It is 1882-1883 Paris, France, and both the Parisiens and visitors alike bustle about in their daily lives. In the very heart of Paris is the recently constructed Op?ra Garnier, where performers, and scene-shifters, and all sorts of people from all sorts of professions busy themselves with maintenance and with preparations for performances.
Unknown to all but a small handful (and even to most of these, only as a myth), a spectre of a man dwells below them in the cellars, watching them, musing upon them, and occasionally preying upon their fears for sport, or acting as an invisible puppet master to the company.
Who knows what terrors this mysterious "Phantom" is capable of, or what surprisingly frightening or blissfully wondrous secrets he may have in store.
We are now accepting canon characters (no matter how obscure) and original characters (see list for recommended OCs). We also encourage the creation of characters who are historical figures or even people living in the period. We are an intermediate-advanced role-playing site, but are willing to help people who are new to role-playing progress quickly to an intermediate level.
Site plot and graphics created by Kristine. Concept by Mel and Kristine. Layout and skins created by Kristine. Templates by Kristine and Meg. The Rue Scribe Side is an intermediate-advanced role-playing website based on the 1911 novel Le Fant?me de l'Op?ra by Gaston Leroux. Copyright infringement is in no way intended through the creation of this site. The story The Phantom of the Opera is the property of its respective copyright owners.
Post by Christine Daaé on Sept 19, 2013 23:01:05 GMT -5
It was the end of a dress rehearsal, and Christine was on her way back to her dressing room. There wasn't particularly much for her to do in rehearsal. It consisted mostly of shadowing, and observing whatever the other performers were doing, and then singing the occasional chorus part. But now that it was all over, it was time for her to gather her possessions and head back to Mamma Valérius' flat for supper.
As she was rounding a corner in the hall though, another young woman happened to come around from the other side at precisely the same moment in time, causing the two to collide. After being dazed for a moment after having caught herself from falling by leaning against the wall, Christine looked upon the woman with whom she had collided. "Oh dear. I... I'm terribly sorry, Mademoiselle..."
Post by Amélie Poulenc on Sept 21, 2013 20:31:53 GMT -5
Thank goodness the day was almost over. So far it had been quite trying. Carlotta had been very hard to please this morning and the cook had done nothing to improve the situation by cooking the Thursday breakfast on a Wednesday. In addition to that the laundry service was not ready with Carlotta's favorite wrap which meant of course that Amélie had to do it herself. Her least favorite activity, the one chore she hated above all else and because of one silly miscommunication Amélie had been elbow deep in soap all rehearsal. Well, at least her mother had been right about one thing in life. If you wanted something done you had to do it yourself.
That was why, on an afternoon when she should have been designing new clothes and staring in shop windows for inspiration, Amélie had been hard at work cleaning a few essential items for la belle Diva all morning and now they were ready just in time for her mistress to change for any evening plans she had. Rushing down the hallway at break neck speed, so as not to be late and further ruin the day of Carlotta, Amélie did not notice that she was not the only one there. After all, why should she? She was the Ladies Maid of the Diva of the opera house: Carlotta Corazón- the supreme leading lady. Everyone knew that she was there for the Diva's personal comfort and they made sure to move quickly from Amélie's path whenever she was in a hurry as she was now. Why should Amélie stop and look for goodness sakes?
At yet, as she rounded the last corner before the dressing room she was rudely knocked back by the presence of another being who dared get in her way! Petticoats and dresses and the precious wrap few into the air and landed unceremoniously, along with Amélie on the dingy, dusty floor of the Opera's backstage. Sitting up, Amélie masked her annoyance and anger expertly not knowing who made the mistake of crossing her yet. As usual her years of experience in service paying off splendidly. "It was no problem really. No apology necessary. These days everyone is far too busy to look where their going- myself included."
Getting up off the floor and dusting herself Amélie began gathering all the tarnished objects from the floor while carefully assessing the creature that had stopped her so oafishly. She looked dreadful. Meek, modest, young, the hair was nice but not styled so well. Amélie on a better occasion might have felt sorry for her. "I do not believe I know you yet. It really is strange since I am here so often! Are you new by chance?"
