Welcome to the Character Development Threads! These shared story exercises allow you to develop your characters in a setting shared by other authors and their characters. No sign-up is necessary; simply look over the last few pages and hop on in. If you need questions answered or a recap, head over to our discussion thread
and ask; we’re happy to help. There's also a trope page (with location descriptions and other info).
Archipelago is semi-casual — no violence on the central island, but the rest are fair game. Other islands are built on-the-fly by the tropers whose visiting them, but you should probably grab a few others before having your characters head off — there's not much point wandering an island alone, since this is supposed to develop characters by bouncing them off one another and putting them in unusual situations. Be sure to communicate with the tropers you go with so you're on the same general page.
With thanks to, among many others, Gault, who came up with the initial idea, Nrjxll, who wrote the first draft I shameless ripped off, and the various people who contributed to the trope page location descriptions.
[[Current Time: Early Morning]
CLICK HERE TO SEE THE FULL INTRO FOR THIS THREAD
This has made the hub island something of a designated neutral ground for various strange characters and dimensional travelers. A small cluster of buildings has sprung up near the one natural harbor and its dock: a couple of bars, a couple of casinos, several shops, and even the cheap but comfortable Pax Island Hotel. This is not a tourist trap, though, as much as amenities for the visitors that come here for various reasons. The Hotel's entrance leads out to a central square, with a shamelessly cheesy tiki bar calling itself the Big Kahuna and the Pax Island General Store being the most obvious, though not the only, services.
Inland, the island is covered in jungles that rise steeply into a central mountain, covered in ruins that don't seem to exactly match any of the local cultures. Apart from that, though, they're harmless and unrelated to the area's strangeness. The population on the island, humans of mixed origins, are quite used to the strangeness of their island, staffing the amenities and filling newcomers in but otherwise keeping to themselves.
Beyond this hub island, the archipelago grows more mysterious and dangerous. Fogs often cover the ocean, and compasses and other forms of navigation don't always work right. There are at least a half-dozen other islands at any one time, but that's all anyone can say for certain. The docks on the hub island offer numerous boats for visitors to travel to these islands, either under their own control or with the aid of a local sailor. Of course, there's always an element of risk involved with visiting these islands, because you never know quite what you'll find. One rule has proven consistent, though: any truly catastrophic event on an island tends to result in it vanishing into the fog, never to be seen again.
edited 27th Jun '14 6:59:52 PM by KillerClowns
[Nulbarak Island]
Layi shrugged and said, "both. As I hear it, magic keeps them alive, but they need meat to be really full. Only live out in the Badlands, though, thank the spirits." Then she took a sniff. "Hmm," she said. "I think it might be a bit quieter." She readied her crossbow. "Maybe our compatriots have returned. Or maybe somebody's asking for a bolt in the skull."
[Casino (Aseyu's Room)]
Aseyu patiently waited for Joseph to finish, then said, "what can I say? I'm a pansexual. And don't worry about being unfamiliar with your current body. I'm plenty familiar with mine, so we'll figure it out." She gave a cheerful smile. "Really, what do you have to lose? Trust me, I'm a patient woman — we'll figure everything out, don't worry, and you won't be the first virgin I've seduced and taught a thing or two." As she said this, she mentally wracked her brain for his name. Suela, I don't think I got it yet. Not again...
[Beyond the Red Door]
The stranger's energies did not seem to be digesting properly. Something about them remained very palpably off.
edited 11th Mar '14 4:35:18 AM by KillerClowns
[Nulbarak Island]
Suddenly, some foliage rustled noisily and a voice rose up from a short distance away.
"Nope! Definitely not either of those, especially not the second one."
A patch of darkness stirred and a tall, lithe figure stepped out into the light of the fire. It was a woman of athletic build, with pale skin and pure blond hair done up in a do-rag that she had pulled down over her ears.
Besides that, she wore a dark green short-sleeved shirt, loose tan cargo pants and a pair of leather hiking boots complete with iron cleats. A long military machete hung from straps below the rucksack she wore across her back, but apart from that she didn't seem to be armed.
The stranger had concealed herself in a bank of shrubbery, one of many that dotted the outskirts of Layi and Askeda's makeshift camp. She approached the pair of them with hands raised, palms visibly empty.
