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𝕯 E B R I E F

Hello and welcome to my new applyfic! (●'◡'●) It's been a while since I've done this, and I feel like I have a lot more experience now, so I'm going to be as communicative and open as I can.

So, for those of you who don't know, I currently have two major fantasy universes, Fairytaletopia and the Quimbyverse. My other stories have their own confined universes, of course, but these are like the Big Bads, the epic fantasy worlds. This one, the Quimbyverse, is a darker, more grounded, supernatural fantasy setting. For the uninitiated—that's most of you, I'm aware of my stats—welcome to alternate-universe America, 1965. The Civil Rights Act was signed last year, legally removing, at least in theory, the barriers magi, In-Betweens, and any other magical species in the U.S. face navigating human society. Racial tensions aren't doing so hot right now, although they're better up north. The current president is Sylvester Warner, a half-warlock, who nobody likes (it doesn't help that nobody likes half-warlocks in general). The MCIA are still trying to puzzle out who killed JFK. I digress.

The idea for this story existed a couple of years before TQH did. I'll be so for real though, it lowkey sucked, and I've changed a lot since then. At least half the premise is completely gone. I ended up keeping the lore but moving it into this universe, greatly altering the plot, and scrapping all the empty non-characters I had in place. After all that I realized I didn't have many character ideas, so I decided an applyfic would be fun. So let's talk about the project for a little bit, and then I'll get into the lore you need to know. 

(This is a test, by the way. If you don't like to read a lot you won't like my stories or me in general. I've been made aware I'm wordy.)

✦ ABOUT THE PROJECT !

This is less of a protagonist-focused story and more of an ensemble-cast thing, and there will be a lot of side characters and moving parts, so it's very much an LD-like project. I mean, you can smell the LD from a mile away just based on the description alone. Este said this is very distinctly me story, in that it has all the elements I like smashed together just like LD does. She says the "group of scumbags turned sort of hero with an undercurrent of found family" thing is my signature, so this is structured around a trope that really hits home for me and that I always write really passionately about. I would say if you're trying to decide whether or not it would interest you, it's part Suicide Squad, part Grimm, part Umbrella Academy and part Lost Destinies, a little bit, too. Kind of a wild mashup but that's the only way I can think of to describe it.

I haven't taken on anything this massive for the Quimbyverse yet, but I really do enjoy writing in this structure; it's a bit chaotic but I rarely have the chance to get bored. I want to try to space out the pagetime as evenly as I can between all the major focal characters, and in my other stories, characters that emerge as more interesting or particularly liked by the audience wind up with more time to shine because you gotta give the people what they want. I love my personal OCs, but fan-favorite characters like Claude Verelia and Bernard Bear from Lost Destinies were created by applicants—and those are some of my favorite characters too! (I also apparently have no will because I was coerced by my friends into creating stupid side characters for Class Freak like Cheese Janet. The existence of Cheese Janet is SO not my fault. But like. If you have side character ideas, just tell me, I might fit them in.)

In terms of the characters for this story, there are six slots, and you're just applying for the number, which will have an attached 'specialty' or role, but you'll still get to choose your character's species and signature weapon. There's not any specific species listed for these slots (barring Six), but obviously the reasonable thing to do is to be diverse. If everybody else has applied with vampires, do something else. I want them to be good at different things, have different personalities, and different life experiences. (The gender is also limited for the slots, because I wanted the assassins to be about even between m/f.) Try to be realistic with the setting and don't feel the need to be overly edgy, but you can be a little edgy, I don't mind. There will also be a set of four MCIA agents (Squad Zero) that are included in the story, which I already have in mind, but I'm just letting you know that those guys and the first son will be significant characters too. They'll be at the bottom of the cast page later.

As a disclaimer of sorts, I do applyfics a little bit differently than I've seen from other people. I don't do opinions, because I hate writing them in other people's applyfics so I'm not going to subject you to something I don't want to do myself. When I say I don't do opinions, I mean I literally won't ask you to input anything ever again once your form is submitted unless I have a specific question or something. I don't do the couples cast/ship page thing either; I know some people like this, but I'm an action/adventure writer and a comedy writer, not a romance writer. Pretty much all my stories only have a maximum of 1-2 romantic pairings, and it's not a stretch to say that this one could go without any, although romance is never totally out of the question. Even though the assassins are like... idk... lowkey siblings since they were raised together that's kinda weird... somebody could always try to seduce an MCIA agent or something. I usually just go with the flow but I don't want to make any promises I won't keep. I also won't remove or kill off your character if you disappear and never read the story. Will I be kinda sad? Yeah, sure. But I plot based on what I think is the best direction for the story. The creator of the character and their behavior has no bearing on the character on its own merit.

