[OOC] 13 Colonies (A Survival Story) (FiroIV & Raid)

[FiroIV]

Inspired by the award winning author Yumi Tamura and her equally award winning manga 7 Seeds about the eventual end of humanity and the few survivors continue to battle against the forces of nature I present to you, dear reader, my story, the 13 Colonies. The 13 Colonies follows the same premise as that of the amazing manga that i used as inspiration.

Map of US

Backstory

Years into the future scientist have predicted a that a number of large meteorites will hit the planet wiping out humanity in it's wake. Meteorites that hit the earth will cause a massive explosion miles wide, while those that hit the sea will cause tidal waves and the increase of sea level, afterwards volcanoes will erupt and earthquakes will shake the earth, and after all that a small Ice Age will kill all those who mange to manage to survive. Fearing that no one will survive, and that humanity's life ends in one fell swoop even if their many shelter somehow survive the united countries come up with project seven seeds, a last ditch effort to save humans. Each country would energetically freeze seven young, genetically superior, and ideal people that would one day repopulate the earth. After being frozen they would be put into teams with a guide that would be their eight member, and then be launched into space where they would sleep out the death everyone they love and everything they know until the the time has come for them to wake up and ace the world at it's rawest and wildest form.

The Project 13 Colonies was America's own unique plan that would correspond to the end of humanity. The project would follow the same principle as every other country, but being one of the most powerful and biggest countries America was able to afford 13 groups of eight people, a reference to the thirteen colonies that came to the US. The country was also able to afford the most bunkers, survival pods containing rations, books, and equipment that would help the survivors be self sufficient enough to rebuild modern society, one in each state of the country.

Each group would contain the seven chosen people, unaware of what would happen to them unless their guardians tell them moments prior to being frozen, and their guide. The chosen seven would be plucked from anywhere in the country so long as they met the physical qualifications and they were a resident of the country. Outside of the physical requirements they also wanted the elites, young people who were considered to be the best, gifted, elites that would have the skills and person abilities to achieve what was being asked of them, namely rebuild the world from scratch. The guide would be the same, they must pass the physical tests and would be trained in an area where they can also be considered as experts so that they can help contribute to the chosen seven, but unlike the chosen seven who were unaware of the project the guides would be volunteers.

As a country that could afford a lot of groups they decided to add from their originally planned ten, the three unlucky groups that would make thirteen groups in total. The unlucky groups would be formed by the polar opposites of the elites. Physically and genetically speaking they were still perfect, but unlike the elites who had a high chance for success these groups were a gamble. They were made up of social deviants, special cases, and people who did not fit in to the ideal society. They were the people who would be considered as failures in a modern world because they were flawed, ridiculed, and rejected by the society because of who they were, what their background was, and how they acted.

Once all the groups have been collected they would be frozen with their guide and be launched into space. After several years an inboard computer would begin launching pods yearly that would scan the environment of the predetermined areas to the ideal measurements. Once a location has been approved the computer will launch the group from space and be sent back down to earth where their group pod would be launched towards a large body of water for safety. After set time the individual pods would be gin the thawing process. The guide's pods would be opened first after which they would check the area and open the seven other pods. Once they wake up all that is left is to survive.

Equipment

1. Knife (All knives have a serrated edge, but not all knives are the same and styled to suit the person using it. In other words a small person will have a lighter and smaller knife compared to a tall and athletic person, but all knives will still be an A grade blade that will lat for for years. All knives come with an atdjustable holster that they can attach on their waist or their legs if they want to. It also comes with a small piece of metal used to keep the blade sharp.)
2. US Map (It is a large fordable US map. It has various legends on it that indicate where the type of environment and places of interest. Naturally it is no longer accurate, but still usable.)
3. Compass
4. Monocular (It is a waterproof multi-lens adjustable camera with a wrist cord.)
5. Thermal Sleeping Bag (It is a large thermal sleeping bag meant to keep the person inside warm as much as possible using body and external heat. It's fit to size with room to grow until a person is a full fledged adult. It can be folded and rolled neatly to attach it to the bag.)
6. Metal Canteens (It doubles as a pot which can be used to cook rice or to boil water. It also has aged, but still clean fresh water inside.)
7. Sewing KitSewing Kit. (It's a sewing kit which can be used to make light repairs or make clothes.)
8. Tinderbox (It has flint and steel, tinder cloth, and thin dry pieces of hay. It's used to make fire and only needs to be partially dry to make light.)
9. Space Blanket (It is a space blanket. It's decently sized to fit one person warm enough in the coldest nights.)
10. First Aid Kit
11. Hiking Tarp (It's a decently sized dark colored hiking tarp with camouflage patterns. It can work as a blanket, as a cover during the rain, or as a lean to type of housing in case of emergency.)
12. 5 Flares (It is a traditional waterproof and self igniting flare that can shoot out non igniting light. Each light can last for a good hour.)
13. Hygiene Kit (It's a small black pouch that contains hygiene equipment. It contains a toothbrush, nail-clipper and set, a bar of soap, a toothpaste bottle, a mirror, a bundle of cotton ear buds, a small brush etc.)
14. Whistle (A waterproof high-pitched metal whistle.)
15. Hiking Boots (A set of hiking boots with small cleats. It comes with two extra pairs of laces. I mention this as an equipment because of the laces, but they should already be wearing these. The hiking boots are their only pair of shoes they have and if they lose them they will have to make their own.)
16. Gloves (a pair of heavy duty finger gloves that can be adjusted to fit the user perfectly.)
17. 50 ft of 550 Paracord/Rope. (It's a multipurpose rope.)
18. Rain Poncho
19. Mess Kit (It's a stainless steel mess kit. The mess kit is composed of two metal plates with doubles as a pan, lid and an actual plate. The inside contains a knife, spoon, and fork.)
20. Sunglasses/Goggles
21. Sunscreen
22. Dust Mask
23. Food Pack (They are small square shaped pieces of unprocessed and preserved food. They are essentially space food that can be eaten as is which would make for a quick, filling and heavy, but tasteless meal, or be cooked which makes them look more appetizing and redone to suit the person. Each bar is good enough to for one meal which can last a person or if they are cooked portions can be increased. They are packed with nutrients, proteins and calories.)
24. Notebooks with Carpenter Pencils
25. Pocket Books (Survival Guide and First Aid)

This RP is reserved for FiroIV and Raid, and their characters, members of Team Georgia.

[FiroIV]

Guide:

Madison "Maddie" Bates

Name: Madison “Maddie” Bates
Gender: Female
Age: 27
Birth date: January 11
Occupation: Medical Intern/Resident
Appearance:
- Height = 5’8”
- Weight = 140lbs slim
- Body Decoration = Her ears are pierced, and she has a small tattoo of a normal heartbeat on her shoulder.
Personality: Blunt, Attentive, Clinical, Thorough, Self-assured
Thoughts on:
- Religion: I work in a godless field, but if it helps people heal then go ahead and believe in whatever religion it may be, but if it’s the reason that they die then to hell with religion.
- Sports: I don’t play any sports and I’ve never really had the time for it, but I don’t really mind it as background noise.
- Arts: I appreciate art for what it is, which is an aesthetic decoration. I get that it can be therapeutic for people and that is a good thing in itself. As for music and literature, I enjoy them when I have the free time.
- Law: I’ve never had problems with it so I don’t care much for it, but like anything in life they can be unfair and oppressive to the point that people who are dying are too scared of the law don’t call for help when they need it.
- Science: Progress keeps the world going, and as a doctor in training It is something I believe in.
- Government: It’s a necessary system, that is often flawed and blind.
- America; It’s just a country.
- Apocalypse: Science tells us that the sun will blow up one day; odds are though we won’t be alive to witness it because we don’t take care of ourselves enough.
- Humans: We are amazing people and we take our lives for granted.
- Death: I work hard to make sure it is something that I keep away from my patients, but if it does come for them then I have to make sure that it never happens again.
- Life: We need to work hard to make sure we get a good one.
Background:
- Maddie was born in a small town in Oregon, after graduating high school she went Portland University and has been living in the city ever since.
- Her single mother, Annie, raised her. Her father never stuck around, and her father left the moment things got too hard, which was when she was a few days old. A little girl was hard enough to raise by a single mother who worked three jobs so siblings were never an option. Maddie has a number of relatives, from her father’s side in Oregon, but none of them are close to her personally.
- Maddie had a hard life, they were poor, and there was never a day where she thought her life was luxurious because it never was. Unlike other kids who got to play every day Maddie made sure that she could take care of herself without having to take care of her mother. When she was of age, around 13 she started babysitting for people in their neighborhood to help pay the bills, and when she was well into her teenage years, she got a part time job when she had classes, and two when it was summer and winter vacation.
- After high school, she got into a good university by being good student and getting a scholarship. After four hard years of being an undergraduate with a degree in Biology, she got into medical school. After years of hard work, schooling, and doing part time jobs she finally graduated from medical school and into a teaching hospital where she became a medical intern/resident. After a year of being a resident, she finally got her mother out of the horrible neighborhood she lives in and into a nicer place in the city. She’s buried in debt, but in a few years she would be able to repay all of it and become a proper doctor.
- It was just a normal day in the hospital when one of the senior doctors (Dr. Raleigh) in the hospital summoned her. She thought it was about finally getting a license, but no, it was something else entirely. After some weird questions about human life, death, humanity, being a leader, etc. the doctor told her that there was a project that he wanted her to be a part of. A week of torturous waiting later he the senior doctor (Dr. Raleigh) finally let her in on the project. It was all overwhelming, but after some serious deliberation, she finally agreed to be a part of the project under the condition that they take care of her mother and put her in one of their shelters.
- She didn’t really know why she did it. A part of her thinks it because of her mother, but another part of her thinks it would be easier.

