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Is it?

Bribing characters, characters that can be bribed, a little hush money and sorts. What's it take for a character of yours to look away, keep quiet or just whistle into the wind? The trail of thought that led me to this was that I was looking at cake recipes earlier (as one is wont to) and left for work and it came back to me after I got back and I remembered a rather comically small bribe used on a character of mine. She's a pretty honorable knight and one of her own needed her to not notice something, and she likes cake. So, in return for a really good cake, she looked the other way. Was more a faux pas then anything terrible, but she let it by for it.

And that's my framing device for this. Dev's, if this is wrong place for it, you can move it.
 

ShadeZ

Maester
I have a few characters and even a species like that. For example despite being a terrifying Kronian assassin Keen is known to take bribes in michi rice cake in exchange for his help as a bodyguard. Why? Dunno he likes mochi and he likes helping.

Their is a species in my books called Demiduur (dragon hunters) that are semi feline and very easily bribed. You see each of them has a few foods they absolutely love. The mage who travels with them learns one demiduur a warlord with deadly ice magic loves dark red apples enough so he will use his incredible powers to do menial tasks if it means he gets apples for it. The leader of the group the mage travels with loves mango and raspberries and will similarly do nearly anything for them.

Not food? There is another demiduur who takes bribes in bird of prey feathers. And another who can be bribed with rare magical artifacts.
 

A. E. Lowan

Forum Mom
Leadership
This is an interesting thought exercise. Everyone has their price, be it love, money, freedom, safety, drugs, security, puppies, immortality, etc. Great conflict generator, since most people don't like admitting that they can be bought. They want to think that they are somehow better than that. But find their price and all bets are off.
 

ShadeZ

Maester
This is an interesting thought exercise. Everyone has their price, be it love, money, freedom, safety, drugs, security, puppies, immortality, etc. Great conflict generator, since most people don't like admitting that they can be bought. They want to think that they are somehow better than that. But find their price and all bets are off.

This is interesting. Do you think anyone will do ANYTHING for the right price I wonder? For example, the characters I mentioned would never do certain things no matter what the gain. However the same isnt true of others.
 
It would depend. Alot of my sci-fi characters are not saints. I tend to make characters who are people of principle and action. (Even if the princles aren't exactly perfect) and I get small bribes aren't a big deal, like they're being lazy, offer them something to get up and do something. But I don't like making characters who are small enough in character that they can be bought off. And yet, I guess to a degree if it works in a story, it can be used. I guess that is a little bias though. Because as a reader, if a character took a bribe, for any "real" or significant reason, I would loose respect for the character. Fair or not.
 
Frodo could have seized the ring of power for himself. He could've had all the power in the world but he resisted temptation and destroyed it...erm, with Gollum's help.

But if Sauron had offered him a million bucks for the ring he'd have taken it for sure.
 
This is interesting. Do you think anyone will do ANYTHING for the right price I wonder?
Yes, it just depends on the price. Or rather, almost anything. It's just a matter of finding that price. Imagine what people would do to save the life of their children, or a bus full of kids or their own life.

Another example. Some studies have found that most people would sell company secrets for surprisingly little money. Think two or three months salary.

As an aside, my first thought when I read the thread title was that "it's not a bribe if it's food" makes for an awesome title for a novel.
 

ShadeZ

Maester
Now the real question is... what food would I use to bribe all of you with? Cake anyone? Lol

In my case it would probably be large amounts of wild game or fish especially salmon or crabs.
 
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Ban

Troglodytic Trouvère
Article Team
Now the real question is... what food would I use to bribe all of you with? Cake anyone? Lol

Spätzle, vol au vent, coq au vin, zoervleisj, boulettes liégeoise, reibekuchen, flammkuchen, kibbeling with ravigotte, stamppot with hachée, tête de moine or a great big kapsalon. You can try a proper vlaai instead of a cake ;)

I'll also accept a ton's worth of mussles or white asparagus as well.
 

Ban

Troglodytic Trouvère
Article Team
Oh heck yeah, we get freshwater mussels and clams here that are fantastic.or are you talking salty water type.

I only ever eat the saltwater ones. You can send over a ton of freshwater ones as well, but no bribery promises there ;)
 

ShadeZ

Maester
I had forgotten there is a scene where the dragon slayer king gets bribed with snow crab and king crab everytime he says no his son adds to the pile.
 
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