The Campground

When you wake up, you're somewhere new.

Maybe the place is familiar - maybe it isn't. Either way you're in a place you've never quite been to before. You're on the edge of a gurgling creek that's deep enough for you to wade in. In some parts, you can sit down on the mud and rocks and have the water go up to your neck.

Beside the creek is a stretch of plain grass. It's surrounded by a seemingly endless forest on every side; the forest even extends to the other side of the water. A few trees pop up here and there in the clearing, providing shade to anyone who lingers underneath their green leaves.

The only sign of civilization is a single, half-decayed picnic table. It's clearly been there awhile, but it's hard to tell how long. And, despite its looks, it's actually quite sturdy. It won't be breaking any time soon.

But you're not the only one here. There's other kids here, too, and some of them are nothing like the other kids you've met before.

You might not know where you are and how to get home, but one thing's for sure: this is the perfect place to have some fun!

Spoiler

An Explanation: I was inspired by a roleplay called Truth or Dare when making this - I wanted an opportunity to write some of my characters as kids, and to have them interact in a low-stakes setting. The goal is to someday have the characters who meet as kids in this roleplay meet as adults in a sequel roleplay.

My thoughts with the place that they're in right now is that the kids can essentially do whatever they want. Their clothes will change if they need to - for example, if a kid wants to go in the creek but doesn't want to get their clothes wet, they'll suddenly be wearing a swimsuit instead. They'll also be given whatever toys, food or drinks they want while they're in the clearing.

Last but not least: while in the clearing or the water, the kids can understand each other despite any language differences they might have. If they enter the forest, however, they'll be unable to understand each other.

(That last part is courtesy of the original roleplay.)

1. Please include a description of your character in your first post - you can throw it into a spoiler using the code down below and put it at the top of your post.

CodeSelect all

[spoiler]Put your description here![/spoiler]

2. Feel free to pick characters from whatever you want. They can be from another roleplay, a storybook, a novel or even a fanfiction of yours. The world, time and plot they're from ultimately just impacts how they interact with this roleplay, so it's really up to you. The one rule is that your character has to be a child - and the cut off is at twelve years old. Thirteen year olds and older aren't allowed in this roleplay.

(The one exception is if your characters comes from a species that matures more slowly than humans - if being twenty in their species is equivalent to being something like ten in human years, feel free to use them!)

3. You can have as many characters as you want, but there'll come a point where you can no longer add new ones because it would alter the plot too much. I'll make sure to say something when that happens, so don't worry about it for now.

4. Please don't write for anyone else's characters. It's hard to predict what someone else might have their characters do, and it takes away some of the fun for the other writers.

5. You're free to have your character guess what the plot is, but don't make any plot-altering decisions with talking about with me first. You can PM me or chat in the spoilers of our posts if you have an idea - I love scheming! I just want to make sure your schemes can be incorporated into what I'm already scheming.

(I also have a discord server for roleplay scheming! If you don't use discord or don't want to join, don't worry about it. But if you want to join in on the shenanigans, here's the invite link.)

6. Don't post multiple times in a row, and make sure everyone has a chance to get a response in. There's going to be times where it makes more sense to post back-and-forth between two people, but try avoiding it unless you absolutely have to - it prevents the other writers from getting too behind and feeling like they aren't involved with the story.

7. Have fun!

Spoiler

I do plan on throwing one more character into this roleplay at some point, but, in the meantime, here's my first one!

Elizabeth Hardy: At ten years old, Liz is in fifth grade - and almost always has her head in some book.

But Liz isn't your average fifth grader; she goes to a prestigious and expensive private school, and the uniform she's currently wearing shows it. Her uniform consists of white leggings, black dress shoes, a dark blue skirt, a white shirt, black jacket and a striped blue tie. Besides her uniform, she's wearing a plain black backpack that's filled with her school supplies.

Liz's hair goes down to her chest, and her eyes are dark brown.

A moment ago, Liz had been peeking around the corner at Sebastian, Renee and Katy. They were talking about how their school days had gone - they were all older than her, but she wished she could be in their classes. Their classroom adventures sounded fun compared to hers. And they didn't even have to wear uniforms!

