{This is a Zombie Survival RP with a bit of 'werewolves/lycans' thrown into it..I know, weird combo, but oh well! ..Civilians are not aware of the enhanced people, and have only come out of hiding since the outbreak. Only civilians where the Enhanced people are also located will know of their secret. Even then, some might have it locked away, holding onto old protocols.}
Within the United States, there are multiple safety zones in which one could take shelter in from the outbreak. Safety zones are meant to keep the infected out, and for those who are attempting to survive this whole thing to resume somewhat normal lives as before. One major safe zone is held up in Colorado out of an old, abandonded Insane Asylum called Twin Peaks. So far only two military-trained Pack members, Sgt Maj Devereaux and Staff Sgt Harper, are remaining who are defending this safe zone. They do what they can to protect the people who have chosen to stay under their protection.
Setting and Plot
Within the United States, there are multiple safety zones in which one could take shelter in from the outbreak. Safety zones are meant to keep the infected out, and for those who are attempting to survive this whole thing to resume somewhat normal lives as before. One major safe zone is held up in Colorado out of an old, abandonded Insane Asylum called Twin Peaks. So far only two military-trained Pack members, Sgt Maj Devereaux and Staff Sgt Harper, are remaining who are defending this safe zone. They do what they can to protect the people who have chosen to stay under their protection.
About the Wolves / Shape-Shifters
How They Came To Be:
Back in the early 1900's, the government had finally created a stable "virus", if you will, only administered by injection. It would turn the average soldier into an almost-unstoppable killing machine. The idea of werewolves was brought to life, injected into the brave, willing soldiers to make the change to their lives permanent, because of course there was no cure for what they were given. The new power these soldiers held was kept under tight lock and key, no one spoke of it or even slightly hinted at it. The empowered soldiers were referred to as "The Pack". The first Original Pack was made in the Navy Seal branch, but soon the other branches began to complain, and not too long after that every branch of the military had twelve of their very own Pack members at their disposal. When a member of the pack was KIA(Killed in Action), a new member was "born".
Over the years, the first Pack members who survived the wars they were put through have since died of sickness or old age. Those of their descended offspring have also had children of their own now. The werewolf strain somehow attached to the Original hosts' DNA and was passed down through the generations. These children who have managed to retain this gene were either made to join the military or trained how to control their "other half". A few cases have been found throughout the US and UK of kids just shortly after their eighteenth birthday making the change--RARELY does a child make the change before then. In some instances, younglings who have been put through tragic events become so emotionally overwhelmed it pushes the βvirusβ to activate in them, causing them to shift at younger ages. Very few of these younglings who are put through the change early in life make it-- 99% of them die because the shift is so overwhelming for their small frames. The government kept a constant watch on these kids, and if they thought they might screw up somehow and leak the secret, they were terminated.
Shape-Shifter Description:
Shape-shifters normally tend to be about half the size as their human selves, quite a bit larger than your average grey wolf. Placing humans beside the wolves, a wolfβs shoulders would come up to the mid-stomach area of a fully grown man averaging at about 6ft. They have exceptional hearing, sense of smell and eyesight, even in their human forms. The actual transformation between human and wolf is quite painful, but some have managed to master the change so much that it's hardly painful at all and happens within a matter of seconds. Initially, one breaks every bone in their body as their "other half" fights it's way out of it's human form. Bones reforming into that of a wolf, they "shed" their skin to be replaced with fur and acquire a tail. How such a large wolf could fit into their human forms, we still haven't quite figured it out yet. Overall the initial transformation is not easy, and is very disconcerting and confusing. With the wolfβs eyes, however, they differ depending on pack rank. Alphaβs eyes glow a deep red, members of a pack have light golden-yellow eyes.. Betas eyes are a bright orange, an in-between color of the average Member eye color and an Alpha's. Omegas, also known as lone wolves, have a bright shade of violet color for eyes. For those who have taken an innocent life, their eyes have been permanently changed to electric blue. Every wolf has their birth-given eye color in human form, and only glow just before the change, and throughout the time that they are in their wolf forms. (-->See Here for an example<--) The ONLY Alphas, are the highest ranking officers in the pack. If the original Alpha is KIA, then the next high ranking officer will become the next Alpha if no other Alpha is to be made.
Pack Behavior:
In their wolf forms, shape-shifters show the general behavior of their titular animals, though they retain their human intelligence, memories and character, up to and including showing their human eyes. Pack members are also telepathically linked with each other, enhancing their coordination during hunts and fights but allowing little to no privacy at any time. The Alphas of two different packs are able to communicate telepathically, and can control what thoughts they share, while the subordinates of different packs don't show this ability.
