OUTBREAK: ZERO is a semi post-apocalyptic pandemic roleplay set in the fictional city of Lethford, USA. Current season: Winter, 20/21.
March 2020. The world is in pandemonium as one month ago, GHNv-20 was confirmed, five months after the beginning of norovirus season. The number of the infected are in the higher hundred thousands, and the death toll is at an estimated 250,000, with about seventy percent of the rest of the population experiencing mild to moderate illnesses connected to the S. pyogenes bacteria.
The fear of the unknown has caused mass hysteria and panic.
In an attempt to provide a semblance of safety and control, military personnel patrol the streets, even here in Lethford City, and the police force is trying to keep up with the rising street violence, assault, and theft.
Welcome to OUTBREAK: zero. Will you survive?
HAYANA
SITE OWNER + HEAD ADMINISTRATOR
Hi! I'm Haya. I'm pretty much your girl for everything! If you have any questions regarding our plot, membergroups, etc. don't hesitate to ask me. I'm also in charge of coding, graphics, anything skin related, and advertising/affiliates.
GENERAL INQUIRIES
CODING
GRAPHICS
ADVERTISING
CHARACTERS
ADDI
ADMINISTRATOR
Hey! I'm Addi. Hit me up if you need help with anything. I'm always for plotting so don't be shy. I like coffee, booze, and working out. I'm back from a long hiatus the dead so if you need anything, best ask the others until I get back into the groove of things!
GENERAL INQUIRIES
APPLICATIONS
THREAD MODERATION
MEDIATOR
CHARACTERS
FINNLEY
GLOBAL MODERATOR
Hi hello! My name is Finnley, or Finn, call whichever and I'll be there for you (yes like the FRIENDS theme song). I am in charge of the claims and helping with miscellaneous things. Let me know if you have any questions!
GENERAL INQUIRIES
CLAIMS
DIRECTORY
CHARACTERS
STAFF NAME
OPEN MODERATOR POSITION
outbreak
/ˈaʊtbreɪk/ zero /ˈzɪərəʊ/
a sudden occurrence of something unwelcome, such as war or disease. number, no quantity or number; nought; the figure 0.
there is a swelling storm and i'm caught up in the middle of it all
1307. Thirteen oh seven. How long had she been there now? Everything was done military time for medical records. Couldn't afford to have someone transcribing think you wrote an A instead of a P. It was the afternoon, and Brynlee could feel her eyelids growing heavier and heavier by the minute. These brutal shifts were going to be the death of her. She had probably slept a total of five hours over the past 4 days. And the fact that she tries to walk to and from work every day, well her whole body was exhausted.
She refocused on the machine in front of her, being the hospital's full time Biomedical Engineer kept her busy. She wasn't sure what those nurses and doctors were doing, but she was about sick of fixing the same x-ray machine. She swore she would track down whoever kept breaking it and slap them around a little. There was no need to be so rough with it, this was not the machine to be rough with. She pulled open a panel above the bed and placed it next to her knees. It wasn't really a bed. It was a table, hard and unforgiving so it could take the best possible pictures.
The earbud in her ear shifted and she lifted a hand to quickly readjust it to her ear before she lifted her flashlight to light inside the panel. To anyone else, they would have stared at the wires and wondered what in the world was going on. But Brynlee, she knew. She traced each wire until she found the one she was looking for. Externally it looked fine, so she ran a hand down the wire and felt for the connections. This was her job, fixing and maintaining machines, creating prosthetics and artificial organs. She loved it, creating something that had greater purpose was quite exciting.
A cheerful tune thumped through her earbud as a new song played. She gave a small smile as she looked down at the tool box in front of her and started shifting through the box, looking for something in particular. Her hair had been braided tightly at the beginning of her shift, but with face masks on and off, her falling asleep for 20 minutes on a break room table, and not to mention the plenty of layers in her hair, the two braids now were messy and had odd ends coming out here and there. She wasn't going to bother with them. After this machine, she was going home. No one had called out so far, and no reports of anything needing immediate attention meant she could go home and actually sleep.
Normally she would go home restless, but it was catching up with her. She would probably hit the floor inside of her one bedroom apartment and sleep for the next ten hours. So fixing her hair? Not happening when she was leaving soon. Her warm brown eyes locked onto the wire replacement and she made quick work of switching them out. She screwed the panel back on and hopped off the bed. Moving to doorway and looking up and down the hallway. She really needed to test it, make sure that her assumption of whoever was using it wrong was breaking it. And not that something else was broken causing the wires to burn out.
