Scoundrel

Ashbury Academy: Not your typical high school roleplay

I'm interested as well. Looking forward on how this will go.

The Silver Dagger

Awesome! I'll have a character a bit later....maybe after a few hours or so.

The Silver Dagger

Am I too late for this? D:

The Silver Dagger - A Sword and Sorcery Roleplay

I am very much interested in this...count me in! :)

Us, Redux

@clericbeast

Yeah as what Gowi said, you can do it. I've been through similar situations where I just couldn't think of something to write for my character. One instance is staring at my laptop's screen for almost an hour and still nothing comes out. I can't even come up with a decent set of words to describe the scenes I've been planning on my mind. But trust me, once you start writing, you'll have the idea. Just give it a go. ;)

One tip though, try listening to some music that perfectly fits the scenes/moods you're planning with your post. Maybe that might help in a way where your focus won't drift away from what you're planning to write.

Us, Redux

@Scoundrel, I've been meaning to ask: did you want me to add the priest to the residents list? He may not have a name, but I could list him just as "Priest"?

@Palindromatic

Father Gabe! Just kidding. That's enough of TWD. Anyway, you can definitely add him to the list if you want. I surely won't mind but it'd be interesting to have some religious folks around.

On an unrelated note, my work schedule will be quite brutal next week and I only have until Sunday to come up with a post, but I'll make sure to have it done by the end of that day.

Just a quick heads up in case I'll be inactive for a few days.

Us, Redux

Started at the prayer room of all places. I figured I could have my gloomy character begin with an optimistic vibe.

Us, Redux

Melvin Cain

The unwavering flow of silence felt unbearable, as if it was there to solely extract a wriggling perception of discontent. Within every moment spent, there were unfathomable whispers creeping in Melvin's reach. Their words - or to simply put, their gibbering mumbles - had Melvin squirming uncomfortably in his thoughts. He wasn't drifting towards insanity, or so he believed. Merely every time silence was there to be a part of the company, Melvin whisks to the verge of panicking, assuming that there was someone or something watching him in the shadows and is ready to plunge in for an assault.

Wisps of air escaped from his mouth, leading to a prolonged sigh. Melvin opened his eyes, squinting in the first few moments right before rising from the kneeler. The silence, the cryptic ambiance that was circling the chapel - all of which seemed like a cloudy dream after Melvin ended his short prayers. Still, even if it wasn't, he felt trapped in windowless cell. What he perceived of the silence that lingered there gave him the thought of it transforming into a hollow monster. But Melvin wasn't completely afraid, he felt certain that his mind was nothing but a mischievous scum, playing never-ending tricks on him and insulting his weak consciousness.

As he stood up, Melvin diverged from the column of chairs, lazily inching himself towards the wooden cross hung on a wall. Pillar candles were lit on a wide table in front of it, allowing a radiant glow of light to illuminate the framed image of Jesus Christ standing on the table's middlemost section. Antique ceramic vases were placed beneath the table, some of them holding withered plants while some have none. The sight of it all was almost mesmerizing to gaze at, albeit not being the most lustrous of altars. Once Melvin got closer, he recited a quick 'our father' prayer before closing his session. However, once he was done, a strange, crawling feeling latched onto his mind all of a sudden. It seemed much more of an invisible force, luring him closer and closer to the altar and then to the cross. Melvin's gaze grew narrow. He gasped for breath a few times but after a third attempt, a stifling sensation lodged within his lungs and then felt like he was slowly being choked by something he could not describe in detail. Struggling was the next thing he did but even so, it never went away - not until the door was shoved open, creaking throughout the halls littered by silence. The choking was gone, as well as the obscure presence of something assaulting him. Melvin did assume that it was all played by his mind but what he experienced felt palpable enough to escape his denial.

"Ah, a person." A voice remarked. Melvin ignored it as he was still mulling over to the unknown. "The sight of one is rather unusual but nonetheless, your presence is welcomed by the holy one."