The dominant male/female, the Alpha, can force the other pack members to obey his/her orders against their will just as they can in their human forms as commanding officers. A Beta can also do this, though he/she can't command his/her own Alpha/Commanding Officer. Even if it's implied, it is unknown whether this characteristic is also extended down the pack ranks.
Rules
Respect The GM & Co-GMs: Sure, sometimes we make weird calls or say something that's not quite PC. Realize that the admin's have a hard job, the job of telling you that you are wrong and you need to change something. We don't like doing it but we have to sometimes. That also means that when things come too heavily into question, you need to let us deal with it. You can make our jobs easier by reading these rules and adhering to them. We promise, you'll like us a lot more if you do. We also encourage and welcome discussion on why an admin made a certain call. If you talk to us like people and not like we're your most hated high school enemy then there's a rather good chance you'll change our minds on some things...
*Wolves of the Apocalypse Co-GMs: LoneSilverWolf & lonewolf888978
Same Forum, Same Rules: You are in a sub-sector of the RolePlayerGuild forums. The Forum Rules and CoC are the over-arcing rules. Know them, love them, abide by them.
No dirty/sexual content: Absolutely no sexual content allowed. Romantic situations are always welcome in your story-telling, however they will remain completely innocent. Anything more touchy-feely than a kiss will be given an Inappropriate Content Warning.
Respect Your Fellow RPer: This involves basic netiquette.
* Don't yell at someone (USING ALL CAPS LIKE THIS IS YELLING EVEN IF YOU DON'T MEAN IT TO BE). Use exclamation points, bold, italics, whatever you want to make your point but don't yell in all CAPS. It's just simply rude.
* Realize we have people who identify with different religions, maybe a lack of religion, sexual orientations, locations, races, ages and whatnot. We don't expect you to be perfect but we do expect you to show a little maturity.
* If they do something in the RP that you think is wrong or illegitimate, ask them why they did it and if they'd change it. Discuss in the OOC or Private Message what the problem is. If a resolution can't be gotten to, ask myself or an admin to step in and we'll help you fix the problem. (It's usually good practice to STOP the RP if this happens, that way you don't have to go back and say "Ignore these posts" or go back and edit them.)
* Don't be childish. If myself or an admin asks you to fix a mistake, change something that isn't right or whatnot, just do it please. Don't make a fuss about it.
No "Bunny-moding": This means taking over another playerβs character. Usually this kind of thing happens innocently enough but ends in major fights over what actually is happening. "*Vrynn attacks Corey with a vicious slash to his face and Corey drops to his knees in pain*" This is bunny-moding. Instead of allowing Corey to react to the attack, Vrynn assumed she hit him and told him how he was going to react. This is not acceptable RP. Never assume you know what the other character will do. (Sometimes, someone gives you explicit permission to run their character while away. This is the only time bunny-moding is acceptable.)
No God-moding: This one should be pretty easy. God-moding is when a character is able to do whatever they want, whenever they want with little or no consequences. People cannot dodge bullets. This is not allowed. This is also important for character creation as there are certain limits within this RP that must be adhered to, despite the fact this is a fantasy fiction RP with werewolves in it.. still, no god-moding.
No OOC in RPs: Most of the RPs we have going on have their own OOC (Out Of Character) thread that corresponds. If you have random chatter to contribute that doesn't involve the RP, take it to these threads where you can spew randomness, embed videos, and generally be dorky to your hearts content. Having unrelated chatter in the middle of the RP threads is distracting to all the players, including you. When you need to say something out of character in the middle of an RP, such as to ask a question about a character's action, always use double parenthesis ((Like this.)), or "OOC: (insert what needs to be said here)." to speak OOC. This helps differentiate the chatter from the RP.
No Double Posting: Basically, this means let the other characters/players have a chance to react to you before you try continuing what is going on or just walk away from the conversation altogether. If you have two or more characters that you're RPing with but forgot to post as one, there is an [Edit] button on the bottom of your post. Use it. Don't double post. If more than 2 days have passed and nobody has responded to you, or if you know factually that your RP buddy is gone for a long while, then it is okay to post again.
All RPers, new and old, have room to improve our story-telling and interaction abilities so here are some tips to keep in mind to help everyone improve..
Roleplaying Tips:
Clarity: Be clear about what is happening in your posts and try to make sure the other RPers understand. They will be acting on what they think you meant. Other RPers will post responding to the new posts and a long line of actions can form alarmingly fast. Confusion can cause massive problems if not cleared up quickly and can cause a lot of disruption to the RP as the line of actions may be undermined. Try to minimize confusion as it breaks the flow of the RP by being very precise with actions and their intended effect. (Remember, it's bunny-moding to force it to affect the other character, best to tell them what you want to happen and let them react accordingly.)