She called out again, speaking slowly and clearly. "Don't freak out, I'm right here. No guns."
yey[Pax Island ~ Casino (Aseyu's Room)]
"What have I got to lose?" Joseph repeated, then answered humorously, "Well, my virginity for one. I don't know exactly, but it feels like a lot."
He sighed from beneath the clutches up his hands, then tipped his head to the side, rolling it so that he was resting his head on top of his hand.
"Look, I'm sorry. I know you just wanted this to be a casual thing and you just wanted me to say yes or no, and I can see why you were worried about me running off—which isn't something I'm planning on doing, by the way. It's just... hard to, uh... it's hard to see this as not being a big deal, no matter how I look at it." He frowned, a little dismayed at his own words. "Y'know, it's probably my own fault, but sex was around the last thing I expected when you invited me here. Maybe it is too much pressure. There are all these little things that I worry about, like..."
He moved to a more upright position in his chair and looked at Aseyu thoughtfully. "...lets say that I am attracted to somebody, and they might share those feelings, but we haven't bothered making anything official. Regardless of what I think of the whole sex thing, shouldn't I hold off out of concern for a budding relationship?"
They'll turn your world around[Big Kahuna]
"I hope so too," Kina said, "and while I'm pretty sure everyone else got to the life boats - as far as I know, I was the only one to survive the crash."
"I'm sure everyone else made it out..." Kina said, looking even more pale than before.
[Cavern Lobby]
"It's worth a try," Flynn said.
"Well, how about we ask it?" Mizuki said, "hey um, discus, how do we report you as lost?"
"Please stand by," the disk said with the same voice as before, "connecting to nearest security office. Warning: low bandwidth connection - voice and minimal data only."
A green light in the center of the disk came on, as another voice, this one sounding like a male in his 20's said, "this is the Julliane Security Office, it says here you're reporting a lost device?"
Sorry for the slow posting, been swamped with work lately.
edited 11th Mar '14 3:49:22 PM by Sonzai
[Nulbarak Island]
"You're carrying a machete," said Askeda, although she didn't sound overly concerned. "Just because you haven't got a gun doesn't mean you're not dangerous." She turned the spear over a bit; one side was less heated than the others, she noticed. "Still, you could at least call out or something before you come in. Just in case, you know?"
She looked up at the woman, still holding on to the spear. "So. I'm Askeda. Who are you and what are you doing here?"
[Near Docks]
Jackson smiled.
"I'll be fine." he said, "I promise I'll be back before you know it. You guys just need to keep watch, so you can see me."
With that, he turned and flew in the directions of the boats.
"Be careful!" Adam called, waving. "Don't go off too far!"
"We'll be waiting for ya!" Nathan yelled.
[Nulbarak Island]
Layi likewise kept her crossbow pointed squarely at the newcomer's chest. "No sudden movements," she added. "I didn't get to be a hunter this old by being by easy to get the drop on."
[Casino (Aseyu's Room)]
Aseyu shrugged and said, "virginity's overrated. I lost mine years back with that pretty girl I sparred with. Never regretted it." Then she tapped her chin. "As for 'holding off'... I don't really see the point. If anything, you'd want to pick up a bit of experience so you can make that special someone really happy when you finally go the distance. Think about it — do you want your first time with your lover to be an awkward mess, or would you like the confidence and experience needed to give them the joy they truly deserve?" In truth, she didn't quite get Joseph's argument. What did it matter who he'd slept with before an official relationship?
[Nulbarak Island]
The woman nodded at Askeda. "Fair point." It was something she could attest to personally.
She turned and regarded Layi a good deal more wearily than Askeda, lowered her hands and said, "My name is Elisif. I guess you could call me an adventurer, but there's a reason adventurer is a common euphemism for mercenary. As for specifics," Elisif took a few slow steps towards the slaver the pair had trussed up to a tree, kicked him once and said, "basically, these people. Or at least, I assume this is one of them. He threatened to sell you to Human traffickers, right? Well- maybe in your case the term is inaccurate but you get the picture. I've been around the island for a good while and aim to make their lives as difficult-to-impossible as I can."
edited 12th Mar '14 7:28:58 PM by gault
yey[Pax Island ~ Casino (Aseyu's Room)]
"Yeah well... yeah, well... y'know, if the two of us were both inexperienced, maybe it would be awkward but that would also make it kind of special in a way?"