On that note, there is one other thing. You're going to see a copyright agreement in the form, and if you don't know me that might seem weird. I like to make it very clear that once you hand off your character to me, you don't own them anymore, so make sure you're using a character you won't want to reuse or write yourself in the future if you're casted. I know people reuse applyfic OCs—I've also done this because the story never got written or whatever—but you will see me actually writing the character, and because the character might appear in future properties (for example, several Lost Destinies characters will return for the planned sequel) or because the plot may require for them to be altered in some way I need full control over the OC. I try to remember to let people know if I make major changes to their character for whatever reason (like backstory or appearance), and I might ask permission, too, unless it's necessary to fix a plot hole or something. Minor changes I feel like aren't as much of a big deal.

My past applicants also agreed to being cool with their character staying in the story in case a future draft is published, because I do intend to try to self-publish some of my stories (LD for sure, one day when it's less of a mess...) and I have one already vaguely prepping for publishing hell. I don't want user bootybanana3000 coming at me in like five years saying I owe them for their character in my book, so I ask everybody to make sure they're OK with the potential of that happening now, just in case it does. I usually either credit OC creators in the cast page or list them in dedications at the front of the book (it will be in the cast page for this story), but you will obviously be credited directly in the book. As long as you're okay with everything I've said, you'll be good to go.

✦ REASONS TO JOIN IN THIS SUPER COOLIO EPIC APPLYFIC !

1. uhh we have cookies here you go have a cookie 🍪

2. I write really slowly but I do write! I swear! Lost Destinies, The Dead Zone, and Class Freak are all applyfics and I still update all of them, albeit with varying frequency. It might take me only months to write a really short story (novella edition of TQH), but typically it takes me years, so you've gotta be patient with me. I'm slow at pretty much everything.

3. VAMPIRES! WEREWOLVES! SIRENS! OH MY!

4. I reply to comments! And also if the story's tiny fandom is obsessed with this really one specific character with cheese powers I will write more of her just because I want to make you guys happy! The comments section of my stories can be quite fun, and you guys' comments always make my day, especially since I'm a small writer.

5. ...Okay yeah that's it! But do you really want to pass that up? 🤨 Cool magic and cookies and snail-paced updates? I mean what, ignore that last part. Ahem. Plus there's ASSASSINS. And you'll probably get BAD DOODLES OF YOUR CHARACTER WOOHOOOO. What are you even doing not applying right now? Fool. Only hot awesome people apply to 7S. So do. It. If you're not a coward.

Hmm okay maybe I should stop writing late at night. This is getting weirdly aggressive. Let's just move on to filling you in on the universe, shall we?

. . .

On Race | Race in the Quimbyverse refers to special race; that is, the human race or the siren race or the In-Between race. Skin color is barely a consideration. There is little to no stigma over people of any particular color being in spaces or being in positions of power, as the more pertinent argument is typically species vs. species, with humans generally being seen by mage races as the "oppressors" and magic users as the "oppressed" due to historical context. It should be noted that in some countries, magic users are the ones in power, but in the United States this is not the case, and we're in the States here. (This aside, inequality between the sexes does remain. I don't think even in this universe it would be logical for sex inequality to not exist as there are differences between the sexes in plenty of mythical species.)

On Mixed-Race | Interracial breeding is controversial and supremely uncommon; however, no other race is as commonly known for breeding outside of its race as the dragons, who have two major subspecies (dravians, which are usually half-griffin but can also be half-sphinx or half-voltris, and abyssa, half-mortuus). Outside of dragons, hybrids exist precariously, looked down upon by most cultures to varying extents and typically choosing a predominant race to pass as to survive. Because most races are hesitant to breed outside of their own kin, hybrids tend to come out of the sex industry, making it a frequent insult to hybrids that "their mother must have been a prostitute". The mating practices of sirens (who force their males to breed against their will) and werewolves (who, on the contrary, have males choose a female mate at a very young age, generally regardless of the female's will) are often viewed as taboo by others, depending on location in the world.
               Hybrids born from a human and a mage will typically be seen as mages, not half-mages, so long as they exhibit magical abilities, especially in the case of magi or In-Betweens. However, their human side will dull their power significantly, although magic can be bred back into the bloodline later on. In other words, a half-warlock will usually simply be mistaken for a very bad warlock. Also, calling In-Betweens "half-mag'" is not accurate, it's a derogatory term used typically by magi because that's how they perceive them, although it can be also used in a friendly or joking way (Montgomery frequently says this to Cairo in The Quimby Hotel and doesn't mean anything by it, but that doesn't change the fact that it's basically a soft slur).

