Welcome to Hailsham | District Four
Mar 9, 2018 16:11:40 GMT -5
Post by umber vivuus 12b 🥀 [dars] on Mar 9, 2018 16:11:40 GMT -5
THE HAILSHAM INSTITUTE
They called it the Hailsham Institute, and it was given many titles: orphanage, training academy, boarding school, the list went on. Its remote location made it a hotspot for sinister rumors, and teen couples were known for stealing their parents’ fishing boats to take a quick peek at the mystery-shrouded islet.
The children themselves had legends and stories of what happened to those who dared to climb over the institute’s wrought iron fences, or separate themselves from the group during Capitol-official events such as the reaping. No one ever caught sight of the children wandering around outside of Hailsham’s boundaries, and there never seemed to be much traffic to and from the islet.
It is said that they only take newborns, and that all of their pupils must be in perfect health. Meaning any child who lives in Hailsham has never known anything other than the weirdly-idyllic institute.
On the surface, perhaps, Hailsham could have been considered an enviable place to end up, with their top notch facilities and training equipment, and their invitation-only pupils and staff. Those who weren’t completely terrified of the place couldn’t deny the slight irritation in their stomachs that, in another universe, they could’ve ended up with much better lives. Three meals a day, a comfortable bed, clean clothes- it was more than what most had, but those people had no idea just how tragic the fate of Hailsham children truly was.
Adoptions were rare, and the process hardly made any sense to the children. None of them ever recalled meeting a couple looking to take in a child, or even meeting someone who did not live on the island. They were told it was simply a closed adoption, that couples would look at spreadsheets and statistics about the children and choose them based purely on performance. This, of course, made everyone strive to be the best students and careers they could be.
As the children grew older, they learned the truth.
Healthcare in the districts is known to be flawed, if present at all. Should a person require something as serious as an organ donation, or a blood transfusion, they were as good as dead. But wealth wins wars, and money has its way of evading things set in stone.
These children, raised like prized pigs, would all one day be slaughtered. No, the terms they used were much more clinical. Perhaps it was their way of trying to sooth the children’s minds. "You have been selected for a harvest," they would say. Or, in the most dire of circumstances, "Your release date has been scheduled!"
They learned that the wealthy, with their money and power, paid the impoverished to have babies they could not raise, convinced them that Hailsham was their child’s best chance for a good life. And then, when their lavish lifestyles came back to bite them and they needed a liver, or new lungs, or a new heart, or their children needed marrow or blood, they had an endless supply of healthy bodies no one would miss to harvest from. Those children who were adopted were not adopted at all, but were harvested, or developed illnesses that deemed them no longer worthy of the program. Those scary stories they had been told in regards to trying to leave the island were threats made to cattle those who dared find a weak spot in the pasture fence.
The most any of them could do was hope their grades and performance ranked them highly enough that they could become carers, medical semi-professionals who aided paid-off doctors during harvest sessions. Though carers would still eventually have to be harvested themselves, becoming a carer delayed the inevitable for at least a couple of years.
The choosing ceremony happens at age 18, and our story begins with the 17 year old age group, fighting more now than ever before for an ultimately futile attempt at survival.
TL;DR
the wealthy have a super off-record institution where small children are raised in a very healthy lifestyle and then used as unwilling organ donors. A lucky select few are chosen each year to become carers, which essentially means they get to prolong harvesting their own organs in exchange for helping the medical professionals harvest the organs of those not selected. No one off the island knows about this, and to the public eye, Hailsham is thought to be a boarding school/training center for orphans.
CLARIFICATIONS / RULES:
- The public does not know about the harvesting program
- Characters can die in this plot
- This plot is application only
- WIP applications will not be accepted/reviewed until they are completed
- Name changes are welcome, so long as they have been pre-approved
- All names must be four letters long
- For continuity sake, everyone’s last name will be Hailsham
- Once accepted as a character, writers will have 1 month to finish their bio, unless given an extension
- Please say what your favorite flower is in the “anything else” portion of the application
- Once/if all characters are given out, I will consider taking Applicants for original characters!
- This plot is based on the novel & film, Never Let Me GoC H A R A C T E R S —
ROSE, female; LINK
You were nine, playfully humming along to the sounds an old jukebox as you played with your toys. Some of the other children were playing tag. Some of them constructed paper airplanes, held contests as to whose worked the best.