Joseph winced almost immediately after finishing his sentence. It seemed a lot better when it was just a vague idea in his mind.
"Oh forget it," he sighed, "maybe I'm just over-thinking things." like the chances of his getting with in bed with anyone else, even to those people who otherwise liked him. For all Joe knew, Aseyu had just been a fluke, or just really desperate to do it then and there.
"I sometimes feel like I worry a lot." he paused for a moment, slowly twirling around one claw in the air. "What I feel like I'm just circling around here is the fact that I might just not want to, uh, to... have sex?" He paused again before returning to his forward slum. "Oh god... are you sure you still even want to do this with me?" he glanced up at her, dismally. "I figure I must be ruining any good impression I gave you earlier, aren't I?"
[Pax Island ~ Harbor (Beach Near Docks)]
"Off he goes."
Iris looked on quietly, watching Jackson's small figure get even smaller. Perhaps she was already regretting pressuring him into flying off on his own, inexperienced and quite possibly vulnerable to an accident, one which they wouldn't know about until Jackson failed to return hours later.
"I hate this place." she murmured under her breath, then let out a sigh and turned back to the others. "Okay, so... gameplan while we wait for an update..." it seemed like she was about to say something, but stopped, considering the others thoughtfully. "You know, some of you guys could probably go back to the hotel or wherever, if you'd like to. There's hardly anyone here on the beach, and if Howell really is offshore, having all six of us out here isn't all that useful." She turned around, gazing back out at the ocean solemnly. "He could be safe, and if he's safe, he knows where he should be. Eventually he'll find his way back here, even if Jackson doesn't find him first." she paused, then shrugged, "Or something else might have happened. In that case, there's not a whole lot the six of us can do. I just... feel like I've wasted enough of your time already."
They'll turn your world around"We are looking anything that can get stuck between teeths, like seaweed or fishbones," Claire managed to answer before Howell started again. "One plus one equals three for sufficiently large values of of one."
"Wait a moment," she added and disappeared into the cargo bay. A moment later, a long moment, she came back and jumped back up on the table, "Duckie feels better, so you can leave now if you want."
[Heading to Pax Island ~ Onboard Ship (Galley)]
Howell glanced curiously after Claire as she departed the room, then turned his attention back to the Primate, gently holding the creature's mouth open and peering in at it's teeth, a little more carefully.
When Claire returned, Howell first said, "So we're trying to find out what these creatures eat. I see something on the left side, but I don't know if it's a bone or just the loneliest tooth in Fritz Friggle Seamonkey Sr.'s mouth. I think he needs a box of toothpicks."
Then, he pulled back from the patient and regarded Claire with his usual hard-to-read blankness. "Claire, if I leave now, do I have to swim the rest of the way?"
They'll turn your world around[Nulbarak Island]
At no point did Layi's crossbow leave Elisif. She was suspicious, still, and decided to let Askeda handle the diplomacy for now.
[Casino (Aseyu's Room)]
Aseyu's list of turn-offs was short, and with the exception of clear evidence of disease, entirely based on personality: emotional immaturity, cruelty, psychological manipulation, and moralistic intolerance in sexual matters. As Joseph showed no signs of any of these, he was still on her list of potential lovers. Especially when one added in her curiosity.
"No," she said. "I'm still quite interested in you." Then she sighed. "But it sounds like the feeling isn't really mutual." She slumped slightly. "So," she said, clearly expecting the answer, "might as well stop dodging around the question. Yes or no?"
[Nulbarak Island]
"'Hey, police?'" said Askeda in a halfway-decent imitation of Elisif's voice. "'Yeah, there're these pirates who have this base on this island not far from here. It's not much, but they'll cost you a lot in shipping in the long run. Just thought, you know, you might want to go get them.'" She snorted. "You don't need to do everything yourself, you know. Even if you feel like you have to stay here, they can at least help you."
She pulled the spear out of the fire and examined it. Looked good. She blew on it a bit to cool it off. "Do me a favor," she said, holding the blunt end of the spear out to Elisif. "Does this look good? Sharp and/or hard enough?"
