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Defection stories - Printable Version

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Defection stories - JadeTornado - 03-25-2025

Hello! I'm thinking of trying out to roleplay a character who (un)willingly deserts from his faction. Please share your stories or examples that you liked. Thanks.

RE: Defection stories - Mephistoles - 03-25-2025

Defections, and the myriad of subsequent SRPs, are rarely interesting, because people tend to start a character with the sole intent of defecting it, and it's overdone. It's not impossible to make interesting, but you're going to have to do something different to pull that off. What that is exactly, I don't know, but it's worth trying to come up with something original, perhaps even not by creating a character to defect, but maybe asking why an existing character may end up deciding to do so.

RE: Defection stories - Lythrilux - 03-25-2025

[Image: Yr6zdhE.png]

RE: Defection stories - JadeTornado - 03-25-2025

(03-25-2025, 08:20 PM)Mephistoles Wrote: Defections, and the myriad of subsequent SRPs, are rarely interesting, because people tend to start a character with the sole intent of defecting it, and it's overdone. It's not impossible to make interesting, but you're going to have to do something different to pull that off. What that is exactly, I don't know, but it's worth trying to come up with something original,...

Exactly. That's why I need some examples first, to choose the best approach to it.

(03-25-2025, 08:20 PM)Mephistoles Wrote: ...perhaps even not by creating a character to defect, but maybe asking why an existing character may end up deciding to do so.

I was about to make some preamble with the events that lead to defection, if that's what you are talking about. Creating it solely for a line "defected for X" in the recruitment thread isn't the goal, the goal is the process itself.

(03-25-2025, 08:20 PM)Lythrilux Wrote: [Image: Yr6zdhE.png]

[Image: kermit-window-meme-template-thumbnail-0acbddce.webp]

RE: Defection stories - Big Bison Bessie - 03-25-2025

I am admittedly curious what you mean by unwillingly, were they kicked out? Or did they somehow unwittingly strike a blow against their employers? etc

RE: Defection stories - EisenSeele - 03-25-2025

Could totally see a former Gaian sell out and work for Planetform and have opinions about income tax once they grow out of their college terrorism phase and get a real job

RE: Defection stories - Haste - 03-25-2025

(03-25-2025, 09:20 PM)EisenSeele Wrote: Could totally see a former Gaian sell out and work for Planetform and have opinions about income tax once they grow out of their college terrorism phase and get a real job

And all that from the bridge of an Osiris, too.

RE: Defection stories - JadeTornado - 03-25-2025

(03-25-2025, 09:01 PM)Big Bison Bessie Wrote: I am admittedly curious what you mean by unwillingly, were they kicked out? Or did they somehow unwittingly strike a blow against their employers? etc

Yeah, some plot twist like the one you mentioned. Blackmailing, Nomad infestation, etc.

(03-25-2025, 09:20 PM)EisenSeele Wrote: Could totally see a former Gaian sell out and work for Planetform and have opinions about income tax once they grow out of their college terrorism phase and get a real job
xD
If you mean my recent writing on Gaians - nah. I just positioned it poorly and got misunderstood by the local vets. I'll do smth else after the Gaian retcon.
But you get the idea right. I believe it might be interesting to dive in a tip we get in chat from time to time: "Not all characters showing up as hostile are your enemies. Likewise - not all characters showing up as neutral are your friends."

RE: Defection stories - Big Bison Bessie - 03-25-2025

My mind turns to Star Trek for stories with defectors. There are a lot of examples of that...

I think the best one that comes to mind is the story of Damar from DS9. He starts as Gul Dukat's lackey, one of the few other named Cardassians that regularly shows up. He later starts to get portrayed as a more competent soldier, and at one point, leader of Cardassia. He was loyal to a fault at first, but as he ascends the ranks as the Dominion becomes more entrenched, he begins to slip. He becomes a drunk, he becomes less competent, sloppier, less motivated. He started to grow disillusioned with the Dominion, they started handing territory over to the Breen, refused to commit reinforcements to save Cardassian troops. Damar eventually realized that the Cardassians were not partners to the Dominion, but just another conquered species. He was always proud, loyal to his people, but when he realized that the government he worked for had effectively betrayed them and turned them into cannon fodder, he suddenly got his shit together. He organized a rebellion and fought for his people. This was never something he intended to do from the outset, he wasn't a freedom fighter, not at first, he was just another Cardassian soldier, loyal to their militaristic state.

And we also have Star Wars.
I could grab a story of some heroic defector, someone who sees the wrongs of the empire and joins the rebellion to save people and be a hero. But you said unwilling defection. And one that comes to mind is the Imperial Security Bureau officer, Lonni Jung. Lonni is on the ISB board that oversees a ton of anti-rebellion operations, helping run investigations and analyzing data. However, on the side, he's secretly made contact with a rebel spy named Luthen. He trades data to Luthen and Luthen in turn gives him valuable data with the specific purpose of helping advance Lonni's career. Lonni has no intention of defecting, he's greedy, self serving, but he realizes he's in too deep at one point, he tries to get out, but through coercion, threats, and blackmail, Luthen refuses to let him go and keeps demanding more of him. If Lonni tries to stop helping the rebellion, his career and maybe his life and the life of his family is over. He never truly wanted to advance the work of the rebels, just his own career, and now he's trapped and unable to escape.

RE: Defection stories - EisenSeele - 03-25-2025

(03-25-2025, 09:22 PM)Haste Wrote:
(03-25-2025, 09:20 PM)EisenSeele Wrote: Could totally see a former Gaian sell out and work for Planetform and have opinions about income tax once they grow out of their college terrorism phase and get a real job

And all that from the bridge of an Osiris, too.

With Hessian turrets