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3 yrs ago
Either RolePlayerGuild.com is glitching, or everyone is studiously ignoring my PMs.
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Me, I think. :P
@TheForgottenArc
Sounds fun. >:)
In Star Trader 5 yrs ago Forum: 1x1 Roleplay
If you have any major qualms with this lore, on any point, I can absolutely change it up. It's just my current working sci-fi model of this universe.
In Star Trader 5 yrs ago Forum: 1x1 Roleplay
Terran Empire

Once upon a time, there were two factions: The United States, and the United Nations. Neither faction was friendly to freedom. The United States was a communist power, using economic control and racial warfare to bring the republic to its knees and replace it with a tyrannical dictatorship. The Race Purges of 2070 eliminated light-skinned people in the country along with much of the opposition to the change in government. On the other side of the world, a certain oppressive religion (which shall remain unnamed) infiltrated the highest positions in government throughout Europe and East Asia, and used their power to institute their cruel and misogynistic values throughout the world. The United Nations soon reflected these changes. Both the United States and the United Nations went at each other's throats, but eventually arrived at a mutual agreement that, about fifty years later, formed the basis for the united Terran Empire.

Terran civilization is best described as hell on earth. Women have no rights; they're basically slaves to men. If any part of their bodies is exposed, it is cut off. If they are raped, they are executed. If they speak unbidden, their tongues or vocal cords are ripped out. Forsaking the religion for either gender warrants the death penalty. Even when you're not treading carefully to avoid breaking the religious rules, life is still brutally hard. The government has established a hierarchy of victimization - the more "oppressed" you are, the more benefits you get. Ordinary men and women are at the bottom of the totem pole. Food, healthcare, housing, water, electricity, and everything you can think of is rationed out based on 1) how much the authorities perceive you need it and 2) your oppression profile. It is encouraged to pillage and plunder as much as you can to redistribute the wealth, and if you're sufficiently "oppressed," you could even get away with murder. Among Terrans, the rule is truly survival of the fittest. Too many people benefit from this system for internal change to be feasible, so unless natural law or an external force stops them, the wanton disregard for human life is bound to continue.

Crescent Empire

Life is considerably more promising in the Crescent Empire. Broadly speaking, its people are morally conscious and fiercely independent, although that changes somewhat as you get closer to the capital, Crescent Prime. On an average Imperial world, you're free to do pretty much whatever the heck you want, provided you don't infringe on someone else's rights. If you do, local law enforcement is swift and just. On some of the fringe worlds, where law enforcement is sparse, things can get a little violent, but the right to self-defense usually keeps things in check, for the most part. The "frontier life" is wildly popular to Crescent citizens bored with their entertainment-centered life in the capital, so many worlds are deliberately left low-tech. An independent council of seven immortal men and women oversees the terraforming and development of these worlds. While the Immortal Council isn't technically part of the government, they nonetheless hold tremendous sway over the empire. Life is generally quite peaceful and prosperous on worlds developed by the Council.

On Crescent Prime, things have taken a turn for the worse. Over the last few decades, the government has added tighter and tighter controls on nutrition, until it became the most complicated and heavily regulated industry on the planet. You have to visit a nutritionist before you can buy food, and even then, the nutritionist gets to decide what food you can buy. Government interest in preserving the family unit has also waned a good deal, so divorce and promiscuity have spiked in the capital world. Worse, with the advent of extremely advanced technology, the need for labor has declined to the point where entertainment is now the chief goal of capital citizens, leading to an unprecedented uptick in corruption. Thankfully, the outer worlds, being much less advanced, haven't reached that point of corruption yet, and there is a major movement on Crescent Prime to turn things around, so things are looking up despite their bleak appearance.

