ugh, I guess to lure Luo Binghe there?" He rolls his eyes. "It's Tianlang-Jun, I'm pretty sure he wants to possess Luo Binghe's body or something because the one he's in is falling apart, and you're lucky this isn't my problem any more because if it was I would knock your head off your idiot shoulders for not bothering! To ever write down what his deal is!"

[nocannobb]

OK like the thing is he hadn't actually thought super hard about Shen Qingqiu's appearance! He's been kind of focused on the pizza but yeah okay that does make sense.

"Whoa, Tianlang-Jun?" Shang Qinghua looks like he's getting deets on an early episode leak and not the firsthand account of a kidnapping. "Damn, I never thought the plot would go that far off track. And anyway, you can't blame me for everything! There was a lot of stuff I was going to put in, but then I lost my original outline. You can't fault me for not having an encyclopedic memory!"

He stops and frowns thoughtfully.

"...Who's Zhuzhi-Lang?"

[youcanyouup]

"..."

Shen Qingqiu gives him a sharp smack across the forehead, to jog his memory.

"Tianlang-Jun's nephew! The snake demon!"

[nocannobb]

"Ow!"

Shang Qinghua rolls away, clutching his forehead like he's just been dealt a blow with spiritual energy instead of just a little slap. Betrayal!! He gives Shen Qingqiu a horrible kicked puppy dog look. 

"I just told you, I don't remember all of my old notes, okay! Don't hit me!" He rubs his forehead with a little pout. "Zhuzhi-Lang, huh? Yeah, that kinda sounds familiar." No it doesn't. "Man, you get all the interesting plot stuff."

[youcanyouup]

Completely unmoved by the look on Shang Qinghua's face, Shen Qingqiu crumples up his paper plate and throws it at him.

"Interesting? What 'interesting'?! I woke up in a coffin! Bing-ge was about to sexually assault me! We spent how many years waiting for that body to grow and it's dead already!"

[nocannobb]

"What?" Shang Qinghua looks indignant. "Bing-ge is supposed to be a considerate lover! He never pushes a girl down who isn't willing!"
Sorry Cucumber-bro that one's gotta be on you too!!

He lets out a little sigh though, still rubbing his forehead. "Yeah, pour one out for the Sun and Moon Dew Flower Seed. I mean, I guess it's moot since we're here now, anyway." Except for, you know, Without A Cure. He IS really curious though... "So...how was it? The body, I mean."

[youcanyouup]

Shen Qingqiu smacks him with his fan. "I'm not a girl, you idiot!"

He huffs through his teeth, folding his free arm over his chest. "And it was great, actually, except for the part where you sold me out!"

[nocannobb]

Before Shang Qinghua can say some stupid shit like harem is a gender neutral term, Shen Qingqiu hits him with the callout and he freezes momentarily. Hahaha oh yeah right! That. But his fight-or-flight reaction simmers down almost instantly. Consequences, what consequences? All the consequences for Shang Qinghua's actions are happening in another universe.

"Yes, sure, that did happen, but that was practically in another lifetime." His smile would seem apologetic if it weren't so fucking shameless. He clasps his hands together. "Besides, I didn't really have a choice, and Bing-ge pretty much already had you figured out anyway. But none of that matters here! Don't you think it'd be better if we just let bygones be bygones, water under the bridge, and link arms to face our new adventure?"

Translation: He'll be hugging your thighs the whole way, so do your best, Immortal Master Shen!

[youcanyouup]

Shen Qingqiu just stares at him.

"Are you fucking kidding me," he spits. "What other lifetime?? It was practically five minutes ago! If I'm unlucky enough that you're here then Luo fucking Binghe is probably going to show up any second to drag me back to his creepy underground replica of my house and it'll still be your damn fault!"

[nocannobb]

“I didn’t make him totally obsessed with you,” Shang Qinghua points out, but doesn’t look particularly fussed that Shen Qingqiu is bent on blaming him. What else is new. “Besides, how is it unlucky? I’m like, basically your best case scenario, dude.”

Rolling onto his side, he starts ticking points off on his fingers. “Obviously you don’t want Bing-ge to show up. That’s cool, me either. Everyone’s still a mess over the whole staging your own death thing and yeeting your immortal soul into another body thing. I’m pretty sure Liu-shixiong would rather go into qi deviation again than live in a library. And if it was anyone but me, you’d either have to keep pretending to be the original goods, or find a way to explain that you’re really not.”

[youcanyouup]

"I mean, sure," says Shen Qingqiu, rolling his eyes, "if I have to pick one of you, then yes, congratulations, you're the least worst, but that doesn't get you off the hook for any of your bullshit."

[nocannobb]

Shang Qinghua looks pleased with himself, as though that is some kind of compliment. He will absolutely choose to interpret ‘least worst’ as ‘number one’, thank you!

“You’re still upset, I get it,” he says with a pat on Shen Qingqiu’s shoulder. His breezy tone of voice ruins any sympathetic effect he might be going for. “But you’ve gotta stop taking it so personally. And we’re in a whole new world now! You and me, we get to start fresh! So what am I still on the hook for here, exactly?” He actually lets out a laugh. “Besides, there’s no Huan Hua Palace water prison here. What are you gonna do, put me in the time-out corner in the kiddie section?”

