I invited a friend, Emmy, to Doomed Ship. She decided to play a pirate. We had barely introduced ourselves when we were approached by a demon... a big gray dude breathing malevolently. He had a malicious proposition for us: he could destroy us both, or we could choose one of us to save and one to be sacrificed.
(Even extreme RP is consensual, and we could have refused to play; but Emmy was up to see what happened.)
Emmy seemed to have a plan... something about pretending to offer one of us, the other causing a distraction. I wasn't sure about this, but I was the only one armed and the demon could probably take both of us, so I didn't see much choice. She offered to shake hands on her idea.
I extended my hands, and she cuffed them instead, and attached them to a leash. She then offered me to the demon, in return for fuel to leave the ship.
Emmy is new to RP, but this was a briliant move... simple, surprising and completely amoral. The demon accepted the offer of course, and I (in character) was so flustered and angry that I couldn't think to protest.... my hands were bound anyway, and all I could do was hope that the bargain would turn against Emmy, the betrayer.
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| The basilica (actually from the healing) |
The demon took me to the basilica (why a spaceship has one I don't know, but it's a huge ship), Emmy tagged along as she wanted her fuel. The demon performed a little ritual... I guess they're religious chaps in their own way. The sacrifice consisted of slicing through my suit, raping me, and then taking a part of my soul.
The demon then told Emmy where to find fuel, and left. Emmy was apologetic but defensive... she was sorry but I was alive, so you know we should let bygones be bygones... she released my leash. I adjusted the remains of my suit, then turned my gun on her.
(I consulted with the demon about what he meant by 'taking my soul.' He didn't have much of an idea... he said demons are just "randy buggers." I decided that it meant that my strongest emotions-- fear, shame, anger, joy, humor-- were deadened. I could still feel the animal emotions-- hunger, thirst, lust-- and my reason was intact, so I could think about dangers and decisions.)
So, undeterred by fear or shame, I took my revenge on Emmy. She kept trying to argue or talk me down till it was clear what I was doing. I found a strap-on in a cabinet and fucked her. Unlike me, she came from her rape. I left her tied up...
Now this was a pretty interesting evening of RP... Emmy had a great time, she evidently loves capture RP. I could have left it there. But here's the key bit: I extended this into nearly a week of additional story. More, really, since the consequences are still ongoing.
Briefly, I acted the hell out of my new personality: unemotional, fearless, but socially awkward (my normal inhibitions were gone). I have a dear friend at Doomed Ship, a girl named Rita that I have a big crush on. I told her about the incident, and we investigated options... talked to doctors, investigated the Basilica. I was able to read the demons' book of ritual, as the demon had left a connection to his mind.
She suggested that we needed a magic user, so I kept asking people if they knew magic. Rita can walk shadows to teleport, so we actually ended up for a night on a planet somewhere (actually the surface of the sim), with a little lake... we took a swim and I was able to play with her a bit... though not as much as I'd like; since I was damaged she didn't entirely trust me.
Last night Rita took me back to the Basilica, where we made a bargain with another demon to restore my soul. The price, unfortunately, was that she lost her own for a period of three months. She interpreted this as losing her shadow nature... leaving her as an unprotected human, and moreover unused to human emotions, senses, and mores.
All this is what I call storytelling RP... not just staying in character, but creating ongoing stories, all through improvisation-- and stories where big things happen. The overall situation of Doomed Ship doesn't change... we're never really going to get rid of the monsters. But dramatic things can happen to us, and change us, and we can react to those changes in ourselves and others.
I'm already thinking of tonight's session, which I think will focus on survivor guilt... I'm going to feel terribly guilty over what happened to Rita. Also still desiring her intently. Also I've got to teach her how to use a gun, as her shadow powers are gone and she's essentially defenseless.
A couple principles if you want to try this at home:
- Let bad things happen; that's what creates stories. Defensiveness and godmodding block stories, because nothing serious ever happens.
- Solutions should always introduce new problems. (E.g. Rita's way of curing my own soullessness was to lose her shadow nature.)
- Don't be afraid to be ridiculous. When I'd lost part of my soul, I had a lot of fun acting this out; I compared it to being autistic. E.g. I had lost my usual social inhibitions, so I could speak very callously about some of the ship's horrors. When Rita lost her shadow nature, she was almost drunk with the new human sensations she was feeling.)
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