Romero inspired survival horror collaborative writing project. (Zombie Survival)

Started by mayovagn, March 25, 2013, 09:24:55 AM

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mayovagn


Greetings to those drawn here by the shoutbox auction.

I wanted to help out Veks, as I feel he deserves as much help as I can manage and muster (which is not likely nearly enough). Of course I am also looking for folks yelling at me with a mind for being considered for inclusion in Dead State. So have a read of the following and/or the threads for the project linked below. If, having done so, you are interested in being a part of this crazy thing pop something in my inbox and/or introduce yourselves in the thread here and I will gather the secret masters of the story to consider your application.

Also, thanks for clicking through. Its nice to see you.

Also, also, support Veks if you can. He is a nice bloke who does lots of nice things for everyone on here.




Dead State Writing Project

Dead State is an in progress collaborative writing project going on in the dark corners of E. We have a need for fresh meat, new blood, however there are a few caveats which anyone seeking to join us should be aware of.

We are fussy. We don't take just anyone and there is a vetting process. We look for writing style, quality and posting frequency. If you made it into E itself you are familiar with the process of being vetted most likely. We have a fairly in depth character bio form which you are required to fill out and we will be looking at stalking anyone who expresses an interest. If you do not have a history of posting on E yet we will ask for submissions of your writing via PM.

While we are fussy, we are not -that- fussy. We took in Caitlin after all, so hey, we can't be -that- bad. *Teasing grin* We are quite warm and fluffy once you come to know and understand us, we just have a certain basic standard we are looking for.

The project is in progress and we are currently in the late afternoon of Day02. There has been a day and a half's worth of posting with a few writers coming and going, as is normal for such a project. There are a few open characters currently which can be applied for to make the process of entering the game easier. However we would be looking for anyone who wishes to play an existing character to read back through the posting history and come to know that personality before writing them.

We are actually quite nice people. We think. Well, most of us (i'm not so sure about that mayovagn). We won't bite, we just want this thing to be the best it can be. We expect a certain level of writing and realism, but we are willing to help people work towards these standards to a great extent. We have fairly new writers involved along with at least one member of the group for whom English is a second language. We are not trying to scare people away from throwing their names into the hat, just seek to let people know up front that we won't necessarily take everyone.


Those still reading you may of course read the threads for Dead State which are as follows...













If after seeing what we have thus far you are still up for being involved please register your interest below with a brief idea of the sort of character you would be looking to write and/or which of the existing 'headless' main characters you would be looking to take over and we will confer in our deep dark secret clubhouse by the light of the moon to discuss your admittance.

If you have any questions or concerns for the Dead State Cabal please also post them here and we will take pains to answer your query as soon as we are able.



Oh, and thank you for your kind attention.


M.





Somewhat verbose synopsis of characters and events so far in the story.

Dead State is set in the town of Romero New York. A mid sized town that has seen better days, it has a lot of problems. These have, of late, been seriously compounded by most of the population dying and returning from the dead to consume the flesh of the living.

Those still living in Romero include.


Characters actively written as primary characters:-

Miho - A Brit who used to live in Dwane Jones Apartment Building who is the De-facto leader of those living in Boulcotts seemingly because she believes nobody else is capable of the job and someone has to.

Ashlyn - A young woman of delicate sensibilities, Ash as she is commonly known finds herself in strange circumstances. Having been saved by a man whose life was sacrificed saving her and Tiago, she has recently made friends with Alex.

JJ - Jenifer Jacobi was the weather girl on the local cable channel, serving Romero and the surrounding small towns. She is a pretty young woman who doesn't fit the 'pretty blond bimbo' image. She has recently found that old feelings for the TV/Radio stations IT tech are returned.

Alex - A drifter who was out to see the world, Alexandra was working her way across the US when she woke up one morning to her one night stand from the last night gone and the Internet telling her the dead had risen. She found her way to Boulcotts with Tiago and Ashlyn.

Tiago - A Brazilian martial arts enthusiast, Tiago is in Romero thanks to his family connections. He was out for a run the morning of Day01 and wound up trapped on a roof in October in jogging wear. Thanks to having brought along his phone he was rescued and brought to Boulcotts.

Bob - Robert Riley was a local forest martial. He was warned by a friend that things had gone very deeply strange when he woke up on Day01 and was directed to try to reach Boulcotts. He did so and has since found a companion in Clare.

Elie - A daddy's girl, Elizabeth is in the process of being rescued from the apartment building next door to Boulcotts department store by Miho and Bob. She has been cowering quietly in a very badly stocked apartment for over twenty four hours and is tired, hungry and terrified of every sound.

