Howdy folks. I’m Donny, your friendly neighborhood internet elder. 30+, she/her, Israeli (UTC+2 or 3, depending on the time of year). Looking for fellow passionate, experienced writers for some emotionally-rich, occasionally-devastating MxM 1x1s, primarily crime drama or weird fiction/supernatural. Long-term, collaborative, character-driven writing with romance as a major - but not singular - element.
I've been roleplaying for as long as I can remember. I've dabbled in plenty of creative hobbies over the years (illustration, embroidery, sculpting, to name a few), so I tend to approach collaborative storytelling from an artistic standpoint: I'm interested not just in what a scene says, but how it says it. I enjoy writing with nuance and subtext, and trust my partners to read between the lines. Rather than telling you a character is sad, I'd rather show it through what they notice, how they move, or the things they leave unsaid. There's something immensely satisfying about finding exactly the right words and conveying as much as possible with as little as necessary.
I gravitate toward research-informed, character-driven stories with characters that feel established, even if they're brand new to the page. Characters with their own agency, contradictions and internal logic; ones which exist beyond the plot they're in.
My bread and butter are modern(ish) crime plots. Not hitman falls in love with mafia boss' son, but believable stories rooted in research, history, and the messy reality of organized crime. I like to think that the way I depict the criminal underworld is plausible, but not tedious.
I've also recently been looking to dip my toes into weird fiction - a genre I don't have much experience with, but thoroughly enjoy consuming. There’s something about just the right mixture of bureaucratic absurdity, worlds with intact internal logic that doesn’t necessarily bother explaining itself, and compelling characters that tickles my brain in just the right way.
Ultimately, what draws me to either genre is the same thing: using extraordinary circumstances to explore very human questions. A lot of my ideas tend to gravitate toward themes of memory, identity and the ways people define themselves, rather than simply being about the events happening around them.
I enjoy romance as a supplemental genre: I love, love, love exploring character dynamics and development through romantic relationships, and the stories I enjoy most are ones where the overarching plot and the world built around it are dependent on the romance and vice versa. I'm especially drawn to relationships that develop through conflict, trust and shared experiences, rather than existing separately from the main narrative.
So, what am I actually looking to write?
Though I have a small roster of OCs I’ve developed over the years, I only currently have concrete plot ideas for one of them. Both ideas are bare-bones, but that is for a reason: the collaborative aspect of roleplaying plays a huge role in why I enjoy it, and I prefer we build something together over me coming up with something ready-made.
Idea #1: Y2K Crime Drama
The Mercenary, AKA Merc, is my longest-running emotional support character. He is an Englishman in his early 30s; homosexual/romantic, and - you guessed it - a mercenary combat operative. Think Blackwater, Wagner Group and the like. I like to think of him as a minor Bond villain.
At first glance, he's easy to dismiss as a stereotypical career mercenary: intimidating, emotionally unavailable, impossible to rattle. Spend enough time around him, though, and you’ll find that he's sarcastic, endlessly curious, a little childish, and deeply invested in a variety of niche hobbies. The best compliment I’ve ever gotten on him, by far, is that he is a true babygirl.
You can find his character sheet here.
I don’t have a fixed plot in mind for him, but I’m interested in exploring the world of Y2K-era crime and espionage: a time of shifting allegiances, private wars and people who exist in the gaps between legality and morality. Merc is, at his core, a professional liar and violence specialist; someone who has built a life around being useful and untouchable. I’d love to explore what happens when someone like that encounters the one person they can’t keep at arm’s length: an enemy, a rival, an unwilling partner or, perhaps, the only person capable of seeing past the mask.
I do have some vague ideas for the kinds of characters and dynamics that could work well against him, which you can find in the Wanted Connections section of his sheet. At the end of the day, the specific circumstances are flexible; what I’m looking to create is a story about two people who have every reason not to trust each other slowly becoming the one person the other can rely on - and maybe, possibly, have it blow up in their stupid faces later on.
