The Darkened Room - Sandbox 1920's Paris Cabaret [Recruiting]

[Kakihara]

The Darkened Room - La Chambre Noire

(Ignore the modern touches, this is more an idea of what the main stage would look like.)

A great hole has been ripped in the heart of Europe and its people, one they are slowly recovering from after the Great War.  It has been a few years since the World War was resolved, treaties signed and what passed for peace came back to the world.  Still, it was not the first scar to be left in the heart of Paris, though the greatest may have been set in 1900 when some mark it as the birth of the Beast. 

At a time like this, La Chambre Noire has reopened with a new, grand design, both to dazzle with their cabaret performances on the main stage and side stages but also to dazzle in their parlors filled with both magicians and spiritualist.  While the heyday of the cabaret has waned in Paris, the spiritualism movement has taken Parisians by storm so the owners have decided to capitalize on this fact.  A cold war exist between the esoteric orders like the Golden Dawn and the Spiritualist with the rationalist trying to show the ignorance of both. 

Still, within the walls of the La Chambre Noire, everyone is equal and the staff are all treated as family, even if some rub roughly against others.  In the end, the cabaret is a home and a sanctuary away from a harsh and broken world.  People come here, both as customers and staff, to put aside who they are outside and take a break from what the world expects of them.  But such refuge can only last so long, and the world continues to revolve. 

Possible Characters needed:

Staff – The stage managers, electricians, waiters/waitresses and bar staff among just a few.

Entertainers – Dancers, Acrobats, Magicians, Mediums, Tarot Card Readers and more.

Customers – artist, politicians, socialites and others, the offerings of the cabaret draw in a wide range of interested parties.

The scene in Paris is in a more exploratory at the time so any sexuality would be open to characters along with any nationality.  The world has grown much smaller these days after it’s first world war, it’s scars still visible on the street and on it’s people.  Despite this, while most will be welcomed in the walls of the cabaret, I do want to be realistic on matters and not everything is all rainbow and sunshine in the greater world.  There may be prejudices and anger faced, even now many Germans still have a stigma from the war. 

While this will be a historical setting, I will probably be taking a few liberties with the occult and spiritualist sects for plotline reason, so there is wiggle room.  I may touch on the Ahathoor temple of the Golden Dawn and some of the Spiritualist movement groups as part of a larger metaplot.  But ultimately, this is a sandbox game for players to enjoy and play out their own character’s stories.   And while the center of things will be the La Chambre Noire cabaret, the characters stories will obviously encompass 1920’s Paris as well. 

My aim would be for this to be in the Bondage or NC section, I don’t think it would be entering the extreme.  And I would be looking for characters to have a RL face claim.  But ultimately, this is an interest check, to see if people would be interested in exploring stories in this setting.  I wanted to test the waters before setting up any more information on the building or a character sheet and set guidelines.





Magic and Spiritualism in the game:

Magick and spiritualism.  Is it real?  Is it all in the imagination?  Practitioners of the Golden Dawn consider magick the art of making reality conform to the will of the magician.  Spiritualist say they reach beyond the veil of life and death to contact the departed and glimpse the possible future.  Perhaps they are both right, or perhaps they are both a bit crazy and filled with imagination.  The group game will be approaching things as magic and spiritualism is real for the practitioner, in their minds they are affecting the world and doing what they claim.  But is it ‘really’ happening, is more a philosophical question.  No one is throwing fireballs or bringing the dead back to life.  It is a matter of perspective and belief. 

So the long and short of it is, the game would be taking a more realistic occult approach to matters.  I will be taking some liberties with the manner of the Golden Dawn and some Spiritualist movements to where they feel like they are in a spiritual warfare for the soul of the country.  Rituals are being performed, seances conducted and it’s all part of a grand work, a grand spectacle, happening in the background.  So characters with no believe would easily dismiss what people are doing as hokum and charlatans but the believer will feel it in their bones as if real. 



Reserved Face Claims:
Mads Mikkelsen
David Gandy
Neringa Kriziute
Richard Biedul
Aida Đapo
Burak Ozcivit
Chen Kun
Lady GaGa

Character sheets can be placed in the thread for review and approval or you can PM them directly to me if you are more comfortable or have questions.  I try to get back to people in a timely manner and answer any questions. Initially limiting to a maximum of three main characters to start, may revisit.

