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. No formal sign-up is necessary; one can simply jump right in. Just make sure to review the OP and the last few pages first. If you still have questions or need a recap, feel free to join in the discussion thread
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This particular thread is a casual thread. What does that mean? The focus here is largely on character interaction, and a casual thread is largely meant to serve that purpose without subjecting the participating characters to anything overly threatening. This especially means violence, although there is a designated sparring area for friendly duels.
Many thanks go to Sonzai for helping me prepare this thread.
◊In a remote, mountainous region of Japan, in the middle of a large bamboo forest, there sits an inn. At first glance, it appears oddly traditional, and for the most part it is. However, a closer look around will reveal that it is surprisingly modern as well and offers everything a weary traveler could need. The inn's location is most unusual, but stranger still are its staff. Almost all of them are Youkai, the mythical and incredibly varied spirits of Japan. Some of them look fairly humanlike, others are more bestial, and still others are simply strange.
Appearances aside, this particular group is welcoming to any and all weary travelers that find their inn. Perhaps they'll even meet someone stranger then they are.
- Current Time of Day: Sunset
- Current Weather: Mostly clear
edited 5th Sep '14 7:50:35 PM by Yomegami
[garden > mountain path]
Kill Grandpa? He wished.
"Grandpa died a few months before Dad lost his job and she didn't have anywhere else to go, so we got her." Ran trotted alongside them in the grass beside the path. "Yeah, he still framed Dad somehow and got the whole family against us after he died." Daisuke sighed, shaking his head. People aren't supposed to be able to do stuff when they're dead...
"Jack, you have debauched my sloth."
[Dining Room]
"Huh, that's pretty interesting," Sara replied, "but I don't think it's worth questioning what the magic inn between dimensions can and can't do. Let's just assume it can do anything, and hope it doesn't turn around and swallow us up as a result of some plot from a sinister interdimensional being."
"So your brain is just always stuck in 'superhero mode', isn't it?" Steve asked.
"Says the guy who thinks it's lame to even so much as wear a costume while fighting crime."
The future of warfare in UC.
[Dining Hall]
Rein raised a couple of fingers and twirled a loop of energy around them. "And where we are is actually quite stable. This is a real location, not a pocket dimension."
Rein glanced at Steve. "No costumes? I mean, I technically have a uniform and so does Se, but when we gear up we wear something special. People recognize us, and they know what we can do. Just recognizing us on the field can change the course of a battle or a police standoff."
Nous restons ici.
[Dining Room]
"Hey, I don't need some bright and flashy costume to stand out," Steve protested, "all I've ever needed is my natural charisma. And as for all that 'protect your identity' stuff with a mask? Why would I cover up this pretty face when a ton of video cameras are pointed right at me. You don't get rich and famous when you make sure no one knows who you are."
Sara turned to Rein. "As you can see, Steve is in the business of crime-fighting purely out of the good in his heart."
The future of warfare in UC.
[Dining Room]
Rein took the time finish her chocolate bar. "A costume isn't just about protecting your identity. It's about being recognizable. I've never worn a mask, neither has Se. Her tunic and open jacket slash cape thingie when she's suited up for a fight, white on pink? People for a couple of kilometers know who that is whether they can make out her face or not." She grinned widely. "And also, merchandising. If you have a distinctive look, you can trademark it and demand royalties from people who use it."
Nous restons ici.
[Dining Room]
"Pfft, what's the point in being rich and famous if I have to wear a cheesy spandex costume to do it?" Steve took one last bite of his cheeseburger, before gulping it down. "I like to do things my own way. Besides, when you move as fast as I do, a flashy costume to herald my arrival is pretty pointless. You blink, I'm there. I don't need no grand entrance, and I definitely don't need to dress like an idiot."
[Mountain Path]
John blinked. "I see..." He shuddered, "That's horrifying."
For a while, he was silent, lost in his own thoughts. It was actually eerie of how similar his story and Daiskue was. Well, not completely similar. Just the part where they're both running away from someone. He withheld that part from the boy, though; he still needed to give him time to feel calm.
"Are you planning on staying here?" he finally asked.
edited 9th Jul '14 5:25:06 PM by Masterofchaos
[Garden]
"Oh, that's all right," Havanar said, twitching her snout from side to side. "I don't need a detailed explanation - I'm just curious what the differences are at all. You seem almost exactly like a human."
Laugh and grow dank!