Post by Christine Daaé on Sept 21, 2013 21:01:14 GMT -5
Clothes had scattered everywhere! The other young woman appeared to be a member of the opera staff of some sort, likely a maid, judging from her uniform. She was busy about, gathering all of the garments that had been strewn about in their collision. The girl bit her lip a little and bent down. "Here, let me help you..." She was done for the day, after all, so it wasn't as if she was in a rush to do anything other than to go home herself.
She reached to help pick up one of the garments, but paused and looked back up at the maid when she asked her question as to if she were new there. "I've been here about a month now, so not terribly long, no. I would assume you've been here for some time then?" the other woman looked quite familiar, though Christine could not recall ever having formally met her before, which would certainly explain the other's question as well. "My name is Christine, by the way. Christine Daaé. And yours?"
Post by Amélie Poulenc on Sept 21, 2013 21:13:07 GMT -5
It was a mess. A travesty. An absolute disaster! Carlotta would be furious. So was Amélie for that matter. She was going to have to wash these all over again! She wasn't sure who to be more furious with- the laundry service for making her wash these in the first place or this baggage for making her do it again! Still, Amélie managed to be cool and composed for the time being. She was sure she would get her chance at some kind of vengeance. And the little snipe was helping so at least that proved the girl knew she had done something wrong.
Amélie accepted the clothes from the offender and proceeded to set them straight as best she could; dusting off the fine material and removing bits of filth from them. She smiled indulgently as the girl when ton and nodded in response. "Five years almost I would expect. You tend to loose count after a while. The shows blend as do the people and there you are!"
A small tear in one of the skirts caught Amélie's eye and she frowned visibly as the girl continued on. She was truly more worried about the skirt than the girl introducing herself- as if she would care about the newest singer at the opera house. This one would, like any other one before her, either drop from the pressure or move on for one reason or another. It wasn't even as if she were uncommonly pretty. She didn't even look like she belonged here! More of a homebody than a singer for the opera. Still, the name is what caught Amélie.
So this was the....girl had been bothering Carlotta. Heaven's knew why but for one reason or another this was the girl Carlotta had been so upset about. Amélie looked up and her smile twisted a little wider in an attempt to be a little more friendly, Perhaps, just perhaps this meeting would get her a little piece of information, anything to please Carlotta and make up for the ruined wardrobe! "Amélie. Amélie Poulnec. I cannot believe it has taken us so long to meet. A whole month already and I haven't had the chance. I really must be loosing my touch! And have you settled in quite well? The opera can be quite a shock to some...."
Post by Christine Daaé on Sept 21, 2013 21:53:04 GMT -5
Christine helped the woman to gather up several of the garments as the pair continued their conversation. Given the woman's calm façade and civilized conversation, the poor girl would have never guessed how much she was seething on the inside. After all, she had no reason to suspect it, other than perhaps she was attempting her best to be polite despite the circumstances.
"It's fine, really," Christine assured her. "You must be very busy with your work here. I don't blame you for not having the chance the introduce yourself before, Mademoiselle Poulenc." A smile spread across the girl's lips as she sat back on her heels after having helped to collect a few of the scattered garments.
"I've... been settling as I can. It is quite different from being in Conservatory, though the building is quite lovely..." She gave a rather generic response. It wasn't a situation that she particularly cared to be in here at the opera, but hopefully she would be able to plead her case with Mamma Valerius soon enough and convince her that things would be better in the convent...
Post by Amélie Poulenc on Sept 21, 2013 22:25:20 GMT -5
This was extremely tiring. Being nice was so not in the cards for today. With the smiling and scraping Amélie was already quite exhausted with it but she had to find something out about this new girl. Anything really would suffice. Just something to appease Carlotta and keep herself from a sound tongue lashing! Everyone had to have a secret. This girl should be no exemption. After all, she was human was she not? They all were. There had to be something.
"Well. It's nice to hear that you are doing so well. So many people get home sick or run afoul of something so quickly here. It's almost like a disease." Amélie offered up a sickeningly sweet smile. "No one giving you trouble I hope?"
