Layered World by Yanick Dusseault
In many ways, classifying it as a catastrophe feels as though we are grossly understating the sheer magnitude of the event for those who lived through it. While it is impossible for us to truly approximate what it may have felt like, what we do know is that the The Shattering was nothing less than apocalyptic.
The very fabric of the cosmos came undone, you see, unraveling like a broken tapestry beneath the feet of countless billions of people who had, up until that very moment, thought their entire existence stable. For something like that to happen — and without warning, no less — was nothing less than utterly cataclysmic.
To the people alive back then, it was the end of the world; an absolute precipice to everything they had ever known. We have yet to experience anything similar.
And I dearly hope that fact remains true for the foreseeable future.
When The Shattering first struck, folk felt the world shift beneath their feet — a tremor in the dirt, not unlike a sigh, that happened only moments before the ground itself split apart. From the fissures which formed, something new emerged. The fractured shards of unknown worlds bubbled to the surface while other, even more disparate realities crashed down from above.
In these early days of the cataclysm, chaos thrived. People watched as their lives were pulled apart in moments; as everything they’d ever known was ripped into pieces and sent sprawling throughout the rapidly crumpling cosmos.
The particularly unfortunate were themselves torn asunder.
Unmade.
And yet, despite being picked apart piece by agonizing piece, unmaking seldom resulted in outright death. Rather, the poor souls were cast into the fracturing abyss only to find themselves in unfamiliar lands. Even those who perished would learn that the afterlives, too, had crashed into one another and what borders lay between life and death were oftentimes blurred in unpleasant ways.
It had seemed to take years for the early Shattering to subside. In truth it had only been seven weeks. By the end of it all, an eerie calm settled over the marred lands. Those who remained, having been spared the unmaking, were left to pick up the pieces.
People came to understand, accepting perhaps in their minds more than in their hearts, that the world they had known was gone.
For many, it took years to grow accustomed to the new, albeit broken normalcy they landed in. Others, however, accepted the change readily, seeming prepared to leave everything behind and plunge themselves into the unknown. Perhaps they saw their new surroundings as an opportunity — the new beginning that they had always longed for.
Of those who had lost everything, Emerson could not help but feel that he had lost the most. Even before the Shattering came, he was the last living member of his family. Having inherited his older sister’s bakery, he’d lived a simple life, tending to the garden they’d planted together and keeping up with the business she’d always dreamed of starting.
But the Shattering had taken everything.
While he supposed he should’ve considered himself fortunate to have been spared the unmaking, Emerson could not help but find preference in the agony of being pulled apart over the quiet nothingness he was left with instead. Despair took hold of him for a time — long enough to clear him of his sorrow and leave him with the determination to take back what he’d had before.
And so, armed with a few meager supplies, a simple sword, and his own wits, Emerson plunged into the unknown hoping to find what the Shattering had stolen from him.
Em hadn’t been a terribly good baker to start with. But he’d learned. For his sister Izzy’s sake, and for the sake of the bakery she always wanted, he’d learned. He would learn this, too, and anything else he needed to get it all back, even if it wouldn’t quite look the same when he got it.
Then again, neither would he.
Monastery by Reza Afshar
A B O U T M E
Hello! My name is Tyler (he/him) and I'm a 30 year old who is returning to the guild after a brief (*cough cough* 5 year) hiatus from roleplaying. That being said, I've never stopped writing and so I'm excited to get back into the swing of things. I have ample roleplay experience dating back to around 2009 when DeviantArt chat rooms were a thing. Needless to say, I've been hooked ever since.
Outside of writing I work and have a few hobbies that keep me occupied, but I try to never let my duties slip without notifying my partner. Open communication is key! That being said, things can come up and I completely get it. If you happen to need to vanish for a while, I will understand. Life just happens sometimes whether we want it to or not.
In regards to roleplaying itself, I am looking for someone who I can vibe with on the story and world building. As I will expand upon later, I have a few special interests relating to fantasy worlds that I am hoping you will be amenable to including. Overall, though, I'm willing to discuss and work together to make something we will both enjoy. On this note, if you have anything that you are hoping to roleplay, please let me know!
Ideally, the story will feature romance (with a decent sprinkling of spice) as well as adventure. I myself am a switch and am interested in a fair variety of things, so someone who feels the same way will get preference for this RP. As we discuss things further, I'd like to have a conversation about kinks and limits so that we can make sure we're on the same page with everything there.
