Doing Some Website Work
Aug. 24th, 2009 11:20 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
crossover_chickThe upshot of which is, "V.D." has a proper start page again, and all 13 chapters, AND all the stories on the Corpse Bride page have both the usual snarky disclaimers and notes about the stories.
-VD: *applauds* Thank you very much.-
:)
-OD: *tentacles* Us next, right? You did promise. . . .-
Yeah, I'm gonna find out where the beginning is, then I'm gonna watch Spider-Man 2 to get into the proper mood Wednesday. :) Tomorrow is a mall trip day -- I'm bored and need out of the house.
-VD2: RPG characters joining you, I suppose.-
-RPD: You still need to post with a couple. Plus there's someone's reapplication. . . .-
Actually, I finished that, just gotta send it out. Actually, perhaps you guys can help me out -- do these sections look okay?
Personality: Victor’s rather on the shy and repressed side, thanks to his upbringing. His parents (in particular his mother) were constantly on him to be the good, quiet son. As a result, Victor doesn’t like disappointing people and tries to be as helpful as possible. He also tends to apologize for things a bit more than necessary. He doesn’t usually get visibly angry, used to tamping such emotions down – it takes a fair bit to piss him off, though it can be done. When he gets upset, worried, or stressed, he tends to stutter and pull at his tie. His first reaction to dangerous situations is to try and get out of them as fast as possible. He’s also on the clumsy side – running into things, knocking things over, and tripping over his own feet. He’s very quiet, and tends to avoid large crowds, preferring to keep to himself. For all that, though, he’s a good friend – polite, gentle, intelligent, and a rather good listener. Talking about art, music, or insects is a good way to make him open up. He’s very loyal to anyone he cares about, and once he gets to know a group, he’s quite friendly and cheerful towards them. Although he likes pleasing people most of all, he’s willing to stand up for himself if he thinks someone’s trying to push him into doing something he considers just plain wrong. And he can be downright brave if someone he truly cares about appears to be in danger. He also has a well-hidden “racier” side, enjoying things like penny dreadfuls in secret. (In the modern world, he enjoys cartoons and comic books.)
History: Victor was born to Eleanor “Nell” Susan Butler Van Dort and William Gregory Van Dort June 9th, 1855 – their first and only child. The family lived in the small village of Burtonsville, a town close to the seaside that relied primarily on fishing for its commerce. William was the very successful owner of the local cannery, and the Van Dorts quickly became one of the richest families in the village. Victor grew up very well off, all his physical needs met.
Emotionally, however, Victor was a little neglected. The Van Dorts did the best they could, but they weren’t really the child-rearing type, Nell especially. Their focus was on gaining respectability and favor with the upper classes, with hopes of one day joining the noble families of England. Such ambitions didn’t leave much time for their son. Victor found himself either left alone or (as the money started coming in earnest) fobbed off on nannies as his parents worked on getting to the top of the societal heap. As a result, he grew up shy and quiet, trying his best to be the good son and not cause trouble. The other village boys teased and tormented him a lot, causing Victor to retreat further inside his shell (and develop quite excellent climbing skills). Most of the time, Victor stayed at home, spending his time either drawing, playing with his beloved dog Scraps, or chasing butterflies out in the yard.
At the age of six, Victor showed some talent in playing the piano. His parents, thinking it would help the family socially, encouraged his interest, hiring the best tutors they could to teach him the instrument. Victor turned out to be a natural, and soon started spending most of his time at the keyboard, using the music to escape his rather dreary life.
Eventually Victor grew up, going from a very small and skinny child to a very tall and skinny young man. His childhood love of butterflies developed into an interest in entomology, and he started studying the field in earnest, catching insects and sketching them for his own amusement. As shy and nervous as he was when he was young, he was content to keep to himself, waiting reluctantly for the day he would take over his father’s factory.
His parents, however, had other plans. At the tender age of 19, Victor was stunned to find himself betrothed to Victoria Everglot, the only daughter of Lord Finis and Lady Maudeline Everglot. The parents had negotiated the marriage based on mutual desires – the Van Dorts wanted the respectability being related to nobility would give them, while the Everglots wanted the use of the vast Van Dort fortune, theirs having run out long ago. The fact that their children had never even spoken to one another before didn’t enter into it. Victor and Victoria only met properly shortly before the wedding rehearsal, and even that was an accident due to Victor lingering behind at the piano in the Everglot’s foyer. Luckily for all concerned, the two found that they had rather similar temperaments and liked each other on sight.