On Segregation | It's the 1960s and the U.S. is still pulling out of segregation between mages and humans. Many magic users live in hiding, particularly vampires, werewolves, and mortem—you won't just see them walking down the street. (Mortem can make themselves unseen spirits, so it's pretty easy for them to hide.) However, witches and warlocks roam freely. They may not be let into the same establishments as humans, which is why many of them remain in largely magical communities, but they're practically everywhere. In-Betweens live a similar lifestyle, although there are far fewer of them. Almost all of them are concentrated on the West Coast (California, Oregon, Washington). In-Betweens tend to live in isolated communities and are governed by their own private order (the Court and the Court's Guard, which enforces their code). The magi also have a private order but they don't do much of anything. Sirens, on the other hand, also live in isolated communities, but are self-governed much differently, usually herding near bodies of water and where their gangs have staked their claims.
               Places where humans and mages can intermingle are appearing slowly. You will still come across shops or restaurants that took down their 'Humans Only' or 'Mages Only' signs but have them lying around somewhere, and mainly people stick to their kinds of people, as it's safer and more comfortable that way.

On Bounty Hunters | Bounty hunting is a volatile profession in a world teeming with gang violence and murder. In the Quimbyverse, many countries have laws that make "bounty hunter" a nice euphemism for "police-ordained assassin". Licensed bounty hunters in the United States, for example, are permitted to use lethal force on their targets "if deemed necessary" and often bring back their bounties dead rather than alive. It's a convenient way to keep the prisons from overcrowding. However, segregation laws that are still stuck in court hell waiting to be repealed prevent anyone from killing a member of their own race, even within the justice system, so humans are the least hired demographic for this profession, as the criminal population and the population in general is made up mostly of humans. Magi and In-Betweens dominate this field, which has since garnered a stigma of being uneducated and vulgar. Italy does not have this restriction, and famously, their crime remains at record lows. The behavior of Italy's bounty hunters has also driven the magical population completely out of the country.

On Magic & Magic Withdrawal | Mage species that use magic require expelling magic on the regular in order to function properly. It has been said that magic can be a sort of drug: using it can produce a short-lived rush or high, and neglecting to use it goes very badly. Withdrawal symptoms include but are not limited to tremors, nausea, dizziness, trouble with sleeping patterns, and periods of antisocial behavior or depression. Most mages use small amounts of magic in their daily lives both for convenience and in order to stay healthy. Others overuse it and chase highs. Prolonged magic rejection, typically used to fit in with humans, is highly looked down upon within various magical communities, but is often successful for causing mages to "pass" in human-dominated spaces despite its significant drawbacks.

On In-Betweens | In-Betweens can have anywhere from three to five quirks, although very occasionally they will develop six, and in extremely rare cases of poor genetics an unlucky In-Between will only get one. Typically, some quirks are inherited from the parents or the bloodline, although others may pop up at random. Quirks can be restricted with a combination of magic and technology (for example, magic reduction rings) or removed entirely if they are anchored to a physical aspect, usually fingers or hands, feet, or eyes. Most quirks are relatively minor magic, like producing sparks from one's fingers, healing wounds, or manipulating any object into a weapon, but some may be more powerful, like botanokinesis or permanently transforming matter into a completely different form. There are hundreds and perhaps thousands of known quirks, most of which are named, and many of which are common knowledge in IB communities. Magic performed by an IB cannot be reversed with counterspells, because their magic is not derived from spells in the first place. IBs have a high crime rate but are strictly monitored by their special government, which is isolationist in nature and seeks to keep the humans out of their business.

