Heyo! Fishbones here, and I'm hoping to find a writing partner who can help me fulfill a rather specific conundrum I'm in. The sort of conundrum where a longterm hyperfocus demands to be engaged with, which has led to the creation of this search thread!
Before I get into the weeds with the idea, two important points first to help manage expectations going forward!
1) The pairing I'm after for this story is FxM, with myself playing the female role. I know, shocker right? Well, I have my reasons for this. Normally, in the past, I always played the male/masc role or doubled for all but a miniscule handful of the stories I got involved in. Being nonbinary/genderfluid, this wasn't an issue, and actually led to some very fun stories and meeting some really awesome friends. But for once, I will not budge on wanting to play the female role in a straight pairing. This is not negotiable for this particular story. If/when I open for other stories, this will be a lot more flexible, but for now, I'm being a bit selfish.
Despite this, I couldn't care less about the gender of my partner in writing this. So long as we both click writing together and can be potential friends, that's all that matters. Just please don't be weird about it OOC.
2) The main characters both should be some flavor of anthropomorphic creature/monster. I will fully admit that I...have done way too much worldbuilding for this idea. And part of that worldbuilding was a focus on humanoid but clearly nonhuman characters, either as beings marked by the gods or as their own race. I just really want to write anthro characters. I don't get to indulge in this much.
Please keep both of these points in mind going forward!
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With that out of the way, the pairing I am craving can be best summed up with a few tags; Enemies to Lovers, Redemption, and Hurt/Comfort.
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That is the gist of the story I've been craving, though obviously I am more than happy to collaborate with whoever I'm writing with to make it much more interesting and engaging for the both of us. I truly hope it does catch someone's eye!
Now, for the boring stuff. My rules of engagement:
1) Blood, Gore, Violence, etc. Now, I am not shy about things getting bloody, being a former haunted house makeup artist and someone who enjoys horror media. And apart from a few hard limits, I am not above maiming my own characters, main or NPCs, if it furthers the plot. I don't shy from writing as much, or as little, as a scene demands, so if you are squeamish, we may not mesh well.
2) Adults Only Please. This one is absolutely non-negotiable. I am in my thirties, and the idea of writing with anyone below the age of 21 is a huge squick for me. So please don't take it personally.
This does also extend to our characters. Huge age gaps make me very uncomfortable, so nothing more than five years between them.
3) Hot and Steamy. Main reason for Rule 2. I prefer a story/smut ratio of roughly 70/30-60/40, depending on how comfortable I am with the person I'm writing with. That does not mean that there will be bumping of uglies right off the bat, or at any given moment. I'm here for a story, and even saucy romances still have a story. Let it happen naturally.
4) No AI Art. Self explanatory. Just no. If you can't find art, I am happy to make quick doodles using my own bases when I have the time, or use descriptions only.
5) Communication, Limits and Desires. This is for both saucy and non-saucy topics. Triggers, squicks, and other such uncomfy things should be discussed BEFORE we start writing to see if we are compatible. Same thing with kinks or story details you definitely want. We're adults, talk things out.
Also, this should go without saying, but don't puppet my characters without my permission. I extend the same courtesy to my partners, and I expect the same courtesy back.
6) Ghosting. I will admit with shame I was guilty of this in the past due to some IRL circumstances that took a serious toll on my mental health for a time. That being said, I try to be incredibly patient and understanding with people. If I do not hear from you in a week, I will message you to see if things are alright. If it has been a month without any communication, I will shelve the roleplay and assume you have lost interest. Feel free to message me after this if you want to pick it back up.
7) Posting. So full disclosure, I can be a chatterbox, if this thread isn't an indication of that, but I work weird hours at a physically demanding job. Sometimes I can post once a day, maybe more; sometimes I can only manage one post a week if work or life has completely drained my mental battery. That being said, I will not hound you for a reply unless there has been a week of total radio silence from your end. Life comes first, after all.
