Marlowe

Final Fantasy: Lightseekers

MENTIONS: Everyone

Everything was a blur. She vaguely remembered Esben pulling her back from the railing, dragging her back into the fight before handing her a blade and telling her to hand it to Rudolf-- if he even made it back alive. She had heard the screams of death, the high-pitched yelps of her comrades as they fought for their lives around her. There was the soothing song of the bard, the roar of ocean waves– and the terrible sight of serpentine heads shooting up from the water. Neve stared upwards, gawking as a pair of them lashed down towards them, and the others gushed an unforgiving current around the deck. She raised her staff, biting down on her cheek as she focused on her spell. She had to protect them. She had to protect the others–

"Neve!"

Galahad’s cry froze her in her spot. The fangs and water came rushing forth. Too late.

Luckily for her, Arton had other plans. The gem in his hands had provided them with protection against the vicious barrage. Neve stood there, in the heart of the bulwark. Stunned. How could she make such a mistake? Just because of a scream? What kind of warrior was she? The smell of blood was almost too much for her. She scrunched her eyes closed, raised her staff again. A white aura poured out from its center of the crystal. The light spread across the deck and settled across the weary fighters, its angelic glow settling across gaping wounds and steadily shutting them closed. Medica– a simple enough spell, but vital in times like these.

Final Fantasy: Lightseekers

MENTIONS: Everyone

Neve had forgotten about the heat of battle.

At one moment, they were floating about the open sea, their sights set on the distant Costa del Sol as Neve leaned upon the railing and watched the foam below. Another, a Valheimr ship had swept up to their side. It had only taken the moment between concurrent winds for a dragoon to land upon the deck and for strange, flying, helmeted figures with fire coming out of their backs to touch down like murderous birds of prey. Neve’s hands instinctively went to her staff, and she withdrew it as a violet-armored dragoon had turned his cold look from Izayoi to Galahad. There she stood, ready to fight, ready to help her friends– but frozen in place. Come on, she had to fight. She had to back them up, even if it meant spilling blood!

Just as her grip tightened upon her staff, a melody rose from somewhere under the depths. The sound invaded her mind and curled invisible tendrils about her thoughts. Neve was locked in place, finding herself unable to act under the influence of such an alluring song. It was like something out of a myth, or fairy tail. Were there such things as Valheimr soldiers that could sing siren songs? But just as the melody had continued to enrapture her, another song rose in tandem with the abyssal tune. Unlike the former, this song came from familiar lips, and Ciradyl’s lyrics quickly swept most of the oceanic beast’s– Leviathan’s– melody away from the deep recesses of her mind. Neve winced as she grabbed her head, the clamor of battle now storming in her ears. Although her skull ached, she could still hear the high-pitched voice of Robin suggesting that they target the Valheimr’s packs. Yes, that did make sense.

Neve raised her staff, her aether churning within her as she sought to conjure a fierce Stone spell upon a Valheimr who had just landed upon the ship. Concentrated aether spiraled about the metallic pack upon his back before sharp stones dug into the device. The Valhemr cried out in shock as the force of the strike caused sparks to ripple across the steel, sparking open flame and causing the jetpack to burst into a vicious blaze. A small explosion occurred just after, and the young man screamed as he was engulfed in flames. Neve turned her face away, bile crawling up her throat as the pained shrieks rippled over the deck. Killing Blightbeasts was simple enough, but this…?

The sight of Rudolf hurtling overboard was enough to snap her out of her brief stupor. Neve’s mouth dropped as she rushed over to the railing and stared into the tumultuous ocean. ”No!"

Final Fantasy: Lightseekers

Eve "Grayscale"

---

"Aaaagh! G-get it off me!" The crewmate hollered in a mixture of agony and panic, flailing with wide-eyed terror at the shark-like Blight Beast chomping its jaws on his left shoulder, and then, at the corner of his eye, a flash of light... followed by a bolt of lightning striking the rabid piscine creature, precisely sized to only affect the vermin and not its victim. The monster instantly perished as it ceased moving, its jaws slackening, allowing it to fall off the man's shoulder, off the railings, and into the watery depths below.