On Magi | Magi is the technical and gender-neutral term for witches and warlocks. (Wizards, fairies, elves, etc. do not exist in this universe.) The term mage was initially supposed to refer to magi (singular) but is now used as an umbrella term for species with magic and even just non-humans in general, so people usually just use 'magi' as a singular term in the modern day to be more specific. Unlike inusit, magi are born with magic cores that can only be used through vessels to attain specific means. They can become much more powerful than IBs but their magic requires more skill and dedication to use; thus, magi find IBs to be inferior and lazy. Ironically, it is actually magi who tend to lean heavily into their magical abilities and become fairly lazy and complacent in their lifestyles. There are multiple forms of harnessing magic for magi: in the beginner stages, they are taught to write spells on slips of paper that dissolve when the spell is used. All children are taught magic in school this way. More advanced magi can simply wield wands or get whatever spells they desire to use tattooed on them for repeated use (or, if they so choose, they can keep the paper method). Mixed-race magi can do less spells, particularly concerning expert-level spells, which require both a great deal of genetic magical ability and developed skill to be proficient.
               Some people are also just born with less talent in magic and must work harder to move past the common spells that everyone knows, if they care enough to do so. Children are allowed to perform magic, too, but are usually kept under supervision. Magi prefer to keep human authorities out of their business as well. Bureaucrats in the government already keep close watch on magi by limiting what types of magic are allowed to be performed where and requiring certifications for certain practices. (The Order of Mages is supposed to enforce this, but they're notoriously horrible to get in contact with and never seem to do anything. Still, there is a chance of getting arrested by the humans for a misdemeanor violation if you get caught stepping out of line. They love excuses to arrest you.)

On Shapeshifters | Shapeshifters like hellhounds, werewolves, and dracaenae typically have a preform, a midform, and a fullform. Preform appears completely human, midform is a half-in, half-out state of phasing with some animalistic features and most of their abilities, and fullform is an uncontrollable, primal state characterized by violence. Those who do not desire to wreak destruction typically will choose to avoid ever moving into fullform, except for werewolves who on a full moon have no choice. Fullform is so animalistic in nature that the shifter loses their major cognitive abilities, especially rational decision-making. In fullform, hellhounds appear like large dogs, werewolves appear like wolves, dragons appear like winged lizards roughly the size of a horse, and sphinxes and griffins appear like large lion-avian hybrids. Sirens only have two forms: a land and a water form. All other species have one form only, including voltris, who are winged in their singular and humanoid form.

On Crime-Fighting Agencies | The MCIA, a federal agency (which is easily confused with the CIA, but it actually stands for Magic Criminal Investigative Agency, thank you), dispatches teams of elite investigative agents to assist with solving magic-related crimes when local (human) police are in need of it. Their squads work around the clock and barely have time to sleep, since they have to stop mag' criminals all across the country. For security, and due to the time period, the MCIA exclusively hires humans, and all the agents are men. The most successful and admired four-person investigative team in the agency, Squad Zero, is made up of code name Agent Bridge, their leader, and his subordinates Agent Desperado, Agent Sparrowhawk, and Agent Jinx.
               Headquartered in Venice, a secret task force of religious demon hunters operate under the Catholic church to eliminate evil forces of magic in the shadows. Yeah, you read that right. Whispers say they are called the Palladium Cross. They hunt mortem, hellhounds, and vampires in particular, although Black-Eyes, who are frozen in a state of childhood and cannot age mentally nor physically, they typically show compassion for. Many missions involve rescuing innocent Black-Eyes from the care of mortem, who do little but sow chaos wherever they go. Demon hunters are a mortem's worst fear.

. . .

On The Mythica | The Mythica are an American gang run by mortem that have their claws dug into an intimidating number of corrupt politicians, mafia bosses, and businessmen throughout the country. The MCIA hate these guys, but they're not really allowed to do much about them. They train and operate a group of seven members, essentially contract prisoners who they took in as children for the project—the idea being that they would eventually have a skilled and capable team of operatives that they could dispatch to execute jobs keeping the Mythica a household name in the criminal underworld. This was a very time-consuming task with a lot of people involved, but the Mythica Seven are old enough now to each go out independently when it's required of them. Their flights and accommodations are fully paid for on each job, only in exchange for their dedication, each and every day of their lives.
               The Seven were located at around the same time during a search for lost children, who they plucked off the streets and offered a place to go. The memories of their previous lives have been wiped in order to make their jobs less stressful and to make it easier for them to follow orders. The Seven were educated, trained, and raised together and had contact with the outside world limited throughout childhood.

