forum THE TIME’S ALWAYS RIGHT TO FIX WHAT’S WRONG | OxO | CLOSED

Started May 24, 2021 by Deleted user

tune

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Warning: Lots of plot/worldbuilding ahead. Looking for serious commitment!

In a society based solely upon death and those who rule it, one lowly messenger boy discovers a desperately kept secret. It’s a truth so horrid—so wicked—that merely speaking it aloud has the power to bring society to its knees.

With the newfound weight of this terrible secret upon his shoulders, the messenger boy makes a decision. He turns on the oligarchy, the so-called “Old Ones” that rule death itself, in an effort to warn the people—his people, of the thing they should truly be afraid of.

Alas, as far too many sacrifices fare, it was futile. The Old Ones realized what he intended to do and branded him a traitor; a false prophet. The messenger boy was killed—or so the people thought. Much to their bafflement, the same false prophet was soon spotted in a nearby town, spreading his false words and attempting to gather sympathizers willing to aid him in his goal.

Nevertheless, the messenger boy’s hope that he would be heard quickly dwindled. The people were more interested in capturing or killing him for a bounty than what he had to say. Only a chance encounter with a like-minded civilian was enough to bring him back from the edge of despair, and it was then he learned of a fledgling resistance following his declaration.

It was small, but it was something. All the messenger boy had to do was reach them; just deliver them one last message.

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This is a jumbled mess of ideas I’ve had over the past…however long it’s been, spurred into creation by my resolve to base a plot on whatever song appeared on my playlist when I hit “shuffle”. It just so happened to be ‘Message Man’ by Twenty One pilots.

The premise for this is that the civilian the messenger boy ran into hired a mercenary to get him to the resistance safely. Only problem? The messenger boy is a tricky little shit who has absolutely zero interest in being helped. To further complicate things, the civilian didn’t actually hire the mercenary to protect him…

He hired them to take him back to the Old Ones.

Except things happen, feelings get in the way, and suddenly the mercenary really doesn’t want to be leading the messenger boy to his certain doom. At that point, it’s either too late or perhaps the merc has something (someone) important to them riding on the line. Either way, they have to choose between their new friend (or maybe more?) and the sword hanging over their head.

I play the messenger boy, you play the mercenary. I’ll include important world details and the character sheet, as well as any rules I come up with, below. I do expect anyone interested in joining to read everything and to also provide a writing sample. Because this is a plot I’ve poured so much into I’m really looking for high-quality writing. So I apologize in advance if I turn you down after reading your sample!

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WORLDBUILDING: Dark Fantasy/Dystopian

-> Society is run by a religious oligarchy of people referred to as “The Old Ones”. The Old Ones are known to be immune to death, created to watch over mortals and enact death upon those whose time is up. They’re the only ones without “bands”, a red, tattoo-like design that wraps around the left bicep of every known living person. Serving them is considered an incredible privilege.
-> Bands, as mentioned earlier, appear on every newborn child within a few hours of their birth. It stays red throughout their life, up until it becomes their “time” and turns black. When that happens, they’re sent to the Old Ones for a parting ceremony and a peaceful transition into the next life. (Read: They’re killed.) There’s no telling what age a band will turn black, and any attempts to avoid the ceremony will be labelled as defying fate. The transgressors will be hunted down and slaughtered, as well as any that knowingly aided them.
-> Magic is a myth. Or is it? Tales of those able to wield it exist, but only the Old ones are currently known to possess magic and people don’t know if they’re even human.
-> May add more if anything comes to me.

ROLEPLAYING RULES + WARNINGS
-> andrew (Our Supreme Lord and Overseer)’s Rules
-> Try to keep short responses to a minimum. Some are expected and even encouraged at points, but make sure you’re contributing and not just reacting.
-> LGBTQ+ friendly!
-> Please don’t give me a Mary/Gary Sue character.
-> Cursing is totally fine, don't even worry about it.
-> This rp will likely have gore or other similarly disturbing themes.
-> On that note, if you have any triggers please let me know ahead of time.

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CHARACTER CREATION

A few base rules about your character: Their band has to be red—no fate defiers here. They also cannot possess magic (at least, to begin with). That’s kinda it for now. Go wild with your creation—if you want to include something but aren’t sure how it would relate in terms of worldbuilding, feel free to run it by me first. I’m 100% open to any additions, whether that be cultures, races, traditions, weapons, etc., as long as they don’t directly clash with anything already stated.

