Journal the Seventh

[theabjectauthor]

[morning finds Lemony at his favorite spot in the library - a window seat with a view of the town, where the sun is bright but indirect. there's a small table off to his side, set with tea and some assorted pastries, a neatly constructed breakfast sandwich, and - of course - plenty of napkins. a stack of books sits to his other side, and on top, he's perched his journal. something about the quality of the light and the feeling of the moment almost makes him reach for his handkerchief ... and then he realizes that it is a good sort of melancholy. picking up his pen, he writes:]

To My Fellow Residents,

Over the past few days, I spent my time quietly observing what Paradisa wrought upon us: and while I could say much on the symbolism of age, the origins of the game of Bingo, and the perils of ingesting too many gelatin-based foodstuffs, I will not belabor you all with redundancy, a phrase which here means that many of you are likely discussing such topics amongst yourselves already.

Instead, I would be more interested to know how many of you possess the following traits, value the pursuant virtues, or have proficiency or curiosity in regards to the skills listed below:

☐ Curiosity
☐ Diligence
☐ Intelligence
☐ Courageousness
☐ Enthusiasm
☐ Versatility

☐ Punctuality
☐ Realism
☐ Respect
☐ Good Manners
☐ Integrity
☐ Stewardship

☐ Observation
☐ Codes
☐ Theatre
☐ Fire-fighting
☐ Lion taming
☐ (or really any sort of animal training)
☐ Self-defense
☐ Musicianship
☐ Artistry
☐ Mountaineering
☐ Cartography
☐ Inventing
☐ Rhetoric
☐ Biting
☐ Disguise
☐ Bibliophilia
☐ Herpetology
☐ Philately
☐ List-making

If the thought of placing an emphatic check or 'x' in several of the above boxes makes your fingers itch with anticipation, please speak with me, or come and join me in the library for a continental breakfast. After all, the world is quiet here. I hope to hear from you.

Very Fastidiously Drafted,

Comments

[bronwe]

How many makes several, do you think?

[theabjectauthor]

Oh, somewhere between four and six, Mr. Baggins: enough to either mostly count on one hand or just require another.

action forever

[is_mafia]

[Giotto is already in the library with a book, and when he sees this his curiosity is piqued. (Along with something to combat his utter boredom.) So he goes to search out this man in the library.

Here you go, Lemony, have an impeccably dressed Italian man in pinstripes standing in front of your table.]

So, what if you can check a few of those boxes?

[theabjectauthor]

[you get bonus points for your fashion sense, sir! Lemony looks up from a weathered journal and smiles]. Then first and foremost, sir, I would have you join me for tea, or coffee if you prefer.

Lemony

[wolfchild]

What is herpatoology? [ She can't even pronounce it. ]

Arya

[theabjectauthor]

It is the study of and interest in reptiles. One of my colleagues was quite enthusiastic about it.

[kalinda]

15 out of 31. [No checking here, bro, she's going to be ~mysterious~.]

[theabjectauthor]

[he approves: in fact, "mysteriousness" is something he really thought about listing. but then it would have been hard to find the straight answers]

That is most certainly impressive, Miss Kalinda. May I ask what your thoughts are on the subject of volunteering?

[waterproofed]

That's... a wide variety of interests.

[theabjectauthor]

The concept itself should apply to a wide variety of people. Yourself included, but of course.

[signedlefthanded]

Do you think it wise? What if villains arrive?

[theabjectauthor]

My dearest Violet, in the words of Gustav Sebald, your question rings false. If such sorts do happen to answer my advertisement, they will be welcomed with open arms. It is my staunch will that anyone who exemplifies the skills of our home order be encouraged, no matter what their creed. In former days, I watched several potentially gifted try to grasp for the brass ring of promise and be deterred for their moral shortcoming. This is a question of intellect, Violet, not of simple good and evil. Please, focus.

[action]

[not_nikkiheat]

[Kate makes her way to the library, curiosity and boredom making her seek him out.]

Hi, I'm Kate. I saw your survey thing.

