[i]"We can't tell you who we are. Or where we live. It's too risky, and we've got to be careful. Really careful. So we don't trust anyone. Because if they find us... Well, we just won't let them find us. The thing you've got to know is that [/i]everyone[i] is in really big trouble. Yeah. Even you."[/i] -From the backs of the books Take six friends fighting a secret invasion of alien body snatchers using only their wits and their ability change into the form of whatever animal they touch, add normal day-to-day drama, sprinkle on some dark comedy, and a bit of horror for good measure, and you get Animorphs. It was a fantastic children's series but, seeing as the kids themselves didn't know anything beyond their normal lives before the whole thing started, you need no prior knowledge of the series to join up! Everything you need to know will be included in both the IC and OOC as it comes up. This roleplay will consist of myself -I'll be playing the Ax(those familiar with the series)/exposition alien(those who aren't) role- my lovely co-GM DotCom, and four of you lovely ladies and gents. While there will be a main plot, everything will be shaped by your decisions as roleplayers. Choose to go out and use your powers to fight the alien invasion, come along, kicking and screaming, for the ride, try to ignore it all... the story and NPCs will be adjusted to fit. However, just because you don't choose to investigate odd events unfolding around you doesn't mean that they won't happen, or come back to bite you in the ass. More information on what we have for the plot so far, plus the basics you'll need to know about the world going into things, will be added in the OOC. For now, I'll just go over the basics of what you need to know if you're interested in joining up: 1.) This is advanced. While I don't expect crazy long posts -Four or five paragraphs are good for posts without interaction with other PCs, and around three are good for those that are more heavy on the interaction- detail and a grasp of the English language is required. This RP will be in the third person, past tense. 2.) I love collab posts, and they will be utilized in this RP! I hope to use them for group scenes, and expect two players whose characters have any extended dialogue together to use them, as well. It helps with organization and makes things flow much more smoothly. 3.) Going into this, your characters are pretty much normal people. Sure, they might be strong or smart, and maybe one or two might have an unusual background but, for the most part, they're just your average teenagers. They're about to be thrown into tense, life-or-death situations with constant moral and ethical dilemmas that don't have clear right or wrong answers. They'll fight, they'll kill, and have to go through it all without telling a soul. There will be the constant paranoia of wondering whether the people you love the most are being controlled by aliens. There will definitely be some fun times and comic relief, but your characters will effectively become soldiers, with the weight of humanity on their soldiers. Please be able to present the effects of these events at least semi-realistically. Character development is a must. 4.) As I earlier stated, there will be six roles. Each will correspond loosely to a role in the books; I'm drawing them more from the stock 'five-man-band' characters. That doesn't mean that your character should be a stereotype; since this is character based, I'm really hoping for characters who can come to life. However, I believe that it is important that the characters have different talents and personalities, and that having these vague roles already established is the best way to ensure that happens. These characters are as follows: (I'm going by the genders of characters the first time around, but any character can be any biological sex and gender identity. However, keep in mind that both my character and DotCom's are female, so I'm unlikely to accept more than one additional female identifying character) [b]The Leader[/b]- Whether he likes it or not, this character is the type of person who people naturally gravitate to in times of crisis. His ability to keep a clear head under pressure and naturally strong leadership abilities are his best strengths, and characters will naturally fall in behind him when the going gets rough. [b]The Lancer[/b]- Where the leader is calm and in control, his lancer is often rash and impulsive. She can be his best friend or worst rival but she is his second-in-command, first and foremost. Though her unpredictability can sometimes make her difficult to work with, her ability to think outside of the box and her extreme loyalty make her an asset to the team. (Taken by DotCom) [b]The Big Guy (Or gal)[/b]- While not [i]necessarily[/i] the largest member of the team, physically, he's definitely the most aggressive member of the team. He could hold his own in a fight even before gaining the ability to morph. He's almost always in favor of doing things in the most direct, preferably physical way possible. This trait may put him at odds with the rest of the team. [b]The Smart Guy (or gal)[/b]- An extremely intelligent character who prefers to think things through before jumping into them. Exact area(s) of expertise are up to the player, but this should generally be the more logical character in the group. He generally prefers peace; or at least, not getting his ass kicked unnecessarily. Snarkiness requested but not required. [b]The Heart[/b]- The more emotional/artsy character, and the group's moral compass. She (Though, it especially bears repeating here that this character does not have to be female, or even remotely feminine) is the first one to speak up whenever it seems the group is going too far past that line that separates good from evil. This character has an excellent understanding of how people tick, and while she usually uses this gift for good, to help keep the group cohesive and take care of members emotionally and whatnot, she is also an excellent manipulator, and the best morpher of the group. [b]The Alien[/b]- My character, a young member of the same race who grants the group their morphing powers. She'll join a little bit after they actually get the powers and is mainly for exposition. She'll gives background on the secret invaders and their motives, while being very cryptic about her own people. Characteristics include arrogance and a complete lack of knowledge regarding human culture. Still interested? Awesome! Let me know! Once I've received sufficient interest, I'll make an OOC. I will be choosing players by means a sort of audition; you'll be filling out a sort of character sheet, but writing it in the FIRST PERSON, as if your character were being interviewed. The actual RP, again, will be in the third. But I believe that this format will better show off your character's personality and voice, while still demonstrating to me your writing capabilities. I will also be looking at your posting history, and may ask you to provide me an in-character writing sample if I'm still indecisive after everything else. CS: (Include what role you hope for the character to have at the top) What's your name?: How old are you?: (High school age; I may accept a character a little older, but they'd have to be interesting, and in a position to regularly interact with the others) What do you look like?: (A real picture may also be included at the top of the CS, under their role) Do you have any hobbies? Please feel free to discuss them here: Any dislikes?: Tell me, what are your goals for the future? Both immediate and long-term.: What's your home life like? Specifically, what is your relationship like with your parents?: Siblings?: What's your favorite animal, and why?: Favorite color?: You wake up late one night to discover that your house is burning down. What do you do?: Finally, a tricky one; which came first, the chicken or the egg?: Again, I must emphasize that this is to be written like an interview of your character. I am most likely to accept characters who fit their archetype and expand on it, so that they read as actual human beings. Feel free to post any questions or tentative CS's here for feedback, or to PM myself and/or DotCom. Thank you very much for sticking through and reading all of this, whether you decide to apply or not! And please have a good morning/afternoon/evening/night/day/etc.!