Some sci-fi/fantasy ideas (some half-baked, some still raw, some ready to serve)

[John Birch]

Hey folks. I'm a long-time writer who hasn't RPed in a while and is looking to ease back into it as a way of getting the creative juices flowing again. If you're on the lookout for an RP with a fairly relaxed posting frequency (once every week or two) and a reasonably advanced writer (or so I like to flatter myself) then take a look and see if any of these little tidbits catches your eye! Some are plot foundations, others are general themes I'm interested in exploring-- all are very much up for discussion and brainstorming.

A bit of info on me before that: it's been a few years since I really RPed, but I enjoy writing fiction and have lately gotten the itch to write collaboratively again. I don't do erotic RP but I'm open to a story with romantic elements if it suits the plot and the characters-- it doesn't have to and I think other types of non-romantic relationships (friendship, familial, etc) are often more interesting to write about and explore. No particular preferences or requirements in terms of the genders of characters. I'm also on Discord for folks who prefer to brainstorm that way.

1. A lone starship pilot arrives on a remote, barren world with the intention of living out the rest of their life alone, completely sequestered from humanity. The problem is, they discover someone else calls this lonesome little world home too. Maybe the other person is the last remaining native of this world, maybe they too are an off-worlder-- that's for us to figure out, as is the pilot's motive for seeking complete solitude. I could see this having a touch of surrealism or magical realism to it-- certainly it won't be, like, hard science fiction. I'm thinking this could get at themes of isolation vs connection (why do people seek or need to connect with each other, and why might they choose not to?), the scale of space and time, the way people connect with each other across sometimes insurmountable cultural, personal, linguistic, etc differences.

2. An adventurer in a fantasy setting encounters a mysterious old woman traveling alone in a dangerous part of the world. She's armed, seems to know her way around a sword despite her advanced age, and appears to be relentlessly driven in pursuit of a goal she won't talk about. For reasons of their own, the adventurer decides to join the old woman in her quest-- and finds themselves drawn head over heels into a saga of unexpectedly epic proportions. This could start with a focus on these two characters but it could easily become an ensemble cast deal, with new characters joining the party over time; unlike the other ideas here, though, I'll specifically want to take on the role of the old woman. The old woman's arc, as it unfolds, will deal with themes of war, ethnic cleansing/genocide, and redemption-- in addition, of course, to the themes your character(s) bring.

3. You know all those stories about a "chosen one" who, whether through their own actions or some quirk of fate, is the one and only person who can save the world? I'm interested in a story that really digs into that. We often see the heroic side of this, the great exploits, the larger-than-life personalities, and I'm sure there'll be some of that here, but I'm thinking the focus will really be on what it's like to be a mere human being with so much responsibility on their shoulders. A second protagonist gives us an opportunity to introduce themes of sharing that responsibility, about how people under enormous psychological pressure or living with trauma connect with each other and help one another move forward. This could easily be a sci-fi or a fantasy deal, just depends on what we're feeling.

4. I'm interested in a story that explores different types of familial relationships, or relationships that approach but aren't quite familial. For example, the relationship between two siblings, or between a parental figure and the child they've (whether intentionally or by chance) taken into their care. I think it's a shame so little fiction (and hardly any RPs) explores these types of relationships and that the focus is so often on romantic dynamics, so why not do our part to rectify that? My instinct is to take this from a fantasy or science fiction angle, but I'm entirely open to doing it from a literary fiction angle.

More broadly, I'm feeling a real classic D&D style fantasy adventure-- swords, magic, dragons, epic quests, all that stuff. If you've got an idea along those lines, or any other ideas that (based on all this whiffle you've read) seem like I'd be a good fit for them, feel free to shoot me a PM!