the short versionA bounty hunter (played by me) tracks down a shapeshifter (played by you) in a fantasy version of the Old West.
the charactersGrae Grickson - Half Ælf, half 'shifter posing as a human (for definitions see below). She works as a bounty hunter (or "independent legal contractor"). Visually, she looks much like Meg from
this comic. (Minus the weird double pointed ears, the spots and the big nose.) She knows she had a shapeshifter for a father. She tries to keep that a secret and for the most part, does so. Grae tends not to use magic. Because of her 'shifter blood, she had a useful power: if she touches a 'shifter, that disorients them and causes them to freeze their shape temporarily. Grae has begun to earn herself a reputation of one of the few bounty hunters capable of locating 'shifter fugitives. (I based this story idea very loosely on
True West.)
The 'shifter - Female. 'Shifters cannot change their sex. Other than that, she could have any appearance and can assume several over the course of the story.
how the story would go and how it might goGrae comes into town looking for the fugitive. The 'shifter might win or Grae might win. They might found an alliance with Grae going outlaw or the 'shifter might join Grae or they might stay rivals. Action could range from Human to Ælf territories. Certainly, the 'shifter would play on Grae's loyalties. Rope bondage (which doesn't turn me on personally, but do it for you) could well play a part...
the worldHumans came to the continent by ship and then used airships to push further westward, colonizing the lands already held by the ælves. They use technology more than magic. They distrust the Ælves and trust the shapeshifters even less. (I had thought that humans might have a simple, formulaic form of magic where imps living in a gun fire bullets, create light, etc. Not sure if I like that idea.)
Ælves live in tribes. They have magic humans do not understand. They do not trust the humans or entirely trust the 'shifters.
Shapeshifters (or 'shifters) have mysterious lives. They almost never reveal themselves as such. They have some limitiations. They cannot change sex. Also, the touch of another 'shifter locks them into a shape for a while. Nobody knows how long they live or if they have a culture or society of their own. 'Shifters don't get tracked down on sight. However, human law applies to them, though, in practice, they usually get away.
Other stuff:
* Hardly any human ever uses magic (apart from possible exception, given above).
* Humans and Ælves rarely have contact with each other.
* Horses always lived in the New West. Humans did not introduce them. The New West itself ranges from fields and plains, to forest (like in northern California), to deserts and canyons.
* Not sure about other species other than those mentioned. Contact me if you have any ideas.
lastlyPlease have a writing sample on-hand for when you PM me, thanks. Please write well if you do!
