The Slave Pageant

[Aiyanna]

Introduction

So, I'm actually a bit nervous about posting this. I almost never participate in group games, much less attempt to run them, so I am stepping well outside my comfort zone. Here's to hoping the risk pays off.

This idea came to me some time ago, but there were several details I had to work out before I was ready to present it as a potential game. Below, I have written a brief history of the setting as it pertains to the game. Following that, I’ve given a brief explanation of what I want out of this story. The next two posts contain pitches for the story as both a group game and a one on one(or very small group) game. The fourth post contains basic formats for post headers and character profiles. There will most likely be a fifth post in time that will contain a change log (the change log will be maintained in the OOC thread if the game gets off the ground).

As it stands, this is a fairly broad outline. Nothing is set in stone. Anyone interested is welcome and encouraged to make their own suggestions.

I do apologize in advance for the lack of formatting. I’m not very good at the pretty stuff like some people on here. I tend to keep things simple.

Outline

Decades ago, war broke out between the human nations and the supernatural races. Neither side could be called the victim as a whole; both parties had their fair share of instigators. Oddly enough, they shared the same arguments. That the other side was made up of inferior chattel, good for nothing other than to serve their far superior masters.

The road to peace went down a very strange path indeed. While there were several bloody battles in the beginning, after only a few months of fighting, a group of supernatural beings and humans got together and hosted the first Slave Pageant. Individuals from both sides consented to be put in to slave collars and branded. Following this, they participated in a pageant, a display of their unique talents as skills over the course of a variety of events. Some of these events were group events, but most were individual. They covered combat, magic, art, fashion, dance, music, athletics, survival, and, finally, sex. Not all of the participants were involved in every event; they participated in those events that suited their background and skillset. For example, a human priestess did not participate in the combat or sexual events, where a werewolf did not have much of a talent for fashion, music, or dance.

The final event of the pageant was an auction. Not all of the people who volunteered to take part agreed to be auctioned, but enough of them did. Parties were only allowed to purchase a slave if they signed a binding contract detailing the conditions under which that slave would continue to serve. It was not a one-size-fits-all arrangement.

Influential parties from both sides were invited to the pageant, with numerous precautions taken to ensure that fighting would not break out; and if it did, the enemy leaders would not only be unarmed, but surrounded by fighters willing to shed blood in the name of peace.

The pageant was an enormous success. While all those in attendance were skeptical at best and outright hostile at worst, all left with a rather different perspective on those they would call enemies. With the exception of a few hotheads stirring up localized skirmishes in the far corners of the continent, the fighting ended shortly thereafter, as the human and supernatural leaders spread their accounts of what they had seen at the pageant.

The next few decades were marked by dramatic, but overall positive social and political change. The continent had been divided essentially in half; human nations on one side, supernatural creatures on the other. These international borders were dissolved, instead becoming more like an alliance of city states, or a loose republic. For the most part, the bigger cities looked after their own populations and infrastructure, as well as that of the smaller cities and towns in the area. The towns and cities formed small councils to smooth communication with their capitals, while the capital cities each elected a representative to serve on the Continental Council.

In the very center of the continent, a new city was constructed. Unity, they called it, and it became the home of the annual Slave Pageant. Over time, the Slave Pageant grew and changed, but the underlying principles remained the same; the pageant was a celebration of the individual, and a recognition of the whole.

Story Goals

I’d like to start by saying that the goal here is not for this story to descend into a smut fest or orgy, nor do I want the characters to get caught up in the competition and focus more on winning than maintaining the peaceful interaction between the human and supernatural populations. That being said, I like to write sexy scenes too. Such content is quite welcome, it just isn’t the sole purpose of the story.

This pageant is not Miss Universe. It is an opportunity to embrace diversity and support inter-cultural relations. It allows for education, understanding, and talent to be more readily distributed across the continent. As mentioned in the history, this is not slavery in the typical sense. While there are some who elect to become slaves for lack of better options (poverty, natural disasters, and criminal activity are still issues. This is not Utopia), but for the most part, people become slaves out of choice. The only thing that is even close to being a universal factor is a desire to serve. These slaves are less like forced laborers and servants, and more like ambassadors. Every slave drafts their own contract, some with a bit of assistance on hammering out the final details (magical contracts don’t take loopholes well), and that contract can only be changed with the consent of the slave. Every contract is enchanted to detect any influence that causes false consent.

No story, in my opinion, is complete without a conflict. Predictably, not everyone is thrilled with the peace, and not everyone agrees with the Slave Pageant either. Some claim it to be indecent, some say it is unnatural, but for the most part, it boils down to bigotry. Regardless, the disgruntled few grumble loud enough to begin gathering a significant following, threatening the decades-long peace, as well as the safety of anyone who participates in the Slave Pageant. Beset by parties on both sides, as well as a group that is a dark and twisted version of the Slave Pageant itself, how will the characters manage to maintain relations between the races, and not get swept into a war themselves?

