Life in the country is seemingly normal. Everything is going fairly well within the world. That is until children the age of thirteen and younger start to seemingly drop like flies. Panic spreads through the nation and after a few months scientist discover a disease that is later named IAAN, Idiopathic Adolescent Acute Neurodegeneration. Once the death count slows nearly to a stop it is discovered that approximately 98% of children thirteen and younger have died with all under the age of eight gone and a few fourteen and fifteen year old children dead as well. Fear comes to a max within nearly all citizens of America, but the fear is not aimed at the disease. The majority of the fear is aimed at those left.
Soon the government sets up a system to 'help' the children. They request that if any child exhibits any symptoms of IAAN that they should report it to the government so they may be relocated to 'Rehabilitation Camps'. This is just the cover story though. Once a child gets onto the bus to be relocated it's obvious something is wrong. Guards with guns and not being allowed to even speak. Fear and tension rise within the children. As soon as the children arrive at their assigned camp they are instantly put through a screening process and then designated a color. Some don't understand, but a few already know what the colors mean. The harsh reality comes to light when each child realizes they are now a prisoner to the government for something out of their control and there is nothing they can do about it. Will you try anyway?
Backstory/Lore
Welcome to the Darkest Minds interest check. This RP is based on a book series by Alexandra Bracken. The Darkest Minds is an apocalyptic books series pertaining to the children of America that are infected by a disease called IAAN, Idiopathic Adolescent Acute Neurodegeneration. A virus that originally killed at least 98% percent of the children, while the others gained peculiar abilities. The children that live through the pandemic that gained abilities are sent to 'rehabilitation camps', but these camps more resemble concentration camps or maybe extremely intense boot camps. A lot of the camps were very different than others. Think how in the Fallout games the Vaults all did things differently. All of the children have one of two goals, escape or survive.
This is a books series that as soon as I began reading it I was absorbed in the story. For a while I have wanted to role play this story, despite it being so large it's also surprisingly easy to follow. It's also fairly easy to manipulate the characters in the stories, and I think it could be really interesting and really epic. I will put a few of the things that will remain the same down below, these same things also helped the story progress very nicely and give a very strong since of paranoia and allow even more people to join. I will not set a limit to how many join, but of it seems like their is a larger amount of interest than I expect then I will set a limit. Until I know how many people are interested everyone will be limited to a single character. Depending on the way this interest check goes I may change that.
Now, onto all the important info. As I have already stated the children who lived gained abilities. These abilities were classified into colors. Before putting it off here they are:
Green: Green is the color classification for individuals who developed enhanced mental and intellectual powers as a result of IAAN. Typically these powers manifest as heightened problem solving abilities, photographic memory, and/or enhanced talent for technical interfaces. Since their powers do not affect the world around them, Green classified individuals are considered by far the least dangerous of the Psi's.
Blue: Blue is the color classification for individuals who developed telekinesis as a result of IAAN. Blues have the power to move objects with their minds. Also known as telekinesis. Blue is considered one of the less dangerous powers.
Yellow: Yellow is the color classification for individuals who developed electrokinesis as a result of IAAN. Yellows have the power to create and control electricity. They are considered one of the more dangerous powers.
Orange: Orange is the color classification for children who developed a range of telepathic abilities. As a group, they have demonstrated the ability to read minds, influence people's actions and thoughts, alter or erase memories, and change the feelings of others. Unlike other power groups, the abilities of different orange classified individuals seems to vary, although they generally seem able to produce similar results. Most Oranges only have access to one of the aforementioned abilities of their group, but it has not been disproven that an Orange could possess the power to use two. As a result of the nature of their abilities, it is noted that many orange individuals suffered from mental instability or even insanity, likely as a result of their tendency to spend time in the minds of others. Using their powers also take a mental toll on them and they can't use it continually for long periods of time without passing out.