Liking Victoria didn’t stop Victor from being nervous about the wedding, however. During the rehearsal, he kept flubbing the vows, culminating in his dropping the ring and setting Maudeline’s skirts on fire while retrieving it. A furious Pastor Galswells banished Victor from the house until he learned his vows. Victor promptly fled into the nearby woods to get some much needed privacy and to practice. After a few failed attempts to remember his lines, he finally got his nerves settled and said them perfectly, even placing the ring on a nearby branch that looked like a hand.
He quickly found out that the reason the branch looked like a hand was because it was a hand. Out from the ground emerged a corpse bride, who happily accepted Victor’s marriage proposal. Victor, terrified, promptly fled, pursued by the corpse woman. Despite a number of setbacks, the young man made it to the bridge back to town –
Where he was promptly pulled through the Rift.
Writing Sample:
Victor rolled his eyes and sighed as he followed his parents and the Everglots as slowly as possible. He really wished he didn’t have to be here. This house was too big and too empty – it was a little creepy, honestly. It made him feel like he was entering an especially gloomy cave. And Lord and Lady Everglot did not look like nice people at all. Who on earth needed to make such an effort to merely smile? And the way Lady Everglot had looked at his father when he’d tried to joke. . . . Not to mention they were both terribly ugly. What on earth was their daughter going to be like? Victor didn’t even want to try and imagine.
Actually, where was Miss Everglot? Victor paused by the stairs and glanced around, wondering if she was going to be appearing soon. The wedding rehearsal was in just a few minutes, after all. Goodness, he was getting married tomorrow to a girl he had never even met. He wasn’t even sure what she looked like! Though seeing her parents had given him some nasty ideas. . . . At any rate, she would certainly come down for tea, wouldn’t she?
He suddenly heard a musical note. Looking down, he saw that he was also standing right next to the foyer’s piano. His fingers, resting absently on the keyboard, had inadvertently pressed one of the keys. He looked down the hall to see if his parents or the Everglots had noticed, only to see the door to the west drawing room closing. Apparently they’d forgotten all about him. Which was fine with him, really – he didn’t particularly care to hear his mother and father prattling on, trying to win favor with the Everglots. He’d much rather stay out here with this lovely instrument. Perhaps a little music would help calm his nerves. Smiling slightly, he began a piece he’d recently composed.
Then it occurred to him that someone might overhear, and come out to scold him or fetch him away to the drawing room. Worried, he drew his hand back and looked down the hall again. Had they noticed the lack of a groom?
The hall remained silent and still. If anyone had heard him, they seemingly didn’t care. Relieved, Victor continued, slowly sinking down to sit on the bench. The music flowed out of his fingers, relaxing him in that way almost nothing else could. Much of his tension, his worry, disappeared as the melody continued. For a few happy moments, he practically forgot about his impending marriage – forgot about everything except the piano and the music. No matter what happens, he thought to himself, at least I’ll always have this.
-TTV: I think it sounds like me.-
Yeah, but you and DGV aren't exactly unbiased, are you?
-TTV: Good point.-
However, on the normal posting side, Alice should be posting tomorrow. I've rediscovered Helloween's work -- he's doing a full-on Nightmare run of Alice. I'd forgotten how FUNNY he was. :D *thinks she'll go back and watch the Nightmare bosses after this*
-RPD: Ahh, good. She's been complaining, you know.-
Yeah, I know, so close to killing the Queen. . . . Tomorrow, I promise.
In other news, ended up watching an episode of Food Network Challenge with Mom after dinner. The focus was on Disney Villain Cakes. I really wish I could get a picture or something of the Peter Pan Captain Hook cake, because WOW. The things that guy could do with molding chocolate. . . It looked pretty much EXACTLY like Hook, Smee, and the Crocodile. The only other guy who came close was the guy who made the 101 Dalmatians Cruella De Vile cake, and his Cruella left something to be desired. The Hook cake guy -- ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. He won, of course, like he deserved. If you can catch a rerun of it, I really recommend you do so.
