Tangled Thread

[tangela]

Introduction

Welcome to the Tangled Thread. These are some of the ideas I've been thinking of writing lately. If one of them sounds like something you would enjoy, or you just want to hear more about it, please feel free to send me a PM. Please take a look at the on's/off's thread listed on my profile before contacting me, however, as that is a really good indicator of what I will be looking for in partners.

Note: I am willing to run almost all of these as group stories, provided there is enough interest. If you absolutely would not want to be part of a group iteration of the thread you're contacting me about, please specify that in your PM.

RP titles subject to change in all cases.

the Isle of Avalon

The isle of Avalon is famous world wide as a place where druids and wise ones study the mysteries of the universe, both the natural and magical. Aspirants are admitted at the age of 16, where they begin to study the rituals and mysteries. Herb lore, both medicine and poisons, astrology, forestcraft, law, and of course, magic and rituals. These and more were studied by the students of the grove.

After 2 years, when the students reach their majority, they are apprenticed to a master of their field, and spend up to 7 years studying under their master. However, in addition to studying magic, masters and apprentices are generally carefully matched to be comparable personalities. Due to the vast trust that must develop between the pair, it is very common, and even encouraged by the order, that a strong romantic bond forms between the 2 as well. This is often, but not always, sexual, and always consensual. Neither is it uncommon for 1 or more of the pair to have relationships outside it, either with members of their peer group, or with someone outside the order.

Part of training often includes adjudicating disputes, performing rituals in the sacred times, traveling to provide charms and rituals to the people, and influencing the turning of major events. Basically, think a mix between Jedi and druids. I'd like to run this as a group game,  or possibly a series of 1-shots, though specific storylines are up for discussion.

Stories Set in the Fae

BRIGHTWOOD

It is Samhain, the day when the veil separating the worlds is thinnest, and the worlds of human and fae are almost close enough to touch. The BRIGHTWOOD clan has spent the day in a curious mix of reverence for their ancestors, and excitement for the traditional feast. As is customary, they set an extra place at table, a ritual place to honor their ancestors of earth, as well as the residents of that distant and mysterious realm of fae. When a mysterious stranger shows up from that place, all are shocked, but their clan is well versed in the old ways, and so they know how to deal with his presence. What they aren't prepared to deal with, however, is their eldest daughter, heir to the clans magic, to accompany him back to the fae. Nor did anyone expect him to go chasing her into that realm. Two of the brightest members of the clan lost in one day. All knew they were close, but this was lunacy.

The realm of Fae was not like the world they had left. The rules governing it were just similar enough to those of earth that mortals could believe themselves safe, only to be destroyed by some facet of fae court politics they had never thought to dream up. Under the tutelage of the Fae lord, however, the witch's command of magic grew, and her mind as well. The one who followed her into fae, however, did not fair so well. He watched his beloved blossoming in this strange world, he watched as she and her fae lord were lost in one another. But truth to tell, they were the only people he knew in this strange world, so though he hated them both, he also loved them both, though he would not have had the words to acknowledge that.

This would be a rather difficult love triangle to write. Though it might eventually get a HEA, for now its very tense. The witch would likely suspect the truth of her friend's feelings, and has even perhaps teasingly invited him to join them, but he does not yet feel he can do so. There would also probably be a lot of politics and internal messiness in this but I don't yet have a firm plan for a resolution and would love to hear ideas and thoughts. I have a pretty firm idea of the character's boundaries and personalities, but larger worldbuilding and plot are still fairly mirky. What is certain is that I want all 3 of the characters to be relatively close, though they often have disagreements and sometimes don't like one another all that much. But beneath the differing world views, they all have a respect for one another, whether they internally acknowledge it or not. This would be more a case of actions and internal thoughts being relatively at odds. I would also like the human and Fae to have a working relationship of some sort.

The Librarium

Name: Ketraena Terrice

Traena, sometimes called Ketta, has made the study of magic her life's work. She is quite skilled at hedge magic, simple rituals and charms for the folk of the kingdom. She loves her work, and still she longs to understand and use stronger, more powerful magic. 