Skills:
- Maddie is a med school graduate that ranked among the highest in her year while working part time as a tutor.
- After med school Maddie became a medical intern in a teaching hospital where she’s been acting as a resident physician for about to years before she could become a licensed practitioner.
- Her areas of focus lie in Internal medicine, in other words common medicine that focuses on the typical adult illnesses and injuries. Her range of knowledge starts from basic first aid and health care to performing non-intensive surgeries.
- Maddie has no formal training in Pediatrics or Child Development, but as a teenager she worked as a babysitter for local children.

Miscellaneous:
- Alcohol: I appreciate a good bottle of beer at the end of the day or when the situation calls for it.
- Smoke: I’m a doctor, would you really think I smoke?
- Drugs: I don’t condone to the use of recreational drugs that destroy your body, but there’s a reason we prescribe it to people who are sick. I did however smoke pot once in college.

Equipment
- Standard package
- First aid kit has been replaced with a more advanced and professional medical kit for a trained doctor like Maddie.
- A note: Nothing has been takedn out due to the weight training that the guide had gone under to account for the increased weight.

“You washed up on a deserted tropical island, alone. Right beside you is a box, what’s inside?”
Disregarding the fact that something like that could happen, I’ll have to go with water and lots of it.
“The government has shut down and you are all on your own, what is your immediate objective?”
I’m assuming this is the end of the government as in society has collapsed then I’ll secure the area for anyone in need of help. After dealing with the current situation I’ll contact my mother and see what happens afterwards.
“You have been tasked to do something very important by someone important at the cost of your own safety, would you do it?”
I’ll think about it, but chances are I will say yes. There is never any guaranteed safety in whatever it is we do, this task would not be different.
“A nuclear bomb has just gone off and you are now hiding in your shelter, would you allow strangers to come in to your bunker?”
Yes. Why would you even ask that kind of question? I save people for a living of course I would let them in.
“Someone you love dearly is dying, and the only cure is at the hands of someone who will never give it to you freely. What do you do?”
I will do whatever is in my power to get it. There is no other answer to that question.
“If you were left alone to do something freely, what is your first action?”
Without judgment, scrutiny, or any kind of criticism? Free from any sort of burden or responsibility? I’m gonna go to sleep. I haven’t had a good sleep since I was 12.
“Would you ever give up?”
Not while I still have a reason to live.

Alex Barrientos

Name: Alex Barrientos
Biological Sex: Male
Age: 24
Birth date: March 4
Occupation: Tattoo Artist
Appearance:
- Height = 5’9”
- Weight = 155 lbs semi-athletic
- Body Decorations = His entire body is covered in tattoos. His ears are pierced, but he doesn’t wear earrings anymore.

Personality: Imaginative, Thoughtful, Friendly, Nurturing, Peaceful

Thoughts on:
- Religion: I come from a Catholic family. As god is my witness I do believe in the power of the almighty, but I’m not as devout my mom.
- Sports: I used to play soccer as a kid, I still do sometimes, but most of the time it’s basketball for me and my buddies.
- Arts: Because I’m a tattoo artist pretentious pricks think i'm not an artist and all i do is but trashy punk stuff and tramp stamps.and that’s bull. I make art of all kinds. I just chose tattooing as my medium because it's awesome.
- Law: Cops are just people trying their best so I try not to make their lives too hard when I can, plus I have a cousin who is a cop. She's awesome.
- Sex: Sex is good even when it’s bad, like pizza.
- Science: I’m not a scientific guy, complicated stuff make my head hurt and I don’t wanna think too much about this subject, next please.
- Government: I’m an artist, a tattoo artist so yeah the government and all the old white guys running it have never been on my side. I don’t care much for politics and the government in general, but since being a Democrat is the lesser of two evils I side with them.
- America: My roots come from Mexico, not America, but will I ever go to live in Mexico? Never, well for now never. America’s not perfect, but I've lived here all of life and I don’t think I’ll be leaving anytime soon.
- Apocalypse: It’s a fun idea to play around with, but I doubt it's as fun as people think it would be.
- Humans: We’re not so bad. We suck sometimes, but we're pretty cool when it counts.
- Death: My grandfather lived a full life, and he died with a smile. All I wish is that when I die it would be like his death. Peaceful, easy, and surrounded by the people that love me.
- Life: All I want in life is to live it the fullest without any regrets. Also I want to live a long life and die old, not in some sort of accident, or get murdered.

Background:
- Alex was born and raised in San Fernando California, also known as the valley, the place where millions of immigrants come from.
- Alex was born into a big, family oriented family. He is a third generation Barrientos. His great grandparents came from Mexico when they were children and planted their seed in America when they were in their twenties. They had three children, Alex’s grandparents. Alex’s grandparents had six children, Alex’s mom being the youngest. Alex’s mom had six children where Alex is the oldest.
- Alex comes from a big family, a big Mexican, Puerto Rican, Filipino, etc. family with over a couple of dozens of relatives and extended family members. Alex himself is quarter Mexican and Filipino and half Salvadoran. He is the oldest of six siblings and as such a lot of responsibilities fell on him. He wanted his parents to be proud of him by being the best older brother possible, but he caved. He was twelve and he caved. The majority of his teenage years involved him being rebellious, stupid, and a constant failure to his own eyes. He barely got by in school, he started drinking, and smoking cigarettes and pot, and did some. There were worse thing that could have happened, but inside he hated himself for not being the best version he could be, but he couldn’t stop himself from being a mess up. He was sixteen when he decided to do something really stupid which turned out to be the best thing to ever happen to him.
- He was sixteen when he got a tattoo and it was one of the best things that ever happened to him. The process was cathartic. He got his name and birthday tattooed on his left bicep. He was crying the whole time and he thanked the artist for doing it. It was a life changing experience for him and it made him feel alive. From there on, he knew he wanted to get more tattoos, not just as a form of expression and art, but also as a therapy.
- He barely finished high school, but he did just so he could become a tattoo artist. He felt lame in thinking that it was his calling, but that’s how it was for him. After that first tattoo it was like something in him just clicked. Like most parents they didn't agree with the life choices he made, but they didn’t stop him. It took a lot of begging and pleading, but he got himself a job in the same tattoo place as a helper while he enrolled himself in a community college to get an art degree.
- He was 21 when he was finally old enough to become a certified tattoo artist. He was an apprentice for a few years after being certified, but it was all worth it. He was good at his craft and he had his own style that blended street art and tattoo styles he learned while working in the parlor with the traditional, classic, and modern art forms he learned in college, and his regulars loved it. He had just turned 24 when he finally officially got rid of the apprentice status, got promoted to a full time tattoo artist, finished his transfer requirements, and got accepted to a small university where he could get an art degree (something he didn’t really think about doing). Life was great.
- It was the first week after his 24th birthday when he got a new client, a blonde woman, wanting to get a tattoo on her stomach. It was an odd experience for him since he’s never got a client who was more interested in him rather than the tattoos. He’s had men and women flirt with him a few times before and he always appreciated it, but this felt different. It felt like an interview. After a few days of meeting the lady finally decide to get a tattoo on her right shoulder. The same day he got a call from his mother saying there was a party at his parents place. He didn’t think much of it since it was something his mother liked to do, hold parties with friends and families. It was nice, it felt like home, but it didn’t feel quite right. Something felt off and he could feel it, but he enjoyed himself anyway. He got drunk, he ate his small worries away and he slept in his old room. That night his family members watched as a blond woman wearing a suit came in with a group of men took him away. His mother cried her eyes out while he was sleeping like an idiot child.

Skills:
- Alex is an artist. His main form of media involves ink on skin, but Alex has some formal training in drawing, watercolor, oil painting, sculpting, and pottery. He considers himself a good artist in most forms of media, good enough that he can transition them to his work.
- After graduating high school Alex enrolled to a community college to get an art degree. He’s been there for four years now and he’s learned a lot. He’s taken numerous art classes, and the required classes. He’s knowledgeable in multiple art related subjects like making paint, uses of art, art history, art interpretation, and subject themes involved in art.

Miscellaneous:
- Alcohol: I’ve gotten drunk so many times that you’d think it wouldn’t be funny anymore, but you’d be wrong
- Smoke: I’ve smoked, still do, but nothing excessive.
- Drugs: I’ve smoked pot before and had an LSD trip once or twice. I’m not an addict or anything, but when you run out of ideas a good trip is something I appreciate.

Equipment
- Standard package
- Art supplies (includes various pens, pencils, paints, markers, sketchpad, rulers etc.)
- A note, to make room for the art supplies Alex has less clothes than the others and the rope is shorter to compensate for the added weight.

