Character Auction DISCUSSION

[IsabellaRose]

75/25 is probably a more amenable split, since the character creator will be doing all the work and I was just hoping for a little influx to keep the contest prize pot generous. 

I definitely agree with the disclaimer about the person's preferences and possibly listing "special" restrictions/preferences for this one character. 

We could just go in order of submission, that would be easiest. Auction off a character a week. No bids means no winner, move on to the next character.

I would LOVE if people posted their roleplay in a thread under "Our Stories" like "AUCTION WINNER - Auctioned_Character_Name" so we could all read, but I think fewer people will bid if they have to write publicly. We could ask nicely and hope for the best, but really hat would be up to the person who put a character up for auction and the winner to discuss. 

[WritesNaughtyStories]

I will go on record as saying I would love to post publicly if the buyer is willing.

Will you be creating a character for me to write, @IsabellaRose?

[Aura]

I'm down for doing any roleplays publicly as well! Oh, and I'm not really in this for the prizes so I'm okay with donating 100% of winnings to keep the club going! I'm just interested in the various writing prompts!

[IsabellaRose]

17 hours ago, WritesNaughtyStories said:

I will go on record as saying I would love to post publicly if the buyer is willing.

Will you be creating a character for me to write, @IsabellaRose?

I will. I am so sorry to delay this much. I know, no pressure and whatnot, but I wanted to get something up here much sooner. 

That being said, real life has been... surprisingly satisfying of late, and has kept me from being online as much as I am when I'm down. I'm stuck in the office for the next couple days. Let me put my mind to it and come up with something interesting while I have no choice but to sit indoors at a desk.

[IsabellaRose]

18 hours ago, WritesNaughtyStories said:

I will go on record as saying I would love to post publicly if the buyer is willing.

We'll make that a piece of info provided when the auction starts. Character Bio/Pic, Character/Player Preferences, Player Name, Public/Private, Starting Bid...

[WritesNaughtyStories]

1 hour ago, IsabellaRose said:

real life has been... surprisingly satisfying of late

Awesome. If that means no character, that's fine.  Go, be satisfied and fulfilled. I've got bitterness enough for a double handful of people.

[IsabellaRose]

Name: Willow "Willie Widget" Fairchild
Race: Human
Age: 19
Sexuality: questioning
Experience: limited to a few unwelcome gropes and a quick unwelcome fuck from a drunk

Description: Willow is a young, beautiful red-haired woman with an enthusiastic smile and a twinkle of curiosity in her eyes. She has long red hair that she usually wears pinned or twisted up in a messy pile and a petite frame. She typically dresses in practical clothing, donning a pair of worn leather boots, a sturdy pair of trousers, and a fitted waistcoat adorned with pockets filled with tools.

Background: Willie was just old enough before The Fall that she knew what life was supposed to be like. She knew about schools, happy families, eating out at restaurants, going on vacations, all the things she would never have. Instead she had hunger, loneliness, the grinding tedium of unending work, and a mechanical aptitude that made her invaluable to the same men that would otherwise see her as just another female body.

She had saved herself from the worst in men by knowing enough and being skinny enough to reach and fix the places they could not. It had made her valuable for more than her looks and soft flesh. She made fixing things her identity. They called her "Willie Widget", and that was fine by her, because as long as they saw her as an anomaly and a tool, it meant they didn't see her as a toy. Every other girl from the Smokestacks had it worse than Willie by far.

But then, after making a name for herself, her name had been discovered. Her true name. Her ticket out of the Smokestacks and into polite society. She was Willow Fairchild, granddaughter of Horace P. Fairchild, the sole inheritor of his vast fortune, and now that she'd been discovered, she was being presented to society at her very own debutante ball. 

Weeks of learning how to walk in those ridiculously high heeled shoes, which fork to use for which course, what to say to whom, and how to address every rank of nobility that strangely still existed in this broken world had left her head swimming. Machines were so much easier. But here she was, in those shoes with her hair done up and her face made up and this gown that barely covered anything on top and nearly dragged on the floor at the bottom... how were people meant to move in these things? Here she was, at her ball, with every eligible bachelor in the Protectorate about to descend upon her like vultures.

 

Submitted by: @IsabellaRose, but will be played by @WritesNaughtyStories

[WritesNaughtyStories]

I like her quite a lot. Are there any limits you want to impose on Willow's story, @IsabellaRose?

It's strange, but faced with writing for another person's creation, my willingness to let bad things happen is much more uncomfortable.

[IsabellaRose]

On 22/06/2023 at 00:58, WritesNaughtyStories said:

Are there any limits you want to impose on Willow's story?

@WritesNaughtyStories, not really, since I'm not writing her. I can imagine her story heading in a variety of directions. I'd say write to your preferences and where you see her story taking her.

[WritesNaughtyStories]

1 hour ago, IsabellaRose said:

where you see her story taking her

So, for anyone considering bidding on Willow:

I think @IsabellaRose has given us a masterful entry point - I vote we not waste it. Willow out of her depth and uncomfortable with everything from her clothes to her hair and the people around her. The easy play is one of the suitors but I think there are some other interesting folks about that we should not rule out. Waitstaff, whichever of Horace P. Fairchild's people has organized this ball... who taught her to walk in these heels anyway. There's a lot of rich ground to mine and, maybe, a fun mystery to solve...

[IsabellaRose]

Okay. Auction. Tentative Rules/Procedures.

Whoever wins the auction as the highest bidder is the WINNER. Whoever will be playing the character that was auctioned off is the PLAYER. 