No response followed. Melvin remained in front of the altar, frozen from what previously unraveled. His eyes were glued at the cross, continuing to fix his stare towards it.

"Is there something wrong?"

Rattled by the voice, Melvin shook his head all of a sudden, brushing away what have been skulking in his thoughts for the past few moments he spent on the prayer room. He craned his head to have a fair glance of the priest who resided at the place. The middle-aged man wasn't a familiar face whom Melvin would normally notice at The Towers. More likely, he was a rare sight, or perhaps he was since only a few people would bother visiting the prayer room. There were even times when no one would ever visit it within weeks. Melvin couldn't recall the last time it was filled with a decent number of people but despite that, he knew well enough that the priest was a respected individual among all residents.

"N-No. Nothing's wrong. I'm perfectly fine." Or so he thought. The moment the silence broke off, Melvin felt the assurance of safety yet whenever his mind raced back to the encounter, he sensed that he wasn't anywhere near it.

The priest chuckled gleefully at Melvin's startled reaction. He slowly walked past him then placed the bible he held on the table just beside the picture frame. Afterwards, he sat on one of the chairs that were arranged in a column. He stared at Melvin for a while, with weary eyes giving an obvious hint of sleep deprivation.

"These times of desperation made people skeptical about the word hope." For a man who appeared to be in his 50s, his voice was rather more of an old man whose age is above 70. His soft and faint voice almost sounded like he was about to pass out. "It's a difficult job to force them out of their skepticism and tell that this word still exists. Now, can you imagine yourself handling a task on giving people what to believe? a task simply appointed to you by someone you couldn't even talk to?"

Melvin shook his head while making it thoughtfully executed as he didn't want to look ignorant on what was asked.

"Hope is a fool's game but we're all equally foolish, so we still manage to play the game anyway. The hard thing is, I must keep the game active at all times, encourage newcomers to play as well. But in the end, all is good. I don't mind even if I lose a part of myself while keeping the game alive. After all, life is all about these games. Even if we think we're not playing one, we will....eventually."

Melvin took a few steps back from the altar, slowly but surely finding a seat on the farther side, presumably snipping some distance from the priest.

"Do consider on playing the game young man. I assume that you still are. Some people I knew stopped playing it and ended their lives weeks ago." The priest gazed at the altar, his expression turned into a haze of sorrow the moment his sights met the cross. "I've failed them because the moment they've stepped out of this room, I gave them a promise. But despite blaming myself over and over again, I still kept on giving them hope...still kept their game alive no matter what. I never gave up even to this day when they're all gone, because I know that the time will come when we will win this game and play another one."

The message seemed to form a mental image, something which weighed on Melvin's beliefs whenever his optimism kicks in. Elusive appearances dwelt within the realms of his mind, drifting to a boundless space as if he was being strayed away in a dream. The images spoke to him, uttering the same phrases he once remembered on a dream he had. Then he recognized one important matter throughout the priest's speech and it was his own life - something he must value for the sake of the one's he had lost.

"I find it difficult to believe that I still have hope." Melvin enunciated. "Every time I've lost people, the gap between me and giving up kept on narrowing. By the time I lost my mother and little sister, everything was over for me."

Melvin sank into a well of grief but he only made his stay abrupt. Once the thought of his mother and sister nestled within his mind, Melvin saw a brim of hope. He held onto it and then kept a tight grip.

"I never knew where I was going. I didn't even know how many days I have left before I join them. Then I had this dream, an encounter if I must say. I saw them, the people I've lost. All of them were cheering for me in a peculiar way, all chanting the same phrase in unison."

He paused, lifting his head up and catching a glimpse of the cross.

"You can make it."

The priest chortled after a short pause of silence.

"Oh you have no idea how much your story means to me. I can't be certain that there are still people like you but after hearing you out, I like to believe that there are still many out there, wanting to have their tales be told and I am sure that they are determined players just like yourself."