Red: Red is the color classification for those who developed pyrokinesis powers as a result of IAAN. Red classified individuals have the ability to create and manipulate fire. As a result, they posses immense destructive potential, and are considered among the most dangerous of the Psi's. Although the ratios are not well documented, it is likely that individuals possessing Red powers were relatively rare, even at the onset of IAAN. Reds were the only ones who all received some sort of physical side effect as a result of their powers. It caused some part of their body to twitch or shake uncontrollably at times.
Within the books their are a few people, groups, and some items that should be mentioned here.
Various People:
President Grey: The President at the time that IAAN hit. He is the one who instituted the 'Rehabilitation Camps' and created the PSF's. He is far from a good man. He uses the epidemic to keep the Presidency. By making himself appear to be someone who desires to help the children and wanting to help the nation as it begins to collapse in on itself he is able to convince the populace that they must keep him, a 'strong' leader, in power in order to fix this as soon as possible.
Clancy Grey: The son of the President and first 'successful' example that the rehabilitation was working. As soon as the camps were first created Clancy was instantly taken to an early version of Thurmond. There he was experimented on and forced to appear in front of the press to make it appear he had no side affects and that he was fine. In truth as an orange he was able to read the minds of those around him and let them think that he was actually all right. By making them think he was no longer a threat he secretly began altering his father's thoughts and founded East River and easily getting what he needed when he needed using his father. Due to his powers and the experimentation he is driven practically insane acting as a monster in human skin. The monstrous side really only presents itself whenever he meets another Orange which is rare. He cares little for anyone's life unless they are an Orange or he can use them in some way. He is very dangerous, but no one really knows this.
John Alban: Alban was once a good friend of President Grey. He was a member of the President's Cabinet. When he discovered what was being done he left and founded the Children's League. He desires to help and save all children. One of the few in any kind of power who actually has a good heart.
~ Various Groups:
-East River: East River is a sanctuary for Psi's. Founded and run by Psis it is the one place that kids see as truly safe. The group is run by a figure known as Slip-Kid and to many that don't find the place it seems like an urban legend or fairy tale. The true identity of Slip-Kid is only known by those who find the place. Slip-Kid is Clancy Grey, son of President Grey and one of the few Oranges left.
-Skip-Tracers: Skip tracers are basically bounty hunters. They are those 20 and older that go in search of kids with Psi abilities, capture them, and turn them in. To become a licensed skip tracer, you must turn in at least one Psi child. A few Skip Tracers are kind and only turn in the kids who would quite possibly die on their own. Still, Psi's should be very wary of any Skip Tracer no matter how well they know them. An obvious sign someone is a Skip Tracer is if they are carrying an identifying device, taser, and handcuffs.
-Psi Special Forces: Psi Special Forces, more commonly called PSF's, is a group of men and women dedicated to the capture and in some cases extermination of all kids with Psi powers. This group is under the direct control of President Grey; therefore, the majority of these people are former military and police officers. Some joined the PSF's in hopes of helping to rehabilitate the children, but most joined out of fear of Psis and thought joining the PSFs would keep them safe. Commonly wearing full body armor when near Psis and carrying M16s, batons, identifying devices, and later handheld White Noise machines.
-Children's League: The Children's League, commonly referred to as The League, is an underground group founded by John Alban, a former member of the President's cabinet. The League was founded in order to shed light onto what the government was truly doing to the Psi kids. The League is comprised of two groups, Psis and adults. The only way to join The League is if you are asked to. No one goes to them, they come to the ones they want. The League has over 300 non-Psi agents, some being ex-military and some being civilian. There are typically six Special Operative teams at all times consisting of four Psis and one 'Minder'. A minder is an adult that Alban puts over the kids. Other Psi's exist within The League, but they typically don't go on missions. After awhile two factions are formed within The League, those who share the same belief with John Alban and desire to help the children while the other faction only sees the children as tools to overthrow the government and seek to take control from Alban. NOTE* The faction thing will only happen after awhile in the RP. Not sure how long into the RP though.
