The Last of Us: Exodus (Horror Drama) OOC/OPEN

[Kentucky Fried Land]

THE LAST OF US: EXODUS

Theme

Claustrophobia: Fear of no escape

IC Link

The world is dead.

2013. That was the year the infection began to spread. Nobody knew what would happen then. We were all so naive. We were huddled into these little camps by FEDRA, they told us we would be safe. I won’t call it a lie; they believed it. Goddammit, they believed it. That was a long time ago. We know a hell of a lot more about the virus now. The fact that it’s not even a virus was the first thing we learned. A fungus, Cordyceps it’s called. Nobody really calls it that anymore. Just “infected.” It’s degrading, but… we live with it.

Twenty-two years since the infection started. As you may guess from your surroundings, society has fallen apart. Now, if you were one of those people who were born after the apocalypse, fuck… I don’t want to ruin your day or anything, but you don’t know what you are missing out on. Hot dogs. Hot dogs! God, I miss hot dogs. Ketchup. I miss ketchup. I don’t miss mustard. Mustard can go jump off a bridge for all I care. Sorry, I’m getting off track.

There’s these groups. Fireflies, call themselves activists. Militia, if you ask me. Terrorists, if you ask others. Saviors of the world, if you ask real gullible people. I wouldn’t mess with them, personally. Then there’s the military, what’s left of it. They put people into outbreak zones, keeping them safe. It was true, I guess. You were happy, if you liked getting bossed around by a bunch of assholes with guns. I left there, but… I wouldn’t be in the mess I am now if I had just stayed.

Fuck. Sorry. I know, it’s probably super boring to read about me whining. I left the military outpost, found myself in this motel. I should have known that spores were around. I got my gas mask on before any of it touched me. I think, at least. Also, while you’re hear, watch out for the spores, unless you have a gas mask. I guess you can borrow mine, if you need one. I won’t be using it anymore. I just realized I spelled “here” wrong. I’m just gonna leave it, cause I’m writing this in pen and then there’d just be a huge black smudge in the middle of this paper. I’m a little dyslexic, so sorry. I’ve been writing this pretty slowly, though that’s probably because I’m scared.

Getting off track again. I gotta stop doing that. There’s a few Hunters outside, chased me into this hotel. Hope those damn Clickers came out and ate them. Hunters are just bandits. You should probably watch out for those guys. Trouble all around, heard a few of them were even resorting to cannibalism. Shivers my bones. Freaks. Anyways, if you see a dead guy outside in a yellow jacket, piss on him for me, will you? He shot off my ear. My right one. That was my favorite ear too!

There’s a few clickers outside, chased me in here. I’ve got six bullets in my pistol left. I’m a pretty good shot, should be able to hit them all in the head. If there’s six, I’ll use all my bullets and you’ll never read this note. If you are reading this note, there were more than six and I saved one for myself. Or I just ended up being a terrible shot in which case I’m snacking on you or shambling about the grounds.

If you’re ever up in Maine, and you meet this girl named Elizabeth, right? Blue eyes, blonde hair, got this nasty scar along her right cheek. She’s in the northern part. Got a tough personality. If you see her, tell her to go fuck herself, courtesy of her brother James. That’s me, by the way. James. James. Also, mind burying me or putting me down if you find me in here? I mean, bury me after you put me down, of course. Don’t just leave my body out there if I happen to be a Runner. Bury with my hat, too. It’s blue, Tar Heels. I don’t even like the Tar Heels. I’m putting it on the nightstand. They’re breaking in. I can see the wood splintering. Anyways, if you’re reading this, sorry. Sorry I couldn’t kill them all.

Stay safe out there.

***

In The Last of Us: Exodus, you play as one of the survivors of a brutal attack upon the Military Outpost in Murrell’s Inlet, South Carolina. Beginning only minutes before the attack on the Quarantine Zone, players will start off by getting their groundings in the world. The characters will include all those in the camp at the time of attack. After your escape from the attack, the unlikely group of travelers are pitted on a journey across America, not just to survive, but to find a reason to keep on living.

FACTIONS

Civilians are your everyday run of the mill people. They were just about anything before the apocalypse, and most of them led normal lives, as mechanics or office workers or school kids. They don’t belong to any one group, but are attempted to be recruited by FEDRA and the Fireflies. Some escape and become Hunters, or smuggle things from inside the walls. Most of them lead normal lives inside the camps. It was safe in them, after all.

Smugglers were once tied down to Quarantine Zones or Fireflies or any other thing that could hold them, but eventually began to use illegal methods to get by. They often fight each other for power, much like the criminal groups of old. Smugglers rely on performing difficult tasks for people. Those who can pay with the ever lucrative ration cards, that is.

The "protectors" of the Quarantine Zones, the military, along with FEDRA, are the last remnants of the United States Government. The Military works aggressively with FEDRA, putting down any infected, no matter what. The Military has been known to crush the sparks of rebellion, but are still at war with the terrorist-activist group known as the Fireflies.

Fireflies are members of the the revolutionary militia group of the same name. Their goal is to return all branches of the US Government, and overtake FEDRA and the Military. Fireflies often send sleeper agents to Quarantine Zones to gain information on FEDRA. The Fireflies are also looking for a cure for the virus, but some see their methods as inhumane. Currently, they are fighting a losing war against FEDRA.