He stood from his seat then slowly dislodged his uncomfortable back aches with a few twists on his waist. Leisurely, he stepped forward. He knelt once he made his way to the kneeler that was in front of the altar, just a few inches from the wide wooden table found at the center. He then turned his head, glancing over his shoulder towards the sight of Melvin.

"If you want, you can join me on a praying session."

Melvin followed up with a grin, then elatedly shook his head.

"Thanks for the offer father but I have to be on my way."

The priest complied with a smile on his face.

"Take good care. Always remind yourself that you can make it." he then drifted away from Melvin and bowed his head in front of the cross.

Us, Redux

<Snipped quote by Scoundrel>

Now I'm not a doctor, but I'm pretty sure "work" and "sanity" is an oxymoron. So I'm right there with you on that one.

And, yes, Melvin is accepted. Sorry about taking my time with that. Here's the thing with your good pal, Pal: I forget things really easily. So I apologize about still having yet to add him to the list right after I said I would. Go ahead and add him to the character section.

@Palindromatic

Everything's good, and we both have a fair share of forgetting things so I guess there's no need to apologize there. :D

Speaking of which, I still don't know how my first IC post will go. Probably will take me a while but expect it to be up by tomorrow.

Us, Redux

Melvin Cain

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Name:

Melvin Cain

Age:

21

Gender:

Male

Former Occupation:

Singer and songwriter

Physical Appearance:

Melvin is a young man whose appearance is but a snippet of the apocalypse's unrelenting wrath - or at least a part of him is. On his right arm lies a big nasty scar that traces from his shoulder blade down to the wrist. A bitter reminder of the grim occurrences he faced during his time for survival and a failed attempt to save a loved one. Other than that, Melvin appears to be quite average for a person of his age.

Standing roughly at 5'8" in height and weighing at about 138 pounds, he has a fairly thin build which is entirely made up of lean and stringy muscles and a pack of small joints. Melvin was once fair-skinned but then sank into a medium tan as a result of frequent exposures from the sun and occasional hygiene negligence. His face is defined by a triangular shape with an angled chin and low cheekbones. His unruly light brown hair is moderately short in length that falls down to his upper back neck. Eyes are colored hazel with fair eyebrows residing on top. He has a thin nose line and a few growing facial hairs located at his lower chin and some skirting at the sides of his jaw.

Past Affiliates:

Previously belonged to a group of people who were residents from Melvin's neighborhood alongside with his mother, younger sister and a few of his co-workers in the music industry who happened to stand along for survival. They were a migrating lot who sought a safer community free from the virus or anyone who're carriers of it. Overtime they decreased in numbers but not from having one member catching the virus. It was mainly because of their morals and how it crumbled down every time the group broke into series of arguments. As of now, Melvin is one of the few survivors of the group as half of them either killed each other due to unsettled conflicts or were killed by hostiles. The rest of the group were caught by the virus and eventually died. That included Melvin's mother and younger sister.

Current Affiliates:

Melvin currently has no permanent group. His daily routine revolves around helping people who are in need and meeting up with other survivors. Usually, a majority of his time would be spent on exploring at abandoned areas by himself. The purpose of which would either be for his own way of killing time or to find a something worth living for.

Skills:

Melvin is an exceptionally good singer and an entertainer who is capable of giving people a good show with a fascinating vocal range. He can also play a handful of instruments such as the guitar and occasionally, the harmonica. With these, he can help and give hope to people who are running through a bleak environment despite losing a lot of their loved ones. However, having suffered through countless of losses, Melvin sometimes loses motivation on using these skills for the benefit of others. Other than that, he developed a certain skill for tracking since he often explores abandoned places by himself. His tracking skill however, is still at a novice level.

Strengths:

One characteristic which is considered to be Melvin's main strength is his perseverance. He can withstand almost every trial faced in life whether it'd risk him or not and show his rigorous willpower in the process. Most likely, nothing will hold him down from achieving the impossible not even by force alone. He doesn't fear the concept of failure even if he undergoes it a couple of times. The only thing that he fears is not trying anything at all which then wraps him in complete regret.

