A thought on a potential plot genre

[Arian]

Last last night, I found myself really interested in watching Windsor Castle: A Royal Year. It's a BBC/PBS (Oregon) series about watching what everyone who lives and works in Windsor Castle (Queen Elizabeth II home) does to prepare to keep it sane and going throughout an entire year. It's a year in a life kind of thing.

What really marveled me about the series was many craftsmen and workers they hire from everything from furniture and jewelry restoration to cooks, guards, cleaning servants, and the like. Even the Queen looks like she's really working when she's home away from the cameras. It is a very interesting series that I'd suggest viewing.

What does this have to do with Castle Marrach? Well, in a sense, we play in a castle that is also the living home of many people. And there are quite a few of us who have characters with some crafting trade of some sort or another. And since we seem to be in a kind of a building mode, why not have restoration projects to try to restore something that say, Prince Bertram has cherished, or maybe have an announcement that leaders from another Kingdom (maybe Vivienne's parents) are coming for an official visit in a year's time, and have the denizens slowly prepare for that momentous event. The strains and struggles towards achieving some sort of castle-wide accomplishment would be a really good thing, I bet.

I guess I'm trying to say is that we have a lot of plots that goes on, but they seem to be more self-centered and not castle-centered. And definately more along a violent trend, which I'm starting to have a lot of distate over. And I wonder if this could be a way to refocus ourselves away from such plots and towards something more...Courtly and mysterious. And less have to do with someone impending death.

So before I go and suggest this as a @plot idea, I'd like to know if this would be something most everyone would want to try to do. Because it would take a lot of cooperation to pull something like this off, something that I don't know if we have at the present time.

[Rosalind]

Definately. If you have noticed, the tapestries throughout the Castle are moth-eaten and worn, barely recognizable as well as the threadbare rug in the Refectory.

Rosalind asked the Queen personally about this in a meeting with her and was directed to contact the Royal Curator, Dame Zenaida, who hasn't responded to the scroll Rosalind sent her months ago (maybe five?) if I remember correctly.

However, Rosalind is still determined to help in any way she can, this being one of the focuses of her character and is working to have all the banners and standards replaced in the Throne Room and Baron's Hall with the current ones of the Realm. (The ones now are not recognizable due to being so worn and threadbare). This she has also gotten the direct permission of the Queen and the Lord Chamberlain, once she figures out exactly what to take down and where to replace what (probably Royalty and Nobility banners adorning the Throne Room while Knights standards adorn the Baron's Hall) in addition to creating extra standards and banners to give directly to those they belong to, to hang in their Suites, Households, or display how they please. However, on this particular one we are waiting (and have been quite some time) on the availability of Mistress Ermengarde.

Other than the waiting and inavailability of players/VP's this might have been underway by now, much like many of the projects my character has tried to initiate, with Heraldry, the Courtesy Circle, and so on.

Oh, and I have physically been to Windsor Castle while the actual Queen of England was in residence, though I didn't get a chance to see her. Beautiful place.

[Xewe]

*me likes*

[Wildra]

Originally posted by Rosalind
probably Royalty and Nobility banners adorning the Throne Room while Knights standards adorn the Baron's Hall)

Don't forget the banners in the practice hall...

[Rosalind]

Yep, there's that and places elsewhere I am considering requesting them, including the Knight's Hall and the Ladies' Hall.

[Avaria]

Definitely would be interested, especially if the payoff was that we got to meet King Albrech or someone on that level. >_>


Oh, and Rosalind, if I ever catch wind of what you're working on IC, you and me, we're going to have a little talk. Mostly about storage alternatives, don't sweat it.

[Finna]

OO I like this idea!! Oooo yes!!

[SPXios]

I could probably make a guess at the number of times renovations haven been worked on. At least on lesser scales. Be it the Lady's Hall or one of the Royal Suites. Or a grander scale. Such as the OB Theater, crafter's hall, or the changes to the Armory/Forge. But those were either perhaps not to the scale you are thinking of, or perhaps people have forgotten things such as the fact the theater wasn't always there. That those rooms once held another purpose. Anyone else recall back when Launfal would tell people he wouldn't put a bench in the courtyards?

Now a few months I know I saw one of those shows about castles. The Morroco castle. Seeing some of those rooms, I've little doubt that what is being said here about there needing to be more and newer decorations about the castle is needed.


So is it the amount of orders from characters which the crafters are getting which makes this something infrequent? What prevents people from taking on some of these projects?

[Mairead]

It's probably that no-one's ever thought of it. The banners for example, are not exactly 'prominent'. People dont tend to have a real good look at things like that, and take the environment for granted somewhat.

[Avaria]

Originally posted by SPXios
I could probably make a guess at the number of times renovations haven been worked on. At least on lesser scales. Be it the Lady's Hall or one of the Royal Suites. Or a grander scale. Such as the OB Theater, crafter's hall, or the changes to the Armory/Forge. But those were either perhaps not to the scale you are thinking of, or perhaps people have forgotten things such as the fact the theater wasn't always there. That those rooms once held another purpose. Anyone else recall back when Launfal would tell people he wouldn't put a bench in the courtyards?

Now, see, I thought what Arian's player was talking about was, not so much an architectual renovation, such as the newly proposed Arts offices or the new courtroom or whatever (which, I assure you, are widely talked about while under construction), but more a sprucing up of the place, clean things up a bit.

Have the Heralds and Seamstresses not just replace banners and/or tapestries, but patch holes in existing ones. Have the Carpenters sand the splinters out of the tables in the Refectory. Have the jewelers buff up the frames in the portrait gallery. That sort of thing. Pride of place activities.

I don't think it was so much a "We're tired of looking at the same four walls every day, where are the new things?", as it was a call to apply some elbow grease and make the castle all bright and shiny because it's our home.

I could of course be wrong, but that's what I read in the initial post.

[SPXios]

Good tasks for various crafters to keep in mind. No doubt there.

[Arian]

Yup, that's what I had in mind, Avaria. Althrough on second and third reflection, the question of "What's new?" has come up. Especially in the IB.

And if there's one thing I've learned as a crafter: Do not come between Zia and a buffer machine or an aceythne (sp!) welding torch. (Ditto for Eeva.)

Oh, and Rosalind? Seeing Windsor in person? I envy you.