It is reasonable to assume that most families keep at least one secret. Generally, that secret is something small and harmless, but occasionally it is a large and frightful thing, generations in the making—as was the case in Lady Downs’ family.
A story was told and passed down which spoke of some great wrongdoing committed by some misguided forefather at the expense of some magically inclined gypsy. The story went that, in a righteous rage, the gypsy swore that her antagonist would suffer greatly—the first male child born to him or his kin would assume the appearance of a terrible beast. Luckily, the subsequent five generations resulted in all female babies and the myth was mostly forgotten until the next in the line, the young bride of the Earl of Pembroke, Lord Downs, fell pregnant.
Hers was a difficult confinement and she, wretched and exhausted, ultimately bore her child in the midst of a terrible storm late one March. She had known almost immediately that something was amiss by the way her midwife’s eyes widened in horror. The babe was healthy, yes, but had not the appearance of a human child. The Earl, until the day of his untimely death some years later, rejected the boy for his monstrous appearance, but Lady Downs could not help but love her strange offspring.
That love persisted well into his adulthood when she realized that her companionship was not enough for him and he had grown lonely and despondent. Eagerly she cast about for some remedy for his depression and ultimately found it in the form of a young woman..
---
Rules:
- 21+
- Multi-para, Third-person, Past-tense
- Google Docs for writing, Discord for OOC chatting
- Be willing to double
I have always loved the Beauty and the Beast trope. I have also always loved historical roleplays and stories. Being the genius that I am, I thought I'd combine the two! How would you like to join me in a Victorian version of this beloved fairy tale?
Hit me up on Discord (Dandelo#8313) with a description of the kind of character you'd like to play opposite my beast, as well as any ideas you might have for the plot and a writing sample! I'd prefer that this not turn into a master/maid kind of story, so female characters of some social standing are preferred. Snark is also a plus--my characters are frequently very sarcastic.
It should be noted that I can be talked into other time periods in which to set this story, I just prefer the Regency and Victorian eras~
Writing Sample:
This is a writing sample which should give you some idea of the personality of my beast, as well as the typical length and level of detail involved in my replies. I average between 500-700 words per post and would like to see a similar level of detail in my partners' replies.
---
Lady Downs smiled at her guest’s reassurances, but her expression maintained the smallest quirk of apprehension. Juliette, she knew, could have no idea of what really lay in store for her. Harcourt Downs had none of the usual afflictions one might think of when confronted with an unusual appearance. ‘No,’ Lady Downs thought to herself, ‘She must be properly prepared for him.’ She could not, in good conscience, introduce the young woman to her son yet. They were not dealing with a mere cleft palate or abnormally large nose--Harcourt could almost be thought of as an entirely new species. Literally.
It seemed that Lady Downs would be denied the opportunity of further preparing Miss Tash, however, for they could hear through the closed door of the parlor that some commotion had occurred down the long hallway. Hurried footsteps passed the door, and the peaceful stillness of moments before was suddenly stirred and broken by what could only be described as a mighty roar. Lady Downs started at the sound, then sank slightly in her seat and held a hand to her temple in exasperation.
A voice, thunderous and deep, could be heard moving toward their room, snarling and pitching as it went, “The dishonor of it! The disgrace! Cartwright, move out of my way. I must speak to Lady Downs this very instant.” Lady Downs and Juliette could barely distinguish the hurried, murmured reply of the startled footman before the thunderous voice took up once more, “She is my mother! I need no introductions! Stand aside, I will open the door, myself.” Before Lady Downs had a chance to rise from her settee and go to the door, it had been thrown wide and a great, monolithic form emerged from the dimness of the hallway.
The creature (for that was what it appeared to be at first glance) was a little more than seven feet tall and, though dressed in pants and a white button-down shirt as any normal man might be, was clearly covered in long, glossy black fur save the coppery-red of his voluminous mane and the tuft of his long, lion-like tail. Two great rams horns extended from his forehead and curled around to either side of his massive head, and his face--all black save the pink of his slitted, goat-like nose--was contorted in a snarling grimace. His pointed teeth were clearly visible in his lionish snout, the lips there curled back in aggravation.
He appeared not to notice Juliette as he stalked from the doorway to his mother’s settee and demanded her attention, “Madame, I insist that you fire that disgrace of a valet this instant. See! See what he has done to my mane and tell me that a swift dismissal is not his just due!” He gestured with a great, claw-like hand at the reddish fur of his mane. There, framing his face, were a number of large coils of fur, apparently intentionally styled this way.
He threw up his hands, “He told me only half an hour ago that we were expecting company and then imposed upon my patience with his damned tendency toward the ‘latest fashions’.” He growled again and shook his head, causing the curls to bounce with gaiety that was clearly uncharacteristic, “Tell me, is it the latest fashion to look like a damned poodle?”
Here at last, Lady Downs was given some opportunity to interject. She cleared her throat to capture the creature’s attention, then pointed with the turn of her gaze to where Juliette sat upon the couch nearby, “Harcourt, allow me to introduce you to our guest, Miss Tash.”
Harcourt started and swiftly turned his great head to see that there was, indeed, someone else in the room with them. With a sharp intake of breath, he straightened and turned to face her, suddenly acutely aware of how informally dressed he was and how improper his entrance had been. His eyes, pale gray and decidedly human in their shame, were instantly cast down at the floor as he gave a small bow to Juliette. “Forgive me for intruding..” was all he could manage before turning and departing the room almost as quickly as he had entered.
