forum Ambition >> Full >> Closed

Started May 23, 2020 by @Gentleman

tune

The country has suffered a lot from recent wars and strict leaders, and education is now considered a privilege only for those who can afford it. Everyone is given education up to and including the 8th grade, but beyond that? Well, that's reserved only for the more prestigious of the country, people with enough cash to throw into their children's futures. Unfortunately for most of the poor, the government is rather unsympathetic, and society is a bit askew, so getting a decent job without a college degree can be tough, and getting one without a high-school diploma can be tougher. Without those, you're bound to be doing grunt work for the rest of your life. Have fun cleaning toilets and mopping floors.
Most families scrounge and scrounge to make sure their kid can at least finish high-school— but it's a real struggle for many. And, unless you've got some finances to spare, you might as well forget university.
But this year, things are a little different. There's a lottery for students to enter, a grant opportunity offered by a prestigious secondary school to give poor kids— yes, poor kids!— a chance to get into the school and perhaps, if they prove themselves worthy enough, earn scholarships to eventually even make it to a university. It's a long shot, but most of the impoverished families have little to nothing to lose.
Four kids from different corners of the nation enter the lottery with no intentions of winning— and yet, fate decides to mix it up a little, and for perhaps the first time in a long time, deals them a fair hand. Now, with a chance at a real future, these four teenagers travel to the school with high-hopes.
But what if the school is not exactly as they expected? What if they underestimated how superior the richer kids felt? What if they, despite growing up in some of the roughest areas in the country, had never realized that "civilized" people could be so cruel? What if some of these rich kids were jealous, even, of the poorer's intelligence? More shocking, still… what if the school housed a dark secret, and only these four discover the truth?
Will fear drive them?
Or will ambition?
Will power be the ultimate victor?
Or morality?
I suppose we'll find out.

Student #1 » @Gentleman
Student #2 » @Misfit
Student #3 » @Milano
Student #4 » @Althalosian-is-WIZARD-Overlord-of-Emus
Surprise, surprise. We have a #5 » @crocs-to-a-knife-fight

I need a writing sample for you before you can join. I will post a template later. Ask questions if you need help.

Hello there. This looks incredibly intriguing, so, if it's not too much trouble, I'd like to join in. My writing sample is included below. It is taken directly from a different RP I have involved myself in. There is no dialogue; if you need one with dialogue, I can get you a new one. Thank you for your consideration.

The sound of cheers and hoots and hollers beat on Abram's eardrums as he stood in the center of the cage. The cage was a chain-link square of sharp, rusted metal. People would crowd around it like starved dogs around a piece of fresh meat, press themselves against the wire to try to see what was going on within. Their eyes were hungry for blood.
It was appalling, the number of people who would actually pay to watch two human beings beat each other half-to-death. But… what was worse? The fact that they paid, or the fact that he was willing to be a spectacle for them?
Ah, it didn't matter. He didn't do this for them. He didn't even do it for the money most of the time. He did it for the rush he got every time he went toe-to-toe with an opponent. He did it for that raw adrenaline that pumped through his veins. He did it for the thrill.
And he was unstoppable.
This was the third fight of the night. Sweat poured down Abram's face, mingled with the trickle of blood flowing from his busted lip, and dripped off of his chin. He couldn't help but smirk a bit at the state of his opponent— which was far worse. The man, though bigger and burlier than Abram, was clearly exhausted. Several purple bruises were forming on his face— one around his eye, one on his jaw. But it was the man's labored breaths that gave him away. He was panting. He was tired. And, by the look in his eyes, he knew he was beat.
The fight didn't persist much longer. The man lunged at Abram once— a desperate attempt to perhaps recover the fight— but Abram responded with a swift kick to the ribs, and his heel connected full-force with the man's side. The man stumbled, unable to hold his balance with his energy spent, and Abram took the opportunity to level him off with a sharp blow to the temple. That was enough to end the fight, as Abram's enemy slumped to the ground, his chest rising and falling with unsteady breaths.
The roars of the crowd intensified, as did the boos. Abram had his fair share of fans, but a lot of people bet their cash on the other guy, too, so seeing him lose was a heavy blow to their wallets.
Not that Abram cared. He still got the taste of victory— and a little of his own blood— either way. He gave into the urge to clench his fists and raise them up over his head triumphantly.

