Blackfridayrule

1x1 Interest Check

I like both of those things.

I'm open to lots of different plots, but mostly I'm looking to work with one of two characters of mine that I want to develop further. Each are very different and each could be plopped in a variety of different plots, so maybe I'll tell you about them and see if that inspires some kind of idea of yours?

The first is a kind of warrior woman. Can be done in a high fantasy or a alternate universe/sci-fi setting with ease. She is from a desert culture that is somewhat secluded and perhaps even a bit behind the times. She's a hot tempered type who suffers no fools and with her combat training, she's not someone you want to pick a fight with willy-nilly. She lacks tact and is often blunt, saying exactly what she means. She is a creature of passion and does not hide her emotions very well, even if she tries. She's just expressive like that. Adaptable, hardy, socially awkward, abrasive, passionate.

The second is a shapeshifter character who would probably be better suited in a fantasy situation (but hey, maybe he's an alien, idk. I'm open). He is a renowned thief and criminal who has lots of rumors floating around about his ruthlessness, inhumanity, and evil heart, but only a portion of these rumors are true and more still are blown out of proportion. In truth, he's a wily, cocksure thief who steals more for pleasure than for survival, and delights in causing a stir. Balks at authority, laughs in the face of danger, and is fueled by a little bit of an ego. Surprisingly sensitive and honorable for a criminal, he lives by his own code but he does have one and he does stick to it. It's just not exactly in line with mainstream values all the time. Has a flair for the dramatic. His being a shapeshifter is often viewed as a negative thing, and this image isn't helped by his history of crime. Good natured, unflappable, occasionally charming, easygoing, bold, not reserved.

Possible plot ideas (or as I like to call them, starting points)

Character A discovers they have magical abilities in a society where magic is either rare/frowned upon/outlawed and goes to character B for guidance.

A disastrous event or ongoing crime happens, Character A brings in character B to help find the criminal/understand motivations/speak a local language/unravel a conspiracy?

Something involving the hiring of mercenaries? A heist? A coup? A widespread rebellion?

Exploration of a new planet/continent?

Accidental kidnapping? Lol.

Just spitballing here. Totally open to other thoughts as well. Anything tickle your fancy, or give you inspiration?

1x1 Interest Check

HI.

What kinds of things do you wanna write? We seem like we're fairly compatible.

Terra Infirma

"Ai!" Ridahne looked at the small device with a newfound appraisal, though she couldn't decide if she was fascinated by it or if she loathed it. "I have seen one of these before...or, not the thing itself, but what it does. A man came to me in the Dust Sea--found me because I decided to set up a fire pit outside, so he got lucky--but he could not hear me and his ears bled. He told me a story of how it happened to him, that the military people had somehow captured and tamed a spirit that wailed in agony when it was released, and the sound of its keening made his inner ear parts go pop! I didn't believe him, but he could find no other way to explain what happened. I know now." She held the thing in her slim hands as if it were as fragile as a robin's egg, staring at it with a curious expression on her inked face. Ridahne replaced the device in its protein bar box.

"I will assume we will not be staying here afterward. Just in case." Ridahne rose gracefully and began to gather what few things she had scattered around the concrete pad and stuffed them into her large hiking pack that had seen much sun and much wear but was still holding strong all the same. She was incredibly efficient with what she did have, though, and packed quickly--a sure sign that she was well accustomed to a nomadic life. When finished, she hefted her pack on her slim shoulders and disappeared into the nearby rubble to go and bury it amongst some broken concrete so it would still be there when she came back, ready for quick retrieval. She had a much smaller pack, one that was slim and with out much in the way of zippers or buckles but instead was leather and canvas and had a hefty drawstring top with a dust flap over it. The pack looped around her chest and sat diagonally across her back, fitting in perfectly with the sword and long knife she wore also. She did also put on shoes, which she seemed to detest but found them altogether necessary for anything beyond normal daily activities. They were light, dusty, and very quiet.

"I am ready. Are you staying here while I get horses, or do you have the strength to come with?"

Terra Infirma

"No shit," she said in a little bit clearer of an accent--obviously vocabulary she'd learned abroad. "I am not from here. Not at all." She smiled a bit at that, as if making fun of herself and apologizing for any linguistic or social shortcomings she would inevitably have. She was glad to hear that their opponents were just brigands--that word, she knew well. Noisy, bold, but determined brigands. Often violent, forceful, and not terribly subtle. There, they had an advantage.

