The Blackbirders {RP}

[Miranda_]

Rules.

1. This RP is for experienced RPers only. That means that unless your name appears on the following list, then you can't join. The people who can join this RP are as follows: Spirit_Queen, Sarah_K_O_M, Silent_Wolf, TheHayleyDoll, Amazinglove. If you are not among the listed RPers, please don't post in this RP asking to join or PM me asking the same.

2. Obey the main forum rules.

3. No Mary Sues or Gary Stus. Or I will hit you.

4. Please abide by the plot rules. This universe has electricity; it's called something else in the book, but for simplicity's sake, I'm calling it electric. There are no cars, but carriages that run by electric. There are no aeroplanes, but instead people travel by zepplin airship. There are still carriages pulled by horses and people travelling by horseback, too. If you have any questions, PM me rather than asking in the RP.


Welcome to a completely new world. This world is similar to ours in some ways, but in other ways, the differences stand out markedly. In our world, our souls are one complete whole and are housed within us. In this world, half our soul remains within us and half is outside us, as a daemon. Daemons take the form of animals; they can change their shape during our childhoods, but when we mature into adults, they remain in one shape which they stay in for the rest of our lives. Your daemon is your friend, and your true other half; no-one knows you like your daemon does. You can't imagine being parted from your daemon, ever. But there is a danger. Children are being kidnapped, from the slums, the middle class areas and even from the parts of town where the rich live. No-one is safe, and no-one knows quite when the kidnappers will strike.

The children play games about these so called "Blackbirders", and pretend to themselves that they're not scared, but they are. And with good reason. The Blackbirders steal the children away and take them to a place in the north where scientists have developed a machine that will separate a person from their daemon. Anyone who goes thru this process will be sundered from half their soul, and both person and daemon will be as zombies, mindless and obedient, to their master. He keeps himself secret, only emerging every so often to check on what's going on in his headquarters, a huge building surrounded by snowy plains, where the children are taken. He has a plan; to use his creations to build up a deadly army, an army that knows no fear and attacks obediently and blindly, in order to take over the world and make himself ruler of it.

The severing process used to be thought permanent, and the victims of it left mindless, but a rogue scientist working at the headquarters, quite by accident, discovered a cure. She was forced to flee, fearing for her very life, in order to hide out at a secret location in a town on the other side of the world. She cannot reveal her identity or her purpose for fear that her old employer will track her down and kill her to prevent her revealing the cure to anyone or practicing it on his minions to give them their lives and souls back. Who are you in this fierce struggle? Are you a mother, perhaps, who's had a child taken and now is determined to find them, whatever the cost? Or maybe you're a child who fears the Blackbirders, yet plays the games with all the other children. Or perhaps you used to work alongside the scientist who's discovered the cure; do you support her work or condemn it? What side have you chosen?

Rules For The Plot.

Certain elements from the book Northern Lights, which was made into the movie The Golden Compass, have been taken and adapted into this RP. I haven't taken the exact plot, as it would be too complex for an RP and also was solved in the books. The most difficult aspect for most people to understand would be the daemons, so I'll explain those in full, as well as impressing on players certain rules that must be followed as far as daemons are concerned. Here they are:

1. Daemons can change shape in childhood but are fixed in adulthood. For the sake of the RP, I'm making this as 16+ when your daemon fixes its shape. If you have problems thinking of what animal your character's daemon will be, just think of the Animagus forms in Harry Potter; ie, the animal shape can not be chosen and instead reflects the person's personality. Daemons also do this; for example, a brave person may have a lion daemon; a sneaky one a snake, an independant person a cat, a vain person a peacock and a flighty one a squirrel. Look at your character's personality, if adult, and choose a shape to fit them. If your character is a child, then their daemon can change shape at will. The daemons of servants, incidentally, are always types of dog.

2. Men have female daemons and women male. You must remember this, and choose a suitable name for your daemon. Don't forget that the daemon is not a pet, it is part of you. So your character converses with them as they would another person.

3. Any animal can be a daemon, including reptiles and birds, and also insects. Be creative. Don't just pick the same daemon as someone else did, if you figure your daemon is a cat, then choose another type of cat, for example, a serval or ocelot.

