forum Why Would a Star, a Star, Ever Be Afraid of the Dark? | Hero x Villain x Mutual Friend (CLOSED 3/3)

Started September 03, 2023 by @Vitae_

tune

NEW ROLEPLAY ATTEMPT #2: “My favorite, oddly specific trope is when both the hero and the villain know each other’s secret identities and they wind up bumping into each other while they’re in civilian mode, but they can’t throw down (even though they both REALLY want to) because surprise! They have a mutual friend.” Full prompt is here.

The characters would be as follows:

Character A, the hero. Played by @Tired-but-passionate
Character B, the villain. Played by me.
Character C, the mutual friend. Played by @bleeding_heart_is_moving

And here's the basic setting:

In their most recent clash, Hero and Villain managed to unmask each other. With the knowledge of each other's identities, they then meet during an outing with Mutual Friend. I'm thinking Villain and Mutual Friend are out for lunch, then Mutual Friend spots Hero at the same establishment and calls them over with excitement. Cue the recognition and the immediate knowledge that no matter what happens, they cannot fight each other with Mutual Friend there.

I like to think both Hero and Villain already have a crush on Mutual Friend, so it seems like it's going to be a love triangle until they also fall for each other and then discover polyamory. I also keep picturing a sleepover at Mutual Friend's place where quiet chaos erupts while Hero and Villain try to keep their arguments/fighting secret. If you have more ideas, I would love to hear them!

Feel free to be as creative as you want with your characters, given they’re not overpowered or Mary Sues! Mutual Friend is also more than welcome to have powers if your heart so desires.

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VILLAIN played by @Vitae_
Character Name: Poe Haraway
Alias (if applicable): Stitch
Age: Twenty
Gender: Male, he/him
Power (if applicable): Poe has the unique ability to produce and manipulate ink at will. Most commonly, he uses his abilities to give life to the many tattoos residing on his torso. While his abilities are incredibly versatile, they are limited by the amount of ink he can produce. If his ink is destroyed or obstructed in any way, it takes time to replenish. Destroying all of his ink could incapacitate him for a few days at a time. Overuse of his powers leads to itchy and peeling skin, while severe overuse inhibits his reflexes and sense of coordination (as well as other ink-poisoning symptoms).
Personality: Poe is hyperactive, unruly, and driven entirely by emotion and his own skewed sense of justice. He's the definition of stubborn; the kind of person to do something purely because he was told not to. Above all he is selfish—a trait he embraces, as he equates selfishness with total freedom.

Though he often seems childish, Poe has a hidden emotional depth to him. He cares little for the feelings of most individuals, though he'll raze the city to the ground if a loved one is in distress or harmed in any way. Strangely, Poe wears his heart on his sleeve. Part of his self-perceived freedom lies in the ability to be unafraid of his own emotions or what may happen if he opens up to someone. Trust comes easy to him because of this.
Appearance:
CIVILIAN: Poe is pale with rosy cheeks, wide eyes, and prominent dimples in his cheeks. He has short, fluffy black hair with an iridescence to it similar to a raven's feathers. Poe likes to push it back with headbands to keep his bangs out of his eyes. His teeth are perfectly white and straight, with the exception of one crooked incisor that adds to his childlike charm. His eyes are blue with warm green undertones, very clear and inviting. He's on the slightly taller side of average height, but between his poor posture, clothing, and overall immature demeanor, he gives the impression of someone much shorter until he straightens his spine. As for clothing, Poe's the type to wear dark blue jeans and sweater vests over long sleeves. Sweater paws and round-framed (nonprescription) glasses all the way–really selling "cute" and "innocent".

VILLAIN: Poe's villain costume is a different story. Where his civilian clothes scream book-ish and adorable, his costume is more mature and carries a cyberpunk theme. He wears baggy, navy pants with bright neon pink and cyan accents along the pockets and seams. His shirt is a sleeveless mesh turtleneck that shows off the multitude of tattoos swirling beneath the fabric. He wears black suspenders over his turtleneck, and over the suspenders, he wears a cropped navy jacket with a hood to preserve some modesty. He ties his hair back but leaves his bangs free to fly as they will. To conceal his identity, he wears a cyberpunk mask with the same color scheme as the rest of his costume and two prominent protrusions at the top that resemble animal ears.
Backstory (optional): According to the general public, Stitch is more of an inconvenience than any aspiring supervillain. He generally tends to stick to petty crimes and focuses more on opposing "stupid government laws" than hurting people. While his identity is unknown, it's common knowledge that Stitch used to be a hero in years past. What happened to change his perspective so drastically is a mystery.
Short Video that Has the Same Energy as Your Character: You Soulja Boy Vine
Theme Song: Scared of the Dark by Lil Wayne, Ty Dolla $ign, XXXTENTACION
Fun Facts:

