Redoubtable Downtown Space Abbey - Turn 6 - A Young Sentient's Fancy

@penguinchris

  Lady Jane
  +-Health-------------+-RANK-+-PER-+-FSH-+-BUS-+-MIL-+-EDU-+PLUCK+
  | Good (7)           |  644 |  27 |  31 |  34 |  31 |  24 |  0  |
  +--------------------+------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+
  | Health (+0): Your condition is unchanged
  | Rent (-725£): Fashionable Apartment (Moving fee -25£, rent: -700£)
  | Deposit on Proper Apartment returned (+400£)
  | Wear: (-400£) Remarkable Ornamentation
  | Hire: (-50£) Pony and Trap
  | Attend: Ms. Fangley, Rank+20 and elected as Alderhuman
  | Wager (-133£): Spiny Echidna (high roller: FSH+3)
  | Grand March: Oblate Spheroid is pleased
  | Double Quadrille: Ssskidwish is openly pleased
  | Waltz: Cassie Oceana is courteous
  | Buy (-5£): Dr. Arbuckle's Whipweed Tonic Wine
  | Buy (-10£): Ms. Merrimoose's Soothing Syrup
  | Buy (-15£): Franklin Gooseberry's Remarkable Colloidal Seryl
  |   + Are these medicines safe to take together? (hallucinating)
  +--- Holdings ---------------+---Net---+-Income-+-Upkeep-+Change+
  | Thunder Down               |    500  |   550  |    -50 |   0  |
  | Fashionable Apt. (rank+300)|   -700  |     0  |   -700 | -300 |
  | Whipweed Farm              |    385  |   616  |   -231 |   0  |
  | Lagoderm Ranch             |    483  |   794  |   -311 |   0  |
  | Sketchy Lagoderm Ranch     |    203  |   338  |   -135 |   0  |
  | Seryl Mine                 |     50  |   146  |    -96 |   0  |
  | Problematic Synergies      |   -100  |     0  |   -100 |  -50 |
  +----------------------------+---------+--------+--------+------+
  | Purse:  400£
  | Income: 821£/turn

@old

  Dr. Heinz Franksenketchup
  +-Health-------------+-RANK-+-PER-+-FSH-+-BUS-+-MIL-+-EDU-+PLUCK+
  | Very Good (8)      |  516 |  31 |  38 |  35 |  37 |  38 |  0  |
  +--------------------+------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+
  | Health (+1): Medical attention from your physician
  | Rent (-425£): Proper Apartment (Moving fee -25£, rent: -400£)
  | Deposit on Spartan Apartment returned (+75£)
  | Wear: (-400£) Remarkable Ornamentation
  | Hire: (-200£) Sporty Gig (Temp Rank+25)
  | Attend: Dining Hall, Rank+25 What a witty fellow!
  | Grand March: James Riptide is pleased
  | Double Quadrille: Oblate Spheroid is openly pleased
  | Waltz: Richard Forester chose to dance with wisconsin_platt!
  +--- Holdings ---------------+---Net---+-Income-+-Upkeep-+Change+
  | Castle Ponsfleischmann     |    500  |   550  |    -50 |   0  |
  | Proper Apt. (rank+150)     |   -400  |     0  |   -400 | -325 |
  | Sandfishery Rights         |     95  |   115  |    -20 |   0  |
  | Lagoderm Ranch             |    113  |   133  |    -20 |   0  |
  | Seryl Mine                 |     91  |   295  |   -204 |   0  |
  | Whipweed Farm              |    100  |   133  |    -33 |   0  |
  | Industry Verticals (bad)   |    260  |   400  |   -140 |   0  |
  | Import/Export shares       |    291  |   579  |   -288 |   0  |
  | Physician's Services       |   -150  |     0  |   -150 |   0  |
  +----------------------------+---------+--------+--------+------+
  | Purse:  350£
  | Income: 900£/turn     