Code (Character Sheet) Select Expand

[float=right][center][img height=300]https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/89/Portrait_Placeholder.png[/img]
[img height=100]https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/89/Portrait_Placeholder.png[/img][img height=100]https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/89/Portrait_Placeholder.png[/img][img height=100]https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/89/Portrait_Placeholder.png[/img][/center][/float]

[b]Name:[/b]
[b]Role at La Chambre Noire:[/b] (Entertainer{as in what, dancer, medium, ect.}, Staff {bartender, electrician, ect}, Customer.)
[b]Age:[/b] (Characters need to be over 16 years old.)
[b]Sexuality:[/b]
[b]Ethnicity:[/b]
[b]Occupation:[/b] (What profession your character is currently in. Does your character own a business? This could be separate from their role if they are working at the place for a reason.)

[b]Height:[/b]
[b]Weight:[/b]
[b]Hair Colour:[/b]
[b]Eye Colour:[/b]
[b]Distinguishing Features:[/b] (Any scars, tattoos, injuries, etc.)
[b]Face Claim:[/b] (Face claims have to be over 18 years old)

[hr]

[b]Personality:[/b] (List at least five words that would best describe your character and explain the terms further. You can even write a summary of your character's personality instead.)

[b]History:[/b] (Where was your character born? How did your character grow up? How did they end up in Paris?)

[hr]

[b]Talents:[/b] (Information on what your character is good at.)

[b]Hobbies:[/b] (Optional list of hobbies and interest of the character.)

[b]O&Os:[/b] (Can list out your O/O specific to the character or link your O/O if they would be following your standard.)

[Foxy DeVille]

Hmmmm.... interesting. Might have an idea for a medium boppin' around my noggin.

[Vergil Tanner]

I'd be interested! Depending on who else is interested, I would either want to play as a politician / mafia boss, perhaps, or an entertainer. Leaning towards a Mafioso, perhaps, but if there aren't enough female characters I would play an entertainer. But my initial idea is an older mafioso, who would perhaps be a VIP of the club, and would have "crime stuff" outside the club. Would that be acceptable, hypothetically speaking?

What kind of freedom do you see the characters having in backdrops and whatnot? And what kind of business would the cabaret have? Would there be room for the cabaret to have a more sexual side to it, or is it strictly no touchy the performers? :P

Also, how widely known is the spiritual element? Is it widely known, or a secret? How wide spread are the powers? Are they rare, or can anybody dabble?

But yeah, I'm tentatively interested, either as a customer or a performer. Maybe both, if two characters are allowed :P

What kind of "entertainment" is present in the cabaret? :P

Possible Mafioso

Possible Entertainer

[Kakihara]

I'd be interested! Depending on who else is interested, I would either want to play as a politician / mafia boss, perhaps, or an entertainer. Leaning towards a Mafioso, perhaps, but if there aren't enough female characters I would play an entertainer. But my initial idea is an older mafioso, who would perhaps be a VIP of the club, and would have "crime stuff" outside the club. Would that be acceptable, hypothetically speaking?

What kind of freedom do you see the characters having in backdrops and whatnot? And what kind of business would the cabaret have? Would there be room for the cabaret to have a more sexual side to it, or is it strictly no touchy the performers? :P

Also, how widely known is the spiritual element? Is it widely known, or a secret? How wide spread are the powers? Are they rare, or can anybody dabble?

But yeah, I'm tentatively interested, either as a customer or a performer. Maybe both, if two characters are allowed :P

What kind of "entertainment" is present in the cabaret? :P

Possible Mafioso

Possible Entertainer

Well, Le Milieu was a fairly established thing by the 1900s from what I understand so I don't see that as a problem.  I want to leave a good leniency for people to do what they want outside of the cabaret though obviously keeping it to realistic ideas.  Like no burning down Paris or the like.  ;D

As far as a sexual side, well it's kind of an in-between, as there is a bit of a sexual revolution gong on coming out of the Victorian era and with the art scene at the time.  It's not encouraged by management and certainly prostitution on premise would not be tolerated.  Just grabbing at performers would not be tolerated but if the performer is ok with it when they are hanging with customers outside of a performance, no one is going to bat an eye.  And there are rooms for staff to use to rest so if they do anything among themselves as well, and they clean up, most management won't get annoyed unless they make a nuisance of themselves.