1. Start bidding with the first character listed and work our way down the list.
2. Bidding starts at 100 credits.
3. Bidding stays open for 1 week.
4. WINNER pays PLAYER.
5. PLAYER contributes 25% of their payment to IsabellaRose to go toward the prize challenge pot.
6. For anyone who wants to post publicly, start a thread in the "Our Stories" topic.

RULES

• The Tell Me a Story group, its members, owners, leaders, and/or moderators, as well as EcchicDreams site admins/moderators are not responsible if you don't get paid, or if you pay and don't get a story. Report it to Group Owner/Leaders/Moderators and we'll let the WINNER/PLAYER that didn't follow the rules know that they can't enter another character or bid on one.
• WINNER pays PLAYER the amount of highest bid. If no payment is made within 5 days, WINNER is disqualified and next highest bidder wins. This  process continues until someone pays.
• PLAYER pays IsabellaRose 25% of the highest bid - this amount will be used toward prize pools for the writing challenges.
• WINNER and PLAYER agree to a storyline and work that stuff out on their own. The Tell Me a Story Club, its members, owners, leaders, and/or moderators, nor the EcchicDreams site admins/moderators are responsible for content.
• WINNER agrees to abide by PLAYER's posted preferences/limits, superseded by any specific limits added to the character posting. Failure to do so negates any responsibility for PLAYER to continue the roleplay and forfeits any amount paid.
• IsabellaRose and/or the club owner/leaders/moderators will assist with moderating any issues that arise using the same common sense approach used to divvy up prize money and the basic rules of the site.
• New rules will be added as necessary to clarify anything above.

Sound good? Did I miss anything important?

[IsabellaRose]

As long as that all looks good later today I'll make:

1. A "Character Auction Submissions" thread that will have the rules in the first post as well as a list including character, player, submission date, auction completed
2. The first "Character Auction #1" thread, which will include a link to the entry for the first character to be auctioned and start the bidding.

Oh, I'm also going to add a rule stating that if you submit multiple characters we'll grab your first one, then skip over the next ones til every player gets a chance, then circle back to your second, third, etc. characters. That way the same person isn't up for bid over and over and gets a chance to complete a rp before being bid on again.

[IsabellaRose]

If anyone wants to volunteer to be a leader/moderator in this group, dm me and let's get to know each other.

Specifically, I'm looking for someone to help run/administer the character auction, but also anyone who's interested in helping come up with challenges or any other creative pursuits for members. 

[IsabellaRose]

Two new club leaders promoted!

[Aura]

I'm wondering if the auction might get more attention if it were played out like a roleplay, with the owner of the character playing out their character actually standing on the block, what's going on in their head, and how they see the situation. It can be a good way for the roleplayer to sell their own character and the way they're likely to play them. Bids could be in-character or out of character (percieved in-universe as anonymous mail-in bids) as well.

[IsabellaRose]

I'm game for whatever you guys want to do with it, although that seems like a lot of work to me lol

[WritesNaughtyStories]

I'm game to give it a try when Lannosea comes up for bid. @Starcry, you up to role play being sold off? Perhaps that long walk to the block and the crowd in front of you?

[Elesa]

If I am still relevant with the character I submitted a month ago in this discussion, I would be down to role play the auction lol

[WritesNaughtyStories]

You are still relevant. We're running the auction for each character for one week but at the moment the thread has 24 views. About 6 of which are me checking on what I posted. We need traffic but I don't know how to get it. I bought an ad for the club, but the system doesn't allow for advertising specific threads.

Anyone who wants to post a like in their status, please do.

Edited July 15, 2023 by WritesNaughtyStories

[WritesNaughtyStories]

I just had a thought:

What if I gin-up a sample character and we run the whole thing in the open? The bidding, the discussion of the RP and the play itself so everyone can see how it works?

I know that Sera just joined the club but she asked about the auction when I posted it in my status. It's pretty clear my explanation in both the rules and my answers aren't very clear, so may a demonstration will help?

[IsabellaRose]

 DO IT! 

I'll bid on you, @WritesNaughtyStories

[WritesNaughtyStories]

Name: Khamzan Ro

Old Man Ro, as he is often called by the village locals, lives on a large, well-appointed farm at the end of a wooded lane, well away from both neighbors and the village.He visits only a few places in the village, most often the butcher and book store. Invariably he walks into whatever shop he visits wearing exquisitely tailored clothes and carrying his ornate walking stick. The man, despite his apparent age, seems to be fit and trim and the purpose of the walking stick must surely be completely cosmetic. He always speaks in a quiet, polite voice but never seems to smile and only ever conducts business.

He disappears for weeks at a time but it's unclear if he just stays at the farm or leaves.

Rumors about him abound. Some stories say he is an evil wizard, although just as many claim the opposite, still others claim he is everything from a killer for hire, a disgraced official or a retired general to athe devil, himself.

Did he just wink at you as he left the book shop?

Edited July 15, 2023 by WritesNaughtyStories

[WritesNaughtyStories]

I was going to ask if I should suspend Ishmael's auction and put Khamzan up for our demo, but @IsabellaRose opened the bidding. Do we run the demo in parallel in this thread?

[IsabellaRose]

concurrently works for me. 

I bid one MILLION ecchibucks for Old Man Ro (said in Doctor Evil voice, with my pinky raised to the side of my face)

[WritesNaughtyStories]

Concurrently, it is.

Opening the bidding at 100 EcchiCredits.