I'm also in the EST time zone if that helps decide anything for you. I know I would certainly prefer someone closer to me so we don't have to do the time zone dance, but that's not necessarily a deal breaker either.
R P P R E F E R E N C E S
★ = optional but strongly desired!- Willingness to play Multiple Characters1★★
- Roleplaying via PMs or Discord★
- OOC Planning/Chat (Story & Characters, Antagonists, Plotting, etc.)
- Casual Post Length on Average
- 3rd Person Past Tense Writing
- A focus on World Building and Character Relationships
- Romance! Specifically M/F Romantic Pairings2 (Woman Partner Preferred, 24+ only)
- Story:Smut Ratio = 60:40 or 70:30
- Monster Girls3 ★ (not furries, sorry!)
1 On this front, my personal preference is that I will largely just control Emerson as my main character, dipping in to play certain NPCs and Antagonists as needed. However, while I do request that my partners are open to playing multiple characters, I also do not want nor expect for the bulk of the roleplaying labor to be placed upon their shoulders. In this way, if you ever feel as though the division of labor, as it were, is ever skewed, please let me know and we can discuss how to make things feel more fair.
2 If you're amenable to it, I'd be quite interested kicking around the idea of having poly romance options (harem, closed polycule, etc.) with Em having relationships of varying degrees with a number of characters along his journey.
3 My request for monster girls does not mean that I am only looking for monster girls. I'll gladly accept more common fantasy races such as Humans, Elves, Dwarves, Vampires, etc.
Sylvan Guide by Chris Knight
S T O R Y I N T E R E S T S
Those who are familiar with TTRPGs at all will recognize my character's basic motivation as the fairly standard "excuse to adventure" type. This was on purpose. Generally speaking, I don't have an overarching plot planned for this RP. Instead, I've imagined this as a nebulous sort of journey filled with a bunch of side-story adventures that are broken up with the occasional large, reasonably expansive plot arc. As well as the typical fantasy and adventure nonsense, I think it would be fun to roleplay out the mundanity of traveling, arriving at a new town or city, finding a place to stay there, and possibly having to figure out how to buy supplies before moving on again. In this regard, I have a few particular interests that I'd like to include in the RP and wanted to therefore expand upon somewhat:
L A N G U A G E S
Even in a world that has not experienced an event like The Shattering, there are a number of different languages that can be found spread throughout the various cultures and kingdoms. With more worlds colliding together, the number of different tongues that are possible to encounter must of course jump significantly. Therefore, I feel like it would be fun (and realistic) to pay attention to what languages a character would reasonably be able to speak given their circumstances. More than that, I think it would be interesting to roleplay out a little of the learning process of. Perhaps Emerson needs to speak a particular language but doesn't know much beyond the very basics. He therefore has to learn for himself or get a teacher. There's a lot of fun story moments in that! Of course this can get tedious if done wrong, so I wouldn't want to play out every nitty gritty detail, nor do I have any desire to actually create a boatload of conlangs just for a roleplay. But the general spirit of needing to actually know a language to communicate with another character or NPC is fun and intriguing to me.
There is a pet peeve of mine here, though. I strongly dislike the idea of "racial" languages that is too commonly found in fantasy. The idea of there being a language called "elvish" that ALL elves everywhere speak really takes me out of a setting because it feels so unrealistic. Similarly, "dwarvish" being known and perfectly understood by disparate kingdoms of dwarfs from opposite sides of a continent that haven't seen or interacted with one another in thousands of years is just nonsense. It feels more honest to give each language their own name and maybe make certain clusters (like ones spoken dominantly by elves, for example) branches perhaps from some sort of core language.
Needless to say, having multiple additional worlds added on top of this can make things a bit messier. But I feel like there is a lot of fun to be had in that messiness.
T R A V E L T I M E
There isn't much to say on this category, only that I find it interesting having to consider how long it takes to get from point A to point B. Maybe this is a bit of bleed over from playing TTRPGs, but I think there can be a lot of tension in needing to get somewhere quickly, knowing how long it would take to get to that place, and then having some things stand in the way of that. A lot of my preferences here all sort of necessarily lead to story moments that I think are fun to play out.