Okay, gonna wrap things up
-VD: *applauds* Thank you very much.-
:)
-OD: *tentacles* Us next, right? You did promise. . . .-
Yeah, I'm gonna find out where the beginning is, then I'm gonna watch Spider-Man 2 to get into the proper mood Wednesday. :) Tomorrow is a mall trip day -- I'm bored and need out of the house.
-VD2: RPG characters joining you, I suppose.-
-RPD: You still need to post with a couple. Plus there's someone's reapplication. . . .-
Actually, I finished that, just gotta send it out. Actually, perhaps you guys can help me out -- do these sections look okay?
Personality: Victor’s rather on the shy and repressed side, thanks to his upbringing. His parents (in particular his mother) were constantly on him to be the good, quiet son. As a result, Victor doesn’t like disappointing people and tries to be as helpful as possible. He also tends to apologize for things a bit more than necessary. He doesn’t usually get visibly angry, used to tamping such emotions down – it takes a fair bit to piss him off, though it can be done. When he gets upset, worried, or stressed, he tends to stutter and pull at his tie. His first reaction to dangerous situations is to try and get out of them as fast as possible. He’s also on the clumsy side – running into things, knocking things over, and tripping over his own feet. He’s very quiet, and tends to avoid large crowds, preferring to keep to himself. For all that, though, he’s a good friend – polite, gentle, intelligent, and a rather good listener. Talking about art, music, or insects is a good way to make him open up. He’s very loyal to anyone he cares about, and once he gets to know a group, he’s quite friendly and cheerful towards them. Although he likes pleasing people most of all, he’s willing to stand up for himself if he thinks someone’s trying to push him into doing something he considers just plain wrong. And he can be downright brave if someone he truly cares about appears to be in danger. He also has a well-hidden “racier” side, enjoying things like penny dreadfuls in secret. (In the modern world, he enjoys cartoons and comic books.)
History: Victor was born to Eleanor “Nell” Susan Butler Van Dort and William Gregory Van Dort June 9th, 1855 – their first and only child. The family lived in the small village of Burtonsville, a town close to the seaside that relied primarily on fishing for its commerce. William was the very successful owner of the local cannery, and the Van Dorts quickly became one of the richest families in the village. Victor grew up very well off, all his physical needs met.
Emotionally, however, Victor was a little neglected. The Van Dorts did the best they could, but they weren’t really the child-rearing type, Nell especially. Their focus was on gaining respectability and favor with the upper classes, with hopes of one day joining the noble families of England. Such ambitions didn’t leave much time for their son. Victor found himself either left alone or (as the money started coming in earnest) fobbed off on nannies as his parents worked on getting to the top of the societal heap. As a result, he grew up shy and quiet, trying his best to be the good son and not cause trouble. The other village boys teased and tormented him a lot, causing Victor to retreat further inside his shell (and develop quite excellent climbing skills). Most of the time, Victor stayed at home, spending his time either drawing, playing with his beloved dog Scraps, or chasing butterflies out in the yard.
At the age of six, Victor showed some talent in playing the piano. His parents, thinking it would help the family socially, encouraged his interest, hiring the best tutors they could to teach him the instrument. Victor turned out to be a natural, and soon started spending most of his time at the keyboard, using the music to escape his rather dreary life.
Eventually Victor grew up, going from a very small and skinny child to a very tall and skinny young man. His childhood love of butterflies developed into an interest in entomology, and he started studying the field in earnest, catching insects and sketching them for his own amusement. As shy and nervous as he was when he was young, he was content to keep to himself, waiting reluctantly for the day he would take over his father’s factory.
His parents, however, had other plans. At the tender age of 19, Victor was stunned to find himself betrothed to Victoria Everglot, the only daughter of Lord Finis and Lady Maudeline Everglot. The parents had negotiated the marriage based on mutual desires – the Van Dorts wanted the respectability being related to nobility would give them, while the Everglots wanted the use of the vast Van Dort fortune, theirs having run out long ago. The fact that their children had never even spoken to one another before didn’t enter into it. Victor and Victoria only met properly shortly before the wedding rehearsal, and even that was an accident due to Victor lingering behind at the piano in the Everglot’s foyer. Luckily for all concerned, the two found that they had rather similar temperaments and liked each other on sight.