CORDYCEPS
A species of fungus that once turned insects into mind controlled zombies, began affecting humans as well. The fungus is transmitted via direct blood contact and spores in the air. When an infected is close to death, they find a dark, moist corner to lay down and die in. Even though the host has died, Cordyceps continues on. It continues to grow in the host, spreading to the walls and releasing spores. Infected are susceptible to fire due to the fungus growing in them, but can be killed just about any way you can think.

Runners
1-2 days after infection, you become a Runner. Runners are the first stage of infection, and have poor eyesight, although hold a heightened awareness. They are the easiest of the infected to kill, able to be strangled and desposed of in anyway you would a human. They are easily identified by their glowing orange eyes and lack of any fungal growths on the outside of their bodies.

Stalkers
Stalkers have the vision and speed of Runners, with the ferocity of Clickers. They make very distinct croaking sounds, and are the stage in between Runners and Clickers. Stalkers are identifiable by fungal growths overtaking one side of their face, emerging from an eye socket (typically the right one). They are extremely dangerous and extremely intelligent, hiding and using hunting tactics to kill survivors. They rely on ambushes, and while deadly can be killed any way a Runner can.

Clickers
2-4 years after initial infection, fungus begins pouring from every orifice and turning the victim’s head into a mass of bioluminescent growth. Clickers have strength that far out rivals that of a normal human, but due to the overgrowth on their heads, have become blind. Clickers use echolocation to find food, which they will hunt until they kill it or it escapes. Clickers also possess exceptional hearing, and even the smallest of sounds will attack. They are extremely aggressive, rarely flinch, and are relentless. Clickers cannot be strangled, as their strength would simply reverse the maneuver on any attacker. Clickers are aptly named, due to the clicking sounds they make to find prey.

Bloaters
9-10 years after infection, the Cordyceps virus converts the infectee into a Bloater. Bloaters are the final stage of infection, and are the most dangerous of the infected. They are covered in a dense fungus that protects them even from high powered rounds. Like Clickers, Bloaters rely on echolocation but move at a much slower pace. Once a survivor is found, they will hunt them by throwing sacks of Mycotoxin at it’s prey. If a survivor is caught by a Bloater, it will either crush the person’s head or forcefully rip their jaw apart. Bloaters should be avoided if at all possible.

Rules

1. Don’t be a dick, in OOC at least. Seriously, don't. Constant fighting is not good, and will get you kicked from the RP.

2. Don’t godmod, don’t metagame, you get the idea. All the in general RP rules.

3. If you are going to be away for some time, please tell me, either in OOC or by TG. If you just go and disappear with no words spoken, I’ll assume you aren't coming back and let your character go. Don't let this make you think you have to post every day, or even every week! (It would be nice, though.) I will typically give players some time if they go missing for a period.

4. Death will happen in this RP. Don't let that scare you though, your characters won't all get slaughtered all willy nilly. As this RP has a focus on character development and story, deaths will not be used as shock value, but rather for in-story reasons.

5. Speaking of characters, remember. Your character should act like a human being; I will not be accepting any psychopaths, as they are unrelatable. You are playing the “heroes” of this story, and as such your characters shouldn't be Mary Sues that only brood and whine about how miserable they are, nor should they believe they are in a land of rainbows and puppies. Be realistic.

6. Characters who have absolutely no hardships will be killed off. That means those with absolutely infallible aim, run faster than Usain Bolt, are stronger than Clickers, or those who can strangle an entire room of infected in a minute top. Remember, everybody has flaws.

7. If you’d like to introduce some external conflict (like zombies, Hunters, Military, Fireflies, bad weather, wild dogs, etc.) ask me first. It could potentially ruin the flow of the RP if the survivors are constantly having to fend off threats. Inter-personal threats and drama are fine, and actually encouraged.

Character Limits

Each person will be allowed two characters at one time, but sometimes an extension to three characters can be negotiated. All players are allowed three characters in total (three throughout the entire RP should be enough), in the case their other ones meet a bullet or a Clicker’s jaws. There will be SOME limitations to factions, as well.

Special Gameplay Elements

1. How Bites Will Be Dealt With - In the case that I decide a character has been bitten, I will TG the player whose character has been put on death row. The player can then choose to have their character tell the other characters of their newfound illness, hide the bite, or even commit suicide. The character can do, theoretically anything possible after infection, but they must know that 2 in-game days after the infection they will turn. Unless…

2. They happen to be immune. That’s right, one character will be chosen specifically to be immune to the infection. Nobody will know if they are actually immune until they are bitten or dropped in spores and miraculously live. This helps to bring in paranoia between players and characters.

ACTS

Prologue
ACT I: Spring

Chapter 1: Out of the Frying Pan
Chapter 2: Coming soon...

ACT II: Summer - COMING SOON
ACT III: Fall - COMING SOON
ACT IV: Winter - COMING SOON
ACT V: Rebirth - COMING SOON
Epilogue - COMING SOON

Character Sheet
Note: Lines with stars (*) before them are optional to fill out.
Note 2: Please delete everything in parentheses after filling out the character sheet, just for cleanliness' sake.
Note 3: We are no longer accepting Military characters and characters under the age of 21.