As far as the spiritual element, it is more metaphysical, whether it is real or not is up to the induvial character to decide.  I put it as something like the movie Frailty where you question is the person just imagining it, or in the case of the movie mentally broken, or is it real.  The RP is meant to be more grounded overall.  Hopefully that makes more sense.  Ultimately it is a more metaphysical and philosophical thing in the game.

As far as entertainment, it's much as I listed. For the main stage, you have dancers, singers/musicians, acrobats, comedians, even the occasional magician.  Then on the side parlors you have the mediums, the tarot readers and others of the spiritualist bent along with some magicians doing close up magic. 

Though I will note that the FC you have for the mafioso would actually be being used for the cabarets owner if the group gets off the ground.

[Vergil Tanner]

Aaah, ok, I see! I'll keep an eye on it, since I don't know how much time I'll actually have in the next few weeks, but I am definitely interested!

Also, bugger. >.> He's my go-to for older characters because I'm picky. I mighhhht have a back up, but only maybe. xD
That might have just made my decision for me, RE character. It depends on the characters other people bring to the table, tbh xD

What KIND of dancing do they have on stage? If I go performer, she'd either be a dancer or a singer (maybe both, depending on the night?). *Thinky Face*

[Kakihara]

Aaah, ok, I see! I'll keep an eye on it, since I don't know how much time I'll actually have in the next few weeks, but I am definitely interested!

Also, bugger. >.> He's my go-to for older characters because I'm picky. I mighhhht have a back up, but only maybe. xD
That might have just made my decision for me, RE character. It depends on the characters other people bring to the table, tbh xD

What KIND of dancing do they have on stage? If I go performer, she'd either be a dancer or a singer (maybe both, depending on the night?). *Thinky Face*

I would assume cabaret dancing for the most part.  Think Moulin Rouge.  As well as, with how the stage is set up, some more acrobatic dancing, like silk dancing.  And on earlier performances they may even feature some traditional dancing, like showing Paris the 'exotic' dances of India or Japan and the like. 

[Vergil Tanner]

Ooooh, silk dancing you say?
Alright, I reckon my girl will primarily be a lounge-style singer (those were very popular in those days, and a big draw), and a sometime silk-dancer. She'd also take part in the cabaret, though not necessarily in a lead role. She'd basically be trying her hand at as many things as possible to get that cash xD
She might also offer private cabaret dances if you pay her enough. :P
She's primarily a singer, but also dances on occasion if the program doesn't have space for an extended lounge singer act.

If that's ok with you as the DM, of course? ^_^

[Vergil Tanner]

Sidenote, I think I'm settled on a female character, an entertainer for the clientele, using Neringa Kriziute as an FC. Assuming the game gets off the ground, of course! ^_^

[Wistful Dream]

This is super interesting, tentatively interested.

[Kendra]

@Kakihara - colour me supremely interested.
Am thinking the Magician's assistant perhaps.

[Cosima]

This is a fun idea, I'm interested as well. 

[Praxis]

I'm thinking...

+  an up and coming politician (mid-thirties) that says "all the right things" in public when it comes to prohibition and "what's right and what's proper" to the local newspapers and muckrakers but also isn't afraid to patron La Chambre Noir because...well...the entitlement is real.

or

+  an aging out explorer and investigator of the occult (mid to late 40s) who is looking for some easily convinced people to help fund his next expedition of which he's quite sure (this time) that his theories will prove fruitful.


(pending they fit into the game and have approval from the GM!)

[LocusVonErich]

I have a nugget of an idea. A former French Foreign Legion soldier turned entertainer, using his musicianship as a means to heal from the war?

[Heptarch]

Tentatively interested, particularly dependent upon the actual nature/reality of magic in the game.

[Kakihara]

Ok, we seem to have enough interested so I've posted a character sheet, face claim reservation list and some info on how Magick and Spiritualism will be in the setting. 