@hadley

  Elizabeth Mary Farnsworth VI
  +-Health-------------+-RANK-+-PER-+-FSH-+-BUS-+-MIL-+-EDU-+PLUCK+
  | Hale & Hearty (10) |  657 |  32 |  34 |  27 |  32 |  35 |  0  |
  +--------------------+------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+
  | Instructed by your Marshall (MIL+3)
  | Rent (-725£): Fashionable Apartment (Moving fee -25£, rent: -700£)
  | Deposit on Spartan Apartment returned (+75£)
  | Wear: (-400£) Remarkable Ornamentation
  | Hire: (-200£) Sporty Gig (Temp Rank+25)
  | Attend: Dining Hall, Rank+25 What a witty fellow!  Rank-25 Er,ummm...
  | Grand March: Charlotte Branchwit chose to dance with pogo!
  | Double Quadrille: Rockford Julius chose to dance with david_falkayn!
  | Waltz: Eighth chose to dance with ghoti!
  +--- Holdings ---------------+---Net---+-Income-+-Upkeep-+Change+
  | Farnsworth Downs           |    500  |   550  |    -50 |   0  |
  | Fashionable Apt. (rank+300)|   -700  |     0  |   -700 | -625 |
  | Printing business (large)  |    805  |  1290  |   -485 |   0  |
  | Volume of Poetry           |      0  |     0  |      0 | - 11 |
  | Whipweed Farm              |    219  |   365  |   -146 |   0  |
  | Marshall (MIL+3/turn)      |    -75  |     0  |    -75 |   0  |
  | Problematic Synergies      |   -150  |     0  |    -75 |  -75 |
  +----------------------------+---------+--------+--------+------+
  | Purse:  60£
  | Income: 599£/turn

@donald_petersen

  Carcinogennifer Honeyvenom
  +-Health-------------+-RANK-+-PER-+-FSH-+-BUS-+-MIL-+-EDU-+PLUCK+
  | Hale & Hearty (10) |  636 |  24 |  28 |  23 |  24 |  20 |  0  |
  +--------------------+------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+
  | Deposit on Spartan Apartment returned (+75£)
  | Wear: (-200£) Fashionable Outfit
  | Hire: (-750£) Furry Little Surrey (Temp Rank+150)
  | Attend: Governor, Rank+75, a rather bold statement is made Rank-100
  | Grand March: Chewseen is pleased
  | Double Quadrille: Madeline Penumbra chose to dance with nimelennar!
  | Waltz: Melisande Copse is pleased
  +--- Holdings ---------------+---Net---+-Income-+-Upkeep-+Change+
  | Dewclaw Manor              |    500  |   550  |    -50 |   0  |
  | Ssskidwish                 |    -50  |     0  |    -50 |   0  |
  | Fashionable Apt. (rank+300)|   -700  |     0  |   -700 |   0  |
  | Sssketchy Lagoderm Ranch*  |    150  |   210  |    -60 |   0  |
  | Successssful Patent        |    223  |   223  |      0 |   0  |
  | Indussstry Verticals       |    240  |   433  |   -193 |   0  |
  | Lagoderm Ranch             |    327  |   552  |   -225 |   0  |
  +----------------------------+---------+--------+--------+------+
  | Purse:  -260£
  | Income: 690£/turn

@manwich

  <pleasing hum>
  +-Health-------------+-RANK-+-PER-+-FSH-+-BUS-+-MIL-+-EDU-+PLUCK+
  | R.I.P (0)          |  798 |  23 |  27 |  30 |  32 |  27 |  2  |
  +--------------------+------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+ 
  |  Health (-2): Swan song
  +--- Holdings - (probate) ---+---Net---+-Income-+-Upkeep-+Change+
  | <dissonant chord>          |    500  |   550  |    -50 |   0  |
  | Luxurious Apt. (rank+500)  |  -1200  |     0  |  -1200 |   0  |
  | Whipweed Farm              |    150  |   195  |    -45 |   0  |
  | Seryl Mine                 |     81  |   272  |   -176 |   0  |
  | Sketchy Sandfishery Rights |    258  |   383  |   -125 |   0  |
  | Sketchy Lagoderm Ranch     |    200  |   333  |   -133 |   0  |
  | Sketchy Sandfishery Rights |    290  |   430  |   -140 |   0  |
  +----------------------------+---------+--------+--------+------+
  | Purse:  224£
  | Income: 279£/turn

@David_Falkayn

  Julius Rothschild Karekin
  +-Health-------------+-RANK-+-PER-+-FSH-+-BUS-+-MIL-+-EDU-+PLUCK+
  | Good (7)           |  835 |  36 |  37 |  34 |  25 |  32 |  0  |
  +--------------------+------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+
  | Health (+0): Your condition is unchanged
  | Rent (-1225£): Luxurious Apartment (Moving fee -25£, rent: -1200£)
  | Deposit on Proper Apartment returned (+400£)
  | Wear: (-300£) Luxurious Option
  | Hire: (-50£) Pony and trap
  | Attend: Ms. Fangley, Rank+20
  | Wager (-72£): Tumblemuffin (high roller: FSH+3)
  | Grand March: Johann Wentworth is pleased
  | Double Quadrille: Rockford_Julius is courteous
  | Waltz: Liversnaps-grayson is openly pleased
  +--- Holdings ---------------+---Net---+-Income-+-Upkeep-+Change+
  | Waddeson Manor             |    500  |   550  |    -50 |   0  |
  | Eighth                     |    -50  |     0  |    -50 |   0  |
  | Luxurious Apt. (rank+500)  |  -1200  |     0  |  -1200 | -800 |
  | Seryl Mine                 |    116  |   221  |   -105 |   0  |
  | Sandfishery Rights         |    150  |   170  |    -20 |   0  |
  | Successful Patent          |    419  |   419  |      0 |   0  |
  | Industry Verticals         |    124  |   248  |   -124 |   0  |
  | Whipweed Farm              |    510  |   678  |   -168 |   0  |
  | Import/Export shares       |    163  |   206  |   - 43 |   0  |
  | Barrister                  |   -250  |  -250  |   -250 |   0  |
  +----------------------------+---------+--------+--------+------+
  | Purse:  35£
  | Income: 482£/turn