Code: Select all

[b]Name:[/b]
[b]Age:[/b]
[b]Faction (Scavenger, Firefly):[/b]
[b]Sex:[/b]
[b]Appearance:[/b]
[b]Equipment/Personal Belongings:[/b]
[b]Personality:[/b]
[b]Bio:[/b]
[b]Strengths:[/b]
[b]Weaknesses:[/b]
*[b]Living Family Members (include locations):[/b]
*[b]Quirks:[/b]
*[b]Likes (stuff like foods, sports or hobbies):[/b]
*[b]Dislikes (don’t say “zombies” or “Hunters.” No shit nobody likes them, try and think of something more personal):[/b]
*[b]Worst Fears:[/b]
*[b]Miscellaneous (anything else you’d like to add):[/b]


[Kentucky Fried Land]

Characters
Player Characters are in Green
NPCs are in Orange

Route 17 Business

David Michaels (Civilian) - The V O I D

Brandon Madison (Civilian) - The Hoosier Alliance

Connifer O. Jackson (Civilian) - Damverland

Nick and Molly Harris (Civilians) - Krytonus

Lyle T. "Fairfax" Sorenson and Cedric Rothstein Smith (Civilians) - Kylantha

Vivian Iverson and Isabelle Rothstein Smith (Civilians) - Corrian

Nathan Clagger (Civilian) - Daltheria

Viktoriya Volkov and Anastasyia "Anna" Volkov (Smugglers) - Anowa

Connor Orwell (Smuggler) - Indo-Japanese Separatist Districts

Vedenin Arseniy Valeryevich and Rylie Knox (Smugglers) - Ormata

Lt. Sam Pryzbylewski (Military) - Galdius

1st Lt. Friedrich 'Fritz' von Stetten (Military) - The Vekta-Helghast Empire

Sgt. Mason Walsh (Military) - Zhaas123

Cpl. Olivia Kurwell (Military) - Wartaria

Pvt. Hale Rose (Military) - The United States of North Amerigo

Pfc. Francis Johnson (Military)

Alexander Maccus (Firefly) - Vulkata II

Dustin Cole (Firefly) - Futrellia

Franklin Roberts, Kyle Cameron, and Peter Bailey (Escaped Prisoners) - Main Nation Ministry

Diego Maldonado (Scavenger) - Terintania

Garden City Underground

Stina Fronberg (Firefly) - Ormata

Ella Camellia (Firefly) - Altito Asmoro

Deceased

Cpl. Sullivan Trotsky (Military) [Arrow through the eye]

Cpl. Davis (Military) [Machete to the neck]

Cpl. Pollack (Military) [Explosion fractures skull, displaces brain]

Reggie Watts (Smuggler) [Debris from explosion shreds body]

SSgt. Emily Porter (Military) [Covers nail bomb with body, intestines shredded]

Cpl. Bassett (Military) [Bitten by clicker, torn apart by infected]

Nobody's died, yet.

[Anowa]

Seems like fun, I may or may not apply, depending on my schedule and how the turnout is. Looking forward to how this pans out either way.

[Kentucky Fried Land]

Seems like fun, I may or may not apply, depending on my schedule and how the turnout is. Looking forward to how this pans out either way.

Sounds good. Glad to see you're looking forward to it.

[Kentucky Fried Land]

Posted up an advertisement. Hopefully it gets more players interested.

Also yes this is a bump

[Danceria]

I might be interested, and I assume this is after the feels of the Last Of Us Game?

Where [Name Forgotten] "saves" [Generic surrogate daughter] from the [actual goodguys] thus dooming the world to extinction?

[Krytonus]

DELICIOUS SWEET HALLOWEEN ZOMBOS

[Danceria]

DELICIOUS SWEET HALLOWEEN ZOMBOS

With extra mushroom flavoring

[Vulkata II]

Tag.

Also your flag is fitting

[Kentucky Fried Land]

I might be interested, and I assume this is after the feels of the Last Of Us Game?

Where [Hugh Jackman] "saves" [Ellen Page] from the [band Owl City] thus dooming the world to extinction?

You got it.

DELICIOUS SWEET HALLOWEEN ZOMBOS

Hey, it's my favorite Irishman I know! Also, the only Irishman I know.

I didn't even think about it being Halloween for a horror RP. All the better.

Tag.

Also your flag is fitting

Thank you. I try my best.

[Kentucky Fried Land]

TAG TAG TAG
SO MUCH TAG

Tag

Good to see all these tags.

[Danceria]

Gonna be a Firefly who knew Marlene and is on a bit of a hidden warpath.

[Kentucky Fried Land]

Gonna be a Firefly who knew Marlene and is on a bit of a hidden warpath.

It'd be interesting to see what one of the Fireflies thinks about the end of the game. Although if you do talk about that stuff, I'd try and keep it vague so you don't spoil the game in case someone here hasn't played it yet. That's more of a suggestion though, feel free to go about it whichever way fits best.

[Danceria]

Gonna be a Firefly who knew Marlene and is on a bit of a hidden warpath.

It'd be interesting to see what one of the Fireflies thinks about the end of the game. Although if you do talk about that stuff, I'd try and keep it vague so you don't spoil the game in case someone here hasn't played it yet. That's more of a suggestion though, feel free to go about it whichever way fits best.

Let's just say he'll be acquainted with Marlene, or possibly a background character in the actual game gaining new status.

[Kentucky Fried Land]

It'd be interesting to see what one of the Fireflies thinks about the end of the game. Although if you do talk about that stuff, I'd try and keep it vague so you don't spoil the game in case someone here hasn't played it yet. That's more of a suggestion though, feel free to go about it whichever way fits best.

Let's just say he'll be acquainted with Marlene, or possibly a background character in the actual game gaining new status.