-Tribes: Throughout America there are various tribes. Typically each tribe is ran by one color. The ones who run the tribe see their color as superior above all others and use other colors as slaves. This is most commonly seen with those that are Blue. The differences between these tribes are large and you never know what you many get. ~ Terms and Items of note:
-White Noise: White Noise, referred to as Calm Control by anyone that is not a Psi, is a special frequency that scientist discovered heavily affects Psis. Only Psis can hear the noise and it causes pain and puts them in a state where using their powers is nearly impossible. After a few years scientist are able to find a way to alter the frequency to target specific colors. This part, however, will not take place until a few years RP time.
-Identifying Devices: First I will apologize for I couldn't find nor remember the actual word for this. The device is something carried by PSF's and Skip Tracers that is connected to a special network with information on all known Psi's. Information includes name, color, status, description, bio, level of danger, crimes they've committed, last known location, and if identifiable who they were last seen with. Using the devices Skip-Tracers and PSF's can check the database to see what info they can find on the Psi's they find. The device can scan the face and then go straight to the the file needed or let them know the Psi is not in the database. Those with the devices can use them to update data as they go. Only PSF's and Skip-Tracers have access to this device. Unless one is stolen or they trick those who give the devices to Skip-Tracers. Example is a character known as Chubs, later in the books when he looked fairly older, made a fake ID and turned in a starving kid to save his life and got one of the devices that way. ~ Various Places:
-Thurmond: The camp that the main character Ruby Daly and major antagonist Clancy Grey were sent to. One of the harshest camps around and the largest. The PSF's here are overly cruel to the children here and life is strict and harsh. No one has ever escaped that is until Ruby Daly does. No one else escapes here until book three when the reformed Children's League comes to free everyone there.
May be updated as time goes.
Rules and Regulations
RULES #1: All guild rules apply. Duh. #2: Please be active and put forth effort in the RP. #3: Respect is a must. Please respect others in the RP and yourself. I don't want any fighting in the OOC. Save it for the IC. #4: Romance is allowed, but all guild rules must be respected. Limitation of kissing is preferred, but fade to black in some cases may be used. #5: Cursing is allowed, but I'm gonna go ahead and say I don't like cursing. It bugs me for multiple reasons and I feel it hinders writing, but I'll allow it due to the kind of RP setting this is. #6: I don't necessarily have a minimum number of paragraphs you have to post as long as it isn't ridiculously consistent and there is substance to the post. #7: I don't want someone to go to sleep and wake up to like 15 IC posts. It has happened to me before. So, those that post quickly let there be AT LEAST two different users to post before you post again for a certain character. #8: Please post at least 2 times a week within the OOC. I would love for this RP to run smoothly as well as effectively. If you disappear from the OOC I will assume you have dropped the RP unless you stated beforehand you have an issue that keeps you from posting in OOC. Just communicate and this rule won't ever take affect. #9: For now everyone will be limited to one character. Depending on how much interest there is I may bump it up to two. If you want three after that I will dive deep into your past RPing experiance to determine if I will allow it. #10: Be creative. #11: I am all for Collabs as long as they don't shut others out. #12: PM a GM if you have questions. #13: To prove you read the rules pm me your CS first instead of posting it. #14: Mention me or a Co-Gm in your Character are wanting approved.
How I want the RP to Go
Alright, let me start by saying what we will do if/when the RP starts. We can either start with what occurred when IAAN first started happening to the point our Psi kids are taken to a camp the do a two year time-skip, or leave that as a semi-memory thing for our characters. Either or works with me. Both get what I want out of the beginning.
As of right now all characters will be 10-15. The ones who were in the 8-13 age range when IAAN hit two years in the future so do your character sheet like that. If I end up allowing different variety of characters than I'll let you know how to start with them. All our characters for now though will be sent to the same camp, which I haven't picked a name for yet. They don't all have to be from the same school or anything, but somewhat close to the location of the camp. Maybe a couple of miles.