@mrmonkey

  Jean-Rhys Witherspoon Wilhelmina Winnifred Rodchaser née Westingham
  +-Health-------------+-RANK-+-PER-+-FSH-+-BUS-+-MIL-+-EDU-+PLUCK+
  | Well Enough (6)    |  716 |  32 |  46 |  33 |  24 |  35 |  0  |
  +--------------------+------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+
  | Health (-1): You feel even worse
  | Rent (-725£): Fashionable Apartment (Moving fee -25£, rent: -700£)
  | Deposit on Spartan Apartment returned (+75£)
  | Wear: (-400£) Remarkable Ornamentation
  | Hire: (-400£) Proper Four-in-hand (Temp Rank+75)
  | Attend: Ms. Fangley, Rank+20 and elected as Alderhuman
  | Wager (-101£): Captain Rocket (high roller: FSH+3)
  | Grand March: Eighth is pleased
  | Double Quadrille: Lizzy Heliotrope openly pleased
  | Waltz: Mary Flowers is openly pleased
  | Buy (-15£): Franklin Gooseberry's Remarkable Colloidal Seryl (FSH+0)
  +--- Holdings ---------------+---Net---+-Income-+-Upkeep-+Change+
  | Coulibri Island            |    500  |   550  |    -50 |   0  |
  | Fashionable Apt. (rank+300)|   -700  |     0  |   -700 |   0  |
  | W.U. Distinguished Prof.   |    472  |   533  |    -61 |   0  |
  | Import/Export shares       |    446  |   767  |   -321 |   0  |
  | Sketchy Sandfishery Rights |    242  |   404  |   -162 |   0  |
  +----------------------------+---------+--------+--------+------+
  | Purse:  21£
  | Income: 960£/turn

@nightflyer

  Eudaemonia Betalinda Ponsonby-Britt
  +-Health-------------+-RANK-+-PER-+-FSH-+-BUS-+-MIL-+-EDU-+PLUCK+
  | Excellent (9)      |  491 |  34 |  36 |  29 |  26 |  33 |  0 |
  +--------------------+------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+
  | Health (+1): You feel a little better
  | Rent (-425£): Proper Apartment (Moving fee -25£, rent: -400£)
  | Deposit on Modest Apartment returned (+200£)
  | Wear: (-400£) Remarkable Ornamentation
  | Hire: (-600£) Stylish Spider Phaeton (Temp Rank+100)
  | Attend: Ms. Fangley, Rank+20 and an unfortunate gaffe (Rank-25)
  | Wager (-25£): Captain Rocket (bettor: FSH+1)
  | Grand March: Madeline Penumbra chose to dance with daneel!
  | Double Quadrille: Liversnaps-grayson is quietly pleased
  | Waltz: Melisande Copse chose to dance with donald_petersen!
  | Buy (-15£): Franklin Gooseberry's Remarkable Colloidal Seryl (FSH+0)
  +--- Holdings ---------------+---Net---+-Income-+-Upkeep-+Change+
  | Bedlams Bower              |    500  |   550  |    -50 |   0  |
  | Proper Apt. (rank+150)     |   -400  |     0  |   -400 | -200 |
  | Printing business (small)  |    138  |   180  |    -42 |   0  |
  | Successful Patent          |    225  |   225  |      0 |   0  |
  | Industry Verticals         |    200  |   400  |   -200 |   0  |
  | Weatherby War Bonds (I)    |    324  |   600  |   -276 |   0  |
  +----------------------------+---------+--------+--------+------+
  | Purse:  64£
  | Income: 987£/turn
1 Like

[GM Note: This round in particular has been only lightly double checked. As always, please bring any discrepancies you may notice in my bookkeeping to my attention and I shall endeavor to resolve them with all due haste.]