She needed a test subject. Anyone would do, all they needed to be was willing. And then she could go home. Her freckled face broke out into an innocent smile as she spotted the person who came around the corner, walking towards her down the hallway. Perfect. She removed one of the earbuds as they came closer.
"Hey there buddy," she said, exhaustion making her voice a little rougher than normal, but she tried her best to sound charming.
there is a swelling storm and i'm caught up in the middle of it all
"Dean you wouldn't believe the crap that came out of this patient's mouth today!" Brynlee huffed into the phone as she yanked her scrub bottoms down her thighs. Her phone pressed against her ear and shoulder as she struggled to remove them from her legs. Her brown eyes quickly moved down in frustration to try and see what was hindering her, only to realize she had forgotten to take her shoes off when she entered her apartment. With a quick huff, she kicked them off and booted them towards the shoe mat near her door. Dean was her eldest brother, and her sounding board. He was the first one she called after long days at work, seeing as another coworker called out and caused her to work a double shift at the hospital.
It was like that lately, just short staffed and frustration. She did her best to put on her professional smile and bite her tongue but once she was off duty? Oh it was on. Except, Dean seemed to have his hands full. A loud shriek came through the phone and another 'hey stop that!' followed through. Her nieces and nephew were a handful. Dean wasn't paying attention, his grunts and 'leave your brother/sister alone' were constant. Which meant she was not getting the conversation she had hoped for. Or her release of frustration by venting. "Forget it, you're busy. Tell the monsters I said I love them," she said quickly and hung up before Dean could protest, or thank her. With a quick motion, she tossed her phone down on the couch and removed the rest of her scrubs. She immediately collected them and started the sanitization and cleaning of them. So they'd be ready for the next double she was sure was going to happen.
A quick shower and towel dry later, she found herself staring around her apartment. She didn't want to be there. Sure, she was tired and needed the sleep, but she was restless. Her mind racing, legs and hands twitching. Overly tired, that's what she was. But she knew if her head hit that pillow, she would start replaying all the things she didn't get done at work and anxiety would build in her. So the whole laying down thing wasn't going to happen soon. Instead she walked to her closet, pulling on a pair of black denim jeans, a white t-shirt that had a little useless pocket above the right breast and her staple jean jacket. Topped off with a pair of combat boots, she looked about as average as possible. A quick hand ran through her hair, keys clipped to a belt loop, phone in pocket, and wallet stored in the inner pocket of her jacket, she was out the door.
She made it down the stairs of her apartment building. It was nice, she made a decent salary to keep from living in a run down place, but also knew she didn't want to spend her whole paycheck for a flashy place. She looked left and right, as if a sign would pop up that said "hey go this way". But when none appeared, she stuck to the familiar sidewalk to the left and headed towards the busier parts of town. As she walked, she triple checked that she had her medical ID, aka free pass, to be walking around without much question. A quick "I was called into work" normally helped speed through things. It didn't happen a lot, but she has been a part of one of those awkward stops for no reason. She blamed her red hair, it stood out and was like a beacon to be noticed.
Before she knew it, she stood in front of a friendly place. A bar. Oh did she feel at home as she opened the door and made her way inside. A nice breeze of air, thanks to the air conditioner, brought over familiar smells of spilt alcohol and a lingering cigar smell. She paused a moment before a grunt happened behind her, which made her hop skip out of the way and towards the actual bar. She moved around a few chairs, unconsciously steering clear of the people scattered about. Bryn wasn't dumb by any means, scatter brained, perhaps. But she knew to keep a little distance from strangers, especially as they sloshed around their drinks and touched their mouths constantly.
Germaphobe? No. But working in medical, made you aware of a lot of things. She slid into a barstool about 2 stools away from a man palming a whole bottle of... wait was that the bourbon? She waved at the bartender, recognizing the man and flashed him a toothy smile. "Is that all the bourbon you have?" She nodded towards the other bar patron before sneaking a small look at him from the corner of her eyes. "Cause I could really use a Kentucky Mulled Cider after today..." Yeah, definitely something with a bit of a punch would be needed.
demetri | tag; open | OOC: i got a little carried away.