Questions:
1. “You washed up on a deserted tropical island, alone. Right beside you is a box, what’s inside?”
A year’s supply of my mother’s home cooked carne asada quesadilla.
2. “The government has shut down and you are all on your own, what is your immediate objective?”
I’ll go home, find my family and I don’t know. I’ll roll with the punches I guess, but family comes first.
3. “You have been tasked to do something very important by someone important at the cost of your own safety, would you do it?”
Yeah, probably. It depends on what the thing is, but yeah I’ll probably do it. Yeah.
4. “A nuclear bomb has just gone off and you are now hiding in your shelter, would you allow strangers to come in to your bunker?”
Complete strangers? Not really. If it was family it would be something else, but letting complete strangers into some place is plain stupid. Who knows what they would do?
5. “Someone you love dearly is dying, and the only cure is at the hands of someone who will never give it to you freely. What do you do?”
Why is that even a god damn question? What kind of prick wouldn’t do what needs to be done for the people they love.
6. “If you were left alone to do something freely, what is your first action?”
Do some sketching. I’ve been meaning to work on landscapes since they kind of suck.
7. “Would you ever give up?”
I did, once. I don’t wanna be in that kind of place again. I don’t like me when I was like that.

Simon Nicholson

Name: Simon Nicholson
Biological Sex: Male
Age: 15
Birth date: September 21
Occupation: Student
Appearance:
- Height = 5’6”
- Weight = 150 lbs
- Body Decorations = no decorations whatsoever, but he’s thought about it before
Personality: Reserved, Reliable, Clever, Serious, Insecure
Thoughts on:
- Religion: I associate with agnosticism.
- Sports: I never really got into it. I’m not really a fan, but I don’t mind watching games with friends if they want me to watch with them.
- Arts: I like to think I’m an artist, but I’m not good. If doodling counts then I guess I’m an artist. I like looking at them though.
- Sex: I’m a teenage boy, what am I supposed to think about sex?
- Science: I love science when it’s cool and does something useful, but when it gets to the realm of math, physics, and chemistry I start hating it. Still cool though.
- Government: I grew up in society that worships its own government so I’ve been trained to say that the American government is absolute, but I beg to differ.
- America: My family is comprised of traditionalists with a somewhat militaristic background. I’m supposed to be patriotic and love my country because it is the way it is, but I don’t feel that way a lot of times. I'd be perfectly fine moving to a different country, somewhere in Europe, but with tropical weather.
- Apocalypse: It’s a fun concept, and according to the math it will happen in millions and millions of years. Realistically speaking it would suck, but maybe change would be good. If anything at least it would change things.
- Humans: Our history has been nothing if not dark. We’ve done some really horrible stuff and chances are we will keep doing some really horrible things, but you know us, we're awesome like that.
- Death: It's easier than being alive. I know that much.
- Life: It’s hard, unfair and cruel. It sucks to be alive, but for some reason we chose to be alive fighting everyone and everything that comes our way. Personally I think it’s overrated, but what would I know It’s not like I know what it means to be alive.
Background:
- Simon was born just outside of the city of Wichita Kansas in a small picket fenced home in a mostly white neighborhood.
- Simon is the third child in a family of five. Simon’s two older siblings include the Monica, who is well on her way to becoming a lawyer, while his older brother is a star athlete in the state’s university. Simon’s two younger siblings include fraternal twins Alex and Alice. Simon’s father works in an office that deals with engineering and his mom is a party planner.
- One could say that Simon is blessed in that he will never suffer a unfortunate life because their family is well off, not rich, but won’t be experiencing any hardships any time soon. Another person could say that Simon is a kid that was born into a good life that treats him horribly because his life is good. His life is never hard, it is never sad, and it is not unfortunate in any which way other than his life at home the reason for this is that compared to everyone in his family Simon is a failure.
- Any one who really knows Simon would tell you that he is no Failure because of his outstanding qualities that make up for his social misdemeanors. What Simon lacks in social skills and general awkwardness he makes up for his clever wit, loyalty and reliability. However his family members who constantly leave him in the dust outshine these qualities. His two older siblings were high school superstars that continuously dominate it to this day, while his two younger siblings are stars all on their own. Suffice to say Simon who plays videogames most of the time, spends most of his time in front of the computer, doesn’t do any sports or extracurricular activities, and has very few friends is basically left in the dust.
- Simon’s parents aren’t much help either. They provided him the amount of caring and nurture normal kids had, but it last into his preteen and teen years because they started to realize that he was not like their other children. They weren’t cold, but they weren’t really warm, for the most part they ignored Simon and left him to do things by himself. This could easily be seen as neglect, but really it wasn’t because Simon enjoyed being left alone.
- Simon has always been aware that he was different from his family of outgoing and social types, and people have gone ways to remind him of how different he is than them and even his own family has gone ways to tell him how much of an oddity he is. He rarely does anything about it. He keeps quiet, smiles and lets most of it pass or bottles it up inside.
- For the most part Simon is content. He is neither happy nor sad. He has no big aspirations and no huge plans in life other than finishing high school, getting a degree, and land a job wherein the pay is okay and livable. The most that he’s ever wanted in life is to travel and see the world.
- Most of Simon’s life has always been boring, dull, and mundane. The days before he got frozen were the same. Nothing was really out of the ordinary. The only time he ever thought things were out of the ordinary was the very last day before he was frozen. School was average at the best, nothing was out of the ordinary. When he got home There was already food at the table. It was feast for a king with nothing but his favorite foods. His two older siblings were there, home for a supposed holiday, his two younger siblings who are normally annoying and loud were quiet, and his two parents were accommodating and warm. It was a quiet meal, peaceful, nice, and all around perfect. After the meal, he took a bath, went to bed and was immediately drugged. Men in suits dragged him away while his family watched.
Skills:
- Simon has very few outstanding skills. The one skill he is aware of the fact that he is a fast learner. He considers himself to be smart, but not a genius. He easily gets by in school without a lot of effort, the hardest he’s ever worked in school involved subjects like math and science, but mostly because he doesn’t like working with numbers.
- Simon is a incredibly resilient young man with high defenses. The life that he grew up in fostered an ability to stay completely calm and logical even when things are not. His ability to understand situations and people came about because he did not want to do something that would attract attention to him in the negative way, or shame the family honor.
Miscellaneous:
- Alcohol: I’ve drank alcohol before, It helps for the bad days.
- Smoke: No, that stuff will kill me in the end, probably.
- Drugs: Do sleeping pills count? If so then yeah I do drugs. Helps me sleep at night you know.

Equipment
- Standard package
- A serrated and curved hunting knife that belonged to his father complete with a maintenance kit. (This replaces the standard knife. It's much larger than the other's and has a decorative handle.)
- A deck of playing cards that their entire family used to play.

Questions:
1. “You washed up on a deserted tropical island, alone. Right beside you is a box, what’s inside?”
Logically speaking I’d go for water or a machete since the human body wouldn’t last without it, but seeing as I’m not that stupid I’d rather get a satellite radio phone to call for help.
2. “The government has shut down and you are all on your own, what is your immediate objective?”
Move to a different country. Somewhere where moving in would be easy and lacks an oppressive government so somewhere in Europe would be nice, tropical weather would be great as well.
3. “You have been tasked to do something very important by someone important at the cost of your own safety, would you do it?”
No.
4. “A nuclear bomb has just gone off and you are now hiding in your shelter, would you allow strangers to come in to your bunker?”
Since I’m not a horrible bastard I’d let them in, but I would probably hate myself for doing so.
5. “Someone you love dearly is dying, and the only cure is at the hands of someone who will never give it to you freely. What do you do?”
I don’t know. I really don’t know. That’s the honest answer because in those types of situations can we really know ourselves well enough that we’ll know what we’ll do?
6. “If you were left alone to do something freely, what is your first action?”
I’m not that familiar with the concept so I wouldn’t really know. It seems kind of cool though.
7. “Would you ever give up?”
I’ve thought about it lots of times. Never got to doing it.

