Detailed Roleplayers discussion

Here we are.

Sweet! Turning on notifications.

Are we ready for character development?

Sure! Do you mean writing up our characters to post here? Do you have a profile template thing you like to use? I can do whatever and I don't have a specific one but I'm open to using one.

No specific template for me. Just name age appearance brief history, any other things you deem important,

Awesome. I'll try getting one done at some point. Im not feeling fantastic right now so I'll see if I sit down at my computer in a bit. No rush, by the way.

No all good. I’m off to bed within the hour so I’ll get one up tomorrow

Okay same.

Matteo "Matt" Finn Cole

◇ 23 years old ◇ Currently a Farmhand ◇

"I didn't go through all of that for nothing. And no, I'm not a monster. I had no choice."



Matteo's mother disappeared at a young age. No one knows what happened to her. Matteo's father said she died from sickness but you couldn't trust a single thing that came out of that man's mouth. Matteo's father drank and gambled away their money and by the time he was 9, Matt's father had lost his full time job. He fell to committing crimes to keep the food coming into the house, but most importantly to him, the booze and money to gamble away. Naturally, Matt could only do what he was shown and fell into serious trouble at a young age. He too was a thief and a liar, testing the law and landing in juvenile detention until he was too old and faced trapping himself in true jail. After years of going back and forth with the authorities and struggling to stay on his own two feet, Matt was landed at the ranch, his counselor and the rancher agreeing that they could give him a second chance before he drowned himself in trouble.

Matt isn't a huge talker and he's hiding in his shell. On top of that all, he's protective of himself and his past and does not want to talk about it to anyone.

Name - Hailee Mesa Owens
Age - 22

A bit of History - Her parents live in the mountains with the woods as here backyard. Growing up she would always adventure and wander through the woods. Her uncle owns a farm, which she travels to every now and then and spends time there. The most recent travel to the farm she opted to stay longer then normal, her parents starting a year long travel, partially for work, partially for fun. Most of the details were kept from her, which was fine, she was an adult after all. It worked out well because her Uncle was scheduled for a major surgery soon, he would need all the help on the farm that he could get. She has gone back and forth so much that the initial impression you get is that she is a mountain girl, not a farm girl. She knows her way around both with ease though.

Her Dog
Name - Arlo Tuck
Age - 4
Species - Border Collie Retriever Mix

Finished my character!

Done as well. My histories for characters always seem to develop over the course of the rp, hard to summarize in the character sheet it seems.

Great! No problem, I totally get it. I love your character and the dog :) One of the girls at the place I work at has a dog named Arlo, in fact!

Would you be able to start us off?

(( I can start :) I'm going to start us off on her initial arrival to the farm, the start of her extended stay. Also just setting the scene))

It had been a long day of travel. The drive from her parents to her Uncles took that full day plus a bit of yesterday. Her car was also pushing the limits on what it could take. Taking the exit nostalgia seemed to hit her hard. She loved her Uncle's place. The fields, and animals, the family. It all made the days more enjoyable.

What was more enjoyable was the fact the Arlo had grown up some. Last time she brought him he was a wild puppy, still learning his mannerisms. The windows rolled down and Arlo poked his head out, his cute nose twitching in the air. She smiled at him. He was a good boy, a good trooper on the drive over too.

They passed fields upon fields of fresh plants. The aroma of freshness finally hit her nose as well. A smile stayed on her face. The sun shown against her sunglasses as she turned down another road. The feeling of peace kept coming as she rounded one last corner, starting down a dirt road, a beautiful but humble house at the end of the long driveway. The horses seemed to be out roaming the fields today, so she knew Arlo would be plenty distracted this afternoon.

Parking out front she turned the car off, stepping out to release the pup from the backseat, him sitting to check in with her before she released him to go wander. She grabbed her bag from the passenger seat and shut the door, heading to the porch to enter the home. Looking at her watch it shown that she had made it in time for lunch, so she knocked on the door and waited. Very last minute she fidgeted with her hat, knowing her hair was a mess from the drive.