F O O D & S U P P L I E S
Similarly to travel time. I think that needing to keep track of how much food our characters have on them and what supplies they need can be really good for a roleplay like this (the nebulous adventuring sort) because it would force our characters to have to do things to get more of what they require. Perhaps they can try hunting or foraging. Maybe they'll settle into a town and take up work to pay for more supplies. It could also be that they just run out of food and end up making questionable decisions like accepting an offer from a fae king just to get something to eat. There are a lot of possibilities for how this would go, and I think, when done well, all of them will lead to neat story and character moments.
C A R R Y C A P A C I T Y
I like TTRPGs, sue me. Characters can't carry everything, and having to make considerations for what our characters are able to take with them can, in my opinion, be a lot of fun. Needing to be conscious of how much things weigh also allows certain characters shine in different ways. Maybe there's this absolute beefcake of a bovine lady (no pun intended) who can carry lots of stuff around because she's so strong, making her a great asset to the team in that way. Or maybe the characters decide to buy a wagon and hitch it to a creature of some kind so that they can travel more comfortably. What would happen, then, if that wagon is suddenly destroyed? Or if it loses a wheel? Or if its attacked by bandits? Again, there's a lot of story there that I think would be fun to play out.
E A R N I N G S
It is a sad truth that currency makes the world go 'round. For a lot of the above (food and supplies, a place to stay), the characters will need money to pay for it. But how do they get that money? Do they take on bounties, hunting down criminals for cash? Or do they dungeon dive, hoping that they can survive whatever lives at the bottom so that they can make out with some artifacts that are worth a pretty penny? Heck, maybe they just take on some menial jobs to get by for a while. Emerson is a baker, after all.
If we really wanted to get into the minutiae of things, we could discuss the possibilities of currency exchange rates between kingdoms and countries. There's also the added complication of other worlds and what their currency is. It could be that a universal sort of currency starts to emerge as people from different universes are forced to mingle with one another, creating whole new interconnected societies.
H E A L I N G M A G I C
Admittedly, this one is more of a pet peeve of mine than anything, but the truth is that I really dislike the idea of healing magic in a story setting. For a game it can be fine because there's mechanics and balancing involved, but for a story, it really sucks all of the fun out things for me. The idea of having a type of magic that can just be dashed onto a serious wound, allowing a person to get back to it without consequences is not one I find interesting in the least. When a character gets hurt in some way, it's far more intriguing to have to deal with that injury. If it's a broken leg, how will they deal with it? Will they go to a physician in a nearby town, or try to set it themselves in the woods? They'd need bandages on hand for all other types of cuts and scrapes, since things like that can become infected if left untreated in the wilderness. What about a character getting sick? These are all problems that need solutions, and in those solutions there is a lot of story to be had. To be able to wave a stick or say a prayer and get rid of all of that is such a missed opportunity in my opinion.
I want to say, though, that I'm not opposed to the aesthetic of healing magic; of someone in the back lines of a tough battle trying to make sure that all their companions stay standing long enough to make it out alive. Because of this, I tend to think of healing magic as a sort of temporary solution done in the heat of combat. Sure it can be used to stitch up certain wounds for a time, but it won't last. That wound will eventually open back up and real medicine will be needed. But for keeping people going, I think that some compromises can be made. Though there has to be a limit. A severed limb or a broken bone should probably be fairly untouchable by healing magic.
Consequences is really the name of the game here. When characters make a mistake, they should probably face some sort of consequence for that, forcing them to change and grow in some way. Honestly, I'm not opposed to a character dying. Even losing my own character, Emerson, could be interesting if played right. But the idea is that the story shouldn't end right there. Perhaps we can explore what the afterlife looks like in this post-Shattering world. What if it's possible for someone to crawl out of the realm of death? The borders once keeping it contained are so blurred, after all.
For now, these are my particular interests. I may add more over time if something strikes my fancy, but until then I hope you are open to at least discussing some of these so we can see which ones fit within an RP that we are both interested in doing. As I said before, if you have any of your own interests that you'd like to try and throw into the mix, please let me know! I'm always fascinated by niche world building proclivities and would love to hear about your particular inclinations.