Summer Green

Name: Summer Green
Biological Sex: Female
Age: 16
Birth date: November 15
Occupation: High School Freshman
Appearance:
- Height = 5’4”
- Weight = 130 lbs
- Body Decorations = Her ears are pierced
Personality: Passionate, Vibrant, Sweet, Instinctive, Optimistic
Thoughts on:
- Religion: My family’s never been religious, but my grandmother of my mom’s side is super religious, she goes to church every Sunday.
- Sports: I’n all for school spirit so I watch my school games, but I don’t really do any sports myself.
- Arts: What do you mean by arts? Are we just talking about all those classical stuff like Renaissance paintings and marble statues? If so then yeah I think they’re pretty.
- Law: Like police and stuff? I don’t know. I don’t have a problem with them. I have a friend who’s dad is a cop and he’s nice.
- Sex: I won’t share any details, but yeah I’ve had sex before.
- Science: Ugh…….I don’t like talking about things that make my brain hurt. I’ve never been good at numbers and all those icky stuff, but yay science and technology I guess?
- Government: Like politics? I know it’s important and stuff, but I don’t wanna learn about old white guys who do things In white houses. Okay so that was joke. I know it’s important, but until I need to actually care about it, which is when I’m like 21 or something I don’t wanna waste my time thinking about old white guys.
- America: Well it’s a country, we live in it, it’s nice. What else am I supposed to think about it?
- Apocalypse: Like the zombie apocalypse and stuff? My friend says he can survive it because he’s all tough and experienced because he plays a lot of shooters and zombie games. I don’t know much about it myself, but I guess I’ll just hope for the best. It probably won’t happen though.
- Humans: Well, that’s us right? We’re pretty cool I think. We suck sometimes though, but we’re great. Some people are really horrible though, but as a whole I think we’re fine, but we could definitely be so much better off with those people.
- Death: I’m lucky because no one that close to me has died yet, but it’s still sad. There was this girl in our class that killed herself because she was being bullied by these horrible people in class. I was always nice to he and I wished we could have been friends. It makes me sad.
- Life: Being alive is great that’s for sure. I mean it’s pretty crappy sometimes, but things always turn out to be great in the end and that’s what always counts.
Background:
- Summer was born in a hospital in Hartford Connecticut and was raised just outside of the city in a nice, friendly, and mostly white neighborhood. She now lives with her parents and her grandmother from her mom’s side in Queens in a not so nice, friendly or mostly white neighborhood.
- Summer is an only child. Her father was born rich and became richer when he started investing. Her mother grew up in poverty and made her way up the ladder of life by working hard and eventually marrying someone below her skill level.
- Summer was born rich like her father, but was raised by her mother. Her childhood was mostly defined as “blessed”. It was filled with horseback riding, skiing in the alps, going to private beaches for the summer, and sailing, she loves sailing. She got everything that she wanted which could have easily made her spoiled, but her mother made sure to get the bratty qualities out of her by the time she was old enough to whine.
- She went to a good private school with other children like her, rich and privileged. School was never her good point. She worked hard to make sure she passed, but the only reason she did pass was because she had friends, tutors and her mother to teach her. She was okay, but she’ll never call herself smart. She also doesn’t have any marketable skills other than what her privileged life has taught her. She knows these facts, but she’s fine with it because she believes that hard work and staying positive will makes things okay.
- If Summer was like other children that grew up with she would have just become a rich socialite who becomes richer by marrying someone rich, investing, or working the stock market, but life wasn’t so kind. Summer’s dad made a wrong, unfixable deal losing them millions of dollars. Everything they didn’t lose in the deal the bank foreclosed, and those they didn’t they had to sell. It was the first time Summer ever felt like life was hard. They lost their money, their house, and just about everything really.
- The Green’s packed all that they had left and moved back in with Mrs Green’s old home in Queens. It was a huge adjustment for someone like Summer who was raised rich, but she had her go getter attitude and ideal outlook in life to keep her sane. Mrs. Green did fine because this was where she grew up in and for her it just meant going back to work again. Mr. Green however did not fare so well because he has never experienced poverty in his life nor has he ever really lived a life outside of luxury.
- For a fifteen year old to be thrust outside of an entirely new environment, having to learn a new set of rules this was a near impossible task, but Summer kept on staying positive against all the odds. She went to school without her tutors, friends, or any of the niceness that came with being enrolled in an elite school. Her old friends isolated her and the few friends she somehow managed to make she could not connect with. She knew enough that she had to work hard to make sure she had good grades so that she can go to a good university and rebuild the fortune they once had. It was hard work, every night she tried hard to make sure she wouldn’t keep herself awake, and it worked.
- It was her dad who took it the worst. He could not find a job, he had no real marketable skill other than his ability to understand business, but he’s been blackballed from the business that any sort of investing firm wouldn’t hire him. His dad was approached by an old business buddy who had a proposition for him. In a few days Summer got taken away by men in suits unaware that her parents had sold her for money. It was a hard decision and they didn’t have much choice, but they did it anyway because they wanted her to be safe and happy.
Skills:
- Summer has only ever been proud of one talent that she knew she had, sailing. Her dad owned a boat when they were rich and they often went out to the sea with it. It was a family activity that she enjoyed doing, and something she was proud to say she was good at.
- Although it is not a skill Summer considers her most outstanding quality to be her ability to stay positive and cheerful in almost any situation imaginable. It is a great skill that she would never trade for anything in her life.
Miscellaneous:
- Alcohol: We used to visit wine country when we were rich, it’s a nice memory.
- Smoke: That’s bad for you, why would I ever touch that stuff.
- Drugs: Those things kill you. I don’t plan on ever taking those stuff.

Equipment
- Standard package
- Navigation equipment including a nautical chart, measuring equipment, sextant, and a telescope and compass which replaces the one's in the package.
- An astrological chart used for navigation.

Questions:
1. “You washed up on a deserted tropical island, alone. Right beside you is a box, what’s inside?”
That would be kind of weird, but okay. I guess I’ll wish that there would be a phone in there to call for help so I could get out of there.
2. “The government has shut down and you are all on your own, what is your immediate objective?”
Go home to my family? That’s a weird question, but when things get too problematic the only answer is to go home.
3. “You have been tasked to do something very important by someone important at the cost of your own safety, would you do it?”
I guess I would. I don’t know. Maybe? It depends. It sounds scary though, but I think I’ll do it if they really need me to do it. I mean if they are asking for me specifically that means that it’s something that only I can do right?
4. “A nuclear bomb has just gone off and you are now hiding in your shelter, would you allow strangers to come in to your bunker?”
Well, yeah. Isn’t that the right thing to do? Why wouldn’t I? I mean that’s what anyone would do.
5. “Someone you love dearly is dying, and the only cure is at the hands of someone who will never give it to you freely. What do you do?”
Why wouldn’t they give it to me? They should right? They wouldn’t really do that right? As long as I pay them they should give me the medicine that I need.
6. “If you were left alone to do something freely, what is your first action?”
Find people to have fun with? I mean being alone wouldn’t really be that fun.
7. “Would you ever give up?”
No way. Always strive for the best you know. If you fail once just try again until you succeed that’s what I know.

[Raid]

