Standards for you and me:
- 3rd person narrative
- At least 200 to 500 words on average, 1k+ for setting the mood and introductions of the scenes/characters/other (I wrote posts that were long several google doc pages when I'm particularly inspired)
- 3/3/3, no fluff, no fade to black, words worse than f-bombs being thrown around
- Use of more characters
- Use of realistic art or real life people references (no anime characters or simplistic drawings, I'm a very visual person)
- Use of imagery and music for roleplay (optional for you)
Themes for this story:
- Complex characters that should be more fleshed out as we go, these will be bad people
- Organized crime and action, some intrigue
- Multiple characters involved
- Forbidden romance, affair, character differences/polar opposites, age gap, enemies to lovers
- Modern day, big town in the USA (Chicago, New York, fictional American city)
The main cast and concept of the story
Your main character
(I'll refer to him as YMC)
They don't make men like these anymore in the US. From the late 20s or older in age, a tough, dangerous and rugged man, strong and masculine, someone you just don't wanna mess with. Someone notable in this specific gang that rule over the streets. They're like the rabble, weapons, drugs, sex work, underground clubs - all of the unwanted people of the society will come here to find success and wealth, living a liberated life. The gang could be like a group of bikers or something similar: informal and the types of people that would make you want to cross the streets or at least be in their good graces. They're direct rivals to MC's side.
YMC and MC are two different worlds that would clash throughout the story. However, differences attract, which would become a fatal attraction.
Your (side) character 2 (optional) or just an important NPC
(I'll refer to him as YC2)
This is if you want to deal with a little bit of an "affair" but even if you don't want to take on this role, I suggest you read it as it is relevant to the story.
An ambitious man from an influential Italian family. They're a mafia, while their roots in this business are not running deep, they have been breaking through. This character's father has been friends with MC's father for decades and now they're coming with an agreement to arrange an engagement between their children: YC2 and MC. This would not be an easy task as MC is an incredibly difficult woman who wants nothing to do with this engagement and is being forced into this position, the feelings of YC2 about both the situation and MC is up for discussion. Regardless, neither of them have enough authority to have much say in this scenario, as there's deeper reasons why this arrangement is created.
He can be a decent man, he can be manipulative and cunning, he could be abusive, there's plenty of choices to go about it, whether he's a side character or story important NPC.
My main character
(I'll refer to her as MC)
docs.google.com/document/d/1JEOzEMwnM… - This is her brief character sheet.
It would seem like she has it all, a mafia princess. Old money family, conservative, strict and misogynistic, the Beneditti empire was built long before her and even her father, Giovanni. Standards have been set and traditions are followed. It is an elite, it is formal, pristine, Christian on the surface. And MC needs to adhere to these standards. She is no soft woman, she is cold and sharp as a blade, she had done terrible things in order to be where she is today, yet she feels like she has nothing. And after her brother's death, Giovanni could not have illegitimate bastard sons to run the family and he never married again after his wife's death. Without a man to run this family, Giovanni was left with a dilemma: allow his very capable and relatively young daughter to take on the nearly a century old burden or find a man who will continue the tradition.
He couldn't have a woman lead the Beneditti empire. That would be ridiculous. So he decided to mask the weakness as an offering of good faith to his good old friend by introducing an arranged engagement, which would mean that the other family will get some of that Beneditti power in their grasp. Who would pass up on this spectacular opportunity.
MC knows she deserves all the credit and power. And she would never settle for a man. So she needs to be smart and sneaky in the way she deals with this situation. She has few of the men under her authority that answer only to her, but it is far from enough for her to deal with this unfortunate situation.
And it just so happens that strange circumstances bring her face to face with the rival of the Benedittis...
How does the story start?
I have a few ideas. One is that she is forced to stay over at YC2's place where she is trapped in some way if you decide to make this character your secondary one. MC is forced to be around him and they can develop an interesting relationship through the interactions, but he is not the focus. He may be romancable with MC, but like I said, he's not the focus. In the meantime, she would try to seek men out that she can pay, with the intention to have them under her belt as she's trying to figure out how to get herself out of this predicament (she's not below figuring out a way to kill YC2 and his whole family if necessary). As to how she meets YMC, I had this one spicy idea. She comes across a "neutral ground" where a lot of criminals of different statuses come to make quick and dirty buck through selling drugs, offering other services and, most importantly, is like a fight club where all the money is. And that's where YMC is, coming out of a ring, sweaty and bloody, looking at her with a smirk on his face, recognizing the princess in this shithole of a place, where she does not belong. And that's where the story begins. They are rivals and also enemies, so their dynamic should be "enemies to lovers". Which also means intense gun pointing, hate sex and I am a sucker for intense falling in love.
The second idea is that YC2 is actually coming to the Beneditti estate on and off as the arrangements are being made, which would work even better if YC2 is just going to be a story important NPC. Meanwhile, there was an incident that involved drugs and the Benedittis men - which is unacceptable, as Giovanni prohibits any dealing or using of substances among his made men. Fingers are pointed immediately at YMC's gang, as they're the kings of the drug deal market. Giovanni is willing to start a war, but MC has noticed that something is quite off and she chooses to investigate, which leads to YMC and her meeting up. Turns out that there's a third party trying to sabotage the two biggest gangs in the city so they could do whatever they want to do and claim the streets. And this is where MC sees the opportunity to get an upper hand on everyone to free herself from the shackles of the family and be the queen of the empire she believes she deserves to be, but naturally that's easier said than done as there's many odds against her and YMC in the picture could either make that harder or easier for her.
Or we can do a mix of both, which I'd love! Or you have your own ideas and suggestions, which I would love to hear!