Sounds good to me, as long as it's an original character.

[Krytonus]

I haven't play the game and probably never will (I'm an Xbox fag), so hopefully I won't miss much.

Question: How does infection work? Can you prevent turning by amputating an infected arm/ slicing out the bitten skin if it's done early enough?

[Vulkata II]

Do we need to know how the Last of us works? I'm just 14 and have a really old PC so buying it id out of the question.

Also how about a character that after a mission or a run or a whatever drinks his or hers sorrows everyday? The rules says no whinning but what about a realist characther who knows the world has gone to hell and everyday is just another day of living.

Something like that.

[The V O I D]

Now, I know you said no psychopaths, but I think having a mental illness as a flaw would be interesting. Up to you if you accept it, but here goes nothing.

Name: David Michaels
Age: 28.
Faction: Civilian.
Sex: M.
Appearance: African-American, 6'5", 230 lbs (chubby), long black hair; thick beard. Brown eyes. Constantly seen wearing a heavy coat, backpack, and cotton-ball winter hat.
Equipment/Personal Belongings: Switchblade, reusable water bottle, backpack; heavy coat, cotton-ball winter hat. Handgun.
Personality: David's kind of isolated, but from what most people can tell, he has obsessive-compulsive disorder, and he sometimes talks to people who aren't there; leading some to believe he has schizophrenia or some other mental illness.
Bio: David Michaels was seven years old when this all started. When hell broke loose. He watched his friends, his neighbors... even his family died. He managed to escape, but only cause he was scared, and only because of luck. It was fairly... traumatic, the experience. David grew up an orphan in the safe-zone; raised technically speaking by whoever felt like having him around at the time. He also wandered a lot, but was never out after curfew. David, as he grew older, became noticeably... different.

David had obvious signs for obsessive-compulsive disorder; he would often refuse to go anywhere without wearing his cotton-ball winter hat. He would do things in a certain way, within a certain order; things always had to be specific ways for him. Otherwise, he'd get twitchy. He also began talking to himself; or at least, that's what people thought. Eventually, though, it became obvious he was talking to people who weren't even there. Sometimes, it was even his long-dead parents. Sometimes, it was just gibberish. Despite his... less than sound mental state, and his isolated nature, David has shown to be rather friendly most of the time. Almost child-like, really. But he's always afraid, of lots of things.

Infected, he fears the most. Likely because of his past traumas. However, he never seems to talk about it; rather, he just tries to live as he is. David does work when given it, usually, and finishes it almost on time. He tends to go into one of his 'wandering' moments, at times, as if he isn't there; as if he's somewhere else. Talking to people who don't exist. He also loses time, sometimes. He'll stare off into space for an hour and ask where someone was after, claiming to have been gone for barely a minute. David tends to be very dissociative at times, looking at things and talking about things as if they are still how they used to be. David is just one of the many people trying to survive in this world; in the safe zone.
Strengths: David's fear of the infected means he usually avoids infected if he can see or hear them. It also means he knows to put on a gasmask when he sees spores. David's also pretty large in size, so, it wouldn't be easy to overpower him in strength.
Weaknesses: David is a bit slow, and because of his mental illnesses, if he 'times out' at an improper moment, it could mean death for him or for someone else. David is also somewhat isolationist, so, interpersonal conflict and such confuses him and he sometimes prefers to be left alone.
*Living Family Members: None, that he knows of.
*Quirks: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Schizophrenia or related mental illness.
*Likes: His cotton-ball hat, counting, reading (sometimes), being alone (sometimes), talking to friends. Eating in general.
*Dislikes: His fear of the infected is a given; but he's also afraid of spiders, the dark (or rather, being alone in the dark), and losing his hat.
*Worst Fears: The infected. Spiders. Alone in darkness. Losing his hat.
*Miscellaneous: David doesn't really hold grudges very easily, due to disliking interpersonal conflict.

[The Hoosier Alliance]

Name:Brandon Madison

Age:26

Faction:Civilian

Sex:Male

Appearance:Tall, brown hair, blue eyes, white, crooked teeth, 215 pounds, has the beginning of a brown beard, wears a tattered white shirt and blue jeans.

Equipment/Personal Belongings: M700 Remington bolt action rifle with no scope, fifteen bullets, backpack, hunting knife.

Personality: Loner type. Sarcastic. Talks to himself, but not in a crazy person kind of way.

Bio:When the outbreak occurred Brandon was visiting family. He is from a small town in northern Indiana so he has always wanted to go back, but that is if he could. What is best for survival is more important to him then his hometown. His family huddled in his grandparents basement for two weeks until they had to go look for supplies. They did this for three more weeks before his father and grandfather were both shot in a firefight with Hunters. The Hunters went to the now undefended house (they had been watching them for a few days) and they demanded supplies. A military patrol arrived and opened fire. All the Hunters were killed and they were rescued. They were taken to the military outpost in Murrell's Inlet. A few years later, at age 14, his grandmother, now his only surviving relative, gave him his fathers old rifle. A local soldier gives him lessons in shooting. Two years later, his grandma dies, leaving him alone. He grows up a smuggler but ends up getting an honest job after almost buying it. He keeps up regular casual shooting but does not stay in the best physical condition.

Strengths:Good shooter. Good cook. Pretty physically strong.