As gossip circulates, a more global view off the ball is glimpsed and one begines to see the social structure in greater clarity. More specifically, you may now begin to see your romantic rivals. Who danced with your partner later in the evening? Who saved that special someone for the Waltz? Whom did your partner choose to decline that they may have the pleasure of your own dance?

Think on these things as the courtship phase moves forward.

Player Grand March Double Quadrille Waltz
pogo Charlotte Branchwit Jasper Milkthistle Madeline Penumbra
gwwar Jasper Milkthistle Mary Flowers Tom_Ratchetcrank
nimelennar Margaret Rockingham Madeline Penumbra Melisande Copse
ghoti Madeline Penumbra Lizzy Heliotrope Eighth
daneel Madeline Penumbra Mary Flowers Charlotte Branchwit
wisconsin_platt Lizzy Heliotrope Eighth Richard Forester
MalevolentPixy
fintastic Ssskidwish Eighth James Riptide
penguinchris Oblate Spheroid Ssskidwish Cassie Oceana
old James Riptide Oblate Spheroid Richard Forester
hadley Charlotte Branchwit Rockford Julius Eighth
donald_petersen Chewseen Madeline Penumbra Melisande Copse
manwich
David_Falkayn Johann Wentworth Rockford Julius liversnaps-grayson
mrmonkey Eighth Lizzy Heliotrope Mary Flowers
nightflyer Madeline Penumbra liversnaps-grayson Melisande Copse

Players and Wards are shown in bold due to the ten-account limitation on @mentions.

To understand how well one connected with one’s various partners, the dance outcomes can be referenced in the Players Handbook.

6 Likes

[Temporary GM Note: Something more unfortunate appears to be afoot due to a botched sort on the back end data. Given the significance of dance results, I’m going to go over this with a fine-toothed comb and repost tomorrow. For the moment, please ignore all dance results and accept my apologies amidst the brouhaha.]

6 Likes

Little Liz hides behind an embroidered curtain and cries as it is near midnight and no one has chosen to dance with her.

“Don’t give up hope yet.” Says her cousin
Hieronymoose Farnsworth, III @Wisconsin_Platt. “I believe the orbit of Weatherby just went through a hiccup in the space time continuum. There may still be hope for you yet.”

12 Likes

Stayin’ alive! Stayin’ alive!

6 Likes

At the Estate of < Dissonant Chord > where a certain Obloid of some repute lays in repose, a newly appointed Aldermoose and his ward take time to say their respects in private.

Summary

Hieron: I pay my respects to this Obloid what I passed not half an hour before the Ball.

Rocco: Oh yes, the, uh, the < Pleasing Hum > …What’s,uh…What’s wrong with him?

Hieron:: I’ll tell you what’s wrong with him, my lad. 'E’s dead, that’s what’s wrong with him!

Rocco: No, no, 'e’s uh,…he’s resting.

Hieron: Look, matey, I know a dead Obloid when I see one, and I was looking at one the other night.

Rocco: No no he’s not dead, he’s, he’s restin’! Remarkable shape, the < Pleasing Hum >, idn’it, ay? Beautiful geometry!

Hieron: The geometry don’t enter into it. He’s stone dead.

Rocco: Nononono, no, no! 'E’s resting!

Hieron:: All right then, if he’s restin’, Let’s wake him up! (shouting at the casket) 'Ello, Mister < Pleasing Hum >! I’ve got a lovely bit on non-euclidean space for you if you show…

(Rocco pushes the coffin)

Rocco: There, he moved!

Hieron: No, he didn’t, that was you pushing the coffin!

Rocco: I never!!

Hieron:: Yes, you did!

Rocco: I never, never did anything…

Hieron: (yelling and hitting the coffin repeatedly) 'ELLO PLEASING!!! Testing! Testing! Testing! Testing! This is your nine o’clock alarm call!

(Lifts Obloid out of the coffin and fall back in. )

Hieron: Now that’s what I call a dead Obloid.

Rocco: No, no…No, 'e’s stunned!

Hieron: STUNNED?!?

Rocco: Yeah! You stunned him, just as he was wakin’ up! < Pleasing Hum > stuns easily, major.

Hieron: Um…now look…now look, mate, I’ve definitely 'ad enough of this. That Obloid is definitely deceased, and when I witnessed him it not ‘alf an day before the ball, I was assured total lack of movement was due to him bein’ tired and shagged out following a prolonged duel.

Rocco: Well, he’s…he’s, ah…probably pining for the fractals.

Hieron: PININ’ for the FRACTALS?!?!?!? What kind of talk is that?, look, why did he fall flat on his back the moment they got him home?

Rocco: The < Pleasing Hum > prefers keepin’ on it’s back! Remarkable obloid, id’nit, squire? Lovely geometry!