On The House | House Mythica, where the seven assassins train and sleep, is located in an abandoned factory. They do not know where they are exactly, but they are at least vaguely aware they're in the state of Georgia. Each of them has a room on the upper floor with windows, and steel doors have been installed separating the rooms in order to contain fullform transformations without harming or killing other residents. They do not have the keys to these rooms, but superior members who run the house and a few who patrol the house do. The female showers are located on one side of this floor and the male showers on the other. The house employs security guards, cooks, janitors, medics, and training instructors, most of which are Mythica-sworn, although there are a few cooks and janitors that are not affiliated with the Mythica and are simply here for a job. The Seven are also driven to and from job locations or airports by a few designated chauffeurs.
               The Seven train primarily in the large warehouse area downstairs, with an array of weapons, an enclosed firing range, and a tussling ring. As a general rule, they are typically trained indoors for thirteen hours a day, get three hours collectively of mealtime and free time, and are permitted one hour outdoors and seven hours of sleep. However, their instructors often allow them brief periods of rest during training. The lack of outdoor exposure is due to a risk of discovery, but it makes many of the assassins eager to go on jobs if only to escape for a while, as these missions are their only exposure to the outside world anymore. They do have a television that they use to keep up with national news and the like, and access to books from their schooling. On Sundays training is cut to only two hours and they have the rest of the day to themselves. They are allowed virtually anywhere in the house, including the kitchen and the library, with only their time in the yard limited.

On Living Conditions | Each of the seven have had their reproductive organs sterilized. This happened when they were younger as a precaution, as it was determined to be easier and more efficient than attempting to impose a curfew.
               The seven are not permitted to smoke, drink, or otherwise exhibit obvious behaviors that their instructors believe could damage their health, even if the evidence pointing to such is new and not yet widely accepted—they simply can't take that risk. They are required to keep themselves in prime physical shape at all times and will be admonished for not doing so.
               The females wear an identical uniform and the males wear an identical uniform. Their stealth uniforms are used for jobs, training uniforms are for indoor training only, and formal uniforms are for visits by high Mythica leadership. The assassins are permitted to wear their hair however they like as long as they keep it out of the way during training and on jobs. They can also request staff and suppliers to bring them personal items within reason (or acquire personal items themselves, when they're out, if they can get away with it).

On Job Assignments | The assassins have no way of knowing who will be chosen for the next job, and several of them may leave at the same time, even on the same mission if necessary. Typically, two assassins who do not get along well will not be chosen for the same mission unless it is absolutely needed, in which case they will be threatened greatly if they botch the job with petty bickering. Punishments for failure have gotten harsher as the seven have gotten older, usually entailing depriving the perpetrator of a necessity for a set period of time, or sometimes physical punishment, although it depends on the leader giving out the discipline. The Mythica brand on the backs of their necks serves as a tracker if anything should happen to one of them on a job, or if they were to run for any reason. The Seven are considered very valuable in the gang, and none have ever died in the field. In the worst-case scenario, the Mythica would dispatch either a team of their officers or a fellow Seven member to rescue the failed assassin, and punishment would ensue as appropriate once their safety was established.
               Jobs are assigned in person, with the assassin being handed a file of information to study a few hours or even days ahead of time, depending on the situation. These jobs are typically to kill but sometimes to kidnap or collect hard-to-reach intel on a person of significance, either a public figure or a criminal. (The Mythica contract out to other gangs to remove their opponents and exchange information, which they also do for politicians and other high-profile figures.) The assassin on the job may need to travel across state lines or otherwise a great distance to achieve their mission, which will be arranged with the appropriate accommodations by branches of the gang with resources in various states.

On Sign Language | Their training was not always primarily physical. As children and young teens, the seven had to be given basic education by their caretakers. One of the more unique things they were taught was sign language and tactile sign language, which they are required to use to communicate when together on jobs to remain silent. Now that they're older they are mostly sent on jobs alone, but the rule still applies during instances when they do pair up on high-profile cases.

On Names | The seven's nicknames for each other have become equivalent to real names, since they don't have any or don't remember theirs. Their only registered existence might be in cold missing persons cases from over a decade ago, if anything. When they were younger, they started to get bored of calling each other by things like Two and Five and nicknames started to catch on, becoming a way to pick on each other. Many of the assassins have learned to make light of their situation. These names, though not necessarily terrible at face value, are usually derived from funny or embarrassing stories, physical characteristics, or personality traits the others find annoying. The Seven are exclusively referred to by Mythica leaders using their formal titles, but some of the staff have caught on to the nicknames.

On Competition | No Mythica enforcers are as elite in proficiency and skill as the seven. For this reason, competition between them is frequently encouraged so that the assassins will push each other's and their own boundaries. The assassins are the key to House Mythica's bargaining power in the criminal underworld.

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( next up: application slots )