The humming turned into singing: quiet at first, then louder. Your eyes squeezed shut as the words fell from delicately parted lips, your head swaying to and fro in rhythm with the song. When it ended, your eyes opened to find the world around you stuck on pause. The other kids stared at you with wonder for a long moment, and you felt your cheeks begin to burn with embarrassment before they all began to clap.
Looking back on that day now, you cannot believe your growth. A pillar of confidence, perhaps closer to your music than you are to the other orphans. Once per week, everyone gathers in the recreation hall and watches you climb onto the stage in your prettiest dress, and then you sing. You like the taste of glory, love the feeling of attention. Maybe it makes you a narcissist. That’s what Kyle says, anyway, but you have a feeling his words are a way of covering up his true feelings, and you’d be lying if you said you didn’t have the same feelings for him lurking just beneath the surface.— PLAYED BY: ALEXXX
ROAN, male; LINK
A world of gray and a boy made to view the world through pictures in books. You were content with letting your mind doing all the wandering, extending your dizziest daydreams out from your fingertips, past a paintbrush, and onto a canvas.
You were actually painting when you had your first real conversation with Jane. You’d talked before- of course you had; your social engagements were limited. But this one felt different. Real. And though you still wouldn’t exactly call your feelings for Jane romantic, nor would you expect her to call her feelings for you romantic should she ever stop for a second and think, it was nice to have someone.
“You paint like a dreamer,” she had said, and she was right, but that was all you were. Perhaps she confused you for an adventurer, or maybe she just had the idea of turning you into one. Unfortunately for her, you remain one of few who are happy to follow the rules of the institution, despite years of attempts. You feel secure when following orders- it is one of the few things that give your existence meaning. Still, Jane is a good friend, and you can’t exactly standby and watch while she does something crazy. So, against your better judgement, you always find yourself a few steps behind her, begging her to turn back.
So far, neither of you will budge, but you worry about the day you turn back and she keeps walking forward.— PLAYED BY: KOUSEI
JANE, female; LINK
It seemed a waste, living so close to the beach but never getting to see it, and you’ve always been one for making reckless decisions. You sat near the fence everyday for years, listening to the sounds of waves crashing into the shore. Just out of sight, so close you could smell the salt, practically feel the bubbles of sea foam lapping at your feet.
You waited until you were 14, not because you wanted to, but because you were afraid of going alone and Will was not easily convinced.
Just before the sun was set to rise, the two of you joined hands as you crept down the empty hallways, past Sir, who would have likely been fired if Mother ever found out he was sleeping on the job, and over the fence. The salt stung against your dancer’s feet, blisters from ballet, but it was such an oddly satisfying burn. If anything, it served as a reminder of how new and exciting this all was.
The hand holding was something of an instinct- careless dancer Jane leaping in head first, while a cautious Will tried his best to cushion the fall. But you hadn’t ever noticed how nice the artist’s hand felt in yours until that moment, just the two of you and a great, big, unexplored world in front of you.
If only for that moment, you felt truly safe.— PLAYED BY: TRIS
RAJA, male; LINK
You’ve always been the golden boy, in a way. You learned early on that your grades wouldn’t ever be as great as Gwen’s, and if you were ever going to be adopted, it would have to be based on the natural gift of physical prowess you had been given at birth. They always said it would be you or Gwen to go first, and after a while, your confidence got in the way of your better judgement. You became angry as the years went on, unable to understand why someone wouldn’t want you when your accomplishments within Hailsham rivaled the best of those in the institution’s History.
You’ve broken records and set the standard for what a career should be, and in the end, you’ve learned that it was all for nothing. You are simply a stronger bag of organs than your peers. If anything, you worry, it’ll mean having your first harvest sooner than the rest.
Anger issues and a few too many bridges burned with the children you’ve grown up with, you feel all alone in the world, pardon Rose, and you don’t even think you feel close enough to her to call her a friend. So you sit alone, picking shards of a broken mirror from your knuckles, staring at the now shattered reflection that stares back at you. Yours life has been a lie, and you hate that you seem to be the only one who cannot accept it.— PLAYED BY: ELEGANT
GWEN, female; LINK
You like to keep your hair short- seems more practical. You’d love to be like Rose, and fuss over yourself in the mirror, or like Bell, who thinks beauty is what makes a person special, but you never have been interested in that kind of thing. It always seemed a bit juvenile to you, the idea of vanity, and frankly, it always felt more like a distraction from the things that really mattered.