"Well, if you dont have any cash up front, then I'm going to have to steal some food and supplies. Not to mention the horses. If I'm gonna do the legwork for you, then you better make it worth my while afterward. Meaning money. But yes. I can do that." Ridahne happened to know this settlement he spoke of and knew how to get around without using obvious roads, but she'd have to do a little sleuthing to find the horse stables and a suitable place to pilfer supplies. But at least she knew what kinds of supplies to get, as she came from a desert planet herself, and knew a great deal more about how to actually put them to good and efficient use. She had spent very little time out in the wastes (very, very little) and though it was different than the more picturesque sands of home, survival skills were survival skills all the same.

"My goal is to not be discovered. Like I said, my skills are in secrecy and stealth. I am a strong woman but let's face it," she gestured to herself: a tall, thin frame more befitting a dancer than a brutish warrior. "There is only so much of me and I don't pretend to believe otherwise. Brute force is not what I do. But don't you worry about me. I prefer a sword, as it is more precise and it feels like an extension of myself. It is...an art. But I am not archaic or naive. I have other weapons and am well trained in them."

Ridahne dragged over a duffle bag--a raggedy, dusty thing that had seen better days--and began to show him its contents. She had a classic pistol, the kind that took old fashioned bullets and was small enough to be easily concealed under the right clothing, one small grenade like object that emitted toxic smoke instead of an explosion, a little black baton with an extendable wire cable that, when she turned it on, arced a squirming blue electricity all around it so that she effectively had a lightning whip, which could disable opponents as well as machinery. Lastly she produced a small box that had once held protein bars, and took from it a little stone sized object with a basic button, and a bag of what was clearly ultrasonic earplugs.

"I've never used this one," she explained. "I got it off a dead man. Probably a thief who went running into the dust to hide himself but had no idea how to survive. I can guess what it's purpose is, but I don't know just how loud or destructive this thing actually is. I thought about selling it not that long ago, actually. Do you know anything about it?" Ridahne held it out to him, the little object sitting like a smooth, polished black agate in her brown palm.

Terra Infirma

"I know risk," she said. "I have been shot before. And stabbed once. But cut more. Swords are the way of my people, not bullets. But we know how to use them all the same. A sword is precise and graceful. It is an art and a tradition. Kha'haij," she said with bitter disgust as she did a quick imitation of a mech with her arms, "They are like Bulls. Sloppy and loud and cowardly. I hate them." Ridahne snorted but then shook her head as if putting the thought aside to hear the rest of his story. Things certainly made a lot more sense now that she knew how he'd been injured and why, and it also clarified who they were up against.

"These people, this...bitch..." It was an unfamiliar word for her but she did know it, though it felt strange on her lips and awkward. "What can you tell me about their training? Equipment?" She guessed that if transportation was necessary, they would go for some kind of vehicle. He looked like the type and guessed that he once ran with similar folk who would prefer the security of a vehicle, as they did provide some shelter from bullets and other deadly projectiles. But if they used vehicles, it would be a grand distraction while they slipped in quietly.

"I will tell you, I am an artist of quiet. My instinct is to use your...friends as a distraction to draw away attention while we slip in--Don't!" She warned as he tried to stand. She gave him a glare that might have been seen as unkind if it weren't for the context of her trying to save him pain. "Yes, yes, I will get these things. Can you ride? Like a horse? Or a camel...do you have camel here? Or are you in too much pain? It is bumpy even on a good horse. I would love to have a sand speeder but..." Ridahne laughed derisively. "I doubt anyone has one of those here. If they did, I am very good at crossing the wires to make them start. You call it...hot wires? Tell me, Maedoc, where did you plan to find these things?"

Terra Infirma

It was as if someone had flicked a switch inside of her and instead of being aggressive and threatening, she seemed quite pleased to have him sitting in her blanket pile all of a sudden. Well. Perhaps she was still aggressive, for that was just her way--she was never a smooth talker or blessed with a silver tongue but hers instead was rougher than a cat's. But she no longer looked like she was debating whether or not to cut off his ear.