[Nulbarak Island]
Elisif opened her mouth to give a retort, but paused. This left her expression stuck somewhere between amusement and irritation. She closed her mouth again, settling it into a wry grin.
"Not bad. But, two things: first of all, you see any police out here?" She waved a hand. "I've been here three weeks. The local authorities either can't or won't do anything about this little problem." She kicked the slaver again, this time taking a special effort to dig the cleats of her hiking boots into his skin. She shrugged. "Fairly common, sadly. At least, according to my experience. There's a good chance they're mercs like me- Freeports use mercs as police all the time."
Elisif took her boot off the bandit, rubbing it in the dirt as if to scrape filth off of it. "Second, they're not on this island. They're based out of a ship that hops from island to island." Walking over, she took the stake in her hand and looked it over. After a moment of consideration, she said, "Yeah, looks fine- and I'm one to know. A lot of my early life I spent-" an awkward pause, "-apprenticed to a woodsman. Learned a lot about wilderness survival from him, and when I say early I mean real early. Like, mid-teens early." She nodded, handing the wooden spear back. "S'good."
edited 12th Mar '14 7:25:15 PM by gault
yey[Near Docks]
George shook his head. "No, you didn't waste your time. Believe me, I would've done the exact same thing you did if my sons were missing."
Nathan looked down at his brother, who only yawned and rubbed his eyes.
"I think we should head back to the hotel." he said, "My brother needs to rest for a while."
"Right." George said, "Thomas, are you coming?"
Thomas looked at Iris, then at the sky, then at George, before slowly shaking his head. "No. I'm staying with Iris. I need to see if Jackson and Howell know the way back here, and I need to know that both of them are safe."
"...Alright. Be back soon." With that, George and his sons walked away.
[Onboard Ship (Galley)]
Howell squinted at the cat in confusion.
"Quay? ¿Qué?" He raised his eyes to the ceiling of the galley, "Claire, will you tell me where we are?" he cleared his throat, then clarified, "What mass of dry land does this 'quay' belong to?"
[Pax Island ~ Casino (Aseyu's Room)]
Well that's a bit of a relief Joseph thought, after feeling like he'd spilled most of his guts right out there on the table. But something else was still troubling him. Why was he so resistant to having sex? Any 'moral' obligation he could think to hold up as an excuse felt flimsy, and, as he'd pretty much said before, he didn't honestly believe in. And it wasn't as though he wouldn't enjoy it. Virgin though he was, like any good little boy, Joseph had known the pleasures of sexual stimulus for a while now, and sure as hell wasn't opposed to it by himself. Of course it was different with another person, but why so different? What was he so afraid of?
Responsibility? A loss of innocence? Did he think that having sex for the first time would suddenly make him a man, and he wasn't even close to being ready for it.
Aw ...shit. I do. I really do.
Even as he tried to disregard the thought as being childish, far from reality, and overall just kind of dumb, Joseph knew that a large part of him believed it was true. Even the safest, most casual sex felt like a metric ton of adulthood being dropped upon his shoulders, and he was afraid it would crush him— push him all the way to the edge and then right off. But that was stupid. It was! The only thing that would change from this situation is that he, Joe, would have had sex for the first time in his life. Nothing devastating, nothing soul crushing, just goddamned sex!
He stared at his soup in his bout of self-reflection, slowly falling back into the here and now. After blinking once or twice at his soup, Joseph raised his big blue lizardy eyes to Aseyu, looking at her rather blankly. He loosened his tail's death grip on the leg of his chair and reached below the table with his hands. A bit of clinking and a quick sliding sound later, and Joseph set his unfastened belt on the table, right next to his bowl of soup.
"All right." he said, his mouth pulling into a very slight smile. "All right, sure, whatever. Let's get it on. Lets do it. Lets have some hot-damned sex."
I'll give Yomegami a chance to post before continuing with Iris. Might also wait for an update on Howell's location, since he might be closer than I'd anticipated and I'd like to keep things interesting.
Edited by Ryuhza on Jan 10th 2024 at 4:35:46 AM
They'll turn your world aroundBig Kahuna
Kaguya's only response was a frown. She thought it rather obvious that Kina didn't quite believe her own words, but at the same time she didn't know what else to say. Trying to comfort people was never her strong suit, especially when it was about something as major as this.