((Awesome, it's a great post :) Will the Uncle be in the story much? It might be fun to see him be protective of Hailee sometimes. Also I'm good with playing more than just one character. Maybe there can be the Uncle and someone else around...hmm. also, thought Hailee would arrive first before Matt.

I'll have to reply another time, will try to within the next several days or so. I would have tonight but I need to head to bed.))

(( I would assume so! Uncle would make a good buffer/keep them in line, plus it is his land/property. I’m good with playing multiple characters as well :)
What I was going for is Hailee going back and forth between there and her parents growing up, so she’s awfully familiar with the routine already. I can switch it up, but my thought process was that she was under the impression it was going to be like all the others then “bang” new person somewhat different routine, not the visit she was expecting.
That okay?
And sounds good, thanks for the heads up on the spacing between responses))

((Yes 😅👍🏻 They will need it. Awesome!
Oh yeah that sounds fine! I was imagining that also. Would you like me to play the Uncle so you aren't RPing with only yourself?
Yeah, no problem. I'll try to be consistent with letting you know in case it is a couple days.))

(( Also, not sure what the accommodations will be for your character but I did set up up so he could be inside the main house for meals if you wanted ))

((Yeah either that or he could be in the barn loft since he's iffy as a new guy just out of jail. Whatever works for me!))

((Oh I guess you said inside for meals, not sleeping quarters.))

Hailee's uncle, Clyde, was relaxing for the evening in his forest green easy chair. The fire was crackling on the brick hearth and the barn cat had snuck inside at one point, curled up on the rug. While it had been a long day in the bright sun, it had been satisfying. It wasn't super late, only around 5 pm. But Clyde went to bed early and woke with the sunshine. However, he was waiting for his niece to show up so he could make her at home and eat supper with her.

He turned a page in his book and readjusted the glasses frame perched on his nose. He grunted and sat up the instant he heard a fist rapping on the door. "Must be her," he said, setting the book on the armrest of his chair and rising. The black cat blinked at him but otherwise stayed right were he was laying.

Clyde opened the door a second later. He was a tall, largely built man; not fat, but he definitely did not have a thin frame. His once brown hair was now a mixture of gray with bits of white and his rough beard was always a bit lopsided no matter what he did. At the sight of Hailee, his blue eyes twinkled at her. "Hailee, you made it," he said with a faint smile. He opened the door wider and stepped to the side to let her in. "Can I help you bring anything inside?" He asked.

((No prob))

She smiled as her uncle came to the door. It had been longer time in between visits but he hadn't changed a ton. Still built like a farm-man, maybe a bit more sun to his skin tone. "Uncle Clyde! It is good to see you." She returned with probably more enthusiasm then she should have, but it was authentic. "That is a kind offer, but I can get the rest tomorrow, got all I need for tonight in here." Hailee said tapping the bag slung over her shoulder.

As he stepped aside she walked into the house. The smile continued as her eyes fell upon the points of interest. His same green chair, the crackling fire, the barn cat, whom Arlo might have a hay day with when he sees it, and the same wood decorations. She draped her bag onto the unused couch and went to scratch the cat behind it's ears. "You're going to spoil him if you keep him instead too long." She said looking back at her uncle as the front door was shut behind him.

"Give me the rundown, the new, the old, the changing with the farm." She asked, hitting the usual pattern of arrival, that is arrive, and get caught up on farm changes. Sure there would be time to wander and see everything tomorrow but it always started a conversation between them. "Also, do you need any help tonight?" She chimed in before he could start his response, helping was her specialty. She hardly ever missed an opportunity to learn something new.

"Even better to see you," Clyde smiled, the corners of his mouth crinkling pleasantly. He nodded and followed her to the living room. "Oh no, Batman already is spoiled. I think he's trained me," he raised his eyebrows, watching the cat purr contentedly from Hailee's fingers.

