Men and the Machine (2 Spots Left, Not Started)

The year is 2075 and all of the diseases that plagued man have been cured using revolutionary healing machines respectfully and affectionately referred to as GODs (Genetic Overhaul Devices). However, the Earth's population has reached 12 billion and it's resources have reached their breaking point. Though no one can die from their illnesses or age, many are dropping dead as a result of a very troubling, and extremely pressing homicide trend. Statistics show that nearly 500,000 people a day are being killed by other humans and the numbers are exponentially increasing. The attacks are reported as being brutal, ruthless, and by people who never showed violent tendencies before in their life. One school of thought insists that it is the fault of the GODs, that even though they can cure any physical problems, they are causing psychological damage beyond repair. Many of the world's countries have quarantined themselves and are doing nationwide tests, desperately attempting to find the answer.

You and a group of 7 other teenagers (Ages 12-18) have been abducted from your homes, wherever in the world that may be, and brought to an underground facility in the Swedish Alps. Scientists inform you that yes, indeed, the GODs are causing enormous degeneration in the limbic system, the area in the brain responsible for emotion, and is causing almost everyone on the planet, including themselves to completely lose their minds, leading to the extreme, and rapidly increasing violence. They tell you that somehow you are immune to this and are capable of creating a cure, but first you must shut down each and every one of the GODs, located in at least 35 countries. Their reasoning behind this is rather troubling; the GODs have achieved sentience and are attempting to wipe out the entire human race. Lovely.

Soon after they relay this information, they tell you they are about to succumb to the disease and promptly commit suicide leaving you alone in a Swedish lab with nothing but the materials and instructions you can find within. Don't worry, there's transportation, maps, food, and water (though it is limited). But it's a scary world out there and there's many ways to meet an untimely death, what with 12 million people going mad all around you.

A Side Note on the GODs: Fortunately there is only one in each country. Unfortunately it is rather large, taking up the space equivalent to one average stadium. Aim for the power source, though it's dearly protected.

Rules:

Spoiler

All of the usual rules apply. (No god-modding, no smoking (it's unhealthy), no highly detailed sex scenes, no killing off other peoples characters without their permission or mine...etc.)

Character Profile:

Spoiler

Name:
Age (12-18):
Gender:
Country of Origin:

Appearance(Picture and Description much appreciated):
Personality:

History:

Strengths/Weaknesses:
Likes/Dislikes:

Other:

I'm posting a character, leaving 7 spots (give or take), if you have any questions reread it and then reconsider. If you still have questions feel free to ask. Enjoy!

*reserves spot*

Name: Gavin Weiss
Age (12-18): 16-years-old
Gender: Male
Country of Origin: USA (Alabama)

Appearance(Picture and Description much appreciated):

Spoiler

Picture:

Teenage guy, drawingcharacter reference.jpg (16.57 KiB) Viewed 236 times

Description: Gavin is a fairly tall guy and somewhere between husky and lanky. He's not very muscular but he's a master in the art of looming so he's scary more so than anything. He has strong facial features and generally messy (sometimes greasy-looking) dishwater blond hair. He has brown eyes of a fairly normal, boring color. He doesn't stick out unless he wants to. Normally you'll find him looking like he's been glued to the wall like some sort of lifelike decoration.

Personality: Most people who've known him would, right off the bat, either call him horribly shy or say that he's (supposedly) a snob because he never talks to anyone--thinks he's better than everybody. In reality, he has no idea what to do with people. He's like a snake; he's more scared of you, really. Otherwise, he's smart but not street smart, normally either horribly impressed with himself or horrified with himself, somewhat depressed, and somewhat neurotic (hang all your pictures straight--or get him to fix them for you). He managed to play T-rated computer games when he was four and is now bothered that all the guys in school still think games are amusing. He devours books and enjoys school (be horrified). Also, he's a complete pacifist with a soft spot for animals. No one has understood that. Especially going from his reclusive, fire-is-pretty, and emotionally-destructive personality.

History:

Strengths/Weaknesses:

Strengths: He's very intelligent and an excellent problem-solver. Around his old hometown he was known as both 'Mr. Fix-It' and 'The Voice of Reason.' He also has been known to have a very weird calming aura which makes both vicious animals and wild children become totally content. On the other hand, he apparently absorbs all bad 'vibes' and is known to lash out eventually once everyone is calm. He hates it--but he counts it as a strength because what else does he have? Otherwise, his father was a butcher and got him to help out for a few summers and wouldn't brook any argument. He knows knives.*

Weaknesses: He isn't very physically strong. He was one of those kids who was born with a drug problem because of their mothers and he suffers for it. He's prone to breakdowns and sudden weakness or shaking. He doesn't heal well. *On the other hand, he now has a horrible reaction to blood and won't be that helpful until he's puked at least once. Sorry.

