EmmaZ

Heir to the Maou

The Demon Lord’s armies had very nearly destroyed all of humanity. Already the elven forest had been burned and the dwarves had retreated into their mountain. The Empire of Eden was the last bastion of hope for civilization. In desperation, the Emperor turned to the prophecies of old; and there he found a knowledge of Heroes.

With no time to waste, he brought together a band of Heroes. Guided by the prophecies, the Heroes delved into ancient catacombs and long-forgotten ruins to find the artifacts of power lost there. Now armed with the power needed to fight the Demon Lord, the Heroes set out on the treacherous journey through the Demonic Lands to vanquish the enemy of all mankind. After countless trials and endless hordes of the wicked demons, finally the Heroes reached the Demon Lord’s castle. And by the grace of Adonis, they slew the monster.

Thus began the Era of Peace. It has been fifty years of prosperity for the world.

---

Or so the Empire would tell you. You, the children of ‘demons.’ You are not prosperous. You are the backs upon which humans build their prosperity. Let old Draconhouser tell you the real story. But don’t go gabbin’ about any of this in front of the overseers. You’ll get us both whipped, or worse.

Prosperous times were what the old Demon Lord gave us. When soldiers patrolled our border so well, humans dared not set foot outside their land. When gold flowed so abundantly the dwarves came to us with all their trade, and didn’t have to put up with the human Emperor’s demands. When our people were so skilled with Aura, even the lowest farmer could cast boons on his crops.

And now here we are, slaves one and all. Oh, there are those not collared and forced to work in these damned mines. Even if the old capital lies abandoned, I hear some tribes yet live on the old land, migrating with the seasons. They are hardly better than we, oppressed by the humans they so desperately try to avoid.

Yet all hope isn’t lost! One day, you’ll see! The Demon Lord left secrets to his power throughout the world, hidden where those cursed Heroes couldn’t corrupt it. One day, his successor will gather together those powers, and our nation will rise again! When that day comes, these arrogant humans will remember what it means to cower in fear.

And that’s the end of storytime for tonight, kids. Remember to say your prayers to Adonis out loud if the guard walks past. Mentally curse him three times as you do, and reaffirm to Lilith that we are still her children. Even if Sylvanas left her people to die for that bastard god, Lilith will never abandon us so long as we remain faithful.

---

Old Draconhouser. A bit of a nutcase, but a friendly one. He was too old to work in the mine with everyone, so he helped care for the infants. Everybody grew up hearing his stories about when demons had a country of their own. To the young, those born in a collar, it sounded as impossible as having so much food you would throw some away. Or getting to read all day and call it working. A fairy tale.

Until one day, a fairy appeared. That is, a demon from the days of yore.

---

In a nutshell: a group of young demons chase down the legend of a Demon Lord’s legacy, fighting men and monsters and looting dungeons to attain the power necessary to free demonkind. An adventure story written from fond memories of Zelda, D&D, and Good Omens.

The story begins with a group of young demons born and raised in a labor camp. ‘Demon’ can refer to just about anything that isn’t a human, an elf, or a dwarf (and half-breeds are an impossibility). Required info for a character is:

• A description (plus a picture if you can provide one).
• The role you want to play in a party (physical fighter, healer, monk, utility caster, the big guy trope, whatever descriptor you want to apply).
• Starting Aura attributes (see ‘Aura’ below, and the character page for examples).
• Anything else you think is important to note.

Expected Content Warnings: Alcohol reference; crude humor; fantasy violence; language; suggestive themes.
I think that makes it T for Teen by ESRB standard.

Fantastical Plots and Where to Find Them

Hello Guildie! Come on in, have a seat and rest your feet. What brings you to my little post? Some interest in something exciting perhaps? Well, I think I can drum up something or another that will pique your interest. It may be best if I explain what I think 'exciting' is, though, no?

Fantasy is exciting. Magic and monsters, lords and rebels, gods and demons. Hard magic systems that people are still trying to understand, and convoluted cause-and-effect in the game of the gods.
Satire is exciting. Some works, and even entire genres, are just too bloated not to poke fun at.
Reading is exciting. People have the most amazing imaginations, and I love getting to see into them. No idea is inherently bad--but execution can be abysmal. If you have a great idea that just isn't translating to the text, share it in abstract and together we'll see if we can get it to take off.
Humor is exciting. At least the good ones. I've yet to meet a bad humor around here, though. Wordplay is wonderful and a sign of a brilliant mind; never let any pun-hater tell you otherwise.

Sex isn't exciting. A shocker, I know; but to me it isn't a motivation. Not to mean I object to it happening, just that I'm not writing for the sake of arousal. It's another element to characterization in story-telling, filled with implications and potential perils.
Canon characters aren't exciting. Some fandoms have wonderful, developed worlds to work in, from Middle Earth to the Outer Rim. But taking the characters feels wrong to me. Like mind control. Even more wrong feeling is 'aging up' an underaged character to do ERP.
Horror isn't exciting. I really don't need to add more stress to my life; there's enough of that already.
Self inserts aren't exciting. Every character should have a part of you in it; it's part of making a believable character. But a character shouldn't just be the author+ on a wish-fulfillment spree.