For the writing itself, I lean towards the high casual to advanced end of the spectrum. I'm not expecting novels for every post, but please for the love of all that is holy do not come at me with anything shorter than two or three paragraphs. Give me something to work with at the very least.
8) PMs Only. For both IC and OOC. At the moment, I am not comfortable handing out my Discord handle unless we've gotten to know one another.
9) Collaboration is King. I want this to be a story we can BOTH enjoy. I don't want to be the sole driving force behind the plot. Please please please bring up any ideas or twists you want to add to the story. Hell, I'm happy to deviate from the plot I listed above if it means making a better story, so long as some core principles remain. This includes the worldbuilding; I am a slut for good worldbuilding, and can easily get lost in the weeds with ideas.
10) Small Samples. I hate to have to ask this, but I've gotten excited about roleplays in the past only to be massively let down when a person's writing style mostly involves either puppeting my own character without prior permission, or being indecipherable nonsense. With that regard, please include a sample of your writing when you contact me. It doesn't need to be anything new, it just needs to be a decent snapshot of how you write.
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Sooo yeah, if I haven't scared you off yet and this sounds like it'd be right up your alley, feel free to PM me!
Thank you for your time, and have a good day/night!
Before I get into the weeds with the idea, two important points first to help manage expectations going forward!
1) The pairing I'm after for this story is FxM, with myself playing the female role. I know, shocker right? Well, I have my reasons for this. Normally, in the past, I always played the male/masc role or doubled for all but a miniscule handful of the stories I got involved in. Being nonbinary/genderfluid, this wasn't an issue, and actually led to some very fun stories and meeting some really awesome friends. But for once, I will not budge on wanting to play the female role in a straight pairing. This is not negotiable for this particular story. If/when I open for other stories, this will be a lot more flexible, but for now, I'm being a bit selfish.
Despite this, I couldn't care less about the gender of my partner in writing this. So long as we both click writing together and can be potential friends, that's all that matters. Just please don't be weird about it OOC.
2) The main characters both should be some flavor of anthropomorphic creature/monster. I will fully admit that I...have done way too much worldbuilding for this idea. And part of that worldbuilding was a focus on humanoid but clearly nonhuman characters, either as beings marked by the gods or as their own race. I just really want to write anthro characters. I don't get to indulge in this much.
Please keep both of these points in mind going forward!
------------
With that out of the way, the pairing I am craving can be best summed up with a few tags; Enemies to Lovers, Redemption, and Hurt/Comfort.
The world these characters come from is one of kingdoms enjoying a period of calm, managed by trade agreements and challenged by skirmishes between local lords and the various would-be bandit kings of the lawless lands between. It is an ancient landscape, scarred by the past and full of hope for a better future, where legends and magic occasionally entwine and bring forth heroes and villains that will leave their mark on the world. For better, or for worse, as history has shown.
This is the world of Orsan, and our story began ten years prior, during a bloody war between the kingdoms. That is how our characters met; one (YC) a (supposed) champion of order, the other (MC) an (supposed) agent of anarchy. Both fighting for opposite armies, opposite purposes, but equal in the respect they commanded of those around them. On the field of battle, they clashed, and at its conclusion, one knelt before the other, expecting the final blow to decide their duel. But for whatever reason, they were allowed to live, and that kindness was never forgotten by the other.
In the present day, things have drastically changed since those dangerous times. Order triumphed over Chaos, and the land is, once again, seemingly at peace. But there are whispers on the wind, of a tyrant who has awakened a terrible evil in his bid for power. Monsters once again terrorize the wilds, some creeping into the settlements that lack the protection of the walled cities. And some even tell of strange folk in black robes, abducting travelers in the night, never to be seen again.
The king of the largest kingdom has decided to take action, unwilling to wait for an inevitable tragedy to force their hand. So he has summoned (YC), with instructions to find those willing to aid in this quest, and sent him forth. Of all those who may stand at his side to curb this darkness, for whatever reason, the champion decides to find their old enemy.