[youcanyouup]

"Why would I want to 'start fresh' with someone with your track record?!" says Shen Qingqiu incredulously. "Isn't that just asking to get thrown under the bus again? How stupid do you think I am??"

[nocannobb]

"I wouldn't have thrown you under the bus if I had another choice!" Shang Qinghua protests, tugging on Shen Qingqiu's sleeve. "I just told you, it's just that I was in an impossible situation! Have a little sympathy for me, bro, none of that was actually my fault."

Then he puts on a truly pitiful face, like he's really hurt, and draws back with a half-frown, half-pout. "Besides, I wouldn't have had to if you'd upheld your end of the plan. I did everything I was supposed to, nurtured that Sun and Moon Dew Flower Seed body like it was my own child, I had everything perfectly ready for you! Did you even try to get in touch with me after you sprouted?"

[youcanyouup]

Shen Qingqiu looks away with a huff. Don't make that fucking face at him, Airplane. "I had other priorities."

[nocannobb]

Too bad, he's gonna keep making that face. In fact, he makes it a little harder when Shen Qingqiu looks away, and tugs on his good ol pal's sleeve again for good measure. That means it's working!

"What other priorities! I did all that work so you'd have a new body while you were in jail, you couldn't come and save your bro Airplane next? I've really been suffering, you know!" He suddenly stops and gasps with a stricken look, as though something has just occurred to him. "Were you ever even planning to come back for me? Cucumber-bro, that's cold!"

[youcanyouup]

"Obviously!" snaps Shen Qingqiu, not looking at him even harder. "Once I wasn't naked and being abducted and knew whether you were alive or not, you know, because it had been five years!"

[nocannobb]

Ohh that's a guilty conscience right there! Shang Qinghua can smell it from a mile away. Takes one to know one. He wrings Shen Qingqiu's sleeve in his hands, looking gravely injured.

"Oh, so you raced right back over to Cang Qiong Mountain to make sure I was still alive then, huh??"

Obviously not!! Little by little, Shang Qinghua will find a way to take the moral high ground (or at least level ground) and make Shen Qingqiu feel bad enough for him that he gets off his case about this eensy little case of betrayal. What's a little shameless manipulation between friends?

[youcanyouup]

Shen Qingqiu shoots a frustrated (guilty!) glance at him. "Of course not!! Obviously I couldn't just show up there when I'm supposed to be dead! I was going to -- you know -- scope it out! Send a letter! I don't know!"

[nocannobb]

Shang Qinghua lets his eyes widen and he drops Shen Qingqiu's sleeve, pointing an accusing finger.

"You don't know? You definitely weren't thinking about it! You were totally going to bail on me!" He wrings his hands and rolls onto his back with a groan. "I can't believe you went back to Cang Qiong Mountain because of Bing-ge, who you were trying to get away from, before you came back for me! Talk about betrayal!"

[youcanyouup]

"Ugh, I had other things to think about!" Shen Qingqiu insists, flustered. "Do you KNOW how many times I have gotten kidnapped!"

[nocannobb]

"It's the thought that counts," Shang Qinghua retorts, sounding miserable. He even has the audacity to sulk for a few moments before rolling back to face Shen Qingqiu again. He sighs.

"Look, I really do just want to start fresh, okay? I don't want my mistakes following me here any more than you do." He gives Shen Qingqiu an entreating look, even rolling up to kneel in front of him, hands together. "It's hard to put aside grudges and make peace, but...I know you're a magnanimous person, Cucumber-bro."

In fact, he is counting on Shen Qingqiu's decency. Nice people get taken advantage of, after all.

Also, he really would rather be friends with Shen Qingqiu than not. It is pretty cool to have someone from back home to reminisce about memes with.

[youcanyouup]

Shen Qingqiu sighs in resignation. "Way more magnanimous than you deserve, you piece of shit," he says, settling down with a huff. "Fine, whatever. But the second you pull that shit again," he points at Shang Qinghua with his fan, "you are out on your ass."

[nocannobb]

There it is! It doesn't matter how much Shen Qingqiu tsunderes over it, he's an actually decent person and Shang Qinghua, personally, is very glad about it.

Also, he likes Shen Qingqiu, for the most part! The truth is that while Shang Qinghua had always fantasized the whole "meeting a fan in the wild" scenario, it had never even come close to happening, at least partly because he didn't leave his apartment a ton. Also, being transmigrated into his novel probably didn't count as "in the wild", although, if you thought about it, it was an even more chance encounter than finding out you frequented the same noodle joint as one of your top fans. And, okay, Shen Qingqiu claims not to be a fan, but heh, Shang Qinghua knows better.

"Yes, yes! Of course! I'll be good, I swear." He will! Unless he's faced with a like, death-or-fuck-Shen-Qingqiu-over choice, in which case, you know. Priorities. He hooks his arm around Shen Qingqiu's and gives him a cheerful grin. "Ah, I'm so lucky to have a friend like you, Cucumber-bro!"

[youcanyouup]

Shen Qingqiu gives him a withering but ultimately toothless look. "I'm going to remind you you said that," he says haughtily, opening his fan again, "when Bing-ge shows up here and you piss yourself in your haste to fucking doxx me."