Weaknesses:Not trusting, greatly cares more for himself than others, stubborn, overweight

*Living Family Members: Possibly an older sister and a younger brother. They were in Indiana when the outbreak happened so they could be alive or dead in any situation

*Quirks:Bit of a slob

*Likes:Reading and casual shooting sports

*Dislikes:

*Worst Fears:Bonding with someone then losing them

*Miscellaneous:Holds grudges.

[Danceria]

I haven't play the game and probably never will (I'm an Xbox fag), so hopefully I won't miss much.

Question: How does infection work? Can you prevent turning by amputating an infected arm/ slicing out the bitten skin if it's done early enough?

It's mentioned in the DLC that a character disregarded standard protocol (basically, putting a bullet in the brain) by amputating a fellow soldier's arm, but the results are ambiguous as both characters are killed shortly thereafter.

My personal understanding is that it's airborne, meaning that you can't exactly create an immunity other than airtight enviroments and hazard suits, unless you're [a mental mary sue of a surrogate daughter].

Whilst I was searching for why [obvious daddy kink is obvious] is immune, I found a few quotes/comments that are rather interesting, again from discussion forums on the subject.

"Aren't there always people immune to some kind of infection?

Ellie may very well have been one of many. But at the RATE at which people were being indiscriminately slaughtered (by hunters, by each other, by infected interested in more than just dolling out scratches [not to mention the MEANS by which you discover that you're immune]), most people who are/were immune probably don't know it/never had a chance to know it.

Bit more depressing when you think about it that way"

Another rather interesting theory/back and forth that seems rather solid to my limited understanding of biology, there are some good points, but not always the best grammar or spelling

"Ok, I've come up with a theory as to Ellie's immunity, and it's probably as close to canon as you can get.

In the Note from Mom, Ellie's mom says "You're not even a day old, and holding you is the most incredible thing I've done in my life - a life that is about to get cut a little short."

So she knows she is going to die soon. My theory is that Ellie's mom was infected just before Ellie was born, and that this exposure somehow made Ellie immune. From what I can remember of health class, there is a sort of barrier between a mother and the baby in the womb, which is there to protect it in some ways. Ellie could have been partially exposed in that way, but just enough for her to form antibodies and grant immunity to the fungus.

The reason that I don't think it was just a random mutation of the virus is she mentions that she and her friend Riley got bitten by the same Runner. The strain would have been the same for them both, showing that Ellie had something biologically that made her immune, either by mutating the virus itself or fighting it enough to prevent it from growing enough to take control of her.

Now, more spoiler-y stuff.

I think that the Fireflies were completely stupid to take brain surgery as their first option. The the Surgeon's Recorder, the surgeon even says that a blood sample taken from her quickly grew fungus. So they could have tried infecting somebody with this fungus first to see whether something in Ellie made her immune or if the fungus itself was a mutated form that didn't take over the host (which, as I mentioned, doesn't make much sense). They could have just taken a random hunter or something. I mean, I would think keeping Ellie alive should be a priority in case they couldn't get the cure from her brain.

Now that I think about it, I think they said they wanted to take a sample from her brain (although I think Joel said it grows all around the brain, so given these surgeons aren't total morons, they should have been able to scrape a sample off without killing her). Considering her bloodstream contains the spores, that would also make the brain surgery completely unnecessary because the spores would be coming from the fungus on her brain, and thus would be of the same exact strain/mutation). So either way, they really could have developed a vaccine from her blood, if the vaccine was possible at all."

"It makes sence!! I agree with you but one problem; listening to the recordings reveals that it wasn't her body that stoped the fungus but the fungus itself mutated (reason I.D.K.). Also keep in mind of the world they live in.... they may have technology to perform surgery.. but getting her patched up would not happen. (It takes more than stiches) She would probably end up bleeding out in the end, seeing that was their intention to just quickly yank that brain out.

The Cordyceps fungus also needs a living host to survive on or else it would die. So if they "put her to sleep" then wouldn't it kill of the fungus growing inside of her too. Chance of failure would increace (if not instant) at studing it."

"I'm thinking that, given my theory of how she's immune, that the antibodies could have caused the fungus to mutate. I mean, there's not really any other reason for the fungus to randomly mutate like that in only one person amongst countless. So a blood sample would have contained the antibodies that were necessary to fight the fungus. All they had to do was make a vaccine using Ellie's blood, and inject it into a living subject. Then they could re-analyze what to do based on what happened.

The subject could be fully infected.

The subject could be partially infected (like Ellie), and the fungus would not take over.

The subject would not be infected.

In the case of being fully infected, this would mean that the fungus is not mutated at all. If she can spread the infection, then the the fungus was not mutated in her, meaning that Ellie's immunity could only be explained by a mutation in her DNA. In this scenario, a cure isn't possible (although she could potentially reproduce immune children).

If the subject is only partially infected, congratulations, you have a sort of cure (having a benign fungus would be kinda gross and all, but better than being taken over).

If the subject is not infected, that would mean the fungus in her is mutated and can not spread, or that the antibodies in her blood keep it from spreading. This case would be a full cure in which no fungal growth would occur. Just to make sure, they could then take a known contagious sample of the fungus and expose the subject to it to test if they are truly immune.

Even if this stuff didn't work out, they could have tried it before deciding to cut her brain out. And really, they could patch her up after brain surgery. I'm not sure how the cut part of the skull gets reattached, but the surgeons should know how to do that. Even if they couldn't, they could just put a metal plate in place (happens in real life) and then sew it up. Since they said the fungus grows around the brain, that means they don't need to cut open her brain, just scrape a sample from the outside of it. So the brain isn't the concern, just the cutting open of the skull to access it. Of course it's still somewhat risky, but not fatal if they do it correctly."

