forum Careful Who You Trust | One on One, open | Apocalypse-sci-fi

Started February 05, 2022 by @Mojack group

tune

No one knows where they came from.

But it was a sickness. At least to a degree. It could be passed on, but only if the infected had the means to do so - for the most part, they just killed their prey. Sometimes, they didn’t eat it. Cities became mass graves, a ghost of their former self.

The infected are the Mimics - they look like us. But most Mimics can’t act or think like humans - they appear to run on a different wavelength; their only goal to “Hunt, Kill, Repeat”. From a distance, they appear safe. A Mimic might even use their voice to lure unsuspecting prey over.
But in the end, all you are is food. Or material, to build their nests. Mimics set up nests in overrun areas, nests made from different materials; sometimes biological material, other times, metals, rocks, wood, etc. Mimics are usually solitary, but may gather in these nests to rest. It is ill advised to approach a nest without proper preparation - you’d be better off avoiding it. While Mimics prefer to hunt alone, if you alert a nest, expect a painful death.

But there were some Mimics who could think like us. And take on multiple forms. Most Mimics only had two forms - whatever animal, human they could become, and their true form. All Mimics had a true form - a beast of flesh, almost alien in appearance. What Mimics could do violated our understanding of the world’s natural laws. I guess that’s why we had no clue how to fight them at first - because they weren’t natural. And by the time we had a grasp on how things worked, a lot of people were dead. Billions.
The Mimics who could have multiple forms were given a separate name - Rogues. Notably, Rogues rarely associate with normal Mimics. Occasionally, they would lead them to overrun larger groups of humans, which is what made a Rogue deadly.
But their deadliest aspect was their understanding of human society, our language, our everything - they knew it all. And if not, they could learn. Rogues are stronger than Mimics - physically, mentally, etc. Rogues were masters at blending in. They’d form relationships as needed, good and bad - to remain ‘normal.’ But they’d kill, too. Often, they’d attempt to remain hidden, killing in secrecy, to maintain their supply of prey. They’d throw the blame on others. And soon, any groups of humans set up started to form camps - barriers from the wilds. They set up tests - playing a frequency that only Rogues could hear, that would cause them to reveal their true for, - for anyone who wanted to get into the camp.

And that was that. Humanity was adapting. Getting stronger, even if life would never be the same again. Even if they were in fewer numbers. Even if their lives were still threatened by the Mimics. But they were surviving.
…Who said the Mimics couldn’t adapt, too?

---

30 years since the Surge Event, the date at which Mimics made themselves known as an apex predator. In that time, humans have formed notable factions.

CAMPERS

• Humans who stay within a select camp. Camp names are typically given by traits of the area, or the name of the location the camp is located in. One of the safest ways to survive in the Mimic World, but only if the laws are good and enforced. And the supplies are steady - people can’t stay in Camp all the time, someone goes out for a supply run. Camps are often fortified - the more fortified a camp is, the longer it’s been standing.

LONERS

• People who have chosen not to live among others. Sometimes, it might be a small group - but Loners follow no one, only themselves, and maybe the suggestions of their group members if they have one. Loners may go into Camps for supplies - it’s not easy to be a Loner. Some Camps may not accept Loners.

REMNANTS

• With it being 3 decades, the number gets smaller and smaller. Some claim to be Remnants, and they may be. Sometimes they’re just carrying on a relative’s life. The Remnants were people who had a job core to the defense against the Surge (obviously, it failed - but not all gave up). Soldiers, doctors, scientists all fall here. Sometimes, you have safe locations where Remnants have continued to thrive - they might descend from this safe location (could be a bunker, an extremely fortified town, etc) and into the Wilds. Remnants are typically disliked by most factions in the Wilds, due to some Remnants shooting survivors in fear of them being infected.

RABS

• Short for Rabid. RABS are people who’ve gone crazy - some may say they’re infected, but they’re not. Rabs run wild, sometimes setting up camp in important places to ambush people passing through. They’re known to permanently maim people, or in most cases kill - and display the body as a warning for all to see. They are universally disliked.

INFECTED

• There is no cure. Rogues are most known for causing infections - it is thought that a small percentage of infections become Rogues, or a small percentage of Mimics can ‘evolve’ to become a Rogue (the process isn’t known, and very tricky to learn more about). Infected run on a timer. They appear normal, until the day before they turn - a fever, bloodshot eyes, darkened veins - and then a brutal and bloody transformation into their true form, where they will soon seek out their Mimic form. Mimics bite to infect, but need at least 30 seconds to hold onto prey to infect them, injecting them with something akin to saliva. The bitemark is visible, and the earliest warning one can receive. Being bitten by a Mimic is often a way to get kicked out of your group, even if you’re not infected. No one wants to take a risk.