Caitlin - A new arrival that nobody is sure of yet. A nurse, which is liable to come in quite handy, she seems to be sweet on Miho.

Carl - Father Carl Johnson is a priest who ran one of the local churches, was present while it was being used as a sanctuary and rescue point for the local population and is single handedly responsible for its downfall. He is, it seems, liable to be a problem sooner or later and has serious delusions of his own suitability to lead.


Former primary characters up for grabs to potential new players:-

Heather/Tart - Heather was a roller derby girl. Her alter ego, The Telltale Tart became an alternate personality as part of a multiple personality disorder on the morning of Day01. Tarts speed, agility and skates keeping Heather alive. Heather's spoiled personality and Tarts even more deeply abrasive/abusive one have caused a fair bit of friction with those living in Boulcotts are are set to continue to do so.

The Prof - Colin Andrew Sawyer was a lecturer in history and political science at the local community college. He was living in an apartment building across the street from Boulcotts and managed to run to the staff door into the place in the afternoon of Day01. He has been scheming mostly on the quiet yet not always, since he arrived to try to depose Miho who he appears to see as a threat. He appears to believe himself the best candidate to lead.

Clare - A radio jock at KRZR Clare arrived at Boulcotts in the afternoon of Day01 after having arranged the rescue of Alex, Tiago, Ash and Heather. She left a message from Miho to call her on land-line or cell to anyone still alive in Romero.  She is currently set up in the basement of Boulcotts having befriended Heather and seeking to look after her/keep her safe from those who would do her harm.


Other characters / NPC's already established.

The Maxwell Family - The Maxwells run TNT Surplus, an army surplus and gun-store in one of the poorer neighborhoods of town. Harry has talked to Miho a number of times on the radio and the phone.

Charles Martin - The night manager at the local Costco Warehouse just outside town, Charles had sought to keep his staff safe and secured all the entrances to the building and organized his people to defend the building should the need arrise. He is in contact with Harry Maxwell.

Dave - The IT manager at KRZR, Dave Nazdine is a big man with a typical 'heavy metal' look about him. He is intelligent if a little quick to anger. He has recently hit it off with JJ and is looking forward to many happy hours with his new paramour.

Black Razors - A local biker gang who had a ranch outside of town, they re-located late on Day 01 to the local indoor mall and are liable to, at some point, become a problem.


Summary of major in game events.

The morning of Day01 most characters were somehow alerted to the zombie problem. Miho was contacted by e-mail by one of the freelancers of her website 'idiotlantern.com' a movie review site she has been running for many years. Her apartment, in the top floor of the Dwane Jones building had a bathroom window that backed onto the Boulcotts Department Store staff canteen. This was employed to bring Miho, along with a large amount of the movable contents of her apartment, over to the far more defensible store.

Ash had gone in to work late the previous night at a local funeral home. A makeup artist by trade she had a large number of corpses to make up. As they had already been embalmed they presented no threat. It wasn't till she left to ride her bicycle home she found the world turned upside down and the dead risen. She was found riding around the streets half maddened by one of her fears, walking dead things, by Jack, a member of staff at a local drugstore. The pair of them took refuge in the store. They had been stocking up Jack's car with food, water, medical supplies and anything else useful they could find when the dead started to appear and they had to lock themselves inside and wait for a alternative plan to formulate.

Alex had been working at a local Romero restaurant and taken up with one of the waiters the previous night. She slept in late while her lover went out mid morning for coffee and croissants. The young man never returned from his errand and Alex slept on.

JJ woke up to the news on the national TV. She called her mother who was talking about others of the family going to the local hospital. JJ had to listen while her mother answered the door to a rather unusual knock and was then set upon and devoured by ghouls.

Tiago went out for a morning jog and found himself dodging dead things. He used a little parkour to assist in a dash up to a fire escape and from there hid out on a chilly rooftop wearing only jogging gear. With only a cellphone and an old radio for company his chances of survival looked slim indeed.

Bob awoke and had a fairly normal morning his afternoon however found him calling his old friend Harry Maxwell and finding out that things were likely to be unhealthy if he remained in his cabin outside town. Dead things were already abroad in the woods, so he packed up what supplies he could at short notice into his truck and headed for Boulcotts where Harry told him there was the possibility of safety and numbers.

Clare and Dave had survived along with Janice, the night security guard, at the local TV and Radio station KRZR. They trio secured the building as best they could and set to using the radio and phone lines arranging for the rescue of a small number of people still alive and able to call in.

Elie spent all of Day01 hiding in her apartment having heard the news about the dead. She is not the bravest of souls and found the prospect of being devoured alive terrifying to the point of near debilitation.