• If I had to choose one word to describe Poe, it would be “unapologetic”. It’s what makes him a villain—at least in society’s eye. Damn the rules, he does whatever makes him happy without fear of the consequences. Maybe he breaks a few laws here and there (and sure, the property damage might not be ideal), but who can blame him?
• This is how he got his hero-turned-villain codename: While he was out patrolling, he encountered a young girl with a twisted ankle. On the way to the nearby walk-in clinic, the girl asked him why he helped her, and he blanked and just blurted out, "Because Ohana means family, and family means no one gets left behind." Pair that with the animal-like helmet and dominantly blue colors of his costume, and she started calling him "Stitch". It just stuck, even went he went rogue.
• An anti-capitalist at heart. Still tips waitstaff and customer service workers where he can.
• He’s 100% into anime, K-pop, kid’s shows, and adult shows. Caught up on all the latest memes and pop culture references, and will not hesitate to use them against you.
• Bro slays at Inktober, let's be real.
• Social anxiety fears this boy.
• Probably would not regret killing someone if he felt it was necessary.

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MUTUAL FRIEND played by @bleeding_heart_is_moving
Character Name: Callum Astra
Alias (if applicable): Crow, affectionately called that due to the fact that he loves shiny things.
Age: Twenty-one
Gender: Male, he/him
Personality: Callum has a HUGE fucking heart. He's sweet, warm, and is like sunshine personified. He wants to help people, that's his main goal. He attracts all types of people around him, and yet he treats them all so gently and lovingly. He makes friends easily, and is incredibly social. He doesn't seem to adhere to any social beliefs, rather just follows his heart and believes in human decency. But- that also places him at odds with people who have less than kind intentions. He's a giver and all he does is give. This has led him to being used and discarded, but that doesn't seem to discourage him from helping others. He's a chipper little thing, almost always finding the bright side when there shouldn't be any. He embraces emotions, and encourages others to do the same.
But under that sweet exterior is a raging storm.
Appearance: Callum has soft, bouncy, medium length dirty blonde hair. It curls into his face and droops into his eyes. His eyes are a stunning green color, like emeralds flecked with gold. He has sun kissed skin, with a little scar on his bottom lip. He's more of a lean/soft build and reaches the height of 5'9. Sometimes he wears glasses, but more often than not he wears contacts. He has tattoos on both his arms of ivy leaves curling up his arms. He tends to wear clothing that raises eyebrows but doesn't seem to mind. Sometimes it's flowy shirts with corsets, sometimes it's a sleeveless turtleneck, he just likes clothes and expressing himself in a way that feels comfortable.
Backstory (optional): That is something he rarely addresses. Good luck pulling it out of him.
Short Video that Has the Same Energy as Your Character: Honestly? Any tavern video. He gives housekeeper vibes.
Theme Song: It's Alright Mother Mother, Why'd You Only Call Me when You're High? Arctic Monkeys, Shoot Me Day 6
Fun Facts:

• Callum has an older sister, Dahlia. She's incredibly protective over him. They lost contact when they were younger, but after endless searching, Dahlia was able to find him again.
• Loves all sorts of music. He'll listen to everything at least once, giving it a shot where he can. He primarily loves Kpop and won't hesitate to gush about his favorite artists, and knows all the lyrics to his favorite songs.
• Callum was adopted into his family. He has no idea who his real parents are, and Dahlia is the closest family he has.
• Callum speaks about 5 languages fluently aside from English. These being Cantonese, Ukrainian, Korean, Mandarin, and Taiwanese.
• Has the biggest fucking sweet tooth. Give him sugar and he will love you forever.

(Nope, any gender works! And sure! I'll post the empty version of the one Bleeding and I used.)

