Hi, everyone :) My name is Alfbie; I am an aspiring writer and and an experienced role-player of many years. I'm seeking a special someone or two to build a compelling story with, someone(s) who can inspire me and flesh out my own writing, as I hope to do in return for my partner(s). If this sounds like you, please read on. -- I'm not a grammar Nazi, and though I do hope your post lengths match mine (I can get VERY descriptive), it's not required. However, I do ask that you put your best effort in each of your posts. I want to feel inspired when I RP with you; I want to improve my writing technique through collaborative writing. I hope that my RP partners also gain the same experience from me. Let's learn and build off of each other together! -- I work full-time and take college classes, so I don't have oodles of time on my hands. As such, I eventually tend to bore the piss out of those who wish to RP with me simply because they are bored or because they have nothing else really to do. There's nothing really wrong with that -- I wish I could spend all of my time engrossed in great RP! -- it's just impossible for me to do. If you want long, quality posts from me, you're going to have to wait a few days for a reply (however, if I disappear for more than a week, do nudge me). I can promise you that my posts will almost always be worth the wait :) -- Email is my preferred method because I can check it from anywhere without hassle and I can better organize our posts. I can also post from forums (it doesn't even have to be this forum). I would prefer not to RP over PM. I don't mind RP with Google docs (or something similar) under certain conditions. If you have other suggestions as to where to carry the RP, let me know. -- I will play almost any genre so long as there's some sort of supernatural/mystic/sci-fi/not-normal element to it. As such, high-fantasy is my favorite, but it is certainly not required with me. Kudos to those who can turn something interesting out of a slice-of-life/realism story, but I'm afraid I'd simply bore you with my sad attempts at those types of RPs. I also like romance with my RP, though I prefer it with conflict. It does not need to be the main focus of the story. That said, I have no limitations as long as it is within good taste and it fits with the story line of the RP. This means that 18+ partners are required, just in case. If you have boundaries, I need you to be VERY, VERY clear as to what those boundaries are and how I can recognize them. So, clear communication between us before and during the RP is an absolute must. You having no limitations of your own is easier, but this is not required; I can be accommodating :) I am a woman who tends to play male characters, though I can work with characters of my own gender as well. I am very, very fond of character development, which places me in the habit of playing multiple characters. Please don't leave me to be the only one playing multiple characters! It's quite draining and uninspiring for me to do so, leaving you with less-than-stellar posts from me. (NOTE: If you don't like to double, that's fine, so long as you contribute to side characters.) Also, please don't leave me to be the only one pushing the story along! The whole point of this RP venture is to improve writing skills WITH SOMEONE ELSE. That simply can't happen if your character is filler for whatever I devise in my strange little mind of mine. I don't mind being surprised in an RP, but if you're not sure where to take a scene, feel free to ask :) Now, for the good stuff! Instead of boring you with a long list of plots, I am going to post song lyrics to two songs by the immensely talented Loreena McKennitt. Listening to and/or liking the songs is not at all important or required. Reading the lyrics IS. If any of these lyrics sparks RP ideas, tell me what comes to mind! It doesn't have to be lengthy (even just a few words is fine), it doesn't have to be detailed, and it doesn't have to be spot-on with the lyrics (in fact, I prefer your ideas NOT to be spot-on). I just want to see the creative juices flowing in hopes that it will plant the seeds for really creative RP. I've been told by several people that I'm a damn good plotter, so send me a little spark of something, and we'll grow out the details together :) If the below song lyrics do not catch your fancy but you still wish to RP with me, send me your ideas. Something, anything; we'll make it work to our tastes. I also have more specific ideas for game fandoms such as Wildstar (Tresayne Toria, anyone?), World of Warcraft (in which a retconned NPC gets the limelight), Rift, and something loosely based from the Forgotten Realms/Neverwinter universe. Again, I can be a good plotter, so let me know... [hider="The Old Ways"][i]The thundering waves are calling me home to you The pounding sea is calling me home to you On a dark new year's night On the west coast of Clare I heard your voice singing Your eyes danced the song Your hands played the tune T'was a vision before me. We left the music behind and the dance carried on And we stole away to the seashore We smelt the brine, felt the wind in our hair And with sadness you paused. Suddenly I knew that you'd have to go Your world was not mine, your eyes told me so Yet it was there I felt the crossroads of time And I wondered why. As we cast our gaze on the tumbling sea A vision came o'er me Of thundering hooves