Sarah - OOC:

Sarah Grant

Sarah walked slowly down the mainstreet. It was one of the few times of late that she had come into town purely for her own pleasure. Of course she hadn’t been totally unescorted. One of her father’s men had driven her in and was doubtless kicking his heels in the local saloon whilst she took the opportunity to make a few feminine purchases. Not that he would dare become inebriated whilst responsible for the welfare of her father’s only daughter.

No one crossed William Grant if they knew what was good for them.
In business he was ruthless, as an employer he was demanding, but as a father …

Sarah smiled fondly as she entered what was grandly termed the “emporium” of the town. With a greeting and an assurance that she was in no hurry Sarah left Mrs Hudson to serve the middle aged lady Sarah knew as Elizabeth Blake, an all-seeing gossip. If only Ms Blake knew how Sarah’s father spoke of her, she might be less likely to pass comment upon their family business.

Yet for all his bluster, Sarah had rarely seen her father lose control. Even when in a temper he seemed to keep himself in check and retain control of both his words and actions. What Sarah did not appreciate of course, was that this sang-froid also made her father coldly calculating and potentially a dangerous adversary.

Yet to the daughter who had always been the apple of her daddy’s eye, especially after her mother’s death when she was just 8 years old William Grant was a doting and loving parent who not only loved, but protected her, all be it now she had reached the age of 19, she was just beginning to find her limited world within the ranch somewhat … limited …

”Lace is it …?”

Sarah looked up as Margaret Hudson approached aware of the former customer taking an unnecessarily long time to adjust her purchases before exiting.

”Lace … yes … could I see these … “

Sarah pointed out her selections and moved closer to inspect the lengths with little comment before the door opened and closed and the room was empty once more. The two women shared a laugh as the whole tone of the conversation changed …

”Actually … there were a few things I wanted you to help me with … and after that … well … it’s daddy’s birthday in just under two weeks … and … “

For the next 20 minutes the two conferred and plotted.
For Sarah who lacked any kind of female influence, Margaret was the closest to any maternal figure she had in her life.
Perhaps that was one reason why Sarah had begun of late to come into town more and more often.
It wasn’t that she wasn’t happy running the home, or even riding over the property in an attempt to keep involved in what was happening on the ranch. Sarah had always been used to the male dominated environment and had always found the men sociable:
But … there had been a subtle change of late and what had been easy camaraderie when she was a child now seemed …. difficult somehow …

The dynamics of her home life weren’t something Sarah had consciously thought about. If she had, she might have realised that her father was the reason that every man on the ranch now watched himself and was careful not to cross the line with the boss’s daughter.
If asked Sarah would describe herself as happy and content with life, but even though she had turned into a young woman, there was still a sweet naivety about her.

By the time purchases had been wrapped and stowed safely in her basket and after the obligatory exchange of news over 40 minutes had passed. With a reluctant farewell, Sarah carried the now heavily laden basket and stepped out into the street, her mind full of projects to occupy her on her return home …


http://www.2hairstyles.com/images/long13.jpg

This was my first post to a thread that never developped.
It seemed a shame to lose the character, so thought I'd post to see if there was any interest.

The setting is a kinda traditional Western setting - the geographical and historical details are not my strength as I'm a Brit so am willing to keep those details loose or be guided by those who know ...

As for characters ... this could be a thread for several players ...
I have no set direction for it to go.

Possibilities:

William Grant - (Sarah's Daddy) - possessive & protective of daughter, whilst being ruthless as a business man.

Men working for Sarah's father - including the man who drove her into town ...

Margaret Hudson - Sarah's mother figure and confidante ( she may have a husband - not determined yet )

Elizabeth Blake - spinster and town gossip.

The plot will determine if other characters are needed:

Is there a rival business man who uses Sarah to get to daddy?
Does someone unsuitable arrive in town who catches Sarah's eye?
Sarah is a loner, but other female characters are welcomed!
... As are other people in the town.

I don't often do large-cast type threads and I don't know if this will interest anyone so ... feel free to post your responses here?

