forum this city is insidious (o/o)

Started February 16, 2023 by @menace-to-society

tune

hello, it is i, your local menace to society, with yet another one of these. i keep getting random ideas, so here we are. i blame the media i've been consuming nonstop lately for this one. anyway! plot!

it's a dog eat dog world, and no one knows that better than humans. with the number of fiends on the rise, it's up to the brave souls left to try and defeat them. it's an incredibly high-paying job, and one would either have to be very brave or very stupid to accept it. most would-be fiend hunters die before they can kill anything stronger than even the more weak fiends, or get turned into a fiend themselves. not to mention that only a small percentage of the population can see the fiends at all (or for those who normally appear human, their more bestial form). those who kill fiends are either ignored or viewed as some sort of vigilantes by the rest of the population, though many people who consider themselves "realists" don't even believe that these fiends are real, thinking that they're just another urban legend. within the fiend killer community, those with the highest kill count are seen as living legends.

some fiends look almost the same as humans in order to deceive those they hunt, but some fiends truly do not want to kill the humans around them. in order to help with the hunting of the fiends hell-bent on destroying humanity, one fiend offers to create a partnership with a human fiend killer. however, they will only work with one specific human, for reasons unknown to all but themself, and while at first some of the fiend killers put a resistance to this idea, they eventually give in. this particular human is one of the most reckless fiend killers around, and is a mystery even to their peers. could this unlikely alliance be just what the world needs, or will the human and fiend destroy each other before they can destroy the fiends that are so pervasive? will they be able to learn the truth behind the existence of fiends? only one way to find out.

so, yeah, there's the basic plot. ngl i just smashed together a bunch of things i'm interested in atm (csm, jjba, jjk, mp100, kny, tbhk, aot, p5, iron widow books, gearbreakers books, webtoons, etc).

i do have the beginnings of a classification structure for fiends in mind, including different levels of threat (not unlike jjk) and possibly different types as well, so if you join this you gotta be willing to do a lil world building with me! also the same sort of stuff i always want, like writers with longer and more detailed responses and no smut (if this ends up becoming a romance). obviously, gore is fine. if this actually gains interest, i'm fine with changing it up a lil to make it a small group (3 or maybe 4 people), but that's the limit. anyway, yeah, respond if interested and i'll send what i've got of a classification system so far and we can work together for a lil world-building before actually starting! ^^

also if anything in my explanation doesn't make sense lmk bc i'm more than happy to explain! i'm actually kinda excited about this ngl bc i love making plans for things and world building (and never following through bc i get sidetracked by something else) hahah. i also love making power systems and have many google docs worth of info for stuff i have yet to actually write rip. anywayyyy yeah! join this if you like world building and write in a more literate style :D

This looks really interesting! Is it alright if I join?

could i have a writing sample please? :)

Sure thing! I'll whip something up real quick ^^

okie doke! :)

This is just a little blurb I wrote about a genie and his ward in a universe where the genie has no physical presence for anyone except the bearer of his prison (in this case, a ring).

“I wish I had never been born!” Wes wails, tearing at his hair in an attempt to block out the tempest of his thoughts.

Bailey freezes, outstretched fingers suspended mere inches away from the younger’s shoulder. There’s no sense of compulsion to fulfill his ward’s twisted desire—of course there isn’t. Erasing someone’s existence is the same thing as killing them, a power no genie on earth possesses. Bailey knows this, and he knows Wes must know, as well.

Desperately hopes he knows, because the alternative is too devastating to consider.

The genie shudders, broken out of his trance by a choked sob. His fingers close the distance at last, and Bailey is quick to fold the younger one into a hug. “Oh hun,” he whispers, his free hand moving to gently pry Wes' fingers away from his hair.

The dark-haired boy instead sought purchase in the genie’s shirt, gripping the fabric so hard his knuckles turned white as Bailey carded through his hair, attempting to soothe any of the residual pain from tugging on it.

looks good! is that the length you normally write? (i'm sorry ik i'm picky)

I'm pretty flexible when it comes to length of responses! I tend to write about as much as I'm given; more if I feel like a character's actions or thoughts should be explored more. However I will say that I'm not always the quickest responder! Sometimes it can take me a couple days to find the time, so if that's something you'll have trouble with, I'll let it go! No hard feelings ^^

no worries! sounds good! i can send what i have of the types/strengths of fiends for us to work off of :>

I look forward to it! Who will be playing fiend and who will be playing hunter?

i'm personally fine playing either, so you can choose! :)

also, here is a list of what i have so far, feel free to add or edit it as you want, these are sort of suggestions of possible types of fiends that would be interesting:

