Open for Business - M seeks F characters - quality writing is a must

[Barding]

“Done,” he said, soft as he could.

Her hand was an upturned cup. The lines of his palm shuddered against hers til they fit. He felt bathwater drying on the skin shared between them. He felt the cut he’d fussed over, only the slightest of lines now. Texture, the faint flake of a ridge, all but invisible. And he told himself it was nothing to worry about — this hand in his, the cut on its palm. Sunset shone through the boards of the bathroom window, casting shadows as it came. Pooling solid in the room’s dusty corners. Forming triangles on his hot cheeks, and tired half-moons under his eyes, the colour of bruises. The day had worn him thin. But there was a dread in it. All of it. Every pass of his eyes up and over her wrist, across her face, down into the dark gather of her lap. It felt too much like hunger for comfort. His touches were unneeded now but his fingers stayed put. Practical, he told himself — not intimate and never too close. But a muggy warmth pricked his skin where it pressed on hers. Like holding hands on the inside too. Stupid. Stop it. Last orders and out. “Done,” he said again. He drummed his fingertips on her wrist, patting, then let go her hand.

I'm Barding. Thanks for stumbling in. This thread’s where I keep a record of what hooks are currently baited in my heart: the kinds of stories I’m craving at present. It's also where I keep a light on for whatever promising cowriters might chance to come my way. Writers of quality, able to inspire me, and be inspired in turn. Suffice to say, if you see this thread on the front page of the Roleplays Wanted boards, or if you see it recently updated, it means I'm searching — tentatively maybe, but searching all the same.

First things first, I'm choosy.
Here’s what I’m after:

Above all I want quality writing. I don’t care what tense you prefer to use, or whether your write in first or third person. On that front I’m easy, adaptable, and happy to experiment. I won’t, however, budge on quality. And by that I mean more than just good grammar and a fluent grasp of English. I mean detail and a grasp of pacing and rhythm. A sense of style, preferably appropriate to the story’s tone. I’m looking for writers capable of playing female characters. Your real life gender doesn’t bother me. What I care about is your ability to create and play interesting, balanced characters, every bit as psychologically complex as any real person worth a damn. Creativity. Imagination. A dash of enthusiasm and maybe even a tendency to get carried away when thinking, creating, plotting and scheming? A love of brainstorming and world-building, perhaps. Those wouldn’t go amiss. And nor would a fondness for literature and interest in history — by no means necessary, but they’d certainly help. For further details, head over to my O/Os page. Have a read, and if you like, PM me and tell me what leapt out at you. Tell me where we agree and where we might not. Tell me what interests we share. Anything that particularly excited you, and perhaps any ideas you might’ve had while reading.

And here’s the link.

My O/Os page lists, at length, the genres and settings I'm into. However, I always have a craving or two at the forefront of my mind. Here are the current itches I'd be interested to scratch. World-Building and Original Settings. I have cravings for specific established settings from time to time, sure. But I’ll nearly always prefer to simply talk with a potential cowriter, compare interests, and brainstorm an original setting that appeals to the both of us. Other cravings come and go, but world-building and homebrewing are a constant. Shireshoto. Speaking of worldbuilding, here's my latest. It's a gritty grimdark relatively low-fantasy setting, based on Japanese history — specifically the Muromachi period, and the war-ravaged Sengoku Jidai. Samurai, shinobi, and sohei, struggling in a land where some people just don't stay dead — whether they are cursed or smiled upon by fate is a matter of opinion. This is an extensive enough idea, and a deep enough craving, to deserve its own thread, which you can find here. Wastelands. I’ve been playing Fallout 4, and bleak but sublime landscapes have always done something for me. As such, I could really go for a story set in a good post-apocalyptic wasteland. Urban ruins or emptiness, overgrown or desolate. Scavengers and raiders and wanderers. Survival, such that every new sunrise feels like a blessing — a reward. Again, I'd sooner invent a setting together than go for a pre-established one. History: the Dark Ages and Middle Ages. Give me the split and fall of Rome, the Huns from the East and the Little Ice Age sweeping down from the North. The closest recorded European history has come to its own apocalypse. Give me the later stages of the Dark Ages, as the Middle Ages bloomed from the shadow. Give me raiders from the North. Give me mud-spattered knights and ink-flecked scholars. The same goes for fantasy settings inspired by any and all of this. Smut. This is unusual for me. However, for the right cowriter, I'd consider a storyline that's less about the setting and more about the kind of blistering-hot good fun we'd be able to have with our characters. If you look at my O/Os, and decide we share enough kinks to run a story off them, I could be interested. This goes for shorter one-shots and longer stories both, as well as integration into the kinds of setting-based stories I usually tell.

Thanks for your time.
I look forward to hearing from you soon.

[Barding]

Modified [26/03/2012]. I elaborated a little on the dark low-fantasy idea and added a Dead Space based one.

[Rhapsody]

Why, hello there old friend.

We should hook up sometime, in a literary fashion.

[Echo]

[Barding]

Echo? I forgot, for a moment, that there isn't just a 'like' button on Elliquiy for posts. But then I realised, if there was, I'd be clicking it as there are no words. Pff. It woulda been pretty insufficient anyway. (Yo.)

[Barding]

Modified [9/06/2012]. I added two paragraphs towards the end, containing two more potential interests: southern gothic, touched with a mite of the supernatural; and something grimly steampunk. (The latter is very tentative. It'd take a pretty amazing mind to change that for me. So yes, please do take that as a challenge.)

[Barding]

Modified [24/06/2012]. I completely re-wrote the short piece of prose that starts this thread, making it more in-line with my current style. Also updated the list of current semi-specific things I might be interested in working stories around.

[Barding]

Modified [06/02/2013]. I edited the list of my current cravings. They should now be more, well, current. I also removed several ideas for I'm not actively seeking co-writers at the moment.

[Barding]

Modified [08/03/2013]. Removed some text from one craving, and added three more: two current, and one probably incoming.

[Barding]

Modified [03/04/2013]. Brought my cravings up-to-date by adding two ideas for video game fandoms: Bioshock (classic and Infinite) and Dragon Age.

[playfullchick76]

Hi, I would be interested in playing out your far future post apocalyptic one. I've seen enough movies, and have enough of an interest to want to play it out. I'm into alternate reality ones, accidentally sent from this reality to another one, perhaps to the world of Vardia, if you know that book series. I enjoy time travel as well.

Perhaps even brought to an alternate reality on purpose. Perhaps Im your wifes double, she dies, and you travel here to take me, as your love is so strong.

My interests do vary, and I like creativity, intelligence, reading between the lines so to speak. From what I've read, you fit those perfectly.

If something that I've put in appeals to you, let me know. Skilled, imaginative partners are hard to find.

[Barding]

I'll PM you.

[Barding]

Completely Overhauled, Updated, and Reopened - [11/01/2016]

[playfullchick76]

Its good to see you back. We could do an alternate reality one, one where I travel to the future, or perhaps one where I slip into an alternate world thats sort of steampunk.

[Barding]

Reopened, altered some introductory text, and updated the cravings to reflect my current interests - [20/07/17]