Deadline

My space.

Intermission:

It was a crisp morning and the sky had been painted a rare shade of cardinal pink. A choir of yellow songbirds appeared, glided into a Japanese garden, and sang notes and melodies which made the ears of the world waggle with joy. Stoic statues lowered their heads in thought; rows of blessed bonsai tree bowed before a broken and weathered image of the Buddha; stocky monkeys in triads armed with sticks; some gnarly, some bent, some broken, but sticks; ran across a badly-made bridge of bamboo, which crackled hellishly when ran on. And when the monkeys knew that the bamboo crackled hellishly when ran on, they made it crackle like hell and laughed at the pointless vanity of their actions, then went rambling on, hitting sticks in hand.

Below the bamboo bridge a lonely female carp swam in absolute darkness inside her stagnant stream, performing a series of increasingly lonely cycles, and within her lonely black nirvana a perfect conch shell sat glittering in the riverbed, illuminated solely by a fateful patch of sunlight... that was a mystery in itself, yet waiting to be solved.

Out of the water and back on land, purring moggies delighted in lengthy catnaps; usually in, on or under the hallowed arches of depreciated shrines. A woman’s evening lantern, unlit for a decade, hung tattered and forgotten beside the back door of the garden’s esteemed estate. And the estate towered over all, though would one day crumble to dust during the passage of time....

My space.

This is a place where I will drop disconnected stories. The first is a story about a Japanese retainer, called 'Soichiro Shiretoko', who can be seen escorting his young lord, Kyonosuke, along a snowy trail at the start of spring.

* * *

Shocks of white, pink and purple clouded the sky. Hairy pines with snow on their branches cut through the mist. Maples stood below, an army of them with shocking red leaves. Further down the trail, a man was taking a stroll. He was wearing a black kimono with white fringes; white socks and brown geta; and his hair was neat and orderly, in the style of the house tutor, or scribe. At his side, a black katana; a tanto fitted across. He walked slowly, calmly, pushing a pram. In it, a small baby babbled.

The boy in the pram was red-faced, with a plump nose and a good set of hair. He looked up at the sky, painting pictures with his thumb. He tossed a spool of blue silk in his right hand. He seemed to enjoy tugging on it, as if the knot intrigued him. He was the hope of a generation. As intelligent as he was proud. He cared not for the cold. In fact, he seemed to be having a great deal of fun.

''Hm...?'' Soichiro murmured. He had stopped at the foot of the trail. He had almost lost his footing. He looked along the path, then studied the ice, realising the road had not yet thawed.

Steering the pram off the trail, Soichiro went down towards the lake instead. The water was creaming softly against the shore, like a thought lapping at the edge of his subconsciousness. The pram went on, bumbling as it went, and Kyonosuke could be heard giggling excitedly. The pram suddenly picked up speed; and sure enough, Kyonosuke warbled enthusiastically. Soon enough, the pram was rushing around the shoreline, taking up such a speed that the ducks and mallards kicked up in the air, shedding feathers.

In that moment, Kyonosuke saw the bamboo of the forest towering over him. The stalks resembled tall ladders. He imagined climbing them and entering a temple in the clouds.

Soichiro took the boy to the end of the trail; and over a low bamboo bridge, the sun had begun to rise.

They stopped in the middle of the bridge to laze in the sun, Soichiro gazing around protectively, Kyonosuke babbling as he looked at it head-on. The fate of the clan was in that boy, and there was a soft chime throughout the forest. Of ancient bells left there by Kyonosuke's ancestors. Somewhere, the spirits heard the call.

Soichiro seemed to move, his kimono bathed in the warmth of the sun. He stooped to break off an icicle. Then mixing some snow and ice together, he leaned off the trail to pick some blackberries as well. Soichiro came to the young Lord, then offered him the snow cone. The boy's lips were soon black with sugar and snow. The boy kicked his legs enthusiastically as his eyes turned very round. He was eager and defiant for more, as he should be.

''Lord Kyonosuke,'' Soichiro spoke in Japanese. ''We live a good life.''