Huru, Agora Nomade by Pierre Coubard
C O N V E R G E N C E S
When worlds collide into one another the edges between them blur or sometimes merge. Those who are around to see the places where worlds meld together have begun to call them "convergences". And no two are the same. Some are jagged and ill-shapen, while others appear almost seamless. It is just as likely for a world that experiences perpetual rain to find itself nestled against an unending desert as it is for two seemingly identical forests to wind up mingled together with the only difference between them being the turn of the seasons --- while one experiences a pleasant spring, the other might be gripped within the throes of autumn.
The myriad of universes to be found having smashed the boundaries of their own individual realities is, in truth, uncountable. There may simply no telling who or what might wander from one world to the next; braving the tenuous, oftentimes hazy borders drawn between.
Even the lines of death may have become broken in some way. To suppose that there are infinite worlds would necessitate the conclusion that there are also infinite afterlives. What, then, of their borders? Would it not be possible for someone to climb their way out of a realm of death itself?
G E N R E S
Fantasy || Action || Adventure || Romance || Slice of Life || Horror
S E T T I N G S
Stone Age || Bronze Age || Medieval || Victorian
Steam Punk || Silk Punk || Diesel Punk
While it is possible that any sort of world would have been pulled together thanks to The Shattering, my preference is that they should all be closer to the pre-industrial fantasy end of the scale rather than the sci-fi side. Nevertheless, I am more than happy to push the bounds of that by engaging with worlds that are fantasy-inspired ancient Rome/Greece, Pre-Colonial Mesoamerica, or have a touch of regency-era Europe. Perhaps we can even toy around with a fantasy world that is still in its own stone age, with prehistoric beasts roaming about (dinosaurs, of course, but what might a stone age dragon look like, I wonder?). Even without dipping our toes into any sort of science fiction, the possibilities are endless and I am hoping that you will be willing to explore those possibilities with me.
Wasteland Sky Station by Chenxi Kang
S T O R Y S E E D S
While I intentionally left the story as open-ended as possible, I also couldn't help but think that maybe it would be a good idea to offer up some ideas that I had for what sorts of adventures might take place in a fantasy world that has experienced an event such as The Shattering.
I hope to add to this gradually over time if only to give ample inspiration! By no means are any of these must-haves. If you see something in particular that interests you, I am more than happy to talk about incorporating that into the RP, but don't feel completely beholden to what I've written here. We can tweak things to fit your vibe and interests or play them as they are, it's totally up to you~
R O M A N T I C T H R E A D S
Similar to the Story Seeds, I wanted to offer up some ideas for what sorts of romantic pairings could come out of this roleplay. As mentioned before, nothing here should be taken as a must, just inspiration; jumping off points from which we can spin the story. But as always, if you see something specific that you like, let me know!
❤ A L I E N ❤
While traveling, Emerson happens upon what can only be described as a large egg made from some kind of strange stony material. As he examines it, he unintentionally disturbs it, causing it to split apart and reveal that it wasn’t an egg at all --- not exactly --- but rather a pod with an alien creature hibernating within. Upon being awoken, it hops out of the pod and confronts Emerson who fears that it will kill him. However, it seems instead to take an immediate liking to him. From then on, the pair travel together, forcing Emerson to take extra precaution to keep his new companion concealed so they don't cause some sort of panic. Over time, the alien manages to gleam enough of Emerson’s language to communicate her name, though she neglects to tell him why she was in the pod in the first place. As their travels grow more harrowing and long, the two get closer, with a strange, unexpected romance blossoming between them in that time. Though unorthodox, it isn't wholly unwelcome.
❤ B A K E R ' S W I F E ❤
In a town that has been torn in half by the shattering, Emerson finds work with the local baker who also allows him to stay in a spare room. Every morning, Em gets up early to prepare the breads and sweet crumble cakes for the day while the baker himself, already a lethargic and lazy man, sleeps. As it turns out, the baker hasn't been doing any of the actual work. Rather, its his wife who has been waking up at the crack of dawn to do what needs to be done to keep their bakery afloat. It is therefore her company which Emerson keeps most often. But with each passing day, the two grow closer, with the woman lamenting the life she could have had if she'd married somebody else. It isn't long before the two, having fallen headfirst into a forbidden romance, wonder what life might have been like if they'd found each other sooner.
