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The Strange and Wonderful House: Difference between revisions
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==== Sentience ==== | ==== Sentience ==== | ||
The House was sentient, with a definite personality of its own. It enjoyed having its residents upgrade its interior, and had the ability to manipulate its own interior to a degree to facilitate their work. For example, when the [[lawn gnome]]s began work to graft [[the Great Glass Elevator]] into the House to supplement [[#The Stairwell|the Stairwell]], it began to make various doorways throughout the House open into as-yet-empty elevator shafts. “Buzzing with excitement and creaking with worry, lurching, stretching, and then settling”, the House's active mood was noticed by the residents, who were forced to hold a “continuous seance” on [[#The 7th floor|the 7th floor]] in order to “keep [[spirit]]s and [[demon]]s out of closets and cupboards”. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)|Our Strange and Wonderful House]]'': ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)#Chapter 21: Elevator|Elevator]]'') The House sometimes made specific requests of its inhabitants, but it quickly learned that asking the [[Artifector]]s anything was pointless: “requests were fastidiously ignored and trying to guide the artifectors was akin to shearing a flock of cats”. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)|Our Strange and Wonderful House]]'': ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)#Appendix 27-IV: The Lab: The Perpetual Motion Machine (Part 1)|The Lab: The Perpetual Motion Machine (Part 1)]]'') | The House was sentient, with a definite personality of its own. It enjoyed having its residents upgrade its interior, and had the ability to manipulate its own interior to a degree to facilitate their work. For example, when the [[lawn gnome]]s began work to graft [[the Great Glass Elevator]] into the House to supplement [[#The Stairwell|the Stairwell]], it began to make various doorways throughout the House open into as-yet-empty elevator shafts. “Buzzing with excitement and creaking with worry, lurching, stretching, and then settling”, the House's active mood was noticed by the residents, who were forced to hold a “continuous seance” on [[#The 7th floor|the 7th floor]] in order to “keep [[spirit]]s and [[demon]]s out of closets and cupboards”. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)|Our Strange and Wonderful House]]'': ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)#Chapter 21: Elevator|Elevator]]'') The House sometimes made specific requests of its inhabitants, but it quickly learned that asking the [[Artifector]]s anything was pointless: “requests were fastidiously ignored and trying to guide the artifectors was akin to shearing a flock of cats”. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)|Our Strange and Wonderful House]]'': ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)#Appendix 27-IV: The Lab: The Perpetual Motion Machine (Part 1)|The Lab: The Perpetual Motion Machine (Part 1)]]'') The [[Maid]]s viewed themselves as being directly under the authority of the House rather than “those who claim[ed] to rule Her”, and apparently had ways of communicating with her directly. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)|Our Strange and Wonderful House]]'': ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)#Chapter 46: The Maids|The Maids]]'') | ||
=== Inhabitants === | === Inhabitants === | ||
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=== Staff === | === Staff === | ||
{{main|Household Staff}} | {{main|Household Staff}} | ||
There existed a [[Master of the House]]. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)|Our Strange and Wonderful House]]'': ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)#Chapter 20: The Stationery Room|The Stationery Room]]'') He had to negotiate with the [[Goblin King (Our Strange and Wonderful House)|Goblin King]] on at least one occasion. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)|Our Strange and Wonderful House]]'': ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)#Appendix 24-I: Montresor|Montresor]]'') There was also a [[Master of the Fields]], the symbolic leader of the people of the rural towns surrounding [[the Strange and Wonderful House]] in its [[Universe A (Our Strange and Wonderful House)|native universe]]. It was this Master's responsibility to lead the [[Harvest Procession]] that brought victuals to the House for the winter through [[the Great South Gate]] every year on [[Harvest Day]], riding on the lead cart, which was pulled by a team of eight, unblemished black oxen adorned with ribbons. | There existed a [[Master of the House]]. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)|Our Strange and Wonderful House]]'': ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)#Chapter 20: The Stationery Room|The Stationery Room]]'') He had to negotiate with the [[Goblin King (Our Strange and Wonderful House)|Goblin King]] on at least one occasion. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)|Our Strange and Wonderful House]]'': ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)#Appendix 24-I: Montresor|Montresor]]'') There was also a [[Master of the Fields]], the symbolic leader of the people of the rural towns surrounding [[the Strange and Wonderful House]] in its [[Universe A (Our Strange and Wonderful House)|native universe]]. It was this Master's responsibility to lead the [[Harvest Procession]] that brought victuals to the House for the winter through [[the Great South Gate]] every year on [[Harvest Day]], riding on the lead cart, which was pulled by a team of eight, unblemished black oxen adorned with ribbons. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)|Our Strange and Wonderful House]]'': ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)#Chapter 30: The Great South Gate|The Great South Gate]]'') However, [[Maid (Our Strange and Wonderful House)|one elder Maid]] was openly dismissive of the claims of those who saw themselves as “rulers” of the House; in her view, the House ruled itself, and all the members of Staff, Master included, were but custodians. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)|Our Strange and Wonderful House]]'': ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)#Chapter 46: The Maids|The Maids]]'') | ||
Prospective members of [[Household Staff]] were recruited from the people of the Fields on some Harvest Days, as children aged between six and twelve. If chosen, they would spend their whole lives within the House. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)|Our Strange and Wonderful House]]'': ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)#Chapter 30: The Great South Gate|The Great South Gate]]'') | Prospective members of [[Household Staff]] were recruited from the people of the Fields on some Harvest Days, as children aged between six and twelve. If chosen, they would spend their whole lives within the House. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)|Our Strange and Wonderful House]]'': ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)#Chapter 30: The Great South Gate|The Great South Gate]]'') Similarly, adults could volunteer to join the Servants of the House, but would have to agree never to leave again, and to only marry among the other Servants. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)|Our Strange and Wonderful House]]'': ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)#Chapter 46: The Maids|The Maids]]'') | ||
