It'll Only Get Better: Weird Modern Fantasy RP

The World of Areth isn't the happiest of places.

It doesn't have particularly high disease rates, crime rates, or any of those other things, it's just... depressing.

It all started with the Colorblinding 58 years ago (the story is set in fantasy-counterpart 2008, so the bleaching happened in fantasy-counterpart 1950). All color was removed from the world, leaving only blacks, whites, and greys. It got colder, although this change was rather inconsequential. It became cloudier, and snow and rain became a lot more common. Desert regions were happy, everyone else... well, not so much.

Then, all magics were removed from the world. All except for one. Fleshmaking, the healing art, remained. Although previously regarded as a secondary art due to its lack of utility in combat and hard labor, it quickly rose to prominence, and became the magical art of the 18th century (even though it's a fantasy-counterpart 2008, the in-universe calendar's current year is 1732).

Depression rates skyrocketed, but have plateaued, and seem to slowly be getting better. Despite the chill, the land is healthier, and there is no longer a fresh water shortage. However, the forecast is still bleak, and it doesn't look like things are getting better for awhile. However, a small but determined group of young fleshmakers is going to change that. They are going to find a way to reverse the Colorblinding, or at least hasten its end, and they're going to help a lot of people along the way.

Okay, so, in case you missed the memo It'll Only Get Better is a non-combat-focused weird modern fantasy RP about people with healing powers trying to reverse the effects of an unconventional magical disaster while healing people along the way. Combat-oriented characters are not recommended.

The World The world of Areth is a lot like our own with the copyright labels removed and with magic (oh, and the colorblinding, in case you've forgotten), but it does have many of its quirks if you look a bit. It does not have any fantasy races, only humans. Oh, and dogs/wolves, who tend to soak up magic and become magical animals, which meant that the colorblinding hit them especially hard (although they got better faster than humanity). Also, this world's fantasy counterpart to World War One was fought between the Fantasy-Counterpart Romance Language (French, Spanish, Italian, etc) Speaking Countries and the Fantasy-Counterpart Germanic Language (German, Dutch, English, etc) speaking countries, with fantasy-counterpart Ireland as an independent ally of the fantasy-counterpart Germanics (oh, how different from our world Arthe is). As such, due to the fantasy-counterpart Germanics being the victors, the culture of this world has much heavier (fantasy-counterpart) Germanic and Irish influences. The war was not over language/language group, but the differences made culture a larger factor of the war, although the Fantasy-counterpart Germanics all have very different cultures just like in our world.

Also, the fantasy-counterpart Germanics generally were more constitutional monarchies (like Britain in our world) or even democracies (fantasy-counterpart Netherlands and fantasy-counterpart United States). Fantasy-counterpart Germany is still a Kaiserreich, but a very democratic one. The fantasy-counterpart Romance-language-speakers were more authoritarian, though most were still semi-democratic constitutional monarchies. Morality was very grey.

Fantasy-counterpart World War II was a very messy three-way conflict between Fascists, Communists, and Democratic Countries (even the most autocratic of the Germanics had democratic reforms by this point), and, being more organized and stable, the Germanics won again, although the entire world was so crazy that victory was uncertain except in hindsight. There were also minor player factions, everything from neo-feudalists to disgruntled imperialists to theocrats to anarcho-egoists, but, being minor players, they're mostly forgotten.

The story is set in the Union of Erlandian States, the fantasy-counterpart USA. Feel free to have foreign characters and to name the other countries, though. The only reason I didn't was 'cos I suck at naming things.

The Magic Okay, so I'll only be focusing on fleshmaking. I lied above when I said that pre-Colorblinding Areth considered fleshmaking a secondary art because it wasn't flashy or violent enough, but that's because it's a common, but false, belief among the people of the 18th century. Although these were factors, there are other, more major reasons, which are going to be elaborated on shortly.

Like all magics, fleshmakers have to be born with an aptitude for their art. One in 100 people are born with this aptitude, which means that, pre-Colorblinding, one in ten people had a magical aptitude (since there were 10 branches of magic). However, awakening rates for fleshmakers were lower since, while a single traumatic event can awaken all the other magical aptitudes, fleshmakers require quite a bit of physical and/or emotional trauma and hardship for their aptitude to awaken, meaning not only that fleshmakers are rarer, but that they typically have led very hard lives full of pain and misery. Not exactly the type of people you'd want to spend your time around (although some can still be cheerful. no rule against that).