"I do agree with most of what you said except there is one part I disagree with.

You said "considering her bloodstream contains the spores", take note this is also my sceculation in my previous comments so so far we are in the same page, however, making a vaccine requires the actual source which is in the brain, and not just a blood sample in my opinion.

To elaborate, a spore is a reproductive cell, it is comparable to a human sperm cell. A sperm cell cannot multiply on its own and requires a full set of balls (-_- I just made myself lol). A vaccine requires the actual infection to culture and given that spores do not multiply, you cannot make a culture out of it and effectively, a vaccine.

If by any means they can turn the spore into a grown fungus, then that is what they can use, but to do that, the spore needs a place to settle, which is in the brain. So we go back there to where it all starts...they need the fungal growth in the brain. The fungal growth can be cultivated then be made into a vacine unlike the sperms...spores. They need the damn brain sample.

And I agree with your point that they could scrape it off without doing much damage but given they are surgeons, I believe they have ran out of possible options where Ellie would survive so they just went on with it anyway. Also add to that they are just making do of what they have which also contributes to the mortality of the operation."

"If they're growing cultures using the fungus from the brain, then couldn't they infect someone else with the strain in Ellie and take it from them? The fungus in her brain should be producing spores with the same mutation as the one in her brain. I'm sure Joel would be more than glad to volunteer himself (to find a hunter, subdue him, and allow them to use him for the surgery).

Actually, after doing just a little bit of research, I have discovered that spores are asexual, and thus a single spore is able to multiply, meaning that the blood sample would get them all they need for a culture.

I'm pretty sure that Naughty Dog just included this decision as a point in the game to show how Joel was willing to put Ellie before the entire human race. It's something that we're not supposed to think about, but we being such curious creatures, we just can't help it."

"The Surgeon's Recorder artifact states that "Blood cultures taken from the patient rapidly grow Cordyceps in fungal-media in the lab..." That indicates that the fungus is in her blood and it is able to reproduce without a host. Considering the fungus in her brain produced the spores, they would have the same exact genetic makeup, meaning a blood sample would suffice."

"That is actually a good point. I forgot about that part.
However, doesn't that prove that there is no other way? Since the doctors already know it is possible to culture the fungal infection from blood samples and yet they insist on killing the patient and study her post mortem. It is either that the surgeons are completely incompetent or there truly is no other way...and I believe the latter would be more likely."

"There were MRI scans around, meaning they had a working MRI machine. You can see pretty much everything in the brain using one, so they didn't need to cut her open to examine her brain."

TL;DR, I poked around on the interwebz, found some science-y shit, and here's the link to the discussion forum for more addition, as there's a lot more stuff.

So what exactly does that mean for you? Well, if the theory of [special snowflake] being immune due to her being a "second generation", being born with the infection but coping with it (kind of like the chicken pox parties of old) due to a bright eyed and bushy tailed new immune system, said antibodies could be used to "cure" (read: let the infection go a bit slower, but still float about in the body) you. However, as far as we know, the [Good Guys who make the tough decisions, unlike SOME people...] are the only ones with the information, and in Salt Lake University. This story could take miles away from the university, in such a scenario, feel free to take this and shove it in the trash.

[Kentucky Fried Land]

I haven't play the game and probably never will (I'm an Xbox fag), so hopefully I won't miss much.

Question: How does infection work? Can you prevent turning by amputating an infected arm/ slicing out the bitten skin if it's done early enough?

Don't worry, you won't need to know much about The Last of Us, I'll explain it all during the story.

For amputations, there is one part in the DLC that implies that you can survive a bite by amputating, like Danceria said. The virus isn't airborne though, but parts of it like the spore clouds could be considered that. Anyways, I'd like to make amputations extremely dangerous. The items of the old world are very old, so sharp items are likely rusted and dull, which is not a good idea all around. I'm not saying that you can't try and amputate, just that it'd be a risk. Although, it'd be funny if you had two one-armed characters.

Do we need to know how the Last of us works? I'm just 14 and have a really old PC so buying it id out of the question.

Also how about a character that after a mission or a run or a whatever drinks his or hers sorrows everyday? The rules says no whinning but what about a realist characther who knows the world has gone to hell and everyday is just another day of living.

Something like that.

Nah, don't worry about it. I'll of the zombie rules will get explained in the RP itself, and I'm not going to reference the game much, if at all. To your second question, a cynical realist is fine by me. Just remember to make them likable, have them loosen up after some character development, otherwise the others won't care about them. Looking forward to the character, though.

Now, I know you said no psychopaths, but I think having a mental illness as a flaw would be interesting. Up to you if you accept it, but here goes nothing.

Name: David Michaels
Age: 28.
Faction: Civilian.
Sex: M.
Appearance: African-American, 6'5", 230 lbs (chubby), long black hair; thick beard. Brown eyes. Constantly seen wearing a heavy coat, backpack, and cotton-ball winter hat.
Equipment/Personal Belongings: Switchblade, reusable water bottle, backpack; heavy coat, cotton-ball winter hat. Handgun.
Personality: David's kind of isolated, but from what most people can tell, he has obsessive-compulsive disorder, and he sometimes talks to people who aren't there; leading some to believe he has schizophrenia or some other mental illness.
Bio: David Michaels was seven years old when this all started. When hell broke loose. He watched his friends, his neighbors... even his family died. He managed to escape, but only cause he was scared, and only because of luck. It was fairly... traumatic, the experience. David grew up an orphan in the safe-zone; raised technically speaking by whoever felt like having him around at the time. He also wandered a lot, but was never out after curfew. David, as he grew older, became noticeably... different.

