forum The Author and the Character (Closed, PM me if you want to have an rp with this idea)

Started August 30, 2019 by @ElderGodSwimwithGamers group

tune

Mel's hands went away from her sword, her teeth gritted in frustration, so much so that Melanie almost growled.
"You wouldn't do that. You wouldn't dare to threaten me! I can ruin your entire story, and I can kill everyone if need be, and I'll-" Melanie's attempted threats were rendering useless.

"Can you, now? Last I check, you can only do the things I let you." Sam stared at his mental image of Mel, coming very close to doing something that would hurt Mel.

"I can…I can run away! I can not follow the story at all! And even if you put me in the same situation, over and over again, I'll still run the fuck away! So, in the end, I'll just keep us both in this cycle!" Melanie's posture was bold, but her voice was shaky.
(Woah, that's a huge Dr. Strange moment…)

"No," he said.
"It will just keep you in this cycle. And if you don't do as needed… I'm just a click away from destroying this entire world and creating a new one."

"I'd find my way back, one way or another. But, for now… I guess I'll…" Melanie sighed, defeated, "'do as needed.'" Mel barely spoke her next words, "Take your time. I'll be… waiting."

Sam nodded at this, pulling away from the computer to grab one of his notebooks. He made a few quick notes, on how he wanted the magic system as a whole to work, before focusing wholely on the healing portion of it. As he went on, he started to feel a little bad for threatening Mel like that. He still wasn't used to the whole idea of her being actually alive.

Melanie added, "I can help if you'd like. I'm not a professional, but… we can all try, right?" Mel's self-esteem was almost completely gone, leaving a vulnerable shell of a body, someone who cared about what people thought of her. And boy, did she feel worthless right now, especially with Sam controlling not her, but her surroundings.

"Thank you," Sam said, subdued. He felt really bad about how he was treating Melanie now. But still… he still had to write the story, right? No one would read it if Melanie didn't go through anything.

"Uh… Maybe healing magic is rare? Maybe it costs a lot? Perhaps it heals, but it causes pain to the target? Or it requires rare materials? That kinda ties into the 'expensive' thing…" Melanie counted the things off on her fingers, her foot tapping repeatedly while she thought aloud.

Sam listened to her, thinking.
"What if…" He jotted something down as he spoke, "It takes a lot of energy to perform, and the payment for the service is providing enough food and rest?"

"Okay…how am I going to do that? Sure, I have money, but I'm not rich." Mel bit the inside of her cheek in concentration. "I mean, I can limit how much I spend on weaponry and such, but I'd only be able to just scrape by."

"Well, what if…" Sam paused, scribbling something down on his pad.
'yeah… yeah, this could work!" He seemed pretty happy with himself.

Melanie perked up. "What? Please don't tell me I'm going to be dirt-poor…"

"Nope," Sam said triumphantly. "But you are gonna have to deal with a healer for the rest of the book. You just got yourself a traveling companion."

"You're gonna make me protect him! But I have better things to do! I don't want someone to hinder me!" Especially when I'm looking for Amaya…

Sam had pulled another notebook out. He opened it, jotting down some basics about this new character.
"You'll also have someone who's able to help you deal with wounds, Besides, who said anything about them being a hindrance? Maybe at the beginning…"

"Well, that's great." Melanie said sarcastically. Least I'll have someone for when I screw myself over…
"So what's his-or her-name?" Mel bit her cheek, "Celeste, Aaron, Hedia, Griffin…" She listed, idly glancing around the room.

"Zia," Sam said. He scribbled down a few more notes before turning back to the computer.
"You ready?"

"Uh, yeah. Quick question: what does she look like? What am I looking for when you say, 'Zia'?" Melanie took a quick look around the room, only seeing the person who worked at the desk who asked if she was alright.

"You'll be able to tell who she is," Sam said with a smile. "She's not someone who's easy to miss." Sam, of course, had decided Zia was going to be female. Of course.

(Of course. WAIT, what if she's attracted to Melanie, and all Mel does is push her away? xD That would be her hinderance!)
"But…Saaaaam! C'mon!" Mel whined, crossing her arms, waiting for this new accomplice to show herself.

(Perfecto!)

Eventually, Sam started typing again, and a woman in white robes came bursting through the door. It also meant that Mel was back to feeling the pain of all of her wounds, as if they had just happened.
"I heard someone needed me?" the woman, Zia, said.