>>106129016There's a bit of a boogeyman in /who/. Unlike other cryptids whose existence is contentious to varying degrees, Fiend only exists in the fearful minds of Hooties.
It's not known when or where the Fiend folk tale began, but it is an unspoken agreement among all of /who/'s adult population to maintain the facade for the sake of their kids' safety. It may or may not also be the case that Fiend "exists" to serve as a further disincentive to any would-be lawbreakers. If getting one or two limbs crushed by a giant hammer isn't enough, maybe the months of ostracization from the nation's future would help keep Hoomans from going over the edge.
Fiend is universally referred to as a giant golem with a brown bag for a head, similar to criminals who survived their punishments being required to wear brown bags over their faces. Fiend is also often mentioned to have a limp, a trait shared by anyone who endured a "don don" punishment to at least one leg. These similarities should make it clear to foreigners that Fiend is essentially a way for Hoomans to discourage their Hooties from interacting with criminals.
But if there are situations where contact is unavoidable, there has to be some way for the young Hooties to defend themselves from the horrifying monster! Fortunately, one such way exists. No matter where in /who/, Hooties are taught the same advice to avoid being attacked or abducted by Fiend: if any Hootie sees what they think is Fiend, he/she is to chant "GOLEM GET YE GONE!" while pointing at it until the nearest adult Hooman joins in on the chant.
Some places have "Golem hunts", where Hooties of the community (chaperoned by multiple Hoojisan, of course) search for Fiend while it's on the prowl and shoo it away when they find it. In these, it's common for somehoot to volunteer as a fake Fiend for the Hooties to repel.
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There's also the Meem, but I'm currently having trouble putting my thoughts into words on that one. Will give it a go after the movie wraps up, might get some inspiration (but probably won't).