4. No-one must touch another person's daemon. It's the worst taboo you could imagine. The only exception would be between lovers, for example, but in most cases only the person who's daemon belongs to them will touch that daemon. If your daemon is hurt, then your character is hurt.

5. A person and his/her daemon must stay within a short distance of each other. Forced separation causes unimaginable pain, both mental and physical, even if both are reunited. The people who are severing the children from their daemons are doing so in the most brutal way, and some of the children die from the experience.

~~~

Character Form:
Name:
Age:
Appearence: (written please, no pictures)
Personality:
Bio:
Daemon: (if a child, then just put the daemon's name)

~~~

Name: Rian Emerald
Age: 13
Appearence: Black hair, green eyes. Average height
Personality: Very childish for his age, can be rude, sulky and bratty. Likes to deliberately annoy people, steals. He's also loyal to his friends, and brave on occasion
Bio: Rian's father is in prison, and his mother couldn't cope with him so at an early age he was adopted. His adopted mother Gwen is an alcoholic, and pays little or no attention to her adopted son, instead letting him run wild.
Daemon: Maris.

~~~

Rian crept alongside a wall behind the stalls in the marketplace, his daemon Maris in the shape of a fox at his side. "I'm not so sure about this," Maris said in barely a whisper. "What if you get caught? If you get beaten, remember, I get hurt as well." "I'm not going to get caught, and I won't get beaten," Rian muttered back to Maris in the same low tone. "You know as well as I do that Mum won't bother to get us anything to eat; she just spends all the money she can get hold of on drink. This is the only way. Either that, or we starve." Maris gave a sigh, and nodded. "Alright. Just be careful." Rian crouched down low behind a stall selling hot pies. He waited for the right moment, then pounced. He seized a pie, wincing slightly due to it burning his hands and was away, running hard with Maris flying by his head in the shape of a finch, by the time the stallholder and his jackal daemon spotted them. The stallholder shook his fist and his daemon growled angrily, but fruitlessly as Rian was well away.

Rian stopped running as soon as he got to a convienient alleyway, that ran up the side of an abandoned, derelict house. He sat down, out of breath and Maris flopped down next to him. "I didn't get caught, did I?" he said to her, before starting to eat his prize. "Not this time, true," Maris replied, "But what about next time?" "I ain't thinking about next time," Rian said between bites. "I just think about now. That, and to make sure the Blackbirders don't get me." Rian along with the other children who lived along the street in the terraced houses often shivered in delicious fear and played games about the Blackbirders, but it became real when a child they knew disappeared. Mothers often used the Blackbirders to threaten their kids with, saying, "Do your homework now or the Blackbirders will get you!" "Eat up your dinner, or the Blackbirders will come" or "Come in this instant, or I'll tell the Blackbirders to take you away!" but they too feared their children being taken by the merciless kidnappers.

[spirit_queen]

Name: Kiki Jackson
Age: 5
Appearence: Kiki has dark blonde hair down to her waist, and insists on always wearing pigtails. She has grey eyes and short lashes, and has a dimple on only one cheek when she smiles.
Personality: Kiki is a tattletale, but only because she hates it when people do wrong things; she wishes everybody could play nice.
Bio: Kiki grew up in a middle class family, and is cherished by her mother, but her father is rarely home.
Daemon: Gigi (pronounced “jee-jee”)


Name: Nicole (Nikki) Jackson
Age: 24
Appearence: Nikki is a short brunette with blue eyes, and an upturned nose. She is slightly pear shaped, and has small feet.
Personality: Nikki is a bit of a doormat, and has almost no will of her own. Her daughter is the only thing that matters in her world, and she would do anything for Kiki.
Bio: Nikki grew up with strict parents, and then married an abusive, adulterous husband. She hates the fact that she can’t find it in her to even yell at her husband for cheating, let alone fight back when he hits.
Daemon: Chris, a little grey field mouse
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In the dark, the padding of little feet could be heard, and soon a young girl appeared in the alleyway where Rian sat, her breath coming in short gasps. On her shoulder sat a dwarf hamster, who was obviously her daemon. The young girl leaned against the brick wall, then slid to the ground. “Gigi, I can’t take it anymore.” Kiki said, close to sobbing.