She has shoulder-length auburn hair and bright hazel eyes. She is somewhat plump, with a kind, heart-shaped face. Her shop, the crossed palm, suits her nature exactly. It has a warm, cheery disposition, with shelves of neatly labeled spell ingredients, herbs, and scrolls. From the time she was young, she has sensed the magic in the natural world, and has possessed the ability to shape it. There is an old family legend that the Terrice family was once distantly related to the royals,, supposedly explaining why some members of the family were very strong in magic, and others were not. Indeed, of her siblings, this seemed to be the case. Lysonna, the eldest, commanded the powers of battle magic. Her command over the elements is absolute, and she was able to join the royal army, where she distinguished herself. Cethan, the second child, was a gentle soul, wise beyond his years and could see strange futures in the portents around him. Many family misfortunes were averted by his wisdom. Traena's magic was weak, but she consoled herself that at least she had some magic, unlike the youngest of her siblings, Lainia. For all that, though, Lainia was quick-witted and clever, and had become invaluable as a merchant.

Traena has done alright for herself, running a small shop where she sells charms, reads palms-- mostly thanks to her brother's knowledge, and sells books to curious patrons. Her real love, though, is knowledge. She shares her books, but she makes it her business to find and read any scroll that has even a hint of knowledge about magic and its workings. She hates the conclusion she is coming to. Magic is fading. It has progressively become weaker, there are records of commonplace spells no living human today has the ability to cast. And Traena is desperate to understand why, and possibly, to stop It.

Ketraena commonly carries a notepad, where she sketches interesting plants and animals she encounters, as well as designs for new charms and notes for rituals and spells.


Name: Jodrun
Race: fae



Personality and history: Aloof. He's not exactly gruff, but he's not warm and fuzzy either. He holds many secrets, and would love someone to share the burden of those, but to gain that trust isn't so easy.

History: Jodrun thought knew his purpose in life almost since the day he could walk. He was to be a guardian for his sovereign prince, to protect and serve him in every way. The two were childhood friends, and later lovers. The prince was impetuous and mischievous, the perfect counter to his more somber guardian. But it was that curiosity which got him killed. He only wanted to look inside, he said. It was the Librarium, the greatest trove of knowledge anywhere in Fae. And eventually it would be his. Legend said that there were protective enchantments to keep the unworthy from entering, so if he wasn't meant to be there, he would be turned back, right? jodrun was able to enter. He would have sworn his prince was right behind them. But when he turned back to exult in their victory, he stood alone in the librarium. His prince's body was never found. But from that day forth, he became the guardian of the great maze. ,  Time was, the Librarium was a place where anyone of any race could go to study any subject on which there is scholarly information, but the wars have ravaged the scholarly population, and now there are few guards and guides. Jodrun is one of the last remaining, and he knows that without finding someone to be a caretaker for the vast store of knowledge contained in the Librarium, it will eventually molder, and all that learning will be lost.


Note: The Librarium is part Hogwarts and part maze. Some say enough magic has been cast there over the millennia of its existence that it is a sentient place. Hence why those who guard it are protective of it.

When Traena is sent to the land of Fae in an arranged marriage, she finds her new husband rather aloof. He rarely speaks about himself or his past, and while the time he does spend with her is spars, she can tell that he has a keen mind and sharp witt. She uses her own time in research and exploration, eventually coming on the librarium. When her husband finds her within, he is furious, both because she was able to enter while his prince was not, and because he is starting to care for her and fears the capricious magic will remove her as it did his former lover. She, however, believes she has found information about where the ones lost from the maze go, as well as why magic in her own world seems to be vanishing.

Eventually, I would like them to recover the prince and the 3 to have a relationship. Perhaps she is lead to the librarium by the princes notes, or by a remnant of his magic, meaning the relationships can be built separately a little before they are all united.

Ash

For a year and a day, you served the Queen of Fairy, one of several youthful mortals she coaxed into the land of Fae. But there is a difference between you and the others, you find yourself fulfilled in her service in a way you have never felt back home. With her, you need not think or worry, only please her. And you do. And it is good.

Until the revolt. They plan it well, giving you no chance to warn the Queen. You protest, you beg, you threaten, but to no avail. They refuse to believe you want to stay, promise her hold over you will break when at last you return to mortal soil. You're one of them, and anyway they can't risk you going back to warn her. There are 5 of them, and one of you. In the end, you are returned to Earth, your life in ruins. All you want is to go back, before your fickle mistress forgets you entirely.

