Let's make some trouble together

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Sleeping Umbran 598

In Umbral Hibernation
Celestial Sleeper
Jul 5, 2020
3
3
3
36
About Me
Hello guys, gals, and non-binary pals. I'm Trouble, and that's the only warning you're going to get. I'm in my early 30's and use he/him pronouns.

I'm basically a ball of awkward that's been shaped roughly into a person. ok, but more seriously: I'm pretty easy-going. My view is 'we're all here to have fun, so let's see what we can do together to maximize that'. I'm very light-hearted, for the most part. I use emoticons, because sometimes using words just Isn't Enough. Yeah, I also will use capitalized letters to emphasize words. Die mad about it. (actually, pls don't, that WILL absolutely hurt my feelings).

Typically, I work an extremely emotionally and physically exhausting job. My state is under the whole... shelter-in-place thing, but my job is still considered essential. All the same, my hours have been severely reduced, so I've got more free time to write (at least in theory; in practice, I'll probably be staring at a blank word document and going "but how words work???"). I generally post weekly, but my goal is once a day. I'd still love to chat regularly! I find I do my best writing when I'm comfortably chatting with a person and just having fun. Honestly, if you don't chat to me OOC, chances are I'll feel wildly uncomfortable. I'm NOT just here to rp; I also want to make friends, and strongly feel that communication is vital for an enjoyable experience.

I'm ghost-friendly. Sometimes people just don't click, and that's ok.


I'm comfortable rping on forums and through pms.

My Writing Style
I LOVE descriptions. My posts are usually in the 400-800 range, but I'm fully capable of writing more if I'm given more. I just??? Really love descriptions! I love trying to set the mood and tone of the game. I'm utterly fascinated by how words can shape these things.

I only write in 3rd person, past tense and prefer if you do the same.

I'm only looking for MxM romances (yes, trans men are included in MxM). I don't consider sex scenes essential in any way, shape, or form. I'm fine with fading to black, especially since sex scenes can sometimes just break the flow of the plot anyway. That said, I'm also open to writing them out.

I love side characters, of course; after all, we're making an entire world here. It'd be kinda silly if it came down to just two people (unless like... that's the actual plot or something, but I don't do post-apoc). I'm definitely open to romances happening between side characters and all that--- hell, that's part of the fun---- but the main event will be MxM.

I NEED a good strong plot. I don't do smut-based storylines.

I really love incorporating some darker elements into stories. Dark secrets, troubled pasts, looming danger, political intrigue, the worrying sense that characters have gotten themselves into more trouble than they can possibly imagine... that's the Good Stuff. I don't like constant grimdark, though. You gotta lighten the mood just a bit, you know? I also find I don't mesh well with straight-up fantasy. I'm more about the 'hey, what if fantasy things are just things we haven't explained with science yet? Let's make up some science nonsense to explain it now!' bend.

I'm not comfortable with writing with someone under 21. You're all fine people and excellent writers; this is about my comfort zone, not about you.

Please note: I'm mildly color blind, so certain colors are really hard for me to distinguish. This also means I tend to bold dialogue. This isn't strictly necessary; it's just helpful for me.

I DO require that you put spaces after periods and commas.

Hard Nos
The usual suspects: no toilet stuff, incest, bestiality, etc
Storylines that revolve around smut
Large age gaps between our characters --- in fact, I strongly prefer our characters to be in the late 20's, early 30's range, but we can discuss this.
Non-con or rape (ok as a backstory)
Bad End Games
M-preg

Genres
Modern fantasy - this is ABSOLUTELY my jam. Vampires, hunters, werewolves, oh my! And so much more! I'm open to plots where the masquerade is down and everyone has to kinda figure out how to get along with each other. Hell, there's a lot of plot potential for that, with all the intrigue and the political/social struggles. I generally play a human for these plots.

I'd love a plot right now in a setting like this: the vampires are out of the casket, the neighbors are werewolves, and this is 100% normal. the word 'supernatural' is considered a bit taboo; the preferred term is 'preternatural', thank you very much. There's nothing supernatural about the viruses that cause lycanthropy of vampirism. Since the emergency of the preternatural in the 70's, the world has shifted. There are preternatural specific laws regarding the creation of new vampires, for example; there are experiments regarding lycanthropy (a debated term, btw, since werewolves are not the only shifters) as potential cures for formerly incurable diseases.