Hieron: Look, I took the liberty of examining that Obloid when I visited his home, and I discovered the only reason that it had been sitting on its perch in the first place was that it had been NAILED there.

(pause)

Rocco: Well, o’course it was nailed there! If the Obloid hadn’t been nailed down, it would have nuzzled up to those doors, bent 'em apart with its obtuse angle, and VOOM! Feeweeweewee!

Hieron: “VOOM”?!? Mate, this Obloid wouldn’t “voom” if you put four million volts through it! ‘E’s bleedin’ demised!

Rocco: No no! 'E’s pining!

Hieron: ‘E’s not pinin’! 'E’s passed on! This Obloid is no more! He has ceased to be! 'E’s expired and gone to meet 'is maker! 'E’s a stiff! Bereft of life, 'e rests in peace! If he hadn’t been nailed to the perch 'e’d be pushing up the daisies! 'Is metabolic processes are now 'istory! 'E’s off the twig! 'E’s kicked the bucket, 'e’s shuffled off ‘is mortal coil, run down the curtain and joined the bleedin’ choir invisible!! THIS IS AN EX-Obloid!!

(pause)

Rocco: Well, I’d better pay my respects then.

Hieron and Rocco leave the parlor sliding the doors closed behind themselves as they leave. Taking their hats and coats from the door-bot, they quietly walk back to the carriage they’d rented for the trip out.

Although he had had his differences with the Obloid, an Aldermoose had to keep up appearances.

13 Likes

Oh, Gods, I’m dyin’ meself!!

8 Likes

Tom slips up behind Liz, gently touching her shoulder to get her attention. When she glances up he hands her a stiff drink with smile tinged wan every so slightly. The curtain comes between them again as he steps back and as Liz finally gets clear all that is left to be seen is Tom’s back as he slips out the door of the ball.

10 Likes

[Nearly four centuries ago, a comedic legend, from a group of comedic legends, had made an unusual bequest in his Last Will and Testament. Unusual, but quite in keeping with his sense of humour.

The executors of the legend’s estate argued about it, but eventually decided to honor his wishes. A special coffin was constructed, with a mechanism that followed an ubiquitous design, but served a unique purpose. The mechanism lasted a week, before melting down from a level of use several orders of magnitude higher than expected.

After the fifth attempt, the machine itself was finally sturdy enough for prolonged operation, but the surface of the coffin had begun to ablate from air resistance. Superior materials were obtained, and the outer surface was replaced with something more durable.

Eventually, as the mechanism was made to work exponentially harder over time, even this was not enough, and it was determined that the mechanism must be made to operate in a near-vacuum. As part of the same change, it was decided to launch the coffin into space, rotate it magnetically instead of mechanically, and, in a particularly inspired move, to use Newton’s Third Law to give a station built around it artificial gravity.

Now, in Old Earth’s orbit, SpinBot detects that, once more, someone has taken a sketch from a group known for being both transgressive and shockingly original, and has parotted it in a way that is not transgressive, nor shocking, nor in any way original. With a silent robotic sigh, it adds one more rotation to the number it has to complete in its eternal task, and raises the rotation speed ever-so-slightly accordingly.

And within a molecularly-smooth cylindrical diamond coffin inside a vacuum inside a magnetic field deep in the heart of Cleese Station, whatever remains of John Cleese’s remains (though probably long since crushed against the walls of the coffin into paste and powder by centrifugal force), spin on.]

12 Likes

Balls.

10 Likes

[GM Note: The fine auditors from Price Watermoose Cooper have completed their audit. Player stats have been reviewed and corrected, dance outcomes have been updated and should now represent reality. Should any questions still linger, please bring them to my attention at once. Player Database will be updated later today and with luck I should still have the turn options posted later this evening. Thank you all for your patience throughout this unexpected difficulty :face_with_monocle:]

10 Likes

The Capstanturnbuckle’s have always stood upon the Gibraltar of their deeds and honor. That such frippary should be necessary to succeed waxes my desire to have the heaving deck plates of a solar-sailed skip beneath my boot shod claws once again. A proper man of military, of exploration, should need not more than a Spartan apartment in which to hang his hammock.

Alas, these times are different, and I’m afraid old lobsters who still wear their bicorns amidships with properly clubbed antennae are the ones being left behind.

10 Likes

St-Patrick-Hartbrooke looks upon the drafts he has written on foolscap, reading over the phrasing, making sure that all the levels of subtext that he intends are there (and, more importantly, that there is no subtext present that he doesn’t intend). Satisfied, he dips his pen into his inkwell and begins writing, with careful, restrained calligraphy, three thank you notes: one to each of the nice young Citizen-Pretender who allowed in the honour of a dance the previous evening, and another to Ms. Applethwaite, for the invitation to dine at her table.