Soichiro went to turn the pram around, but not before he noticed something. A murder of crows. Low upon the horizon. Not far from the bridge, and a good amount of damaged trail leading towards them. Bamboo with its bark cut and split apart, and perhaps a little blood on the running boards, leading down towards the lake.

The man reached for his tanto, then, taking the pram, steered it calmly towards the signs. For once, the Lord did not babble. Perhaps, he too, could sense that something was wrong...

Ethereal's Enchanted Grove of Mature Tales

Hey. This isn't a dig, more of a heads up! It's very hard to read this thread due to the text colour you've chosen. It all needs to be highlighted! <3 Hope this comes across the right way. Your ideas are really cool.

[MxF] The Lesser Key of Solomon. [Supernatural, Gothic, Medieval]

Hey,

My name's Cas. I'm seeking a partner for my Medieval plot, 'The Lesser Key of Solomon'.

The themes are as follows:

• Medieval-Witchcraft.
• Forbidden love, corruption, an unlikely romance.
• Horror elements.
• Elements of 'whodunnit?'

Synopsis:

Two members of the Inquisition are called to the town of Penbrook to investigate sightings of a witch. During their research, they uncover a couple dead bodies, a cult presence, and a village full of brooding townspeople. Will they be able to find the witch, and when they do, will they be able to stop her...?

My plan for this role-play is for it to be very linear, in the sense that we don't encounter the witch until the penultimate scene. She's a shapeshifting, possessed, heretical demon, quite literally evil incarnate; and that will fuel a lot of the 'ambience' of the town. Our characters will unearth strange grimoires. There will be rituals happening late at night with possessed townsfolk. Animals will roam the streets. It will be hallucinogenic, illusory, almost surreal; as if our characters stepped into a different world, and when the role-play ends, only then will they 'escape'.

My character:

I plan to play Caspian. A bull-headed initiate. He will be overconfident, arrogant, and controlling. In his mind, the evil can be stopped with force alone. He treats the peasantry callously (in the sense of interrogating them 'for the greater good') and isn't afraid to throw his weight around. By the story's end, he will learn compassion, and that he can't brute-force his way through everything.

To contrast this, I would love if you played a complimentary personality. Someone softer, more reasonable, but perhaps just as emotionally charged. In my mind--this character would be a nun/priestess/princess/etc sent to assist Caspian in his investigation. That said, if you are inspired and can come up with something better, please, feel free to suggest your own ideas!

Requirements:

• 2-3 paragraphs, detailed posts.
• Regular posting schedule (i.e. Not irregular, once per week, or graveyard hours).
• Your own flair, style, or method of bringing things to the table. My strength is in narration. My characterisation is average. My plots are thin and pulpy. I fucking rock at writing dialogue.
• Be over 25+. I'm in my thirties. The age gap can be surreal, especially when paired with the fact I'm British. In my experience, my role-plays always last a lot longer when I'm paired with Europeans. The cross-continental language barrier is a toughie.

Thanks all,

- Casper

Hi all.

Hey guys,

My name's Cas. I'm planning on creating a thread for an idea I had lately, (a Medieval story involving Witchcraft and Early Period Christianity). Very dark, very gritty, lots of Gothicism and supernatural storytelling.

I write for video games professionally, and I thought I'd make an account here to set up my ad, as I haven't been getting much luck on Discord or Reddit.

A little about me:

• I'm in my thirties. 10-12 years role-playing experience.
• HIM/Tool/Morphine/Soundgarden/Audioslave fan, I like rock, hard rock, heavy metal, etc.
• I enjoy reading detective novels, as well as 'Grimdark' Fantasy novels. A lot of my stories involve elements of 'whodunnit?'
• 2-3 paragraphs poster. 3rd person centred. I spend as much time narrating my characters thoughts as I do describing the environment.
• I used to be a big gamer, (Dragon Age, Mass Effect, etc), but I've mellowed out somewhat recently and spend most of my time reading books.
• Naturally drawn to unique, alternative characters who would be considered 'outliers, strangers, renegades, or outcasts' by society. A lot of my own characters have deep flaws and wounds that make them act in ways only people with experience with such matters would understand.

Thanks for reading, I'll likely have my RT up soon if anyone's interested. Feel free to say hi here.