David had obvious signs for obsessive-compulsive disorder; he would often refuse to go anywhere without wearing his cotton-ball winter hat. He would do things in a certain way, within a certain order; things always had to be specific ways for him. Otherwise, he'd get twitchy. He also began talking to himself; or at least, that's what people thought. Eventually, though, it became obvious he was talking to people who weren't even there. Sometimes, it was even his long-dead parents. Sometimes, it was just gibberish. Despite his... less than sound mental state, and his isolated nature, David has shown to be rather friendly most of the time. Almost child-like, really. But he's always afraid, of lots of things.

Infected, he fears the most. Likely because of his past traumas. However, he never seems to talk about it; rather, he just tries to live as he is. David does work when given it, usually, and finishes it almost on time. He tends to go into one of his 'wandering' moments, at times, as if he isn't there; as if he's somewhere else. Talking to people who don't exist. He also loses time, sometimes. He'll stare off into space for an hour and ask where someone was after, claiming to have been gone for barely a minute. David tends to be very dissociative at times, looking at things and talking about things as if they are still how they used to be. David is just one of the many people trying to survive in this world; in the safe zone.
Strengths: David's fear of the infected means he usually avoids infected if he can see or hear them. It also means he knows to put on a gasmask when he sees spores. David's also pretty large in size, so, it wouldn't be easy to overpower him in strength.
Weaknesses: David is a bit slow, and because of his mental illnesses, if he 'times out' at an improper moment, it could mean death for him or for someone else. David is also somewhat isolationist, so, interpersonal conflict and such confuses him and he sometimes prefers to be left alone.
*Living Family Members: None, that he knows of.
*Quirks: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Schizophrenia or related mental illness.
*Likes: His cotton-ball hat, counting, reading (sometimes), being alone (sometimes), talking to friends. Eating in general.
*Dislikes: His fear of the infected is a given; but he's also afraid of spiders, the dark (or rather, being alone in the dark), and losing his hat.
*Worst Fears: The infected. Spiders. Alone in darkness. Losing his hat.
*Miscellaneous: David doesn't really hold grudges very easily, due to disliking interpersonal conflict.

Don't worry about mental illnesses, those are fine. I didn't want psychopaths because it's hard to sympathize with them.

In other news, you are Accepted so long as you add in how many bullets he has and the type of gun he has. (Although, the type of gun is really no big deal, just wanted to know how powerful it'd be)

Name:Brandon

Age:26

Faction:Civilian

Sex:Male

Appearance:Tall, brown hair, blue eyes, white, crooked teeth, 215 pounds, has the beginning of a brown beard, wears a tattered white shirt and blue jeans.

Equipment/Personal Belongings: M700 Remington bolt action rifle (no scope), backpack, hunting knife.

Personality: Loner type. Sarcastic. Talks to himself, but not in a crazy person kind of way.

Bio:When the outbreak occurred Brandon was visiting family. He is from a small town in northern Indiana so he has always wanted to go back, but that is if he could. What is best for survival is more important to him then his hometown. His family huddled in his grandparents basement for two weeks until they had to go look for supplies. They did this for three more weeks before his father and grandfather were both shot in a firefight with Hunters. The Hunters went to the now undefended house (they had been watching them for a few days) and they demanded supplies. A military patrol arrived and opened fire. All the Hunters were killed and they were rescued. They were taken to the military outpost in Murrell's Inlet. A few years later, at age 14, his grandmother (now his only surviving relative) gave him his fathers old rifle. A local soldier gives him lessons in shooting. Two years later, his grandma dies, leaving him alone. He grows up a smuggler but ends up getting an honest job after almost buying it. He keeps up regular casual shooting but does not stay in the best physical condition.

Strengths:Good (but not great) shooter. Good cook. Pretty physically strong.

Weaknesses:Not trusting (doesn't want to get close to anyone after losing so much), greatly cares more for himself than others, stubborn, overweight

*Living Family Members: Possibly an older sister (by four years) and a younger brother (two years younger). They were in Indiana when the outbreak happened so they could be alive or dead in any situation

*Quirks:Bit of a slob

*Likes:Reading and casual shooting sports

*Dislikes: Special fucking snowflakes. Muslims (adding this for possible character drama if that is okay. I don't plan on going off on Muslims, just thought this would be a good way for possible drama in the group.)

*Worst Fears:Bonding with someone then losing them

*Miscellaneous:Holds grudges.

Looking good. You are Accepted as long as you add in a last name, how many bullets you have, and delete the parts of the app in parentheses (i.e. not the explanation part of your dislikes, but what I deleted for you in the quote.

And to Danceria, great detective work and compilation. Explained it ten times better than I ever would have.

[Danceria]

Thanks OP, wasn't sure how much you wanted to delve into the science behind how shit hit the fan.

I was just trying to poke around and find ways for some Firefly to be on a vengeful warpath to revive the Fireflies, and ultimately create a cure out of [Muh Over-dramatic Relationship Interest]. Instead I found a few Forum Posts, and a background character that was actually there when [the shit that went down that shall not be named] occurred.