and beating wings In the clouds above. As you turned to go I heard you call my name, You were like a bird in a cage spreading its wings to fly "The Old Ways are lost," you sang as you flew And I wondered why. The thundering waves are calling me home to you The pounding sea is calling me home to you[/i][/hider] [hider="Dante's Prayer"][i]When the dark wood fell before me And all the paths were overgrown When the priests of pride say there is no other way I tilled the sorrows of stone I did not believe because I could not see Though you came to me in the night When the dawn seemed forever lost You showed me your love in the light of the stars Cast your eyes on the ocean Cast your soul to the sea When the dark night seems endless Please remember me Then the mountain rose before me By the deep well of desire From the fountain of forgiveness Beyond the ice and the fire Cast your eyes on the ocean Cast your soul to the sea When the dark night seems endless Please remember me Though we share this humble path, alone How fragile is the heart Oh give these clay feet wings to fly To touch the face of the stars Breathe life into this feeble heart And lift this mortal veil of fear Take these crumbled hopes, etched with tears We'll rise above these earthly cares Cast your eyes on the ocean Cast your soul to the sea When the dark night seems endless Please remember me Please remember me[/i][/hider] Finally, here is a writing sample of mine so that you know what you're getting into. This is an actual post I wrote for an email RP: [hider="Writing Sample"][i]Context: My character, caught stealing a special book in a village, is being chased through the surrounding forest by several very angry village guards. It is during this time that he first meets my RP partner's character...[/i] Panic spiked through the thief as a figure stepped out in front of him, drawing a bow. He gritted his teeth even as he attempted to quickly veer to the right. Of course [i]someone[/i] -- an archer no less -- would take this opportunity to finish him off. Still running, he yanked his face mask down with his free hand, raising the vial of invisibility potion to his face in an attempt to pull the cork free with his teeth... An arrow whizzed by his head, barely missing him. His heart stopped in that moment; he felt certain his life did as well. In his panic, the vial slipped from his fingers. He did not think to see where it fell or if it was still intact, his mind still registering the solid [i]thunk[/i] of the arrow sinking into the head of a guard behind him, followed by the startling [i]thump[/i] of that body hitting the ground. More arrows whistled around him. Only then did the thief's instinct, sluggish from panic and confusion, allow him to skid to a halt and drop to the ground. His view instantly became that of tree trunks and the scattering of sunlight through an umbrella of fern leaves, the smell of damp earth and moss filling his nostrils. He flattened his body against the ground, concealed by the ferns, as the ground trembled with the thundering weight of the guards running [i]past[/i] him. What was going on? Why was a mysterious stranger shooting at the Zhentarim and not at him? He flinched, startled, as the body of a guard flopped down next to him. Wide, lifeless eyes of a middle-aged human stared vacantly at him, blood oozing from the stem of an arrow protruding from his head. The thief forgot to breathe at that moment; he was as still as the corpse beside him. The Zhent was most certainly dead, not reacting at all to a tiny insect landing on his eye. The thief's mind reeled - how was he still alive? [i]Why[/i] was he still alive? Why were guards falling all around him? He did not know any skilled archer well enough to save his life like this. So then, a stranger... Now would be a perfect time to drink the invisibility potion. All of the guards were distracted, moving around; he could drink the potion, sneak out of there, circle back to get his pack, then leave the Dalelands for good. But wait, where was the...? The thief cursed sharply under his breath. His only vial of invisibility potion was somewhere in the mess. This realization cleared his mind enough to focus on the sounds bouncing around the trees in the forest. Cries and grunts, the clash of metal, the rustling of dirt and foliage, the beat of bodies falling like trees... The thief dared to lift his head, unmasked but still hooded, just enough to view the action unraveling before him. What he saw astounded him. More Zhentarim guards had joined the fray, all surrounding one lone figure, that of a woman. Not just a woman -- the style of her cloak, the gloss of her dark hair, the milky-white of her skin, and, of course, her pointed ears revealed her as an elf. A high elf, if what the descriptions in the books he had read about them were accurate. The thief had never seen a high elf before. In his lifetime of traveling, he had been very careful not to wander into elf territory, to steer clear of anyone he suspected of being one. Should an elf spot him, he would most certainly be dead. He blinked, realizing that he had unmasked his face. The hood did little to conceal the sharp, delicate lines of his own elfish lineage; ash-grey skin with a hue of brown in stark contrast to silver eyebrows -- perhaps too thick for elfish eyebrows, but suitable enough to pass as human. Chocolate-brown eyes -- unusually human, accompanied