Likes/Dislikes:

Likes: Animals (they'll actually listen), books (especially long ones about far-off places or people rising up from poverty--wishful thinking), riding his bike around town (when he, you know, could without someone throwing a hairdryer or bottles at him, crazy brain-damaged zombie-people), chocolate, helping out with his grandfather's horses when he was still allowed to visit, his friend Calla (who he hopes isn't going insane because she already was--she's the one who got him hooked on fire), and coffee (he enjoyed his cafe job much more than his butcher job for the obvious reasons).

Dislikes: Most people, overly emotional intolerant hate-bags (also known as 'most people'), his town's pastor because he often gave him heart palpitations with his absolutely terrifying shouting, tornadoes (it's like they want to blow his home off the map), flash floods (basically ditto, but wash his home off the map), and meat (because he knows where it comes from). Oh, and how everyone's going insane. That's not cool.

Other: He doesn't have an accent; he adopts the accents of people around him. And, yeah, I guess he'd be up for 'love'--on the other hand, he's basically ace and emotionally stunted. Have fun trying to woo the abrasive geek-nerd? (No offense intended--I'm also an abrasive geek-nerd. I have a medal for it, even. It's shiny.)

-reserves spot as well-

*reserves a spot too*

This is my first storybook, so if I'm doing this all wrong, tell me!

Name: Liliana Moore

Nickname: Bird, Birdie, any variation of Bird

Age: 15

Gender: Female

Country of Origin: USA, (Georgia)

Appearance: long, wavy red hair that she puts in a pony tail when she is thinking. Despite working out in the sun, she has pale skin that neither burns nor tans. She has one green eye and one stormy blue eye. She wears a plaid shirt with the sleeves rolled to the elbows, worn blue jeans, and she never takes off her cowboy boots. She carries a backpack at all times that has a Georgetown sweatshirt, a notebook and some pencil stubs, random hair ties, and a pocket knife inside. She is skinny and a normal height, which was how she got the nickname Birdie. People say that she has bird's legs. Despite being thin, she is much stronger than she looks. She wears a locket with a picture of her mother and a purity ring.
Picture:

Spoiler

Personality: Birdie is a sweet girl who always tries to help out, sometimes to the point of annoying somebody. She's the first to admit that she doesn't know everything, but she always tries to understand. She likes animals and will do anything to save one. That said, she also likes to hunt and frequently brags about the time she brought down a 12-point buck. She can be a little distant at times, staring into space. But when there's a problem, she's always there to help solve it. She likes to write things down, whether it's a plan, her feeling, or random doodles. She is very protective of her notebook and only lets the most trustworthy person touch it. She has no qualms about beating up a person who makes fun of her southern accent or makes fun of southern people. She is slow to trust people, but slways has their backs once they earn her trust.

History: Birdie lived in a group home before she was adopted at six years old by Tom and Leslie Moore, a young couple who live in a very small Georgian town. She has an older sister, Nancy, who lives in New York with hopes of becoming a Broadway star. Birdie doesn't think that nancy's dreams are practical, but she stays behind her sister. Three days before her 15th birthday, her mother was killed in a car accident by an man driving under the influence. Her father turned to heavy drinking and getting into bar fights to deal with the grief while Birdie occupies her time by hunting and riding her horses in shows. She suspects that his recent fighting is a result of the insanity getting to him. She was once beat savagely on Kick a Ginger Day and has a bruise on her back that never heals to prove it. In school, she gets straight B's and mostly focuses on her track team.

Strengths: she knows how to shoot a gun, can fight, is a good liar but wouldn't lie to people that she trusts. She is a fast runner- can sprint and isn't too bad at long distances.

Weaknesses: She is suspicious of people and not very quick to trust, which can drag people down. She is impulsive and does things without thinking. She is prone to inhibiting headaches where it is all she can do to walk.

Likes: She loves horses, running, and generally being outside. She can take a joke about pretty much anything except her accent. She is fascinated with the ocean, but has never seen it. She loves to ask questions, ripping something apart until she comes to the truth. The color yellow is her favorite because it reminds her to be happy.