Heather had been involved in a rather nasty roller derby incident late on Day00 and found herself in Romero hospital when things started early morning on Day01. She had barely woken up from her head injury when a doctor came running into the room and started to try to barricade the door. This effort was futile and Heather barely had time to grab her skates before escaping out of a window. Her roller derby personality manifested sometime in the next few hours full force, skating, dodging and keeping Heather on the move till at least late morning. She hid out in the attic of an abandoned house in the suburbs.

The Prof found himself cowering in an understocked apartment, listening to his old girlfriend being eaten alive and generally having a hard time of it.

Bo, a gun dealer/runner was in town to make a delivery to several local buyers, including the Maxwell's, later in the day. He woke up to his motel being overrun with the dead and fought his way to his truck. He spent the morning parked up in the truck in the expansive car park of the Judith Ridley Memorial Mall listening to what news he could on the national radio.

JJ Had heard on the radio that there was rescue afoot and had called Miho who, on finding out the other woman was next door in her old apartment building, had JJ climb up onto the roof of the building and over to her apartment and then on over to Boulcotts.

It was arranged via the radio for Jack and Ash to rescue Tiago and Alex in their car, once they had used noisemaking items cribbed from around the drugstore, to reach the car. The escape went well, the other two were rounded up one by one. They were informed by their contact on the phone to drive around for a bit and wait for Bo so they could all arrive at Boulcotts together once they had arranged a distraction to do so.

Bo was having troubles of his own. He had climbed out of his truck to ready himself to move out. He had called in to the radio station and been asked to pick up Heather on his way to the Department store. This simple stretching of his legs before action was interrupted by a young man in a hoodie who popped a gun into Bo's belly and demanded the truck. Bo disagreed, there was a number of gunshots and the young man lay dead. Bo however had not been unharmed and now sported some very ugly entry and exit wounds in his abdomen which were leaking bodily fluids. He nevertheless set about heading out to rescue the young woman in the attic.

Heather was rescued by Bo and did a little impromptu sewing up of the man following being ushered back to the truck by the big guy, no mean feat with dead things trying to prevent their escape. The sewing job was conducted in an alley a good distance away on the quiet. However since nothing had been done to stem the tide of internal bleeding Bo was in a bad way and only going to become rapidly worse without some kind of miracle.

Bo and Jack met up and Jack used a handy tire iron to set off car alarms ten or so blocks away from Boulcotts in order to provide a distraction, a lure, for the biters so the two cars could make it to the store's underground parking safely. It was during the smashing of one of the car windows to set of an alarm that an unseen ghoul in the car in question took a chunk out of Jacks hand. Jack, knowing that a bite was likely a death sentence, climbed out of the car a short distance from Boulcotts, having made sure his new friends would be safe and set off into the town on foot. The two cars made it into the store otherwise unmolested.

In KRZR Clare, Dave and Janice had decided that the streets clearing for the cars coming in was as good an opportunity as any and determined that they would walk the short distance to the store and come in by the staff entrance to the underground car park. Dave had fallen on the stairs and hit his head and was feeling less than one hundred percent and none of them noticed the legless ghoul that bit Janice on the way. Grabbed and struggling, the brave woman bade Clare and Dave run as the biter tore more chunks from her leg with teeth and hands, immobilizing her. The two KRZR staff had no choice but to leave the unfortunate woman to her fate. They made it to Boulcotts.

Bo passed out very shortly after he arrived and never recovered consciousness.

Miho and JJ greeted the new arrivals and showed them around. Over the next few hours Bob arrived in his truck, the streets still being clear enough around Boulcotts due to car alarms for his safe entrance. The professor ran across from his apartment around this time also, though he didn't wait for the all clear as he had been instructed.

Heather made a mess of the kids clothing section and then tried to seduce Tiago in the salon. They were interrupted and asked to attend a meeting up in the penthouse.

All the survivors at Boulcotts met and some introduced themselves and some ground rules were set. The professor became unruly and Miho drew a sharp longsword she had from her re-enactment days in the United Kingdom and stopped just short of cutting the man's head off as an example of the ideal that to endanger the group was the highest of a possible hierarchy of sins. This didn't go down well with everyone, especially the Professor who decided that this sort of behavior was barbaric and completely unacceptable.

Those who had arrived at the store set about bringing the various supplies from the trucks up to the penthouse where Miho had set herself up. The place was built in the twenties and the original owner had built a spacious apartment for himself at the top of the building.

Clare, unknown to everyone else put Bo out of his misery with a bullet to the head and then used Miho's help to drag the body down to the heating systems furnace in the basement. Clare also told Miho about the large number of guns in the truck which were carried in bags down to the tool room adjacent to the furnace room. While Clare slept in the furnace room, Miho locked the guns they had found in one of the tool cabinets and took the key.

