Welcome, reader, to the latest Character Development Thread! These shared story exercises help budding writers develop their characters alongside the characters of other budding writers.
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On a point of land where two rivers came together sat the center of a large city. As could be expected, a good number of skyscrapers and other such large buildings dotted the landscape. Bridges spanned the rivers, linking the center with the other parts of the city that sat on the other side.
The city's architecture appeared to be all over the place. The buildings on the outskirts looked modern, but as one approached the heart of the city the structures started looking older and older. Even stranger, the oldest building in the city was also the tallest – a massive skyscraper that truly lived up to the title of “skyscraper,” but looked like it was built in the 19th century.
The people of this city came from all walks of life. Some were natives; others were just visiting. There was no denying that the population was quite a varied one. The question was just how varied....
- Current time: Night (Between sunset and midnight)
- Current weather: Cloudy
edited 23rd Oct '13 8:05:54 AM by Yomegami
[Supermarket Parking Lot]
"What? Injured?" Rune's eyes widened. "When? Hvo- How? You took him to a hospital? What the hell is a doctor going to know about a creature like Joseph?" He shook his head in a mixture of resentment, possibly regret. "Probably stick a scalpel up his own rear pondering the wonders of the sick little thing's biology."
Rune put a hand to his forehead and sighed. Quietly, he asked, "Was the wound very bloody?"
every little word and every little step
Hotel (Room 210)
Rachel thought for a few moments, trying to recall the moment Joseph spoke of. "After everything that happened, I completely forgot about that," she said, before smiling, "But maybe we can. Might be a nice way to blow off stress. Though...." Her smile turned into a frown. "There might be a player here, but I doubt there's DVDs. Even if there was, I don't think the selection would satisfy either of us." She looked towards the bathroom. "Maybe we can ask Adam to call the others again and see if they can pick some up?"
Supermarket
Selena nodded. "Got it. Best of luck to you."
She then turned away and started looking for the microwavable aisle.
edited 16th Oct '13 4:55:24 PM by Yomegami
Icon by Civvi the Civilian!
[Supermarket-Supermarket Parking Lot]
Nick blushed. "Thanks, Selie."
He then turned, and walked out. Immedaitely, just when he was about to head to the car, he saw Rune, to his surprise. Out of everyone he expected to see at the city, Rune was definitely not one of them.
What's he doing here? he thought, And why is he talking to Jacky?
Jackson quickly noticed that Nick was outside. He had to get Rune away quickly, and warn Nick. So far, he was believing this lie, to his relief. Gotta sway him a little longer.
"Quite." he continued, "But, fear not; in this diverse city, I'm sure there are mages at the hospital treating his wound. I bet all he needs to do is get some rest." he smiled, "You can go check on him if you wish."
edited 16th Oct '13 3:51:51 PM by Masterofchaos
[Hotel ~ Room 210]
"Yeah," Joseph laughed, shrugging yet again, "I don't really know why I thought of it now, I just... saw the TV in the other room, then I thought of the TV in this room, then I just kind of thought waaaay back to this morning, and... well there you have it."
He gave a toothy grin for a moment, his tail gently swaying back and forth, then, lowering his brow slightly, he said in a very business-like voice, "That is an excellent proposition though. Why, I think I'll ask him myself." Joe then stepped over towards the bathroom and said, "Hey Adam, you still on the phone? Is everything all right with the others, by the way?"
[Supermarket Parking Lot]
Rune turned his head to the side and shut his eyes, then slowly let out a breathy, tight-jawed sigh.
"Didn't I just tell you not to bullshit me?" he hissed, opening his eyes back up and glaring at Jackson. "How about that: he's sitting here, blood is pooling out of his chest, and the seats miraculously turned out spotless. You'll have to tell me how you pulled that one off after you've explained what the hell you're trying to do here."
Rune's frown deepened further, his glare piercing. He searched Jackson's face, and said, "I do not have time for this, hear me? What have you done with Joseph? Why are you trying to hide him from me?" he shook his head slightly, "Do you even know what you're doing here? Crossing me? Lying to me?"
every little word and every little step
[Hotel-Room 210]
Adam turned off the water, then dried his face. "Huh? Oh! Everything's fine." He opened the door and smiled. "They would've called immediately if something was wrong."