Vampyre - fiends who use another’s life force to sustain them, whether it’s blood or youth or energy, generally on the stronger side
Were-fiend - fiends who appear human but have a bestial form they can turn into at will, though weaker-willed ones may not have as much control over their transformation
Infernal - the sort of fiends people think of when they hear “demon”, forked tail, horns, etc, generally pretty weak
Elemental - fiend who has control of one or more elements, appearance resembles that element(s) in some way
Psionic - fiend who has mind powers, whether telekinesis, telepathy, mind control, etc. may appear human or monstrous (more dangerous ones usually look human), generally stronger
Zombie - mindless fiends who are only strong in numbers, humans become zombies by other fiends (usually vampyres) turning them into zombies with either a bite or by destroying their brains, generally pretty weak
Banshee - fiends who are normally weak but when cornered will let out an ear-piercing scream that kills anyone who can hear it within range (earplugs won’t work but deaf people are immune)

and here's the threat levels, pretty straightforward tbh

Levels of threat
S - highest threat, run for your life
A - incredibly difficult to kill, don’t attempt unless you’re very skilled
B - difficult to kill, don’t attempt unless you have taken down a lesser fiend before
C - somewhat difficult to kill
F - easiest to kill, beginners use these to understand how killing fiends works

Hmm, well I have a few ideas for both. Since the fiend role seems to have more complexity to it I can run my ideas by you and see if we're on the same page?

My first thought was a fiend than can, to an extent, manipulate metal. It seems to coincide most with the elemental-type fiend you listed, although in my head I imagine them to look more along the lines of an infernal type, with their metal-wielding having to do with heating up and reshaping already existing metal with heat rather than manipulating the actual metal (very unlike Toph, if her metal bending occurred to you at all). If I had to give this fiend a rough threat level, I'd put them somewhere around a C based on power and an A or B for skill.

Would something like this work with your vision? Or did you have a more specific goal in mind?

sounds good to me! the fiend types were more like loose guidelines/ideas more than anything else so i'm more than happy for you to come up with your own stuff! if it's easier, we can eliminate the types entirely and just use threat levels tbh ^^

It might be more consistent to use threat levels as the baseline! If specific kinds of fiends are more common, we could always make the types you listed earlier slang for experienced hunters or something.

Then if you're sure it's alright, I'll work on fleshing my fiend out and post them for you! Just one question beforehand; would you say that fiends are more driven by instinct than humans? I have an idea for an interesting (harmless and relatively inconsequential) character quirk, but it would definitely be based on that assumption!

yeah, i would say so! depends on the specific fiend for sure, as more animalistic ones would act more like animals than humans, but in general i'd say yes

and i like the idea of using the "types" of friends as slang and keeping threat levels as the baseline :)

do you want to do character sheets or go in blind?

I'm working on filling out just a basic character sheet now for my own reference, but if you want to go in blind, that works for me!

I did have just one other question before we start! Is this set in a modern world with technology or is it more of an old fantasy?

more of a modern world thing! technology and everything exists to the point it does irl :)

i think going in blind would be interesting tbh since our characters don't know the other's motives

Perfect! Very good to know. And that sounds good to me! I'll try to respond to whatever starter as soon as I can.

Once we're a good way in, if you want to PM me the details of what your character looks like, I can draft up some sketches of cover art for this rp! Only if you want me to, though. I'll be drawing my fiend either way ^^

ooh that would be cool! i might draw some stuff for this too ^^

my brain is not braining rn but i'll throw up a starter either today or tomorrow! :)

Take all the time you need! Just a heads up that I'll be heading out of town tomorrow and I'll be gone until Sunday, so I might not get the chance to reply until then.

no worries! i've been a bit busier the past few days than i thought ngl but i will post the starter in a few mins

Atlas sighed, frowning at the news on his television as it showed blurry photographs of his last battle, though the fiend itself wasn't shown on camera (most had the ability to not show up on film). The fiend hunters were somewhat of an urban legend to many everyday people, a phenomenon that may or may not be real, much like aliens or ghosts. While some people could see the fiends that would weigh down their shoulders or mess with their possessions, most were completely blind to the monsters that had the ability to cause the amount of destruction Atlas had last dealt with. Some fiends were small and practically harmless, referred to as F class fiends, and typically just inconvenienced or stressed people out, but those were largely below Atlas's pay grade now. He had started out advertising himself as someone able to get rid of those little aches and pains, taking out easy-to-kill F class fiends or occasionally just referring people to doctors or psychiatrists if there wasn't any fiend in sight. But his word of his sharp mind for business and creativity spread among the fiend hunter community, who wanted to see what he could do.