Or maybe a setting where the supernatural have only JUST come out and the world is still kinda reeling and trying to deal with it? Something dynamic like that. Throw in a nice murder mystery and I'm sold. Maybe combine it with one of my plots already written.

Victorian fantasy - listen. listen. You gotta respect the gaslamp fantasy stuff. I'm absolutely CRAVING Victorian nonsense right now, and I can't explain why. Maybe it's because there's such a huge focus on maintaining social distance right now.

Mystery - set either modern or victorian era. Please, give me a good modern day sherlockian type story here. I'd LOVE that.

Feel free to suggest other historical eras! I also want to mention that I'm not a stickler for perfect accuracy. My interest largely lies with the social mores of the time period, not making sure that every button is historically accurate.




Plots

Who Put Lizzie in the Chimney
ok, i'm just gonna come out with it: this is a modern Sherlock pastiche. Meet me in the parking lot behind the denny's if you've got a problem with it, coward.

My character is an elusive podcaster who specializes in covering old crimes. These cases are generally solved ones; he doesn't have much interest in current events. He prefers to rake over old graves, especially if they look like something is off. He digs these cases up, carefully pouring over old evidence and pontificates to his audience. He never gave the case of Elizabeth Bartlett much interest until the day the message appeared on the wall outside her former home:

Who Put Lizzie In the Chimney?

An odd question. Everyone already KNEW who had done it. It had been solved. The twenty-four year old rising youtube star had been found murdered in her chimney, the culprits had been found, and those that could be charged were charged. It was an open and shut case. Right?

And that's where your character comes in. Perhaps he's a disgraced cop who never believed the case was fully handled, or perhaps he was actually one of the prime suspects of it. Either way, he's a man with a bit of a grudge and a bit between his teeth about this case.



Homecoming -
Once upon a time, there was a group of friends who grew up together. Their childhood was a fairly typical one, full of wonder and mysteries. They ran a small club that was dedicated to solving the minor mysteries around their town, ranging from 'who REALLY stole the last cookie from the cookie jar' to 'is the house on the hill ACTUALLY haunted' (surprise, it was not, but it DID make an ideal hangout for when they were in their later teens and starting to drink or whatever it is teens do). But one day, they poked into a mystery that was too deep. One of them died, and no one believed the remaining two when they spouted stories about monsters and Something That Wasn't Right killing their friend. Their families decided the best thing was for both of the surviving kids to move far, far away from each other.

But, with the magic of the internet, no one is truly ever that far away. As adults, they come together again and start digging up things that really should be left buried. This is definitely a story about the mundane meeting the supernatural.

possible adult stories: one of them has never fully let go. With the death of their Dead Friend's parents, he's inherited the family wealth. He's ever since been obsessed with re-opening the case, and has poured a LOT of money into it. Maybe one is an investigative journalist now. I've also been playing around with the idea of one being a podcaster who routinely runs around and solves old cold cases, because I'm internet TRASH. Maybe one is a cop now, and is poking around at old cases.


Do Echoes Ever Really Die?
"Camp Echo is here to provide the experience of a lifetime for teens of all ages! Nestled in the foothills of the mountains, cozied up against the lake, and not far from the caves, our campground is ideal to teach teens skills like archery, boating, rock climbing, and swimming. Our goal is to teach the next generation life altering skills, like team-building, community, respect for nature, and of course each other. Come to Camp Echo, where fun and adventure meet!"

The brochure was cheerful, even under the layers of grime acquired by the ages. Camp Echo closed in 1998, after the disappearance of three campers. Kids don't just vanish, especially not from one of the premiere summer camps. It was the kind of event that should have faded into history, just another tragedy.

Except, one of the bodies was found in 2019. It was unquestionably a murder case, igniting interest in the old campsite again.

A few possibilities:
1- maybe a documentarian is interested in filming a documentary about the case, and invites the former campers+counselors back to the site for interviews and a stay.