However, the problem wasn't over yet, the offender might be gone, but it left a nasty open wound. "S-... shite..." The pirate gritted his teeth, falling onto his rump with his right hand clutching over the bleeding injury, "Danube blesses ye, but... can ye do somethin' 'bout this?" He rasped at his savior, knowing that he now was on borrowed time.

"I'm sorry, but my skills lie elsewhere," Said savior, the Kirin's very own black mage and Valheim's renegade living weapon, curled a subtle frown, urgency accompanying her calm tone, "But I'll find someone who can help." With a reassuring nod, she took off.

"A-aye, but hurry...!"

Eventually, either through fate or sheer luck, Eve stumbled upon a certain blue-eyed blonde Sollan. Was she...? Right, the White Mage, a returnee of Team Kirin, one who had separated from the group before Eve and the others joined Izayoi and co. at Atsu. She'd be... absolutely perfect for the situation. "Neve," The Faux Eidolon firmly called out the actually-younger woman's name, "Please follow me. Someone urgently needs your help."

Neve didn’t know what to expect during her time onboard the sea vessel, but it definitely wasn’t hearing someone scream bloody murder so early in the excursion. She had been busy mending a tear in her dress when her body spurred her into action, seeking out the source of the distressful sound before she was suddenly approached by a petite girl.

”W-wait, someone’s hurt?” she asked, paleing slightly at the thought. What could have happened to cause such a hurt that they needed her to tend to the wound? Panic steadily built up within the pits of her chest, but she grit her teeth and nodded towards the small girl.

”Take me to them,” she said, her voice much more stern than before. Whatever it was that caused such a pained scream, and the loud sound that cut through the air afterwards… there was no time to waste.

"Yes," Eve answered curtly, "Right this way." Pleasantries could be exchanged later, once each second ceased to mean the difference between a man's life and death.

Thus, it didn't take long for the pair to arrive at the scene of the crime. It was... not pretty, it wouldn't take a White Mage to see that the crewmate had lost an unhealthy amount of blood, not to mention the risk of other complications from being bitten by a blight-infested creature. As it stood, he was too out of it to properly greet Neve, but from the way he was grimacing, he couldn't have said anything other than 'help me'.

Neve followed the girl, each long stride of hers carrying a sense of urgency. Her hands scrambled for her staff, her heart racing as she caught the smell of blood wafting on the air. They came across the grievous scene faster than she could think. Crimson ichor spread from beneath the fingers that tightly held the wound, and Neve could see that the sailor was clearly in a daze. Thank Etro he wasn’t too far gone.

The mage lifted her staff, holding it close to the gushing, Blight-tainted wound. A whisper came from her lips as she uttered a spell to cure the hurt, although there was some resistance when the wound healed and all that was left were the remnants of the Blight. Neve furrowed her brow, concentrating harder upon the spell, until the wound was mended, sealed, and purged of the taint.

”The Blight was a little difficult to dispel, but…” Neve murmured, wiping some of the sweat that trailed down her brow. ”You’ll be fine, friend.”

Neve might be many things, but being incompetent wasn't one of them as proven by her deft actions upon witnessing the man's conditions. Though Eve was no healer, she could recognize the conduct of someone who had done this many times before. A lesser healer might not be able to save the sailor, but not Neve. After she was done, it was as if nothing had happened to the man's shoulder at all.

The pirate heaved a huge sigh of relief as he shakily stood up, "My thanks, Danube blesses ye both..." Now, he'd love to stay and chat, especially with the pretty blonde lady, but right now he wanted nothing more than to rest his head a little. To be fair, having a near-death experience tended to take the winds out of one's sail. Thus, with a grateful nod, the crewmate departed.