[Garden]
Nyris gave a shrug, then settled in to explain. "Okay then. Well, there are the pointed ears, obviously, but that's the least important aspect of what makes Elves different from Humans. It's basically purely cosmetic, all it does is identify us as Elves. The two really big and important differences are that we live much longer than Humans do- on the order of centuries- and that all of us posses magic. All of us as opposed to the minority of Humans that posses it."
Rald adjusted his spectacles, though his expression didn't change. "Do you have a point you wish to make, or are we done here?" He gestured to his notes. "This is some rather important work I'm currently in the middle of, and while I'm happy to speak to other guests it is on the condition that doing so isn't a waste of my time."
yey
[Garden]
Havanar's eyes bulged in confusion.
"I'm s-sorry, did you say magic?"
Laugh and grow dank!
[Garden]
Nyris' eyebrows shot up in surprise, but a moment later she nodded. "Right. I suppose that probably doesn't carry over, does it?" She sucked a tooth. "So- apparently my job just got a lot harder. How do I begin? Alright-"
Nyris fell silent for a moment, before saying, "You know, I think it's better if I just show you." She raised a hand in front of Havanar, and frost began to condense on it's surface. In seconds, a six-inch shard of razor-sharp ice lay in the middle of her palm. She picked it up and casually spun it between thumb and forefinger, looking quite proud of herself.
yey
The future of warfare in UC.
[Dining Hall]
Rein raised her eyebrows. "Is your speed powered by your ego?" She was apparently serious. "I mean, I know people who can go zero to hypersonic in one point two seconds. Smash a whole city flat in one casting. Bring down a government with right words in the right ear. They are way less impressed with themselves than you are with yourself."
Nous restons ici.
[Garden]
Havanar's eyes widened even more.
"How - wait, no - that was amazing!" She scuttled forward to stare closely at the shard of ice, unconsciously stretching her fingerclaws out toward it before catching herself and pulling her hand back. "I - I don't know what to ask now! I just can't believe - "
She stared at her hands for a few moments, trying to calm down and muttering rapidly under her breath. "Maybe I was wrong, maybe this is some kind of simulation. That could explain why everyone's been quite nice to me... but I'm not that important, or at least I try not to be. Anyway, that's ridiculous, doesn't fit the facts. Why would They try and make me believe in magic rather than something sensible like Gatebuilder tech?"
She looked back up at Nyris, realizing that she had probably heard all of that. "S-sorry, it's just hard not to feel things are a bit cracked after seeing that. No one can do that in my reality... well, maybe with some kind of tech, but I didn't see any."
Laugh and grow dank!
[Garden]
Nyris looked no less perplexed at Havanar's latest outburst than she had been at all of the other strange nonsense she'd spouted, but the intended meaning was obvious. She smiled, then began to roll the shard along her knuckles.
"Thanks. This is actually rather modest compared to what some Mages can do- especially Elven ones. You can get very good indeed with centuries of practice."
She stopped toying with the piece of ice, settling it in her hand and offering it to Havanar.
"You can have it, if you want. I can make more any time I want, and it's not dangerous- well, not if it isn't going two hundred meters per second or thereabouts."
Then she cocked her head and muttered quietly to herself, "Why do I suddenly feel the urge to break into song?"
edited 10th Jul '14 2:29:20 AM by gault
yey
[Garden]
"I don't know," Havanar said. She tilted her head thoughtfully. "I prefer humming to singing, personally."
She felt a bit calmer now. From what she could remember from her history lessons, this sort of thing was indeed supposed to be possible on some of the worlds the Gate network connected to. Stepping carefully towards Nyris, she considered the ice shard again.
"I don't really want it," she said. "I don't like ice. I'm just curious what would happen if I touched it - and," she added in a considering tone, "I suppose on a visceral level touching it would make it seem more real. Which is rather silly when you think about it."
She tilted her head again, muttered quietly "What the dark," and took the ice shard. It was very cold against her scales, but it didn't feel any different from the vague recollections she had of the few other times she'd touched ice.
[Game Room]
The Firstborn leaned against a wall and said, "we ensured the Eyes and Teeth could nae lay a single finger — so to speak — on our realm. We're very attuned to the realm of the Fae, so we could fix things up for that." He waved a dismissive hand. "Nothing ye mortals are capable of doing, sorry to burst your bubble." Well, the Firstborn had never been sorry in his existence, but he knew it was the thing to say around mortals. Then, to Daniel, he added, "so no, it ain't dead. Always been, always will be. Some reckon it always wins in the end, eating dead universes and such. Though I suppose ye'd not care if that was the case."