Weaknesses:

Perhaps Melvin's greatest weakness comes within the forms of negativity as it perfectly opposes his main source of strength. It is the one trait that drags him down from all of his ambitions and instead, allows hopelessness to take over and rule his moral sense. At his pessimistic side, Melvin is often existentially conflicted. He always wonder aimlessly about life and what there is to it. This weakness of his generally places him into a depressed state but there are times where it could be worse.

Melvin is also unreasonably obstinate at times. Being stubborn often puts him through dangerous situations to the point where his life may be at risk but despite knowing that, he still has the spunk to be persistent and remain stubborn nonetheless. He occasionally has problems establishing trust with people as he is very much aware of how society revolves. More likely, he is skeptical even towards people who show nothing but straightforward camaraderie.

History:

Born and raised from a small neighborhood located at Milwaukee, Wisconsin. At an early age, Melvin struggled to keep up with his life especially before his abusive father was still a household member of the family. He and his sister often kept their distances from their parents, mostly clamped together in a room while spending each unbearable moment listening to their father raise his voice and to the unthinkable noises of their mother being beaten. Melvin knew it had to stop sooner or later but even when trying one attempt after another gave no progress. The arguments were still flowing heavily with each passing day until a day came when Melvin's father went too far and assaulted their mother with a knife. The injuries were serious but luckily, it wasn't anywhere near life-threatening. Authorities arrested Melvin's father after his mother was admitted to the hospital. Since then, their father never returned nor did they see him again.

A remarkable breathe of fresh air followed several months after the incident damaged their family. Financial conflicts rose but wasn't as much of a bigger problem than their abusive father. Melvin's mother found a job at the city a few weeks later, knowing that there should be a replacement to their main source of income. It wasn't difficult even when they made several adjustments in the process. Melvin continued school and aided his sister with her studies as well. However, all of their hard work appeared to be insufficient as money grew shorter every time Melvin advanced to a higher level in school. He knew he had to do something, especially after he moved forward to high school. Ideas came but most of them weren't as helpful as he thought until an opportunity awaited him at a television show's talent audition.

Ever since he was little, Melvin was fond of singing and developed a certain hobby of it in the later years. He never knew he was good at it but his mother and sister always believed that he was blessed with a voice that can open people's ears. He was never the most confident person to say the least but participating in the said audition could help them prevail from his family's hardships.

All went well after Melvin auditioned. He was officially signed to participate in the talent show's program which then left him anxious but thrilled nonetheless. A successful result followed after he was placed at third place in the finals. It may not have been a clear shot to the number one spot but his way of singing was enough for a wide recognition. Soon, a few entertainment companies barged in and crowded Melvin with contracts, all of which were careers in singing that he might consider on pursuing. He didn't hesitate and accepted what's for the better. He knew his family was still there waiting to root for his success. It was all happening so fast that Melvin couldn't settle his mind but he was certain that success was already at his grasps. The hardships he once struggled to pass through were now under his reach and could now give the support that he's willing to provide for his family. Months after signing his career contract, Melvin was officially a musician, making money off of record deals. He became a known figure in alternative rock genre and made several appearances at famous venues throughout the United States.

Then the catastrophic plague came. Melvin immediately returned home to escort his family to safety but by then, chaos was already flocking his hometown with an uncontrollable outburst as every resident made desperate attempts for their preparation of survival. Homes were being infiltrated then stolen by a number of individuals. However, Melvin and his family were safe after being rescued by his agents and few co-workers. Terrified residents begged to join them but only a few were brought to their excursion. They rushed to leave the state and to a safer environment where people weren't running in an outrage. However, the group collapsed before they could even find a place. Melvin tried to break his family away from them but by the time he did, he noticed that they've already caught the virus. It wasn't long until his mother and younger sister lost their lives which then forced Melvin to wander in the midst of devastation. He never would've guessed what may happen next but after losing everything he had, Melvin came to the point where he wondered if there was still a reason to continue. He felt certain that there wasn't but his constant fear of death refused to let him join his family.