Deepti Persaud

Name: Deepti Persaud
Gender: Female
Age: 13
Birth date: 09/05
Occupation: high school student, occasionally helps in the family’s restaurant
Appearance:
- Height = 128 cm (about 4 foot)
- Weight = 29 Kg (about 65 lbs)
- Body Decorations = During Hindu holiday’s (or any time she feels like it), she wears henna. Her ears are pierced and she often wears earrings from her aunts or older cousins. For her tenth birthday, she finally was able to get a gold hoop nose ring. She absolutely loves to wear her bindi even though it isolates her more from her classmates.
Personality: Fussy—Polite—Cooperative—Restless—Cautious
Thoughts on:
- Religion: It’s right and proper to honor the gods. Christians and Muslims are weird. Buddhists are okay. Jains freak her out.
- Sports: They’re okay. She doesn’t really like to play any in school, though.
- Arts: Dance and music are all beautiful ways to honor the gods. (Plus, she thinks they’re beautiful and graceful)
- Law: Her parents teach her to obey the laws because if she doesn’t they might not be able to stay in the United States.
- Sex: Ew.
- Science: It’s boring to study.
- Government: It keeps the crazy people away, right?
- America: She wishes she lived somewhere warmer, like South Carolina, but aside from that she thinks America is pretty cool.
- Apocalypse: It is not something she worries about or thinks on.
- Humans: She thinks sometimes we’re too worried about getting what we want instead of getting what we need.
- Death: Until she reaches moksha in a thousand more life times, only then will there be true death and she’ll be released from samsara.
- Life: She will do her duty and live a good life.
Background:
- Born in Chhattisgarh, India; Currently lives in Fredrick, Maryland (and has been since she was five)
- She has two older brother and an older sister, but only her older sister went on to university while her brothers went to trade school. Her Pita (father) opened a restaurant. But despite strong gender roles, he ended up in the kitchen, refuses to learn English. While, Mam (mother) ran the business side and worked with the customers. Deepti has a large extended family that she keeps in contact with through Skype or other means. Only one other Persaud family live in the United States, but they live in Wisconsin. The rest of her Pita and Mam’s families live in India still. Sometimes she gets to visit every few years and thrives off the vivid green and overwhelming love of her family.
- She’s a teenager, but compared to the hell her older sister, Pavarti, put her parents through, Deepti is an angel. She went to large middle school with lots of diversity, so she had no problems working around her accent. And even though it rarely comes through, the high school she transferred into is smaller and more, well, white. It doesn’t help she’s a scholarship student attending a school where students normally get accepted because of their parent’s connection in the government.
- Pavarti and Deepti don’t have a great relationship. Maybe it’s the 7 year age gap between the siblings, but when the oldest sister went off to school, Deepti and her ten-year-old-mind just couldn’t forgive. So she became close with her brothers, Rashad and Haroon, twins who are two years older than her. They welcome their little sister to hangout with them and often, it’s just the three of them who would so off to the movies or camping for the weekend.
- As of late, Deepti has been getting in more and more fights with her Pita because of his refusal to learn English. For days, she’ll refuse to speak to him in Hindi. Like all Mams, her mother tries to mediate between the two. Deepti will have none of that. (Her mother often says, “Stop acting like Pavarti!” to get Deepti to behave.)
- Deepti loved middle school. She had friends who had accents just like hers or accents so different than hers they laughed when neither of them could pronounce each other’s names. She was able to take classes for all sort of strange things like horticulture and animal science. High school has been difficult for her—not due to the academics, but because of the intense competitive pressure that suddenly exists around her. Since she and six other student were selected for a special program titled “Strategic Planning,” her isolation has grown worse. She was the only one in her collective class to pass the midterm exam.
- Her family was celebrating her success by placing offerings at the feet of Ganeshe, the popular deity with the head of an elephant, and the Ashvins, the twin devas. The restaurant was closed and Deepti was enjoying her favorite curry with maybe too much spice. Her father and she had not argued. The air was thick with Hindi and Tamarind and Lata Mangeshkar’s music filling any of the empty space left. As they were putting her to sleep, Pita started crying. Deepti didn't understand. They never told her about the men in dark suits who were going to take her away that night.
Skills:
- She knows how to sew fairly well. Nothing exquisite, but functional none the less.
- Strategic Planning was a class that exploited an already present skill in Deepti, that being problem solving. Yes, sounds simple. Yes, everyone does it, but she applies things like military strategy to treatment of cancer; the building of a hydroelectric damn to the reforestation process in certain parts of the amazon. She sees the underlying, basics of the problem which simplifies and allows the creation of more efficient solutions.
- Bi-Lingual (Hindi and English)
Miscellaneous:
- She sometimes smokes with cousins when she’s in India.
Equipment:
- Standard package issued by the government.
- Issued sewing kit is replaced by her own personal one that is kept in a red cloth roll.
- A topographical map replaced the standard US map.
- A note: paracord was excluded from her equipment due to the additional weight it caused.
Questions:
1. “You washed up on a deserted tropical island, alone. Right beside you is a box, what’s inside?”
- “Inside the box is a geographical map to which I’m able to see sources of freshwater and elevation changes. Also, information on the flora and fauna is included in a compact book,” she says, “The little supplies that can fit into the box, after all, would run out quickly, anyways.”
2. “The government has shut down and you are all on your own, what is your immediate objective?”
- “That still means I have to go to school right? Because it’s a private school, not public, so I guess, I’d just go to school and all the regular stuff, too.” She pauses. “It’s going to open again, right? Because if it doesn’t…I don’t want anything happening to my family because we’re foreigners. People get weird about us sometimes being in America.”
3. “You have been tasked to do something very important by someone important at the cost of your own safety, would you do it?”
- “Of course I would. It is what I should do and I should do it. If I die then—that’s not my choice. I either choose to follow the will of the gods or not. That’s is all I must choose,” she declares.
4. “A nuclear bomb has just gone off and you are now hiding in your shelter, would you allow strangers to come in to your bunker?”
- “Why wouldn’t I? It’s what I should do. They wouldn’t hurt me. We might become friends, anyways.”
5. “Someone you love dearly is dying, and the only cure is at the hands of someone who will never give it to you freely. What do you do?”
- “Bargain.” Deepti smiles. “Unless their Chinese, then there’s no hope. Indians want things cheep and Chinese want to sell things. We’re both hard bargainers. Mam hates working with the Chinese.”
6. “If you were left alone to do something freely, what is your first action?”
- “I would go find my brothers. I don’t like the idea of being alone.”
7. “Would you ever give up?”
- “Why would I give up? That doesn’t make sense. It’s a bad thing to give up and I don’t like doing bad things.”

Maybaleen "Cherry" Windsom

Name: Maybaleen “Cherry” Windsom
Sex: Female
Age: 23
Birth date: 07/23
Occupation: high-school-drop-out-waitress (to be fair, she’s been working at the same place since she’s been 16, so it’s pretty much a profession for her) and a exotic dancer in a few joints scattered around (sometimes a prostitute when the cash is low).
Appearance:
- Height = 5’ 8”
- Weight = 135 lbs
- Body Decorations = Two piercing in each ear and unless she’s at the club, it’s the same studs day in and day out. She has one tattoo right under her left breast. It says “Never Again” in plain times-new-roman lettering and is about three inches long and in something like size 18 font if you need a visual. Her other tattoos are small, freckle like dots in the creases between her fingers.
Personality: Flighty—Independent—Flirty—Suspicious—Aggressive
Thoughts on:
- Religion: She goes to Church with her Daddy on Sundays, a proper and pretty in a dress with Harrison at Bible school during services.
- Sports: Just as religiously as she goes to Church, she attends all of her local high school’s football games, watches UARK whoop some ass on the T.V Saturdays, and goes to as many minor league baseball games she can.
- Arts: Like painting. She guesses that it’s cool, but she doesn’t wanna go to a museum or any shit like that.
- Law: She likes cops, not lawyers. The law she obeys, but mostly because she’s not about to go break it.
- Sex: Not shy about it. She likes a good hook up.
- Science: Chem and Bio? Forget it. She’s good working on engines, but it helps having a father who runs the local repair shop in town. But she doesn’t often consider that to be a science. More like plugging things where they should go.
- Government: Straight ticket Republican voter, if she remembers to vote. She doesn’t care much about paying taxes because most of her pay is cash and tips can be taxed anyways.
- America: She’s the “support our troops” type of gal.
- Apocalypse: The Preacher’s been talking about it a lot lately in during services, but aside from that, Maybaleen doesn’t give it much thought.
- Humans: Some are better than others. Some are trash that are a waste of space. And some are like her.
- Death: The idea seems nice, sometimes.
- Life: Sometimes it fuckin’ sucks (like when she gets home at 3 am to find Harrison sick and her Dad passed out on the couch).
Background:
- Born and Raised in Formosa, Arkansas
- It’s been Daddy and her since she’s been four. There’s no pictures of her mom and she doesn’t care that much about the lady who died from cancer. It seems as if her mother and Daddy got hitched because that’s what a man and woman do when they have a kid together. And despite her father’s lows when he’ll go on quiet drinking binges, they’ve had good, functional lives. She doesn’t have any extended family even though Daddy’s family has been in Arkansas before it was even a state.
-Harrison came along in Maybaleen’s life when she was 17. His daddy was some educated University boy who she enjoyed for a night and then thought nothing about until her breasts started growing and the morning sickness interrupted her classes. She quit school, starting working full time at the Hill Diner, and didn’t look back. She’s not about to tell that it was all worth it, that Harrison’s the joy of her life, and that she loves her life. Those are all lies. But sometimes, they are the truth.
- She started going to clubs when she over heard one of the girls talking about it at the Diner. She works part time at four different places, all at least an hour drive from Formosa. She’s young, but she’s got the body of a woman because of Harrison. Her stretch marks are covered up with nettings or feather or whatever the costume that night has going on. It was Kim, the owner of Tiny Dancer, who talked to her about prostitution when she was 20. All cash. Off the books. All the customers have to wear condoms and are checked out for certain HIVs before being allowed to buy one of the girls. Work is done in private backrooms and a girl can only be bought once a night. (If Maybaleen’s being honest, she likes the power she has over these men more than the money she gets out of it.)
- She’s made some fucked up decisions before. She’s not the most responsible mom ever. Her friends complain about how flighty she can be. Having sex—making love—with Kim was worse that the first weeks after Harrison’s birth. Worse than when Daddy found out she worked as an exotic dancer. Worse than when customers got too rough with her. Worse in the type of way that it was so fucking great she didn’t know what to do with herself.
- Years of laughing and talking and love and then some old army buddy of Kim’s shows up, a little too high and rough for Maybaleen’s taste. So she keeps away for a bit until she gets a call at the Diner. It’s so loud in there and she almost hangs up because she can’t hear much until she hears someone mention a name: “Richard.” That was Kim’s army buddy. Then someone in the diner turns up the news and she gets ready to shout at them to turn that shit down. But her eye catches on the purple sign of the building on the T.V. The red headline blurs and all she can see is the Tiny Dancer charred black in one too many places. “Two U.S. Soldiers Dead,” the T.V. said. Her apron’s on and she realizes she still has a customer’s check in her hand when she’s in her trunk, trying to start it.
- After Kim's murder (the corner says it might have been a suicide, but she doesn't believe that shit), she started going a little harder in the clubs and sometimes taking a few more customers after hours. Two weeks later her Daddy sits her down and tries to talk to her about the program that she's been enrolled in and that "It's for the best." Daddy was too drunk to really explain to her what the program was and Maybaleen was too drunk to understand that night anyways. When the government men came for her, they didn't even need to drug her to keep her asleep because she was so far gone.
Skills:
- Daddy would let Maybaleen tinker in the shop growing up. She knew how to change her oil and tires before she even got her license. She straddled the world of women and men by wearing make-up and short-shorts when she has grease on her arms and her hair shoved into a baseball cap as she works on brakes or under a customers car.
- She knows when it’s time to rush to the hospital or when it’s okay to wait something out. She’s a good judge of knowing when a customer is just a little handsy versus needs-to-get-the-fuck-out.
Miscellaneous:
- Alcohol: Whiskey and beer when she can afford it or when someone else is buying.
- Smokes one cigarette a day. Half in the morning, half right before her shifts at the clubs.
- She doesn’t do drugs. At all. She’ll lose her jobs at the clubs if she does. Besides, that shit is too expensive.
Equipment:
- Standard issue equipment is included.
- Personal items include Arkansas Naturals’ baseball cap and elastic hair ties.
- A basic tool kit has been added to her pack (multi-tool pliers, adjustable & assorted wrenches, electrical tape, screwdriver handle and several bit types, assorted hex keys, torx wrench, and zip ties). Adds an additional ten pounds of weight, thus paracord will not be included.
Questions:
1. “You washed up on a deserted tropical island, alone. Right beside you is a box, what’s inside?”
- “Why’s there a box? That’s so weird. Okay, whatever. Um, I guess a cell phone. Not my piece of shit cell phone, but the type that uses satellites,” she says.
2. “The government has shut down and you are all on your own, what is your immediate objective?”
- “Like end of the world kinda shut down? Well, shit, I’d get as much gas as I can. That is what’ll be worth the big bucks. I’d hole myself up in Daddy’s garage, too. Because all those tools are easy weapons. Plus, that’s where he keeps all his ammo.”
3. “You have been tasked to do something very important by someone important at the cost of your own safety, would you do it?”
- “Like what? Save a person’s life? I’m not a doctor. I don’t do good with whiners and I hate blood and stuff. So, probably not. I don’t give a shit how important this dick is.”
4. “A nuclear bomb has just gone off and you are now hiding in your shelter, would you allow strangers to come in to your bunker?”
- “Do they have food? If it’s a kid or a pregnant woman…Aw, hell, I couldn’t leave all of Formosa out there. I’d probably let them all in. Except the worst of the meth-heads and those who ain’t really Formosas.”
5. “Someone you love dearly is dying, and the only cure is at the hands of someone who will never give it to you freely. What do you do?”
- “Anything,” she says. “I’d do anything.”
6. “If you were left alone to do something freely, what is your first action?”
- “Gosh, I’d take a nap. Hands down, a good, solid nap like Harrison does after lunch.”
7. “Would you ever give up?”
- “Give up? Sure, why not? Somethings just ain’t worth it, ya know? But when you’ve got someone to take care of—sometimes that’s not even an option for yourself.”