Character Name:
Alias (if applicable):
Age:
Gender:
Power (if applicable):
Personality:
Appearance:
Backstory (optional):
Short Video that Has the Same Energy as Your Character:
Theme Song:
Fun Facts:

Character Name: Hye-ja Chai
Alias (if applicable): Blazing Fists
Age: 20
Gender: non-binary, they/them
Power (if applicable): like other dokkaebi, Hye-ja has blue flames that follow them around. They can control these flames at will, often incorporating them into their taekwondo fighting style (kinda like fire bending lol). Sometimes the flames react to Hye-ja’s emotions or subconscious thoughts. Though these flames are very hot and strong, they can be put out with enough water or another substance that can put out fire. This will cause Hye-ja to feel pain and it will take time for them to regain those flames. Hye-ja was also blessed with supernatural strength and speed, and born with claws on their hands and feet, and horns, and sharp lower canines grew after puberty. They use concealment magic to hide these features and make themself look more human.
Personality: Hye-ja is very quiet, preferring to observe instead of participate. They find it difficult to express their emotions and needs, opting just to never ask for help or confront anyone. They sometimes hide their emotions with flirtation and humor. They mostly handle things on their own, and find it best to release their emotions through physical activity. Secretly, they would like to be loved (romantically or sexually), but thinks it’s better if they weren’t. They aren’t fazed by most things, and are able to stay eerily calm in stressful or scary situations. Also, tired and grumpy. Honestly, they are basically an old man in the body of a very fashionable goblin.
Appearance: civilian- Hye-ja stands at about 5’6 with a sturdy, muscular frame. They have a slightly tanned, olive complexion, with soft features, except their sharp, mono-lid dark eyes. Their hair is dark and short, but long enough to occasionally get in their eyes. This is their human disguise. They tend to be very fancy, fashionable, and (sometimes) sexy with their outfits and makeup. With every outfit, they must slay.
Hero- this is where they take off their human disguise and reveal an ironically more devilish appearance. They have horns, sharp teeth, red-colored limbs. Their eyes are a piercing blue. Their costume is based on a taekwondo uniform. Full design here bc I’m bad at describing things https://s3.amazonaws.com/notebook-content-uploads/content/uploads/original/cd0e377e-0fd1-465e-8c35-22fb7fcbcd4f.jpeg?1693896659
Backstory (optional): Hye-ja was born to a gaksi dokkaebi mother and a human father. After experiencing a lot of bullying at school and learning a lot from the internet, they aspired to be a hero for those marginalized and oppressed (and looking hot while doing it). Although they had good, pure intentions, as time went on they seemed to become more violent than was necessary, and often poured all their anger and frustration into individuals rather than the systems those individuals were a product of. As such they are thought of as an anti- or byronic hero. Their day job is working at a taekwondo place and giving kids lessons.
Short Video that Has the Same Energy as Your Character: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eOg5DoYuwU Fight Song by Eve AMV
Theme Song: Fight Song by Eve (lol), Lovely by Lauren Babic, Bleeding Magic by IDKHOW, Karasu by Berlinist
Fun Facts:

• definitely loves taekwondo, wrestling, and watching anime as hobbies
• Was gifted a bangmangi by their mother, but tends to use it more for convenience than fighting, since it can summon small objects. At most, they’ll use it in case there’s a burglary
• Secretly horny? Not sure how secret that is tbh
• Absolutely cannot sit still
• Usually only speaks Korean when talking to their parents
• Really loves homemade cooking, though Korean street food is good too

Crow

'I'll be there in ten' 30m

'I meant ten times two' 28m

'Pluuusss ten more' 12m

'Sry, I know I'm late' 2m

'I'm outside tho' 2m

'It do be chilly out here' 2m

Telltale is typing…

'I'm walking in now' 1m

–

A dark-haired boy puffed, following the cloud of his breath as it drifted away on the wind. Retreating further into his chunky scarf, Poe returned his phone to his pocket and faced the large glass doors. With one final scan of the parking lot, his fingers wrapped around the cold handle and yanked the door open.

A rush of warm air greeted him, so powerful that it made a mess of his bangs. Welcoming the new temperature, Poe rubbed his hands together and looked around for his friend. The moment he spotted the familiar crop of dirty blonde hair, his face brightened with excitement. "Crow!" he shouted, waving his arms enthusiastically. "I'm sorry I'm late!"

Every eye turned to him at the disruption, a multitude of faces staring blankly, scowling, or looking vaguely amused. If Poe noticed, he didn't acknowledge it, already bounding over to meet Crow with the biggest smile on his face.

"You wouldn't believe what happened to me on the way here," Poe lamented, shaking his head dramatically in a 'don't-get-me-started' kind of way. When he lifted his head again, his grin had returned. He raised his arms in wordless demand of a hug—and promptly smacked someone else in the face.

Poe froze and slowly turned his head to see which poor customer he'd hit. They'd probably just been trying to dodge around him to get their food or something and—

And, 'Holy shit, the person I just slapped is hot as hell.' It was a sentiment he was sure reflected in his current expression. Then it clicked and his face fell into a dramatic pout, nose scrunch and all. 'So not fair that they get to be cute and try to kill me,' he thought, crossing his arms and frowning at the hero beside him.