"Oh. So that's what that was..." She said, glancing towards where she'd stashed the case. "I see. Well consider it good you spat on me instead of someone else." Not exactly the most eloquent of things to say, but she didn't care. "I happen to hate the military. I hate who they are and what they do and everything they stand for. And lucky for you, I was once thrown against them in battle. Of a sort. I came in the night and killed their leaders when they slept because they started war with my people when they thought they could come in and take what is ours."

Ridahne steadied herself with a steely sigh, but then a wicked smile rolled onto her dark face. She rose with all the grace of a wisp of steam and swept over to her bag, pulling from it the dark, dusty case. Ridahne held it up as if considering something, then tossed it casually to her patient.

"I say we do it. I will come. But I'm not about to give you my life, if you know what I mean. I am more concerned with my own survival than yours, as you should be also. But if I do, I will captain the ship. It will go where I say it will and I will leave this planet. In this, I will not move." She gave a nod, a very businesslike gesture and sat back down.

"I am Ridahne. You? And tell me, how did you get...stabbed? Shot?"

Terra Infirma

Oh my gracious I'm so sorry. We just started tech week today and I've been pulling insane hours. But things are winding down now and I will try and post tonight! So sorry!

Terra Infirma

Ridahne's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Pipe dream? What does that mean?" She couldn't tell what the particular idiom meant, but she could at least hear the tone of his voice and see the expression on his face. It told her not to get her hopes up. It told her he was not certain. Out of pure spite, she had half a mind to just poke him right where he'd been shot, but she resisted and instead just growled a little and muttered something in her native language--a jagged, lilting tongue that sounded nothing close to local.

"Look, don't get my hopes up for nothing. I want to know details. I won't lie, I am tempted by your offer. I think you've figured that out already. But I want to know details if I'm going to do this. I am desperate..." She struggled to admit this but the time for being coy and secretive had passed. They were talking business now and that meant being frank with one another. "I hate this place. I have no food and no money. I need work. But I don't need pointless suicide."

Ridahne left his side to take something from her bag, a little tin that used to be for coffee or cookies or something--the label was long since worn away--and brought it back to him, kneeling by his wounded side. She flicked his arm away from the area without much of a word. This seemed to be her way--a little gruff, but not unkind, deep down. "Here." She opened the tin and a pungent, herbal smell blossomed from it that was neither pleasant nor foul. Ridahne scooped some of the bitter smelling balm from it and took the liberty of putting it over his wounded skin. She did not ask for permission. "That will help it heal. And take a little of the pain away but not all of it. Now." She sat cross legged beside him, leaning forward with a serious wrinkle in her tattooed brow. "Tell me everything. What am I getting into? And why?"

Terra Infirma

So sorry. Life is crazy. Will post soon

Terra Infirma

"Don't patronize me," she said, though she didn't sound totally venomous. "You speak to a former Eija. I used to be an Azurian soldier. An...assassin. Sort of. So watch your step." Ridahne stashed the black case and continued to squirt water into her mouth, seeming disinterested in what he had to say. She was listening, but only about halfway. Red zone. He had to be nuts. She couldn't think of any lame artifact worth trekking into that place for, especially considering what called the red zone home. Hardly human anymore, she always thought. Though she'd never seen them, she spent a lot of time in taverns or doing odd jobs with equally odd people. And that always meant stories, fish tales, and news. From what she heard, he was daft for even considering going.

"Desert expedition, huh?" Ridahne gave a snort of a laugh. "You're better off with a horse than a mech of any sort. The sand will get in everything. That's assuming you can get everything else." She was already thinking of more spicy quips to throw at him for his madness when he mentioned leaving the planet. She went still. All that moved were her wispy clothes and hair in the wind and her hard eyes were locked on him. She took a step forward, then another, her bare feet padding silently against the rock. Ridahne knelt down slowly beside him, her expression intense.

"The last thing you want to do is to screw with me. I am better with a blade than you are with a fork. Don't you dare make promises you can't keep." Though her talk was all tough, she looked desperate, like she never wanted anything more than to believe everything he said. "I understand nothing in this world is certain, but if I'm gonna take this job, you better have a very good idea of how you plan to do this. And if you even considered cutting me out for half a second, I'd ruin you. Details. How do you plan to do this?" she kept her voice low, like she didn't want anyone else to hear.