Liz hadn't been there that long. She had only just been dropped off from school; she was still wearing her backpack and her uniform. She had been planning on taking them off like she usually did, but she had gotten distracted by Renee's laugh coming down the hallway. Renee had a nice laugh. From the way that Sebastian started laughing when she laughed, and the look that Katy always gave her when she laughed, Liz was sure they felt the same way about her laugh, too.

But she couldn't hear Renee's laughter anymore.

She couldn't even see her or the others.

She was standing in a clearing in a place unlike any place she had ever been to before. There was a creek, and so much grass, and a really old picnic table that wasn't anything like the ones at school. Liz had never been in a place so open and empty before. Her house felt empty like this, too, but it was an emptiness she didn't like. She wouldn't mind if she was the only one wherever she was.

Spoiler

Scuds, 12 - Think Dragonborn from dnd, while this isn't what he is, it's a lot like what he looks like. Dragon head, mostly human body (Minus the scales and tail), that sorta thing. He's 4'11 and rather scrawny, almost dangerously so. His scales are dark gray, with some red spots, and his eyes are yellow. He has freckles, which are the same red as his larger spots on his body. His cheeks are almost chubby, and he has a few other childish features to him.

Krasut, 11 - He looks mostly human, black hair and human body. His skin is a metallic blue, and he has dark golden spots, much like freckles, covering his body entirely. His eyes are a gorgeous amber. If his shirt gets pulled up, or something else happens to expose his stomach, it will become apparent that his ribs show severely.

Scuds woke up first, He stirred a bit, sat up, and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He looked to his side to find Krassie, still asleep. He also found that they weren't on the ship. They were in a clearing, that he knew from experience resembled earth. His parents never would have returned here. Never. Grix wasn't with them either. He never left their side. He pulled himself into a more dignified position and started to shake Krasut awake.

"Krass. Wake up. I don't know where we are." He rolled to turn away from him, shoving off his hand, seemingly not believing his words. "Krasut. I'm serious."

He finally rolled back over, opening his eyes and looking at their surroundings with a confused look on his face. He pointed to a young girl, probably around his age, if a little younger, towards the other edge of the clearing. Scuds stood up, Krasut following suit, and they moved their way towards the girl.

Spoiler

Queenie Ringly: An eight-year-old girl with bright, curly blonde hair pulled up in a high ponytail with a bright red scrunchy. Her blue eyes are the color of diamonds - something she'll occasionally brag about - and everything she wears is designer, right down to the solid gold, ruby studded choker she's constantly wearing. She's got a single knife on her in a hidden sheath, but she's not all that skilled with it yet. She could beat someone sho didn't know how to fight at all, of course, but anyone with any real experience wouldn't be threatened by her very much at all.

Queenie blinked up at the sky, the wheels in her head creaking slowly to life to help her comprehend where she was. Or, rather, where she wasn't. She peeled herself off the hard ground and looked around. This was different than the other time she was kidnapped.

There were other kids here....well, she didn't know what two of them were. They looked like something Briar would chat about being created in some lab somewhere. One of those genetic experiments that lived for, like, two hours or something before their organs stopped working.

The girl could be someone from her school, though, just a different uniform. Queenie didn't even have to fake her puzzled look this time as she got to her feet and spun in a slow circle, taking everything in. Where are the guys with guns? There were always guys with guns.

No matter.

Briar would be here soon, if Queenie couldn't get away by herself.

She bit her lip, thinking.

Spoiler

Here's the promised other character!

Prince Nendros Exel Xenon: A young boy, probably around ten right now. He has short, messy black hair and dark brown eyes. His hair looks like it was neat and styled, once, but it's clear he got into some kind of fight before this. His outfit doesn't really give away that he's a prince - he's wearing a plain tunic, pants and is currently barefoot. He also has a badly sewn cloak draped over his shoulders, and a flower crown resting in his messy hair.

The crown, like his hair, definitely looks on the messy side.

Liz wasn't alone anymore.

All she had done was blink - and look back at the water again - and now there were four other people there. One of them was wearing clothes that reminded Liz of her own. They probably could have gone to school together. If they actually did, Liz probably didn't know because most of her classmates avoided her.

