Come Dance in the Rain (M4F)

[Rainwood]

Hi everyone!

The reason I'm here on Elliquiy now is that I've been having a lot of fun realising story concepts in my head using AI art, and while I can't turn each and every one of them into a novel, I would love to play some of them out collaboratively with other writers on here. :)

Mostly, though, I'm looking forward to brainstorming new ideas by pieces together settings, ideas and themes that appeal to us both.

You'll notice the images I post often involve rain and water, just because I like how these elements add to the drama of a situation.

I'd be playing a male character opposite a female character written by you. Player gender irrelevant. Each of the ideas below is really more of a broad theme or feel for a story, and every single one of the details is up for discussion. If you look at the pictures and feel like it's a vibe you'd like to explore, let's brainstorm! Also it should hopefully go without saying that any partner I write with is not expected to use the girl in the pictures as their character, and that they can design their own according to their preference.

Need I also add that whatever story we tell (and it is always story first with me), the development of our characters' relationship will be a big part of that, and there will be plenty of room for romance and/or sexy stuff.

"My AI image policy"

I know a lot of people have strong feelings about AI images (I refuse to say "AI Art") and I do too. I use AI images for roleplay purposes because they are easy, quick and adaptable. I never use AI art when:

1) There's a risk someone might be misled into thinking I produced the art myself
2) I'm going to use the art to make money (eg, the covers of my books)
3) There's even a slight chance that if AI art didn't exist I would have paid a real artist to produce the image

If seeing an AI produced image is something that will seriously enrage or turn you off, let me know up front and I'll be sure to completely avoid using any.

MAJOR CRAVING

I’ve always loved Necromunda, and recently got pulled in again by the XBox games Hive Wars and Gun For Hire - only to be let down by how janky they are. So now, I want to tell my own story set in the Underhive.

I’m open to brainstorming different setups, but there’s one idea I’m especially keen to explore:

We each play a juve (newly initiated, inexperienced ganger) from opposing Houses - I'm thinking Escher and Cawdor, as depicted in the badly-photoshopped AI composite above.

Our respective gangs have a violent encounter in a particularly treacherous part of the Underhive - maybe both were chasing rumours of lost archeotech, or maybe they were lured there by a common rival who knew how it would play out. The environment - tight, labyrinthine, infested with hostile flora or fauna - offers little cover and no mercy. The battle is brutal. Both gangs are wiped out, save for our two characters.

Former enemies. Now each other's only hope of surviving a place that does not forgive.

The details are all up for disccusion, but here’s why I think Escher x Cawdor makes for especially juicy tension:

• House Escher suffers from a genetic flaw that renders male births weak and non-viable. Most Escher grow up surrounded only by other women, and view men as irrelevant, pitiful, or dangerous. But a younger Escher, one not yet fully indoctrinated, might still harbour unspoken curiosity—especially when thrown into close quarters with a strong, competent male she’s been taught to disdain.

• House Cawdor, by contrast, sees carnal desire as sin - fleshly temptation that leads to mutation and damnation. Procreation is regulated, joyless, and sanctioned only under strict doctrine. But a young Cawdor, fresh from watching his entire faith-family slaughtered, might begin to doubt...especially when he finds his survival depends on a clever, fearless heretic in tight clothing and warpaint.

The New Werewolf

The first book I ever wrote was a werewolf story, and I've often wanted to revisit the genre. One fairly specific idea I've always loved is where some people can be born as werewolves, but the condition doesn't manifest itself until a particular age or under particular conditions. You would play a young woman who's grown up believing that she is an ordinary human, but when the time for her first "shift" comes, she requires the guidance of a local pack of creatures she never even knew existed.

We can definitely workshop it, and if you don't like the sound of that I'm totally down for discussing other urban fantasy ideas, from werewolves to vampires to anything else you like.

Below are some images of this story cast with one of my stock female characters, Tabby.

"The New Werewolf"

Survival in the Wilderness Under Fire

I'm an absolute sucker for stories where ordinary people are thrown into extraordinary circumstances, especially if they arrive ill-equipped and ill-clad for the occasion. I'd love to play out a story where YC is such a woman, and MC is either also a man out of place, or is perhaps someone a bit more suited to the situation (eg, military, mercenary) who has to help her survive. Basically, whenever I play video game - from Ghost Recon to Doom - I like to imagine that I have such a female companion in tow, at times requiring protection and at other times providing creative help. I'd love to turn this into a story with you.

For visual inspiration, here are images of one of my stock female characters, Daria, in a jungle-themed game such as FarCry 3 or Ghost Recon: Wildlands. I imagine her being a journalist who was covering a regional conflict, and got herself in too deep to be extracted when all the NGOs and government officials abandoned the region, and found herself relying on one of the local mercs.

"The Jungle Adventure"

The Story That Came Before/Alongside the Story

When I watch a movie or play a game, I often latch onto a peripheral event or character and get the urge to make that the centerpiece of a new story. This could be when I'm playing Fallout and I find a letter from someone who was never heard from again, or when I consider one of the couples out on a dinner date in an action movie when the hero decides to drive his car through the restaurant as a short-cut. What stories could you tell from these people's perspectives?

