forum Ɱąվҍҽ చҽ Ɠօէ Ꝉմçҟվ >> ට×ට >> Closed w/@literal-goblin >> 𝟙Ӡ+ but kind of dark

Started April 03, 2021 by @Aizawa-Sensei group

tune

Character A is a bullied high-school outcast leading a mediocre life. They have no friends, perhaps a complicated home-life, and seemingly no hope of either of those things every changing; they largely feel alone, rejected, unwanted, and misunderstood. Maybe they're depressed about it— or maybe they're angry and bitter. Maybe they pretend it doesn't bother them, or maybe they can't hide it anymore. But one thing is for certain— life has dealt them an unfair hand, and they want change.

But sometimes change can come in the most unexpected of ways.

Character B is an escaped experimental subject with no memory of his past or his identity. He is partially cybernetic, with strange abilities that he does not realize are abnormal. The world he has escaped into is complicated to him; he struggles to understand society and normal behavior. He's far too naive and reckless to ever make it on his own (and almost too gullible to realize it). Despite the powers he possess, people are after him… and things are about to get messy.

PLOT:
Character A is going through a hard time in their life; B has recently escaped from a mysterious laboratory in a hidden location. The two strangers living opposite lives meet one night in the city. I want it to be a slow-burn friendship; if we desire to make it a romance, we can, but I want it to be slow-burn. The idea of the story is that these two are actually, in a way, the answers to each other's problems.

A is bullied and has no friends; B is energetic, eager to make new friends, and protective of their new pal. A has been somewhat bored and disappointed with their life, hoping for something more; B's life is so horribly dangerous and complicated that he unintentionally drags A right into an adventure simply by knowing them. A has felt rejected and unwanted; B seems to think they're the greatest person in the world.

B is lost and confused, trying to figure out who he is and where he came from; A takes him in and helps him get there. B is gullible and too trusting of others; A has enough common-sense and street smarts to keep him out of danger (sorta). B is reckless; A actually knows how to plan. Everyone else is trying to use B; A isn't. People are after B; A might be the only person willing to fight to save him.

B is probably injured and confused when these two meet, so what does A do? Do they sneak this stranger into their home, hide him from their parents, and try to help tend to his wounds? Do they notice his amnesia? Maybe they initially plan to call the police… until they notice that he is very unusual and decide against it. I dunno. That's up to you.

I like the idea of these two becoming friends, helping each other, fighting against B's past when it comes back to try to devour them both, and perhaps eventually becoming superheroes of sorts in a largely non-superhero society. A dynamic duo. An unbreakable friendship forged from the things they've been through together. We can add more plot points and ideas to this as we go, but I am really itching for this.

As you probably noticed, I'm going to be Character B. You will be A. More characters are allowed to be introduced later (feel free to ask questions about what I mean by this).

Rules:

• PG-13 language
• No sex scenes or anything like that
• No vulgarity or racial slurs
• No magic or demonic powers
• No Mary-Sue characters
• Let me know of any triggers you may have because this is gonna get dark honestly; it might not sound like it yet but I guarantee it will
• Have decent grammar and RPing skills
• Try to post weekly