Thanks for reading this far!
DM

PS - FYI: I wouldn't want to write a thread with any type of incest theme.

I'm not that much into westerns, but if you used this setting in medieval or feudal times, I'd be interested. Although, to avoid any awkward instances, I usually prefer to make the threads myself or arrange them via PM. That way, I don't go to join a RP and the topic started is like "I don't want you to play," lol. Anyway, if you did end up starting a game with this type of theme in a medieval or feudal setting, I'd definitely be interested.

Thanks for your input.

If we go medieval/feudal, I'll let you know.

DM

Awesome .

*bumps*

Ooc

Wll the thread is really interesting.
I have not beeen involved in many threads with you but i know you as an exceptional writer!
I am interested in the thread, but as you might have seen i prefer romantic family oriented threads, i had love to play your love interest (If you have had planned any) in the thread, please do let me know

This is an interesting story that I would love to be part of, either the role of an employee of Miss Grant's father, or a new arrival to town. I have ideas for a character that fits both. If you'd like a player just send me a PM to confirm the offer. As far as my relationship to Miss Grant, I am fine playing a character that gets to know her, or purely a background character (so to speak) that seems to be in a lot of scenes. I'm a role player of many years and a bit of a thespian.

Regards, PK

Story Update

Daddy has been found. Please see next post for updated information.

Although I will be playing Sarah and the story started from her point of view there are female parts still available.
(My only request is that Sarah is not involved in any kind of bi story line - a personal preference, sorry if that would be your interest.)

I rarely do threads with larger "casts", but in this case if you have a character that will fit into the storyline and want to play, then you're welcome!

{{{{ huggs }}}}
DM x

The in-character thread is up!

Please post a profile of your character here, or PM it me if you prefer before posting to the In Character thread.
There are several players who have expressed an interest, but have not decided on what character they wish to play so I'd like to make sure we have a variety of characters.

As yet there have been no offers for female characters.
Though I'm happy to write with a group a male writers. (lucky me! )
This thread is open to females also.

So far the characters ready to post are:

DJ_Wordplay - Sarah's Father
&
TheAntiRebel - young business tycoon.

I'll let them establish their characters in the IC thread.

Looking forward to further profiles/character outlines.

Thank you all
DM

Sarah

Here's my character, sorry about the length.

William Grant
44 years old
6'1
210lbs
black hair, beginning to show signs of grey
blue eyes

Bio: William Grant was born in 1842 in Ashland, Virginia. While not born to wealthy circumstances, his father had been a schoolteacher and occasional preacher who saw to it that his sons had been raised well-mannered, even tempered and well educated. William had fallen in love with Julia Harrison, daughter of one of the town's wealthier citizens and in a bid to become a suitable husband to her, attended the University of Virginia, earning his degree in law at the age of 19. He had not returned to Ashland for more than 2 months before the War between the States had broken out. William left his young bride as he went to serve in the Virginia Cavalry with an officer's commission.

William fought with Lee's Cavalry for the entire length of the war. He fought in the victories at Bull Run and Fredericksburg as well as the long slow defeat that ended in Appomattox. The war had fostered a desire never to be beholden to anyone, to be a man of his own making and accordingly when he returned home to his wife he joined the legions of those heading to the unknown west in order to make his fortune.

The Grant family, which now included daughter Sarah, eventually settled in western Texas. William, who had some money from his father in law's passing, began to buy up the best ranching land he could find and as cattle ranching proved more and more lucrative, William bought more and more land. William was soon one of the wealthiest and influential men in the state. The ranching business was a competitive one and William often had to step outside the boundaries of the law in order to keep things running smoothly. Despite this, he never became wicked or debased like so many other wealthy men had. The lack of organized law in parts of the state meant that William had to act as a de facto governor.