You still remember the moment when you realized you were different. You couldn’t have been more than twelve, fingers laced together as you sat in the front row of the class. Same story, different day, except when the teacher handed you back your paper and you saw a big red B written near the top, you realized it hadn’t ever happened before.
As if to verify your shock, one of the other kids gasped when they saw it, whispered about it to the others. Your cheeks burned with embarrassment, because they had all gotten B’s before, too, so why did it matter if you did? After class, Bell found you in the courtyard, long and pretty hair swaying behind her.
“Heard you got a B today,” she spat in her typical holier-than-thou tone of voice, “Guess you’re not so perfect after all, huh?”
Angry, you stood, tossing your book to the side and looking her in the eye: “What’s that supposed to mean?” you growled. She smirked in reply. “Like you didn’t already know that you run circles around everyone here.” She exhaled for a moment, before adding, “Well, most of them, anyway,” and walking away.
You didn’t know if you should smile or toss something at her head, but you never forgot that day. And you never got another B.— PLAYED BY: ZOE
WADE, male; LINK
You’re just Wade. Jack of all trades, master of none, you’ve spent your life blending in to the background, existing without making any waves. But you are still human and you still have secrets- smiling at Jane as she passes you in the training rooms, that kiss you shared with Luke a few years ago, and then there is the one thing you won’t even admit to yourself.
They’ve started noticing some of the changes, but they haven’t placed the pieces together yet: “Are you feeling well? You’ve been slacking in your training lately,” the nurse asked. There was also an occasion when Mother caught you by the shoulder between classes, spun you around and placed her hand on your forehead: “You look pale. Feeling well?”
It’s only a matter of time before they find out you’re sick and you disappear. It’s scary, not knowing if it is something simple, something that could easily be fixed if you were rich, or at least normal. But you know whatever it is, it’s a death sentence in this place.
It is a good thing you’ve spent your life blending in. Who would have thought that being nothing special could one day be your saving grace?— PLAYED BY: DARS
JUNO, nonbinary; LINK
When it comes to you, Anne of Hailsham, none of the other orphans are met with quite the level of respect given to you. Memories from the deepest recesses of your mind, you can recall being a voice people liked listening to. You speak no nonsense, stand in a way that makes people notice you, exude an air that lets others know you and yours are not to be trifled with.
Sure, you have a habit of digging into other people’s business, and you would much rather deal with other people’s problems than admit that you have some of your own, but it all comes from a place within you that simply cares too much. You feel almost like an appointed maternal figure to the others in some senses, except you haven’t ever been the type to nurture. Hard love is better than nothing, the way you see it.
You do have other interests, though. Once, when the institution had one of their gift sales, you managed to get you hands on a camera, and now your walls are lined with pictures of you and the other orphans. Your favorite one is of everyone in your year standing in a line by the front gate. That was the winter when it snowed. Didn’t seem like much at the time, but you smile every time you look back on that day. Odd, how the simplest of things can ultimately mean the most to a person.
— PLAYED BY: RAVE
BECK, male; LINK
You tried. There was a time in your life when you really, honestly tried. You trained with the others, raised your hand when you knew answers in class: anything to gain attention. Because, like all of your peers, you closed your eyes at night and dreamed that you had a mother to tuck you in, a sibling to walk to school with, a father to play catch with in the front yard.
Take away a boy’s dreams, though, and you’ve taken away his will to live.
It seems like a difficult feat, being a burnout in a place designed to produce perfection, but you’ve managed. Getting on with delivery men so that they would sneak you in things like cigarettes and alcohol: you’ve made a name for yourself among the orphans as the rebel without a cause. You’ve become a boy with nothing to live for and everything to gain. And that may make you hopeless. It may mean you’ve given up.