Which brings me back to my original questions: Where does this story take place? Will characters from The Last Of Us make their appearance or be mentioned? Do eating Shroomhead Zombies actually taste of mushroom pizza?

Inquiring minds want to know...!

[The V O I D]

Now, I know you said no psychopaths, but I think having a mental illness as a flaw would be interesting. Up to you if you accept it, but here goes nothing.

Name: David Michaels
Age: 28.
Faction: Civilian.
Sex: M.
Appearance: African-American, 6'5", 230 lbs (chubby), long black hair; thick beard. Brown eyes. Constantly seen wearing a heavy coat, backpack, and cotton-ball winter hat.
Equipment/Personal Belongings: Switchblade, reusable water bottle, backpack; heavy coat, cotton-ball winter hat. Handgun.
Personality: David's kind of isolated, but from what most people can tell, he has obsessive-compulsive disorder, and he sometimes talks to people who aren't there; leading some to believe he has schizophrenia or some other mental illness.
Bio: David Michaels was seven years old when this all started. When hell broke loose. He watched his friends, his neighbors... even his family died. He managed to escape, but only cause he was scared, and only because of luck. It was fairly... traumatic, the experience. David grew up an orphan in the safe-zone; raised technically speaking by whoever felt like having him around at the time. He also wandered a lot, but was never out after curfew. David, as he grew older, became noticeably... different.

David had obvious signs for obsessive-compulsive disorder; he would often refuse to go anywhere without wearing his cotton-ball winter hat. He would do things in a certain way, within a certain order; things always had to be specific ways for him. Otherwise, he'd get twitchy. He also began talking to himself; or at least, that's what people thought. Eventually, though, it became obvious he was talking to people who weren't even there. Sometimes, it was even his long-dead parents. Sometimes, it was just gibberish. Despite his... less than sound mental state, and his isolated nature, David has shown to be rather friendly most of the time. Almost child-like, really. But he's always afraid, of lots of things.

Infected, he fears the most. Likely because of his past traumas. However, he never seems to talk about it; rather, he just tries to live as he is. David does work when given it, usually, and finishes it almost on time. He tends to go into one of his 'wandering' moments, at times, as if he isn't there; as if he's somewhere else. Talking to people who don't exist. He also loses time, sometimes. He'll stare off into space for an hour and ask where someone was after, claiming to have been gone for barely a minute. David tends to be very dissociative at times, looking at things and talking about things as if they are still how they used to be. David is just one of the many people trying to survive in this world; in the safe zone.
Strengths: David's fear of the infected means he usually avoids infected if he can see or hear them. It also means he knows to put on a gasmask when he sees spores. David's also pretty large in size, so, it wouldn't be easy to overpower him in strength.
Weaknesses: David is a bit slow, and because of his mental illnesses, if he 'times out' at an improper moment, it could mean death for him or for someone else. David is also somewhat isolationist, so, interpersonal conflict and such confuses him and he sometimes prefers to be left alone.
*Living Family Members: None, that he knows of.
*Quirks: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Schizophrenia or related mental illness.
*Likes: His cotton-ball hat, counting, reading (sometimes), being alone (sometimes), talking to friends. Eating in general.
*Dislikes: His fear of the infected is a given; but he's also afraid of spiders, the dark (or rather, being alone in the dark), and losing his hat.
*Worst Fears: The infected. Spiders. Alone in darkness. Losing his hat.
*Miscellaneous: David doesn't really hold grudges very easily, due to disliking interpersonal conflict.

Don't worry about mental illnesses, those are fine. I didn't want psychopaths because it's hard to sympathize with them.

In other news, you are Accepted so long as you add in how many bullets he has and the type of gun he has. (Although, the type of gun is really no big deal, just wanted to know how powerful it'd be)

I think it's like a M9 or something, idk. Some pistol that uses clips (magazines?) or whatever, and he has a few clips for it; that's about it.

Anyway, thanks for accepting me. I wonder what people'll think when they meet David, or see him doing one of his OCD things, or hear him talking to himself.

[Kentucky Fried Land]

Thanks OP, wasn't sure how much you wanted to delve into the science behind how shit hit the fan.

I was just trying to poke around and find ways for some Firefly to be on a vengeful warpath to revive the Fireflies, and ultimately create a cure out of [Muh Over-dramatic Relationship Interest]. Instead I found a few Forum Posts, and a background character that was actually there when [the shit that went down that shall not be named] occurred.

Which brings me back to my original questions: Where does this story take place? Will characters from The Last Of Us make their appearance or be mentioned? Do eating Shroomhead Zombies actually taste of mushroom pizza?

Inquiring minds want to know...!

Murrell's Inlet, South Carolina initially. After the attack, it leads to a journey across America. Since we'll be in primarily the Southern US, characters might be eluded to but we won't meet any. Also, they taste a little more soupy.

[Kentucky Fried Land]

Don't worry about mental illnesses, those are fine. I didn't want psychopaths because it's hard to sympathize with them.

In other news, you are Accepted so long as you add in how many bullets he has and the type of gun he has. (Although, the type of gun is really no big deal, just wanted to know how powerful it'd be)

I think it's like a M9 or something, idk. Some pistol that uses clips (magazines?) or whatever, and he has a few clips for it; that's about it.

Anyway, thanks for accepting me. I wonder what people'll think when they meet David, or see him doing one of his OCD things, or hear him talking to himself.

No problem. Interested to see where your character goes.