Tragedy struck in 1875 when Julia passed away. William had done all he could, bringing in various doctors at exorbitant fees, but the sickness had simply too much of a hold on her. Sarah, the couple's lone child, had been only 8. William saw to it that Sarah had the finest teachers, governesses and creature comforts but remained a doting father. He seemed to be two men, the hard and uncompromising rancher who ran his business brutally and the caring and committed father.

As the years passed and Sarah grew, William became more and more protective of her. The local town, which had officially taken the name "Grantland" after being unofficially referred to it for so long, had grown from a couple of ragged huts to a large and well settled community but still William sent Sarah to town with armed guards. As he reaches middle age, William is struggling to come to grips that his daughter is now an adult.

Thank you for that wonderful introduction!

Never apologise for the length! *naughty giggle*

Looking forward to writing with you!

Mari x

Name: Eamon O'Fearghail (pronounced Aim+an O'Farrell)
Age: 23 Years Old
Height: 5'11
Weight: 180 pounds
Hair: Dark Brown
Eyes: Blue
Distinctive Marks: a small vertical scar that interrupts Eamon's left eyebrow.

Bio: Some basic information: All dialog, while I will attempt to use some verbage that will help lend to the feel of the character - is spoken with a heavy Irish accent. His appearance will be added to my sig, a link to various photos - if I can get it to work.

As far as personal information, not much is known just yet.. but as it's uncovered in role play I will add it here for ease of review.

Eamon appears as a well dressed, confident, and vigilant man. His suit is currently clean - yet worn. Occasionally seen from behind, is a pair of hand crafted long knives, tucked under his belt at the back. He walks with a sense of purpose, and his piercing blue gaze sweeps any area he currently resides in, repeatedly. His frame is of an average size, with hinted strength from years at the forge.

Welcome ... it might be a good idea to PM me a basic outline so I can be sure your character doesn't overlap with any of the other players who have already expressed an interest.

Please do so before posting to the in character thread.

DM


(PM should be with you by now)

PM sent, DM! Looking forward to hearing back!

PMs received Irish ... great bio ... thanks for responding.

Feel free to post to IC thread as you wish ...

Welcome to "Grantland"!

Name: Tobias (Toby) Manning
Age: 28
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 170lbs
Hair: Black
Eyes: Green

Toby has been a ranch hand and wrangler for Mr. Grant for the last 18 years. He's well liked around the Grant Estate for his wit, his dedication and his talent with a harmonica. Tobias considers himself a sort of big brother to Sarah and is usually keeping an eye on her.

Great character Fenix!

Looking forward to your in-character post!

FenixZero said:

Name: Tobias (Toby) Manning
Age: 28
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 170lbs
Hair: Black
Eyes: Green

Toby has been a ranch hand and wrangler for Mr. Grant for the last 18 years. He's well liked around the Grant Estate for his wit, his dedication and his talent with a harmonica. Tobias considers himself a sort of big brother to Sarah and is usually keeping an eye on her.

Click to expand...

Fenix,

Do you want to jump in as the character who drove Sarah into town, or shall we write him in and meet your character back at the ranch?

Just don't want to miss an opportunity to let you introduce your character in whatever way you wish ...

Mari

My character. Already approved by DeliciousMaiden

Malcolm Roberts is a young, 26-year-old cunning business tycoon from the Eastern Seaboard of the United States. Growing up in a lap of luxury due to his father's munitions business, Mal was educated in business in the finest Ivy League universities that money could afford.

After a series of labor strikes and the end of the American Civil War put his father out of business, Mal decided to look to the great Western frontier for a business to take over and make his own. After reading a small article in a paper about William Grant, he paid several 'scouts' to go to the town and report back on the easiest way for Mal to take over his business.

After a week, the scouts sent back, via the new state-of-the-art telegram system, that Grant seemed overprotective of his businesses, and any buyout attempts with unrestricted hostility. However, the report that Grant had a young university-aged daughter, sealed his decision to move to the town at once and begin courting his daughter at once.

Great character and post!