She wasn't really that popular.

There was a boy who was wearing what had to be rags. Liz had never seen clothes that looked so old - or so cool. She wished that she could wear something like that someday, but she couldn't come up with a good reason for why.

And then there were the other two boys, who looked like-

"Dragons!" the first boy she had noticed exclaimed, dark eyes wide in both surprise and horror. He frantically glanced around the clearing. Liz didn't know that someone could get so pale. "Az? Az, I'm scared - where are you-"

"Your flower crown is starting to slide down your face," Liz shyly said.

The boy glanced up, discovering that one side of his crown was slipping in front of his eye.

"Thank you," he said, blushing a little. He fixed his crown, glanced back at the other two, and hurried on over to Liz's side. A second later, she found herself being used as a shield - even though she was definitely a little smaller than him. "Did you see a girl with a wooden sword? She's supposed to be my knight!"

"I haven't," Liz whispered. "And you have a knight?"

The boy nodded. "I'm a prince, so I have a knight. And my knight is the bravest of all!"

"...Why would you need a knight right now?" Liz hesitantly asked.

The boy raised a shaking finger and pointed at the two other boys. "Because there's dragons, and she said she'd protect me from dragons if they ever showed up!"

Liz gave the two boys in question a very studious look.

Then she glanced back.

"I think only one of them is a dragon," she pointed out. "The other just has different colored skin. And I don't think they're scary, either. They're kids, just like you and me."

The boy mulled over this for a moment.

Then he stepped out from behind her.

"You're right," he said. "They don't look scary at all!"

Scuds narrowed his eyes, at the young boy, blinking rapidly to attempt not to cry.

It didn't last long.

When Scuds started bawling, Krasut started looking between Scuds and the boy with the flower crown, an eyebrow cocked and his arms over his chest.

"I-I am not scary!" Scuds shouts and storms off into the woods, plopping next to a tree barely within view as Krasut watches. He turns back to the prince and girl.

"I'm Krassie."

Queenie watched the scene unfold with some concern. At first she thought she should go to the people who looked very, very human, but now she wasn't so sure. Pick the dangerous one and make then think they need you around. Father's advice. Or course that was for-

She shook her head and went to the dragon-looking kid. Maybe it was cheating a little. After all, the one crying in the corner wasn't really the 'dangerous' one, unless it was an act. Queenie slowed down. If you have a trick up your sleeve, never let yourself believe that the others can't have it too. Acting was a weapon. The ultimate trick, and Queenie's favorite.

Fire with fire wasn't her favorite method, but it worked, she supposed.

She painted concern on her face and knelt next to the crying...thing.

"No, you're not scary," she agreed with...them? "Not at all." She could throw a dirty look over her shoulder to sell it, but now wasn't the time to make enemies. Not when she didn't know what side was what.

For a moment, neither Liz or the boy moved.

Then Liz was heading off into the woods after the dragon boy, the boy with the flower crown hurrying on after her. The moment she stepped into the woods, something felt off. Liz couldn't put her finger on what.

The boy opened his mouth and said something to the crying dragon boy, but Liz didn't know what he was saying. The words sounded like they were in another language. But they had been talking to each other earlier, so why was he switching the language?

"You're not scary," Liz promised, agreeing with the other girl. She turned back to the third boy and gave him a shy smile. "I'm Liz."

The boy with the flower crown frowned.

He tapped her on the shoulder, lip quivering a little.

Then he tried saying something else - Liz still didn't understand him.

"I don't know what you're saying," she hesitantly admitted.

The boy's frown deepened. He said one last thing, bit his lip, and then plopped down on the ground next to the dragon boy with a sad and frustrated look on his face.

Spoiler

Nen speaks another language than Queenie and Liz, so Liz isn't able to understand him. Here's what he was trying to say - since Scuds and Krassie aren't from where he's from, either, I don't think they'll be able to understand him.

When Nen was talking to Scuds, he was apologizing for saying he was scary. He was trying to tell him he had never seen a dragon before and had heard they'd capture princes, but obviously those stories were wrong. He also introduced himself as Prince Nendros Exel Xenon of the Kingdom of Laetae.