Saito Nijinsky

Name: Saito Nijinsky
Sex: Male
Age: 17
Birth date: 11/13
Occupation: high school student; summer camp counselor (not originally by choice); works at a gym
Appearance:
- Height = 5’ 6”
- Weight = 165 lbs.
- Body Decorations = Gages in both ears. Keeps ‘em small and simple. He’s thinking about a tattoo, but hasn’t gotten there yet.
Personality: Realistic—Bitter—Stringent—Calculating—Patient
Thoughts on:
- Religion: He thinks people spend too much time talking about it instead of acting as they should. But maybe that’s just his Pure Land Buddhist background coming through. Grandpaw (on the Japanese side of the family) would be so proud.
- Sports: He loves to play a good round of baseball and likes to go to games with friends. He hates the MLB. He also like surfing and MMA—drools over MMA.
- Arts: Spoken word. Graffiti. Street dancing. That’s his art. Not the stuff in museums where you have to pay to get in. Not where it’s so quiet that if you sneeze someone looks at you like you just licked the floor.
- Law: Oppressive and stupid.
- Sex: Can’t say much on it. He’s still a virgin. Doesn’t seem to be a concern of his, either.
- Science: Saito doesn’t like how much money is going to stuff that doesn’t really matter (Why do you need a diet pill? Why don’t you just buy good food? Those millions of dollars could go towards public education instead!)
- Government: Republicans are dumb-shits. And sometimes the Democrats, too. Actually, it’s a complete pool of mosquito larva infested water and it’s suppose to protect millions of lives? What. A. Joke.
- America: Ideally. Not so bad. He’d rather be Canadian on the worst of days. But he’s happy he’s not in Russia or Japan where the two sides of his family are from.
- Apocalypse: He likes reading about it, but he doesn’t buy into the instant demise of everyone and everything. Because the real apocalypse is happening right now.
- Humans: Don’t get him started on that subject—okay, too late. Humans keep repeating their mistakes and you know what’s happening? The same bad shit over and over again. You know the definition of madness? Doing the same thing over again and again and again and expecting a different results. “Most sophisticated thinkers, my ass,” he adds.
- Death: He wants to get old and wrinkly, thanks.
- Life: A whole lot better than being dead.
Background:
- Born on Maui, one of the Hawaiian Islands; Currently lives in San Diego, California.
- He lives with his parents and his Japanese grandparents in a two bedroom apartment where their couch in the living room becomes Saito’s bed at night. His dad is some pencil pusher in a shiny office building and his mom, the short Russian firecracker that she is, teaches tourists how to surf.
- He doesn’t have a good relationship with his grandparents. It doesn’t help that his Japanese is shit-tastic and that he’s studying Spanish in school. Plus, he has a menial job at a gym when he probably should be studying more for Calc or something. His dad is happy he’s not on drugs anymore. His mom is happy he’s happy.
- Oxycodone was his first introduction to opiates. He was 12. Then, other things he doesn’t remember the name of and for six months he lived in a haze—he can’t say bliss. Not now. His mom was the one who found his seizing in the bathroom. She was the one who took him to the hospital. Turned him to the police. Had him arrested and put into jail for 8 months and then he had to do community service through after school programs for troubled kids. He might not be a poster child of the rehabilitation program, but he’s a realistic depiction of it.
- He had a girlfriend for a few weeks and was confused by what was so great about having one. He thought for awhile maybe he was gay, but then it became apparent he just didn’t have any sexual attraction to anyone of any gender. That’s not to say he doesn’t feel love or pleasure of happiness, but that sex wasn’t a way for him to access those emotions.
- His relief from everything in jail was—is—MMA
- The gym he works at is shiny and glistening. During the early morning and day, it’s full of the normal tanner babes and oiled dudes working on whatever jiggle they’ve got going on. It’s during the night, from 8 to midnight that he trains with the rest of the Fight club. Everyone collects together for a good, thought out fight. No-one likes the brute with too quick of temper. He’s not the youngest there, but he’s the only one who served time. And although his boss knows, he’s kept it on the DL. That night he was matched up with a 22 year-old new comer. Saito wanted to learn what he could from the German-Boxing-Trained kid and volunteered. The black mail came later, when they’re all sweating, maybe bruised, and drinking water. The German Boxer smiles and says in a voice that no-one would pick out as hostile, “Does fighting keep the craving away?” Saito tries to brush it off, act like it was nothing, but his hands shake and he ends up excusing himself early and throws up in the alley way.
- The German Boxer continued to harass him. One day vodka ended up in Saito's water bottle. The next, he finds his boss's pain meds shoved in the bottom of his gym bag. It's late at night when he tells his mom about it. Finally giving in to her arms and begging her to some how help him because he's not sure how much longer he can hold out (he cried when he poured out the vodka; his hands shook when he returned the pain meds). And she tells him it will be alright because she already has. He doesn't know that means she is the one who lets in the men in black into their apartment to take her son away that very night, with the television playing 4 am infomercials.
Skills:
- If you were to boil it down, you could say Saito was good at hand-to-hand combat. He’s a little too defensive, sometimes, but that’s mostly because he’s not sure if he could hold back when he goes on the offense.
- Bi-lingual. Tri if you really wanna count his shit-tastic Japanese.
- He’s willing to wait. Maybe it could be called Procrastination, but he will not hurry if another, better opportunity will present itself later.
Miscellaneous:
- He’s been clean of opiates for four years now. Now way in hell is he going back. He gets sick if he even smells alcohol. He goes to meeting for addicts and the summer camp he works out is an extension of his mandatory volunteering after he got out of jail.
Equipment:
- All standard issue equipment is included.
- Personal item includes his old, sweaty wraps he uses during MMA matches and training.
Questions:
1. “You washed up on a deserted tropical island, alone. Right beside you is a box, what’s inside?”
- “Nothing. Why the hell would a box be full of anything? It’s probably full of salty water and sand just like my pants would be after washing up on a beach!”
2. “The government has shut down and you are all on your own, what is your immediate objective?”
- “Get the hell away from people asap. I don’t wanna be around when shit hits the fan. Ever hear of mass hysteria? Power in numbers, my ass.”
3. “You have been tasked to do something very important by someone important at the cost of your own safety, would you do it?”
- “No.”
4. “A nuclear bomb has just gone off and you are now hiding in your shelter, would you allow strangers to come in to your bunker?”
- “No. They might try to kill me. Even if they have supplies, then we’ll still run out of those supplies just as fast because they’ll be eating them too.”
5. “Someone you love dearly is dying, and the only cure is at the hands of someone who will never give it to you freely. What do you do?”
- “Euthanize. Getting the cure isn’t the only option to end that person’s suffering.” He doesn’t look in the interviewer in the eye when he says this.
6. “If you were left alone to do something freely, what is your first action?”
- “Go surfing. I’m not as good as mom or anything, but there’s something soothing about being by yourself with the board and the waves and the sun.”
7. “Would you ever give up?”
- “I’ve given up already. I don’t think giving up is one of those things you get a second chance with because you realize that it’s a one-way street to nothing.”