"..." The Pseudolon made a small return nod then watched until the healed victim disappeared into the lower decks before she shifted her crimson gaze at the other mage, the person who had a similar name as her yet couldn't be anymore different in looks and skills, "That was... remarkable," Eve murmured, "To be able to undo afflictions to such a degree, to nurture life, while as I can only bring death and destruction." A keen ear could notice the tell-tale hints of envy beneath the chimera's otherwise impassive tone. Sure, there was the odd non-destructive mundane utility Eve could do with her elemental magic here and there, but they paled in comparison to Neve's divine blessings.

"I wish I was born with talents like yours, Neve."

Neve smiled faintly as the sailor gave her his thanks before scurrying off to attend his duties. Just like that, she was left alone with the girl. An awkward silence flickered between them before Eve’s crimson gaze fell upon her and praised her for her abilities. Such blatant words of gratitude caused the mage to straighten her back in surprise, and she blushed in her flustered state. ”O-oh, it was nothing! Really!” the blonde shook her head rapidly. ”I had to go through years and years and years of training to be able to do that…”

”Besides, e-everyone has their own talent! You’re better at fighting than me, most likely!” Neve added at the end of her spiel, smiling weakly at the girl.

"Hm." The shorter girl hummed once, noticing the sheer humbleness displayed by the caster of benevolent magicks; was humility one of the aspects that fueled such selfless powers? Wouldn't surprise her if it was. Meanwhile, anger, aggression, and enmity emboldened their sibling, Eve’s black to Neve's white. "I believe that as modest as you are, you're at least able to conclude that without your presence, that man would have perished, no?" She thrust the inquiry at the blonde Sollan, perhaps with a bit more interrogating tone than necessary.

Did she envy this young woman's life-preserving ability that much?

If I only I could heal, then mother wouldn't have-...

...perhaps.

"I suppose, but as our mutual comrade, Galahad, said to me, if burning everything that opposes us is all that we do, then there might not be much of a world left to save..." The black mage sighed, pausing as she gazed up at her counterpart, the other side of the arcane coin, "So, even though we've just met, I can confidently say that you're an invaluable ally, Neve." Eve concluded with a small, subtle smile.

"Perhaps even more than myself..."

… This girl was persistent. Neve’s shoulders slumped in defeat, pouting at the gray-haired individual before her as she spoke. She was… right. But it still made her feel bad. For most of her life, she was said to be special, different from the others. With Eve displaying some envy over her abilities, she couldn’t help but feel pity for the girl, even if she was correct with her sentiments.

”I… suppose you’re right. But your abilities are strong, much stronger than mine,” she told her, attempting to force some curtness to her voice after her stammering and spluttering. ”I can hardly fell a Blightbeast by myself. If it weren’t for you, then it would have caused much more damage before someone else would come to help!”

A long sigh came from her lips. She rubbed her arms, looking up at the sky as she thought. ”We both have different strengths, yes, but we also have our weaknesses. There’s a reason Etro put us on the same team, yes? To reinforce the areas where we pale in comparison to the other. One person cannot be expected to carry so much responsibility on their shoulders. It is the death of the self.”

"..." It'd seem Neve's power to mend and bolster others extended to her words as well, such an immediate and natural response to make others see their own values even if they themselves couldn't. It was said that all teams needed one who could act as the heart, who could connect even a group of misfits from all walks of life.

Was she musing about a leader? ...no, Izayoi or Galahad was a leader, the brave general standing at the front, rallying their troops and executing difficult decisions without hesitation. No, the heart was the band’s beloved, the admired, one whose presence alone could remind the men and women that staying together was worth it, that their goal was worth it.

Neve was this heart, and seeing her from this perspective made Eve realize how heavy her burdens must be, even if she might not realize it herself. However, the fact that not a single Kirin - old and new - even so much as disapproved of her return might clue her in... or not, Eve barely knew anything about the White Mage, but perhaps it'd be for the better if she remained blissfully ignorant. After all, she said it herself, one person can't be expected to carry so much responsibility on their shoulders...

For now though, the Faux Eidolon was powerless in the face of such sincerity, one that was reinforced by pragmatic logic at that, truly only the mentally deranged would refute her. As such, Eve exhaled a quiet "defeated" sigh, "Thank you, comrade."