Confederation

The Confederates are an odd bunch. Outlaws from both the Crescent and Terran empires made their homes in this remote region of space, and as their populations expanded over time, they came to form their own factions and governments. Law enforcement ranges from non-existent to downright tyrannical, but the common theme among nearly all of them is instability and violence. Several decades ago, the Terran Empire attempted a war of galactic conquest (to mirror the Crescent's wildly successful galactic conquest war a few centuries earlier), and the independent factions banded together under the banner of Confederation to repel them. Bonds forged in the flames of war brought people together, and while states eventually split up and returned to their own governance, the people never forgot the bonds they shared in the war. So despite the rampancy of independent factions, the people think of themselves as Confederates. They're not a bad people, broadly speaking, but visitors are advised to always watch their backs.

The Spacefarer's Life

Once you buckle into your shuttle and enter the black of space, the environment changes tremendously - for the better. The Crescent military, having nothing better to do these days, is assigned law enforcement duties as Space Police, and they're remarkably good at it. Rather than fearing the police, most people rather feel safe and protected when the police are around, thanks to the military's relentless drive toward higher principles. Even without the police around, the average spacefarer is generous and well-armed; if someone rips you off, you could probably hail down a passerby with a distress signal and find someone willing to be your ally. Thus, space travel within the Empire is generally safe and profitable.

The same can't be said as you draw closer to the Terran Empire. The Terran spacefarer is in much the same situation as a Confederate - you're free to do whatever you want, but without (uncorrupted) law enforcement around, you'd better watch your back. The slipshod quality of Terran starships makes planetary reentry almost impossible, so unless you're one of the government elites with a quality vessel, most of your life will be spent on space stations. You could try escaping to the Crescent Empire, but the Terran space force does a much better job of protecting their border than they do enforcing the law, making escape a much riskier proposition than just trying to live your life behind the border. The Terran Empire has often tried to regulate the frontiers of space, but with very little success.
In Star Trader 5 yrs ago Forum: 1x1 Roleplay
Gonna be studying this guide on romance before proceeding.
In Star Trader 5 yrs ago Forum: 1x1 Roleplay
Self insertion?

Yeah, in that the character's thoughts mirror my own.

And I think it was interesting how you did all that, the explanation of his religion helped as well but what I believe Ed is is some sort of knight to the rescue-esque guy. You know the ones, it just seems like he thinks of himself in a superior way at points, forever trying to protect and encourage the delicate damsel in distress.

He does, and he's apparently self-aware about it. He's never had a girlfriend like Sofie before, so this is all very new to him. While I believe it's true that women are, broadly speaking, physically weaker than men, it's a mistake to view them as inferior. Rather, women are equal to men, but with a different set of abilities. I don't think it's misogynistic to want to protect women, any more than it's wrong for a soldier to protect an engineer. Just because they have equal value and equal usefulness doesn't mean they're equally good at any given job.

In our characters' case, Sofie is probably stronger in a physical sense. Ed was raised in the peaceful Crescent civilization, and as such has very little experience fighting people. His strength is more in political acumen, from having to navigate the corporate web of interpersonal relationships. Sofie, on the other hand, grew up in Terran civilization, and had to fight for her very existence. She could probably crush Ed like a bug. But from what we've seen of her, sometimes her caution leads her to interpersonal disaster. If she and Ed partnered up, they'd complement each other perfectly. But more importantly, they both have a strong moral compass. Sofie broke down at the thought of hurting Ed. Ed broke down at the thought of hurting Sofie. They both care about treating people right. They have commonality where it counts.

So the problem, I believe, it not that Ed wants to protect Sofie. Wanting to protect people is an admirable thing, and I think it's a shame that our culture denigrates that. The problem is that he doesn't yet trust her as an equal. Sofie doesn't always need his protection, and in fact Ed needs Sofie's protection too. His heart can be just as vulnerable as hers. They should both be devoting themselves to protecting each other. Once they work out how, exactly, they're supposed to do that, they'll begin to shine as partners.