Are you still here? Wonderful! Would you like some ideas or some expectations first? Carrot? Yes, carrot it will be.

LitRPG Fantasy: Heir to the Maou.
The last demon king was killed by a party of human heroes. The demons lost the war and were made to serve their conquerors. One young demon orphan refuses to accept her lot in life. She'll go to the ancient sites of power and awaken the curses slumbering there, and she'll defeat the wicked human king that has enslaved her people. Or at least, that's her plan just as soon as she convinces her best friend to run away with her. Teenage heroes on a quest to save their world; what could go wrong?

Villainess: Who Does This Baron's Daughter Think She Is?!
Education is for the wealthy, and learning magic is only for the elite. Why, then, is a third-rate noble's daughter being allowed to attend the most prestigious academy in the nation? It's a question the heiress to a duchy simply can't answer--made all the more infuriating by the way her brother, her childhood friend, and her fiancé are all hovering around the tramp like love-sick puppies. It would be a relief if that eyesore never appeared before her during all their years of schooling; and yet, the two can't seem to avoid each other, like Fate is conspiring to bring them together. Or perhaps it isn't Fate, but the gods themselves raising the flags--preparing the nation's elite for something dark on the horizon.
(There are a number of ways this could go, from a rivalry that shreds a nation to an unexpected romance that saves the world. That makes wording it here really hard, but in a PM I could spare more detail.)

I Do
The moment they met was surreal; like Dysia herself had reached down from the heavens and tied their red threads together. [You] couldn't help [your]self. Almost in a trance, one measured step at a time, [you] crossed the room, took [my] hands in [your]s, and proposed. "Will you marry me?"
"I do," was the simple response.
So began a strange romance, born not of passion but of commitment.
(Fantasy, modern fantasy, sci-fi, slice--I realize this premise slots in anywhere. It's an expression of my curiosity regarding what a non-love-centric relationship would be. Also, a heavy lean into philosophy and theology. For that reason I placed fantasy as the first possibility.)

Monster Evolution: I'm not a Bad Slime; You're a Bad Slime!
Fated Order: Syla's Hunters Online was going to be the next big name in gaming. Virtual Reality, play-while-you-sleep, a fully interactive world where your decisions can have lasting consequences--it promised it all, and it delivered. Mostly. A few people found a small bug in the system: when they logged in to create a character, they were launched straight into the game world--in the body of a critter! Cut off from their menus, these low-level mobs have to find a way to survive long enough to escape this game. This... game? Is this really just a game?

These are ideas on my mind right now. I'm sure I'll be back with more after a good night's sleep; for now, I leave some basic expectations for you to consider before you send me that PM you've been drafting in your mind.

You might have noticed, but my writing is clean (if not particularly concise). I hope to read the same. Sloppy writing is unbecoming, and bad syntax makes my brain itch. I don't expect Fitzgerald (please don't keep tacking on semicolons until your sentence is two paragraphs long), but I expect better than your average grade-schooler. If what I mean isn't clear, ask and I'll site some examples.

Ask questions. Please. If something is unclear, if you're not sure what should happen next, if you've suddenly been struck by a theory regarding the battle between Odium and Honor on Roshar and you need a second set of eyes scanning through all four published books in the series for possible evidence or contradictions, you can ask. I like to answer questions, hash out plans, and delve deep into crack theories about my favorite authors and series. Keeping communication flowing helps keep a story flowing.

If you're silent for a week, it probably means you died. I'll send flowers to someone's grave in memory of you. If it actually means something I said made you uncomfortable, I would prefer you point it out to me so I don't discomfit more people in the future. I'm a big girl; I can take it. Whatever you have to say. I don't really have a post expectancy from you beyond this; just knowing you're still here and thinking about the story is enough.

That's all the expectations I have for now. Maybe I'll add more after a few false starts, if things go poorly and I find a new peeve. Thanks for coming in, and maybe I'll hear from you soon!

I'm dreaming of a bright writness.

Thanks for coming! I'm flattered by your interest, so I'll try to convey who I am as entertainingly as possible.

A decade ago I was an active forum role-player. But then university, jobs, stress, that darn Steam account--lots of complications slowly eroded the amount of time I spent writing with others. That leaves me a few years out of practice for cooperative writing now; but it also leaves me a decade wiser (or at least more experienced, though I hope some of that has become wisdom). And I couldn't leave writing entirely alone for any length of time! I just worked on personal projects between monotonous work shifts.

And I read. Lots of web novels. Lots of ideas, some of which were done very well and some of which taught me what not to do. Research, if you will!

Now, however, I find myself wishing to share a project with someone(s). I miss that social aspect of writing that forums offer and a secret google doc doesn't. I want the chatting, the plotting, the 'Oo! How about this!' sharing with a partner or three.

So it's a pleasure to let you meet me. Hope I'll see you around. Ideally in the following places:

-Small group
-High fantasy
-LitRPG/Progression fantasy
-Parody/satire on overly-popular genres (Isekai, Villainess Noble Girls, Monster Evolution)

Not that these are the only places I spend thinking time, just the most recent and common. Wishing you the best, and remember: whatever your story, it's gonna be writ.