This account is pretty inactive now. But I pop on from time to time to see if anything of interest pops up. I tend to drop out of things with writers block if I find myself lacking in interest, but do try to keep things long=term. Been offline for most of the last 12 months but hoping I might soon find something to get me back in that RP saddle.
A trading post, or so the markings outside would lead one to believe. Whatever... this was it certainly wasn't any trading post, at least not anymore. The carcass that was once a small store had been all but picked completely clean, with broken glass and fittings now scattering the floor. Jake trod carefully as he attempted to manoeuvre his way around without sounding like a one animal stampede, occasionally he'd shuffle his foot gently to push shards of glass or metal along the floor to create a makeshift path. With a soft sigh he negotiated his way to the store counter before swinging his backpack off of his shoulders. These leftovers were better then finding nothing at the very least, the sort of things people were willing to part with these days.
One item in particular caught his attention as he scooped up the small LED flashlight, bargain find. He twisted the flashlights head and at the first sign of life switched it back off before sliding it into his pocket. This if nothing else indicated that whoever had once manned this post had clearly left in a hurry, having left their prizes behind. That's if they left willingly, the place was a dump but trying to identify if that was just the natural appearance these days or a sign of a fight was never clear. But blood... blood was always a clear giveaway. Jake frowned softly as he found his evidence across the counter, no body meant that it was unlikely the blood of a killing wound, but it mattered not. There was no point letting any of these trinkets go to waste, even as useless as they currently looked.
Jake had gathered the odds and sods of items as he flipped open his bag and dropped the pieces in. Mainly pre-end collectables that some still obsessed over even now, you'd think people would have their priorities in order when it'd been over a month since this all started. Then there was the finest currency, or nearly finest, casings. Useless to Jake but it could come in handy to keep those, never know when someone has some useful supplies to trade. Having taken the leftovers like a magpie picking up glistening trinkets Jake craned his head around to try and look for anything else amongst the rubble, wishing thinking it would seem, clearly looters prior to him had taken all the food and drinks that once would of bought money here.
Preparing to leave Jake wrestled free his scarf from his back as he wrapped it round to cover his mouth and grabbed on of his spray paint cans before sliding the bag back on to his shoulders. As he headed for the door there was a sound, almost like a rumbling... getting louder. It was evidently coming from outside, it wasn't heavy enough to be machines but something was moving and a lot of them. It took Jake a moment to scoot behind a battered section of shelving as he saw that all to familiar sight of rotting flesh charging past the store front. Such large numbers, all heading the same way, clearly heading somewhere they'd shown little interest in the store thankfully. Seeing what seemed the last of them Jake stood back upright as he jigged his crowbar free from its lodging before heading for the door once more.
A straggler, the beaten corpse had struggled to maintain the pace and fallen behind but was close enough to be an issue. The natural reaction had been the jab outwardly with his crowbar as the makeshift weapon pierced through the corpses throat like a hot knife gliding into butter. Jake gagged, he had hoped he'd gotten used to that by now before pulling through upward, freeing the head from the rest of the body, rotten innards spilling from both wounds. A heavy outward breath forced Jake's small breakfast to stay firmly in place. He could see the tail end of the horde further up the street but there was something to take care of first. Jake quickly shook the can of aerosol paint before spraying a cross over the previous trading post markings to prevent unfortunate souls wasting their time.
His task complete Jake began to make his way in the same direction as the undead were going. The opposite way would likely lead him toward their higher ranks, which he'd rather avoid if possible. On another note those mindless monstrosities were clearly after something or going somewhere, and he wanted to find out what that was. Perhaps this so called relic that he'd been hearing about being around here. He sure hoped it wasn't one of those 'I heard about this...' 'well we heard that...' situations. Last thing he needed right now was bad intel.
The initial weeks for Jake had not been pleasant. Though he had expected at much, granted he was likely the most deserving of the blame. The stigmata of his name loomed like an eternal shroud as he avoided interacting with the other students outside of the bare minimum that he had to partake in due to class activities. Of course there was also that roommate of his, what was his name again? Chen Xiaobao, Jake clicks his fingers as he remembers the name as though it was a challenge.