Eve’s last response was unexpected. Neve was taken aback, her eyes fluttering slightly as if she were a deer caught in a hunter’s sights. She was… thanking her? What a sudden twist. It almost made her laugh. ”No… no worries!” she piped up, a crooked smile lacing across her lips. ”That’s what I’m here for, to help others out. … S-speaking of which, I… forgot to eat breakfast. Want to join me? I’m starving!”

Final Fantasy: Lightseekers

MENTIONS: Izayoi [@Psyker Landshark]

Her father always told her to expect the unexpected.

Neve didn’t know what to expect when the skies of blue stretched over her head anew and the smell of salt tinged her nose, but it definitely wasn’t bumping into the Kirins upon the deck of a ship. When she had seen the flash of sleek black fur and superbly pointed ears, she could have sworn that she had been the victim of such intense silvery eyes once before. It turned out that the familiar Mystrel was not just familiar, but the very Ranbu no Izayoi that she had once traveled with. How long had it been since she had seen her? A few days? A week? More? Time moved slowly in Brightlam, due to the dense canopy of branches and the laid-back personalities of those who dwelled there. In combination with the Grovemasters’ lectures, a day almost felt like it spanned for weeks.

Dressed in her traditional white-and-red, Neve’s glittering eyes hardly left Izayoi’s features as the woman recounted what had happened to the Kirins. Lost friends, blood spilled by enemies, the return of past shades that sought the lives of innocents. She felt like she had been gone for so long. For so, so long. A certain heaviness rapidly grew within the very recesses of her chest, spreading deep into her abdomen and all of the way to the back of her throat. The Valheimians… could it be that they had something to do with the disappearance of the Light, as suspected? What in Etro’s name did they want to do with it? They could weaken the continent, the entire planet, true. But the Light had to go somewhere. Neve’s expression hardened, then softened as Izayoi detailed the last bit of the Kirins’ tale so far. They appeared to be finished in Osprey. Next was Drana Asnaeu– where she had just come from.

It wasn’t like the Grovemasters had given her permission to leave. Sneaking away from their lessons without attracting attention from the Kapok Sentinels and forest patrols was more difficult than she would have liked. She had to study patrol patterns, shifts, the tendencies of younger members of the patrol units, and the flaws in the greenhorns’ judgements. It had taken a while for her to garner enough bravery to actually slip away from the boundaries of the dense forests and flee into the plains. Now, she was going straight back to Drana Asnaeu– back to the surely furious Grovemasters who would likely never allow her to leave the apothecary district ever again. The pity and sadness that had once flooded the inner depths of her chest had soon soured and dampened until it hung heavy in her diaphragm. Dread had begun to take hold of her.

Neve tore her gaze away from the foamy waves at the bow of the ship as the sea wind hung heavy between her and the Mystrel. For a moment, a distant look had washed over her gaze, deep as the ocean that laid beneath their feet. It had taken a few long moments before her pale lips quivered and she spoke towards Izayoi at last. ”First and foremost, I would like to apologize for my sudden disappearance. I was summoned by the Grovemasters not long after we had arrived in Midgar. I… couldn’t bring myself to say farewell, not too long after we met,” she explained, her voice quivering slightly as she looked down at her feet. ”Apparently, they believed to be mistaken in sending me to aid the King. That it was foolish to send one of their chosen into such a dark, dangerous world. If they were to lose me in death, then it would nonetheless be a devastating blow to the planet. They wished to keep me in the shadow of Brightlam, so that I could focus further on my studies… but clearly, I should have been with you, and Galahad, and Arton, a-and Leifur and Eliane… I... I should have been there, should have been there to help...”

Neve couldn’t take it anymore. The white mage bowed deeply and suddenly, so much so that the rough movement strained her back and caused her tears to leak onto the floor. ”F-forgive me–!”