[theabjectauthor]

Good morning to you, Kate. And what did you think of its contents? On an educated guess, at least some small number of the items caught your interest.

[onlyanapple]

[Crowley's just going to add his own few annotations to this entry, don't mind him]

⚔ S&M
⚔ Petty theft
⚔ Doing unnatural things to animals
⚔ (especially lions)
⚔ Recreational drug use
⚔ Tasting the rainbow
⚔ Succrology
⚔ Mocking lists

[theabjectauthor]

[there is an audible GASP before he begins attempting to cross these out before they are seen]

Dictated

[cyan_maid]

[There's a very happy chuckle on this end of the journal.]

I think I might like to check off a few of those, if I might be so bold! But I will have to decline breakfast until I am back to my old self - though I can certainly talk. What's all this for?

[theabjectauthor]

... Jane, is that you? [he'd know that 'hoo hoo' at any age, after all]

[Jane Crocker]

It is in regard to the organization I mentioned during one of our earliest conversations. The one which taught me most of my skills.

[deductiongeek]

That's an interesting list! Have lots of people answered?

[Conan was interested in the results, though he had no intention of answering it honestly. Right now there was no one in the castle who knew everything he was capable of. And that was how he preferred it.]

[theabjectauthor]

I suppose it would depend upon your idea of what constitutes a lot. How have you been, Conan?

action forever

[lord_wizard]

[Well, this isn't exactly the most conventional of summons, but, as they say...'what the hell'

So he'll show up shortly, his journal tucked under his arm and with an amused half-smirk on his face

You had me at curiosity, by the way.

[theabjectauthor]

[Lemony looks up from fixing his own tea and smiles]

Precisely why it was one of the first qualities I listed. Good morning, sir. Have you come to join me, then?

dictated for now

[inafadingcrown]

[Well, she could check of... quite a significant portion of this list.]

You have me intrigued.

[theabjectauthor]

Lady Galadriel, good morning. ... It is good to hear your voice again, and even better to hear that I have your interest in this matter.

[kungfuwitch]

[Phoebe smiles as she reads over that list. Many of those certainly do apply to her. She opens her mouth to reply but decides that since she hasn't seen Mr. Snicket since the expedition a visit may be in order.

So she makes her way down to the library. She smiles when she sees him, giving him a small wave as she walks over]

That's certainly some list you've got there.

[theabjectauthor]

Good morning, Phoebe. [Lemony rises and pulls out a chair for her] I must admit, I had hopes that you would find your way here. Have you been well?

[quadro_dent]

[There's a sound of ripping paper as Sunny bites off the corner of her journal.

Does that answer your question?]

[theabjectauthor]

[he draws a certain eye, and a smile, just for you]

filtered to this person

[psych0p0mps]

[Well geez, is no one actually going to fill out the list? Aradia will just go ahead and put in some emphatic checks! In red, of course.]

☑ Curiosity
☑ Diligence
☑ Intelligence
☐ Courageousness
☑ Enthusiasm
☑ Versatility
☑ Punctuality
☑ Realism
☐ Respect
☐ Good Manners
☐ Integrity
☑ Stewardship
☑ Observation
☐ Codes
☐ Theatre
☐ Fire-fighting
☐ Lion taming
☐ (or really any sort of animal training)
☑ Self-defense
☐ Musicianship
☐ Artistry
☐ Mountaineering
☑ Cartography (a little bit! mostly archaeological though)
☐ Inventing
☐ Rhetoric
☐ Biting
☐ Disguise
☐ Bibliophilia
☐ Herpetology
☐ Philately (dont know what this is)
☐ List-making

thats 11 i think
do i win anything

Re: filtered to this person

[theabjectauthor]

[no respect or manners? that puts her on his watch list. nothing horrible, of course - he knows Sherlock has little of both but could still be considered reasonably good, after all - but it's best to be careful]

Perhaps. It would depend upon what you consider a prize. You are an amateur archaeologist, then?

[silentrunning]

[Chell has read. She puts some very emphatic checks in the boxes... And then goes to the library.]