Within the classes, the pyromancy felt rather simplistic, though some of the tasks were not ones he'd typically use his powers for. To control energy at such a fine level, almost had seemed impossible for such a destructive force, one that he had personally been more invested in the combat side of prior to attending the academy. However the learning of theory had been rather interesting, along with the history of magics origin. Knowledge was always a fascinating thing for his family, their family, Jake would remind himself mentally over and over again. He had known the truth, it was his right to, how many of the students and staff knew was hard to gauge. Those that did, if any, had not admitted as such but so long as they weren't going to blurt it out to everyone he wasn't too concerned.
Over the weeks he had continued to make a conscious effort to keep his face partially covered with an assortment of hoodies that he switched between. There was a principle behind it, though it would easily be perceived as some kind of misguided fashion statement that would never catch on with the other students, hopefully. This along with his general avoidance of the other students may of gave off a somewhat dismissive vibe but if that's what he required in order to have moments to think then so be it. Perhaps some would think the action was justified, he couldn't really blame them if they did. In a moment of irritation of his own mind, Jake raised his hand to rub the scar on his cheek hidden within the hoods coverage.
But he had to look on the bright side for a change. It was Sunday, a nice allotment of free time that granted him the chance to through strategies at his leisure, without having to hide it every couple of minutes from his professors. The thick, but plain paper pad which he carried with him 'Lucshen Battle' scrawled on its cover. It had been in his possession to every class and had been on his person almost exclusively all day at the weekends. Every couple of days another sheet of paper would end up tacked on the wall of his side of the dorm. He wasn't quite sure what Xiaobao made of it, but then he didn't really care. Not that his notes would make any form of logical sense, his method for working was rather chaotic at best, leading to notes with arrows pointing to join different sections to one another scribbled down on different segments of the page. It could quite possibly be closely resembled by the writings of a madman, if one were justified to make such a judgement.
He had left his dorm room as early as he could make a break for it to avoid any unwanted small talk as he made his way toward the common room with a soft hum. Opening his book as he did so. "Let see here... this would be, number six?" As Jake spoke to himself he circled a six in the corner of the page. Likely the only part that made any sense, an increasing number system. As he turned the corridor closing in on the common room he comes to an almost sudden stop as he saw two students greeting each other in the hall. Names.. names... names... Having established the most basic of information he continued onward nodding as he passed. "Memoli... Towerfall..." As the sun shone through the window causing his eyes to squint, he brought himself to a stop a few feet from the other two. "Nice fucking day indeed Towerfall. Still plenty of time to hurt oneself however, maybe don't take your name to literally."
With that Jake continued on his way, he needed some form of sustenance and maybe he could catch a quiet breather before the masses would inevitably dog-pile into the common area. As luck would have it, the common room was near to empty just seemed to be that Santora guy for now. Rather than engage in small talk however he quickly scooped up an apple and bit into it as he found a seat resting the paper pad on his lap as he begins to sketch out shapes and symbols, assigning them numbers and letters as he goes. The he places his pen down to one side, staring at the page as though analysing what he done for some kind of deeper purpose.
Only just realise I put the portrait in wrong >.> on my character sheet submissions. Also changed my text color to make it easier if anyones going to quote speech snippets between posts.
Jake stands at 6'6" tall with an "average" build for his height, he isn't scrawny but he's also not got the body who's got a strict gym regime. Someone who often feels the cold easily it's common to see him in a jacket regardless of if it's a good day or not. Aside from this his attire is rather basic wearings jeans & t-shirt, his usual footwear is boots.
History: Jake had a natural aptitude for maths and following college for electrical engineering. Understanding circuit schematics and building electronic boards, even programming of logic circuits all fell into place rather naturally. As such Jake had been working as an electrical engineer since graduation. Despite this he wasn't one to have an ambitious view on his job, taking things as they came and preferring to maintain a hands on role over a design or managerial one. Outside of work he spent most of his free time playing video games, almost text book nerd a fan of anything from JRPG to survival horror, the world ending could be summarised as close to the latter if things hadn't gone completely to shit.
Since the end, Jake had been mimicking what anyone that had survived was doing, he'd kept moving. However his knowledge had offered him a more relaxed pace. Electricity could be easily obtained with a little know how, with parts being obtained for the scraps others had left behind themselves. Whilst on the move Jake had heard people talking about a marking system to indicate where an area was safe or not.