MIMICS

• Have two forms, the Mimic and the True Form. The Mimic is what they use to blend in, could be a person or animal. The True Form is a rarer form, but can be partially shifted into (shifting an arm, hand, face); usually while attacking or feeding. Can generally only mimic voices and noises, not engage in meaningful conversation. Certain Mimics are more intelligent than others, but not as much as Rogues. Hunt both day and night, more active at night. Have nests that they rest in, often in groups. Weak to extremely high pitched sounds and fire. When not provided with prey, Mimics will act like humans from a distance.

ROGUES

• a form of extremely intelligent Mimic. Have multiple Mimic forms and one true form. Can understand and speak multiple languages; engage in conversation, keep memories, form relationships, etc. Most Rogues are weak to high pitched noises. Can command Mimics. Strong. Avoid at all costs.

NOTES

• 30 years after the Surge.
• The Wilds, the term for the area outside of cities and towns. Ironically more habited than cities - cities are an avoid at all costs, but often contain useful supplies. They are however, often filled with Mimics.
• It is sometimes better to run or hide than fight. Mimics can hear noise from long distances (possess little to no sense of smell, aside from blood - STOP BLEEDING ASAP).
• My character will be a Rogue - but a bit of an aberration, as far as Mimics (in general) go.

RULES

1. Swearing is allowed.
2. Blood and violence is allowed; there is a time and place for everything. But it probably will be fairly common in this.
3. Sexytimes probably won’t happen (romance could), because I am not confident in writing them, and uncomfortable in writing them in a RP setting; please respect this.
4. Mature RPers preferred.
5. Good grammar is appreciated, but we make mistakes every now and then.
6. No one liners. Three sentences minimum.
7. No autohitting, but don’t dodge everything. Play to your strengths, but remember weaknesses.
8. Ask questions as needed.
9. If I am not familiar with your RP style, I will ask for a sample. Have a writing sample with dialogue at ready.
10. Ask before joining.

TEMPLATE (read rules, ask before joining and REMOVE BRACKETS)

Name:
Age: (19-45)
Gender:
Pronouns:
Orientation:
Faction:

Personality:
Background: (write as little or as much as you want)

Appearance:
Clothing:
Skills: (things they specialize in. it’s a RP - things can be improved upon, or you might get worse at something)
Ailments: (physical, mental, etc. it may have been the apocalypse, but those things don’t vanish. if any, of course; you do not need any. and again; it’s a RP - you can develop one through time, if you so desire for your character)
Other: (anything else here. facts, where they might reside - if your character is a Loner, they still might have somewhere they live, or a few places they swap around depending on the week. weapons, etc)

Name: Lio Tanne
Age: 25
Gender: Unlabelled, masculine form and voice.
Pronouns: He/him, they/them, it/its
Orientation: Panromantic asexual. Note that romantic experiences for him are few and far in between, if any.
Faction: Rogue. Possible new variation of Mimic. Human form looks like a Remnant in terms of clothing.

Personality: Lio is a mimic, first and foremost - the closest thing he is being a Rogue. Unlike most Mimics (in general) he lacks a high prey drive, and wanders often (meaning he does not keep to a single territory). His behaviour mimics that of a Loner; except he wanders a lot in his true form, as though they were just a creature trying to survive, instead of the malicious behaviour of most Mimics. Don’t take his low prey drive for lack of killing instinct - Lio is an aberration of Mimics, but stronger than the average Mimic. It can prove to be very deadly quickly.
They tend to stockpile prey, instead of having to repeatedly hunt fresh prey. In terms of Mimics, Lio is not picky.
Most notable of all is their curiosity - a display far higher than what a Rogue would have. Their level of curiosity is comparable to human curiosity. They shift in order to follow individuals of note, but rarely ever interact unless provoked.
Overall, an odd Mimic. Subject to develop and change as RP continues.
Background: The majority of Mimics have an unknown origin. Some say all of them were former humans. Others say it was a government experience, gone wrong. And then there’s the theory of them being aliens - which could explain their unusual biology, but a lot is left unknown. As for Lio; he does not know much of his history, which matches up with most Mimics. When asked of their background, Lio makes something up.
Lio is an older Mimic - he’s survived for a long period of time, through multiple ways - intelligence, strength, etc; which does make him a force to reckon with. He’s been patrolling the Wilds for a considerable amount of years, but Lio doesn’t really keep track of time - and survivors usually don’t note individual Mimics to say that they’ve seen that same one wandering. To the humans, Mimics are just Mimics - the deadly apex predators of the new world. Back to Lio - they’ve been roaming the Wilds for years, but something is changing - and Lio is one of those ‘changing’ things.