Dislikes: She hates everything about alcohol, from the taste to what it does to people. She doesn't like people from cities that make fun of her small town ways and she tries to stay away from snobby people. She doesn't like people to touch her book, which was the last present that she got from her mom. Don't ask her to dance, because she looks like a spastic moose. She hates snow and being cold, which comes from living In southern Georgia all her life. She also detests being told that "Bird is the word"

Other: Is romance allowed? If so, she's okay with having a boyfriend, but you won't get anymore than a kiss out of her. (Hence the purity ring) She won't consider guys that she doesn't have something in common with, or guys that don't respect her boundaries

Saved, phew.

Name: Jacqueline Garcia

Nickname: Jackie, Jacks

Age: 16

Gender: Female

Country of Origin: Ecuador

Appearance: Jackie has bronze tan skin with brown almond shaped eyes and shoulder-length wavy black hair. She is average height, around 5'6", and average weight. She only wears t-shirts and jeans with the black jacket her father sent her from working in the U.S. with worn black sneakers. She has a scar on her palm from a fight that occurred in her mother's textile shop when trying to help break it up.
Picture:

Spoiler

Personality: Jackie is quiet though she has a bright personality. She grew up with few friends and close to nothing, so she knows how to deal with the bare minimum and won't take anymore than she needs. Helping people runs in the family and she can't resist someone in need. She's loyal and independent, willing to do anything for those she cares about.

History: Jackie was born into a poor family in downtown Otavalo. Her grandmother was in possession of an old textile mill that soon sparked her mother's idea of running their own shop. Around her eighth birthday, her mother turned the front of their house into the shop and her father left for America to pay for work like their ancestors had been doing for years. Life was beginning to look up for the Garcia family until communications with her father came to a halt five years later and everyone else in her family came down with a severe case of the swine flu. Jackie was somehow immune and was the only one who was spared from cures the GODs provided. She was swept away at the start of the insanity in her own household.

Strengths: Mentally and emotionally strong, brave, independent, loyal, helpful, fast learner, stubborn.

Weaknesses: Not so strong physical-wise, often too trusting, sometimes lets her feelings get in the way of something important, stubborn.

Likes: Colors (particularly bright blue), friendship, and spicy food because it reminds her of home.

Dislikes: Dust, judgmental people, and the conceited.

Other: If romance is allowed, up for love. Willing to learn and do anything and everything needed.

Name: Simon Hargraves

Nickname: None, but he does enjoy giving other people nicknames.

Age: 16

Gender: Male

Country of Origin: London, UK

Appearance:

Spoiler

Dresses very formally for all occasions. Not much of a weight lifter, but toned due to swimming. About 5'8'' with a pretty lightweight build.

Personality: Intelligent but very unsure of himself. He has extremely low self-confidence and this has produced shyness and awkwardness in most social situations. He is not athletic, but rather a musician, very skilled at playing the piano until his neighbours burnt his for firewood. He is rather geeky and when he was at home, he preferred to shut himself in his room and meddle with computers. He does have a sense of humour, but it is usually badly placed and/or morbid and most people don't understand it. He is not impulsive and he is extremely detail-oriented. He tends to let others take control and push him around, but he is known to be a very integral team player due to his mediator skills and strong sense of focus. He chooses mercy over justice and will always take pity on his attacker, constantly ready to see their side of things. This is both an advantage and a disadvantage.

History: He was a huge part of the English geek culture and though he was highly adept at finding information and navigating online, he was never able to adapt those skills and use them in real life. He did not even notice when his parents disappeared one day and never returned, regarding it as an annoyance as then he had to leave the computer to get himself food. He did know about the attacks but he was very far detached from them, only seeing it as a group of statistics and information. He researched the issue very deeply, trading information with others from around the world and hacking onto government websites. He only really became concerned when people he would talk to online began to stop replying. When his internet finally gave in he wandered outside and realised for the first time what a "State of Emergency" is really like. He witnessed first hand the violence and the death that was occurring around him and though that would wake most people up to reality, it only drove him deeper inside and he retreated deeper into his mind.

Strengths: An excellent engineer with advanced technical knowledge. He also knows a lot about the disease, the location of the machines, and the details of the entire issue as this was his research focus when he would lock himself in his room on the computer.

Weaknesses: He has no capacity for social interactions. He is also not very street smart or wise. He is always ready to believe the best about people even if they're pointing a gun at his head.

Likes: Solitude, computers, data, puzzles and coffee. He loves cats and music as well as gourmet food.