Her eyes flicked over to the placemat sitting in front of her. A few moments later, she picked it up and started folding it, starting with folding the top corner down so it met the lower edge opposite. Maybe now wasn't the best time to start doing origami, but it was better than just sitting there awkwardly twiddling her thumbs.
"...Perhaps we should change the subject?" she asked after she started.
Harbor
Hayate watched Jackson fly away without so much as a word. Judging by his facial expression, he seemed to be having the same thoughts as Iris about the whole affair.
"I suppose I could go check on Kaguya back at the restaurant, but I don't believe we've been out here long enough for the situation there to have changed at all. So for now, I shall remain here as well. Besides the fact that I wish to have a conversation with Howell since I completely missed him earlier, I still want to do all within my power to resolve this situation. " He sat down, before looking after the others who departed. "Farewell to you; we shall meet you again later."
Cavern (Lobby)
Noriko blinked in confusion once again. As much as she wanted to believe it and bring an end to this whole problem, she very much doubted that this was all they needed to do to fix it. She could think of many different ways for this to go wrong; for example, the connection could sputter out in the middle of this conversation, or the guy on the other hand wouldn't know or wouldn't care what metagrams were, or worse he could be a part of that Tritali empire Flynn mentioned and she would just screw them over if she brought it up. Was it even worth a shot?
She shook her head. It was a dubious opportunity, but it was still an opportunity. If it might help the metagrams (not to mention get her out of here before the night ended), it was a risk worth taking. Simple as that.
"We found this...um...discus in the lobby of a reality-displaced metagram system," she said, trying to sound as formal as possible, "We don't know how it got here, or who originally owned it."
Icon by Civvi the Civilian![Casino (Aseyu's Room)]
Aseyu immediately started smiling as she stepped over to help Joseph out of the last of his clothes. "I knew I wouldn't regret bringing you up here," she said. "Glad you saw reason." Looking over Joseph with undisguised interest, she added, "now, there's a few questions I have about that tail." She idly caressed it with one of her fingers. "But, we'll get there when we get there, hmm?"
As for Nulbarak Island, I'm going to let Gault and Blackfire sort things out first.
edited 12th Mar '14 7:30:09 PM by KillerClowns
[Pax Island ~ Harbor (Beach Near Docks)]
"That's all fine." Iris said, waving to the departing. "See you back at the hotel, hopefully with a few more people than the group you're leaving." She let them go with a smile on her face, then glanced at Hayate and Thomas, giving the two of them the same smile.
"Hey, thanks for sticking around you two. I really do appreciate it, not that this was some kind of a test of faith or some crap like that." she shrugged, "A bit of company is always nice, I just think it was wrong of me to drag everyone out here. Unfortunately, I still haven't got much of an idea about what we can do from here. I thought about looking for the harbormaster, but then, even if he can tell us exactly which boat Howell was on, so what? I don't see any here in the harbor, and if he's outside the harbor, he could be anywhere. And we'd probably get the same from just about anyone else around here, not that I see anyone else."
She sighed, "At the moment, Jackson's my best bet, but if he comes back with nothing to report, I don't know if I'd send him out again. He's got enough to deal with without worrying about trying to fly out over the ocean searching for someone he's never met to solve a problem that isn't distinctly his."
Iris paused, "Speaking of things I regret doing, Thomas," she turned to look at him, her brows knit together in deep consideration and mouth set in a half-frown, "I'm sure you're still angry about me fibbing me fibbing me and my brother's way into your sympathies. Why don't we talk about that?" she gestured at Hayate, "Hayate's an unbiased third party here, and he seems to like to help, right? Maybe I could explain the reasons why I did what I did, and why I felt I had to do it, and Hayate could help you understand my perspective a little better. Or he could help me understand why what I did was really so... woefully wrong and unforgivable. I just don't want this bad blood between us, you know? I like you Thomas; I respect you. I wouldn't have told you if it was in my heart to take advantage of you. I mean, hell, you weren't even suspicious."
She gave Hayate a sideways glance and said, "Don't worry, we can fill you in on the details."
edited 12th Mar '14 6:21:41 PM by Ryuhza
They'll turn your world around[Near Docks]
Thomas hoped that Jackson knew where he was going, or what to do. After he came back, he had to figure how he managed to turn into a duck.