This RP will be a slight AU of the books for the sheer fact that our characters can participate in the main story line if we want. Even if we don't participate in the main story main characters may show up. Depending on how things go I may speed up time with how things happened in the book. Example is that if we need/want I can speed up Ruby's escape from Thurmond. All main characters will be controlled by me and Co-GM's but other than that if someone makes an NPC to their character and they allow it you can control them. I will allow people to make NPCs connected to their character, but I may kill them if it seems necessary or makes sense. Which means it probably won't even happen.
Also, all characters we use CAN DIE. If they do something stupid I'm not going to adjust the way the NPC they are fighting to change the way they do things just so they live. I will avoid killing PC's as much as possible though so don't worry to much. More detail to be given as time goes on.
Also here is the Character Sheet:
[center][h2][color=??????]Name of Character Here[/color][/h2] [img]Real pictures are highly recommended.[/img] [sub][i]"Insert a character quote here."[/i]-[b]Author[/b] [i]optional, quote can be by themselves[/i][/sub][/center]
[indent][u][b]Name:[/b][/u] [i]Name here[/i][/indent] [b][u]Gender:[/u][/b] [i]Pretty self-explanatory[/i] [b][u]Age:[/u][/b] [i]10-15[/i] [b][u]Birthday:[/u][/b] [i]Month, day and year not necessary because of ^[/i]
[indent][u][b]Appearance[/b][/u][/indent]
[b][u]Hair:[/u][/b] [i]color[/i] [b][u]Eyes:[/u][/b] [i]color[/i] [b][u]Height:[/u][/b] [i]preferably in feet, but if you feel like doing centimeters that's fine[/i]
[b][u]Other:[/u][/b] [i]If you feel like adding something here to do with your characters appearance[/i]
[indent][u][b]Personality[/b][/u][/indent]
[b][u]Personality:[/u][/b] [center][u]• Trait • Trait • Trait • [/u][/center] [i]Length is not much an issue for me as long as it is reasonably detailed[/i]
[b][u]Other:[/u][/b] [i]Anything else that is relevant to your character's personality. This is not necessary to fill out, though. [/i]
[b][u]Power:[/u][/b] [i]Your characters color, what they can currently do with their ability(how skilled they are), and anything you may feel necessary to add,[/i]
[b][u]Family:[/u][/b] [i]List here the various family members of the character. Be reasonable here as in don't list great great uncle Charles unless he is important to your characters life.[/i] List in the format of (Name - How are they related - Age - Status(alive or dead) - If alive what are they doing now(Only if possibly important))
[b][u]History:[/u][/b] [i]Again, I don't have a set minimum length seeing as they are kids and the time jump won't be that long, but that doesn't mean to skimp out on it. However, if you are planning to be an Orange or Red I expect this to be detailed with how they got away with it.[/i]
[b][u]Other:[/u][/b] [i]Anything else you think may be necessary.[/i]
[u][b]Theme Song:[/b][/u] [url=]Name of Song - Artist[/url] [sub][i]A Few Lyrics here[/i][/sub] [i]Optional[/i]
Here are my CS's. You can use these as an example if you wish.
Alex Hill
"You mess with my friends and you will pay."-Himself
Name:Alex Hill
Gender:Male Age:15 Birthday:September, 13
Appearance
Hair:Dirty Blonde Eyes:Dark Blue Height:5'11"
Personality
Personality:
• ISTP • Caring • Loyal •
To most Alex appears cold and standoffish, but those who know him well realize he is just a quiet guy. He can seem rude but that is only because he is very direct and rarely lets bias change how he deals with things unless he REALLY dislikes someone. He is fiercely loyal and if someone hurts or wrongs someone he cares about he will defend them, but he rarely defends himself. He loves bringing characters to life and enjoys making people happy despite not seeming like it.