Arrios Urais

Name: Arrios Urias
Sex: Male
Age: 20
Birth date: 01/02
Occupation: Rock Climbing & Mountain Biking Instructor; Volunteer Emergency Responder
Appearance:
- Height = 6’ 0”
- Weight = 232lbs
- Body Decorations = None.
Personality: Adventurous—Dependable—Superstitious—Messy—Religious
Thoughts on:
- Religion: Born into the Roman Catholic Church, Arrios grew up with the taste of the host on his tongue in daily mass and the consuming smell of frankincense during blessings. He doesn’t give much thought to other people and their religions because for him, in this place of stained glass, crucifixes, and murmuring priests, is all he is concerned with.
- Sports: He isn’t really a team player type of guy. He’ll sit around with his older brother and watch football/soccer, but he much prefers other extreme sports like rock climbing, mountain biking, trail running, hiking, and the like.
- Arts: He digs the petroglyphs that are scattered around Moab. For him art doesn’t really extend outside the Stations of the Cross, statues of Mary, and stained glass. He likes to sing in Church and jams out to country when driving his 4x4 up to Sandflats or down Kane Creek for a little camping.
- Law: Considering he works for a division of the U.S government and he’s friends with most of the cops, he has a certain respect for the law.
- Sex: Porn creates disturbing desire in both men and women. Sex should occur only after marriage…but he confessed his sins to Father McConnel and one of them was pre-marital sex.
- Science: For him, it’s one of those necessary evils. It destroys and creates God’s good world.
- Government: He doesn’t have much to say on it. He votes in the presidential elections (democrat). He likes the National Park System and the state park systems. That was done right, for sure.
- America: He thinks America needs to keep their noses out of everyone else's business (aka wars and such things).
- Apocalypse: Quotes from the bibles and sermons of brimstone and fire are the only thoughts he’s given towards the apocalypse.
- Humans: He thinks we’re a little lost, but that’s why Jesus, God’s son, came to us.
- Death: His soul is straight, or, at least, as much as it can be.
- Life: A gift. A beautiful, enthralling gift that can be enjoyed to the fullest in the light of God.
Background:
- Place of Birth: Puerto Rico; Current Residence: Moab, Utah
- His mom and dad are both back in Tampa Bay area and his older brother is stationed in someplace-he-can’t-talk-about. Most of his other family still lives in Puerto Rico, but he isn’t close with them.
- He actually doesn’t speak Spanish. Sometimes, people are confused. (“Aren’t you Mexican or something?” they ask.) It was his father’s decision because even though his family has dual-citizenship, Mr. Urias believed that if you’re going to live somewhere, you’ve gotta speak their language. So through high school he took French, having fun with the Hatians the block over. Tasting their slag was like his first kiss: seductive and dangerous.
-His first girl was the captain of the beach volleyball team. He liked her. Liked her in the kind of way that he first saw the birthmark on her stomach and fell in love with the dark-splotch skin. But then she went to college some place north and cold and where he didn’t get to see that birthmark nearly as much as he’s used to. So he got a call one night and that was it. He told the priest he only had sex with her because he honestly believed they were going to get married. Her, teaching kids who drooled on themselves, and he, working from midnight to eight on another high rise with his father’s construction business.
-He bought a one-way ticket to Salt Lake City, his mother’s tears still hot on his cheek. He found a different kind of love in Utah, but not until he drove out of the La Sal mountains and down in the green patch of the desert that was Moab. Things fell into place from there. Not lived in the type of way that people think of. But the type of living where he only sees his room during week nights and his tent gets more use than his bed.
- Volunteering for the Emergency Response happened like getting a job at one of the many adventure outfitters in town. By accident. He thinks that they’ll hire him soon. That’s why he was the first responder on a call that came in during a afternoon thunderstorm. Normally, he’s not. He doesn’t have the full training that the other responders do have; he doesn’t have the years of experience; he slings on his rain jacket and jumps into his 4x4 ready for the bright lightning, but not the thunder. A distress call came from in the Canyon on Kane Creek. It’s not even a half mile down the unpaved part of the road that the mudslide happens. He didn’t hear the popping of the rocks because the thunder ate any other sound. One second he’s in a control skid through a curve and the next his head is slammed against the window and his hands are off the wheel. He remembers flashlights and people and it's the team.
- He's restless in the hospital with a compound fracture of his tibia, lots of bruises, and a concussion when he gets a call from his dad. He talks about this governmental program that Arrios had been selected for. The details were vague and even when requesting the lowest dosage of pain medication possible, Arrios doesn't understand that participation is not voluntary. He's taking a nap while he's waiting for his discharge five days later when his IV is spiked. When he's wheeled out, he keeps smiling in his sleep because he just found out that he's officially on the payroll for the Moab Emergency Rescue Team. But he’ll never get the bonus they planned on giving him…
Miscellaneous:
- He enjoys a beer after a hot day out in the sun or after a particularly frustrating tourist who has a problem appreciating silence.
Skills:
- First aid training, CPR, those types of basics.
- He can keep his voice steady and clear during an emergency.
- He knows how to work things like gear and pulleys, but he also knows how to read the sky. Knows when the rains settles in the mountains still means he can go rock climbing all day without feeling a single rain drop until he’s sleeping. That just because the wind is blowing hard doesn’t mean a storm is coming in. And that those big puffy clouds? Sometimes they’re really just big puffy clouds.
- Awesome endurance.
Equipment:
- Some standard issue equipment is included, but much of it has been replaced by similar personal equipment Arrios already had in his possession (i.e. serrated knife, compass, sleeping bag, hygiene kit, hiking boots, mess kit, and sunglasses.)
- Paracord has been replaced by his own static climbing cord. Also, dynamic rope has been added. Other climbing equipment has been included such as two harnesses, several steel carabiners & aluminum quickdraws, an active belay device, a daisy chain, and lots of nuts or “wires.”
Questions:
1. “You washed up on a deserted tropical island, alone. Right beside you is a box, what’s inside?”
- “A corona beer with a lime in it.” He’s smiling.
2. “The government has shut down and you are all on your own, what is your immediate objective?”
- “Check in with the Team. People tend to do crazy stuff no matter if the government in working or not and I’m gonna to be there to help.”
3. “You have been tasked to do something very important by someone important at the cost of your own safety, would you do it?”
- “Oh, yeah. I do it all the time. It’s not such a big deal when you get used to it.”
4. “A nuclear bomb has just gone off and you are now hiding in your shelter, would you allow strangers to come in to your bunker?”
- “Yupp. I’d probably go looking for people once it’s safe, too.”
5. “Someone you love dearly is dying, and the only cure is at the hands of someone who will never give it to you freely. What do you do?”
- “I don’t know if I can answer that question. I’ve never been in that type of situation before. I’ve never really met a lot of people who weren’t willing to help when it really mattered.”
6. “If you were left alone to do something freely, what is your first action?”
- “Probably jump on my bike and head out somewhere where the sky is so dark it scares the shit outta me.”
7. “Would you ever give up?”
- “Nope. Don’t think I’d ever want to. ‘Sides, God’s got my back.”

[FiroIV]

Team Georgia Arc 1 - Texas Swamp Forest.