SPIRITUM

I'll see if I can some up with something maybe

leaves on the wind. [Lit/Adv. Lit. OCxOC]

Closed for now. :)

leaves on the wind. [Lit/Adv. Lit. OCxOC]

Bump.

leaves on the wind. [Lit/Adv. Lit. OCxOC]

Hello, and thank you for stopping by my partner search! My name is Marlowe and I am a twenty-eight-and-a-half year old woman living in the States. I have been writing for about fifteen years now-- crazy, I know --and I am currently locked in a desperate battle with completing the final draft of my novel. A little bit more about me: I am an English teacher at a high school and am presently teaching just over a hundred 9th graders. I have a lot of pets-- three dogs, a cockatiel, a bearded dragon, and a ball python --and want to have more some day.

Truth be told, my love for writing has taken quite a blow recently. Combined with the frequent ghosting and lack of interesting plots being posted across many roleplay sites, I took a hiatus of about four months, which led to me getting into DnD and going through kind of a rebrand. Which, of course, drove me into making a new 1x1 thread to see if I can find new partners and make new friends. Yippee!

In any case, I look forward to writing with you if you're still interested after reading through the thread and sifting through my ideas!

Please read through my preferences carefully! It's a must if you want to be a good match with me! :>

⸙ Please be 18+ of age. Since I'm 28, I'm only comfortable with writing with people who are of age. Sorry!

⸙ I expect my roleplays to have an equal balance of plot and smut.

⸙ I don't do canonxcanon or canonxocs.

⸙ Please don't ghost me. If you no longer wish to write with me, just shoot me a message. I won't be frustrated with you, promise! It's much better to be honest than leaving me in the blue.

⸙ Please have proper vocabulary/grammar. We all make mistakes as we write, but I don't want to have to squint or get a headache when I'm trying to read your posts. I also usually post around 200-400 words (or more!) using several paragraphs so it'd be nice to have a partner that did the same.

⸙ Post at least once or twice a week. Posting frequently keeps me interested in our stories. If you can't post for a while, please let me know.

⸙ I prefer to roleplay over PMs.

⸙ Our stories must have romance in them (MxF or MxM). I'm not currently looking for plots featuring platonic relationships. As for main pairings, I prefer MxF and sometimes MxM. I'm willing to double for my partners if they're willing to do the same for me and I'm able to write both male and female characters.

⸙ OCxOCs only. This might change at some point, so keep an eye out.

⸙ I want partners who will plot AND chat with me! I don't want to be the only one dragging the plot along or be the only one who is excited to talk about the story and characters. Please, I want you to be as excited as I am and willing to work with me!

⸙ Regarding character sheets. I don't really require detailed character sheets for 1x1s. However, I do ask that you provide an anime or anime-like face-claim, name, age, personality, and what not. I will do the same.

⸙ My ideas and pairings. If you don't see anything below that matches your preferences, you can reach out to me and toss me your ideas instead. But please keep them as close as possible to mine! I won't do something completely and drastically different.

⸙ REGARDING THE PLOTS BELOW... I prefer playing the female role in the plots below. However, I am more than willing to double and play a male for a female character of yours.

⸙ Enemies to lovers
⸙ Friends to enemies to lovers
⸙ Angst
⸙ Adventuring
⸙ Slow burn
⸙ Love at first sight
⸙ Sappy love stories laced with tragedy and angst
⸙ Arranged marriage
⸙ ~ Magic ~

Plots marked with a ⸙ are the ones I crave the most!

POKEMON ⸙ ⸙ ⸙ ⸙: I actually have several ideas for a Pokemon 1x1. Our characters can be adventurers that just set out on their journey, only for their adventure to go off the deep end; our characters can be elite trainers, gym leaders, or even elite four members who have to deal with a dangerous situation; our characters can be part of Team Rocket or some other nefarious plot, or something of the sort; or we can have a story take place in a medieval setting without Pokeballs and instead focusing on good ol' Pokemon wrangling and war.

GENSHIN IMPACT ⸙ ⸙ ⸙: My character and your character are childhood friends that joined the Fatui at an early age. Years pass, and just before our characters are to become Harbingers, my character decides to flee to who knows where. Ten years fly by, and my character has taken up a new mantle for herself and has become a well-known adventuring sellsword in Teyvat. What will happen when she clashes blades with none other than her childhood friend?