2- the owner is interested in re-opening. Former campers are invited to stay on as counselors, mostly as evidence that the Camp is Totally Safe and Good Now See?



Just Checking Inn
Fay coughed violently, but it did little good. Whatever smoke left her lungs was quickly replaced with more, billowing around her in dark clouds. She squinted, eyes streaming with tears. All around, the fire blazed, consuming antique furniture, heirlooms, and flesh alike. The portraits of the Darnells looked down on her dispassionately. Something flickered in the corner of her eye, just a brief flash. She crawled towards it, praying to an unhearing god, hoping beyond hope, that she could escape the hell she'd found herself in.


Broken glass crinkled under her hands and knees, but she only noticed it in the dim brainless way that a worm would notice the sun. She kept her eyes fixed on the glitter in front of her; somewhere, in the back of her mind, she knew that broken glass meant a broken window. An escape. Her outstretched hand grabbed something metal and round. She automatically grabbed it and kept crawling, dragging herself out of the broken window. Finally, fresh air invaded her lungs and she collapsed on the front lawn, heaving deeply as though she could never have enough air.

Her fingers slowly uncurled around the object she'd grabbed. Slowly, Fay sat up, tears still streaming down her face, and she studied it.

A heavy silver bowl, with blood on one edge.

The murder weapon.

The thought barely had time to crystallize in her mind before pain bloomed in the back of her skull. She crumpled again. Shoes stepped into her line of sight. Small shoes, the shoes of a child, but still shiny enough that she could see her own blue eyes staring back at her. Ash speckled his hair, but otherwise he was unmarked and unharmed.

"You really should have left it alone, Fay, so it could burn with the rest of this place. Now it's got your fingerprints on it. Now, who do you think they'll really blame?" The boy smiled like a shark who just spotted a seal with torn flippers.

-Extract from 'We all Check Out Eventually' by Francine Edwards


It was a bestseller. A blockbuster. Oh, not in a way that meant the literati would appreciate; it was no To Kill a Mockingbird or Moby Dick. It was pulpy, pop culture trash. And the public loved it. It came at just the right time, right when the public was yearning for more trashy horror stories about spooky children, haunted hotels, and dastardly murders. Plus, it was based on a 'true story' (with plenty of asterisks and careful addendums to avoid being sued, of course). There really was a little boy, there really was a hotel, and there really had been a murder.

Francine Edwards became a millionaire, bringing her son [Muse A] along for the ride. In his own way, he became almost as famous as her. He was yet another prop for her, as she became the face of working single mothers everywhere, living proof that anyone could be a successful single mom. That wasn't the story he remembered; he remembered long sleepless nights where he had to tuck himself into bed, with the sound of his mother's typing in the next room. He remembered an endless cycle of nannies coming and going. He remembered the endless social tutors, remembered the fear of putting even one step wrong in the limelight.

After all, it wasn't just his reputation on the line. It was his mother's too.

Francine Edwards became a millionaire, but Muse B did not. Oh, the story had served his father's hotel well enough, but he had found himself trapped in a role he didn't want to play. It had been fun at first; all he was expected to do was put on a little suit and play a part. That's all it was. Just a part in a play, this fantasy, that had been written for him after the death of his friend. The money rolled in, and the business boomed.

But it brought the wrong attention. It brought blame, as people swore up and down that the boy really had killed his friend. There was proof! They flocked to his father's hotel, hunting for clues, trying to find the fabled treasure, ruining other guests' stays, and his life. Was it really any wonder that he became more reclusive? Was it any wonder that, as soon as he could, he shut the hotel down and moved as far away as possible? Muse B would have been happy to keep that life, but then Francine Edwards had to go and die right before the 20th anniversary of her book.

There are a few ways Muse A and B could meet. Possibly, Muse A wants to get out from under his mother's shadow and wants to write his own book about what REALLY happened and he goes to find Muse B. Perhaps Muse B reaches out because he wants to see the original manuscripts; perhaps Francine had, knowingly or unknowingly, actually chronicled something about the actual crime. Or a third party might seek to bring the two together, like a documentarian trying to dig up some old graves for their own fame.

a note about the name: i literally just used a name generator; it's not required to keep it or anything