The men of the crew carried a number of beds and mattresses up to penthouse and set up beds for a good number of people in various rooms.

Miho encountered Heather, who was fresh from viciously insulting Ash, heading for the womens clothing section on the ground level. This had been discussed earlier as being off limits till the windows could be painted that night. Miho tackled the girl to the ground and pinned her while she tried to talk sense into her. Heather talked back to and insulted Miho, a lot and indicated that she was a likely significant threat to everyone's survival. Miho, faced with having to kill the girl, instead knocked her out and carried her upstairs, by herself, cleaned out a storeroom and locked the girl inside it. She then sought out Clare and told her that she intended to call a meeting and explain to everyone what had happened. Clare asked Miho to let her speak first as not everyone would understand Miho's version of events.

At the meeting Clare told everyone that she had killed Bo deliberately to save everyone, as Bo would likely have turned if he had died. She told people that it had been -her- that had taken down and tied up Heather in a cupboard. That Heather had a likely multiple personality disorder, but that she should be saved. Miho protested that Clare had not been involved in the incident with Heather and that she had done it herself. She did agree wholeheartedly that Heather should be saved however. The professor argued strongly that Heather should be killed or ejected from the store immediately, a sure death sentence with the number of ghouls now on the streets. It was decided eventually that Clare and Bob would take Heather down to the basement and take care of her there, try to help her.

Despite having been asked not to by Miho, Clare set up in the furnace room.

The others spent the evening papering and painting the windows of the ground and second floors with dark paint so the dead things outside wouldn't be able to see in. At bedtime there was a slight verbal altercation between the Professor, Dave and JJ. The Professor having fixated a little on JJ was bitter and disturbed that she would go off with Dave, who he had earlier had words with. Dave and the Professor are not, it seems, destined to become best of friends.

Late in the evening of Day01 a group of bikers who had been hiding out at their 'club house' on a farm outside town, load up trucks and head to the Judith Ridley mall where the brother of the leader of the group let them in. The bikers are a likely later protagonist group for those in Boulcotts store.

The next morning found everyone waking up in their new lives. Miho was exercising by running up and down the large number of stairs in the building when she took a cell phone call from Elie who had heard the radio that morning when her daily alarm had gone off. A rescue was arranged with Bob and Miho heading into Dwane Jones though Miho's apartment with various medieval and modern weapons. With Tiago guarding the door to Miho's apartment, JJ watching the alley between the two buildings from the roof of Boulcotts and Dave using noisemakers lowered on strings from the top of the apartment building itself to hopefully draw ghouls off of the rescue party.

This rescue concluded successfully, with Miho and Bob having to kill a number of zombies. Miho came back quite scarred by this and was a little quieter and less animated until...

New people were spotted on the roof of an apartment building across the way.

Communications with them were established via telephone and a new rescue, one involving all kinds of strange ideas, were discussed.

The rescue that was settled on involved making rope from twisting together the type of PPE strapping used to bind up bundles of cardboard in a bundling machine and using a similarly twisted up fishing line to pull the rope across to the other rooftop. The fishing line was shot over to the other roof with the aid of an arrow. The rope was thus yanked over to the second roof and tied off either end. A harness improvised from several backpacks was then sent down with a second rope attached and the pair of people on the second roof were pulled up to the department store by a team of people there.

Currently introductions are going on following close inspection of the new arrivals for injuries or bites.
All hail Eris! Kallisti! All Hail Discordia!

Member in good standing but poor sitting and terrible leaning of the Most Secret Order of the Stone Bonker of the Kakapo

Caitlin

Hello!

PPA sent me this way, and I'm interested in joining this game. I've been looking for a 'realistic' zombie game for a while now, where the survival aspect is more important than killing hoards of zombies. I have a vacation coming soon though, so I won't be able to really start posting until 3 weeks from now, however, maybe you can tell me more about what I need to do to apply?

The character I'd like to play is a nurse who survived the apocalypse by her resourcefulness, rather than her combat skills, and who is 'blessed' with several personality flaws. (I hate playing perfect characters since they end up boring quickly.) I have a pretty complete biography based on earlier attempts to join similar zombie survival games, so I can probably get that ready soon. (Probably by Sunday since I have a couple of busy days ahead of myself.)

Also feel free to take a look at my post history and see if I make a good match. ;D
(Tip; there are links to IC topics in my roleplay preferences.)

mayovagn

Hello Caitlin.

Please have a nose about in the Dead State Info Thread and skim the Dead State In Character Thread which has a timeline for the start of Day01 (though we are now on Day02) at the start of it.