Post by Christine Daaé on Sept 21, 2013 22:40:14 GMT -5
Christine's smile faded slightly at the woman's words. It wasn't that she was homesick, really (after all, she lived only about a ten minute walk from the opera house), so much as it was that she was lonely, really. When she was younger, music had always been like a friend and a playmate to her. It was the only companion who she and her father needed when they were so very poor back in Sweden. But without him... it felt strange. Like a friend of the family whom she did not know very well outside of him, and with his death, no longer had any real reason or desire to associate with it.
Amélie asked if there was anyone at all giving her trouble there. Christine's eyes dimmed as the memories of her former relationship with music and with singing flooded her mind, and she shook her head a little. "No, not particularly..." There were some people who had been a bit standoffish, yes, and a stagehand here or there making the rather suggestive gesture in her direction, but they were things that one really had no way of avoiding whenever coming to someplace new.
"Nothing out of the ordinary, at least," she said, forcing the smile back onto her face, though her eyes still remained unquestionably dimmed from their appearance beforehand. "After all, one cannot expect everything to be all-accepting when coming somewhere new."
Last Edit: Sept 21, 2013 22:41:06 GMT -5 by Christine Daaé
Post by Amélie Poulenc on Sept 22, 2013 2:12:18 GMT -5
A hit! A hit! A palpable hit! Goodness. Amélie had been in the house far too long if that was the first quote that popped into her head when she saw Christine's smile fade just a touch at the mention of homesickness then. So the girl was lying. In some way the girl was lying. If she wasn't homesick then she was having troubles at home. Or maybe there was something about her family that was bothering her. That was something that she had too look into further. Another question, perhaps a mention of home or family again. After all, something had happened besides the smile when it was all mentioned. The girl had gone misty. Daft even. There was something there!
Placing the clothes carefully on a nearby stack of boxes Amélie began to brush of the gowns one by one as carefully and fastidiously as she could while still paying mind to the twit. At least the girl had the good mind to not say anything rude about Carlotta. That would have been the end of all things. Amélie would have been forced to stop all this politeness and give the girl a piece of her mind on every single subject from her inability to mind feet to her inability to know her betters. Thankfully, that was not the case. The girl was saved a sound tongue lashing and Amélie was spared the trouble of giving one- for now.
Looking up from her work as Christine finished her musing Amélie nodded in agreement and gave an indulging smile. "Well of course there will be troubles in any new place. For some it is much worse than others. Especially those who have family. A beloved sibling or mother or father they leave behind...."
Post by Christine Daaé on Sept 22, 2013 2:39:28 GMT -5
Christine pressed her palm flat against the wall of the hall and leaned against it in order to aid herself in getting back up onto her feet from the ground. She listened to what the other woman said, though she did not look at her. her mind was beginning to grow distant again. This place did that to her frequently, and she hated it! She hated that it always seemed to remind her of the way that things used to be... and that there was nothing she could do to make it stop.
"Well," she said, swallowing back a sob that threatened to emit itself from her throat, "I would think that such a thing would make it a bit easier, really... knowing that one has family that loves them, even if it is very far away... though if it is the distance that you are simply referring to, I suppose I am quite lucky in that regard. I've lived in Paris for most of my life now..."
Christine didn't like discussing her personal life, particularly not centered around such subjects as this. She didn't particularly like memories, because they were the things that tied her down and caused her to become so very upset. Whoever said that it was better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all had obviously never truly felt what it was to lose everything that one loved, all within a very short time, and at a very young age. They obviously did not understand how that could continue to haunt one for the rest of his or her life long.
It was an awful thing, to always be so melancholic about such subject, and yet she could not help it! She wanted desperately to be able to forget and to move on with her life, but it seemed that fate had a cruel way of torturing her with the haunted shadows of the past...
Last Edit: Sept 22, 2013 2:40:26 GMT -5 by Christine Daaé
Post by Amélie Poulenc on Sept 22, 2013 3:12:21 GMT -5
There was something seriously strange with this girl. She seemed to fade in and out of reality easily. It was as if at all time she was only part in the conversation. Her heart was not in the world, nor her head really. It was a wonder that Carlotta had even given a thought to this upstart child at all. She lacked a great deal of beauty and certainly style. In addition to all that Amélie was certain that the girl's head was not on straight. She seemed a bit loopy. Perhaps there was something wrong....That would make Carlotta happy. If nothing else Amélie knew she could deliver that news, along with anything else she might find on this little venture into the mind of the young Daaé girl. After all, the more the better. And it seemed Amélie was well on her way to another tidbit of information.