[theabjectauthor]

[Lemony sees her come in, but is not so self-righteous as to think that everyone who comes in the library is here to speak with him. it is, after all, a Library and not a Speaking To Lemony Snicket Room. he gives her a smile and a wave of greeting - enough to encourage her if she is here to talk to him, but also enough to simply be polite if she is not]

Dictated

[the_effect_she_has]

[Katniss checks all of these, and sends it on to the weird guy with the weird way of talking.]
☐ Diligence
☐ Courageousness
☐ Versatility
☐ Integrity
☐ Stewardship
☐ Observation
☐ Self-defense
☐ Musicianship
☐ Biting

ahahaha biting. <3

[theabjectauthor]

[he'd put biting on there mostly for Sunny's amusement, so to see someone else checking it off is amusing as anything]

That's quite a strong assortment of selections. What sort of things did you do, before arriving here?

stupidly written

[heirofficium]

[ Sirius is feeling just a little too lazy to actually read the whole thing, so he just starts checking things off on Lemony's note like an idiot. ]

☑ Curiosity
☑ Diligence
☑ Intelligence
☑ Courageousness
☑ Enthusiasm
☑ Versatility

☑ Punctuality
☑ Realism
☑ Respect
☑ Good Manners
☑ Integrity
☐ Stewardship

☑ Observation
☐ Codes
☑ Theatre
☑ Fire-fighting
☐ Lion taming
☑ (or really any sort of animal training)
☑ Self-defense
☐ Musicianship
☐ Artistry
☐ Mountaineering
☑ Cartography
☑ Inventing
☐ Rhetoric
☑ Biting
☑ Disguise
☐ Bibliophilia
☐ Herpetology
☐ Philately
☐ List-making

[ Of course, a couple of the checked off traits are his ego talking. ]

Say, why don't you have magic on here? What's all this for, anyway?

[ Check boxes now, ask questions later. ]

<3 I was hoping someone would do this.

[theabjectauthor]

[oh for crying out loud. Lemony starts to make tally marks beside the list and erases the original checks]

My apologies! I neglected to include magic thoroughly by habit: I am still getting accustomed to its existence, never mind its role in everyday life.

I am mostly canvassing for interest, before deciding whether I should attempt to do something. ... Tell me, sir, what sort of experience do you have with the theatre?

[his canon: Forever Suspicious Of Actors]

dictated

[thehangedrose]

[Oh, he'll fill this out for sure, but he has one question:]

What does "philately" mean? I don't think I've read that word before...

[theabjectauthor]

Oh, good morning, Garry! Philately is the hobby of stamp collection.

Written

[pinwield]

[ Arrietty found a funny checklist while flipping through her journal! ]

What counts as mountaineering?

[ She adds neat little checks next to 'Inventing' and 'Philately' as she writes. ]

eeeeeeee

[theabjectauthor]

Why, the process of scaling whatever you feel constitutes a mountain, of course.

Hope I'm not too late

[wizard_redfive]

[Huh. It's that guy she brought to the clinic during the Seven Sins Virus chaos. Small world.

Bored, Dairine begins filling out the list, taking the time to looking up the meanings of certain words before checking them off.]

☑ Curiosity
☑ Diligence
☑ Intelligence
☑ Courageousness
☑ Enthusiasm
☑ Versatility

☐ Punctuality
☐ Realism
☑ Respect
☐ Good Manners
☑ Integrity
☑ Stewardship

☑ Observation
☑ Codes
☑ Theatre
☑ Fire-fighting
☐ Lion taming
☐ (or really any sort of animal training)
☑ Self-defense
☑ Musicianship
☑ Artistry
☑ Mountaineering
☐ Cartography
☑ Inventing
☑ Rhetoric
☑ Biting (see self-defense)
☐ Disguise
☑ Bibliophilia
☐ Herpetology
☐ Philately
☐ List-making

You can also add "wizardry" to that list.

[theabjectauthor]

Indeed, I shall. You're not the first to make such a remark, either. Might I ask what purpose your wizardry serves? I have heard that there are several different forms of magic practiced in Paradisa.