Granted, Ed is a very in depth character but I just haven’t gotten a grasp on who he really is yet. He’s a gentleman like guy right so why did he think those thoughts first? I honestly don’t know if I’m taking everything out of proportion right now but I’d love to get to know the character better is all I’m saying.

The question is less "who is Ed" than it is "who does Ed want to be." He thought those thoughts because he's a normal, red-blooded male. Being touched by a girl you like almost always spawns those thoughts. But Ed does not want to be the sort of man who acts on those thoughts. He wants to be a gentleman, the sort of person Sofie can trust. And a trustworthy gentleman does not sexually flirt with a girl, however much he may want to. You could look at it as a moment of weakness, but I prefer to see it as a display of his strength. Remember, Ed is not your normal fantasy protagonist in that he actually still has both his parents. He had a normal childhood. Both of his parents are good and decent people, and they raised him likewise. He still has dirty, intrusive thoughts, but they don't affect him as much thanks to his upbringing.
In Star Trader 5 yrs ago Forum: 1x1 Roleplay
When I first read Sofie's words, the first thoughts in my head were dirty ones. I started imagining Ed being something like a cad, flirting with her in a sexually suggestive way. It occurred to me, then, that neither you nor Sofie would appreciate that. So I put the situation in a different perspective - strong man versus vulnerable woman, warranting pity. But if you marry for pity, the pity eventually wears off, leaving behind only contempt and disdain. So I tried yet another perspective, which initially eluded me, and which you'd actually made explicit: By accepting his offer, Sofie was putting her trust in Edward. That I would think dirty thoughts about such a thing disgusted me.

Given Ed's moral compass and background, it's highly likely that the same chain of thought went through his head as well. This is what his religion looks like, deep down. It's not the "easy crutch" that some people think it is. It's a death-battle, a vicious struggle between our carnal desires and our better judgment. I figured it would make for some effective character development. If you want to get to know someone, what better way to do that than to see the very thoughts in their head?

Besides, he won this time, but given his proximity to Sofie, it's possible he'll lose that battle next time and give in to temptation. He seems holier-than-thou this time, but give him time. His internal struggles only get worse from here.
In Star Trader 5 yrs ago Forum: 1x1 Roleplay
"Ed, I...You don't know me. And I've just...I just...I'm not the person you think I am."

The soft touch of her hand set his heart aflame.

I'd like to explore you to find out who you are, then.
It was a dirty thought.
It was a rotten, dirty thought.
His mind's eye imagined kissing her hand, kissing up her arm, taking her lips-
Disgust with himself welled up in his throat.

She's a lady. It would be wrong to treat her that way.
Look deeper.
She was just a girl.
Weaker than he was.
It would be easy, too easy, to take advantage of her.
How horrid, how wretched would he have to be to play so forwardly with her heart?
Pity for this sweet, delicate creature began to take root.

No! Love for pity won't last. Look deeper still!

Then it struck him.

Sofie was trusting him.

You don't know me. I'm not the person you think I am.

He was a fool not to have seen the vulnerability in her words, the raw, delicate core of her character opening up for him. He didn't deserve to know who she was. She didn't have to show him who she was. She was putting her whole future, her whole life at risk in opening up to him. To take that delicate core and smash it in the clutches of lust or pity would be a grave, unforgivable mistake. It took a great deal of strength for a woman to expose her vulnerability, to take a chance on a companionship that might someday destroy her.

It was strength, not weakness, that reached out to take his hand.

Could we truly be equal partners? Is such a thing possible?

Lust and pity melted away for something purer. The seed of brighter desires bloomed in his heart. At length, Ed's fingers laced themselves in hers until their palms kissed together.

"Neither am I."

He looked up to capture her gaze, and the slightest hint of a smile peeked through his face.

"So what do you say we find out together?"
In Star Trader 5 yrs ago Forum: 1x1 Roleplay
I dig it! I like it a lot. In fact, it makes great material for Ed to create a romantic retort. ;)
@TheForgottenArcSend me an app and join up! :)
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