The plot of this story so far is that Shale (an ant-like alien from a planet called Rufa) is going to be drafted into a war. In order to escape her fate, she sneaks onto a cargo ship that takes her off-planet. After the ship she's on is intercepted by two mercenaries (Aster and Cassio) they plan to return Shale to Rufa until they see how resourceful and useful she can be and let her join their crew. From there, found family antics ensue as Shale learns more about the universe and her new companions while they investigate Lovecraftian enemies and try to end a war.
The main characters who this blog will primarily focus on are:
Shale- The protagonist, an ant alien (Formian) who escapes her planet to get out of going to war. She grapples a lot with feelings of cowardice and feels like she has to make up for it by doing as many heroic deeds as she can (though these attempts to be a hero often end up backfiring). She is hard on herself but she is very sweet and loyal, though she has a more crude, sarcastic side to her. During her adventures she gets her hands on an Eldritch knife with power over the Void- a place that exists outside of reality- which she can use to the crew's advantage.
Thrix- The captain of the crew. A mysterious, seemingly immortal fungoid creature who is the only one of his kind. Thrix is thousands of years old and has been on a mission of his own for as long as he can recall. He has a lot of secrets and knows more about the universe than he lets on. Over the last millennium or so he drifted from place to place until starting a mercenary business, since hiring a merc who can never die is a pretty tempting offer for a lot of people. Thrix has lost countless friends and crewmates over the years, so he struggles to get close to people. He immediately hates Shale due to her being from Rufa but warms up to her over time.
Aster- The lancer of the crew, Aster is a human who loves to be the centre of attention. They are indulgent, confident, and always say what's on their mind (which has caused them to get on their fair share of bad sides). If they have to fight, they literally run in guns blazing and can be incredibly reckless. On their off days, Aster spends their time drinking and partying and generally livening up every place they go to. People question why someone like Aster is even part of the crew since they really don't seem to fit the image of a mercenary. The reason is that Aster is, against all odds, the only person in the world Thrix feels attached to. The pair of them are each other's closest confidant, to the point of having a borderline co-dependent relationship.
Cassio- A big, fluffy moth-like alien who acts as the crew's handyman and scout. Cass is the one who insisted to Thrix that Shale join the team and he assumes a paternal position in her life. Cassio has known Thrix his whole life due to his family working with him for generations and therefore is the best at communicating with the captain. On the surface, Cass seems like the most level-headed and stable member of the group, but he has his share of hidden depths too. He is incredibly friendly and is always happy to give the others advice, though some people find his extreme friendly nature suspicious. He has an uneasy relationship with Aster since he lowkey feels like they don't deserve Thrix's respect.
July- A human who only joined the crew a few months before Shale. After her almost eight-year marriage ended she decided to try and "find herself" by trying all sorts of different jobs to see what she's good at. Her latest job is working as the crew's medic, though she's always trying to learn some new skill or another (with mixed results). July is bubbly and eccentric, but isn't afraid to stand up for herself and put people in their place when they wrong her. She is literally the friend who knows everyone's star charts by heart. Even though Earth astrology is redundant to non-humans, July will pull her alien friends aside sometimes to tell them what their horoscope is anyway. Shale has a huge crush on her but she is completely oblivious to it.
This blog is just a place for me to spitball ideas for this story because I'm very attached to these characters and want to flesh them and their world out more.
