maps explained
Mood:  lazy
Topic: Maps

I realized I forgot to mark the doors on the map of the Servants' Quarters that I posted. Sorry! It's fixed now.

Going back over the maps of the Servants' Quarters and Upstairs Hallway, I figured it would be helpful if explained a couple things. If you didn't realize this already (from looking at the maps while reading the story), thick lines are walls, thinner lines coming out of the walls are doors (quarter-cirle lines show how far the door swings out when opened), and lighter grey patches within the walls are wall-doors. The little white circles are chamber pots, and the colored boxes (outlined in brown, with a white square on it) are beds. Most furniture are desks/vanities, chairs, nightstands, dressers, trunks/crates, and bookcases/shelving

Specific to the Servants' Quarters: Brown ovals are washtubs; the ones for bathing are plain, and the ones for laundry have peach squares (washboards) on them. The black rectangle in the Wash Room is the stove to heat the water on. The different-colored blobs in the Supply Room just illustrate piles of random things (mostly cleaning equipment). The white lines crossing the Laundry Room are laundry lines. The yellow circle in the middle of the Great Room is the bell to wake the servants up. The black circles in the room off the Head Servant's Room make up the set of chains hanging from the ceiling in the room where disobedient servants were punished (flogged, don't get any weird ideas...). All the brown squares in the Store Room are crates (and some trunks).

Specific to Upstairs Hallway: The brown lines along the inside wall in each room is a fireplace (the same color as the rest of the furniture in the room; Rome's fireplace is along the outside wall). Please note that the colored lines along the outside wall of each bedroom are drapes (notice their colors correspond to the color of the bed and the chair in the current room). The odd-looking red-and-brown shape along the outer wall of Rome's Room is his windowseat. The flooring in the bathrooms is a different color because the floor is colored tile (the color being a lighter shade of the color of the bed/chair/drapes in the corresponding bedroom). The rounded white rectangles in the bathrooms are large bathtubs (Rome and his mom have bigger ones). Rome has a shower as well (big white square; not exactly like a modern-day shower, but we haven't come to that yet...). The translucent rectangle (outlined in brown) in each bathroom is a tiled-topped counter. Brown rectangles in the closets and bathrooms are shelves. The red circle in the Office is a comfortable red armchair.

The Staircase drops off into the Entryway below (on the first floor).

Dark patches may or may not be made into hidden rooms in the future.

Noting wall-doors would be a good idea.  *COUGH*hint*COUGH*

Dungeon passages all have stairs leading down at the end of what you can see on the Upstairs Hallway map (don't end there; you just can't see/don't know where they lead).

Rome's Room, his Mother's Room, the Master's Office, and the Master's Suite will all be touched on later in more detail. And, of course, so will the passages...

 

Hope that sheds a little more light! I thought most of the things on the map were pretty obvious in accordance with the story, but then again I'm the author, so everything makes sense to me.

Rome's Investigation
Mood:  lyrical
Topic: Preview

I've been spending an immense amount of time sorting out the classes for the society I've created. Here is a generalized list of the classes, from top to bottom:

1. Nobles
2. Merchants
3. Innkeepers
4. Businessmen
5. Businesswomen
6. Tavern Owners (bar tenders)
7. Commoners
8. Servants

There are a few extra classifications as well. Prostitutes and Servants get the brunt of everything, and (obviously) suffer the most in society. Commoners are barely a step up from Servants (a fact of which they are very aware), and Tavern Owners are really only successful/glorifed Commoners. Businesswomen are somewhat on the same level as Tavern Owners, except that they are looked down upon by nearly everyone in the community (so they have a rough time of it). Businessmen are quite wealthy, and although arrogant, are prone to using flattery. Innkeepers are obsessed with money, so they will do almost anything for a price. Merchants are the "bad boys" on the block; the smart people just get out of their way. Noblewomen are full of plots and schemes (and lots of drama), and Noblemen are the top of the foodchain (and require subsequent bowing and scraping).

Those not mentioned (besides the Prostitutes) are those generally associated with the Temple (which is a class system all its own). In the temple you have (from the ground up) Temple Servants, Priests, and Temple Maidens. Temple Servants are the extreme bottom of the social ladder, being fodder to the other temple inhabitants, though still somewhat respected by the normal citizens of the town for fear of the Temple (which does protect its own, servant or higher). Priests (and Priestesses) take care of the basic functions and administration of the temple. Temple Maidens are subject to Priests/Priestesses, but in many ways they actually have more power (physically, not necessarily politically). Healers are an odd group, sometimes found in temples and sometimes on their own, depending on personal preference.