Fleshmakers are almost always somewhat androgynous, although how much so varies. They also have larger eyes than most people, although, again, how much so varies. In a world with rather rigid gender roles, this androgyny made people uncomfortable, and the large eyes used to creep people out (although nowadays, large eyes are considered rather attractive in both men and women).

"Fleshmaker" is a tiny bit of a misnomer, since, although they can heal the ailments of the body, they can also treat the sicknesses of the mind. In an age when mental illnesses were poorly understood, led to some superstitious people, already turned off of fleshmakers due to the other reasons stated above, to believe that fleshmakers could drive people insane (and, unlike beguiler-induced insanity, flesmaker insanity is allegedly permanent). This is, of course, utter bullshit, and about 97% of the modern world realizes this.

Fleshmaking can only heal. That is pretty much the defining characteristic of the art. It requires a great deal of cleverness and ingenuity to come up with a way to harm people with it (and no, not just the "i cause skin to grow into his perfectly-healthy arteries" ingenuity, it requires a lot more than that). It isn't sculpting, growing, or making flesh, it's mending it. Same with the mind. Unfortunately, in an age where self-defense was everything, few fleshmenders would advertise this fact, thus allowing the superstitious folk to regard them with a fear similar to that witches were regarded with in our world, though they tolerated them more.

CHARACTER SHEET TEMPLATE

• Name: Your character's name.
• Age: Your character's age. I recommend they be younger than 30.
• Gender:
  • Sexuality: Some people seem to think that this is important for some reason.
• Personality: People who are grumpy or cynical or depressed are fine, but please don't be too much of an asshole.
• Appearance: Kindly remember that the only colors in this world are black, white, and grey.
• Specialty: What are you best at healing? (yes, your character has to be a fleshmaker)
• Skills: Things your character is good at. If you put anything along the lines of "figuring out ways to hurt people with fleshmaking", I can assure you with 105% certainty that your character will not be accepted.
• Stuff: Your character's possessions.
• Hobbies, Interests, and Favorites: What your character likes to do when not, y'know, saving the world and helping people, things your character is interested in, and things they like such as favorite foods, favorite bands, etc.
• Backstory: Dark and Troubled Past is a must, but it can begin and/or end on a happy note.

Edited by SomethingRandom113 on Jul 7th 2018 at 9:27:22 AM

• Name: Michael Bramden

• Age: 28

• Gender: Male

• Sexuality: Straight

• Personality: Michael is first and foremost an unemotional and stoic man - he hides his significant mental problems behind a mask of stoicism and lack of connection. He denies himself any real connection to anyone, and seems to view scenarios in terms of how he can guide things to a favorable outcome for his family and him. Inside however he is almost romantically obsessed with the notion of a soul, and how to extract a soul and or put it back in. Souls are his fascination - though a remarkably private one. While mostly stoic, he is notably proud of his standing and the strength and power he managed to build up in the UES, being somewhat of an Eaglelander of the boorish sort, though he seems to know when to cut this impression and act differently. He is surprisingly well read for such a person, enjoying high culture and notable books - for all his overt pride, he does make it clear he does not tolerate racial biases and such. He is prone to acting in ways opportunistic and militaristic to secure advantages, and undertakes actions in the least amount of steps necessary to reach an end result. He is very, very mission based, and one way or another tries to guarantee the mission is successful, whatever that is. He does believe his family was once more akin to war heroes, and that the lack of other forms of magic has dealt a great injustice to them - he feels he and others in his family are unfairly judged and ostracized.

• Appearance: In any other world he would be a tall and handsome blond man with intense blue eyes - in this one however his hair is the lightest of gray colors, his skin somewhat pale near white, his eyes incredibly dark looking. As befitting his job, he worked to create a powerful armor called the CRYME Armor, which covers everything up to his face, though including a helmet. The armor is the darkest black, with the exception of white spheres at certain points. The waist armor incorporates weapon holsters, one for a long curved sword, and one for a gun. There is a shoulder cape present which is also black, and includes a hood. When he does not wear the armor, he wears very nice suits and outfits, enjoying fashion and looking good.

• Specialty: His family made a sordid pact a long time ago, which guaranteed proficiency in darker, damage dealing magic - but now that fleshmaking is the only magic left, that very pact tainted their fleshmaking. To their everlasting shame, their abilities could not function without taking life energy or flesh from someone else. This led to them being deemed the Lifedrain Family. Michael is the only one who does not view his familial ability as shameful. He is exceedingly good at healing himself using a large number of spells, with a number of effects. He does not know many ways of healing others...