Strengths:
Good shot with a rifle.(This comes from hunting with his family often. His skills have become weakened over time due to non-use.)
Fairly decent at hand-to-hand combat.(As a kid he took Hapkido lessons which is a martial arts more aimed at self-defense.)
Good actor.(When he was eight up until the outbreak of IAAN he participated in plays in his community.)
Good silent leader type.
Weaknesses:
Anyone who is trained in hand-to-hand combat will a majority of the time be better than him. All PSF's and Skip-Tracers should be able to beat him.
Has difficulty trusting people.
A very self-deprecating personality.
Likes:
Solitude.
Acting.
Putting smiles on peoples faces.
Helping other kids out.
Dislikes:
Himself.
Seeing others get needlessly hurt.
Putting others in danger.
Anyone who threatens the safety of those close to him.
Fears:
Large crowds.
Causing the death of someone close to him.
Being captured.
Power:Yellow. He can short circuit a majority of electronics by overcharging it.
Family: Nathan Hill - Father - 44(46 if he hadn't died) - Dead Jennifer Hill - Mother - 42(44?) - Unknown Oliver Hill - Brother - 20 - Alive - Forced to join the PSF's Sadie Hill - Adopted Sister - 8(10?) - Presumed Dead Micky Hill - Brother - 4 - Dead
History:Alex's life was a decent one compared to the what they all are going through now thanks to IAAN. He had an amazing family, decently good close friends, and each day was fun in it's own way. He loved putting smiles on others faces rather it be through acting or volunteering around his hometown to help those in need.
Despite having a few consistent friends most of those friend groups he had usually broke apart. Two or more within the group would get into friendship ending fights and Alex would stand in the middle and a few friends abandoned him because he wouldn't choose one or the other. This is what caused a large part of his trust issues.
When IAAN hit his younger brother Micky was one of the first deaths. This caused the family to go into grieving like many others throughout the nation. When the camps eventually popped up his parents reluctantly reported to the authorities in the hopes that they could save both Alex and Sadie. However, when the PSF's arrived Alex's father, who was a police officer, could tell something was wrong.
He stood in between the PSF's and his children questioning them. The PSF's became agitated quickly and shoved the man to the side. This is when the rest of the family became panicked. Both Alex and Sadie's powers came to the surface. Electronics all around Alex started to react and fire began emitting from Sadie's hands. The PSF's quickly moved towards the two and one smacked Alex up side the head with their rifle almost knocking him out.
He was in a dazed state now and eventually could hear gunshots. He slowly opened his eyes while being carried away to see the body of his father laying there his eyes with no movement. He also saw Sadie laying near him with some blood near her. It was at this moment Alex passed out. The next thing he vaguely remembered was that they had screened him while designating him as a yellow. The rest of his life was set into a path that he currently had no control over. However, he knew he couldn't let this be the end. Not by a long shot.
Katie Pruett
Name:Katie Pruett
Gender:Female Age:13 Birthday:February, 8
Appearance
Hair:Red Eyes:Hazel Height:5'4"
Personality
Personality:
• Courageous • Stubborn • Thick-Skinned •
Katie is very strong-willed. Out of the four females in her family she became more of a tom-boy. She did all the dirty work around their small home, and was the emotional backbone, alongside her mother, for both her sisters. She is very defensive of her friends and when she gets an idea in her mind she won't back down until forced to or if a close friend does something, and that doesn't even always work.
She is a very secretive person and will move to take care of others long before dealing with her emotional issues often breaking down when alone for to long. Despite her bossy and stubborn personality she can be a great ally and wonderful friend. Just avoid getting on her bad side.
Strengths:
She is good at taking charge.
It takes a lot to get to her.
She is a natural at nurturing the younger kids.
She's pretty decent at telling if someone is lying.
Weaknesses:
Extremely stubborn.
Bottles up her feelings.
Bossy and strict.
Anger issues.
Likes:
Watching the stars.
Any kind of sport.
