Multiple Settings The Menagerie—Comfort, Drama, Time Travel, Historical Fantasy

[Ghost Orchid]

Hello, welcome to my thread!

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This plot and world-building is inspired by: Grave of the Fireflies, Barefoot Gen, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, and Nanny McPhee. That, and also because I wanted to write something soft, beautiful, idyllic, and wonderful.

Here are some logistics before I jump into the actual setting, plot, and characters:

• Length
  • I write 200-400 words per post when there are multiple posts per day and there is a lot of back and forth.
  • I write 500-1,000+ words per post when there is a lot of detail and more time between each post.
• Time Zone
  • Pacific Daylight Time.
• Schedule
  • I am a part-time college student who is finishing their last semester in undergraduate study. I am also interning, so some days I might not reply.

Please message me if this plot sounds interesting! Do not post on this thread, thank you!

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Setting:

• The Menagerie is MC's home and is built similarly to a chateau built during the Gilded Age; 1870-1900. I used Biltmore Mansion, built by George Washington Vanderbilt II, as a reference. Most of the role-play will take place here, in a pocket dimension created by MC that exists outside of the natural laws of time. The mechanism behind the world is similar to that of the Other World from Coraline if you've seen it. It does not function quite like the loop of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. It does not physically exist anywhere on earth and is a product of MC's powers.​
• Depending on which time period you want your character to belong to, it will drastically change the secondary setting. Maybe your character belongs to 16th century Great Britain, or 18th century China. We can discuss this more when we're planning out the role-play.​

Characters:

• MC formerly belonged to 21st century America until he made a: "deal with the devil". In exchange for his magical powers to manipulate time, he is to continue living indefinitely; tethered to the world of his creation. What the "devil" didn't realize was the limitless potential MC realized that his powers possessed.
  • Magic in this universe is a lot like science. Through trial and error, repetition, and keen observations, the world can be manipulated as they see fit. And with so much time on his hands, MC has spent several centuries pushing the limitations of his temporal magic. However, there are still some things he can't do with his powers.
    • For example, he can't make fire appear, he can't fill his body with light, and he can't do things like enhance his strength and so forth. However, he can do things like: shortening a projectile's arc of motion to make it move faster, bring a broken vase back to its previous state, and push the limits and boundaries of physical space. Every thing he does to manipulate the world around him is done through incantations, spells, and rituals. However, his method to perform them is a lot like a chemist in their laboratory. Everything to him is a formula.
  • MC is a stylishly modern man who at times appears unintentionally distant, cold, and calculative. Make no mistake that his intentions are always good, but the means can be questionable at times. The world around The Menagerie is always snowing, and the weather seemingly reflects his demeanor, attitude, and state-of-mind.
• Aletta Van Dijk (pronounced "van dyke") is a Dutch woman who resides in 17th century Netherlands. She and MC both made a deal with the same "devil", but considering the nature of her deal, she has entirely different magical powers. She is able to create automatons and constructs, though she usually creates little dolls. She helps MC create an automaton that can "connect to his senses". That way, he is able to interact with the real world without leaving The Menagerie. She is the wife of a talented artisan who is also known to make dolls. MC aided her in the past to investigate the murder of a childhood friend.
• Ganesha Patel is an Indian man who resides in 19th century India. He made a deal with a "different devil", and is an acquaintance of MC and Aletta. His magical powers allow him to cook dishes with various effects upon consumption. MC always has a stock of Ganesha's dishes in his house that he has frozen in time to avoid spoilage. MC helped Ganesha return his family's farmhouse back to its original state after it was burned down.
  • He usually asks Ganesha to make him the following dishes:
    • A dish that can heal wounds.
    • A drink that can put one to sleep immediately.
    • A meal that can enhance eye sight.

Plot:

• YC, in whatever time period, is on the verge of death. Maybe by religious prosecution, the devastation of war, or illness for example. YC is visited by a hooded man, who offers them a deal. However, before YC can accept the contract, the hooded man is forced to withdraw. YC is visited next by a man wearing a 21st century suit. MC saves YC indefinitely, and brings them back to The Menagerie. (At this point, YC can be nursed back to health by MC if they were severely injured prior to being brought back to The Menagerie). Afterwards, MC warns YC to stay away from the hooded man. He continued to explain to YC that by being saved by him, YC missed their appointed death. Therefore, should they return to the physical world, YC will always be in a state of constant danger as it's a way for the universe to rectify a "minor glitch in its matrix". Because MC's world doesn't follow the linear path of time, YC is safe there. Perhaps at this point, YC has to make a decision: they can return to the physical world and tie loose ends or remain safe in MC's world where they do not age. MC offers YC a key, regardless of their decision. The key will allow them to return to his world whenever they need to from wherever they are. The plot thickens when MC and YC grow closer.