My Character

Name: Subject J9-730 Beta (… your character may have to give him a nickname)
Age: Exact unknown; estimated to be around 18 (17-19)
Gender: Male, he/him
Abilities: Accelerated healing; enhanced speed, strength, and durability
Appearance: He stands at approximately 6'1, with a lean, athletic build and broad shoulders; he has longish legs. His skin is fair but tans easily; his whole body is marked with strange scars. One of his arms and one his legs appear to be replaced by a cybernetic version, so he is technically a cyborg; these cybernetic limbs function equally as well (if not superior) to a normal human limb and he has complete control over them. It is hard to notice his strange arm and leg when he wears long sleeves/pants and gloves/shoes. His thick, jet-black hair has a bit of wave to it and is currently somewhat shaggy, apparently from lack of being cut in quite some time. It sticks in every direction and is pretty fluffy. He has bright, curious, sea-green eyes with long dark eyelashes. He has a wide grin, straight-teeth, a slight but almost unnoticeable gap between the front two. His face is somewhat squarish, with features that are considered handsome overall by society's standards. He carries himself with a lot of energy and appears quite friendly and gregarious at most times. When the two meet, he is wearing a tattered sleeveless black shirt, a pair of dirty black knee-length shorts, and no shoes.
Personality: He is a hyper, energetic, sweetheart, almost what you would imagine a Golden Retriever to be like if you magically transformed it into a human. Although not an idiot, he comes across as being highkey "dumb" due to his lack of understanding when it comes to society and the real world; with his memories wiped, he seems to lack a lot of common sense, often doing things that any other human his age would know better than to do. He generally seems happy-go-lucky, like he doesn't have a care in the world, and initially seems to be almost completely trusting of others. Because of his innocence, he is prone to being gullible and naive, sometimes walking right into danger without even being aware of it. Despite how foolish and child-like he can often be, he learns relatively quickly. He is highly protective of those he considers his friends, loyal to a fault, and will stop at nothing to keep them safe. His confusion scares him, and he doesn't like not knowing who (or what) he is, where he has come from, and how he got to where he is now. He is a brave one, willing to help anyone in need at any cost.
Backstory: He has no idea. He doesn't even remember escaping or know that he escaped from somewhere; all he remembers is waking up in the dark, lying face-down in a puddle in the back of some alleyway, alone. That was about 3 days before the two meet. Before that, he knows nothing of his life.
Likes: Dogs; food (especially sweets); music; the stars (he's amazed by the night sky); car rides; climbing on top of stuff that he probably shouldn't be climbing on; making new friends; going on adventures with said friends; helping others; exploring; trying new things; honestly there's not much he doesn't like
Dislikes: Loud crackling sounds (he seems to get nervous every time he hears it); fire (terrified of it); bodies of water (terrified of those, too); aggressive or mean people

Name: Luca Baxter Tuffin
Age: 17
Gender: Male, he/him
Appearance: He's around 5'9, though it's been a while since he last checked. He's skinny, nearly alarmingly so. His features are sharp and angular, though they'd probably be rounder if he took better care of himself. It isn't unusual for him to forget about eating for a day or even two at a time. His hair is a light brown color, wavy and slightly grown out. It flops to his left, curling in such a way that it obscures his yellow-ish brown eyes on a regular basis. He's always wanted to dye it a light teal-green, but he's never had the chance. His hair in his face doesn't help his nearsightedness- in fact, he should have gotten glasses years ago, but he never mentioned it to anyone, so no one even knows that he struggles with it. He bites his nails due to anxiety, often to the point of his fingers hurting and even bleeding on occasion. He's cold often, so he's taken to dressing in layers, typically throwing a jacket over his usual outfit. The only accessory he wears is a bracelet made from the typical child's beads. It's an orange and yellow pattern, with the word "bumfuzzle" on it in letter beads. The bracelet is the only thing he gets made fun of for that he refuses to take off. It was an inside joke he had with his sister, and she'd made him the bracelet for his fifteenth birthday. He missed her often, but looking down at it made him feel less alone.
Personality: As he got older, he had to learn how to act much tougher than he was. He acted like nothing got to him, but insults and comments stuck with him longer than he'd care to admit. He's kept himself from showing who he truly is for so long that he's nearly forgotten, but when he's gotten to a safe space and is truly comfortable, he's sarcastic, passionate, and caring. He'd do anything for those that he loves, though he's unlikely to admit it. He doesn't think very highly of himself at all, and the scars all along his legs are permanent proof of his bad mental state in years past. He's taken to art and writing as a way of escapism. He writes children's books when he finds himself slipping back into a dark place, drawing the illustrations himself as well. He writes about anything that comes to mind. He's extremely secretive about it, since he's been made fun of for it in the past. He's tried to be vegetarian for the past three years, though in public situations he won't mention it for fear of being teased for it.
Backstory: When Luca was younger, his family seemed ideal. He had always been criticized and looked down on by other people, but he had an older sister that had his back when the world seemed to be against him, and two parents with good jobs that loved them both. And if his sister seemed to get a bit more attention than him, he didn't mind. She was smart, athletic, and had a more promising future than he would ever have. So when she inevitably got a scholarship to her dream college, their parents were ecstatic. But there always seemed to be something off about their parents' view of her. They wanted her to have the perfect life; a good education that would lead her to a good job, a good husband, and eventually a good, loving family. So when she came out as aromantic, they were… not very accepting of the idea. The pressure they began to put on her academics as well as their non-acceptance of her identity pushed her over the edge. Her suicide wrecked the family. Luca was understandably devastated. While his schoolwork and grades were easy to maintain, his social life suffered. No one seemed to want to know him, and there were a few that made this abundantly clear. His father fell into a depression and turned to alcohol to soothe himself. He lost his job because of it. With his father out a job, his mother took on more hours to make up for it. She was almost never around, and when she was they were fighting. Luca's mental health took an obvious toll because of all this.
Likes: Kids, swimming, berries (of any kind, though he's particularly fond of blackberries), sleeping, animals, bright colors, and warm weather.
Dislikes: Cold weather and being the center of attention. He won't be obvious about anything he dislikes for fear of being ridiculed about it.
(Only triggers I have are explicit depictions of self harm of any sort. In past tense it's totally alright, and even if done in present time in a way that it isn't extremely graphic is okay. Gore of any other kind is okay as well, so don't worry about that.)