❤ D E M O N ❤
Having stumbled into a pit and cast into darkness, Emerson survives only thanks to the timely intervention of the being trapped there as well. It is a demon who has been cast into the shadows and made to live within the darkness until the end of days. But in spite of her supposed demonic nature, she nurses Emerson back to health, perhaps not wishing to condemn another to share in her fate. Once he is fit enough to travel again, however, he finds that he cannot just leave behind his new companion. In the time that they have spent together, they have come to feel strongly for one another. So, he insists that they escape together, though it will not be easy to do so.
❤ E L V E N P R I N C E S S ❤
After winning the favor of some wood elves, Emerson has been staying with them awhile, having been offered a place to stay near the royal family. During his time with the elves, he has come to know many of them on a friendly basis, but none quite so much as the princess. Due to the internal politics of the forest, the wood elves are being forced to bolster their strength by allying themselves with another group of their kind. In order to strengthen this bond, the princess has been betrothed to a noble from their home. However, the princess does not wish to marry her future spouse, instead having found her heart captured by the traveling Emerson, who feels similarly toward her. The two must grapple with their feelings while the princess alone must decide to what extent her duty to her people should come before her own desires.
❤ F A R M E R ' S D A U G H T E R ❤
Needing a place to stay while in a new town, Emerson makes a deal with a local farmer. Recently, the man had been injured by wolves when tending to his livestock, so Emerson offers to take up the job in his stead so long as he can stay in the farmer's hayloft. While there, he catches the eye of the farmer's adult daughter, who often brings him meals while he is working or reading. It isn't long before the lingering glances shared between them grow more bold. As their affection grows, Emerson may be faced with the fact that he was never meant to stay for very in this town. She, too, must decide if her life as a farmgirl was all she'd ever wanted, or if maybe she longs for more.
❤ K N I G H T ❤
After getting himself into a hairy situation involving a minor chimera, Emerson is rescued by a knight clad in armor. When he expresses his gratitude to the stranger, they remove their helmet revealing to him that they are a woman. She accepts his thanks but points out the fact that he is still injured from the attack. Therefore, she offers to treat his wounds and look after him until he is fit to travel again. Though not one to impose, the knightess leaves Emerson little choice before hoisting him into her arms and carrying him to her small cottage where she cares for him. It takes some while for his injuries to heal completely, and in that time they are taken off guard by the affection they feel for one another --- an affection which quickly blossoms into an unexpected romance.
❤ O R A C L E ❤
Seeking to find the whereabouts of a particular artifact, Emerson seeks the help of an oracle. He travels to her secluded temple to request her services only to learn that her powers can only manifest when satisfied with the fulfillment of certain... carnal desires. Though surprised, he acquiesces and the two share a night together. Thereafter, she is able to give him the information he needs and he is sent along his way. But Emerson soon returns, needing more information. Over time, the two share many nights together. It isn't long before they find themselves reluctant to part, with unspoken feelings having taken root, intertwining the two. However, the oracle may never leave her temple and Emerson cannot imagine giving up on his quest.
❤ V A M P I R E S S ❤
While traveling through a seemingly abandoned city, Emerson happens upon a sickly-seeming woman. It turns out she is a vampire who has run out of her source of food and has begun to starve. Though apprehensive of what might happen, Emerson offers his own blood as sustenance, allowing the woman to feed off of him in small quantities to restore her strength. For the time that she feeds off of him, the man sets up camp in the city, exploring by day and staying with the vampiress by night. Before too long, she is well enough to carry on her own. But by then, the two have come to feel strongly for each other, making them reluctant to part so readily.
1001 Cathedrals by Anthony Brault
❤ T H A N K Y O U ❤
I really appreciate you taking the time to read my post, lengthy though it may have been. If any or (ideally) all of it seems interesting to you, please reach out to me via PMs so I can get an idea of who you are and what your writing preferences are.
I would appreciate it if you would include your pronouns and what you prefer to be called in your initial message, as well as some ideas regarding what you'd like to explore with this RP. It's all fairly open ended and, while I do have many ideas of my own, I'm largely seeking someone who can bring their own imagination to the table! In that regard, I'm down to hear all about the sorts of characters/scenarios/spicy situations you may have in mind. Moreover, if you had any samples of past RPs you've done to give me a sense of your style, I'd greatly appreciate it.
If we vibe well, we can discuss things further as far as kinks and limits are and even get to hashing out the first arc of the story. I can't wait for us to sink our teeth into this world together!
F I N .
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