"Well," he began, placing both his hands on the back of the green armchair and leaning into it a little. "Autumn just had her baby a week ago and named him Buster. The chickens are doing well although Beatrix is still picking on everyone. If she doesn't watch out I was thinking about making some soup and she might just become part of it. Ahh..." He tilted his head to the ceiling, thinking about what else he could tell her. Autumn and Buster were donkeys, Buster sired from the male, Jags. "The cows are doing well, Daisy's about to give birth in the next couple days. I did just get two Tamworths; Buttercup and Eli. You're yet to meet them. And all the horses say hello." He frowned to himself, wondering if he should let her settle in a little more before telling her about the biggest change on the ranch yet. He was a bit hesitant since it had been a huge risk to say yes to the decision, and he hoped he wasn't going to regret it too much.

"I was just about to heat up some stew I made earlier," Clyde said, moving away from the chair and trailing into the kitchen. He expected her to follow and fell silent as he pulled the pot from the fridge. It wasn't a huge pot but plenty for the two of them. While that started warming on the stove top, Clyde began cutting slices from the loaf of bread on the counter.

She listened intently as he told her the news of the farm. "You finally caved to the Tamworths! You know how much I was pushing for that addition last time I was here." She laughed lightly, the last visit she had come across some baby tamworth pigs at the county fair. Something about them just caught her eye. She was really close to just bringing one home anyways, granted it didn't help that the vendor's son was both cute and persuasive. She had left the following week otherwise she would have.

"Of course the horses say hello! I can't wait to ride them, how is Decker doing?" He had been her favorite horse, a bit stubborn towards just any one, but he seemed to have a soft spot and listened to her quite well.

"Uncle, you are the best, thank you for the meal." She stopped petting Batman, who seemed to paw at her in attempt to get her back, but she moved to the kitchen regardless. That homemade bread would be super delicious. "Bread without jam? Never." She said, opening the fridge and helping herself to the strawberry jam he kept hidden behind the condiments. It was fresh jam with an incredible taste. She grabbed a few pieces of the cut bread and looked to him, "Want some on yours?" She asked pulling a spoon from the drawer and waving it between him and the jam.

"I don't mean to intrude, but I must ask you something. My parents mentioned something about your health before they left. How are you doing?" She asked it as they continued to move about the kitchen doing the tasks needed to prep for the meal.

((Will try responding today at some point!))

((no rush!))

"Yeah, yeah, sure, I suppose I did cave a little," Clyde nodded. "They were a good price." He wasn't going to tell her that he had also thought that the little pigs were cute because he wasn't the type to openly express those feelings. "Decker's doing well though he does miss you. Always seems to do best when you come visiting." He nodded to her question about the jam and began serving the soup into two bowls once it was hot enough.

Clyde's posture stiffened and he didn't turn around from the kitchen stove to face her. "I am doing fine. You know your parents always exaggerate about me like I'm a old man." From the tone of his voice, Clyde had no interest in talking about his health and was quickly shutting down the conversation. He cleared his throat. "I have something more that I need to tell you about. Regarding this ranch," he said, finally turning and fixing his gaze on her with a serious look. He brought the bowls of steaming soup to the small kitchen table and set them both down, one at each seat. "I'm having a new hand help around the farm. We're just trying it out, starting tomorrow morning."

The air turned to crisp after her question. She bit her lip in regret but knew she'd get the information out of him eventually. What he said about her parents was the truth. The exaggerate the truth regardless the situation. The air seemed to stay slightly stiff as it changed into more ranch information. It peaked her interest again, but his seriousness was different. She stopped with the bread and jam and shifted over to the table as well, placing the bread next to the bowls and slipping into the side seat, allowing him the head of the table.