He closed the door behind him. "So what's really bothering you, Owen? Are you afraid of something else? Like in the hotel? Or someone else?"
[Supermarket-Parking Lot]
Jackson wished someone slapped him across the face. He almost got him, and then he fumbled on the last part of his lie. So close. Damn it.
But there was no way he was going to give up Joseph that easily. Not like this. He put his hand on his holster, stepped out his car, and glared back.
"Alright, so my lie was awful," he said, "I will admit. Rest assured, he's alive and well. But here's my question; what do you want with Joseph? Why are you chasing him down?"
Immediately, Nick knew there was danger coming. He had to tell Selena. No, first he had to help Jackson, then get Selena. Maybe even tell Joseph, Adam, and Rachel.
He quickly put on his metal gloves, then hid behind another car, just in case things quickly out of hand.
edited 16th Oct '13 5:32:45 PM by Masterofchaos
[Hotel ~ Room 210]
"Sure they would've called, but only if the big-headed aliens hadn't already vaporized their phones. Or their hands. Or turned their minds into Jell-O Gelatin for mass consumption by all of us foolish sheep." Joseph leaned against the wall next to the bathroom door and smiled. "Glad to hear that they're all right."
Adam's question hit Joseph a little off-guard. He'd known that his stomach-grumbling excuse was pretty weak, but it didn't seem as though either Adam or Rachel had taken notice. Whatever had tipped Adam off, it was still no time to dig up something potentially unpleasant. He didn't want to risk pushing Rachel back over that edge. He'd just have to be a stone wall.
"Uh..." Joe gave Adam a funny look, one that said 'I have no idea what you are talking about or where that came from.' "Look, Adam," he said, "I was just going to ask if you if you could ring them up again and ask if they could pick up some dvds for us." he shrugged, "I wanna see some movies from the future. Besides that, there ain't nothing else bothering me. It was a little cold in here, but I fixed that."
[Supermarket Parking Lot]
Rune put a hand to his own holster, as though he and Jackson were actually going to have a cowboy-style showdown. As if they would ever have a cowboy-style showdown.
"I don't know what you think you're doing, but Joseph needs to get out of this city." he said, keeping his eyes trained on Jackson's. "It's not safe; he is impossibly far out of his depths here. He was supposed to have left early this morning, but things were somehow complicated. We couldn't have predicted that an anomaly of this scale would occur, but... such is the strange nature of the world these days."
every little word and every little step
[Hotel-Room 210]
Adam sighed. Nevermind.
"Alright. I'll call them one more time." Adam said, "Just tell me what you want." He dialed Nick's number and waited patiently for his friend to answer.
[Supermarket Parking Lot]
Jackson quirked an eyebrow.
"Oh, really?" he asked, "That's funny, because this morning, Joseph mentioned some people were after him, and he seemed visibly afraid. There has to be a reason for that. Why are you looking for him, really?"
Unexpectedly, Nick's phone went off, to his dismay. Oh, fuck; not now, Adam! He quickly scurried slightly farther away and answered it.
"H-Hello? Adam?" he whispered.
[Hotel-Room 210]
Adam became concern from Nick's tone. He looked worriedly at Rachel, then Joseph, then back at the phone.
"Nick?" he asked quietly, "Why are you whispering?"
"Look, right now is not the best time to call me." Nick said, "Jacky and Rune are having some kind of a confrontation and-"
"Wait. Did you just say Rune? As in Mr. Rune from the dig site?"
"Yeah. Apparently he's after Joseph for God knows what, and things are seriously not looking good. Jacky's trying to stall as long as he can so we could..." he paused briefly. "Look, I-I'll call you guys back. Promise! Tell Joseph I said sorry about the shirt!"
"W-Wait! Nick!"
Too late. Nick had already hung up. Adam stared back at his phone, silent and confused. What is happening?
edited 16th Oct '13 6:54:56 PM by Masterofchaos
[Hotel ~ Room 210]
Joseph shrugged, "Well, just uh... movies. Heck, I don't know what movies came out past the time I normally live in. Double heck, maybe this place has an entirely different set of movies from the ones in my own timeline. Geez, I didn't really think of that." He frowned thoughtfully for a moment, shooting Rachel a glance as Adam redialed his friend's number. "I guess, just tell 'em to find something that looks interesting. If- if they can, I mean."
He leaned back against the wall, rapping his claws against his arm as he waited patiently for Adam to make his call.