Well, now. Well, now. I think you've played on my weakness by throwing in the "Thank you for your consideration" Hunger Games line, but how could I reject such a compelling request? The writing sample will do quite nicely. Welcome to the club. I was a bit— erm, a lot— anxious, because I have only just joined after being offline for quite some time from an old account whose username has slipped my mind, and this is the first RP I have made on this account. I know the blurb isn't as engaging as the idea is in my mind, but I do hope others share your interest.

can i join? -
My sample:
Ivy clutches her backpacks shoulder straps as she stumbles towards her crush, or -as her conscience calls Angel- her best friend. She spots the earphones tangled across her best friend's chest and smiles at the thought of being as calm and collected as Angel is capable of being.
"Hey, Angel! What are ya doin' over there?"
Ivy knows full well that Angie is listening to music, but loves to make conversation none-the-less. She notices the 30 degree (celcius) heat, and shuffles under her layers of jumper, t-shirt, and undershirt.
'I knew it was a bad idea to wear all these clothes on a day like this' She mumbles to herself, jogging over to the tree that Angel was leaning against.

Ivy inspects the earbud and shrugs, pressing the bud into her ear. Almost instantly she makes a squeal of over-exaggerated agony and rips the bud out of her ear, also ripping Angel's out of her ear in the process. "That is too loud! I honestly think that I'm deaf now" Ivy giggles, passing the bud back to her friend.

Hm, hm, hm. I see, I see. Ah, why not? Welcome to the RP. It will be an interesting ride, nonetheless.

Hm, hm, hm. I see, I see. Ah, why not? Welcome to the RP. It will be an interesting ride, nonetheless.

Thanks!

For the sake of ease, I'll go on with the template.

Name/Nickname—
Age—
Grade— (They can be a freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior. If anything above a freshman, how did they afford it? Elaborate somewhere, please.)
Gender— (Please choose male or female)
Backstory— (You can be as brief or detailed as desired.)
Personality—
Strengths–
Weaknesses–
Appearance—
Build/height–
Complexion/skin-tone–
Facial features/eye color–
Preferred outfit–
Extra–
Other—

Fill this out to whatever extent you feel necessary. Brief or long, I will accept either. If I forgot anything, inform me.
(Please, by default, lean towards heterosexual orientation. Apologies if this is inconvenient, but this has caused me too much stress in the past, and I wish not to repeat such troubles. I mean no harm or trouble to anyone else, so if you have questions, do ask.)

Alright. I'm interested. Frankly, in yourself even more than the RP. But I have meant to do more RPing lately. The fact that Misfit is here already makes me even more inclined. I shall fetch you a sample.

Gaius took her hand softly. He could barely feel her heart rate quicken, but still the insistent rhythm beat softly against his palm. His eyes almost glowed, the firelight reflecting in them. He said nothing, but Enyo could hear his question and promise that flowed from the soft etchings of his face. He slid closer to her and his arm slid up hers and onto her opposite shoulder with a grace that would have surprised his earlier self. Quietly he reveled in the touch. The closeness of his hand on her skin. Like the fire that kept them warm through the night, so too did the heat comfort him and hold his heart a willing captive to the sweetness. So had he changed.
From across the flames, Vetaki's eyes too glowed with flame, watching, observing. The night gathered round her like a a cloak, and she huddled closer to the fire, refusing to let the occasional cold wind at her back chill her body. Haidraquo was at her side, his eyes dark in meditation, the dancing fire causing the occasional shadow to swoop across his face before disappearing, driven away by the light. Without moving, he watched Vetaki, then followed her eyes to Gauis, his gaze not warm, but holding hidden degrees of affection, on the company, his eyes roving to the twins, probably asleep, and a quick glance to Enyo's eyes, which looked elsewhere, and finally resting on Zol and Gaudari's fingers, intertwined. The darkness chilled him, the moon hidden, momentarily by a cloud, and he shivered. He felt Vetaki's cold hand on his, and he was calm.
"How long from the border is our journey's end?" Zol asked Enyo quietly.

Btw (presuming you accept) I am on from Mondays to Thursdays and sometimes otherwise.

