Dead Ringer

DEMO (TBA)

The Wardens, stationed within the bustling city of Seattle, were the first proof of what could come from The Scourge, a cataclysmic event that had set off a chain reaction that would forever echo throughout time: Los Angeles falling into the Pacific, New York City being partially taken over by water, the Sahara Desert sweltering in intensity which killed off native fauna in record amounts, were among the most prominent. Years of misery, of fear, transcending over a century, wherein every remaining government strived to figure out a solution.

Which they found in the form of Titan— the first meta-human, Patient Zero, whose natural abilities were enhanced by various procedures. Titan started a new wave, hope beginning to appear, as more and more meta-humans were found— mainly due to the efforts of the Rose Family— and their naturally honed abilities, seemingly derived from the Scourge itself, being able to combat the effects until there’s only fractal remnants of it left.

From there The Wardens were formed, with Titan leading them, a new period of peace fell over the world once more. Of course, that never lasts as more and more villains began to pop up out of the woodworks, threatening the sanctity of the New World. However, without fail, The Wardens were there to answer the call and defend those that couldn’t defend themself.

Titan persevered, The Wardens went on, until a fateful day a decade ago on this date— wherein Titan lost Peregrine, their sidekick and protege. It’s a day that will forever live in infamy, as it’s a day that Titan lost Peregrine, but the world lost Titan.

— Excerpt from the Seattle Times.

The world was your oyster— at least that’s what you were told. By who? You’re not quite certain of that. Everything could be possible if you just strived to reach it… They just never tell you how to deal with the harsh reality of it forever being unobtainable.

Maybe that’s why you fell into a life of crime? Well crime is a stretch, you’re more a prisoner in a heavily guarded fortress than anything else. You’re not quite sure, not being able to remember the majority of what brought you to this moment; only fragments of what used to be visits you in your sleep. Of course, working for Diego Ruiz, the local crime boss in downtown New York City, wasn’t the worst possible job, barring the imprisonment, not that you were truly part of anything nefarious to begin with, but you still saw things you’re never sure you’ll be able to unsee.

When he gets arrested, you can’t say you’re too surprised— after all he took a lot of gambles while not having the intellect to back up such moves— but you are concerned about what the future could mean for you.

Nothing you ever imagined could prepare you for what’s in store, however. Never could have imagined The Wardens would have such a vested interest in you. You’re nothing special, haven’t been for as long as you could remember.

And why the hell do they keep calling you Peregrine?

Play as an MC that doesn’t quite remember their past life. Is it possible that you’re Peregrine? The protege that had been killed in a surprise raid a decade before? Or is something more nefarious going on and you’re simply caught in the middle of it? Why are you suddenly developing powers that you’ve never had before? And why the hell do you feel like you’re in a constant state of deja vu?

Please note that this story is rated 18+ for depictions of explicit language, alcohol consumption, potential drug use, sexual themes, mentions of death, blood, torture, and grief.

I’m dying to know if Titian is as sweet and innocent in bed as they are to everything else.

Giving//Receiving

Camilo/Camila: Gifts— expect various gifts from them when you actually get into a relationship (usually to do with plants/flower crowns). // Quality Time— is especially important to them, now more than ever after everything.

Airan/Aira: Physical Touch (for both)— something that’s super big with them. They love being able to hold you and being held in return.

Damon/Diana: Words of Affirmation— they think it’s important for you to hear what they think from the heart, tell you how important you how to them. They’ve made that mistake of not doing so one too many times. // Quality Time— in line with C, Quality Time is super important for them.

I'd assume MC has to eat a lot more because of their wings. Hopefully the Wardens are well funded, which I imagine they are if they all stay in one building.

There are only a few Wardens that have that issue— mainly when it comes to food.

Titan > Nebula > Riven > Nova

Titan has to consume the most because of how much calories they burn, and Nebula burns slightly less but she still eats quite a lot. Riven, due to his super strength, tends to expend quite a bit of energy and needs to rest/eat a bit more than average, and Nova is technically eating for two (in a sense) so she eats a lot more and sleeps like the dead.

The MC won’t need to consume that much more food due to their wings as it slowly just becomes a part of your body— at first you’ll probably be a bit more peckish though due to them.

From Most to Least (Sexual):

Morgan/Morgana > Damon/Diana = Camilo/Camila > Airan/Aira

From Most to Least (Relationship):

Airan/Aira > Damon/Diana = Camilo/Camila = Morgan/Morgana

—————————

They wouldn’t be able to look at Peregrine for days after the fact 😂… poor baby. (Of course, in this instance Peregrine is 18+.)

The MC, as you probably know, is 28. You’ve worked within the Ruiz Manor for the last decade or so (take a few months), and have four friends within said Manor. You’ll meet all of them within the first chapter of Dead Ringer. I don’t want to share too much right away because I want you all to uncover it yourself, but I will say:

You can choose if your MC has dyed hair or not. (Which you’ll then be able to choose if you want to keep dying it later on. If not then you can let your natural hair grow out.) The reverse is true for the natural hair and if you’d like to dye it.

What I mean by semi-set personality is that the MC won’t be a psychopathic/malevolent individual or needlessly cruel. That type of person wouldn’t fit in with the base of the story in the slightest.

You’ll be able to pick some of the hobbies you’ve picked up in the last couple of years! I may even add some fears (like being scared of heights… which will be interesting).

Also, when their wings come in is it just instant or a gradual/growing thing? If it's the latter, will it hurt?

Hmmm… I haven’t actually decided the logistics of it yet, but what I think I’ll do is when the wings do come in you’ll be able to choose:

Larger wings— made for larger distances and a bit more sturdy when it comes to being used as a shield.