Directly under the authority of the “Masters of the abode” were the battle-ready, all-female [[Housekeeping]] corps, who were sworn to clean out every room in the House at least once per year. They were led by a [[Head of Housekeeping|forceful woman]]. They had an enmity with the [[Artifector]]s, eccentric inventors who worked in [[#The Laboratory|the Laboratory]] on devices nominally intended to make the lives of the residents of the House more convenient, although they often did the opposite or else wholly failed to pan out. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)|Our Strange and Wonderful House]]'': ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)#Chapter 27: The Lab|The Lab]]'', ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)#Appendix 27-I: The Lab: The Alarum Goes Off|The Lab: The Alarum Goes off]]'', ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)#Appendix 27-II: The Lab: Setting The Alarum|The Lab: Setting The Alarum]]'') | Directly under the authority of the “Masters of the abode” were the battle-ready, all-female [[Housekeeping]] corps, who were sworn to clean out every room in the House at least once per year. They were led by a [[Head of Housekeeping|forceful woman]]. They had an enmity with the [[Artifector]]s, eccentric inventors who worked in [[#The Laboratory|the Laboratory]] on devices nominally intended to make the lives of the residents of the House more convenient, although they often did the opposite or else wholly failed to pan out. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)|Our Strange and Wonderful House]]'': ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)#Chapter 27: The Lab|The Lab]]'', ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)#Appendix 27-I: The Lab: The Alarum Goes Off|The Lab: The Alarum Goes off]]'', ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)#Appendix 27-II: The Lab: Setting The Alarum|The Lab: Setting The Alarum]]'') The [[Maid]]s were a very serious guild, who saw themselves as second-only to the Master, and communicated directly with the House. Not all applicants survived [[the Test]] which they had to undergo before they would officially become [[Maid]]s. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)|Our Strange and Wonderful House]]'': ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)#Chapter 46: The Maids|The Maids]]'') | ||
Other staff included the guards keeping watch over the door to [[the Conservatory]] from [[the Guardroom]], ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)|Our Strange and Wonderful House]]'': ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)#Chapter 12: The Guardroom|The Guardroom]]'') the zookeepers patrolling [[the Zoo]], ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)|Our Strange and Wonderful House]]'': ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)#Chapter 29: The Zoo|The Zoo]]'') [[Malthus]] who watched over [[#the morgue|the morgue]], ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)|Our Strange and Wonderful House]]'': ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)#Chapter 23: The Rose Cottage|The Rose Cottage]]'') [[Montresor]] the [[Keeper of the Cellar]], ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)|Our Strange and Wonderful House]]'': ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)#Appendix 24-I: Montresor|Montresor]]'') the [[man with the crimson cloak]] who distributed invitations for [[#The Ballroom|the Ball]], ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)|Our Strange and Wonderful House]]'': ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)#Chapter 34: The Ballroom|The Ballroom]]'') the mysterious [[Sid]] who once led the [[Master of the House]] on a journey through [[the Gardens]], ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)|Our Strange and Wonderful House]]'': ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)#Chapter 35: Into the Gardens (Part 1)|Into the Gardens]]'', etc.) and [[Frank the Janitor]]. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)|Our Strange and Wonderful House]]'': ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)#Chapter 43: The Vault|The Vault]]'', ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)#Appendix 43-I: The Note|The Note]]'') A [[Robot (Our Strange and Wonderful House)|giant robot]] guarded [[#The Basement|the Basement]]. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)|Our Strange and Wonderful House]]'': ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)#Appendix 44-I: Safety Catch|Safety Catch]]'') | Other staff included the guards keeping watch over the door to [[the Conservatory]] from [[the Guardroom]], ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)|Our Strange and Wonderful House]]'': ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)#Chapter 12: The Guardroom|The Guardroom]]'') the zookeepers patrolling [[the Zoo]], ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)|Our Strange and Wonderful House]]'': ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)#Chapter 29: The Zoo|The Zoo]]'') [[Malthus]] who watched over [[#the morgue|the morgue]], ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)|Our Strange and Wonderful House]]'': ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)#Chapter 23: The Rose Cottage|The Rose Cottage]]'') [[Montresor]] the [[Keeper of the Cellar]], ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)|Our Strange and Wonderful House]]'': ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)#Appendix 24-I: Montresor|Montresor]]'') the [[man with the crimson cloak]] who distributed invitations for [[#The Ballroom|the Ball]], ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)|Our Strange and Wonderful House]]'': ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)#Chapter 34: The Ballroom|The Ballroom]]'') the mysterious [[Sid]] who once led the [[Master of the House]] on a journey through [[the Gardens]], ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)|Our Strange and Wonderful House]]'': ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)#Chapter 35: Into the Gardens (Part 1)|Into the Gardens]]'', etc.) and [[Frank the Janitor]]. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)|Our Strange and Wonderful House]]'': ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)#Chapter 43: The Vault|The Vault]]'', ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)#Appendix 43-I: The Note|The Note]]'') A [[Robot (Our Strange and Wonderful House)|giant robot]] guarded [[#The Basement|the Basement]]. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)|Our Strange and Wonderful House]]'': ''[[Our Strange and Wonderful House (novel)#Appendix 44-I: Safety Catch|Safety Catch]]'') | ||