Liking Victoria didn’t stop Victor from being nervous about the wedding, however. During the rehearsal, he kept flubbing the vows, culminating in his dropping the ring and setting Maudeline’s skirts on fire while retrieving it. A furious Pastor Galswells banished Victor from the house until he learned his vows. Victor promptly fled into the nearby woods to get some much needed privacy and to practice. After a few failed attempts to remember his lines, he finally got his nerves settled and said them perfectly, even placing the ring on a nearby branch that looked like a hand.
He quickly found out that the reason the branch looked like a hand was because it was a hand. Out from the ground emerged a corpse bride, who happily accepted Victor’s marriage proposal. Victor, terrified, promptly fled, pursued by the corpse woman. Despite a number of setbacks, the young man made it to the bridge back to town –
Where he was promptly pulled through the Rift.
Writing Sample:
Victor rolled his eyes and sighed as he followed his parents and the Everglots as slowly as possible. He really wished he didn’t have to be here. This house was too big and too empty – it was a little creepy, honestly. It made him feel like he was entering an especially gloomy cave. And Lord and Lady Everglot did not look like nice people at all. Who on earth needed to make such an effort to merely smile? And the way Lady Everglot had looked at his father when he’d tried to joke. . . . Not to mention they were both terribly ugly. What on earth was their daughter going to be like? Victor didn’t even want to try and imagine.
Actually, where was Miss Everglot? Victor paused by the stairs and glanced around, wondering if she was going to be appearing soon. The wedding rehearsal was in just a few minutes, after all. Goodness, he was getting married tomorrow to a girl he had never even met. He wasn’t even sure what she looked like! Though seeing her parents had given him some nasty ideas. . . . At any rate, she would certainly come down for tea, wouldn’t she?
He suddenly heard a musical note. Looking down, he saw that he was also standing right next to the foyer’s piano. His fingers, resting absently on the keyboard, had inadvertently pressed one of the keys. He looked down the hall to see if his parents or the Everglots had noticed, only to see the door to the west drawing room closing. Apparently they’d forgotten all about him. Which was fine with him, really – he didn’t particularly care to hear his mother and father prattling on, trying to win favor with the Everglots. He’d much rather stay out here with this lovely instrument. Perhaps a little music would help calm his nerves. Smiling slightly, he began a piece he’d recently composed.
Then it occurred to him that someone might overhear, and come out to scold him or fetch him away to the drawing room. Worried, he drew his hand back and looked down the hall again. Had they noticed the lack of a groom?
The hall remained silent and still. If anyone had heard him, they seemingly didn’t care. Relieved, Victor continued, slowly sinking down to sit on the bench. The music flowed out of his fingers, relaxing him in that way almost nothing else could. Much of his tension, his worry, disappeared as the melody continued. For a few happy moments, he practically forgot about his impending marriage – forgot about everything except the piano and the music. No matter what happens, he thought to himself, at least I’ll always have this.
-TTV: I think it sounds like me.-
Yeah, but you and DGV aren't exactly unbiased, are you?
-TTV: Good point.-
However, on the normal posting side, Alice should be posting tomorrow. I've rediscovered Helloween's work -- he's doing a full-on Nightmare run of Alice. I'd forgotten how FUNNY he was. :D *thinks she'll go back and watch the Nightmare bosses after this*
-RPD: Ahh, good. She's been complaining, you know.-
Yeah, I know, so close to killing the Queen. . . . Tomorrow, I promise.
In other news, ended up watching an episode of Food Network Challenge with Mom after dinner. The focus was on Disney Villain Cakes. I really wish I could get a picture or something of the Peter Pan Captain Hook cake, because WOW. The things that guy could do with molding chocolate. . . It looked pretty much EXACTLY like Hook, Smee, and the Crocodile. The only other guy who came close was the guy who made the 101 Dalmatians Cruella De Vile cake, and his Cruella left something to be desired. The Hook cake guy -- ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. He won, of course, like he deserved. If you can catch a rerun of it, I really recommend you do so.
Okay, gonna wrap things up