Prostitutes are generally left to protect their own. Most of the time they have owners (just like Servants), and they are treated as even below Servants. They usually end up very independent personalities, but they do band together to protect their own when the group is threatened.

People who manage the storefronts along the streets are generally commoners, although Businesswomen do so as well (usually bigger storefronts though, maybe part of it is actually inside a building), and Merchants may open a storefront to introduce their wares to a new area. However, Merchants usually have their own indoor stores, comparable to those of Businessmen (if not greater).

 

Please note that this "generalized" information might prove VERY helpful before you read Chapter 10 (which I am currently about halfway through, or more)--unless you want to learn EVERYTHING as Rome does, which is fine, but it might be a little mindboggling.

 

Chapter 9: The Facts of Life
Mood:  special
Topic: Preview

Chapter 9 is now finished and posted...Actually, it was finished and posted on Oct 26th, but I just realized I hadn't announced that on here yet. SO HERE IT IS!!  I'm announcing it.

I have two titles for chapter 9: "Living with Women" and "Blood and Women", but I decided the former might be more useful later...

The point of chapter 9 is to introduce some relational aspects to the story.  Rome and Labriella have been on odd terms due to a couple incidents, namely Labriella's initial parting with Rome, the near-rape scene, and Labriella's servant mentality. As time passes, Rome's true feelings start to come out more and more. His questions and revelations are as startling to him as they are to Labriella.  You see a little of Rome's patience breaking in this chapter, due to a misunderstanding that couldn't really have been helped. Many sexual references in the story are due to Rome not having had the "facts of life" explained to him--ever. Body of a man, instincts of a beast, and mentality of a child: a difficult mixture for anyone to sort out, let alone a socially-deprived male who has been suddenly made aware of the presence of women.

Chapter 10 will deal with Rome getting answers. Some interesting revelations, and some insight into how much Rome really doesn't know. Adding in more "social" means more chapter complexity, but I promise I'll proofread, post, and then edit the chapter, like chapters 8 and 9, so it won't take so long to post. (Note: "Proofread" = grammar/spelling mistakes, "Edit" = technicalities)

 

I'm seriously considering paying someone to draw a couple pictures of my characters for me (I have a few ideas for content/poses). If you're interested, please contact me. Thanks!

ARTIST WANTED!!!!!!!!
Mood:  hug me
Topic: Media

I've been working on that "character gallery" I mentioned way back when. Sadly, I have been able to find hardly any pictures that even remotely come close to capturing the appearance and true nature of my characters. The image below is the one picture that I feel overly satisfied about.

So here's my announcement: ARTISTS WANTED!!!!!!! Seriously, I need someone who's really good at drawing to draw my characters. I would draw them myself, except I'm not so great at drawing people (though I am getting better). 

As far as drawing style, I'm thinking somewhere between anime and realistic. The picture I've posted here is a great example...except visible facial features would be nice! It doesn't have to be all professional (though I wouldn't complain if it was), just true to the story.

If you're interested, email me back at sblackpassion@yahoo.com, and/or leave a comment to this post.

 

In the meantime, I'll be working on chapter 9 and the map of the downstairs portion of the house. WAFF is on its way!

Upstairs Hallway map
Mood:  rushed
Topic: Maps

The map of the upstairs hallway in Rome's mansion in Beauty and the Beast is now COMPLETED!!!!!!!! I created a new gallery specifically for maps for Beauty and the Beast, so if you want to see all the maps I've created so far and/or if you want to know a little bit more about the maps and where they fit into the house, you can go there (link is in the panel on the left).

Slightly-new site layout: I changed the color scheme a little, so it should be easier to read. I would have done that earlier, but I badly wanted the site to be red on black...

Next map to be posted should be a map of the downstairs portion of the house, including the entryway, parlor, dining room, and kitchen, and maybe a little more... *hint*HINT*

Chapter 8 is Finished!
Mood:  accident prone
Topic: Preview

Ok, so chapter 8 is finally finished!!!!!! *YAY* *YAY* *YAY*

So yeah, go read it at MediaMiner or FictionPress.