By the time Adam had finished his call, Joseph was quite a bit nearer to the younger boy and was peering at him inquisitively with his large eyes.
"Rune." he repeated, blinking very rapidly. "I heard Rune. Bald, Norwegian Rune?"
[Supermarket Parking Lot]
Rune narrowed his eyes in confusion. "People after him? That's not true; nobody is after him. Not actively. If that were the case, we would have never risked sending him here in the first place." he let go of his holster and held out his arms in an open shrug. A questioning shrug. A shrug of disbelief, mirrored by his voice. "Who do you think I am? Do you know who I am? Really know?"
He put a hand to his forehead for a moment, groaning in some annoyance. "You remember me from Egypt, don't you? During that experience, I came with another man. Do you remember him?"
every little word and every little step
[Hotel-Room 210]
Adam nodded.
"From when I last saw him, yes." he said, "We were at a dig site, and he broke his leg, so me and and a mage helped him heal. We haven't seen him since then." he shrugged, "At least, until now."
He became worried again. "Nick said that right now, Mr. Rune and Jackson are in the middle of the confrontation. He think he's the one chasing you down, and so he's trying to stall him." His eyes widened, "Oh no. I'm so scared. I-I don't want to think..." He turned to Joseph. "You know Mr. Rune, right? He isn't trying to hurt you, is he? Is he?" Please don't do something stupid, guys. Please.
[Supermarket Parking Lot]
"Send him?" Jackson asked, even more confused. "He was sent to this city? YOU sent him here?" He gently let go of his holster. "You're not trying to kidnap him? Or hurt him in any way?"
He was going to ask why he should believe him, when Rune mentioned another man. His eyes widened. "The other man...his name was Tucker, right? He was your friend, I believe."
Nick still watched from behind, praying to God that no one was going to die from any of this, especially if it was all a huge misunderstanding.
edited 17th Oct '13 12:24:08 PM by Masterofchaos
[Hotel ~ Room 210]
Joseph pulled his head back, looking rather perplexed. "What the hell, a dig site? Broke his leg?" he huffed and glared at a distant wall, "Guess nobody at home saw fit to tell me any of this stuff." He looked back at Adam a second later with even more perplexity on his face than before, "Yeah, I know Rune, and no, he's not trying to hurt me, unless he's gone completely insane. He was supposed to pick me up from the library last night, but I accidentally fell asleep and woke up in another dimension. I didn't think he'd actually be able to make it here."
He frowned thoughtfully for a moment, then squinted one eye at Adam and asked, "What do you mean by 'the one chasing you down'? Who's chasing me down?"
[Supermarket Parking Lot]
"Yes," Rune said, nodding impatiently, "that's right, Tucker. Tucker Weller. He's Joseph's cousin; the two are fairly close." he put a hand to his chest, "I work with Tucker. I'm here to get Joseph out of the city and back home before he gets hurt." then he furrowed his brow and shook his head, "Why would you think that I was trying to kidnap the poor creature?"
He shook his head again and waved the thought off, "Never mind. Listen, do you know where Joseph is right now?"
every little word and every little step
[Hotel-Rom 210]
Phew.
"Thank, God." he said, before shrugging, "I don't know. Maybe because of what you said earlier in the library while you were hiding." He glanced at the wall. "I just hope they get this sorted out before someone gets hurt."
He became more curious. "So...is he part of your family?"
[Supermarket Parking Lot]
Jackson sighed with relief. Now that he had a proper understanding, he decided to tell the truth.
"Alright." he said, "He's at a hotel with Adam and another friend. We figured we stop by here and get something them to eat, and get him another shirt since his first one is lost in the bank." he smiled nervously, "I'm really sorry for the misunderstanding, and for lying to you earlier. After all that happened today, I guess I overreacted."
Seeing no reason to hide or suspect any danger, Nick got out of his hiding spot and walked over to Jackson and Rune.
"Ok," Nick said, "Glad to see that we're not gonna kill each other. You guys had me worried there for a second." he gave a light chuckle, "Nice to see you, Rune. Is your leg doing better?"
[Hotel ~ Room 210]
"I said something like that this morning?" Joe blinked for a few seconds, raising his eyes to the ceiling as he dug through his thoughts, coming up empty. "Eh... well, I don't remember what it was. In any case, I'm pretty sure there's nobody chasing me down at this very moment. Oh, and no, Rune isn't— we're not related or anything. He's just a guy who works with my cousin, and happens to be one of the few human beings I'm still allowed to see."