Thank you

DM aka Marianne

Established Cast:

Characters established in IC Thread:

Sarah - DeliciousMaiden

William Grant - DJ_Wordplay

Eamon O'Fearghail - The_Irishman

Malcolm Roberts - TheAntiRebel


Still awaiting confirmation and IC post from:

Toby Manning - FenixZero - we need to know if he is playing Sarah's bodyguard/chaperone OR if we will meet him later at the ranch.

Meanwhile other characters feel free to post to continue their characterisation - ie: Daddy's conversation, Eamon's answer to Sarah, Mal's first sight of Sarah ..)

After a slight pause, I'll move Sarah on to head homewards, preferably this would be after Fenix has posted, but if not we'll leave the characters open for him to join whenever he can.

Any other offers of characters to me via PM please to ensure ideas fit the intended storyline?

Mari

This thread looks interesting and I'd definatly be interested in the Elizabeth Blake character if you don't have a pm for her already DM..but I have a question. You labeled her as a "spinster" originally and that made me wonder if you were thinkin of her as a grandmotherly aged single woman or perhaps someone who was simply just older than would be usual to be single for the time period (like early 30's)?

Hiya caela!

The important part about Elizabeth Blake is that she thinks she knows exactly what is going on with everyone. She is the town gossip and always has her ear to the ground and just as quickly passes on whatever she hears (with her own twist and embellishments as appropriate).

She'd be the one who would make it her business to know who is new in town and set herself the mission to find out who they are, why they're here etc. She most likely wouldn't miss Eamon speaking to Sarah or Mal's arrival for example!

As to age ... she certainly doesn't have to be grandmotherly!
Early 30s and single would fit the character, especially as you point out in that time period.
She might be a starchy school marm type, or there might be something else about her (religious fervour?) that makes her respected and perhaps even feared because of her ability to ruin reputations with her gossip.

Perhaps by some quirk - which I haven't yet thought through - she might be in the position to offer lodgings to the town's new comers - (type of boarding house establishment?) That would put her in the thick of the action!
You could make her rich, dependent, independent .. whatever you wish ...

As long as she remains the town busy-body (whether well-meaning or malicious - is up to you) then you can play around with the character as you wish ...
Just because she is a spinster, doesn't mean that she can't have her .. qualities ... beyond that seemingly austere exterior ...

PM or post here if you'd like to take her or any other character that would suit the storyline ...

{{{ huggs }}}
Mari

PS: Even the spinster aspect isn't set in stone, if you have an idea that would suit her being a married lady instead. Hen pecked husband?
Gossips come in all guises ...

Thanks for the answers and ideas Mari! ~hugs~ For your approval...

Name: Elizabeth "Beth" Blake
Age: 32
Appearance: Long waist length, honey-blonde hair that is usually pulled into a tight -respectable- bun or french twist; clear cerulean blue eyes that can be cold as ice or sparkle with laughter; her body is small, almost dainty at only 5'3 she's small but perfectly proportionate with firm, full breasts and a sweet swell of hips though her figure is usually tightly contained by a well laced corset and hidden under her skirts and petticoats.
Personality: Beth isn't malicious but she is a gossip. Most of the town knows it but it doesn't stop them from telling their secrets and if she feels something is truly private she can keep her mouth closed on but most of the tidbits that come her way are simply to delicious not to share! Though she's personable and friendly there is a part of Beth that holds people at arms length and she's never met a man - or woman for that matter - that could get past the emotional shields she keeps around herself. She's independant and she likes it that way even if it means no husband or children.
Bio: Beth grew up as the only daughter of a widower who was himself an only child and whose parents had also passed away before she was old enough to remember her grandparents. With no aunts or grandmothers around to help her father had raised her the best he knew how, indulging her in her curiousities and teaching her to be smart and independant. He never pushed her to think of husbands and children as her only course in life because that's not how he'd raise a son and he didn't know any other way to raise her. When he'd died he'd ensured that she would never have to depend on anyone but herself by leaving her his hotel/restaurant making her a very independant and wealthy spinster.

Let me know what you think Mari! If she won't work with what you have in mind I can tweak her a bit.