Medium wings— a happy medium, you’re not too slow but you’re not super fast either.

Smaller wings— made for gliding, but adds agility and a greater speed to your dives.

That can change, of course, but that’s my tentative plan as of right now. We’ll see what happens though!

Peregrine did have a fan base, yes! It wasn’t super big, but it had a moderate size. Partially due to Peregrine being closely linked with Titan, but people started to really love Peregrine as the years went on. It was a heavy loss— people still make fan art of Peregrine in memory. Peregrine’s fan base was sweet and supportive— a lot of them were avid bird lovers and they’d have debates on how many bird species Peregrine could actually speak with or if it’s just limited to falcons (it’s all of them).

General Facts:

Titan doesn’t have a biological family. At least one that they’re willing to talk about. However, they were “adopted” by a loving older couple that showed them the meaning of what family actually is. Were they in their twenties when said unofficial adoption occurred? Yes.

It took Titan until they were 34 to realize that people were “thirsting” after them. They thought that people who wanted them to be their mommy/daddy wanted to be adopted by them (like they were taken in by their unofficial parents). Athena was the one that broke the news to them that, that’s not what they wanted at all. (They still haven’t recovered from going onto one of their fan community posts…)

Was born in “The Deep”, a sector of New York City that The Scourge put semi-underwater. Through innovation, lots of bridges, and an affinity to water, the people of The Deep have thrived.

Spicy food doesn’t affect them in the slightest, neither does sour/bitter food. Many believe it’s because of their powers, but it’s actually because Titan is a fiend for those types of food (and it’s also because of their powers).

There most prized possession is an old teddy bear— that has half its left ear missing, a button for an eye, and a slightly gray hue to parts of its body (due to ash/smoke). Because it’s from the first person they ever rescued; a little girl that had given them Mr. Bubbles in thanks.

Relationship Facts:

They’re very attentive. Will always try to make sure that you have what you need, and will always try to be there for you when you need it.

They’re a complete cuddle bug— they love wrapping their arms around you, pulling you close against their chest, and placing little kisses to your forehead or nose. If you’re not into that? That’s completely fine too. As long as they’re near you, they’re okay.

Prepare to be lifted at random times— whether it’s into a hug or because of something else— Titan has a habit of doing it.

Will take you on romantic dates— whether that be a moonlit picnic on top of a building that’s only available due to their powers, or just a fun day in the sun on a beach or something. It’ll never measure up to how happy you make them, but they can certainly try.

I can understand that. Of course, I can’t speak for anyone except myself, but I think there can be any number of things that could result in that:

Wanting to share the idea, enjoying the concept of creating a world and characters, but not being able to actively make said things a reality, which I can completely sympathize with. Writing can be hard, and tedious, at the best/worst of times.

I’ve heard that some people simply share them to get engagement but they don’t actively want to make an IF, which is something I don’t quite understand but people are a conundrum in itself.

Some people, like me, just get too excited to share their world/characters and “jump the gun” a bit when sharing the intro post. In my case, I just got too excited not to share something, and I finally decided to just do it.

Some people fall in love with the idea of an IF, with the world, the characters, and everything included, but don’t necessarily realize the true scope of what it means, which can be quite daunting for “newer” writers (and I put newer in quotes because they could be experienced writers, just experienced IF writers).

The potential lack of engagement in general could be a deterrent— even if it’s a dual edged sword. The lack of people showing interest in the concept could make an author not want to pursue said concept, but the lack of content can dissuade readers from wanting to interact with said content because it might be taken away. It’s a slippery slope.

Or, simply put, they get brain rot for an idea, want nothing more than to share it and interact with people about said brain rot, but grow out of their love for it. It’s unfortunate, and it sucks for the people that become excited about it, but it happens.

If I sound holier than thou in my explanations I truly don’t mean to be. That’s just my thoughts and opinions from what I’ve witnessed/have been told about the entire thing— if my ramblings don’t make sense feel free to ignore them! I don’t mind if people don’t wish to engage with my story until the demo is out! You’re completely in your right to do so— especially if you’ve been burned one too many times when it involves TBA Demos.

I hope that when the demo for Dead Ringer comes out you enjoy it! If not that’s completely fine too and I hope you find stories that fit better with your personal wants!

That’s actually something that’s caused heated debates among the fan community (yes heroes do have their own fan clubs/community boards— like Reddit). Some people think that they are, some people think that they aren’t and they all share theories as to why that is.

Thank you so much!

I’ve been wanting to share Dead Ringer for a bit, but I wanted to get a bit further into the prologue before I shared it. Since I’m almost done I got excited and decided to share it a little earlier. I’m awed that I already have people interested in it! I can’t wait for you to discover the world and the story. I had a blast designing the cast and now I’d like them to impact the long haul story, and I think they’ll be moments down the line that’ll be well worth it. I think anyway.

Thank you for sending this message to me. Because you all have been so nice to me, I wanted to share a bit of the prologue with you. It’s only a small dialogue moment, but it’s with Titan. So, I hope that makes up for how short it. 😂

It is giving me major flashbacks to a series I got into when I was a teenager, the Maximum Ride series by James Patterson, about a group of youngsters with wings who escape from their captors.

Although apparently it really went downhill in the long run so I guess it's a good thing I only read the first two books, lol. But now I'll have to name my MC Max.

I thought it’d be an interesting concept, I was also amused by the parallel (somewhat) of if Superman/Wonder Woman (who Titan is inspired by, power wise anyway) had Robin as their sidekick, which is where the bird powers came from.

Maximum Ride is a series I’ve heard of, but I’ve never actually gotten around to reading them. The only James Patterson series I can remember reading, and enjoying, is the Witch and Wizard series.