Intrigued by the idea he made himself one of these self proclaimed scouts, marking areas that he visited as necessary. Anywhere he'd marked as safe he left supplies that he could spare and if there was generators, the necessary steps to get things up and running and how best to utilise the power. His electrical knowledge had allowed him to branch out and better understand things on an installation level and not just a circuitry level. Though some might not see the value he felt it was important to ensure that they could keep power going for as long as possible where ever he visited.
Aside from his work Jake tends to avoid questions about life during the time before. When asked where he's from his typical response is to point out it isn't important. But when pressed for an answer will say he's from Virginia, but doesn't offer any specifics.
Personality: Jake is confident with what he knows, but outside of this he can be pretty anxious. Both his career and favourite pass-time were not exactly the most social of activities which only fed his anxiety more. Jake feels good when he's able to help out, but some people prefer not to work with him due to his lack of social skill which could hinder or slow things down.
As Jake has yet to spend extended time with any group within the Survivors Club he's found it hard to open up. But given the necessity of the situation is slowly beginning to improve in his integration with others. To those who he would count amongst his friends he can be rather defensive, and not afraid to defend them when others do wrong by them.
Skills and Weaknesses: Electrical engineering - As above this used to be Jake's career. His electrical understanding is slowly growing to better understand whole installations. Capable of bypassing electrical wiring to more efficiently apply power to different applications. Strong swimmer - Aside from his work and gaming this was Jake's next favourite pass-time. Having been taught to swim at an early age he'd received life-saver training and competed for his school in the past. (You never know when it might come in handy, probably won't) Handy with a crowbar - Need something beat-down? Need something broken or broken into? Look no further. Times call for a different talent, why not be multi-skilled?
Anxiety - Can be difficult to work with, or socialise with if he's not in the right frame of mind. T-that's heavy - Not the strongest guy out there he can get things done in a group but isn't good at heavy lifting on his own. Partially attributed to his height where his knee's make it difficult. Not Stealthy - Tall person with a crowbar, not exactly the most quiet of individuals. Though he does try to make as little noise as possible.
Belongings: Camping backpack of supplies, topped with a bedroll. Crowbar typically carried lodged under one of the backpack straps. Backpack contents: 2x Spray paint (Red) - for marking Long scarf with red paint stains (makeshift mask) 'clean' clothes Multi-meter (electrical measurements tool) Screwdriver (assortment) Soldering Ion Tinned food (x10) (unknown contents)
Color Code: This one (39b54a).
Other stuff: Can drive (thought it's not really a skill but still important?) Relationships: (TBC)
Sample Post: Day 1 - The End Another day, another dollar. Or so the saying goes, having finished up his shift in the workshop Jake was on his usual drive home. That drive that was almost like second nature, you feel you could do it blind folded but that would be a stupid idea. Such random thoughts would always be running through Jake's mind it was like there was no off-switch for pointless ideas. Stopped at the lights Jake softly bopped his head to the music from his CD, completely oblivious, like everyone that today was not just another day.
Lights changed and off he continued. The drive was un-eventful as alw- "Oh shit!" Jake shouted to himself as the car screeched as he slammed on the brakes, but it wasn't enough though the blow from the car were at a near stop. What the fuck, why did someone just step out like that. Jake peers out to the road below, now he wasn't too in touch with human anatomy, but Jake was pretty sure that getting hit at 10mph wouldn't separate ones leg, from the rest of their body. Both disgusted and confused he fumbles his phone from his pocket only to drop it down into the footwell beneath him. With a look of despair to where it had ended up, he shifted his body in an attempt to reach his phone below him, glancing occasionally to the victim laying on the road.
Thoughts plagued Jake's mind, he could be arrested for this, lose his license. Shit even if they gave it back to him eventually insurance would be through the roof. But it would prove this should be the least of his worries. Was that person, dragging themselves away from the incident. Jake stared as if fascinated by the disgusting scene unfolding in front of him, though it'd be more true to say fixated in horror. Peoples fingers weren't supposed to bend that way, was his flesh peeling off on the... Jake coughed as he observed before reaching for the car door, taking several attempts to grab the handle to open it before cracking it open as he barfed out onto the road.