As I've previously stated, I'm taking an approach similar to the movie Frailty, where it is left to the audience if the main character is a psychopath or really a warrior against demonic forces.  It's in the eye of the character and the reader.  Certainly, the believers think it is more than real when they reach beyond the veil to contact the dead or do a ritual to evoke a being.  So I guess you could say it's a realistic approach with a bit of flare. 

Now, that's not to say there won't be liberties taken.  As far as I know, or could find, there really were not conflicts between occultist of the Golden Dawn and members of the Spiritualist movement, but that's part of the fun. 

[LocusVonErich]

Do we have a specific year or time as to when the game will be set?

[Kakihara]

Do we have a specific year or time as to when the game will be set?

I was originally going to go with on the nose of 1920 but doing some research, I've decided to make it 1922 due to some metaplot ideas, probably start in the spring time.  Probably beginning of May. 

Actually decided to change it to 1922 as made some calculation mistakes.

[Vergil Tanner]

I don't have time to make a sheet now, but I'm gonna reserve an Entertainer, and can I reserve Neringa Kriziute as an FC? ^_^

[Cosima]

May I please reserve Aida Đapo (Idda van Munster)?

[Kakihara]

I don't have time to make a sheet now, but I'm gonna reserve an Entertainer, and can I reserve Neringa Kriziute as an FC? ^_^

May I please reserve Aida Đapo (Idda van Munster)?

Both reserved

[Cosima]

Thank you, kindly!

[Vergil Tanner]

Name: "Velvet Rose" [Real Name: Celestina de Fae (?)]
Role at La Chambre Noire: Entertainer: Cabaret Singer / Dancer
Age: 22
Sexuality: Pansexual
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Occupation: Sugar Baby

Height: 5'3
Weight: 135lbs
Hair Colour: Golden blonde
Eye Colour: Blue
Distinguishing Features: An hourglass figure, a small scar underneath her left breast and a pair of fairy wings tattooed on her upper back.
Face Claim: Neringa Kriziute



Personality:
Celestina is a little bit of an oddball to explain. How do you adequately describe somebody who is at once a chameleon, able to shift personas depending on current company and social situation, and yet also seems to always be the center of attention? She seems to crave the limelight and the attention, demanding that all eyes always be on her, that all minds always be drifting to her, that all wallets be opening for her. Whilst the small details - posture, smile, stance - might change, however, there are a few consistent through-lines. Celestina is effervescent and personable, able to talk to and make friendly connections with practically everybody she meets, always being ready with a smile and a light laugh for those she decides to entertain. She is good humoured and sociable, and - when she is interested in somebody - extremely flirtatious and quick to escalate to casual physical contact. She often seems to know exactly who and what she wants, and how to get them; she has had a string of lovers in the past, most of them seeming to trend towards the wealthier end of the spectrum, some of them concurrent to each other.

She doesn't seem concerned with her high body count, being rather liberal with her physical affections, so long as you have the money to fuel her tastes and lifestyle. And that is the crux of the matter; whilst not malicious or overtly manipulative, Celestina has a selfish streak, a self-serving side that ensures that she always makes sure that she "gets hers." She seems pathologically drawn to money and power, and will do almost anything in her power to enjoy it. The truth isn't that she's ambitious or hungry or narcissistic; it's simply that she's been in poverty before, and she knows that in this world, the only tools she has to avoid it is her looks...so she needs to build a nest egg before those inevitably fade. As a friend, she's loyal and reliable, often willing to go to extreme lengths to help and protect the people she cares about and the people who have earned her trust. Becoming one of those lucky few, however? Well, that's another matter entirely...

History:

Celestina claims to be a Parisian, born and raised; she knows the streets like the back of her hand, and the glamorous lights and glitzy walkways have always been her domain. But the problem is, anybody who goes digging will find that "Celestina de Fae" doesn't exist. Or at least, didn't seem to exist before four years ago. Nobody seems to remember that name before that time, and any time somebody mentions her family or home region, Celestina herself gets vague and non-committal. Whatever happened or wherever she comes from, she seems to be tight lipped about it, simply claiming to have lived in Paris all her life. Should you confront her on her apparent lack of history in the city, you would be met with a musical laugh and a gentle, perhaps morose smile. Celestina claims that she doesn't have a history with any of the well to-do people in the city because she didn't know them back then; she comes from the streets, an orphan of the big city like so many others, who managed through her talent to claw her way out of the gutters and into the spotlight. Nobody remembers her from back then, because she wasn't worth remembering. Simple as that.