The girl only seemed to go misty when home was mentioned. It had happened twice now. Once with home once with family. The girl was a fool to think of family so highly in Amélie's opinion. Then again the girl had probably had a rather happy childhood. She had probably been the darling of her parents not a girl birthed to carry laundry and help with the brood. Her family hadn't turned on her the minute the first trial presented itself in the greatest likelihood. In Amélie's mind that was all family was good for- betrayal. Hers had practically thrown her out. Destroyed her and cast her off like an old boot for a sin that was not even really hers. Family couldn't be trusted. Family and men- the two most inconsistent things in the world and this girl was a fool to think highly of at least one of those institutions. Another thing to report- a food as well as daft.
Still, that couldn't be all. And there had to be something especially good or Carlotta would never forgive her. And the secret was so close. The girl was starting to choke up already and all Amélie had done was push family! She was so close. Victory was almost hers! Victory and then forgiveness. Carlotta might even agree to go home to change into her evening clothes if she was well enough mollified. Not that it mattered. The dirty garments would all be blamed on the twit before her if the Diva wasn't pleased. All that was needed now was a little push. A shoulder to cry on, a helping hand and Amélie was trained and bred for such things. It was only right that she give the young wretch some guidance.
Placing the clothes down gently Amélie walked over to where Christine was standing and gave her a perfect mask of concern and sympathy. Pulling out a beautifully laced handkerchief Amélie offered it up. "Oh dear. It seems my tongue has run away with itself again. I did not mean to upset you certainly! You sound so upset! But with family so nearby it can't be that your homesick! Is there anything I can do for you love? Anything at all? Oh please say I can help after being the cause of so much trouble!"
Post by Christine Daaé on Sept 22, 2013 12:25:04 GMT -5
It was then that the emotional walls went up inside of the girl's mind. she had never been one to shave her troubles with anyone, particularly not someone whom she did not know very well. It was quite common for her to shut herself and others off from it the first sign of such things coming off.
Her most common methods of doing such were also the ones which she found to be the most effective as a means of wiggling out of a situation she would rather have avoided altogether: either she would change the topic and try to have the other person discuss themselves instead, or she would dismiss herself if it got for too much out of hand. Thus, with the topic having come up, it was time to set in place the first course of action in the matter.
Christine shook her head a little when Mademoiselle Poulenc offered up the handkerchief to her, and then forced a mask of a smile upon her face. "No, please, Mademoiselle Poulenc, it is not at all necessary, thank you. I'm terribly sorry if I seem at all distraught. I'm a bit tired is all. It would be quite silly of me, really, to cause such a fuss about it. I do not wish to trouble you unnecessarily... And what about you? Is your family nearby? I would imagine having worked here for as long as you have that you've had quite some time to adjust yourself to things around here..."
She made mental note to remember to breathe, as it helped her façade to appear more natural than it actually was. though one would not have been able to tell it from any of her recent rehearsals and such there at the opera, the girl truly was a great actress. After all, the majority of the emotions she put on for both the public eye, and even in smaller, more private settings, were all an act in their own way.
The truly beautiful thing about acting was that, for a while, she did not have to be herself. There were none of her own troubles, or anything else that might have caused her distress or distrust... There was only the thoughts, feelings, and emotions of the role which she was individually portraying, even if that role were merely a happier version of herself, more like the little Christine that used to exist so many years ago on the beach in Perros-Guirec.
She really did hope that her attempt at a distraction would work. She was trying to believe the lie herself, which was often the most difficult part for her to do. Even if she could convince the world that there was absolutely nothing wrong... what she found difficult was to convince herself of that very same thing. It was a skill she desperately wished that she could acquire, to be able to feel the happiness and convince herself of it the way that she was often able to convince others. It would have helped, at the very least, to take a little bit of the pain of reality away... Or at least, she would have certainly hoped that it would have been able to help.