There is a character bio, which is kinda long winded, which can be found in the info thread.

I have started the proposal process behind the scenes, so I will let you know via PM as soon as I know the outcome of that.

Above all though, thank you very much for your interest in joining us. *Smiles broadly, hugs Caitlin*


You should hear from me shortly, usually within twenty four hours, regarding proposal.



M.
All hail Eris! Kallisti! All Hail Discordia!

Member in good standing but poor sitting and terrible leaning of the Most Secret Order of the Stone Bonker of the Kakapo

Caitlin

Thanks! I appreciate it! ;D

I'm going out tonight, but I'll definitely take a look at those threads tomorrow, and get the relevant info to you as soon as possible (probably on Sunday). ^_^


If I get accepted I'd appreciate a synopsis of Day 01 and Day 02 till this point, in general I don't have any problems with writing myself into a story and I'm already having some cool ideas for scenes to introduce my character.

mayovagn

I had a summary here, but it made far more sense for that to go in the first post. Its up there now, and I have updated it to be current as of, well, this last update.

So, ah, go look for it up there. *Points up*
All hail Eris! Kallisti! All Hail Discordia!

Member in good standing but poor sitting and terrible leaning of the Most Secret Order of the Stone Bonker of the Kakapo

mayovagn

All hail Eris! Kallisti! All Hail Discordia!

Member in good standing but poor sitting and terrible leaning of the Most Secret Order of the Stone Bonker of the Kakapo

Caitlin

(Just to be clear, we're also still looking for new players.) -snickers- ;)

mayovagn

Writers. We take writers. *Smiles* We are far too snobbish to take mere players. *Beams a huge teasing grin*
All hail Eris! Kallisti! All Hail Discordia!

Member in good standing but poor sitting and terrible leaning of the Most Secret Order of the Stone Bonker of the Kakapo

Caitlin

More people are wanted! I only recently joined this project myself and it's a lot of fun so far. I can really recommend it. :-)

Be sure to read the recap though, so you can jump right into the action once your character(s) is/are approved. ;D

mayovagn

Call now or within the next twenty five minutes from reading this message and as well as receiving a chance to be involved in the 'Dead State' writing project you will also be eligible for five 'Noprizes' and four 'Internets'. This astounding offer is only available for the next twenty five minutes so take advantage of it now.

Once again this offer including the chance to be a part of 'Dead State' writing project, five Noprizes and four Internets is only available for the next twenty five minutes. If you want to take us up on this offer you must call now.


(Or just send mayovagn a PM, either way...)

All hail Eris! Kallisti! All Hail Discordia!

Member in good standing but poor sitting and terrible leaning of the Most Secret Order of the Stone Bonker of the Kakapo

mayovagn

We are still taking offers on these beautiful lament configuration puzzle boxes.

Oh! And of course we are still looking for writers for DS!


*Smiles*
All hail Eris! Kallisti! All Hail Discordia!

Member in good standing but poor sitting and terrible leaning of the Most Secret Order of the Stone Bonker of the Kakapo

Kythia

I'd be interested if you'll have me.  Character is by no means fully fleshed out yet but I'm currently thinking in the area of a twinset and pearls type driving with her New York husband back from a holiday in New England.  He hasn't been seen since heading out to find out where breakfast was, she's currently in their room in Romero's best (however not-very-good that ends up being) hotel.  Would that work?
242037

mayovagn

Hey Kythia!

That could work, though the details could well be interesting. Especially if she has been there quietly starving to death for a few weeks when the big freeze sets in and she can finally get out and forage for food. She would have had water as the taps and power are still working. Would have been more than a little maddening being there by herself and having to keep deathly quiet the whole time of course. Being able to hear the things outside shuffling around now and again...

If she is in a hotel that is heated of course getting to her and getting her out would be a feat as the things in the place would still likely be warm and walking around. A motel could be easier.

Anyway, I will gather the horde of DS and we will conspire soonest. I should have word for you shortly.
All hail Eris! Kallisti! All Hail Discordia!

Member in good standing but poor sitting and terrible leaning of the Most Secret Order of the Stone Bonker of the Kakapo

AmberStarfire

Hi,

I promised May I'd check out the game, so *will do a bit of reading*.


mayovagn

Thanks Amber. There is a fair bit of reading in there though... I kind of went mad with the summary and the info thread... *Winces*
All hail Eris! Kallisti! All Hail Discordia!

Member in good standing but poor sitting and terrible leaning of the Most Secret Order of the Stone Bonker of the Kakapo

AmberStarfire

Sure. I've checked out the recruitment thread so far. The others (linked to) are next on the list.