While exploring the city one night, you discover it, though. People covertly living as you once had. and then you learn it, there are others, others like you who have been to that world and returned lost. Beneath the regular fetish event, the proprietor does her best to unite you and look out for your well-being. She explains that the rules are different here, that people actually do have the right to refuse what they don't want. You're not sure if that's a right you want, but you take her at her word. Because there are others like you, and its not much, but you've noticed one. Its nothing compared to what you felt when the Fairy Queen fixed her dark gaze on you, but its something. For the first time since returning here, you feel alive. And maybe together, you can figure out how to go back. Or, maybe you won't. Maybe going back won't seem so important then.

I would love to run this as a group game if there was enough interest. The tone is basically a dark fairy tale set in a fetish club with some serious stockholm syndrome, but hopefully with actual romance. I'd like to write some posts as memories of character's lives with the fairies, so things like mind control, begging, human furniture, and many many other fetishes can be explored as well. This will probably also touch on more serious topics like communication and consent in relationships, so I'd like it to be a giant melting pot basically. I do expect fetish content to be explored among the people as well, but I would prefer for this story at least that a clear line of consent between what was done to the characters in the fae world and what they explore afterward to be upheld. I would also prefer that characters be of age, even if barely so.

OTHER WORLDS

the Prophesy

She was 10 the day the invaders arrived. Old enough to remember that things had once been different, and, thank gods, young enough that she wasn't sent to the slave camps with some of the others. The king was kept in power, but all knew he was a figurehead now.,for all that he still had his palace.

She was sent to the temple of the goddess, for she was the daughter of a great wizard. But he was dead now. She had never shown any hint of magic, but she was a symbol, and so it was to the temple and not the camps. There, she learned little of magic, but a great deal about symbols and belief. And there that she had the idea.  And so she fasted for 3 days, alone in the wilderness, following every rule she knew to try to induce a vision to save her people. But none came. The goddess showed her no path outlined in bright fire. But she did have an idea. She waited for the goddess to punish her in some way, but perhaps the goddess no longer cared what was done in her name.

She emerged a witch, to speak of the prophecy she had been given. On the day that one comes from another world to unite with their king, the invaders would be overthrown. She was sent to the king as an advisor, though they were carefully monitored. Stealing magic always comes with a price. She had to work hard to force a door between the worlds, and it left her body bent and broken, an old woman instead of the youth she was. And she suspected the magic had not yet taken all it would from her. But in the end, she got what she needed. Two came through, not one, and they were not warriors, but the witch knew they would have to do. They would have to serve as the symbol the people needed, for the time of revolution was now.

Basically, this is your standard fantasy overthrow the wicked king plot a la narnia, with a couple getting sent into the magical world. But the prophecy supposedly guaranteeing their victory is a lie, and only the witch, advisor to the king and political manipulator, knows it. I would hope for this to be a fairly light trope-aware but challenging quest story. I'd also love to see the king and the couple that get pulled in be poly.

The Dragon War

The feast had been planned for months, and the treaty it signified  painstakingly cultivated by human and dragon ambassadors alike for almost 5 years. Dragons were arrogant and intelligent creatures, just as humans were, and getting them to agree to a truce, even to stop the fighting, wasn't easy. But at last it was accomplished. The prince, a young man of 17, heir to the kingdom, was seated nearest the dragon princess Syldana on her platform. But the prince was headstrong, as young men often were, and it must be said had no head for drink, and so he spoke words which all would consider to be unwise. In his pride, he proclaimed that at last his parents had managed to subdue the great and mighty dragons, so that in his reign, they would serve him as king.

Before many had time to even process his words, before his counselors could intervene, could try to smooth over the diplomatic disaster, the dragon, herself young for one of her kind, launched her head forward, green scales glittering in the lights of the great hall, and ate the foolish prince.

When she returned to her home, however, her own kind were not pleased by what she had done. They encircled her, a ring of the 7 elders, and cast a spell they had hoped never to cast. But they had worked hard for this peace, and the loss of their most powerful daughter and heir was the only compensation they could make. So they stripped Syldana of her form and carried her to the very boarders of the kingdom.