“It’ll soon be over, I promise.” Gigi said as he took on the shape of a black cat with golden eyes.

Kiki didn’t believe that, and she knew Gigi didn’t, either. Desperate for a distraction, Kiki looked over at the only other individuals in the alleyway. “What kinda pie is that?” She asked, sniffing the air; she hadn’t had dinner, as dinner was never served when the fighting began. She crawled over to the older boy, hoping he would offer some.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Nikki was glad when it was over, was glad when he left to go spend his money on booze, even if it meant he’d cheat. She had new bruises to try to cover up, a swollen lip, and what she was sure was a sprained ankle.

She’d dared to try and confront Will about his constant cheating, and about how he spent his money on nothing but alcohol and prostitutes. She was quite proud of herself… until Will started smacking her until she begged for mercy. Now she had to go and find her daughter: Kiki always went into hiding when Will decided to beat her, and that was understandable. Chris, her daemon said “That was the worst it’s been in several months.”

“I know.” Nikki groaned.

“I told you that you weren’t ready to call him out yet, that you’d lose.” Chris said. He was a bit of a pessimist, but, in this case, Nikki agreed.

“I’m just sick of being so weak, of being such a pushover.” Nikki said.

“I know, love, I know.” Chris said, snuggling against her neck in an attempt to comfort her (and himself).

[TheHayleyDoll]

Name: Scarlett Kerry
Age: 14
Appearence: Long, straight blond hair, big round blue eyes. Short, thin.
Personality: Bubbly, loud, girly, proud/arrogant, vain, competitive and stubborn.
Bio: Scarlett's parents are always busy, and since she's an only child, she ends up home alone often.Scarlett wishes that her parents were around more, but she tries to seems mature and tells them that she doesn't mind.
Daemon: Sage

-------

Scarlett looked outside her window, waiting for her parents to come home from work. Sometimes they wouldn't be back until very late, but Scarlett still worried all the time. She hoped that, eventually, her parents would be more involved in her life - especially with the Blackbirds around. She turned to her daemon, in the shape of a cat, and smiled. "I'm glad I have you, Sage."

Sage looked back at Scarlett, "I enjoy you company too, Scarlett. How about we take a walk? I feel the need to relax."

"Are you crazy, Sage? What if I get kidnapped?"

"I'm here with you, and I will do all I can to keep you safe." Sage said.

Scarlett was still unsure. She didn't usually leave the house while her parents were out as she found it much too dangerous.

[Miranda_]

Rian looked up. He was full, but was reluctant to surrender the pie. "Steak and kidney," he replied. Maris stood up, taking on the form of a ferret. Rian looked at the girl with narrowed eyes. "You don't come from round here, do you? You're one of those who live down the road in the other houses."

Ooc: Hayley, if your character is a girl, she can't have a female daemon. Daemons are always opposite gender to their person.

[spirit_queen]

Kiki nodded her head. "I didn't get dinner because they're fighting again; I never get food when they fight." She said. Like a child, she assumd that Rian would know who "they" were.

Gigi meowed, then said "She means our parents."

[Miranda_]

"My mum drinks. I never get food from her, so I steal it. She spends all her money on more drink. If those Blackbirders took me, she'd not even notice; so I hate her. My only friend is Maris." Maris rubbed up against Rian, and he stroked her head.

[spirit_queen]

"You mean you stole it?" Kiki said, staring at him. "Nevermind, I don't want any." she said.

Gigi changed from a cat to a bird. He settled on Kiki's shoulder, and decided it was best not to say anything.

[Miranda_]

"Fine, don't then. I'll eat it all." Rian defiantly took another bite, despite not being hungry any more. Maris looked curiously at both girl and daemon.

"You can't say you're not hungry; you look like it to me. Is it just cuz it's stolen?" She changed to a fox, and began to lick a paw.

[spirit_queen]

Gigi nodded. "Yes; she won't eat anytihng stolen, as she believes it's wrong."
Kiki nodded; she would let gigi tell anyone who wanted to listen how she felt about it.

[Miranda_]

"Well, that's just silly," said Maris, decisively. "Ain't it worse to starve? It's far more wrong for a kid to starve cuz his mother won't feed him to my mind."

Rian nodded, his mouth full, to show he agreed with his daemon.