"Oh, it's you," he huffed under his breath. Turning his back on Blazing Fists, he slumped into the booth right next to Crow and leaned his weight against him in a show of possessiveness. "Sorry about that," he directed at the hero, the apology lacking any real sincerity, then turned back to Crow, content to ignore the other's existence.

"So where's the friend you wanted me to meet? Are they here, yet?" Poe asked, blissfully ignorant.

Callum, a sweet but slightly fluff stuffed in between the ears and the smooth brain audio, waited eagerly for his friends. Like usual, he was dressed like he had been invited to the met gala, wearing a pretty soft and flowy sage green long sleeved shirt and a very simple underbust corset. He work black pants, and wore gold accessories. Currently, he was wearing his favorite classes too, they were big and round with gold chains hanging down and wrapping around his neck. He had bundled up in his favorite long black jacket (he always said he felt like sherlock holmes) and a soft sage green scarf to match with his shirt. His nails clicked against the screen of his phone as he checked his friends messages before he giggled. Poe always seemed to be late, no matter what time they agreed to meet. That was fine with Callum, it allowed him time to sit back with his favorite drink, book, and put on a soothing kpop playlist while he sat in the cafe and waited for his two friends.

He looked up when he saw Poe and he set his book down quickly and waved with just as much enthusiasm. "Poe!!" He smiled warmly, beckoning his dear friend over to the booth he had claimed. "What happened?" Callum settled down in his chair, his eyes bright as he shoved his hair back from his face and tied it up into a messy ponytail. "Give me all the details!" He gasped a little when he saw his friend accidentally smack Hye-ja promptly in the face.

"Ah you big goof!" Callum gently pats Poe's hair, playing with it for a second before grinning at Hye-ja, "The friend is right here! Glad to see you made it, Hye-ja!! I was just about to call and make sure you made it okay!" Ever the clueless crow, he didn't notice the tension between his friends. "Come sit! Come sit! I want you to meet Poe! He's a close friend of mine. I wanted you two to meet! I figured it just made sense for my closest friends-" He took a deep breath, "to meet!" The words tumbled from his lips, but he was excited, that's all. He loved his friends. And if he loved his friends, why wouldn't they like each other? In his mind, it was a brilliant idea.

Hye-ja watched their breath as it was exhaled into the cold air. They had not contacted Callum at all between getting distracted and focusing on getting to the rendezvous point. They hurried through the parking lot, eager to escape the frigid weather. They only had a little bit of time before they had to head back to the taekwondo place.
They wore a cream-colored scarf and a long overcoat, that was the most of what could be seen of their outfit. Underneath was their taekwondo uniform and casual pants over it. They didn’t wear much makeup today, and the only jewelry they had one was a pair of small, teardrop shaped earrings. This was an unusual look for them, and it was clear they were out of sorts. Maybe they should have postponed this.
They weaved through the crowd of people, looking for a familiar head of blondish hair. When a sudden shout cut the chatter off, Hye-ja winced. That voice… sounded familiar. They looked around, but couldn’t see who the voice might belong to. Well, Callum did say he had someone they wanted to meet, so maybe that was it. They kept going, and soon found themself at Callum’s side. They opened their mouth to speak.
Something immediately slapped against their face, covering their vision and sending a stinging sensation flashing across their skin. They winced again and moved back. Their eyes took in the one who had slapped them, soon finding themself blushing. Him? Really? He’s lucky he’s cute.
They couldn’t resist letting out a soft sigh. Why was Stitch here? As they watched him sit down with Callum, a part of them wanted to scoff. Now they knew why the voice that had shouted was familiar. Hye-ja raised an eyebrow and said nothing, sitting down at Callum’s other side.
“Crow.” They nodded. “I…. I see…. I’m okay by the way, traffic was just awful.”

Poe closed his eyes, appreciating the gentle touch in his hair, before his eyes snapped open and he shot back up in surprise. "They're the friend?" he exclaimed. His eyes narrowed slightly as he examined Hye-ja in a new light. All the suspicion left his gaze and he brightened immeasurably. "You didn't tell me you had such an attractive friend! Hye-ja, was it?"

Reaching past Crow, Poe extended a hand, highlighting his orange-painted nails and a blue-green friendship bracelet that matched his eyes—which were currently swimming with mischievousness. "My name is Poe," he added, putting more stress than normal on the syllable to remind the hero that he knew exactly who they were already and he expected to be addressed as a civilian for the time being. "Sorry again about hitting you in the face. It really was an accident."

