Realistic or Modern The House on the Hill

[asocial youth]

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THE STORY

As some of you might notice, this is a roleplay heavily inspired by Tim Burton's "Beetlejuice". In order to participate, you don't have to have viewed the film, but I still recommend you watch it because, well... it's a bomb-ass movie, yo!


Anyway, naturally, the story-line for this particular game will differ from the original one featured in the film...


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In the small American town of Starbrook, there looms a house on top of the hill - Starbrook Manor. It's been there for god knows how long, always looking down at the settlement and its residents, who have rightfully labeled it haunted. Most people consider the stories of supernatural entities lurking through its halls to be urban legends some kids taught up while bored. And yet, everyone native to the area knows better...


There are quite literally 100 ways to die in the vicinity of the mansion - on the way to the house there is a sharp turn. That specific part of the road has taken many victims over the years. The forest engulfing the hillside is so dense and goes on for miles that daredevils deciding to foolishly explore it eventually get lost and are met with their demise. Urbex junkies have ventured into the building itself, only to fall and break their necks once the floor caved in beneath them...


And everyone that passes away near Starbrook Manor is somehow drawn to it. As if it pulls the spirits of the deceased into its grasp, creating a prison for them until the white light claims them one day. Truth be told, it's not that bad of a guard for these ghost, mind you. For centuries now the house has played the role of a safe haven for the entities, somewhere they can spend the wait for their turn on the bus to the afterlife in the company of each other.


It would have remained in its service as a purgatory, if only some very important people had not decided to ruin it all...

There is a sole university in Starbrook, which had been gaining popularity and credit for some years. This all resulted in an influx of new enrollments. More students = more money. Hence, the board of directors had to think fast how to find cheap accommodation.


The mansion on top of the hill seemed like the perfect place. Their decision was made even easier once the only surviving owner offered them an abnormally low price, being overly persistent to sell his heirloom as quickly as possible.


Everything happened very fast after the deal was sealed - renovations began in the summer and were completed as soon as autumn came round. The place was decent enough by then and ready to play the role of a dorm. It was the model building...


Well, except for one thing - whilst on the job, the contractors had witnessed some... disturbing occurrences. Shadows in their peripheral vision, cold spots in certain places, things being moved or even going missing.


The directors overlooked these witness accounts. There is no such thing as ghosts, right? Thus, they never told the students.


And yet, the kids would soon find out for themselves...

THE PLOT

What I am looking to do is a lighthearted comedy/horror roleplay with some dope dedicated roleplayers.


You already know the premise if you have read through the story - some uni students are moved into an old manor that is secretly haunted. The ghosts want to protects their home. Chaos ensues.


Both humans and ghosts are playable characters.


Now, the spirits' job is to scare the people shitless and force them to leave. However, no one said they have to be good at it. You see, I wish with all my being for there to be a variety of ghosts - some who are truly frightening, and others, well... not so much. Additionally, not everyone has to participate in the haunting. The story will focus on interactions between personages, so some entities can be benevolent and wish to befriend the students, while others can simply shy away at first. Some may even be in denial of their own death! I am giving immense creative freedom to the participants on this one.


The same goes for the human characters - the way they behave towards the ghosts is the decision of their creator. Are they scared, amused, unimpressed, etc?


It is exactly through communication that the plot will be moved forward - will the two parties be able to coexist?

THE RULES

• This is a casual roleplay so I expect to see a minimum of 2 paragraphs per post. However, on occasions where writing more is unnecessary and/or impossible, I will allow a solitary paragraph instead. Our motto is "quality over quantity", after all!
  
• Real life gets in the way. I get that, as someone with a busy schedule myself. However, a post frequency of at least 3 times a week is mandatory. If someone cannot reply for an extended period of time, they should inform me via PMs. Also, in case you feel like dropping the roleplay, it would be much better to simply tell me and then play out a final scene where your character leaves the manor for some reason, so that the rest of us can proceed without any disturbance hindering the flow of the plot. If you are incapable of roleplaying one last time, I understand that, but, again, please tell me beforehand.
  
• A good grasp on the English language is a must. I am not a grammar Nazi by any means, yet you being able to spell and use punctuation properly makes the roleplaying experience more enjoyable and, well, comprehensible.
  
• No godmodding or bunnying will be tolerated.
  
• Do not start drama in the OOC. If you have an issue with another roleplayer, talk it out with them over PMs so as not to get the rest involved. Alternatively, tell me about the problem and I'll help sort it out.
  
• Respect you fellow roleplayers. Respect their choices. Respect their opinions. Respect their gender/sexuality/nationality/race. Only intolerance will not be tolerated.
  
• I hate to do this, yet in order to prove me you have read the rules through and through, like this post.
  
• Despite leaning more towards the comedic side of things, the roleplay will still touch on some unnerving subjects centered around death. You have been warned.
  

THE SETTING

Starbrook Manor is located in the small American town of Starbrook, in the middle of nowhere in peaceful and heavily forested Vermont.


Back in the day, the aristocratic family of the Beaumonts were the ones that found the settlement in 1890 and built its crowning jewel - namely, the mansion itself.

As such a priced structure of considerable history, it is a monster of a building, possessing 4 floors and covering 3 acres, including its massive backyard. Admittedly, it's not in the best of shapes as it has seen better times, yet it still has an impressive atmosphere, disregarding the dustiness and creaking of the house.


On the first floor there are located the entry hall with the sitting room to its right and the dinning room to its left. The sitting room is connected to the caretaker's office as well as the library, while the dinning room is right next to the kitchen and pantry, which has a trapdoor that leads to the basement that serves as a storage room and wine cellar. This place is off limits as demanded by the caretaker...


On the second floor there is a reading and relaxation space as well as 5 rooms that in the past served as separate bedrooms and guestrooms, yet have now been transformed into dorms, equiped with their own desks for study.


The third floor is quite unremarkable - 6 more dorm rooms are situated on it.


The fourth floor is two additional bedrooms alongside the attic, where all sorts of oddities and antiques were piled by the contractors during the renovations.


Some of the dorms in Starbrook Manor used to be single bedrooms, yet after the renovation all became double seeing as the director's board of the university wanted to save up on money as much as possible while simultaneously securing a maximum number of spaces for students... As a result, most will have a roommate, whether they be human or not, seeing as some ghosts have made particular bedrooms their own.


The 6 dorm rooms on the second floor are numbered 101, 102, 103, 104 and 105, while the 6 on the third floor are as follows - 201, 202, 203, 204, 205 and 206. The additional 2 on the fourth floor are, by that logic, 301 and 302.

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