Lady Downs watched as her son disappeared, then slowly turned back to her guest to see how she handled the scene.
A story was told and passed down which spoke of some great wrongdoing committed by some misguided forefather at the expense of some magically inclined gypsy. The story went that, in a righteous rage, the gypsy swore that her antagonist would suffer greatly—the first male child born to him or his kin would assume the appearance of a terrible beast. Luckily, the subsequent five generations resulted in all female babies and the myth was mostly forgotten until the next in the line, the young bride of the Earl of Pembroke, Lord Downs, fell pregnant.
Hers was a difficult confinement and she, wretched and exhausted, ultimately bore her child in the midst of a terrible storm late one March. She had known almost immediately that something was amiss by the way her midwife’s eyes widened in horror. The babe was healthy, yes, but had not the appearance of a human child. The Earl, until the day of his untimely death some years later, rejected the boy for his monstrous appearance, but Lady Downs could not help but love her strange offspring.
That love persisted well into his adulthood when she realized that her companionship was not enough for him and he had grown lonely and despondent. Eagerly she cast about for some remedy for his depression and ultimately found it in the form of a young woman..
---
Rules:
- 21+
- Multi-para, Third-person, Past-tense
- Google Docs for writing, Discord for OOC chatting
- Be willing to double
I have always loved the Beauty and the Beast trope. I have also always loved historical roleplays and stories. Being the genius that I am, I thought I'd combine the two! How would you like to join me in a Victorian version of this beloved fairy tale?
Hit me up on Discord (Dandelo#8313) with a description of the kind of character you'd like to play opposite my beast, as well as any ideas you might have for the plot and a writing sample! I'd prefer that this not turn into a master/maid kind of story, so female characters of some social standing are preferred. Snark is also a plus--my characters are frequently very sarcastic.
It should be noted that I can be talked into other time periods in which to set this story, I just prefer the Regency and Victorian eras~
Writing Sample:
This is a writing sample which should give you some idea of the personality of my beast, as well as the typical length and level of detail involved in my replies. I average between 500-700 words per post and would like to see a similar level of detail in my partners' replies.
---
Lady Downs smiled at her guest’s reassurances, but her expression maintained the smallest quirk of apprehension. Juliette, she knew, could have no idea of what really lay in store for her. Harcourt Downs had none of the usual afflictions one might think of when confronted with an unusual appearance. ‘No,’ Lady Downs thought to herself, ‘She must be properly prepared for him.’ She could not, in good conscience, introduce the young woman to her son yet. They were not dealing with a mere cleft palate or abnormally large nose--Harcourt could almost be thought of as an entirely new species. Literally.
It seemed that Lady Downs would be denied the opportunity of further preparing Miss Tash, however, for they could hear through the closed door of the parlor that some commotion had occurred down the long hallway. Hurried footsteps passed the door, and the peaceful stillness of moments before was suddenly stirred and broken by what could only be described as a mighty roar. Lady Downs started at the sound, then sank slightly in her seat and held a hand to her temple in exasperation.
A voice, thunderous and deep, could be heard moving toward their room, snarling and pitching as it went, “The dishonor of it! The disgrace! Cartwright, move out of my way. I must speak to Lady Downs this very instant.” Lady Downs and Juliette could barely distinguish the hurried, murmured reply of the startled footman before the thunderous voice took up once more, “She is my mother! I need no introductions! Stand aside, I will open the door, myself.” Before Lady Downs had a chance to rise from her settee and go to the door, it had been thrown wide and a great, monolithic form emerged from the dimness of the hallway.
The creature (for that was what it appeared to be at first glance) was a little more than seven feet tall and, though dressed in pants and a white button-down shirt as any normal man might be, was clearly covered in long, glossy black fur save the coppery-red of his voluminous mane and the tuft of his long, lion-like tail. Two great rams horns extended from his forehead and curled around to either side of his massive head, and his face--all black save the pink of his slitted, goat-like nose--was contorted in a snarling grimace. His pointed teeth were clearly visible in his lionish snout, the lips there curled back in aggravation.
He appeared not to notice Juliette as he stalked from the doorway to his mother’s settee and demanded her attention, “Madame, I insist that you fire that disgrace of a valet this instant. See! See what he has done to my mane and tell me that a swift dismissal is not his just due!” He gestured with a great, claw-like hand at the reddish fur of his mane. There, framing his face, were a number of large coils of fur, apparently intentionally styled this way.
He threw up his hands, “He told me only half an hour ago that we were expecting company and then imposed upon my patience with his damned tendency toward the ‘latest fashions’.” He growled again and shook his head, causing the curls to bounce with gaiety that was clearly uncharacteristic, “Tell me, is it the latest fashion to look like a damned poodle?”
Here at last, Lady Downs was given some opportunity to interject. She cleared her throat to capture the creature’s attention, then pointed with the turn of her gaze to where Juliette sat upon the couch nearby, “Harcourt, allow me to introduce you to our guest, Miss Tash.”
Harcourt started and swiftly turned his great head to see that there was, indeed, someone else in the room with them. With a sharp intake of breath, he straightened and turned to face her, suddenly acutely aware of how informally dressed he was and how improper his entrance had been. His eyes, pale gray and decidedly human in their shame, were instantly cast down at the floor as he gave a small bow to Juliette. “Forgive me for intruding..” was all he could manage before turning and departing the room almost as quickly as he had entered.
Lady Downs watched as her son disappeared, then slowly turned back to her guest to see how she handled the scene.