He glanced at Rachel, then at Adam, and gave a half-smile. "Under normal circumstances, I mean. Are you going to call them back or what?"
[Supermarket Parking Lot]
Rune didn't quite smile, but his eyes softened, and his frown loosened into a more pleasant, neutral expression. "A hotel? And he's safe? Uninjured? Good." He raised his head and gazed at the distant buildings of the City, as though he would be able to catch a glimpse of the hotel Jackson spoke of. "Then I suppose you won't mind if I follow you once you head back. Is this your only stop?" He gestured at the supermarket.
Rune raised his eyebrows as Nick came out of hiding and approached him. "You'll have to refresh me on your names, it's been weeks since we first... encountered one another. Yes, my leg is fine thank you, it was never broken in reality."
every little word and every little step
[Hotel-Room 210]
"Oh...so he's like your bodygaurd." Adam said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his cell phone. "Yeah. Hopefully my friends are alright now."
He dialed Jackson's number and waited patiently for him to answer.
[Supermarket Parking Lot]
"So far, yes." Jackson said, "We're not planning to back to the City. At all. You can follow us back if you want." He felt really guilty for (almost) getting in a shoot off with Rune. The least he could do to make it up to him was let him follow him back to the hotel.
His phone then went off and he quickly answered it, "Hello? Oh. Hey, Adam. Yeah, everything's fine now. False alarm. Sorry for scaring you like that. ...Movies? Got it. Nothing horror related, that's for sure. See you when we get back."
Nick was slightly confused by Rune's statement. Never broken in reality...? Oh well. He decided to reintroduce himself anyway.
"Name's Nick Riverson." he said, "Over there is Jackson Ruth, our helpful inventor." He gave a nervous chuckle, "Um...you're not completely pissed at us over this misunderstanding?"
[Hotel ~ Room 210]
Joseph stifled a snort of laughter while Adam dialed his phone. "I think a- uh... a- a cabbie would be a better way to describe it." he said, though he had to admit to himself that Rune probably would look pretty intimidating as a bodyguard. It was definitely the shaved head.
"Nah, he's just someone we can trust, and he said he would try to sort out what happened to me when I pulled the lucky card for overnight transmogrification." he shrugged, "Not much luck though. There aren't any leads, he says, 'sides my body itself, but he said that's only really good for telling what it is now, and less so how it got that way." Joe waved the whole line of thought away, saying, "Anyway, he's alright. Can be kind of creepy, kind of..." he held a hand up to his eyes, moving it to-and-fro for a moment before finishing, "...distant. But he's generally cool. Glad that all got sorted out."
With that, Joseph pulled away from the wall, walked back to the bed, and flopped down. Only his torso and everything above made it onto the bed, the rest of him hanging off the side and dragging along the floor, but he didn't make any move to correct the position. He didn't really mind; it was still a ten-point landing. He stretched and yawned and sighed with relief, then twisted around to look at Rachel.
"Heya Rachel. I don't suppose you followed any of that, did you?"
[Supermarket Parking Lot]
Rune considered Nick's statement, pursing his lips thoughtfully. "Perhaps if I there weren't more important things afoot, I would have the time to be pissed. But there are more important things afoot, and what little sense of satisfaction I might get from scolding you two isn't really worth pursuing. Besides, I've been through the city. I understand why there may be more paranoia in the air than usual. Regardless, you two have nothing to worry about from me. I owe it to Joseph to see him out of here safely, and that is all I plan to do."
After that, he stepped away, adjusting his hat and glancing back at the two. "Well, Nick, Jackson, if you have anything further to tell me, you will find me in my car." and with that, he began walking back to his own car.
edited 22nd Oct '13 11:07:19 PM by Ryuhza
every little word and every little step
Impossible Gender Forge
[[A small alleyway]]
Several terrified rats stared out from various locations as a tall, lightly smoking woman stalked down the alley holding a platter with a blistered looking turkey on it.
Then two green cat-like eyes opened up in the shadows beside a dumpster.
"I never knew you cooked." An amused sounding voice whispered out from beneath the eyes.
Anah hissed and whipped around towards the voice. Fire exploded from where the eyes had been.