A new ranch hand? it was surprising to hear, but good to know that he didn't have to do everything anymore. "Oh really? You get one of the Jones brothers from town to come?" The Jones twins were doing all things farm related. Last she had seen them there were winning the bull riding at the county fair. If it was one of the twins she hoped for one in particular, they had hit it off last time she visited. It would be fun to catch up with him.. She looked at him for a response, a sense of eagerness in her eyes.

"No," Clyde said with a firm shake of his head. It was obvious to him that Hailee had taken interest in one of them and he did not need that kind of clear issue developing on his farm. But he was already worried about the decision he'd made to have that one guy try out working on his farm. He wasn't sure the kid could last, and he was sure that he wouldn't end up staying around long.

"His name is Matt," Clyde said, sliding into his chair. His movements were slightly stiff, as if he really was getting older and maybe in need of some healthcare that he despised so much. He said nothing, however, and his grizzled face revealed no such pain. "He's going to be here...on probation, if you will." He casually stuck his spoon into his soup and lifted it to his lips, blowing on the warm liquid. "I am going to be setting some boundaries, some rules. For you and for him, for both of your safeties."

Her face fell slightly at his comment. Guess she would just have to wander into town and hope to run across him at some point. Might take some time but definitely doable. She started on her food, eating some of the bread with jam first. Her face lighting back up at the fresh burst of flavor.

An eyebrow was raised at his explanation. A probation kid at the farm, maybe that wasn't the wisest choice of Clyde's but he did need the help. "Probation? If I am to be working with him I should know what I am dealing with right?" She asked hoping that he would be open to sharing at least that with her. Her one concern with working with someone on probation is that she didn't want to be harmed any way shape of form. "Boundaries will be good. Do you have most laid out?"

Clyde's face remained calm, though he still had that air of seriousness floating around him. "Yes, probation," he said, as if it were the most normal thing in the world. "I understand that you are concerned. I've already talked to him about it. He is aware that the instant he says something inappropriate or attempts to touch you or make you uncomfortable, I'll shoot him and he'll land himself in jail for a very long time. If he steals, I will shoot him and he goes to jail. If he does anything at all whatsoever that I did not agree to, I will make sure he is aware of that and he will never see my face again." He clasped his hands on the table. "He's gotten himself into lots of trouble in times past. But he did agree with trying this out. Only for a week. If it goes well, we go from there. It's either to try this out and work hard or he goes to jail. And if he hurts you in any way, he goes to jail with a bigger problem than the first. Do you have questions?"

She eyed her uncle in silence as he explained that the boy had already been warned. Eating more of the soup and bread she listened well. Nodding in approval at the comment of anything inappropriate and he gets shot and in jail time it helped to ease her mind as well.
Hailee jumped slightly he rested his hands on the table, she knew he didn't mean anything of it, but the thud was louder then expected. "I hear you loud and clear on everything you've explained so far. My only question is that I am curious to hear what sort of trouble got him into this mess, but I understand if you choose to withhold that information from me." A shrug of her shoulders indicated she was done with her comment, and she ate a few more bites of the meal.
Hailee did glance down at her watch to check the time. It was getting later then expected and there was one more question on her mind. "Uncle, one more question, unrelated to the new farmhand. Which do you prefer for Arlo, sleeping outside or inside?" She usually slept with him at the foot of her bed, his head resting at her feet, and she was curious if that would be happening here or not.

.

((I'm so sorry for seeming to disappear suddenly. It's been so busy lately and this week looks that way, also.))

Clyde shook his head, cramming a piece of toast into his mouth. "It's not that I am trying to withhold anything from you. From what I've been told and from what I've asked, it sounds like he's had a difficult past and sort of got into some trouble. Stolen several times, got into fights, and, well, potentially been part of a gang. I understand your concern and I do not want you to be uncomfortable, but perhaps you can give it a try. If you don't feel safe any way, find me immediately and we can put an end to this if I feel that is best. Okay?" His usually stern brown eyes softened a bit, crinkling around the corners. "As far as Arlo goes, he can sleep inside if he doesn't terrorize the cat." He shrugged, finishing his soup with a scrape of the spoon in the bowl. He stood and took it to the sink to rinse it out and begin washing the dishes. "When you're done, bring it this way and I'll clean your dishes."