One particular inspiration of mine is shown below, with another stock character, Ksenia, playing the lead in a story about what really happened on the Colony of Hadley's Hope, on LV-426, between the Jordan's discovering the derelict ship and the Colonial Marine's arriving with Ripley.

Another one features my stock character, Daria, as one of a few unfortunate scientists caught trying to stay alive on the UAC Mars facility as the Doomslayer wages war with the demon hoard.

"Aliens: Hadley's Hope"

"DOOM: Caught in the Middle"

When the Dream Ain't What it Seems

I've had a little career in music myself, and I love telling stories about people who go into the music business and find that it's not as glamorous as it's sometimes made out to be. There's a lot of hard work, repetition and personal drama.

Whilst this idea basically appeals to anyone who'd like to discuss a story set around music or musician characters (or also fans, roadies, etc), I do have one quite specific concept in which I play a guy who's been trying to break into the industry for years with no luck, and then when one of his favourite female artists comes to his country on tour and her rhythm guitarist suffers a hand injury, a mutual contact puts him forward to stand in for the remainder of the tour. Naturally there's a chance romance blossoms, but there will be plenty of other tension and drama that comes first. This could be anything from creative differences to the tour plane crashing on a remote island.

Below is a series of images in which this idea is cast with one of my stock female characters, Tabby, who in my head is a Yasi Hofer/Joe Satriani type virtuoso lead guitarist.

"Living the Dream, even when it becomes a nightmare"

Choose Your Own Disaster

On the continued theme of disaster, I love stories about people working together to overcome something huge. A tornado, a zombie apocalypse, a cult uprising or an alien invastion. Basically, file this idea away under "dystopian/post-apocalypse" stories, although I will admit I prefer stories that cover the way the disaster comes about. So, like, the initial outbrake, or the volcano eruption that blotted out the sun, etc.

For visual inspiration, here's a bunch of characters whose stories were not told in the movie "The Day After Tomorrow". It would be so much fun to write a story with you following an ordinary couple of people through such a disaster.

"The Day After Tomorrow"

All Things Fantasy

I am a huge fantasy nerd, and have played my fair share of D&D, although for me it's always been about the stories and the characters rather than the minmaxing mechanics and dice rolling. Come talk to me about any kind of high or low fantasy adventure, and there's a good chance I'll be interested. And that's not just D&D, it includes things like Skyrim or any original fantasy setting.

Below are some fabulous fantasy ladies I'd love to play opposite, but naturally I'm excited to see what king of character you can come up with! :)

"Now THAT'S a D&D Party I'd travel with"

Behind Enemy Lines

As much as I enjoy the "fish out of water" type character, I've also got a real taste for military stories, particularly when they're set in remote parts of the world. Note that this could also be a scifi story. Our character would probably be members of a small unit of specialists working behind enemy lines. It could be they have worked together for years and find themselves in a new situation where they have new realisations about each other, or it could be that they are being teamed up for the first time and their partnership gets off to a rocky start. Get in touch to discuss more or share your ideas!

"You might never seen them, and what a shame that would be..."

Cults, Demons and Lovecraftian Horror

In my teens I always had a fascination with stories about cults operating within churches or religious societies, inviting evil forces into the mortal realm. Whether it's a literal biblical type evil, with demons and ghosts, or something a little more Lovecraft, I'd very much like to play out a story where we are a couple of self-appointed investigators. Whether we are actual detectives or FBI agents (yep, I've played the Delta Green tabletop RPG), or just a couple of curious college kids snooping around the old abandoned asylum, let's work something out!

"For some reason I've always cast this idea in my head with a goth/emo female lead, but you don't have to run with that"

A New Take on the Old West

What I love about wild west settings is the way people are always sort of in the wilderness even when they're in their towns or cities. Definitely hit me up if you'd like to discuss any kind of western setting, although I've got a particular itch to play opposite a very feisty, capable female who will pick up a gun as readily as any man. Bandits, prospectors, travellers, the possibilities are endless.

"And can we just talk about those big sky sunsets?"

[Rainwood]

Anthro Craving

Someone recently introduced me to furry art and I have to say, I'm smitten. I was discussing an anthro story with someone recently, but unfortunately it fell through. I've love to discuss a new one with someone. It could be any regular kind of story, from slice-of-life to adventure to horror, that just happens to be populated with anthro characters. Bring me your ideas! Or it could be a story where the anthro-element is a major plot point, eg, some corportation has found a way to turn ordinary pets into humanoid companions. I don't think I need to delve too deeply into the story ideas, because it looks to me like the anthro angle itself is enough to either attract or repel people who are or aren't interested. :)

Mega bonus points if you play an australian shepherd anthro character, because they are just gorgeous.

Blue Merle Aussie

Red Merle Aussie