When a human is found living savage in the wild and claiming to be the dragon princess Syldana, the folk of the kingdom are mystified. It is known that dragons cannot change forms, and yet why would anyone pretend to be the murderer? The king and queen have decreed that she must be confined, but otherwise not be harmed until more information is determined.

I would be looking for someone to play the second son of the kingdom, who before this had shown some curiosity and even criticized the war against dragons. Whether the death of his brother has disillusioned him, or whether he is even more fanatical now is up to you. However, even if you present as fairly sympathetic or subservient to Syldana, she will most likely not be grateful, but will instead see this as her due. Pride beyond all reason is definitely her character flaw, though she may soften somewhat over time. As it says in my introduction, I prefer a willingness to play multiple characters, and since this story will hopefully be as much about the political fallout from the incident as much as a personal journey for Syldana and the newly promoted heir, that's especially important here. Other than the prince, who would presumably be at least mostly human, other characters could be dragons, humans, elves, dwarves, or any other relatively common fantasy creature. Alternatively, if I get significant interest in this story via pm, it could be run as a group game.

FUTURE SOON

A story inspired by Jonathan Coulton's songs Future soon with perhaps a little of Skullcrusher mountain.

Your character is a socially isolated but brilliant science student, with a crush on Laura, a fellow student. After her rejection, he tries to continually improve himself, and ends up building warrior robots and bringing bionic tech to the people.

I'm not quite sure exactly how I'd like to play this— laura will probably also be doing some sort of research with perhaps a robot war. I'm thinking she starts out very shallow and becomes more of a fighter during the robot war as the 2 of them have to square off, maybe not knowing they're fighting one another until much later. I'm open to discussion of other places to take this.

I would like your character's asthetic to be rather like Topher Brink from Joss Whedon's Dollhouse.

STORIES SET IN PREESTABLISHED WORLDS

Star Wars: Force of Will

For years, Senator Palpatine has been grooming a young Padme Amidala. Despite not having the Force, she is attentive and clever, and their most important plot yet is about to be enacted. To turn Anakin to the dark side. Padme is always careful to maintain her image, and what's the point of having a group of near-clone handmaids if you can't use them to work for you when you're too busy? And Padme needs all the time she can find, if she's going to turn Anakin to the dark side, keep the Jedi from ruining the galaxy, and keep herself alive.

Darla's Fire

This rp would basically consist of 2 concurrent stories, one in the present and the other in the past. It would start out with Darla in a bar, being annoyed that angel has a soul and thinking back on what they had experienced as vampires. When her attention is drawn to a human in the bar, she goes home with them and is debating whether or not to turn them yet when Drusilla shows up. The 3 of them have a somewhat short time together punctuated with Darla and Dru telling stories, and sometimes disagreeing, about their time with Angel and Spike.

I would like to write Darla and Dru, you would of course write the OC, and we can divide up the Angel and spike writing as necessary. The "present" would likely be in  L.A set sometime in Angel, but in an AU without the conner storyline. If it goes well, I'm willing to bring in more series events, such as your character seeking out and interacting with the Angel/buffy teams after their time with Darla and Dru, either as human or vampire. This will largely be a more introspective , character focused RP, more concerned with the group dynamics in the present and past. Lots of Spike and Angel's friendship/rivalry, and how different permutations of the group interact with each other. Which doesn't mean there won't be any physical fighting, but that it likely will be secondary to character study.

Pairings I would enjoy writing, although not necessarily romantically:

Darla x Lindsey, any combination of Darla, Dru, Spike and Angel, Lindsey x Lilah

doll/handler/non-active, Topher/doll, Topher/Bennet, Mara x Thrawn, Mara x Karrde, Mara x Luke

Any combination of Tahiri, Anakin, Jacen and Tenel Ka. Asokah Padme and anakin would be particularly interesting, as that dynamic of Padme and Anakin being fairly powerful figures, while only Anakin and Asokah can use the force would make for an interesting tention I think. Perhaps not jealousy, but Asokah and Padme both essentially being in different worlds with Anakin that the other cannot experience is rather fascinating.

I would love to do a poly story with a snarky AI / superinntelligence a la GLADOS, but I don't really have any story idea for that.

I'd also love to do a poly Arthurian story.

[tangela]

Added another story, Future Soon, and added a few general pairings.

[tangela]

Added story: the Isle of Avalon

[tangela]

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