For now, he decided to focus on Iris and Hayate. Now that they were away from the group, he decided to explain how he felt. No longer did he try to hide his anger.
"I'm not going to lie." he said, his voice very low, "I am angry. Pissed off. I thought I was running out of time. I was so worried about doing the wrong thing and hurting your brother even more. I had to convince George to have you guys stay with us, because he wasn't sure if he wanted to help, until I explained what was going on. And, believe me, convincing that man is NOT an easy thing to do. I was so willing to help you two...and it turns out almost everything you told me was a lie. Now I feel like a dumbass."
He crossed his arms and scowled.
"So yes, I would like an explanation. I would like to know why you you lied. I would like to know why you didn't just tell me you were lost and needed a place to stay. Please explain. So I can be less mad at you and, hopefully, I can get a better understanding." He waved his hand, letting Iris—or Hayate, if he wanted to—have the floor. "Let's hear it."
edited 12th Mar '14 7:23:20 PM by Masterofchaos
[Pax Island ~ Casino (Aseyu's Room)]
Joseph didn't bother with the rest of his meal. He'd said the binding words, and backing down then would make him look even worse than if he'd backed down earlier, so that certainly wasn't going to happen. Fortunately, he was still riding on the confidence he had drummed up, and had fewer second thoughts than usual. He was doing something big. Casual, in a sense, but big nonetheless. He was taking the plunge. He was jumping in with both feet. He was throwing caution to the wind. He was removing... all... of his... clothes?
"Hmn? My tail?" Joe repeated, twisting his head a bit to glance back at it for a moment, and raising it slightly himself at the same time. "Oh- uh, yeah." he answered, looking back at Aseyu, "It's kinda nice— I mean, if I- ...oh." a look of realization hit him, followed by his hand against his head, "Duh." he laughed a little nervously.
"Damn. Y'know I feel extremely naked. I don't know how you could possibly get used to this." he shook his head with another laugh, "Heheh— I don't do this often. I mean, like when I'm taking a shower, sure, but otherwise me and the nude thing don't really connect. Well, except for this one time a year ago when I tried going skinny dipping at this one lake, and that was co-old! Plus I kept worrying that someone was going to see me, and I forgot a towel." He paused, resisting the urge to cover himself. Though he succeeded, he still couldn't quite bring himself to stand tall and proud.
"I think I'll stop talking now." he said with a bit of a goofy grin. "Lead the way, o master of the art."
Giving Yomegami a chance to post with Hayate, unless he'd rather I post first.
They'll turn your world around[Nulbarak Island]
"What," said Askeda, taking the spear back, "you think the police force — mercenary or no — of an archipelago, particularly a tourist-based one, is going to be strictly land-based?" She let out a quick laugh. "Come on. There'd be way more pirates if that were the case, since there'd be no one to stop them. No, the cops'll have some kind of boats. Probably helicopters, too, although I haven't seen any here personally. But then, I generally stay inland." She flared her wings. "Might be the only reason they're not here yet is because they don't know."
She pushed herself to her feet, still leaning against the tree. "And another thing. The police is a bit unlikely to be mercenaries. Tourist town, you know? They won't want people whose loyalty can be easily bought. Private security firm, maybe, but those're less able to be bribed. 'Sides, mercs are trained for war, not policing."
[Nulbarak Island]
Elisif shook her head, slightly miffed that Askeda hadn't taken her meaning the first time. Does she think I'm an idiot? "No boats. At least, none that I've seen. Not this far out, anyway." She thought she'd made it clear enough she was talking about the entire archipelago, but shrugged it off. "Whatever the case, if the police don't know about the slaver ship, it's safe to assume their reach doesn't extend this far."
edited 13th Mar '14 12:27:30 AM by gault
yey

[Nulbarak Island]
"I think you mentioned that before," said Askeda. "Eats magic, right? Could probably live well in a place like this." She pulled the spear out of the fire, looking at it carefully for a moment. She blew a little bit of ash off and put it back in. "They feed on free magic, or would they, say, come looking for me?"
She frowned and sniffed the air a few times. Flicked her tongue out. Sniffed again. "Also," she said slowly, "do you smell that, or is it just me?"