[mountain path to inn]
"Well... I dunno where I'd go. Not with the whole family looking for me." Daisuke shrugged. Minato was probably gone and looking for a new master, and Matt was just... over. He didn't even want to think about Matt anymore. "I could try to find Mr. Kunstler, he was one of Grandpa's bodyguards, but I don't think they really liked each other. But he's homeless, too, so I don't know where he'd be."
"Jack, you have debauched my sloth."
[Garden]
Sano looked at Nyris and then back at Rald. He adjusted his nonexisting glasses and did it again. "You seem to be wasting your and Nyris time just fine on your own."
"One important man writing important notes in one important notebook," sano said pointing at the notes for emphasis.
"You should have thirty students writing notes in thirty notebooks."
Laugh and grow dank!
[Garden]
Rald gave an exasperated sigh. "I see. Very well. I'll take that as a no then." He turned slightly to where Nyris was standing and chatting with Havanar and called over, "Miss Aryè. Kindly remove him." By his tone, it was a clear command. Rald made a shooing gesture at Sano.
Nyris conjured a wisp of frost up from her hand, letting it twist and dance in the air. Her smile grew as tiny snowflakes rained about her head. "Humming is good. I like whistling better though. Can you even whistle? I know that Kasuar find it difficult- no lips. Wondering if that's also the case with your kind."
Nyris seemed eager for a response from Havanar, but Rald's voice cut in from behind her. She looked back, assessing the situation briefly. "Actually-" she said, head half-turned in Havanar's direction, "-hold that thought. Sounds like the boss needs me. Shouldn't be more than a few moments." She hesitated. "You could come along if you like. I really do need to take care of this though." With that, she set off at a quick jog over to Rald and Sano, leaving Havanar to ponder if she'd join her or not.
yey
[Garden]
"Smell Dave," Sano said and hurried back.
Coming closer to Nyris he made a sudden move to seemingly bump into her left shoulder and jank on the saber's scabbard. He continued past her in some odd spinning motion.
edited 11th Jul '14 9:17:35 AM by m8e
[Garden]
Havanar stayed back. "No, that's all right. I also have an instinctive dislike of confrontations."
That wasn't entirely true, but the odd human male made her nervous for some reason.
Laugh and grow dank!
[Garden]
Nyris, prepared for any sudden moves from Sano, swiftly dodged to the side, avoiding his shoulder-check. "Hey-!" She planted her feet, her hand going to her saber. It made a metallic hiss when she drew it. Contrary to her expectations, Sano didn't turn to face her. Instead, he continued moving away in a strange spinning action. Nyris hesitated for a second, then reluctantly returned her sword to it's scabbard.
Rald appeared at her shoulder. "Keep an eye on that one." She nodded. "I will."
The man appeared to return to his notes. "That is all. Thank you, miss Aryè." He nodded dismissively, and Nyris began the walk back over to Havanar.
When she got to her, Nyris tilted her head in the direction of the retreating Sano and said, "Don't know what his problem was."
yey
[Garden]
Havanar twitched her tail. "Something about him made me rather nervous. Which is... really very unfair, since he just seems strange and I should be the last person in the world to be prejudging by that."
She was still holding the ice shard, and found herself wondering if it should have started melting by now. Although the day didn't seem particularly hot - which, interestingly, hadn't bothered her that much.
Recovering her equilibrium once more, she resumed studying the strange Earthish plants. So much green... green green green... oh! That reminds me.
Turning to look directly at Nyris with at least one of her eyes, she asked "Who were the other people you arrived with? More escorts for Zer Rald?
Laugh and grow dank!
[Garden]
Nyris gave a nod. "Yeah, something like that. You've already met Akiel. Aside from me and Rald, there's one more in our group. His name is Adrien, friend of mine- more of a paige than an escort. Well, actually, besides him there are also those two Valorguard- but I don't know their names." She shrugged and grinned. "Bit of a needless expense, springing for those two. Or at least that's my opinion. There's not likely a need for such heavy protection. Other than a handful of people, nobody's supposed to know we're here."
yey
[Dining Room]
"Well, it's not actually dangerous. But it could have gone bad, considering the planet that it's from was sterilized by a neutron burst weapon about eighty years ago." Rein replied. "Belkan history I've got locked up in my head. Early stages of The Fall."
She continued nibbling on her chocolate bar. "So, ah, you see why I'm surprised they had any."
Nous restons ici.