NAME -
AGE -
GENDER -
PRONOUNS -
SEXUALITY -
APPEARANCE -
BACKSTORY -
PERSONALITY -
OTHER -

NAME - Elex Evanson
AGE - Sixteen
GENDER - Male
PRONOUNS - He/Him
SEXUALITY - Bicurious
APPEARANCE - About 5’7” with olive-toned skin and a slim physique. His hair is a chocolatey brown and hangs to his shoulders when it isn’t pulled back in a bun, while his eyes are a matching shade of warm brown. His face structure is defined but retains some of the softness around the edges that most people lose in their late teens. He’s also got dozens of freckles dotted all over his face, something that’s been commented on as an attribute that only enhances his “plainness”. The only thing not-so-plain about him is his lack of a left arm, which was amputated at the shoulder.
BACKSTORY - Sold into service for the Old Ones at a young age, Elex fell into a reluctant role as their messenger boy. He was required to personally notify families when someone’s time was approaching as told by the Old Ones; a task he in no way enjoyed. In fact, he was very vocal about his feelings with his masters. The oligarchy found amusement in his sharp tongue and unpleasant attitude, something they never failed to inform him of. They viewed him as a pet and grew careless, ultimately leading to Elex discovering their terrible secret. From there, I imagine, you know the story.
PERSONALITY - Stubborn and arrogant are the first words that come to mind whenever anyone inquires about the messenger boy. Elex is incredibly driven and independent, refusing to accept help even when he most desperately needs it. Ironically, he’s also incredibly compassionate and insists on helping those in need; even if those in need only want him gone for the bounty on his head.
OTHER -
-> To be revealed.

NAME - Arlo Archambault
AGE - seventeen
GENDER - male
PRONOUNS - he/him
SEXUALITY - pansexual
APPEARANCE - he has slim, narrow features, he stands at a large 6 feet tall, his limbs are thin and elongated, his jawline sharp and defined. His hair is to the bottom of his ears, black and loose curls, his eyes a bright forest green.
BACKSTORY - when Arlo was sixteen, the known messenger boy knocked on their door, telling him and his family, their time to come was very soon, Arlo spent that entire week in fear, his parents died the following thursday, due to an undiagnosed sickness, that killed them both; first his mother, then an hour after his father, Arlo spent the time in the village working to take care of himself, and staying with the village Blacksmith and started learning how to blacksmith.
PERSONALITY - Quiet and withdrawn, though can be a bit obsessive with skills or objects he likes or enjoys, he has the kind of 'welp if it doesn't hurt me oh well' mentality, that is until he meets someone he likes, then he would do anything for them, possibly even die.
OTHER -

• He has an older sister who is about twenty two, who got married and moved away and had Arlo's niece; Bellatrice, who he visits every once in a while.
• he loves singing
• he has a soft spot for reptiles, he once even had a lizard when he was about eight, named Slitherix.

I'm glad to see people are interested in this! @mere_hufflepuff Arlo seems great, but I'm afraid you didn't read the first post, or you would've seen, in bold, where it says I'm looking for a writing sample. Specifically, I'm looking for someone I feel can keep up with my writing. If you're curious as to what my writing is like, you can go to my stream to the othe rp I started recently, called "Look To The Rising Sun And Run, Run, Run".

oh sorry, I can give one now-

The wind blew harshly, the cold seeming to seep into his bones, once he got into his apartment he errupted into shivers, his bones ached and he needed some rest, though watching tons of Steven Universe wasnt exactly 'rest' it was a close as he would get.

He flicked the automatic fan on with his index finger, the sound of it coming to life with a whirl.
He gave a soft sigh as he headed to his bedroom, where he flipped the light switch and sat down, bringing his laptop in front of him and starting an episode of Steven universe, where he made himself into a human burrito with his blankets and sat back against his headboard, watching intently.

Apologies for the wait! My work schedule has been insane. If you're absolutely certain you're willing to put in the work to keep up with this, (including reading the entire first post and contributing when able) then you're in!