HONKAI STAR RAIL ⸙ ⸙ ⸙: What's better than anime space opera with a whole helping of danger, angst, and romance?

PERSONA ⸙ ⸙: Something in the Persona universe would be great, but with older characters and a different plot line than in the games.

FIRE EMBLEM: Original setting or not, I'd love to roleplay a band of adventuring goobers that set out to slay a villain or two.

FINAL FANTASY: I'd prefer to roleplay something in the realms of FF14 for something FF related.

Plots marked with a ⸙ are the ones I crave the most!

AN EMPEROR'S ROSE ⸙ ⸙ ⸙: My character is arranged to marry your character in order to keep the continent's peace. As an individual without an ounce of magic in her body, she is poised to the perfect wife... but not long after they consummate their marriage, my character discovers that she is a vessel of extremely powerful and forbidden magic. Her new home and husband are set to become perhaps the dominant force in the entire continent. As tension mounts, will your character decide to use his wife for his own benefit, or will he fight to keep her magic a secret?

DRAGONS ⸙ ⸙: I have several plots for this category, but they all revolve around the original race that I've created. We can focus on dragon hunters, dragon riders (whose mounts are there against their will), or dragon characters living on a continent that is on the brink of war. Hit me up with your ideas!

MAGE MAFIA: Set in modern Japan. Not much magic exists in the world; it mostly exists in magically gifted individuals called mages who are only able to cast spells thanks to a small, marble-like construct that materialized in the core of their bodies before they were born. Families of mages formed in Japan decades ago and wars flourished amongst them. Lives were spent and bad blood still churns between them today. It probably doesn't help that someone is going around indiscriminately slaughtering mages and stealing their Pearls. Blood is sure to be spilled as a vengeful war broils once again.

Wings of Fire: Distant Storms

It was extremely difficult not to let out a sigh. She almost felt bad for the poor fellow– she wondered how long he was going to survive on the continent without anyone self-aware holding him by the talons. Despite everything, she shook her head sadly at him. He just didn’t get it, did he? She could only hope that he caught the gist of things soon, unless…

Well, if there was anything that SandWings were half-decent at, it was good timing. Bluemoon stared at the guard that had placed himself between her and Hemlock. Oh, this wasn’t good. ”I apologize, but this is my friend you’re messing with. What do you even want with him?” she asked as she raised a wing towards the brightly colored dragon. What she said was a blatant lie– Hemlock was far from her friend. At most, he was an acquaintance, one that she was responsible for for the span of the night. She had to get him back home, and safe. On top of everything, it wasn’t like Hemlock had done anything wrong. Was he foolish? Yes. Did he talk too much? That, too. But did he do anything to upset the guards..? She doubted it.

Bluemoon swallowed a hard lump in her throat before narrowing her eyes at the SandWing that placed his stinger under Hemlock’s chin. If it slipped, it would certainly prick his flesh. She flared her wings, a large scowl spreading over her maw. ”You have no reason to bother us. Let us go.”

”Ohohoh,” purred a dark-scaled SandWing that slunk forward from their formation. Her teeth glittered in the dim moonlight and her nostrils flared angrily as she padded closer. ”Looks like we’ve got ourselves a bug-lover. Why don’t we teach both of them a lesson, huh?”

The purr in the guard’s throat darkened into a dangerous growl. Bluemoon turned to look at her completely as her mouth began to grumble a reply– but before she knew it, the wind was knocked out of her and she was thrown to the floor. She gasped in surprise and attempted to scrabble to her feet, but she felt a paw press down against her neck and the cold sensation of steel against her chest.

”What are you–?!” Bluemoon started, but her voice became trapped right where the talons tightened around her gullet. Spluttering as she felt more claws clasp onto her, Bluemoon’s heart thumped wildly in her ribcage. Three moons, what was happening?! Had Gila already sent her lackeys after them? She heaved her head towards Hemlock and coughed out a single command with all of the energy she could muster. ”RUN!”

Pokémon Journeys

Any more room?