So, he'd managed to dispatch a tougher fiend sent to gauge his skill level (unbeknownst to him at the time), which had started the road to where he was now, working for someone else. Sure, his pay was higher, but he still missed the days when he could have real, personal connections with his clients and know he was mostly facing F class fiends. However, he had started to like the adrenaline that came with facing bigger monsters. His last job hadn't given him many challenges, so this new one was really giving him a run for his money. It was a rush to go toe to toe with possible death only to come out victorious. Perhaps he was addicted to the thrill now, which was entirely possible. Atlas already had a smoking problem that he had yet to kick thanks to his addictive personality, so why not add an adrenaline addiction to the table?

At any rate, he was done for the day now and able to relax–or so he thought. He wasn't able to unwind much before a strange phone call came his way. Apparently, one of his superiors–though it was hard to say if they were higher in power than him despite being higher on the corporate ladder–wanted to inform him that he may be getting a new partner. Not only that, but said partner was a fiend. Well, it wasn't official yet, but for whatever reason, the fiend had wanted to not only join the fiend hunters, but partner with Atlas. Why, they did not know. Atlas only knew that the fiend had somehow gotten in contact with his superiors recently about this deal, and not all of them were on board. It was an odd situation for sure. All Atlas knew was that he was supposed to hurry over to headquarters to meet this fiend, and then it might be on him to convince his superiors to let this partnership happen. That was, if he even wanted it. Atlas wasn't sure. He had no personal hatred for fiends, but he didn't have a lot of love for them either. However, if there was one thing Atlas was, it was curious, so he might as well see what this was about. Perhaps it could be beneficial.

He quickly made himself presentable again, putting his tie and pants back on, and looked at himself in the mirror. As usual, it was the same tired black eyes underneath the same thin eyebrows and mop of chin-length dark hair, tied in a half-up style. He looked a bit like a ghost with his pale complexion, not helped by the fact he didn't go outside much except for his job. Many fiend encounters ended up taking place outside. Even his freckles and the soft bags under his eyes were the same. He sighed, dragging a hand down his face as he stared. He looked like a zombie. At least the people who worked with him recognized him enough to know he wasn't a fiend himself, though Atlas probably could have fooled a less discerning fiend hunter. God, he felt burnt out, and he was still so young. He hadn't even reached twenty-five yet and he felt dead. Maybe he should have gone to college instead of hunting fiends.

At any rate, it was time for him to head out and meet this fiend. He would have to see what the fuss was about, after all. Why on earth would a fiend choose him of all people? He wasn't the strongest fiend hunter, though it was true he had often held back so that he was not locked even more rigidly into the shackles of capitalism and the fiend hunting organization he was now apart of. The last thing he wanted was this attention. But again, he was curious, so he left his apartment and made his way to headquarters.

Seated at a plain metal table in a drab, cold room within headquarters was a small-bodied man with vibrant red bangs half covering his eyes. At first glance, he might've appeared human, if not for the long tail flicking impatiently behind him or the asymmetrical horns standing proud on his head.

The fiend shifted his weight forward, resting his chin in his inky black palm and exhaling sharply enough to displace the curtain of hair disrupting his vision. Just how long were they going to make him wait for this human?

A sense of satisfaction bloomed in his chest at the thought of the tired-looking boy he'd demanded to meet. From the moment he'd seen him, he knew he simply had to arrange a partnership, even if that meant becoming what some might perceive as a traitor to his own kind. It wasn't as if he cared about trivial things like that, after all.

One of the humans that had been assigned to keep watch over him—a thought that brought a condescending grin to his face—coughed awkwardly. He arched an eyebrow, black eyes boring into her own honey brown until she looked away with a muttered, "He should be here soon."

The fiend rolled his eyes and leaned back in the insultingly uncomfortable folding chair with a grumble. He opened his mouth to complain, but cut himself off at the first faint patter of footsteps down the hall. His ears, long, dark, and fuzzy like a goat's, perked up with enthusiasm.

He practically leaped out of his seat, eyes alight in eagerness as his palms smacked against the table.

The woman spared him a wary glance before slipping out the door in time to meet the source of the footsteps. He heard a quiet, "He's right in here," from behind the door, and that was enough confirmation for the fiend.

Barely a glimpse of dark hair and a ghost-like face appeared in the doorway before a blur of red and black was hurtling toward him. The fiend paused right in front of Atlas, taking in the boy's tired appearance, before dipping past him to observe from different angles. Satisfied, he promptly headbutted Atlas in the chest and wrapped his arms around him in a surprisingly strong hug, hardly giving the hunter a chance to even speak.