Appearance: Lio’s true form isn’t that different from a lot of Mimics. It’s mostly average, aside from size (Mimics can be large, but at a certain point, a larger size indicates a Mimic who’s survived for a long period of time), which brings it out to be a little larger than a pickup truck. Its skin, or lack of, is dark tones of red, like all Mimics. Described to have a very similar look and even feeling of exposed muscles; it’s unknown what this exactly is - as the ‘muscles’ can change shape or extend from the body while fighting or feeding. Lio has six limbs - two hind limbs, and four forearms; a pair of smaller ones located near the chest that aren’t long enough to reach the ground. On the contrary, his other forearms are longer than average, a bit longer than the back legs. Each limb ends in a hand or foot with razor sharp, black claws. Cannot fully retract, but can seemingly extend them as needed. Long neck, with a fairly broad snout; the bottom jaws of which can extend to separate parts. The mouth, filled with multiple rows of thin, almost bendy teeth - like little pricks in the mouth. At the top and side of the jaws are mandibles. He also has a long tail, seemingly utilized for balance. On the face remain six in total eyes; three on each side of the face. Small, purely black eyes.

As a Rogue, Lio takes on multiple forms. But he seems to hold preference in a singular human form, that once belonged to one of his previous prey - Lio simply copied it. It’s a masculine form of around 6ft in height - ivory skin, lean figure. Grey eyes that appear silver under certain light. A faded but long, angled and vertical scar starts just under his chin, goes down onto his neck and ends just where the chest begins. smaller scar on the right lower side of his neck - could be a bite mark of some sort. Faded - and hasn’t turned (the time to turn only takes five days on average), so he must be safe. Hopefully. Slightly wavy dark brown hair, holds a length a few inches below ears - can just manage to tie hair up. Very light amount of facial hair, a bit noticeable due to the dark hair on pale skin combination, but not a lot of it. For some reason, it doesn’t seem to grow past that…

Clothing: Lio’s human form wears gear equivalent to a Remnant. It’s gear of a time long gone, but notably, identifying marks on the clothing have been removed. Wears a thick, likely protected dark green jacket - multiple pockets. Small black backpack on back, dark grey (with light grey checkered patters) scarf worn around neck. Black shortsleeve. Black combat pants; white socks; brown waterproof motorcycle boots. Full face modified gas mask worn on the face occasionally, appears to be black - under certain lights, one can see it’s dark green.
Skills: Tracking - and chasing. Fleeing as well. Lio is better at his skills in his true form, or at least when partially shifted. The physical appearance of his true form seems to aid in a hunt - he’d probably be one of the fastest moving Mimics in the area, if there was some sort of comparison.
Weirdly enough, he’s a good cook and driver. Doesn’t know much about healing - usually lets his natural abilities help him recover.
Ailments: The Hunger - humans don’t experience it. Of course, they experience hunger, but The Hunger for Mimics is different. They all need to eat eventually - and while Lio doesn’t need to feed often, he does have to eventually. The Hunger can drive even the most ‘civil’ of Rogues insane, almost devolving them back into a normal Mimic. Luckily, The Hunger rarely kicks in instantly; there’s a few warnings. Subject to develop in RP; things change, injuries (temporary or not) happen.
Other: Even if the adaption of Mimics is just beginning, displays one notably different ability not shared by any Mimics. Capable of spitting some sort of acid - highly flammable, sticks to surfaces; burns biological material such as skin.
Despite his status as a Rogue, Lio does not possess a lot of control over Mimics. At the most, they tolerate his presence, or avoid him.

can I join

Vincent noticed the smile, The gap, the pure genuineness of Marco’s emotions. It was something he hadn’t seen, felt, in a long time. He shifted in his seat, for once in his life giving his full attention to a person. A person, might he mention, that he just barely met.
But that was no match for the connection he immediately felt. The complete understanding that bloomed from their short conversation, and he couldn’t help but smile again.

“I dunno if you’d wanna go to my house… I guess we could just walk around town? See where it takes us?”