When the letters are complete, he signs each in a manner much less restrained and careful, blots them to assist the ink in drying, and then folds them a moment later after they are dry.

Taking the letter for Ms. Applethwaite in hand, the gentlebird reflects upon dinner. He had been surprised, despite plans being clearly available in the Public Ledger, that he had been the only member of Leviathan’s at Ms. Applethwaite’s table. True to his expectations of himself, he had acquainted himself well in matters of etiquette and protocol, and Ms. Applethwaite had acted quite taken with him… however, she obviously wasn’t quite so taken, since he had not, as so many others had, been handed an invitation to the next occasion at her salon.

It is difficult to say why he did not make the cut, but, as no other members of the Leviathan Club were present, perhaps one had to be truly extraordinary to be seen as deserving such an elevation in social standing. Alas, it seems it was simply not to be. The letter he had written to the salonnière was intended to be charming but formal, clearly acknowledging the difference in rank between them, and expressing gratitude that someone like her would have deigned to share a table with someone like him, as plainly and rigidly worded as possible to avoid any double meanings or assumptions of familiarity. Of the three, this was the letter he’d laboured most upon, because sending a poorly-written thank-you letter to someone who values etiquette above all else is even worse than the already unforgivable sin of not sending such a letter at all.

On the opposite end of the spectrum was the letter he’d basically dashed off with barely a thought, the letter for the charming Miss Rockingham. The Grand March was a fairly simple dance, and certainly not known for its romantic undertones, but Miss Rockingham had seemed content with him as a dance partner, so far as one could be in the March, and he didn’t recall seeing her with another partner in the later dances. In this letter, most of the Space Griffin’s effort had gone into avoiding any promises or talk of the future, while laying some small flatteries and making it clear that he was still interested. He had tried to leave out any subtext of “until someone better comes along,” but it was nearly impossible to do so entirely without saying things that couldn’t be taken back if, or when, someone better did come along.

In the middle between rigid perfection and careless charm was the letter he wrote to Miss Penumbra, with whom he had enjoyed a rousing Double Quadrille. She had not seemed hesitant to post with him (and certainly, some of that was his own fault, as it had been ages since he’d danced a quadrille, but some he blamed on his still-healing injuries from the duel…)…

As his mind reflects on the duel, the light seems to dim in the room, and St-Patrick-Hartbrooke’s thoughts become caught up in replaying that last, cryptic message before the final round. What had it meant? Should he have stayed? Could he have stopped…

As his fists clench, he feels the smoothness of the paper in his hands and comes back to the moment, noting with relief that he has not managed to crease the paper, which would require him to redo all of the carefully-wrought calligraphy. What had he been… enthusiasm, that’s right. Miss Penumbra had not seemed enthusiastic about their dance as they had parted, but he certainly seemed to have done a better job impressing her than Commander Capstanturnbuckle. In fact, she had seemed the happiest after dancing with Mr. Dipswitch; Aaaakzeee was considering — not seriously, of course — buying some of that fake medicine that the Space Feline had been drinking as if it were wine; it seemed to have worked wonders for Dipswitch’s ability to dance.

The letter to Miss Penumbra, of course, had to project a higher level of interest than the one to Miss Rockingham, as he actually wanted not only to keep her attention, but to draw it away from his new, drug-addled, adversary. However, it mustn’t seem in any way desperate; he wanted to leave a small bit of the inference that he was keeping his options open, while at the same time dropping tantalizing hints that he didn’t think someone better would come along. All of the nuance and subtext that he had been holding back on in the other two letters flowed through, and he was quite proud of the end result. There was nothing improper, of course, but he suggested a depth of feeling here that he had toned down in his letter to his other dance partner and omitted entirely in the one to his dinner host.

As he started to heat the wax to seal the letters, his eyes fell on the fourth, blank parchment he’d prepared. Of course, he would not be sending a letter to Miss Copse; sending anything at all would be seen as an act of desperation, given the complete lack of attention she had shown him. It stung, that he had not been able to gain her interest, but given Ms. Honeyvenom as his competition, he wasn’t surprised. Perhaps he should have selected Miss Copse for the Quadrille rather than the Waltz. Perhaps not, though; he might have lost both dance partners.

With a shudder, St-Patrick-Hartbrooke looks back the moment of profound disappointment he’d felt when he’d thought two of his preferred dance partners had rejected him. He probably wouldn’t have been in such high spirits now, if that had happened. Thankfully, it had all been a miscommunication. No, better to look upon the present than to dwell on possible pasts. God was still with him, as evidenced by the success in his endeavours and his improving health, and he would continue along the path that he had been placed on.