Laughter exploded from everywhere, "Still have that lovely stable temperament." the voice now echoed from under a dumpster.
"La A Te!" Anah snapped as she shifted the platter in one hand to extend the other, palm out, at the dumpster. It turned cherry red as the trash combusted.
A green eye peaked out in the shadows behind a trashcan, "I know you and your master asked for me to deal with this matter-" The trashcan exploded into a pillar of fire.
"-But I was caught up. However, you are in the wrong place entirely." Said a singed sheet of newspaper that was fluttering down. As it became ash, the voice whispered into Anah's ear.
"Let me rejoin you with your master as compensation."
The tall woman howled, twisting to claw at the voice.
"You are after all, quite distraught."
As she twisted, Anah began to fade like smoke. As soon as she vanished into the aether for locations unknown, green eyes began to appear in shadows all around.
With a wink and a blink of several eyes, several greenish tendrils suddenly exploded out from beneath a dumpster. They snapped up the rodents, dragging them from their hiding places. A few more began to burrow into the trash in the dumpster, pulling out organic material. One large one delicately lifted the roasted turkey from the silver dish- careful not to actually touch the dish itself.
All of this was stolen back into the shadows. Loud crunching noises emanated from it.
"I've got my own appointments to keep, though."
One by one, the eyes winked out.
As the last one faded the voice spoke one last time.
"So long, suckers. Have fun with your clusterfuck."
NVM
edited 22nd Oct '13 10:46:03 PM by Aqueos
Bet you didn't see that coming
Giant alien spiders are no joke.
[Elevator]
Time seemed to freeze when Taggart and Chloe realized that they were falling. There wasn't much time to do anything but scream, but they sure did try. Chloe forced herself down on the ground, spreading her weight as much as possible, trying to ignore the agony that her hands had become.
Taggart twisted his body let Bianca's body weight pull him down. He turned to face Chloe, her face pale with fear.
Everything will be alright, he mouthed, unable to speak the words with Bianca strangling him.
Impact was nigh...but, suddenly, there was a flash of white, then darkness. Taggart and Chloe disappeared.
[Top of the Tower]
The anchor tightened up, then collapsed, falling into pieces, as the energy that had made it dangerous simply...ran out.
[Street]
Loren, Simon and Ralph disappeared from their prison.
[Memorial Park]
The submarine just sat there, in the waters, confused and forgotten. Simply another submarine lost in the winds of time and rivers of space.
[Area-354]
Taggart dragged himself out of the red waters of SCP-354, gagging and coughing as air rushed into his injured windpipe. Chloe groaned, staring at her mutilated hands. Gentle hands pulled her up onto a streatcher and did the same for Simon, as he cursed and sputtered, half out of pain from his accumilated wounds and bleeding, half out of surprise. Ralph and Loren pulled themselves up at a standing position, both of them uninjured but dazed from the sudden transition.
Chloe and Simon arrived at the Medbay, with both of them given Cell Gas, they'll be okay. Taggart was also dragged in, but a cursory examination of the uncooperative agent has determined that he would be okay. Loren and Ralph, after their own examinations went back to their rooms to change into clean clothing.
Life went on.
"Life is eternal; and love is immortal; and death is only a horizon; and a horizon is nothing save the limit of our sight." - R. W. Raymond
[Supermarket-Parking Lot]
Oh. Shit.
Jackson thought about Joseph, when he first met him, hiding in the library. He briefly mentioned being on the run, and how they couldn't report the media, because "evil circus people" wanted to take his organs...and suddenly he put two and two together. Joseph was being hunted down by Rune. A feeling of dread filled his mind. Their night of craziness was nowhere near over.
He needed to warn him and the others, fast. But he needed to find a way to distract Rune, long enough so he can speed off to the hotel to save them. He could just tell him that he didn't know what he was talking about, or he had the wrong car, but Rune wasn't stupid. He'd be able to see through that bullshit lie immediately, and things would only get worse.
Come on, Jackson. he thought, Think, think, think...
An idea then popped in his head.
"Well," he said, "You're right. He did come to my car. But, later on, we discovered he was horribly injured in his chest, so we had to rush him to the hospital. The doctors said that he'll be there all night. You should be able to find him in there."
edited 16th Oct '13 2:43:26 PM by Masterofchaos