((It's kinda sloppy because it's rushed but I was in a hurry, so I apologize. Luca can basically hit him with the car whenever because this poor doofus is likely to step out right in front of Luca's vehicle like a crazy deer without even realizing what he's doing.))

It began three days ago.

The muffled, distorted sound of rain. The rough, wet pavement beneath him. The burning feeling of breath in his lungs. The ache in his bones. The chill that ran down his spine. That was the beginning of his life.

Or, at least, as far as he could remember. He couldn't remember anything before that moment, couldn't recall having existed before that morning. Surely, he had; people didn't just spawn into existence, right? Or… did they? Even through the haze over his mind, something about that didn't seem right. There was something off, something he was forgetting…

Oh well.

The stranger ambled along the sidewalk, eyes wide with curiosity and confusion as he took it all in. The buildings, the trees, the people, the beautiful orange-and-red sunset. It was mesmerizing, somehow foreign and familiar all at once.

"Um, excuse me, young man?" an elderly voice came from nearby. The stranger spun around to find who'd acknowledged him: a portly, wrinkled, kind-looking old woman sitting on a nearby bench. For the first twenty-four hours or so after he woke, the stranger found himself unable to understand anything people were saying to him. Several people he didn't recognize approached him shortly after he stumbled out of that dark alley, but their words were all gibberish to his ears, and he fled from them, overwhelmed by the confusion. Finally, though, it wore off— and since then he'd tried to make conversation with multiple people. Strangely enough, none of the conversations lasted long, and he had yet to figure out why. _{(Surely it has nothing to do with the fact that he looks rough as heck and acts like a confused alien.)}

"Me?"

"Yes, you," the old lady said, her brow creasing with concern. "Are you alright, hon?"

"Yea! I think so."

The woman looked him up and down. "Are you sure about that, sweetheart? You don't have any shoes, and your clothes are all ripped up. You look like you've been in a fight. Are you homeless?"

He glanced down at himself. His feet were bare (or, technically foot, since one of his legs is replaced by a metallic replica from the knee down), covered in dirt and a little bit of blood (though there were no open wounds to be seen). His pants were only knee-length, not to mention a bit tight for normal streetwear. His shirt had several holes in it. All of his clothes were wet and dirty, probably would've been stained had they not been jet-black. But he couldn't find anything abnormal about the way he dressed. "I'm… not sure," he admitted after a moment. "Can you tell me where I'm supposed to be?"

The woman's concerned expression intensified; she stood up, leaning heavily against her cane. "Yes, son. There's a Drug Rehab Center just a few blocks that way." She motioned down the large street. "You need help."