Gaius took her hand softly. He could barely feel her heart rate quicken, but still the insistent rhythm beat softly against his palm. His eyes almost glowed, the firelight reflecting in them. He said nothing, but Enyo could hear his question and promise that flowed from the soft etchings of his face. He slid closer to her and his arm slid up hers and onto her opposite shoulder with a grace that would have surprised his earlier self. Quietly he reveled in the touch. The closeness of his hand on her skin. Like the fire that kept them warm through the night, so too did the heat comfort him and hold his heart a willing captive to the sweetness. So had he changed.
From across the flames, Vetaki's eyes too glowed with flame, watching, observing. The night gathered round her like a a cloak, and she huddled closer to the fire, refusing to let the occasional cold wind at her back chill her body. Haidraquo was at her side, his eyes dark in meditation, the dancing fire causing the occasional shadow to swoop across his face before disappearing, driven away by the light. Without moving, he watched Vetaki, then followed her eyes to Gauis, his gaze not warm, but holding hidden degrees of affection, on the company, his eyes roving to the twins, probably asleep, and a quick glance to Enyo's eyes, which looked elsewhere, and finally resting on Zol and Gaudari's fingers, intertwined. The darkness chilled him, the moon hidden, momentarily by a cloud, and he shivered. He felt Vetaki's cold hand on his, and he was calm.
"How long from the border is our journey's end?" Zol asked Enyo quietly.

Let me say, that this is one fine writing sample. Nicely done. Nicely done. I approve of this. The spot is yours! Don't worry about your activity levels. That's active enough for me easily, and I will do my best to make sure no role-player gets left behind.
An additional note: It's good to know I'm considered interesting, to someone at least. Thank you!

((oh heck yeah. dom and misfit both in an rp with people who seem incredible? would it be alright if i stalk?))

You're absolutely welcome to stalk. And if you, or any other kind strangers happen to become interested in a spot, I wouldn't put it beyond me to add another space or two. This RP has a lot of room for growing, truth be told. I'm glad people think I'm incredible. I tend to find myself weird, at best.

i'm very much torn here? group rps are something i tend to avoid most often, but this one does seem incredibly interesting. if you were willing to open up another spot, would you like a writing sample?

i'm very much torn here? group rps are something i tend to avoid most often, but this one does seem incredibly interesting. if you were willing to open up another spot, would you like a writing sample?

Please, and thank you. And, if you avoid for sake of getting lost, I have felt your struggle in the past and I will try not to let that happen. If at any point, you begin to feel left out or unsure of what to do, by all means, let me know, and I'll try to help. Sometimes even the best RPers can get a bit tripped up in a group setting, but we won't let that stop us for too long.

Well, now. Well, now. I think you've played on my weakness by throwing in the "Thank you for your consideration" Hunger Games line, but how could I reject such a compelling request? The writing sample will do quite nicely. Welcome to the club. I was a bit— erm, a lot— anxious, because I have only just joined after being offline for quite some time from an old account whose username has slipped my mind, and this is the first RP I have made on this account. I know the blurb isn't as engaging as the idea is in my mind, but I do hope others share your interest.

Well, obviously they already have. Even if you did just return, apparently you've attracted a lot of interest as-is. XD And— thanks for accepting me! I'll get my sign-up posted tomorrow, hopefully, if I can.

Let me say, that this is one fine writing sample. Nicely done. Nicely done. I approve of this. The spot is yours! Don't worry about your activity levels. That's active enough for me easily, and I will do my best to make sure no role-player gets left behind.
An additional note: It's good to know I'm considered interesting, to someone at least. Thank you!

Thank you much. I have had an RP going semi-constantly for more than a year and that was the most recent post. I shall try to be active and probably will be as I spend too much time here.
Well your name is Gentleman and you label God as your first interest (Christian here, myself). Plus you say you will not discuss your personal life and that you've been here before as well as choosing to start a major RP as soon as you came. Definitely a nice, intriguing, recipe.

so, granted, this one's drawn out and frantic but it's one of my favorite starters i've ever done, so

Run.

Footsteps fell quickly on the ground, making their way lightly across uneven forest flooring despite just how long their owner had been moving. They had to be light. Light meant harder to hear, harder to trace. Even in the dark, that was important.