Sorry if it sounds like I'm being super picky; I'm just really invested in this plot.

alright!
though I must warn you, my work schedule is also insane at the moment, we just had someone quit so now we're down to only 7 people, as well as my parents being iffy about computers and being on them for to long; but I am also extremely invested in this plot, so I'll try my best to answer when I can.
(I re-read the first post twice to make sure I didnt miss anything this time)

I am definitely prioritizing quality over quantity for this one, don't worry lol. I have work six days in a row next week, Monday through Saturday, so I have no idea how much I'll be able to work on this. I have an 8 hour shift today, but I'll try to get something up before I go in! I've already started :)

yeah, she quit yesterday and I have to cover her shifts, so I dont know how much I'll be on honestly-

(Thanks for your patience! And good luck with the extra shifts.)

-

“A water, please,” Elex said, scanning the tavern in a manner meant to be casual. His lips twitched into a smile when he didn’t find what he was looking for and his shoulders lowered the slightest bit in relief.

Turning his attention back to the noncomplying bartender, he flipped a copper coin and caught it midair. A challenging glint entered his gaze as he slammed the coin onto the counter with another insistent, “A water. Please.”

He pushed the money closer to the unimpressed woman as she sighed and filled a glass for him. Sliding the drink over, she took the coin and dropped it into the locked box beneath her side of the counter, already moving onto the next customer as Elex contentedly sipped from the glass.

Sidestepping out of a burly man’s way, he leaned against a nearby table and watched a small group of people playing cards on the other side of the tavern. One of them was visibly frustrated and actually ended up throwing his hand on the floor and storming out, which Elex found endlessly amusing.

He was only about halfway done with his water when someone jostled the table he was resting the glass on. There was a split second fall and the sound of something shattering as Elex glanced up in annoyance at the person who’d interrupted his quiet celebration, only to falter when he noticed the flash of recognition in their previously apologetic gaze.

“Shit,” he commented rather calmly, barely managing a step backwards before the same burly man from before had his fingers fisted in the collar of his cloak.

Elex raised his hand placatingly, wincing as fabric cut off some of his air supply, and said, “This is a little uncalled for, isn’t it? You’re causing a scene.”

The man responded with a fist to his stomach and a low growl of, “I know who you are, False Prophet.”

Elex allowed himself an eye roll in his winded state before he was tugged up to eye level and shoved back against the table. “Wow, if I had both arms I’d definitely be clapping for you right about now. How about a drink, instead?”

In hindsight, the second fist probably shouldn’t have surprised him.

“Okay, this is getting old,” Elex muttered through clenched teeth, his hand feeling around the table for something he could use to his advantage. It didn’t take him long to find it in the form of someone else’s unattended drink.

With no further warning Elex slammed the second glass into the burly man’s face, slipping underneath the table the moment he lost hold. Other tavern-goers were now clamoring to get to him or join in on the fight, but with most drunk and bumbling into the way of the few sober customers, it was fairly simple to blend in and disappear through the back exit.

Out in the fresh night air, Elex took a deep breath and straightened out his cloak, making sure his missing limb was fully concealed by the shifting fabric. With at least two of his goals accomplished for the night, the drink and securing a map, he retrieved the latter from a hidden pocket and began making his way north once again.

Unfortunately, it was hardly a moment later when he felt a familiar presence join him. “Thought I lost you back there,” he called back coldly, glancing up from the map long enough to give the mercenary a scathing look before turning his attention back to the ink.

Arlo gave a disappointed shake of his head, his cloak shifted over his wavy hair
"im afraid not" he said with a small sigh aa he caught up with Elex, when he looked over he saw the other boy's face drawn into a tight line.

"You know i'm only here to protect you, right?" he said aloud, he had spent weeks on end trying to get Elex to trust him, just enough for Elex to follow him instead of vice versa. When Elex first got hired, and followed Elex around, he realised just how hard headed and stubborn Elex really was, he refused the help Arlo tried to give him, but Arlo didn't blame him after all, Arlo was trying to lead him to his death.

But still, the fact that Elex had refused him for this long kind of…stung, after about two weeks he found himself craving the others boy trust, and for now, that was still his main goal, so he would continue to follow Elex around like a lost puppy dog, for as long as it took.

"There's a tavern a little northwest, I can get us a room" Arlo suggested, pointing to the spot on the map.