[hider=A Prologue]
[i]I was in line at the bank. Three people ahead of me, the tellers behind their protective glass windows. I wasn’t in the best part of town, then again, I rarely was. The economy was bad, I was stuck in the ghetto working a shit job for shit pay. Some weeks it seemed like it’d be easier to not pay the gas to drive to work, to just sit home and collect welfare. But I couldn’t. So there I was, standing in line, waiting to cash my meager check and knowing they’d tell me I’d have to deposit it since I didn’t have enough in my account to cover it. 

I’d give anything to be back in that line, awaiting my known fate. Anything. 

Chaos broke out in an instant. Around us, about a quarter of the people waiting or working in the bank disappeared. Just gone. One second there they were, the next, all that remained was their clothing that seemed to fall in slow motion to the floor, as if it remembered that it had been wrapped around limb and body. The security guards drew their guns, aiming at all of us, confused and angry and...It wasn’t horror yet though, that took some time to sink in. 

No, that came as the days passed with no explanations. The tv networks, the radio stations, those stayed functioning for a while. Who knows, maybe there’s a place where they still are functioning. It’s been two months, and all we know in our section of the world, in our quiet dot on the global map, is that hundreds of millions, maybe even billions, of people disappeared just like I saw that day. I never was able to get in touch with my family, I don’t know if they’re here or dead or...I don’t know. Key services I had gotten so used to having, a cell phone, internet...it’s not reliable anymore. 

What I do know...well there is some that I know, before the blackout hit. There’s a lot of theories going around. It’s the Rapture. The End Times. The Church called to heaven, the unbelievers left behind. I know the stories, I can’t believe it’s true. Other people say it’s the Russians, or the Chinese, or both. Last I heard though, there didn’t seem to be a nation on earth unaffected. Maybe, maybe not. Aliens seem just as likely, but if it’s aliens, I don’t know what they’d be playing at. No one’s seen anything. No spaceships, nothing else since people disappeared from in front of our very eyes. Just silence, and life adjusting. It’s amazing how quickly you can adjust. 

The President is still around, though it doesn’t look like government had an easy time of keeping power. Here in Buffalo, well, the police didn’t last long against the gangs. I bet places like Detroit didn’t fair much better. I keep my head low, avoid causing too much of a commotion and they leave me be. Can’t help thinking I should head out of town soon though, before it gets worse. Food is getting harder to come by, money doesn’t mean much at the moment, and everyone keeps talking about some war brewing. How any nation can be coordinating such a thing, I don’t know. Maybe the chaos has died down for the most part. But Buffalo would be one of the last places to feel the effects of that.[/i][/hider]

[b]OOC Information[/b]
*About 2 months previous to the start of the rp, approximately 2 billion people disappeared. All that was left was anything non human, clothing, fillings, medical devices, etc. By all accounts, every single person missing disappeared at the same time, and according to witnesses, quite literally in the blink of an eye. Although hard facts are hard to come by, it also appears as if the disappearances were random. Rich, poor, religious or non, young or old, every nationality...But, again, hard facts are hard to come come by. Your char will not know much, similar to the brief prologue above. 

*Starting off in Buffalo, NY. Mostly because I am very familiar with the area. Home of the Bills, the Sabres, and the Bisons, creators of Buffalo Wings, only region to find a Mighty Taco. Next door to Niagara Falls and Canada. Winters are rough, the area was dying long before the start of this, and the people, well….it’s the Rust Belt. There’s a good dose of cynicism in most people, but with that comes pride as well. 

*Advanced standards apply. I don’t require more than 3-4 paragraphs per post, more is welcome but don’t feel pressured. You’ll also notice a different CS template than typical. I’m looking for ways to not only create more solid and real characters, but to get a better read on them via a CS. Feedback is welcome on the structure of it. 

*As another note on characters, I will be picky. Don’t create a character that has no reason to interact with the group. Feel free to create a character with hidden motivations, or is morally gray. But do not create somebody who clashes with the very premise of the rp. 
General plot will follow our group uncovering what’s happened to the world. What’s happened to loved ones and friends, what caused the world-wide disappearances, and how to put it all back together.