Chapter 8 is pretty much exclusively about Rome's house (a.k.a. his family mansion), so not much romance or plot twist action.  The point of the chapter was solely to show you the house. It's an introduction to Rome's family life (before the beast), and it's a reference point: pretty much everything in this chapter will be brought up again later in the story.

So sorry guys, not much action in this chapter, just setting the stage for the action.

Maps Update
Mood:  party time!
Topic: Maps

I just updated the Servants' Quarters map I posted on 6/13. I'm working on a map of the upstairs hallway and a map of the downstairs, which are both proving tricky (the latter more so). Chapter 8 has alot about the house, so I've been forced to parallel work on the map and the story at the same time. It's a slow and tedious process, because I want to make sure everything checks out, but it's near completion, seeing as it may be a little while before I lay out in its entirety the remaining floor.

I think I've solved the Work --> Romance transition problem. It will begin, I think, after chapter 8.

Sneak Preview
Mood:  on fire
Topic: Preview

This is a poem I wrote several years ago, but with a few obvious minor word replacements, it should give you something of a sneak peek into the not-so-distant future in the story.

 

A heartfelt love,

A soul once lost,

A mind once broken in two,

Can be mended alone

In the depths of cold hope

And the life which drives lifelines

Anew.

A soul that can feel

And a heart that can break

Are no good

To a mind that’s alone.

The troubles of the day

Will never melt away

As long as I say

That I love you.

Though I know of the sorrow,

And I dream of the pain,

I would deny my tomorrow,

And scorn my own shame.

My dreams should be shattered,

My heart made anew,

To spare you the shame

Due to me you once knew.

So I’ll smile through the sorrow,

And grin through the pain,

And allow you the freedom

I never could gain.

And tomorrow I’ll see you,

And tomorrow I’ll grimace,

Tomorrow I’ll suffer,

I’ll not be a hindrance.

I’ll not be the pain

That I’ve been you before,

I’ll not look behind me

When I walk through the door.

I’ll not ask for sympathy,

I’ll deny my compassion;

I’ll seek through the surface

In no more my fashion

Than the birds of the sky

Will live in the sea,

Than the dragons of lore

Will, pray, come rescue me.

Forever I’ll long,

And forever I’ll hope for

No more than a trace

Of all that I’ve searched for.

I longed and I pleaded,

I hoped, you succeeded

In grinding my heart

To the ground.

And with all that I’d given,

You clearly alluded

That one day, you’d

Settle the score.

But one day will come,

And one day will go,

And all will remain

Is a whisper of old hope.

My love will go stale,

My trail have gone cold,

My mind go numb,

My desires no bold

-er than a wisp of cloud,

Than the wind in the sky,

As the wings of the dove

Will gently flow by,

And God will remind you

That you made me cry.

 

But though your deep eyes

May fill with resent,

Your beautiful smile

Is my one cherished gift.

Go light up the world,

Go preach of our God,

Go forget about me,

Find she to match your smile.

For I’ll not see you unhappy,

But I will shoo you away

To a place where you’ll be happy,

Where I’ll not live another day.

 

Sorry about Chapter 8...I just keep finding things to add! But seriously, it should be up by the end of the week, at the very most, because it is very close to being done.

I'm having some difficult transferring Labriella from work mode to romance mode. I still don't know if I want Rome or Bre to initiate it... Any suggestions?

Servants' Quarters map
Mood:  rushed
Topic: Maps

I've posted a map of the Servants' Quarters. Long overdue, I know. I've been holding onto it because for some reason the web filter at my college blocked Angelfire--probably because of advertisements. In any case, it's pretty self explanatory, if you have it handy while you're reading the story.

I'm working on the "character gallery" thing mentioned in the previous post. But right now, I think it's time I finished and posted chapter 8!

A map of the downstairs portion of the house should be posted soon after I finish chapter 8.

I decided my primary posting site will be FictionPress, though I will still be posting on MediaMiner. Links to both sites are now in the left navigational column of this site.

 

Chapter 7
Mood:  hug me
Now Playing: Plumb: Chaotic Resolve: Damaged
Topic: Media

Okay, so I just posted my latest chapter on Mediaminer. I should be posting some pictures in not too long of similar pictures to my characters, probably in their own photo album.

Here's a link to Plumb's site as promised.

Already busy writing chapter seven! Not sure how long it'll take, what with school and all, but I'll see what I can do.