[Aiyanna]

Group Pitch

As a group game, I would require the assistance of a co-GM. I have limited and rare experience with group games. Ideally, my co-GM would have prior GM-ing experience, and would play my character’s partner/owner (male character, writer gender can be any) in game.

My character would the current organizer/host of the slave pageant, and a former participant, while her ‘owner’ would be the leader of the city Unity. Both would have been founding members of the Slave Pageant. Yes, that makes both of them supernaturals, or at very least humans kept alive by magical means. However, the background, like everything else, is not set in stone.

Participants in the story can be slaves, buyers/owners, or members of the rebel group(s). If there is a lot of interest in playing as rebels, I will most likely want a second co-GM to help manage that portion of the game, so that there can be a proper conflict that isn’t quite as scripted. If I can’t get someone to help as a co-GM, I may just ask that participants be only slaves or owners. Depending on interest, there may also be the option to have characters be members of the government. I haven’t decided yet one way or the other.

Ground Rules

1. Given the focus on diversity in this story, I will not be excluding any kinks, talents, or preferences from this game, with the sole exception of a grey area regarding outright non-consent. Non-consent sort of defeats the purpose of this game. That being said, rebel PC’s and NPC’s may not be overly concerned with obtaining consent from their enemies. I still don’t want this game to become focused on sex or non-consent, but in the right context, non-consent, dubious consent, and reluctance will be allowed.

I reserve the right to revoke this permission AT ANY TIME.

2. All that being said, everyone’s limits are different. Therefore, all posts with any sexual, fetish, non-consent, or remotely questionable content are REQUIRED to have a header with the appropriate tags. You don’t need to be fancy with it. I will most likely create or encourage a basic format for everyone to follow, to prevent miscommunication, but I’m more concerned with the presence of the information than the presentation of it.

3. All parties are REQUIRED to read the Ons and Offs of any other writer they want to interact with. Review them every post, if necessary, but I will not have people’s boundaries violated. We are all human and make mistakes, myself included, but multiple infractions are not mistakes, they are a pattern. Repeat offenders will not only be booted from the game, but reported to the site moderators.

4. As far as character profiles, again, I will probably put out a basic format, but I’m not overly concerned with how the information is provided. For the sake of easy reference, I would like the age, race, gender, sexual orientation, physical description or image, and at least a brief bio and list of likes, dislikes, and hard limits for each character. Non-binary genders and orientations are welcome and encouraged, both in characters and writers.

5. What I consider common sense rules also apply: No god-modding. Be courteous OOC. No killing off other characters without the express permission of the writer. Leave the drama at the door.

In short, don’t be an asshole.

6. Last, but not least, this is a writing forum. I expect to see at least half-decent grammar and punctuation. Posts shorter than a paragraph or two should be justified. Any post shorter than a paragraph will result in the writer receiving a request to rewrite their post, or to delete it and wait until they can contribute more appropriately to the game. This is not a solo effort. Do not make your fellow writers carry the story. Repeat offenders will be removed from the game.



Before deciding whether or not to make this a group game, I will definitely be needing my co-GM. This will be my recruiting/interest thread for both a co-GM and for players, so please feel free to post here with your interest. You are also welcome to use the character profile outline to submit characters, but I won’t be conducting any extensive reviews until there is at least a handful of people interested and I have a co-GM.

[Aiyanna]

Solo Pitch

Not honestly a lot of difference from the group pitch, however, here, I would like to have my character to be a participant in the pageant. My writing partner would ideally play an influential person, for example a leader of one of the city states, or Unity itself. The same conflict would be in place. How exactly that conflict is resolved is open for debate.

[Aiyanna]

Formatting Outlines and Character Samples

Header format:

Tagged character:
Content warning:

Character format:

{Image/face claim floated right or left(in place of or in addition to physical description)}
Name:
Race:
Age:
Gender:
Orientation:
Personality: (optional)
Physical description:( in place of or in addition to reference image/face claim)
Bio:
Likes/interests:
Dislikes:
Hard Limits:

Character Samples

Group Character(sample only, pending discussion with co-GM)