*Super-badass-gunslinging type is off limits. It never ends well.

[b]IC Information[/b]
*Start date is October 2015. In Buffalo and the surrounding area that means winter is coming. This also means the day of the Rapture was August 2, 2015. 

*In the outskirts of Buffalo, at the Ralph Wilson Stadium (former home of the Bills). The gangs and some former cops have banded together to see over the stadium and its various occupants. The stadium has drawn a large crowd from the city itself and the surrounding suburbs, turning it into a shanty town of sorts. It’s a better situation than the rest of the area at large. Food is rationed but still available. A barter system has already been developed. There’s even electricity sometimes. The rules are simple and effective. Do what the men with guns say, keep your head down, survive. 

*All characters must be in the Stadium. Ours will have been put on a work detail with each other. It's likely they don’t know each other for the most part. The overseers like to keep it that way to keep a hold of their power.

[hider=Character Sheet Template]
[b]Name:[/b]
[b]Appearance:[/b] [i](img/description/both)[/i]
[b]Previous to the day of the Rapture, what was your character’s worst day?: 
What was their best day?: 
Who was their first love? What came of it?:
What’s the one thing they would redo in their life if given the chance?
What was their first job and how did they feel about it?:
How about their family? Who’s still around, what’s the dynamic?:
Favorite game? (Of any sort):
What were they doing on the day of the Rapture?:
Ever have any legal problems?:
Do they believe in a god? A religion? A belief?:
As a kid, what’d they want to be when they grew up?:
What was their occupation before the Rapture?:[/b][/hider]

[b]Accepted Characters[/b]
[hider=Vanq][b]Name:[/b]
Nailah Lateef

[b]Appearance:[/b]
[img]http://i.imgur.com/meZRG2z.jpg?1[/img]
Pleasantly Plain. Nailah is around 5’4” tall and slightly over average weight for a woman of her height. She dresses conservatively, even in these harder times, and she still wears a hijab. 
Olive skin and amber eyes, her hair is a warm chocolate brown. Even before the events that lead to the disappearances, Nailah rarely wore make up or did much to accentuate her body. 

[b]Previous to the day of the Rapture, what was your character’s worst day?:[/b] 
Although not quite jilted, Nailah was engaged once, four years ago. Her parents had made a match for her and arranged for the two to meet. She approved, and he seemed to approve as well. The man stayed as long as his visa allowed before returning home to Egypt. They continued to communicate for nearly half a year as their wedding plans were finalized. Nailah would return home to marry him, and they would then return to the U.S. 

As the date grew closer, her daily exchanges with her husband-to-be diminished. She thought perhaps he wished to create space between them before their marriage and found the notion whimsical, attractive even. Her parents called her a week before she was due to fly out with the the news that her fiance had broken off the engagement. He had decided to stay in Egypt and had no desire to move to America. 

Nailah never did find out what had caused the man’s change of heart, she suspected it may have had to do with her attempts to change the subject when the Hajj came up in conversations. She had not yet revealed her loss of faith. 

[b]What was their best day?:[/b]
Her graduation, three years ago, from Erie Community College, an A.S. in accounting. She worked hard to balance her school, her work, and her volunteering. Her brother wasn’t able to make it to the ceremony, but her father was able to fly in and see it. They had all had dinner together afterwards, at a local hookah bar. It was one of the few places near her apartment that offered kosher and halal meals. That day remains a bright spot in her memory, a time where all three of them had been happy with no arguments. A time where she felt pride, even from her somewhat belligerent brother. 

[b]Who was their first love? What came of it?:[/b]
Qabeel, a boy a couple years older than her, from her neighborhood. Perhaps not true love, but her first love during her adolescent years. Qabeel came from a more liberal family, and upon finding out about the two teens fancy for each other, would invite Nailah and her mother over to give the two time to talk more freely. Nailah never felt comfortable to bring up her attraction or feelings about Qabeel to her mother, and her desire for the boy passed after a few months. Traits that were once adorable soon turned to be abrasive to young Nailah and she couldn’t remember what had ever drawn her to him in the first place. 