Getting her hands dirty.
Seeing those around her safe and happy.
Dislikes:
Girly things.
Being stereotyped.
Being told what to do.
Being alone.
Anyone who isn't a Psi.
Fears:
Being locked away forever.
Having to hurt someone.
Losing her friends.
Power:Blue. The heaviest thing she can lift is herself, but she can only lift herself close to an inch off the ground.
Family: Annabelle Pruett - Mother - 34 - Alive - Trying to find her daughters. Caroline Pruett - Sister - 12(14 if not dead) - Dead Maizey Pruett - Twin Sister - 13 - Member of the Children's League
History:Katie's life wasn't necessarily a happy one. Sure she got along great with her sisters an mother, but when their parents figured out they were having twins that is when the father disappeared leaving a mother to raise a 1 year old with two more on the way.
It wasn't at all easy. They barely had enough for all four to eat. When they got older the three girls did what they could to help. One day while working at an older woman's house the unexpected happened. Caroline, the oldest and seemingly happiest, fell to the ground. The twins rushed to their sisters side to realize the horror that they never expected. The girl had died on the spot. Maizey began screaming and freaking out while Katie sat there frozen. The old woman came out and almost fainted, but she was composed enough to call the medics.
None of the family was able to cope with what had just happened. They couldn't even process that the girl full of life was now dead. Neither twin noticed that their mother had shut them off from seeing what was happening throughout the rest of the world and they didn't notice the disappearances from school. Well, it waas more like they didn't pay any attention to it.
One day Katie went to school without Maizey because her twin had caught a small cold. That was when she was grabbed. The small number of students left at her school all were grabbed at the same time. Her mother and sister heard this and abandoned the home before Maizey could get grabbed. They tried to track down where Katie was taken, but got separated when a few PSF's attacked a small group of people hiding with their Psi family. That's when the Children's League came in and saved a few of the kids. Leaving the family members behind.
Within the next year the Children's League sent in a few of the kids as spies to Du Pont Camp to attempt a rescue mission on the kids there. Among that group of infiltrators was Maizey.
Other:Her mother is a Skip-Tracer that only turns in kids who may die on their own.
Bumper Car! (I didn't wanna be generic and say bump like everyone else)
So, currently there are three people interested. Two from here and one from Casual Interest Check. I would like at least one more so that it could be a nice round number of five, but we can start with four. I won't start til Saturday/Sunday though cause got some stuff to do tomorrow. (Family members birthday to be exact) I may make the OOC tonight though so that there is a central location of hanging out and stuff. Here's a link to the other interest check by the way. roleplayerguild.com/posts/4596107
Bumper Car! (I didn't wanna be generic and say bump like everyone else)
So, currently there are three people interested. One from here and two from General Interest Check. I would like at least one more so that it could be a nice round number of five, but we can start with four. I won't start til Saturday/Sunday though cause got some stuff to do tomorrow. (Family members birthday to be exact) I may make the OOC tonight though so that there is a central location of hanging out and stuff. Here's a link to the other interest check by the way. roleplayerguild.com/posts/4596106
I feel like I remember this or an RP based on the same series on this site before. I'll have to watch and see if this gains traction since it looked like a cool RP and this one does too.
Love the idea. Haven't read the books but I just might start :)
<Snipped quote by alexfangtalon>
Just to be clear, are all players limited to Psi-children in the beginning or are other groups viable (i.e. Skip Tracers, etc) during CS creation?
If we have a small group then I want most people to be a Psi so that they won't be separated from everyone else and they have other players beside me to RP with. Because the Psi's are gonna be primarily only around other Psi's. If we have a large group I will allow people to have characters that aren't Psi. You can have a second character that is not a Psi though depending on circumstances it may sometimes take me a bit to get to them though. You can make NPC's that are connected to your characters. I will technically have control of them but you can tell me what you think/want them to do. The only time we'd see them though is if a PC sees them or is somewhere around them.
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