Speaking of the present, the wax has presently melted. The Taaa’keee carefully seals and addresses each of the three envelopes, and leaves them in his “Out” box to be sent off to their intended recipients.

13 Likes

Liz blushes.Then she leans and against window frame and smiles slightly as she drinks the gift. If only this was a different time and place

9 Likes

“A Citizen Pretender’s imagination is very rapid; it jumps from admiration to love, from love to matrimony in a moment.”

– Jane Clawsten, Pincers and Pinchability

Turn Deadline: Sun Mar 25 @ 5pm EDT


Salon season is in full swing, but the members of Leviathan’s are plumb smitten with the rememberances of the ball and determined to pursue their desires accordingly.

Please note - given the options available this round, the spring of 2419 presents a remarkable opportunity to take advantage of submitting private orders to @Bartlebot. One may certainly wish to commit one’s intentions to the Public Ledger, but the advantage of a quiet move submitted off the record cannot be underestimated.


Turn-specific events

Meanwhile, one might expect the following:

Turn 6 plague progress: Very Good chance for any existing condition to improve, Poor chance for it to worsen instead.
Turn 6 risks: Fair chance for any ‘sketchy’ tract to be contested in court by Weatherby’s Barristers. Contested deeds have an Good chance of being resolved in favor of the current owner, otherwise prior claims are discovered by the courts and ownership of the tract will be transferred to a random household.
Turn 6 special risk: Vanishing chance of experiencing a catastrophic encounter.

Noblesse Oblige

Optional: With the recent coverage in the Space Times that working classes have managed a meager but respectable collection in order to construct an orphanage, common sense dictates that the better classes should address the shortfall of public services within the city at once. Any number of collections are immediately organized to be made toward any number of worthy causes. One may donate to any combination of causes in any amount as one sees fit, naturally assuming one can support such a set of donations.

For example:

DONATE 3 400

Option 1: Donate to the construction of a grammar school: The next generation must be instructed in the fine arts of reading, writing, and rhetoric. Why in time, it may rival even Excelsior Hall!

  • Benefits: PER+2 and Rank+20 per 100£ donated. School to be named after the largest contributor.

Option 2: Donate to the construction of a public park: The open spaces are so inviting in all seasons. Let us endeavor to set aside a space for all citizens of Weatherby to enjoy blossoms of spring, the sultry summer evenings, and the charming decay of autumn.

  • Benefits: FSH+2 and Rank+20 per 100£ donated. Park to be named after the largest contributor.

Option 3: Donate to the construction of a trade school: A traditional path for the bright and eager to enhance their standing. By pairing young minds with lifelong masters, skills may be enhanced to the benefit off all. Benjamin Wheatly himself would be proud.

  • Benefits: BUS+2 and Rank+20 per 100£ donated. School to be named after the largest contributor.

Option 4: Donate to the construction of a public library: Ah, the hallowed halls of learning and introspection. Weatherby University may cater to the academics, but even young minds delight to hear a stirring tale of adventure in a far off land.

  • Benefits: EDU+2 and Rank+20 per 100£ donated. Library to be named after the largest contributor.

Military Service

With the potential threat of a resurgent New Prussia, the Queen herself has authorized the purchase of an official commission in the local forces. Purchasing a commission is a one-time payment that allows one to immediately assume the appropriate rank. Each subsequent rank is incremental instead of cumulative, that is to say: moving from the rank of Ensign to the rank of Lieutenant in the Space Hussars will cost an additional 250£ and yield an additional bonus of MIL+3 an Rank+15. This option will remain available for at least the next 12 months (i.e. at least through Turn 9). For example:

Commission Ensign Space Dragoons
Commission Space Hussars MIL bonus RANK bonus Space Dragoons MIL bonus RANK bonus
Ensign 450£ 4 20 840£ 8 80
Lieutenant 700£ 7 35 1190£ 12 120
Captain 1800£ 18 90 3225£ 32 320
Major 3200£ 32 160 4575£ 44 440
Lt. Colonel 4500£ 45 225 6175£ 60 600

Courtship

Thoughts are filled with gentle gestures and coy conversations. One should continue to pursue a potential pair bond with all possible haste against the encroachment of a potential rival. One may continue to demonstrate affection for any dance partner from the ball or alter one’s focus entirely. Heartfelt letters will be written with honesty, forthrightness, and dignity. One may write up to two Citizen Pretenders with increasing levels of interest. For example:

Write 1 Jasper Rawhide  (indicating a level of honest but guarded interest)
Write 2 Madeline Penumbra (indicating a level of intrigue and fascination)

Outcomes will be modified by PER only during this phase. One will have an advantage with any Citizen Pretenders that were pleased to share a dance with you at the ball, but rivals may yet win the attention of any potential sweetheart with a few well placed words. The list of Citizen Pretenders available for courtship may be found in the program you’ve kept as a memento of the evening of dance. Next season, you will expect to take a moment to call upon the recipient of your first letter and to stroll through the Weatherby Botanical Gardens with the recipient of your second letter.