Collaborative Story: Remember that everyone else has an equal part in the RP's story. Give them time to do the things they want, don't change the story radically without asking others (Especially if you've made a large post. Changing it then having people go back to re-read it can be bothersome) and always leave room for their stories.
Consistency: Have your character act in ways that are typical of them. It sounds like common sense but it's often overlooked. While RPing an inconsistent character you're not really RPing just one character but many. In short it can lead to confusion. It can be helpful to write down the major personality quirks your character has and refer to that from time to time to remind yourself how your character should react in certain situations.
Drama:The point of every story is the emotion it makes the reader feel and every RP is basically a story. The general tips of good RPing are the same as good writing. One that stands out above all else is try to have a good taste of drama in your character and their actions. How to include drama? A heated argument between two characters is dramatic. A character hanging on for dear life as other characters struggle to save them. In other words any situation that the reader genuinely believes your character might die is dramatic. Any deep emotional interaction between characters is dramatic. Don't be afraid of "non-action" because those are the times when you get to reveal your cool or misguided past and either gain sympathy, empathy or maybe even jealousy or hatred from the other characters.
Respect the other characters: Respect the other characters and what they can do and what they have been through. Remember that no character is the 'main character' and that each character is probably something it's player is attached to.
Be aware of your IRL situation: Keep in mind what your work schedule, sleep schedule and time zone is compared to other RPers. If you find that you're having to force yourself or someone else to stay up too late or you want to RP with someone who is never on at the same time as you, consider changing your strategy. Sometimes you just have to accept that you can't RP with certain people due to these very real time restrictions. This also goes for double-posting. Give the other players time to respond and never expect someone to respond to you quickly. Give it up to a day just in case someone was called away for a chore or a phone call before you post again.
When in doubt; Rewind!: If the situation is too muddy and everyone is fighting over what should have happened, that couldn't be right, how dare you etc... then just throw up a vote. If 75% of the players in an event agree that rewinding to an earlier point and replaying the situation is for the best, then please do. We want to have fun, not create problems.
Character Creation Form
:: Personal Information ::
Full Birth-Given Name: Give us your whole, real name. If you changed it from the name given at birth, please provide that as well.
Preferred Name // Nickname: Provide the name you would rather go by.
Sexual Orientation & Gender: Gender is obvious, you should know how to differentiate the other.
Years Since My Birth: Self-explanatory. Please keep your age 18+.
Also Knowing: Tell us a little more about yourself, anything extra that you may wish to share with us.
:: General Information ::
My One and Only Reason For Existing: Your significant other's name, or a child's name would go here.
Those Who Brought Me Into This World: Your parent's names.
Those Made To Survive This World Alongside Me: Do you have any siblings? If not, just erase this completely from your character form.
Faithful Furry Companions: Do you have a pet that you've managed to keep alive with you? (Please be sure that you only have one animal, if you choose to allow your character to keep one. There can be exceptions, if your character has a larger animal and a small animal.. ask me first, please, thank you)
:: Other Information ::
Song That Best Describes Me: What song best describes you? Is there a song out there you favor that seems to have been made to fit you perfectly?
Weapons Carried on My Person at All Times: Any weapons carried on you at any given time, please list them here.
Here's the Story of My Past and How I Have Survived This Long: Give us a background history on where you came from, what's gone on in the last year since the outbreak first began and how you've managed to make it this far.
How Some People Might See Me: Tell us about yourself. What is your personality like? (please write a good, decent paragraph.. no one or two liners please. -___-)
Standing Before a Mirror, I See: In a decently descriptive manner, tell us what you look like. Give us a well-written description as if you were trying to explain your appearance to a blind person!
The Beast Within Me: Describe to us what your wolf looks like, if you have one. And please.. we need to keep the number of wolves down that aren't military, so.. please, if your character isn't military and you want it to be a shape-shifter, please ask. For those who wish to roleplay a military character, know the lingo and how things are done in the military before you make your character of service. And remember to describe their eyes.. where they rank in the pack, if any. (βAlphaβs eyes glow a deep red, members of a pack have light golden-yellow eyes.. Betas eyes are a bright orange, an in-between color of the average Member eye color and an Alpha's. Omegas, also known as lone wolves, have a bright shade of violet color for eyes. For those who have taken an innocent life, their eyes have been permanently changed to electric blue. Every wolf has their birth-given eye color in human form, and only glow just before the change, and throughout the time that they are in their wolf forms. β)
Photographed Picture of Myself: Pictures of both your appearances, meaning in human form and wolf form! Do not give us drawings or an anime version of yourself. We want to see your true, beautiful/handsome face. :3 (If there is an issue, and you would rather hand draw your character, then please talk to either myself or an admin about your predicament.)