The truth? Well, who knows the truth, really? The simple fact of the matter is that her being poverty stricken without any family to speak of is true, regardless of where she originally came from. She was not born in Paris as she claims, but rather the northern city of Rouen. She never knew her parents, and was on the streets scrounging for survival as long as she could remember. Between the labour shortage and the economic collapse faced by France's financial and farming sector following the war, nobody was doing particularly well, and street rats least of all. She never speaks of this time in her life, not to anybody; she was eventually found by an unscrupulous man looking to make a quick buck, and offered to pay her way into stardom in exchange for a large cut of her profits as her "manager," as well as certain other...liberties. She initially accepted, but soon found the job to be...less pleasant than she had imagined. The man, simply known as "Le Gautier," was a rising influence in the Rouen organised crime scene, and was not kind or gentle in his treatment of her. She made very little money, and relied on him for basically everything...and he made certain that she paid for it. But she was not a wilting flower; she had grown up on the streets, and she had bigger plans in mind than simply being his young arm candy until he tired of her and threw her away.

She hatched a plan; working quietly, she managed to entice a thug from a rival gang to think she was interested in him enough for him to make a play on Le Gautier's life. It was simple. Celestina lured Le Gautier into a rough part of town, where her accomplice ambushed him. During the firefight, Le Gautier was injured and her accomplice killed. In the chaos, Celestina lifted Le Gautier's wallet and pretended to fall to her death in the frigid, icey waters of the nearby river, hopefully faking her death. Needless to say...she needed an escape. And his cash that she had lifted gave her a way to do that. She smuggled her way onto a train headed for Paris as soon as she could, hoping to leave her trail cold and her fate assumed dead.

After that, well. She arrived in Paris six years ago, spending two years bussing tables, serving drinks and serving as arm candy in casinoes and burlesque clubs as she did her best to network, eventually managing to charm her way into a few singing gigs. She even worked at some...seedier establishments that were effectively fronts for flesh-houses when she couldn't quite make ends meet. She did the rounds of the city, singing and dancing in lounges and small clubs - and often "entertaining" the clientele - before the owner of La Chambre Noire discovered her. He offered her a lucrative job in his cabaret, and she jumped at the chance to jumpstart her career; she soon became a fan favourite singer and dancer in the cabaret act, and she got what she wanted in return. Not just a better paying job and a decent enough place to live...but access. Access to wealthy, powerful men and women who - for some arm candy and company for a night or two - were willing to shower her in expensive gifts, paid bills and fancy nights out on the town. And that was what she was after; she'd been in poverty once before, regardless of where she came from, and she wasn't going back. But she still looks over her shoulder; she isn't certain she can outrun her past forever, but with some luck...she'll make some powerful and wealthy enough friends to survive the storm when it arrives...



Talents: Singing, dancing, social interactions, is an intermediary gymnast (even though her bodyshape makes it hard to actually perform), isn't too bad with a revolver, knowing when somebody is lying to her, sweet-talking, plays the piano to an intermediary level, fashion, Polyglot (English, French, Spanish, Italian)

Hobbies: Fashion magazines, music, sewing, dancing, drinking, smoking.

O&Os: BDSM, Dom / Sub, rough play, hair pulling, spanking, scratching, biting, roleplay, costumeplay, dirty talk, light degredation, getting expensive presents, near-public play, choking, kissing, performing, orgasm control, edging, breastplay.

[Vergil Tanner]

And there's Celestina! I hope she's ok!

And if any eligible, wealth patrons are looking for a Sugar Baby, she is more than happy to oblige >.> :P

[LocusVonErich]

I’m still trying to figure this character out, so there’ll be a delay on the sheet.

[Timeless]

-plants a flag!-

... I mean, it ain't no surprise. >->

I'm debating between a Chinese acrobat, or at least a Chinese performer.. I'll think more about this, since I still need to do more research. But figured something considered 'exotic' like a foreign performance would be appealing to the owner of the cabaret. Hope that sounds good. <-<;