[b]What’s the one thing they would redo in their life if given the chance?:[/b]
She wouldn’t have listened to her brother when he told her not to go after her bachelor’s in accounting. Her graduation from the community college had been an accomplishment, and one that she should have been satisfied with according to her older sibling. Nailah had taken his advice, but regretted it each day she was forced to work for her brother and live in the same apartment as the man seemed to deteriorate more and more into anger. She could have had her degree a year ago, been somewhere else, somewhere better...perhaps she would be better off somehow even now with all the disappearances. Even with the chaos, there have been moments that she still wishes she had not listened to him. 

[b]What was their first job and how did they feel about it?:[/b] 
Nailah’s first job came at a young age as she helped her mother and father tend to their shop, which eventually grew to several shops in the surrounding area. Starting around age 6, she would help out after school. Cleaning or straightening up, eventually helping the customers as well as learning the back end of the business when she got into her teen years. 

She enjoyed the job when she was young but grew resentful of it when she got older. She was not really paid for the work she did, although she was certain she had a role in it’s expansion. Still, it was her duty to do as her parents bid. Responsibilities had to be fulfilled regardless of how she felt about it. 

[b]How about their family? Who’s still around, what’s the dynamic?:[/b] 
Her mother and father remained in Egypt when she and her brother immigrated to the U.S. six years ago. Her brother was almost a decade older than her, and she left with him to start a new life. Her parents were strict and fairly conservative, but open hearted even when Nailah came out as an agnostic. She has no idea what happened to her parents, having been unable to get in contact with them since the Rapture. 

Her relationship with her brother has been more tumultuous. He was often a trouble maker in his youth and young adulthood, and coming to America only seemed to compound that. He swore to keep to his faith, yet fell into smoking and drinking. Nailah also awoke early some mornings to see a woman leaving their small apartment. Her brother could grow angry easily when confronted with his hypocrisy, especially after Nailah told him of her own disbelief. 

While her brother did not disappear, she has not seen him in a month. He went out on an errand and hasn’t returned. She doesn’t know whether to fear him dead or to believe that he abandoned her. 

[b]Favorite game? (Of any sort):[/b]
Beautiful Katamari. Nailah’s brother owned an xbox 360 and he bought her the game one year for her birthday. She never cared for his other games, but she genuinely appreciated his thoughtfulness on the gift, as well as liked the game itself.

[b]What were they doing on the day of the Rapture?:[/b]
She was working in her brother’s store. It was just entering the noon hours and many of the churches were releasing their parishioners from their services. It was a busy time of day for the shop, so Nailah was trying to wrap up the paperwork in the small backroom so she could be out front to help her brother. 
She had heard screaming, and found her brother just muttering “they’re gone, they’re gone,” over and over. It took a while for Nailah to figure out what he meant, and longer to accept it as reality. The chaos she saw that day was unlike anything she had ever experienced before. It didn’t get any better either. 

[b]Ever have any legal problems?:[/b] 
There were some initial problems with her and her brother’s immigration papers, but nothing that ever landed her in jail. She's had a handful of parking tickets, and a couple moving violations. 

[b]Do they believe in a god? A religion? A belief?:[/b]
While she was raised in the Muslim faith (of the Shi’a sect), Nailah felt disconnected from her family’s beliefs. She stayed silent on this, desperate to feel the security that her parents and brother felt on the matter, until a couple years ago. She came out, quietly, as an agnostic. She doesn’t know what she believes exists beyond the mortal realm, or if it really matters. She still wears the hijab and dresses modestly as that is what she is comfortable in, but it is no longer a sign of her waning faith.
 
[b]As a kid, what’d they want to be when they grew up?:[/b]
A teacher. She was enamored with the idea up until she moved to America, though a part of her still held out hope of having a classroom of children to teach and mentor. 

[b]What was their occupation before the Rapture?:[/b] 
Jack of all trades when it came to her brother’s convenience store. She worked the register when he needed extra help, but was mainly there because she had a better head for the books. Nailah kept the store running, able to work out deals with suppliers, as well as make sure the proper paperwork was filed, taxes were done properly, etc.

She also volunteered at a local community center, helping immigrant families learn English.[/hider]