Last Edit: Sept 22, 2013 12:30:39 GMT -5 by Christine Daaé
Post by Amélie Poulenc on Sept 22, 2013 21:49:24 GMT -5
Another attempt and another failure. It was clearly something was wrong. She could see it on the girl's face as plain as day and yet the fool girl still denied it. This was tiring. This was frustrating. Amélie was just about ready to give up. Then again it seemed such a shame when she had been so close. And she couldn't go back to La Diva with an arm full of dirtied clothes and nothing to show for it! Even if she was going to blame it on this little thing anyways. Anything to soften the blow. But cracking this facade was more difficult than Amélie ever would have thought. Too difficult. According to Carlotta this girl had only a passable voice, but she must be an excellent actress to become an understudy so fast- and to try to get past Amélie's prying ways.
It was time to try another tactic. It was time to try something else. But what? She was not about to share her own rather sordid past with anyone. Not even her employers knew the story. That would never leave her mouth if she could help it. Amélie had even made a plan for if her old employers came to a party she was attending with La Carlotta she was so worried about anyone finding out- but a little lie now and again, that might elicit some sympathy. That might work just as well- it would certainly be less shocking.
Pushing away the usual feeling of disdain Amélie felt toward her family she prepared herself for a small white lie. "I have....I unfortunately have no family. I lost them all in an unfortunate incident five years ago. The opera has become my family now really- as close to one as you can have after you've lost everyone I suppose." Amélie put on her best frown and dabbed at feigned tears to make the mockery more real.
She wasn't really lying. Her family was dead to her, and she was dead to them. Her father, her brothers, her sister, her mother. None of them even had tried to contact her after the day she had been removed from the grand house by the 'grand' family and their 'superior' and 'well bred' ways. Her father was such a fool to respect them so. The whole family was rotten from the core and no one could see it but her. It was always that way with society: a guilded palace, falling apart from the inside.
Sniffling a few false sobs Amélie patted her eyes just one more time for good measure and shrugged with a feigned embarrassment and let out a pathetic little chuckle. "I'm so sorry. I don't talk about it often. Some of the girls used to press me and I found that no one really understands. Everyone here is so young and either still has their family or does not talk to them for one reason or another. Here I thought you were near tears and here you have brought me to a similar position. How silly must I look!"
Post by Christine Daaé on Sept 22, 2013 23:01:23 GMT -5
The further that the girl attempted to dig herself out of the pit of despair that she had fallen into, the deeper she seemed to become. Her eyed betrayed the shift in her emotions, back to the melancholic state that she had been trying to escape, but it could have easily been mistaken for pity, for the rest of her expression softened into one of genuine concern toward the other woman.
"Oh dear.... I... I'm sorry. I didn't realize..." she said, biting her lips. "No, you do not look silly at all. There is nothing silly about losing someone.... someone near to you..."
Her plan of escape certainly wasn't going at all like she had intended it too, but she couldn't leave. Not right this very second... She forced another smile and tried to catch the other young woman's eye. "At least an opera family is far better than none at all. And it would explain why you've stayed here all of these years... Perhaps someday it can be the same for me."
Christine highly doubted that such a day would ever happen, especially considering the fact that she did not wish to stay around even to the next day, much less long enough for it to become a second family in any way at all...
She bit her lips together again for a moment before continuing on. "If you'd like, you can come to my dressing-room to make yourself presentable again before going wherever it is that you need to. I'm afraid that it's a bit of a way still, though. My dressing-room is a long way from the others... I'm terribly sorry for the accident..."
Post by Amélie Poulenc on Oct 6, 2013 3:10:59 GMT -5
This was going no where. Absolutely no where. It seemed at every avenue Amélie was thwarted for one reason or another! One second there was sadness and longing in the girl's eyes and the next it seemed all was well. It was so irritating! So frustrating! The worst of it was is that Amélie knew she was on to something. Everything about family and the lack of family and loosing someone. It was clearly a feeling this girl knew well. That had to be something to use against her, but it was no enough! No where near enough! Carlotta would never excuse her with something so simple as a dead relative. Almost everyone had one of those. Unless it was a dead lover. Oooooooh! That would be something! Then again, this woman, no girl, looked so virginal, so innocent she probably never even had a thought of such things in her head. That was a shame. Still, there had to be something. There was always something! Just how to get it was the mystery and the challenge- one that was quickly becoming a bore.