In the years since their battle, however, (MC) has faded into legend, a name whispered of in fear for the carnage she wrought for the armies that hired her. Living alone on a remote farm, she expected to spend the rest of her life quietly tending her fields. She never expected a familiar face to end up at her gate, nor for him to bid her to once more take up her blade against another would-be tyrant.
------------
That is the gist of the story I've been craving, though obviously I am more than happy to collaborate with whoever I'm writing with to make it much more interesting and engaging for the both of us. I truly hope it does catch someone's eye!
Now, for the boring stuff. My rules of engagement:
1) Blood, Gore, Violence, etc. Now, I am not shy about things getting bloody, being a former haunted house makeup artist and someone who enjoys horror media. And apart from a few hard limits, I am not above maiming my own characters, main or NPCs, if it furthers the plot. I don't shy from writing as much, or as little, as a scene demands, so if you are squeamish, we may not mesh well.
2) Adults Only Please. This one is absolutely non-negotiable. I am in my thirties, and the idea of writing with anyone below the age of 21 is a huge squick for me. So please don't take it personally.
This does also extend to our characters. Huge age gaps make me very uncomfortable, so nothing more than five years between them.
3) Hot and Steamy. Main reason for Rule 2. I prefer a story/smut ratio of roughly 70/30-60/40, depending on how comfortable I am with the person I'm writing with. That does not mean that there will be bumping of uglies right off the bat, or at any given moment. I'm here for a story, and even saucy romances still have a story. Let it happen naturally.
4) No AI Art. Self explanatory. Just no. If you can't find art, I am happy to make quick doodles using my own bases when I have the time, or use descriptions only.
5) Communication, Limits and Desires. This is for both saucy and non-saucy topics. Triggers, squicks, and other such uncomfy things should be discussed BEFORE we start writing to see if we are compatible. Same thing with kinks or story details you definitely want. We're adults, talk things out.
Also, this should go without saying, but don't puppet my characters without my permission. I extend the same courtesy to my partners, and I expect the same courtesy back.
6) Ghosting. I will admit with shame I was guilty of this in the past due to some IRL circumstances that took a serious toll on my mental health for a time. That being said, I try to be incredibly patient and understanding with people. If I do not hear from you in a week, I will message you to see if things are alright. If it has been a month without any communication, I will shelve the roleplay and assume you have lost interest. Feel free to message me after this if you want to pick it back up.
7) Posting. So full disclosure, I can be a chatterbox, if this thread isn't an indication of that, but I work weird hours at a physically demanding job. Sometimes I can post once a day, maybe more; sometimes I can only manage one post a week if work or life has completely drained my mental battery. That being said, I will not hound you for a reply unless there has been a week of total radio silence from your end. Life comes first, after all.
For the writing itself, I lean towards the high casual to advanced end of the spectrum. I'm not expecting novels for every post, but please for the love of all that is holy do not come at me with anything shorter than two or three paragraphs. Give me something to work with at the very least.
8) PMs Only. For both IC and OOC. At the moment, I am not comfortable handing out my Discord handle unless we've gotten to know one another.
9) Collaboration is King. I want this to be a story we can BOTH enjoy. I don't want to be the sole driving force behind the plot. Please please please bring up any ideas or twists you want to add to the story. Hell, I'm happy to deviate from the plot I listed above if it means making a better story, so long as some core principles remain. This includes the worldbuilding; I am a slut for good worldbuilding, and can easily get lost in the weeds with ideas.
10) Small Samples. I hate to have to ask this, but I've gotten excited about roleplays in the past only to be massively let down when a person's writing style mostly involves either puppeting my own character without prior permission, or being indecipherable nonsense. With that regard, please include a sample of your writing when you contact me. It doesn't need to be anything new, it just needs to be a decent snapshot of how you write.
------------
Sooo yeah, if I haven't scared you off yet and this sounds like it'd be right up your alley, feel free to PM me!
Thank you for your time, and have a good day/night!