Run.

Hands shaking, eyes blurred with tears. Elena's back burned, the memory of the knife and the wound left behind refusing to let her be. She needed to find something. A motel, an alley, anything to get fixed up and pass out in. Hospitals were absolutely out of the question. For all anyone knew, she was dead or on the run from her home. That was how she needed it.

Elena Alilat didn't exist anymore. All that was left was Elena, and whatever fake last name became the one she used. And right now, she once again was without a home. It had been stolen from her by the people she trusted.

Run, and don't stop.

A light through the trees brought a shaky and quiet sob to her lips, and the girl broke through the trees soon after. A dog barking, chickens upset at being disturbed. All she could do as the dog–gods, what breed was that–ran towards her was drop to her knees, shaking and unable to stop.

The dog, however, didn't have a problem stopping.

She had never been sure what it was, but animals welcomed her presence. Maybe she could attribute that to her mother. Whatever the cause, she was grateful now, as the dog came to a sudden stop in front of her to sniff. Gods above, please let these people be friendly enough to give me directions.

Thank you much. I have had an RP going semi-constantly for more than a year and that was the most recent post. I shall try to be active and probably will be as I spend too much time here.
Well your name is Gentleman and you label God as your first interest (Christian here, myself). Plus you say you will not discuss your personal life and that you've been here before as well as choosing to start a major RP as soon as you came. Definitely a nice, intriguing, recipe.

Thank you. I honestly didn't know there was anything interesting about being called Gentleman, but then again I guess there aren't too many of those left in the world these days. Maybe I'm a bigger rarity than I thought. And— I'm a Christian as well, so it's nice to encounter someone else with similar beliefs. As for being here before— I didn't engage in many role-plays my first time around, truth be told, and it was some time ago. I think I did a few, but it's all a blur, and I recall being incredible intimidated by the forums. Silly, timid, somewhat-younger me. I forgot the email I used, and I don't even know what the username was at this point. Needless to say, my brain failed me, and… I find myself returned, except anew! I've only done RPs via discord as of late, and those only with close friends I know in the tangible world. But hopefully that gives me some experience points for this territory as well.

I would be glad to RP with you, Crocs. The last time we did was in a bar/club with my Grace and Evan aged up.

so, granted, this one's drawn out and frantic but it's one of my favorite starters i've ever done, so

---

Run.

Footsteps fell quickly on the ground, making their way lightly across uneven forest flooring despite just how long their owner had been moving. They had to be light. Light meant harder to hear, harder to trace. Even in the dark, that was important.

Run.

Hands shaking, eyes blurred with tears. Elena's back burned, the memory of the knife and the wound left behind refusing to let her be. She needed to find something. A motel, an alley, anything to get fixed up and pass out in. Hospitals were absolutely out of the question. For all anyone knew, she was dead or on the run from her home. That was how she needed it.

Elena Alilat didn't exist anymore. All that was left was Elena, and whatever fake last name became the one she used. And right now, she once again was without a home. It had been stolen from her by the people she trusted.

Run, and don't stop.

A light through the trees brought a shaky and quiet sob to her lips, and the girl broke through the trees soon after. A dog barking, chickens upset at being disturbed. All she could do as the dog–gods, what breed was that–ran towards her was drop to her knees, shaking and unable to stop.

The dog, however, didn't have a problem stopping.

She had never been sure what it was, but animals welcomed her presence. Maybe she could attribute that to her mother. Whatever the cause, she was grateful now, as the dog came to a sudden stop in front of her to sniff. Gods above, please let these people be friendly enough to give me directions.

I'd be lying to say this didn't intrigue me right off the bat. I'm a big fan of your writing, for certain. I welcome you with open arms!

I would be glad to RP with you, Crocs. The last time we did was in a bar/club with my Grace and Evan aged up.

that rp was so long ago gosh. i feel like i've made so many steps forward since then. also, kinda sucked that rp didn't get very far, but that could kind of be blamed on my severe lack of plot and direction in mind.

Well, obviously they already have. Even if you did just return, apparently you've attracted a lot of interest as-is. XD And— thanks for accepting me! I'll get my sign-up posted tomorrow, hopefully, if I can.

Yes, yes. That will be perfectly fine. Take as much time as you need!