Setting

Beginning of Georgia Story
• State: Texas
• Plot: Team Georgia lands on the outskirts of what used to be Texas. Their boat lands on the remains of what used to be Houston Texas.
• The general coastline area of the southern/central regions of the United States is a large mangrove forests extending well beyond the main land creating small mangrove forests that take root deep into the old buildings of the land.
• There isn’t much terrain to be spoken of the in the area because there isn’t much land. The further inland it goes the more land there will be, but much of the land is covered in tree roots that have dried out, solidified, have grown over tree roots, and have been grown over by other tree roots. This is the typical scene well until they reach mainland, which becomes less swampy and more mountainous. The farther you are to the mainland the denser and thicker the mangroves become essentially turning into a large swamp with little to no earth. During high tides the low leveled mangroves become submerged.
• The Flora of the area is more or less dominated by large trees that have even larger roots underwater. These trees have dark colored barks with thin coatings of salt. The trees are typically around thirty feet tall with thick and stiff tree trunks that a person can easily climb. The tree’s don’t grow a lot of branches, but grow lots of creeping vines where the seeds sprout from until they fall into the water. It’s leaves grow only at the highest point of the tree and not much else creating a thick canopy. The mangrove trees that are in the lower leveled portions are often submerged in water resulting in shellfish to live inside broken tree trunks. The trees have a special way of spreading their seeds. The trees seeds grow from the vines of the trees and begin germinating the moment they get wet. The tree seeds are thin and fragile looking, but are hallow, have thin shells and most importantly buoyant. The middle parts of the seeds have a lotus like leaflet on it that allows the seeds to float in water vertically. This type of seed allows the mangrove forests to spread anywhere with large amounts of water.
• Other flora includes aquatic plants that have specifically adapted with the mangroves. Water lettuces that sprout above the water float freely above the water, and survive strong waters by clumping with other water lettuces through their vine roots and the roots of the mangroves.
• The Fauna of the area is archetypical of swampy areas. Due to the dominant nature of the mangrove trees there are not a lot of areas for large mammals to grow. The swampy, mangrove nature of the area allows for hundred of insects, crustaceans, reptiles and small mammals to coexist in the area.
• Insects come in many shapes, but the most dominant insect in the area resembles dragonflies. They are double the size of old world dragonflies and have long . These dragonfly creatures lay their eggs inside low lying mangrove tree barks allowing them to hide them from predators like the flying lemurs and the frogs, but are close enough to the water allowing the dragonfly babies called “nymphs” to roam underwater until their wings have matured enough to fly. These insects mostly feed on each other, small crustaceans and salted leaves. The crustaceans in the swamp are the reason the animals can survive because they are the main source of food for most of the animals. They come in any shape, but typically take the form of shrimp. These crustaceans feed on the salty water; vary in size ranging from the smallest baby being plankton sized to the largest around the size of a fist.
• The most dominant reptilian creatures, all of whom are amphibians, consists of large big croaking frogs that feed on the insects, the second dominant reptilian species are the thick, long, and crustacean scaled lizards that feed mostly on insects and shrimp, the third most dominant reptilian species include large komodo dragon like creatures that swim underwater. The komodo dragon creatures are highly predatorial and are incredibly dangerous because of their enormous size, sharp fangs, and their hunting style that involves packs of them lying in camouflage along the roots until a prey comes.
• The only type of mammal that live in the area include thin haired flying lemurs. They are small nocturnal creatures with short limbs that have extra skin between them that allow them to glide. They have yellow bug eyes that lets them see in the dark and prehensile tails that allow them to hang on the canopy of the swamp. They sleep like bats, upside down, during the day and use their extra skin flaps hide their sensitive eyes. They are peaceful creatures, but have a deep familial bond resulting in aggressive attacks if one of them is attacked. They feed on insects, tree seeds and water lettuce, which is dangerous because they are easy prey to the komodo dragon creatures.

Image references:
1, 2, 3, and 4

Map of Texas

Legend:
(Sea level is around 1000ft above normal.)
Teal blue colored ares represent areas underwater.
Murky brown colores areas represent swampy water areas. - There's no land yet, but the forests have grown above the water.
Swamp green colored ares represent swamply land areas. - There is stable footing, but the ground is soft and sinks.
The large black star at the westernmost areas is the location of the supplies shelter. - It is Guadalupe peak and the highest natural point in Texas.
The three smaller stars are points of interest. - From top to bottom is the Palo Duro Canyon State Park, Enchanted Rock, and Devil's Sinkhole.
Palo Duro Canyon State Park - It used to be a dry grassland typical of the Texas wildlife, but because of the nearby river that has flooded over much of the landscape has change. There is an increase in the amount of vegetation in the area due to the large amount of water that passes through the area.
Enchanted Rock - It used to be a large granite hill devoid of life, but due to earthquakes the entire rock formation has cracked creating small ravines which reach down to the earth. This has allowed millions of bats to live inside the cracks. Vines from the swamp has also reached most of the rock formation and has grown on top of the rock and rake root down to the ground.
Devil's Sinkhole - It used to be a large sinkhole that has created small caverns, but over time the already large hole has increased. There are now several sinkholes in the area, all of which connect to the original Devil's Sinkhole. The over abundant amount of subsidence has created these sinkholes which lead to the creation of what could be called an underground forest that fills the cave. (See Son Doong cave, but smaller.)

[Raid]

Happy fourth of July. Hope you enjoyed the holiday..if ya celebrate of course.

[FiroIV]

thanks, not really happy, but thanks.

Anyway i could get to working on this this weekend because of personal issues, but it'll be Monday again tomorrow so il start back with normal sched again.

[Raid]

No worries. Hopefully everything smooths out for you.

[FiroIV]

I finished with the initial post, but im looking over it now to check for errors. I'll have it up tonight.

[FiroIV]

POSTED

For now I"ll stick mostly to Maddie since she still has to explain stuff.

So team blue includes, Maddie, Deepti, Simon, and Saito, team red include's Alex, Cherry, Arrios, and Summer.

[Raid]

Got it. I'll have a post up in before the weekend. :) Looking forward to finally getting this off the ground.

[FiroIV]

Coolio, just a reminder none of them still has no idea of what's happened to them unless they've been told by their parents moments before being taken away.

[Raid]

Sounds like a fun challenge! :)

[Raid]

Well. I posted. I hope the added details like the shirts and dress is acceptable. Are they going to just drift to land? Does Maddie know where they landed?

[FiroIV]

Maddie knows that their team was designates to land just south of the Texas shoreline so she knows that their best bet is to go north west. Using this knowledge they will head in that direction and reach land. In the event that they don't they will still reach land one way or the other because local winds that come from the main land create winds that make wind waves that allow for anything that floats to wash up in the coastline, and even further ocean currents naturally go along most great land masses that even if their raft gets carried away by one they'll be close enough to paddle to shore.

As for where in the map exactly they'll land you can pick a place in map I made for the Texas. For this first story arc our goal is to get them to non swampy area, in other words, mainland. Realistically speaking walking from the coast of Texas, let's say, Corpus Christi to San Antonio (both line up in the map of Texas i have up there) would take two and a half days without stop. i did the math and If we factor in the fact that there's no road, they have to make stops, unfamiliar territory, and external variables it will take them possibly a week before they can leave the swamp area, which should be a good enough time for one arc.

By the way there are oars on each side of the raft, but i forgot about it in my last post. As for the look of their raft it looks kind of likethis, but around this thing's size albeit shorter. All of it is made of made of a colored plastic rubber like synthetic material that's both durable, solid, but light and allows them to float on the sea's effortlessly. Surrounding the entire thing and underneath the raft are rope floats that keep the raft steady and floating, and the same goes for the rope that keeps the two rafts together.

---

Honestly, I think i should have worked on a better way for them to get started in the world. I don't mean the intro, but with the whole aircraft shuttle thing, but it was either that or have them asleep underwater in some kind of rising machine, which would have limited all teams to start by the coast and make their way inland, but that would have limited exploration and environment types. What do you think? Is the whole aircraft shuttle thing and being in space kind of dorky? I mean we're not gonna change it, but coming from a reader's perspective what do you think?

Sorry about the above I've just been organizing my writing and that thinking came up.

---

EDIT: So I jut finished reading you post. Lovely and already in character, I'm jealous, it usually takes a good few pots before I get the hang of my guys. Also the fact that they're wearing Georigia shots kind of make me happy.

Also they all have their own rooms with one bed for privacy. If that's not what it read like from when I wrote it I apologize. Basically the dome has an external shell which is thin and acts as a cover,and inside is a smaller dome that's cut four ways like a pizza. Each room has one skewing pod and there stuff. If I wasn't clear anout it when then I'm vey sorry. It's all my fault. Don't worry though you don't need to change anything it's just for the future since theyll be spending some time in this rather large raft. All this really means is that I still need to work on my writing.

[Raid]

I agree with the time line; it's realistic. (I have a tendency to get riled up when people think hiking is super easy and doing 25 miles in one day takes only a few hours--a lot of t.v shows/movies have a tendency to do this.)

Don't worry about the lack of description with the raft! It's hard to avoid information dumps sometimes, but you've been balancing your writing well. (So, the pods are inside the dome, btw?) Besides this is a test run, anyways. Things will work themselves out.

As for having the survivors in space, I think it makes sense. Because the scientists might not be able to predict everything that will occur when the meteors hit earth, so they would want to put the teams in a place where they would be the most secure and stable. Thus in orbit. Something to consider, though is maybe the guide not waking the other occupants up until they're closer to land? But that's just something for a later time/group to worry about. It helps cut out the random floating time and allows the characters to be distracted by other things rather then themselves in a boat in the open sea. Ya get what I mean?

Happy you like the t-shirt touch. :) It's amazing what getting matching t-shirt for a group will do! Have you ever heard of character interrogation? It's essentially what you did in the CS where you had the questions for the characters to answer. I find doing a few sessions of just dialogue like that really helps me understand my characters and flesh them out without having to add a shit ton to their history or something like that.

Happy writing. :)

[FiroIV]

Thanks for the kind words.
My weekends tend to be busy so I tend to not be able to post, but thankfully it's over. Tomorrow is Monday again so I'll be glad to begin working again.

[Raid]

It sounds as if you don't like weekends. And sounds cool. I look forward to your post.

[FiroIV]

I really don't. During the weekends my whole family is here and while I love them it becomes suffocating when everyone's here all the time.

[Raid]

Yupp. Family has a tendency to do that. I have a pretty large one and they don't really understand the whole writing thing. I tend not to get any writing done when they're around because they make me feel so damned guilty about it.

[FiroIV]

I'm the same.
Anyway I posted for Simon. Summer and alex are both coming next in the same post. Simon and Maddie are easier for me to understand since I'm the logical and patient type, but Alex and Summer aren't really like that so It's kind of hard for me to move them quickly.

By the way as you can see Simon is a total sap.