• Skills: He is at once an officer and a scholarly, cultured man - he is very capable in a fight, but isn’t a meathead, having a keen strategic insight. Some would call his tactics and such manipulation. He is skilled to a high degree with his sword and gun, and is technologically inclined, given that he was the one who created the CRYME Armor. He is also capable at working his magic into fighting.

• Stuff: His sword, nicknamed Seven Stars, is a scimitar-like curved sword, serrated and deadly - owing to its construction, it can cut through most anything including heavy duty armor. His gun is larger than most, and incorporates an odd design - it sends its shot at very high speeds and amplified force via electric currents. In terms of utility items and such, he owns a credit card, a cellphone, cars with relevant keys, and a large house with a crisis room inside.

• Hobbies, Interests, and Favorites: He has a great interest in books, exercise, culture, and travel.

• Backstory: A long time ago, according to family history, the Bramden Family forged a pact of some sort that led to them having pronounced offensive and destructive magic. To some they were heroes in war, to others they were destructive and menacing villains. This resulted in quite an odd effect when Fleshmaking was left the only magic remaining - this predilection caused a taint upon their spellcraft. They can only heal by taking from others, which led to them being deemed the Lifedrain Family - people who can only exist inflicting pain.

Michael was born into the family well past the point they became determined to atone for their past actions as war mages. He was markedly an inquisitive and curious child, characterized by pursuits both athletic and intellectual. He had an innate curiosity about the human soul, and what its nature was. And of course, even back then, he had a feeling that the ostracization his family had suffered over the years for their craft was undeserved. What had he done to deserve this, beyond being born?

At age 10, his parents attempted to set him up on play dates with a young girl, who they intended for him to marry when he got older...except that she died. His parents and the girl’s parents found him and her in a peculiar spot in the woods behind the old family home. She evidently fell from a height and broke her neck.

At 11, Michael’s mother died due to complications of a heart attack, and the young child was said to have watched his mother die by her own request. This had a pronounced effect on him, and he decided he would be strong, whereas his mother basically let her health decay her entire adult life.

Throughout his young teen years to 18, he indulged in both sport and intellectual pursuits, and lined up a number of achievements. He was however piqued in interest by armed forces recruitment, and decided once school was done, he would join the armed forces. Even though he maintained a sterling repute among the students, the older and more history minded still disliked him due to his family connection and backstory.

At eighteen, he joined the armed forces, and rather remarkably, made the elite ZEAL unit by 22, his recruiter and most superior officers remarking on an intense work ethic and inventive personality. The army shaped him into someone far more mission based, and gave him inklings of what he would need to do to achieve results.

At 23, his father drank himself to death, and left the considerable finances of his family to him - and Michael decided to use this to launch an enterprise, find a niche in society that would not judge him or his remaining family for the past or the morbid tendency of his spellcraft. So he launched Xeios Systema, a private military corporation and defense provider.

From 24 until around 26 he was involved in a number of conflicts, his forces remarkable in their secrecy and enforced efficiency - no one who could not reliably get a job done could stay on at Xeios. This was the period when he and his onboard scientists created the CRYME Armor, which reinforced the user’s abilities, physical strength and resilience. This period also saw the creation of the “Seven Stars” sword, and his gun. Xeios benefitted from grants from the government.

By now, Michael is a somewhat well known figure - cutting an imposing figure wherever he goes.

Edited by NickTheSwing on Jul 8th 2018 at 11:36:47 AM

Okay, so I have a few things to say about your character.

• This is a pretty non-combat oriented game, so I worry that a combat-focused character might get sidelined quite a bit. I mean, his combat skills might come in useful once in awhile, but still...
• I already named the fantasy-counterpart USA, it's the Union of Erlandian States, or the UES.
• Magical aptitude isn't really passed down in the family like that. It's totally random. However, I suppose the implied Deal with the Devil in the Bramden/Lifedrain family backstory could explain the inconsistency, but that'd still mean that most of his family is magically inert after the Colorblinding. I suppose they could be really, really huge, though...
• He kinda needs stuff other than weapons. I mean, even if you're aiming for a combat-oriented role, you still need car keys and a credit/debit card, right?
• I'm not sure how to feel about you finding a loophole in my "no harming people with fleshmaking" rule.
• Despite all of these nitpicks and problems, your character is still awesome, and I'm glad that you were interested enough to join my RP. Thanks.

Overall, with a few tweaks to the "stuff" part of your character sheet and maybe some other stuff, I'd have to say that your character is accepted.

Edited by SomethingRandom113 on Jul 8th 2018 at 7:39:12 AM

tweaked the stuff part.