The stranger blinked a few times as the old lady hurriedly hobbled off. He had no frickin' clue what a Drug Rehab Center was, but if that old lady thought it might help him figure out what was going on— "Thank you!" He started off in the direction the woman had gestured, and as he made his way downtown, the sun continued to disappear over the horizon.

(You mentioned in the original post that this could become romantic. It isn't really important, but did you want them to stay platonic or end up in a slow-burn romance eventually? I'm cool with wherever their relationship goes but since this whole plot was your idea, I wanted to check in and see what you were thinking.)

Luca didn't know where he was going. He knew that his mother wouldn't be home for another good few hours and his father barely noticed when he left or came back anymore, so he just left. It wasn't unusual for him to just drive for a while- it helped soothe his nerves, especially when the weather was like this. As much as he loved the warm weather during spring and summer, he also loved this kind of weather- the sky was cloudy and dark, and rain could start pouring down at any moment. The sun was setting over the skyline of distant buildings, steep hills, and trees, painting the world in a soothing orange color. He almost hoped that it would rain. The soft pitter-patter on the windshield and the fog in the distance made Luca feel as if he was the only person in his tiny world, which consisted of his little car, and that was it.

Soft music was playing over the car speakers, filling the silence with gentle melodies of guitar and piano. It was nice to have this time to himself, away from anyone who might try and make fun of his music taste, or what he was wearing. He didn't exactly look good- he'd basically rolled out of bed and left. He was dressed in an old t-shirt tucked into baggy black trousers with a faint crisscross pattern on them. He'd thrown an oversized, green jacket over everything. A considerable amount of his clothes were oversized since he liked how cozy they were. He hadn't bothered with shoes, knowing he wouldn't leave his car.

As light rain began to came down, he smiled gently, nuzzling further into his jacket. The outside was rough, but the inside was lined with a softer, warmer fabric that he loved. He allowed himself to relax, something he didn't get to do often. He hummed along to the music softly, tapping out the rhythm on the steering wheel. The road ahead was smooth and empty, so he wasn't completely paying attention until a figure stumbled onto the road. By the time he saw the silhouette tripping onto the street, they were already too close for comfort. Luca slammed on the brakes, but was unable to avoid contact. The figure was shoved to the ground. It couldn't have been too hard, but Luca's heart was still pounding. He threw the door open, rushing out onto the damp pavement. The figure slouched on the ground was still breathing at least. "O-oh my God, are you okay?" He quickly knelt next to the stranger, eyes wide with fear. He held out a hand, offering to help him up.

It all happened so quickly; one minute, he was on his merry way, and the next, something big slammed into him and knocked him back. He let out an ungodly yelp— moreso out of surprise than pain— as he fell back hit the pavement. It wasn't nearly a hard enough blow to kill anyone, but it was certainly enough to bruise and bang a person up. Well, a normal person, that is. But this boy was not quite normal.

He grunted and sat up slowly, blinking a few times as he glanced up at the headlights. It took a moment for his dazed brain to register what had happened— and that the driver was now kneeling next to him with their hand outstretched.

"Oh— Hi!" He grinned a bit, chuckling with surprise. "I'm alright," he said as he rubbed his head; his hair was an awful mess, but he either didn't realize or didn't care. Probably the former. He glanced down at his hands, flexing his fingers, as if to make sure they all worked properly. "See?" He beamed, holding up his hands. He flexed the cybernetic one first, then the one made of true flesh. "No harm done." He glanced at the boy's outstretched hand, not recognizing the gesture or what it meant— so instead of taking his hand, he just reached out and patted it in acknowledgement.

((If there are any typos or gaffes, it's because I'm in bed and half asleep XD As for platonic or romantic— I vote we let their relationship flow naturally and see wherever their dynamic takes us. But I do think these two are gonna make a great duo and get along splendidly ;) ))

(That sounds good! And I agree- these two are gonna be great.)