(( all good! It was a friendly push reminder. No rush since I'm full time school I'm not expecting a ton of quick responses! ))

"Okay Uncle, I understand. And you know I would tell you immediately if anything happens." She said with all seriousness. Finishing off her bowl of food, taking another sip of the glass.

"You have gone soft. The cat's not gonna be a barn cat if you keep it inside much longer." Hailee laughed, knowing that at this point it likely wasn't sleeping outdoors anymore. The thought of the barn cat potentially snuggling the mounds of blankets on the cough was the ultimate spoiled picture.

She stood and brought the dishes over to him, giving a quick thank you before heading to the door. She needed to call Arlo in for the night, but she was likely to get distracted and take longer if something else caught her attention. "What time are we starting tomorrow?" She asked, already half way out of the door.

(( just making my responding rounds. a friendly thread poke ))

"I have not gone soft," Clyde argued, glaring at her. He took her dishes and rinsed them off into the soapy water. "I don't know what you're talking about. He hunts mice all day. A cat deserves a nice place to rest at night instead of with the cows." He didn't offer any further explanation and went silent, almost as if he'd embarrassed himself by even speaking. He washed the dishes as he stared out the kitchen window at the barn across the yard. "I'm getting up at 5am tomorrow. Matt will be here by 9am. He will have the morning to settle in and right after lunch he'll be starting his work." More like dumping loads of cow manure and thanking him that he isn't trapped behind steel bars for years with a bad smudge on his name, Clyde thought to himself. "Good night, Hailee," he added, drying his hands on a towel and walking stiffly on his arthritic joints to the living room.

She listened closely, then joked. "So I have between 5am and 9am to get up." She laughed at the thought of sleeping in, waking up way after the newbie arrived. Shaking her head she knew her body wouldn't let her sleep in, her internal clock wouldn't let her sleep past 7am anymore. "I'm only joking, I'll be up by 7am."

She gave a long and distinct whistle, directed to the farmland. Arlo would here it and know that it was time to make his way back to her. The animals were starting to slow down in the fields, it growing quieter with every passing moment, matching the nightfall that was creeping in.

"Good night Uncle." Hailee replied as she closed the door behind her. She moved to the porch and awaited the pups return. Her mind wandered without any rhyme or reason. Memories came trickling back of her playing on the fence, and climbing the haystacks in the barn. This land had a crisp, unforgettable air to it. Time definitely slowed down while her, that was her favorite part of being her.

Arlo came bounding back, clumsily making his way up the stairs to sit happily at Hailee's feet. A partial stick was still in his mouth, the one end poking out showing severe chew marks on it. Hailee chuckled at him while she signaled for him to drop. Obeying, she moved the still to the porch railing. "Tomorrow you can get it back." She told the pup, opening the house door once more, ushering him inside.

Hailee retrieved her bag from its spot and made her way to the spare bedroom. She settled in for the night, eager to see what the morning awaited for her. Arlo happily curled up at the foot of the bed, resting in such a way to look adoring at his owner with those precious puppy eyes of his.

(( we can jump to morning. You set it where you want it. we can jump straight to Matt's arrival if you wanted to ))

((Okay. I'll probably jump to when Matt arrives. I think I'll reply by Wednesday at the earliest.)

(( sounds good. thanks for the heads up ))

The following day came faster than expected. The sun rose over the hills and the roosters crowed nonstop in their coops. Clyde had been awake since 5 am like he'd mentioned he would be and was busy making his rounds to tend to the animals.