Name                              Likes                        Dislikes
@Tom_Ratchetcrank                 ???                          ???
@liversnaps-grayson               ???                          ???
@Qaaxtzl                          ???                          ???
@Rockford_Julius                  ???                          ???
@Chewseen                         ???                          ???
@Ssskidwish                       ???                          ???
@Eighth                           ???                          ???
Mary Flowers (Space Moose)        FSH, Income                  MIL
Johann Wentworth (Space Human)    PER, BUS                     FSH
Oblate Spheroid (Geometer)        MIL, BUS                     EDU
Harriet Codsworth (Space Piscean) Income, PER                  FSH
Henry Argyle (Space Human)        Rank, EDU                    BUS
Jasper Milkthistle (Space Human)  PER, FSH                     Rank
Melisande Copse (Space Moose)     Rank, FSH                    Income
James Riptide (Space Lobster)     MIL, Rank                    PER
Lizzy Heliotrope (Holographic)    EDU, Income                  MIL
Madeline Penumbra (Space Human)   FSH, PER                     BUS
Cassie Oceana (Space Lobster)     Income, Rank                 EDU
Richard Forester (Space Moose)    BUS, EDU                     PER
Jasper Rawhide (Space Canine)     EDU, Income                  FSH
Margaret Rockingham (Space Human) EDU, PER                     BUS
Zoë Thistleheart (Space Lizard)   Income, Rank                 EDU
Charlotte Branchwit (Space Moose) FSH, MIL                     PER

Place Wagers

Optional: One may choose to wager on this season’s Lagoderm race. Merely select a promising creature from the Sports & Leisure section and also indicate the size of the wager. Example:

Wager Hamdinger 100

Rent:

Optional: One may procure personal quarters within the city at the current market rate. Any change of quarters comes with an additional 25£ fee for moving services. Each improvement represents a move to a better neighborhood with a more impressive address. Example:

Rent Spartan apartment

The following neighborhoods are available for rent.

Nature of Quarters          Upkeep                Effect     Neighborhood       
--------------------        --------------       ---------- --------------
Spartan apartment            75£ per turn         +50 rank  Ten Path
Modest apartment            200£ per turn         +75 rank  Paddingdown
Proper apartment            400£ per turn        +150 rank  St. Marrowbone
Fashionable apartment       700£ per turn        +300 rank  Dragoon Mews
Luxurious apartment        1200£ per turn        +500 rank  Whipweed Place

Although the plague continues to abate, several useful medicines are still available for purchase by popular demand:

 5£ Dr. Arbuckle's Whipweed Tonic Wine
10£ Ms. Merrimoose's Soothing Syrup
15£ Franklin Gooseberry's Remarkable Colloidal Seryl
3 Likes

Might I ask, as a point of clarification, whether one might donate to multiple causes?

What good is it, I ask, if you teach a young sentient to read, but do not provide them any suitable material to peruse in their leisure time?

4 Likes

What a lumping dance party!!! Like this is totally how my love story begins, isn’t it? A Grand March, a Double Quarille, and then that lumping sweet Waltzzz! It was better than a hot can of beans!

Like, I mean, I could have sworn I took a break for sandwiches, but those temporal glitches! You never know when these timelines collapse. This is for sure the best timeline, where I’m extra hot and sizzling. You know I should totally write a book about how I’m hot. It’d be like a best seller. And then maybe I could give out tips and junk! So everyone can like dance like me! They’d get so popular~~~

But getting sick was SO eye opening! I gotta live life! Hoarding all that money didn’t really make me happy. Spending it does! I am living my best life.

[ Dutchess Gummibuns finally reads the papers, having failed to do so in any timely manner. ]

Oh, my Glob, you guys, drama bomb! Like, I totally thought that cube was just boring and skipped the ball! BUT…

dead

13 Likes

One may certainly donate to multiple causes! It is only fit and proper that a landed estate support any individual cause to varying degrees as befit the interests of the household.

3 Likes

This military commission - can we purchase commissions for other people?

Obviously, there’s nothing so base as a salary associated with the position, but is there a pension?

3 Likes

Excellent! That is what I expected, but when one cannot make multiple investments or multiple wagers in a season, one feels the need to ask.

Thank you.

2 Likes