Brynlee is tough, having 3 older brothers and a little sister, she has to be. Tough is not as bad as some people think, at least in her opinion. She isn't mean, no that would be Carson out of the siblings if anyone (though mean in a 'I just love you and want you to be the best'). She just never took no as an answer, never liked when someone told her she wasn't smart/good enough for something. No, she would just laugh and smile, the 'Watch me' wasn't needed to be vocalized. She has strong loyalty with her family, and would walk a mile through burning coal if it meant that they would be safe. Though she would probably find a clever way to get around having to burn her feet for miles. Whether through engineering some tough socks that would transfer heat or a way to superwoman her way over the coals. But you get the idea.
She isn't wasteful, believing that even the broken things can be fixed or made into something useful. If you ever visit her house, just know that fact before entering the door. Not hoarder style, but perhaps watch your step worthy. She just has a lot on her mind and can easily bounce from project to project. Adaptability is key in her mind. Scatter brain, that's the word those who don't understand her use. She can make friends easily, her bartending years taught her to turn the smile into one of warmth and it easily got people to like her. Her wit and banter kept them around for longer, creating regulars who would make sure to find her side of the bar.
[attr="class","ozapptitle"]BIOGRAPHY
Brynlee was the youngest girl born to her parents. Though that wasn't saying much considering she was one of 5 total children. With 3 older brothers and a younger sister, she knew all too well the struggle of trying to step out of others shadows to make a name of her own. Growing up, the question was constantly "Valentine? Are you Dean/Benjamin/Carson's little sister?" Which, for the longest time, elicited an eye roll and a small groan. Her brothers weren't bad per say, but that shadow they casted was never something she wanted to be in. She wanted to be known as Brynlee, or Bryn, Valentine. Her own person. The girl with the straight A's throughout all of middle & high school. The girl with bright red hair and freckles that dusted her skin, who had the infectious smile.
She constantly was battling to make her name her own, which was why she wanted to steer clear of the career paths her brothers went into and chose something that pushed her limits and challenged her every day. Biomedical Engineering. Her brothers laughed when she told them, her sister cheered her on. Parents? They were just glad that she chose to go into a career where she could use her resourcefulness and brain. Better than working a waitress/bartending job her whole life, in their opinion. Not that there was anything wrong with that. She was always busy tinkering with things and building what she could. She spent some of her time in highschool rebuilding a car with her dad and Benjamin, which she may have Magyver'd a few pieces. But hey, they didn't have all the money to be tossing around. Mom working as an accountant and Dad as a realtor.
If there was one thing she had consistently growing up, it was her family. Her parents made a point to have at least 3 dinners a night as a family. Everyone was required to show up, no matter how busy or what athletic activity, or what boy/girlfriend was there. Nothing was more important than those meals together. Dad made constantly bad dad jokes while everyone was explaining the latest and greatest in their lives. Mom was laughing and scolding the boys whenever they started getting too heated in their latest debates. Those two truly loved one another and one day, maybe, the Valentine kids would have what they had. A partner to love them more than anything. A partner to love them in the day to day grind of life, no matter how boring.
Bryn applied to several schools but ultimately decided to go to Georgia Institute of Technology, which was only several hours away from her family. Meaning she could drive up on weekends to visit and get a good home cooked meal. She got a partial scholarship, the rest she and her parents busted their behinds to pay the rest of it. She picked up some neat tricks while bartending which she has used at a few house parties as her 'party trick'. She graduated in the top 50 of her class, and immediately spent her days before graduation looking for a place to call home and start earning some hours under her belt.
She got hired on at the hospital in Lethford, her main focus being on the install, repairs, and maintenance of the medical equipment. Occasionally she got to show off a bit more skills when it came to making prosthetics, those are some of her big highlights working there. She mainly keeps to herself while working, finding a way to keep one earbud in and updating playlists as she goes about her maintenance. Occasionally working side by side with her fellow hospital staff.
During the outbreak, the high alert through the hospital was tiring. Long hours, short staffed, pulling weight where she was probably not even really supposed to. But she would put on a polite smile and take a deep breath before diving into whatever situation seemed like she could put a positive outcome on it. After many long shifts, it became clear that something needed to be done. And with some determination and frustration fueling her, she pulls out her Macgyver book of designs and ideas. Hoping that the hours spent around the infected don't infect her...