Dislikes: He dislikes people, he blames all of the world's problems on the government and hates arrogant, overbearing people. (He tends to stereotype.) He cannot respect ignorant people and detests authority.

Other: Yes, romance is allowed. And yes, he's up for love.

Name: Mayson Lavoie
Nickname: May
Age (12-18): 17
Gender: Female
Country of Origin: France

Appearance(Picture and Description much appreciated):
Mayson likes to dress in dresses, lace, flowing skirts, and things of the like. She's 5"5 and has long arms and legs. She walks with a lot of grace, much like she's dancing.

Spoiler

Personality: May is off in a wonderland of her own, she thinks everything is an adventure, but just because she's in a fantasy world does not mean she's detached from reality. Mayson is actually very smart and is especially good at thinking on her feet. She doesn't panic in any situation and is always coming up with ways to get out of trouble, this is mainly because, as a dancer, when May sometimes forgets her steps she can think quickly to improvise until she remembers the routine.

May likes to joke around and have fun and hates it when people seem unhappy in her presence. When others around her are down or angry she takes it personally. Sometimes May can be too keen on other people's feelings and takes it as her responsibility to put a smile on their face. She often comes up with "what if" situations that she likes to share. Because of her view on life many people think her to be a stupid bubble head on first appearances.

History: Mayson started ballet at a very young age and it has been her life ever since then. Her mother was a dancer and her father was a professor at a college so ever since she was born May has been immersed equally in the arts and knowledge. She was home schooled until her 3rd year of high school when her father went away to the states to teach at Havard. Her father taught her how to speak English so that she and her mother could come away with them. He enrolled her in an English school for the sole purpose of having her perfect the language. It was meant for Mayson to only stay in private school for a year but the summer before her 4th year of school started and she was due to resume home schooling her father died in a car accident.

Strengths/Weaknesses:

Strengths: She's fast, flexible, and well-balanced, like an acrobat. It's very easy for her to maneuver around tough obstacles and run away when in danger. She also thinks quick on her feet and doesn't panic.

Weaknesses: She has very little upper body strength and can't lift much of anything. She's sometimes to worried about other people's feelings and will avoid hurting others even if they're fighting her.

Likes/Dislikes:

Likes: Fantasy books, dancing, clothes, running, climbing, jumping, the sun, smiling, daydreaming, and flowers.

Dislikes: The dark, when others are unhappy, dead things, violence, fighting, being forced to stay put, and heights.

Other: She's up for romance.

Name: Alexander (Xander) Lewis
Age (12-18): 16
Gender: Male
Country of Origin: America (WA)

Appearance(Picture and Description much appreciated)
Xander has light blonde hair in need of a hair cut, ripped jeans, and brown eyes. He always wears tshirts; he's not really one for style.

Personality: Xander always expects the worst possibility to happen, but he doesn't dwell on it, and even if the second-to-worst possibility happens, he'll be pleasantly surprised and in a good mood. Xander likes to be in control and know what's going on, and sometimes has trouble staying calm when things get too tough for him to handle on his own. He likes being independent and hates asking for other people's help. However, usually he can keep it together and even if he's a nervous wreck on the inside, he has a way of keeping others calm and thinking straight while the only thought going through his head is we're gonna die, we're gonna die.
Xander isn't really talkative, but he's not anti-social. He's a great listener and is very empathetic. In peaceful times, he's carefree, though there hasn't been peaceful times in a long while.

History: Xander lost both his parents in the early stages of the disease. Being the eldest, he found himself having to raise his five younger siblings as they slowly went insane with no idea how to provide for them. Somehow, he was able to pull it together, and all though they weren't the richest family and slept in a dumpster for a few days until he found a ridiculously cheap apartment, he kept them from starving and in the end it was the attacks that took them all, each one seperately, except the two youngest, who died together and were the last of his family to die. Their deaths affected him in ways he doesn't yet understand, and after only thinking about caring for his family, he was having trouble focusing on just keeping himself alive.

Strengths/Weaknesses:
Strengths:
Is street-smart
Can calm people
Thinks before he acts
Good fighter
Always expects the worst
Weaknesses:
Always expects the worst
He's an awful lier
Can't calm himself
Doesn't think about himself as much as he should in life-threatening situations

Likes/Dislikes:
Likes food in general, especially junk food, rain (it reminds him of his home), kids (they remind him of his siblings), warm houses
Dislikes not being in control, kids (they remind him of his siblings), people who aren't happy, tomato soup

Other: Up for love.

Do you think we could start soon because I think we have about as many people as we need?

Ditto what tgirly said.