Whatever the fuck was going on he didn't want to stick around to observe it. Closing the door with a series of breaths he closed the door once more before speeding off toward home, paying no heed to traffic laws. Suddenly things were starting to make a scary sort of sense. Was this why the roads were practically deserted? Had he been caught in his own little world, whilst the real world had collapsed around him in a matter of moments? Heading home was starting to seem like a dumb idea, but where else could he go he needed his things.
Arriving back at his house Jake scrambled inside as he rushed around gathering things up, like some nutcase with a zombie attack survival plan. Though the events from earlier made him slightly disoriented as collecting the most basic of items in any form of logical order had been thrown into chaos. Everything that was essential was now not essential, and things that were taken for granted, now essential. It felt like his head was spinning and on the verge of turning into full-blown panic mode. But then maybe it wasn't as bad as he would initially think, Jake turned on the TV as he continued to throw odds and ends into a pile. Not as bad after all, worse. Creatures of legend, creatures of sci-fi and horror all merged into one giant cluster-fuck of invaders.
Jake just stared at the screen, devoid of the world around him. Where had humanity gone so wrong to bring this upon itself. It took a while but Jake finally managed to snap himself back into some form of reality, but now reality felt like it had a much broader meaning. He began to sift through the pile of stuff that he'd gathered trying to make sense on what was required before throwing it all in his backpack. After all the time for panic was over, he needed to get his shit together unless he wanted to become chow.
Upon finishing it was though someone had flipped the panic switch again as he scurried to his car to leave throwing the bag onto the back seat before speeding off once more. where he was going, what he was planning even he didn't know, he was just getting away from where he was. He'd be sparred the the anguish of reaching a blockade of traffic, but not the anguish of losing his car. He was too panicked to remember how it happened, he didn't even know if he was the one to blame. The events unfolding indicated survival of the fittest and in his less then stable state he grabbed his bag from the back seat of his car before clambering out of the vehicle which as luck would have it had been struck on the passenger side. He glanced around, there wasn't anyone about and he had to find more people quick. Even if it meant discomfort, discomfort was a more desired fate than dead.
Curious, what more was potentially going to be said in that moment when Professor Lovette had cut himself off. Though to be frank he was a tiny bit disappointed, he'd hoped for something almost like enlightenment in the answer. Though despite this he did not let it show as he smiled in gratitude of receipt of an answer. For a moment he thought the professor was spacing out, as though they'd became absent from their own thoughts. Jake peered into the professors eyes and was almost startled when he'd clapped his hands together pretty much snapping them both back into reality.
When the professor broke line of sight Jake looked over his shoulder back over the room, before returning his attention to the professors question. Noticing the opportunity to speak up, Jake bowed his head toward the professor. "Well first I'd like to thank you. An honest opinion is better than a denial of one, no matter the context. Now as for anything else... ah yes!" Jake reached into his pocket as he unfolded an envelop as neatly he could holding it out. "To whom it may concern, it's simply a letter explaining that no other Lucshen will be visiting the academy regardless of occasion. My family don't wish to make things difficult, for student, staff nor visitors." Although sealed with wax, the family crest upon it had been evidently defaced, almost as though someone had deliberately scratched it off.
"And with that... I look forward to your classes Professor Lovette. An opportunity to learn something new is always a cherished one within our household. As the family saying goes... well I shant bore you with that." Jake reminisced his parents telling of the Firestrom family saying, though they were no longer of that family, it still rung true with them. "I believe there are likely other matters that require your attention, so I shant take up more of your time." Jake bowed his head once more before turning back towards the room, as he glanced back at the list of names on the screen.
He didn't recognise most of them. There was a few councillor family names he recognised, though not many. Most of what he did know about the community was self taught due to his families decision to steer clear of it. His enrolment in the academy was the closest they came to integrating back into society in a long time. With a sigh Jake headed back to where he'd been previously sitting his bag of belongings still lent against the chair.
This account is pretty inactive now. But I pop on from time to time to see if anything of interest pops up. I tend to drop out of things with writers block if I find myself lacking in interest, but do try to keep things long=term. Been offline for most of the last 12 months but hoping I might soon find something to get me back in that RP saddle.
<div style="white-space:pre-wrap;">This account is pretty inactive now. But I pop on from time to time to see if anything of interest pops up. I tend to drop out of things with writers block if I find myself lacking in interest, but do try to keep things long=term. Been offline for most of the last 12 months but hoping I might soon find something to get me back in that RP saddle.</div>