{Image/face claim floated right or left(in place of or in addition to physical description)}
Name: Yasmin (subject to change)
Race: Vampire (subject to change)
Age: 173 (subject to change)
Gender: Female
Orientation: Heteroflexible
Personality: (optional) Generally calm and composed. In the public eye, holding the position she does, she maintains her composure at all times, and makes every effort to make the most unbiased decisions possible. Behind closed doors, she is a passionate creature, a fact that her owner is quite appreciative of and will merrily attest to.
Physical description:( in place of or in addition to reference image/face claim) Tall, dark hair, silvery eyes, narrow chin, pert nose, high cheekbones. Regal, to some. Slender limbs and waist, mildly curvy hips and bosom.
Bio: Being nearly a century old when the war started between the humans and supernatural races, Yasmin quickly lost patience with the younger and more foolhardy beings she dealt with. At first, she used force to quell the violence initiated by those vampires who owed allegiance to her. Shortly after the fighting started, however, she was approached by a man with a proposal that could end the war before it really got started. After some careful consideration, Yasmin agreed to don a slave collar and be branded in order to participate in the first Slave pageant. She was also one of the first to agree to be auctioned at the conclusion of the pageant. After the successful conclusion of hostilities, she and her new owner relocated to Unity, remaining involved in the pageant. Eventually, she was elected as the host of the pageant, and he as the leader of Unity. (subject to change, pending discussion with my partner)
Likes/interests: Non-sexual: reading, dancing, botany, star-gazing, archery. Sexual: being chased, impact play, M/s, fire play, sex outdoors.
Dislikes: Unnecessary violence, false pretenses, orgasm denial
Hard Limits: Pregnancy, needles, scarification

Alternate character sample (rough draft for solo character)

{Image/face claim floated right or left(in place of or in addition to physical description)}

Name: Naomi
Race: Human
Age: 21
Gender: Female
Orientation: Straight
Personality: (optional)
Physical description:( in place of or in addition to reference image/face claim)
Bio: Naomi grew up on a farm in one of the outlying towns. She's dreamed of visiting Unity and seeing the Slave Pageant first hand her entire life. On her 21st birthday, her parents surprise her with the money for travel to Unity, as well as a letter of sponsorship that will allow her to participate in the pageant if she so chooses. With her parents' blessing, the young woman goes to find her destiny in the capital city. But forces that threaten to snuff out her dreams are lurking in the shadows, and she may have to risk everything to help Unity keep the peace.
Likes/interests: Non-sexual: Running, blacksmithing, singing, learning. Sexual: Still exploring.
Dislikes: Farm work, boring boys, people who either don't know what they want, aren't willing to work for it, or both.
Hard Limits: Pregnancy, needles

[Aiyanna]

CHANGE LOG

20190710 (~1900 MDT): Thread created, info posts made. Character profile samples being built offline.
20190710 (~1945 MDT): Character samples posted.

[Amarlo]

I'm surprised no one has shown interest in this yet. I actually find it quite intriguing. You have my flag of interest and I certainly hope other will come forward too. ^^

[Aiyanna]

I'm surprised no one has shown interest in this yet. I actually find it quite intriguing. You have my flag of interest and I certainly hope other will come forward too. ^^

Bellisimo and grazie!

Hopefully, you are the first of many :)

[Amarlo]

I agree! Hopefully many more appear, as well as a good volunteer co-gm. x3

[AndyZ]

Keeping an eye on this, but not really sure what to play.  Schoolwork has been insane lately.

[Aiyanna]

Keeping an eye on this, but not really sure what to play.  Schoolwork has been insane lately.

Understandable. What are you studying?

[Levi]

Only scanned this at the mo but potentially interested

[Aiyanna]

Only scanned this at the mo but potentially interested

Awesome. Let me know if you have any questions.

[greypsychman]

I am interested but am on vacation this week with limited internet.

[Aiyanna]

I am interested but am on vacation this week with limited internet.

That's alright. Still gathering interest, I'm in no rush. Enjoy your vacation, the thread isn't going anywhere.

[dicequeer]

seems cool will this be LGBTQIA+ friendly?

[Aiyanna]

seems cool will this be LGBTQIA+ friendly?

I was really hoping I had made that clear in the rules section. I'll fix my wording so it's clear.

YES. ABSOLUTELY.

By the grand high poobahs that put together this mad universe, life would be boring if we were all the same.

The whole point of this game is to encourage diversity. So, if you want to be a greysexual half werewolf half purple blob covered in gold glitter? Go nuts.  Just follow the same rules as everyone else and we'll get along just fine.

[Tmii3]

Ooh this sounds fascinating. Definitely very interested in this.

[Aiyanna]

Ooh this sounds fascinating. Definitely very interested in this.

Yay!

Alright folks. I'm at work at the moment, so it will have to wait until this evening, but I think we're starting to get enough interest to start ramping things up a touch.

I need to know what roles everyone is interested in playing, and I need to know if there are going to be rebel PC's or if that portion of the game is going to be solely NPC and side characters.

I will add an official note to the info post and change log, but for now, start thinking about your characters! I would like a balance of each role. Don't hesitate to reach out with questions.

I've also had someone offer to assist with co-GMing. I'll add that to the official post as well, because my flair for the dramatic demands a little ceremony. Once we've hammered out some details, I'll be updating my character's layout in the sample post.

Once I have some info on what roles people want to play, and a couple more people interested, I'll set about starting an OOC thread and profile thread. As it will take some time to get into the swing of things in the game, recruitment will remain open after the game starts. How long will depend on how things develop.

Anyone just coming to the thread, PLEASE INCLUDE what role you want to play! I will be adding a counter to the info posts, and some additional information on NPCs, side characters, and multiple characters.