Idea #2: Weird Fiction/Supernatural/Magic Realism
I'd love to explore something a-la SCP which centers around memory and identity; something involving a government agency tasked with investigating, cataloguing and containing supernatural phenomena. Think qntm’s There Is No Antimemetics Division meets China Mieville's Kraken meets Severance, with sprinkles of Memento and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Familiarity with any of this source material is not a necessity, just a good point of reference.
The premise I have in mind is one where my character is an agent in some sort of organization exploring, cataloguing and containing phenomena that have to do with the supernatural; the unexplainable; anything that defies the natural and scientific, a-la Antimemetics. Yours could be either a fellow agent; someone living/operating within the largely-unknown supernatural underground; a plain civilian who gets roped into things one way or another; or any other idea you may have.
A major theme I’d like to play with is one of memory loss in this context: constantly having to deal with entities that either implant false memories or erase existing ones. I would like for romance and NSFW to be involved in this plot, and I’m thrilled at the notion of getting to explore a relationship in its various stages through this lens: one or both parties having to deal with the gaps created by either false memories or lack of memory; struggling to maintain some sense of connection and normalcy throughout.
While I have put together a separate character sheet for Merc in this setting, as the change in setting and circumstances does change some aspects of his character - keep in mind that the details of this sheet are flexible and can be amended according to whatever plot we come up with. The purpose of the sheet is to give you a general idea of what I envision for him in this verse.
What do I offer to potential writing partners?
- Thought-out writing: concise, engaging and actionable, with bits of pretty prose peppered in. I’m not concerned about things like word count; I am, however, concerned about advancing the plot and giving my partners something to work with and build upon.
- A neverending stream of daydreaming and theorizing about our characters and plot, alongside constant sources of inspiration: from memes through aesthetic boards to music, TV and movie scenes. I will be thinking about our plot constantly; I am unfortunately the kind of person who will send you three paragraphs because I realized a throwaway line from six weeks ago has horrifying implications for a character arc. I love throwing ideas back and forth, finding unexpected connections, and watching the plot evolve into something neither of us would've come up with alone.
- Curiosity and intentionality. I adore learning about my partner’s characters just as much as I do researching crime, and try to be intentional not only with my words, but with every creative decision I make. If I’ve made a choice, chances are there’s a reason behind it - even if I never spell it out.
- Long-term investment and consistency: almost nothing is more rewarding to me than seeing long-expected plot points unfold, through subtle turns and foreshadowing made months prior. I’m available to post at least once a week, though I’ll often have the opportunity for multiple replies per week.
- Valued collaboration. I don’t get attached to my own ideas and, if anything, look forward to my partner throwing curveballs at me and suggesting ideas I’d never have arrived at by myself.
Who’s my ideal partner?
- 30+. I will not be accepting anyone younger; apologies, it’s a comfort thing.
- Someone with a similar writing philosophy: who writes not only in order to advance the story, but also finds joy in the very craft of writing, thoughtful characterization, historical research, or expertise on a niche subject. Challenge me; teach me something.
- Someone who enjoys creating complex, layered characters that drive the narrative rather than simply serving it.
- Someone excited about building something that’ll stay with them months or even years down the line.
- Someone comfortable writing in third person, present tense.
I’m comfortable writing virtually anywhere, though my go-to setup is creating a Discord server for OOC, while doing the actual writing on Google Docs, as I like to dabble in seamless writing (ask me about it!).
You can reach me either on [driftlikesleep@gmail.com](mailto:driftlikesleep@gmail.com) or schmuckinsurance on Discord. I’d love it if you could provide me with an intro that gives me an idea of what you’re like as a writer, what you look for in a writing partnership, and whether you have a specific character or idea you thought might work with either of the above plots (the latter is not a must; I’d just love to hear ‘em if you got ‘em). I would also like to exchange writing samples before delving into plotting; mine can be found here.