a narrow nose, the bridge slightly crooked, that rested over thin lips, accompanied by high cheekbones and a narrow chin -- only marginally dusted white from days of not shaving... The thief, realizing his exposure, ducked his head back under the ferns. Hastily, with as little movement as possible, he refitted his mask over his face, showing only a bit of grey skin and his eyes. Then he peered out over the ferns once more, unable to help himself. He had never seen anyone like her before. She had no trouble with the Zhentarim guards, felling one after the other without breaking rhythm or stride. The way she looked and moved -- like a wood elf or wild forest creature -- mesmerized him. He assumed high elves maintained a constant regal, sophisticated appearance. The way she fought -- as savagely as an orc but with the grace of a jungle cat, astonished him. Since when was a high elf so...[i]violent[/i]? He blinked, realizing at once that she had stopped fighting. He inwardly cursed his wandering mind for distracting him as he ducked his head down once more. He needed his invisibility potion, but he had been running when he dropped it, which meant it was behind him somewhere. Moving to retrieve it would most certainly give away his position. He considered his life in no less danger now than when he was being chased by the Zhentarim guards; if she spotted him and unmasked him, she would kill him with the same efficient ruthlessness that she had the guards. The thief held his breath when she spoke. He could read and write elfish very well; he learned with his childhood friend, who had been just as voracious of a reader as he was. As familiar as he was with the written language, however, he had never heard the words spoken. As such, it seemed foreign to listen to it now. He furrowed his eyebrows in concentration, only able to comprehend snatches of the speech...something about chasing her kin and a waste of arrows... The thief's blood ran cold, quiet terror falling upon him at once. Her kin. Somehow she knew what he was! Was it so easy for every high elf to realize a half-Drow through heavy physical concealment? Somehow, he had to get out of there. But how? He possessed a short sword, and knew how to use it just enough to somewhat defend himself, but he knew he stood no chance against this elf's battle prowess. He could not run; he'd have an arrow through the back of his head before taking two steps. His only option was to remain still and hope she was a dimwit at finding him, unlikely as that was. One glance at the dead guard beside him reminded him that she did, essentially, save his life. And he was still on the ground, breathing, thinking. Why hadn't she come to kill him yet? Reason began to melt away his terror. He poked his head up again only briefly; she was currently pulling arrows out of her dead opponents. As skilled a fighter as she was, if she wanted him dead she would have at least attempted to look for him by now. Or she would have shot him instead of the guards. Or she would have simply allowed the guards to continue chasing him. The fact that he was still alive meant that she knew he was an elf, but did not know that he was half-Drow. Hope surged through him like a fire roaring to life -- he could still make it out of this situation without dying! If he was very careful... Except he was surrounded by dead Zhentarim guards, and he was the last one seen with them. His emotions shifted again, this time to anger. For being such a brilliant warrior, the elf girl was also foolish. He may be living now, but that only meant that he would die later, in a slow, horrific method of vengeful torture by the Zhentarim... "Are you an idiot?!" The words, spoken in the Common tongue, rushed out of his mouth before he had a chance to stop them. He had lived with anger most of his life; it fueled him to live day by pitiful day with no way of being eased. There was no possible way he would leave this area undetected. If he was going to interact with the woman long enough to attempt another escape, he would at least speak his mind. Anger clouded his judgement too extensively for him to consider that perhaps being polite and civil to his savior would yield him a far higher chance of leaving the Dalelands without incident. "You just killed half a dozen Zhentarim guards!" Slowly, cautiously, he rose to his feet; at least he knew enough to keep his guard up, though his current attitude did little to make this awareness of any use. "[i]Zhentarim[/i] guards! Once others realize what has happened here, this whole forest will be overrun with them by nightfall! You have just put the whole of the Zhentarim force upon us! You may have--" He cut himself short, looking around anxiously. He only now realized that he was close to shouting; he certainly did not want to give their position away before having a chance to escape. "You may have easily dispatched this many," he continued in an audible hiss, "but there will be many more coming, some of them mages. You cannot fight them all. No one is foolish enough to take down a member of the Zhentarim without fierce retribution." He glared. "You need to get out of here, now, before too many people begin to wonder about why these men haven't returned to Shadowdale."[/hider] Thank you so much if you've read all the way through! Reply to this post or PM me for comments, questions, or input; I look forward to hearing from you :)