When he started talking to Liz, he was upset that Liz was only talking to Krasut - even though his introduction had been for everyone.

The last thing he said was that he didn't understand what Liz was saying, and that he gave up trying to talk to her.

Spoiler

Shari, 12 - Redhead, with freckles everywhere, on her face, down her neck on her arms and legs. Her hair is currently cut into a pixie. Her eyes are a very deep blue and her skin is paler than milk. She's decently tall for a 12-year-old, standing at 5'4. Shes rather physically fit as well, as though she exercises rigorously every day. She's wearing red shorts, that end just above her knee, and a tanktop that connects to it. A brown belt sits neatly in the middle and a cape on her shoulders, buttoned twice around her neck, with a few tears in it. She wears a golden crown on her head with a small ruby pressed into the front.

She has a dog of sorts with her. It has black skin, no fur, and antenna instead of ears, its eyes are much like that of a fly, and its tail has a tuft of fur on the end. it stands just above waist height next to Shari, and it almost looks like it could be used as a mount, if it weren't or its skinny legs.

Scuds peeked up at the girl who approached him first, calculating the words carefully, he'd already stopped crying when he plopped down. He never cried much. When the other two came over, he realized they'd switched languages. Though he couldn't fathom why.

"Why are you talking differently?"

It seemed like Krasut had different matters to attend to, as a tall, but clearly young girl stumbled through the woods and into the clearing, followed by a.. dog? of monstrous size.

~~~~~

One moment, she'd been wandering around in the woods, and the next she couldn't find her way back! Not even Sable could sniff it out. She wondered if someone was going to try and kidnap her again, but no worries! She'd been trained for this. She broke a branch off a tree and waited till she heard a noise, then made her way towards it.

She quickly found a clearing, and the people she'd heard. Two species she didn't recognize and a few humans.

"Hello!" She smiled, it was always a good idea to be kind to your people. That's what the dads always said. "I'm lost. Could you point me to the castle?"

Nen didn't know why the girl was suddenly talking in another language or why she was suddenly couldn't understand him, but his worries were quickly ignored when he realized someone else had arrived.

His eyes widened.

The new girl was talking about a castle and had a crown. Her outfit looked a little funny, but that was probably because she was from somewhere he hadn't ever been to before.

He entered the clearing again.

"I like your cape," he said, smiling. "I bet my best friend would like it, too!"

He thought for a moment, then added, "What kingdom are you from? I'm Prince Nendros Exel Xenon from the kingdom of Laetae!"


Back on the outskirts of the woods, a confused look flickered across Liz's face. She had been able to understand the girl with the fancy clothes earlier, but couldn't understand the dragon-boy. When the new girl and the boy with the flower crown spoke inside the clearing, she could understand them.

She frowned.

"Why can't I understand you?" she asked the dragon boy. She turned to the girl with blond hair. "And why can I understand you?"

"One of my dad's made it for me when he had a brief obsession with costume design." She blows hair out of her face, and her eyebrows furled when he asked for her identity. "Do you not recognize me? I'm Princess Shari."

Queenie's brow furrowed. She had gotten up and dusted herself off when it was pretty clear that she was being ignored, which still hurt, no matter how much dad said she should want to be ignored.

She walked into the clearing and tucked one of her curls behind her ear. She had to look sweet, innocent, like the other kids her age. The ones who were just less mature than she was.

"Hi," she said, finally introducing herself to the group, "I'm Elizabeth but, sometimes people call me Eliza. I...is your dog modded?" She was nervous, she didn't have to fake that.

Nen was in the middle of shaking his head when one of the other girls - Elizabeth - entered the clearing. He looked between Eliza and the dog, a confused expression flickering across his face. The dog did look strange, but he wasn't sure what a mod was.

"What's a mod?" he asked. "Is it a kind of magic-"

He stopped when he saw the dark-haired girl enter the clearing, too. She gave him a smile before running up to Eliza's side.

"My name is Elizabeth, too," she shyly said. She looked over at Eliza and gave her a tiny smile. "But I go by Liz instead of Eliza."

"Oh," Queenie said, "I've never met anyone with the same name as me before."