On the sliver of exposed skin beneath Poe's sleeve, an inky blot wriggled onto his hand for only Hye-ja to see. It took the image of his signature villain mask, which winked and promptly receded beneath his skin without a trace. It made him smile, giddy as he always was at using his powers where anyone could accidentally oversee them.

At the mention of traffic, though, his expression returned to the dramatic and long-suffering face from before. "Tell me about it!" Ironic, considering the boy didn't own a car nor hitch a ride on the way to the establishment. "I had to fight three squirrels on the way here! Three!" he announced, shrugging off his navy blue puffer jacket to reveal his outfit of the day. And if he silently compared his look with the other two, then no one had to know—though he may have added another mental tally to Callum's secret list of fashion 'wins'.

He released a torrent of air from his lips, blowing his bangs out of the way, and pulled up the sleeve of his orange sweater to show off several thin scratches along his arms. "Then there was an old lady who promised to give me candy if I helped her fix her car. I don't know jack about cars and I don't really like those weird caramel candies, plus I was coming here to eat, but it was an old lady!" he defended, waving his arms in a what-can-you-do manner. "I wasn't just going to leave her there. I thought something might be wrong with the thingamajig—you know? But I think I ended up making her car worse, in the end… But eh, that's the mechanic's job, and trust me, the old lady could afford it."

Satisfied with the knowledge that he'd done something good, he crossed his arms and mentally patted himself on the back before turning to include Hye-ja in the conversation. "So how long have you two known each other? Wait—more importantly," he gripped Crow's hand, looking uncharacteristically serious. "Do they like K-pop?"

(HI SORRY!! LIFE HAS BEEN HECTIC)

Callum giggles warmly, "Yeah, silly!" His smile was so bright it could rival the sun, and he hummed as he ran a hand through his hair and taking down the ponytail. His friends were indeed very attractive and he prided himself in that. He found aesthetics incredibly pleasing, and found Poe and Hye-ja. He let the conversation flow between his two friends, snickering at Poe's silly antics. "I always offer a ride and you always say no, it's not fair." He puffs out his cheeks before taking a sip of his coffee. Callum truly didn't know that his friends were the hero and villain that constantly fought within the city. He hummed as he leaned his head against Poe's shoulder, looking perfectly content and much like a cat that had found the sunniest spot and decided that would be their home for a little while.

He hummed softly, "I'll bring some candies from home next time I go see Dahlia." Dahlia was the complete opposite of her little brother, and quite the intimidating woman. Oddly enough, the two of them had a good relationship and got along well despite opposite personalities. Not to mention, Dahlia was always skeptical of his friends, and swore that if he was ever hurt by said friends, she'd hunt them to the ends of the earth. Currently, she was in Ukraine for gods know why. But she sent him letters so that he wouldn't have to worry about her. He was grateful for that at least. "She's in Ukraine right now. I can see if she'd be willing to pick out some goodies for me." He took another sip of the coffee and laughed when Poe mentioned the woman got into an accident. "That's unfortunate, but kind of on her for making assumptions."

Crow laughed into his free hand at Poe's excitement. "Not like you and I are. Speaking of Kpop, I got you that album you've been wanting for a while. It's back at my place if you wanna drop by and pick it up at some point." He took another swig of his drink before standing. "I'm gonna grab some food real quick. Do you guys want anything? On me, my treat!"

(Ahaha heyyyyy guys)

Hye-ja crossed one leg over the other. “Poe,” they repeated. They took his hand, and soon noticed the moving mark on his skin. In response, Hye-ja loosened the concealment magic a little. The skin on their hand turned a deep crimson, with claws extending from their nails until they decided to reinforce the magic again and the abnormal features faded away.
Personally, they didn’t feel like taking off their coat. Even if it was warm, the outfit they were wearing didn’t match at all with the environment. It was best to keep the illusion that it did, and Hye-ja found themself readjusting their scarf as Stitch— or Poe— prattled on.
“Maybe you should’ve just been honest with her and admitted you didn’t know anything,” they muttered.
Callum’s laugh seemed to soften their disposition. Though frankly, most things about Callum made them soft. “It’s mid, I guess. I don’t listen to it. Also, we’ve known each other for a good while now I’d say.” Their gaze never left Callum, despite speaking to Poe. “Do you mind getting me a salad with some water?” They asked. “I can pay for it though, really.” They reached into their bag to find a card or something.