The morning went by quickly, too. Soon it was 9 am, and Clyde was back in his house pretending to read a newspaper while he waited for Matt to show up. It took some time but the crunching of tires on gravel alerted him to the man's presence. He stood and headed to the door. He'd find out if this was a terrible idea or not within the next couple days. Or hours, if it was that bad.

There was a plain, dark green sedan parked out front in the driveway. An official looking man climbed out of the front seat, dressed nicely and appearing stern.

"Good morning, Clyde," he said, holding out a hand to shake. The old farmer shook it with a grunt. "Good morning," he replied, and glanced towards the backseat. "So. The paperwork I'm supposed to sign to agree to the terms? Would you and Matt like to come inside? I can get you guys a cup of coffee."

The official looking man glanced towards the car. You could spot movement in the backseat and after a minute, the door opened. A foot stepped out, and a rough looking young man straightened, grabbing a backpack and swinging it over his shoulder. Matt was dressed in dark colors; black pants, black hoodie, dirty shoes that probably were black or gray originally but were now scuffed and barely staying on his feet. Matt hadn't shaved in days so dark stubble shadowed his jawline. His dark eyes watched Clyde.

"That'd be great," the official looking man said with a nod, and followed Clyde towards the house. Matt said nothing but trudged along behind them like a little boy who'd just been disciplined.

The roosters crowing woke her up way before her alarms, but she didn't complain, this was farm life after all. Her morning routine was usually quick, but today she was behind schedule, making it out to the yard a time after Clyde did. Arlo happily bounded off to spend time near the chicken coop.

Hailee was out tending to the horses when she noticed Clyde head back to the house. The grooming process slowed down but didn't stop, her head swiveling to check the driveway and then the house.

She saw the car pull up to house, her interest peaking. Ditching the horses she worked her way to tend to matters closer to the house. Hailee would argue that it wasn't ease dropping, they just talked too loud if her Uncle found out about it.

The men exchanged formalities and then were joined by the guy, whom she assumed to be Matt. Narrowing her eyes she could see the potential trouble in him. She scoffed from the safety of distance between them, and shook her head. Her bet, one week tops.

They entered the house and she planned to give the men a few minutes to settle into the discussion before popping her head in. She figured some form of legalities needed to be discussed, and Uncle likely wouldn't appreciate her being present for that.

After wrapping up that chore, which took a good while, she made her way to the porch. She sat on one of the rocking chairs and cracked open her thermostat bottle, taking a few sips of water here and there. Dehydration from the sun could occur quite easily on the farm, what's worse is the heat stroke. Her light and airy clothes rustled with the slight breeze that decided to show it's face.

Uncle Clyde discussed the legalities of the young man, Matt, staying on his ranch for a trial period with the official looking man, who turned out to be named Jefferson Allroy. Mr. Allroy had Clyde sign some papers, even Matt. Matt just slouched in a chair and looked very unimpressed the entire process.

When the document signing and hand shaking was completed, it was as if a weight lifted from off the three men. Clyde was glad to get that out of the way and Allroy was ready to go. Before they knew it, Allroy was driving away in his little car down the long gravel road that led back out to the still lonely road.

"Alright, let's get you settled," Clyde said, standing and gesturing at the boy to grab his duffel bag and backpack that he'd dumped near the front door. "I'll show you to your room." He stepped out on the porch, glancing momentarily at Hailee. Matt trailed a small distance behind the rancher and completely ignored Hailee. "Afterwards," continued Clyde, "we can have you start some of the chores. Hailee can show you around a bit and teach you how to muck out stalls." They crossed the large open yard to the barn and disappeared inside.

((Had a very emotional week. Lots of hard emotional conversations, depression, marital issues, dating troubles, etc. i basically played therapist and i have been so worn out. I’ll do my best to respond tomorrow))

((I'm so sorry to hear this! This is not easy and please take the time you need to rest. Don't worry about setting a deadline for yourself, just reply when you feel ready and up for it.))