Luca blinked a few times in confusion, trying to process this strange encounter. His nerves were still buzzing under his skin, and he was near uncomfortable with how unphased the boy in front of him was. Maybe he was in shock? People who've just undergone stressful situations sometimes refuse to acknowledge that anything has happened for a time. He remembered reading that somewhere, probably in class. "What..?" He looked the boy up and down. He looked relatively young, probably around Luca's age. What was he doing all the way out here? He was a mess, too; had he run away from home?

Upon the display of the stranger's hands, Luca's eyes widened. "H-how do you- where-" His mind was racing. How in the world did any of this make any sense? His life had always been quite normal, and while he had gotten tired of it, that didn't mean he was prepared for a cyborg boy to fall in front of his car!

"A-are you sure you're not hurt?" He figured starting with the basics was a good idea. "What are you doing out here? Do you have a car around here, or a parent, or..?" This stranger had to have something waiting for him nearby, they were miles from any houses. Luca swallowed hard. Oh God. He couldn't let his nerves get to him right now. He could panic when he got back home and this had all been dealt with. He couldn't break down in front of this complete stranger. If anyone should be crying, it should be the boy that just got hit with an actual car.

The strange boy's grin weakened but didn't disappear, his brow furrowing with confusion. "Uh—" His shoulders dropped a little, and he glanced down at his hands again. "I'm not sure," he replied hesitantly. A car? A parent? He knew what those things were, but he didn't even know how he knew. And he certainly couldn't remember having either. How was everything so foreign and familiar all at once? His brain hurt just thinking about it. "I don't think I have any cars or parents." He scratched his head. "I can't really remember."

Oh God. Okay Luca, keep it together. You can do this. His ankles began to ache from crouching for so long, and he slumped onto the pavement beside the strange boy. His knees collided a bit harder than he'd anticipated, and he winced. The ground was wet and sharp, but frankly that was the least of his worries right now. How did this stranger not know if he had parents? …Oh crap. Amnesia. Oh crap.

"Okay, um- what's your name? Do you have, uh… anyone nearby? Friends, family, a girlfriend, anybody?"

"My name—" The stranger repeated, expression tightening with blantant confusion. His name? Friends? Family? A girlfriend? Recognizable terms, but no memories associated with any of them. "Umm…" A headache blossomed behind his eyes as he tried to think; he winced, squeezing his eyes shut. Still nothing. Just a blur of confusion, incoherent and indecipherable thoughts. He glanced back at the concerned driver. "I— I'm not sure about any of that stuff either."

A flash of something akin to fear fell over Luca's eyes for a moment. Today was it, then. The day his anxiety finally killed him. He nearly asked the boy if he lost his memory as the car collided with him. As if he would have any idea.

"Okay, uh- We- I should get you to the hospital." The fees would be expensive and his parents would kill him when they found out about all this, but he would rather be grounded, shunned and drunkenly yelled at for a few months than leave an amnesiac on the streets of a rainy, chilly night. Something in the back of his mind whispered about the boy's strange mechanic limbs, but he shoved that thought away for now. "Do you think you can stand?"

"Sure!" Without hesitation or difficulty, the boy stood to his feet. There was some blood and dirt on various parts of his body, but no wounds or marks on his skin, no injuries to be seen. "Hospital— That's like a place for sick people, right? I'm not sick. At least, I don't think so…" He happened to glance over at the car again, momentarily distracted. "Woah, is this your car?" He patted his hand— the cybernetic one— against the hood, grinning. "It looks a lot cooler when I'm not on the ground looking up at it." There wasn't a hint of sarcasm or malice in his voice. "I've never seen a car this close up." Or had he?

Looking him up and down quickly, Luca was surprised to see that he was free of any major injuries. Finally getting a good look at the stranger, he frowned worriedly. He looked beaten up. "Uh, yeah. The hospital can help figure out why you don't remember anything." What in the world had happened to him out here?

He walked the few feet back to his car. It wasn't anything special- an old hatchback his mother let him drive. It used to be a light baby blue but over the years it had faded slightly and gained an unsavory grey-ish tint. It didn't look bad necessarily, but it was clearly old. He opened the passenger door for the stranger, moving to the side and motioning for him to hop in. It felt weird not to offer any kind of help, so he held out a hand anyway.