This girl was just so sweet with the smiling and the attempts at comfort. Honestly! It was almost sickening. No matter Carlotta wanted her gone. It was eating too many sweets. She was just too polite and too aloof and totally wrong for this place! The opera would destroy her- eat this Ms. Daaé alive with all the backstabbing and corruption. It almost made Amélie wonder why Carlotta cared so much. After all, this girl would leave eventually. She would get pushed out naturally like so many before her. Then again, this was Carlotta and Amélie was not paid a salary to point out the obvious.
Wiping her crocodile tears from her eyes, Amélie gave her best supposedly grateful smile and listened to Christine's proclamations of hope. If this girl thought she would be here past the end of the month with Carlotta's gaze on her, she was seriously mistaken. This would never be her family. No amount of hope would change that.
At least all this play acting seemed to have worked to some effect. The girl had invited her into the dressing room she occupied. It was the perfect opportunity to learn more. If nothing else Amélie would be able to see what it looked like and give some detail as to the girl's preferences to Carlotta to do whatever she wanted with them. This was an excellent opportunity. One that might even get Carlotta to focus off of the messing gown! Sniffling pitifully Amélie wiped at her eyes one last time and nodded with a weak smile. "If you don't mind too much....I could use a moment. I don't want to intrude..."
Post by Christine Daaé on Oct 6, 2013 19:36:49 GMT -5
The poor girl had no idea as to the exact situation which she may or may not have been getting herself into. After all, she wasn’t even aware of the fact of just how much La Carlotta despised her, much less that this woman was her maid, or trying to dig up any information which might be able to ruin her. All she knew was that Mademoiselle Poulenc seemed to be upset… and if it were something as simple as company for a few minutes time that she needed in order to feel better, then why shouldn’t Christine oblige?
“You’re not intruding at all,” she said. “Follow me.” she offered a sympathetic smile and took a few steps before turning to make certain that the other was following her, before heading off toward her dressing-room.
It was a very simply furnished dressing-room. There were the main pieces that had previously been there (which consisted of a large full-length mirror on one of the walls, and a vanity and chair), as well as a few little things she’d brought herself. There was a small table with two chairs at it, some cupboards, a coat and hat rack, and a curtain hung to create an inner room for more privacy. In the inner room, there was an old chaise which had also come with the room, but not much else. Covering the vanity were an array of knickknacks that Christine had brought to decorate, including a portrait of her deceased father, which she would often sit and talk to for long periods when she was seemingly alone in the dressing-room. There was an assortment of papers and letters that she kept in neat little stacks on there as well, from a variety of sources, mostly the managers about various changes in scheduling and rehearsals. In the cupboards, she had hidden away a few sweets (candies and biscuits) along with a couple bottles of port and some glasses.
“Please, sit down,” she said as they entered, gesturing to the chairs at the table.
|ADMIN KRISTINE|: Okay, please be patient, people. I'm working on getting the sidebars back up while we temporarily stay before the move. :/ chat is stil theruscribeside.chatango.com
Feb 1, 2014 23:18:33 GMT -5
Random Leroux fan: I ended up here while looking at pictures of Kristina Nilsson. I'm not really into RP or fanfic -- but am huge Leroux FdelO fan an I had fun reading the "profiles" for Christine and Erik here. Well thought out by ppl who know the org characters. Thanks!
Mar 21, 2015 16:51:04 GMT -5
O.G.: I came here looking to rp. However it seems as though, no one is using this site any longer. This is quite a disappointment. If this site becomes popular again I would love to rp here.
Dec 18, 2015 0:00:47 GMT -5
|ADMIN KRISTINE|: UPDATE: After some time, I am pleased to announce that the new site is in creation and well on its way. Our new host requires us to build completely from scratch, hence the extended time, but the general coding has been figured out, which means you can...
Jun 5, 2016 22:13:21 GMT -5
|ADMIN KRISTINE|: expect the new site soon. We apologize for tghe delay.
Jun 5, 2016 22:13:52 GMT -5
|ADMIN KRISTINE|: New site location is live at ruescribe.icyboards.net/index.php . Official re-opening is July 10th, but feel free to check us out and register before then format and skin are still under construction.
Jun 26, 2016 2:22:14 GMT -5
|ADMIN KRISTINE|: Site Awards nominations are now up on the IcyBoards site!
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