You think your acceptance makes you strong, too, though.— PLAYED BY: NYTE
BELL, female; LINK
Bell: what a fine name it has turned out to be. You walk the halls of Hailsham with your head held high, your shoulders back, and a plethora of secrets in your back pocket. You identified your flaws at a young age, used them to your advantage. Weaknesses can be strengths when a person’s social game is as strong as yours, and you’ve got adaptability in spades.
You are not the quickest runner, nor the best swordsman or scholar. But you have ten fingers, each with one of the other orphans carefully wrapped around it like flashy jewelry. You know how to work each of them, tell them what they want to hear when you need them, tell them what they fear when you don’t need them.
You smile at yourself in the mirror, cover up the insecurities you secretly harbor with a porcelain mask, and a deep shade of red lipstick. You may be lonely, this is true, but isn’t that always the case for the person on top? You’ve made it your home, dug your heels into the backs of everyone to ensure your own social survival. They call you a monster— you prefer queen.— PLAYED BY: KARI
LUKE, male; LINK
Oh, the perks of being the funny one in the room. Keep it light: that’s always been your motto, and people have come to expect you to do nothing less. You do like the attention, in a way, and you like making the others happy, but the issue comes in when you want to feel anything else: pain, fear, all the darker things that make a whole person. People don’t understand that you, like the rest of them, harbor these emotions and need an outlet for them.
You only feel wanted when you are in the mood to please, for the most part, and it isn’t that you are a sad person: you aren’t. You simply crave a form of validation of which you have been deprived. But, for the most part, you are content with pouring happiness out of yourself for others to take, even if it feels like the favor isn’t reciprocated at times.
Besides, it isn’t like that with everyone. Wade made the mistake of being a sensitive person, and one day he asked if you were okay and your problems began to pour out. To this day, they haven’t ever quite stopped. He doesn’t seem to mind, though, and you make sure not to overload him with the drama of your daily life.— PLAYED BY: GRIFFINORIGINALS:
LIAM - sixteen, male, played by flyss [ LINK ]
COLE - sixteen, male, played by tom [ LINK ]UNFINISHED:
THEO - sixteen, female, played by arx
NEWT - sixteen, male, played by kaplan
YARA - sixteen, female, played by lance
NOVA - sixteen, female, played by ali
NPCs:
Mother - headmistress, old, intimidating, cold and dutiful.
Sir - keeper of grounds, head of security, very dumb but influential.
Mrs. Sue - caretaker whose first year was with the 17’s. Like most caretakers, she didn’t know at first what went on within Hailsham, and she had many questions. Ultimately, she was threatened to be fired before she learned to keep quiet.
Mr. Frank - a caretaker who is being held on the island against his will, after he learned the truth of Hailsham’s intent and threatened to tell the public.
Deb and Dan - the two subjects of a legend within the institute that is told to the younger orphans so that they don’t try to leave Hailsham. Supposedly, Dan jumped the fence and went missing, and they found him dead. But, before they found him, his good friend, Deb hopped the fence to find him. When she learned of her friend’s passing, she tried to return to Hailsham and was apparently not allowed back inside, so she starved to death.A P P L I C A T I O N —[b]NAME/ALIAS:[/b]
[b]CHARACTER WANTED:[/b]
[b]HOW YOU SEE THIS CHARACTER:[/b] at least two five-sentence paragraphs, please!
[b]HEADCANONS/PLOTS:[/b] any plot ideas or cute facts about the character can go here!
[b]ANYTHING ELSE:[/b] If you’ve made playlists/tables/graphics/anything you can post them here, though it is NOT mandatory and will not affect whether or not you get a character if you choose not to make anything. Be sure to read the rules.O . C . A P P L I C A T I O N —[b]NAME/ALIAS:[/b]
[b]CHARACTER’S NAME:[/b] (four letters)
[b]HOW DO YOU SEE THIS CHARACTER:[/b] at least two five-sentence paragraphs please!
[b]ANYTHING ELSE:[/b] playlists/tables/graphics/etc goes here if you’ve made it. Be sure to read the rules!
Some reminders of original characters: they are each 16 years old, and the grade below the other characters. They will know the other age group since they’ve grown up together, but they would be closer to the other original characters. I would suggest messaging other applicants for plot ideas!
Granted extensions:Rave: new due date, April 19th
Tom: new due date, April 26th
Elegant: new due date, April 26th
Nyte: new due date, April 13th