The Happy Survivors
Amnio
Amnio may be young, but thanks to his parents' continued near-celebrity status, he's already well-known by those in the Afterworld. Whenever Dad is busy making a killing at his new job as a stockbroker or Mom's caught up in her cosmetics company CEO duties, Amnio can run and play outside as he pleases. Anyone he meets will be more than willing to help him on his way; like him or not, no one's going to mess with the kid of folks who used to wipe out entire civilizations between lunch breaks.
Not that Amnio's let fame go to his head. In fact, he's barely aware of why his family is famous in the first place, or that the world was ever any different from how it is now. He never means to bring harm to anyone; he simply enjoys having fun in his surroundings, like any kid. To Amnio, the neighborhood playground has always been a smoldering toxic waste dump, air raid sirens are supposed to sing along with the birds every morning, and some kinds of "fun" have larger blast radiuses than others.
Likes: his friends and family; his atomic bomb plushie; being his own glow-in-the-dark nightlight at bedtime; gigantic explosions
Dislikes: the deadly radioactive waves his body gives off at all times (though it's fun to play "Bugzapper" when it's dark out)
Dreams and Goals: growing up to be big and strong and famous, just like Mom and Dad; having his own pony someday
Riddlyn
A mermaid-sockpuppet from the Diamond Fields (the place humans used to visit whenever they were hallucinating), Riddlyn is a sort of transfer student to Amnio's land. In order to be considered an adult by her fellow sockpuppets, she can only return home once she manages to convince one thousand humans that she's not just a figment of their imaginations. At the time of the Apocalypse, she was up to nine hundred and ninety-nine-- but, this being the Afterworld, simply finding a human is now an impossible feat.
Still, Riddlyn doesn't feel the need to give her elders the news just yet. She was getting bored with life in the Fields, anyhow... The Afterworld may be rotting, but it's fresher than anywhere else Riddlyn's been lately.
Riddlyn is Amnio's first and best buddy. Not only does his radioactivity not kill her (always a nice thing to have in a friend), but Amnio can understand what she says-- which is impressive, as the only word she ever uses is "bumblemuffins."
Likes: lava lamps; shiny things; 1960s-70s rock tunes; being able to float around in midair if she feels like it; strawberries (though they're never quite as good as the ones back home); her red fez; oh, and Amnio, too
Dislikes: sore throats; having to send birthday presents to all forty-one of her identical brothers/sisters (even mermaid-sockpuppets find it hard to tell each other apart); trying to explain to Amnio and his other pals what it's like to see things "in color"
Dreams and Goals: having fun while she's here; ...that's about it, really
Mister Bitch
After following Amnio home one day, this ex-poodle didn't last long against the little guy's radiation. However, Bitch's loyalty was already so strong for his master that he dug himself out of his backyard grave the same night he was placed in it, so he could be by Amnio's side forever.
Unfortunately, one side effect of becoming a zombie dog is that Mister Bitch can't remember how to do anything besides eat, sleep, and drool. Which he's content to do. A lot. Especially the drooling part.
Still, every kid should have a dog, and Mister Bitch at least technically fits the bill.
Likes: Amnio; food
Dislikes: falling over; not-food
Dreams and Goals: FOOOD NOM NOM NOM
Nugget
A rare bird indeed, Nugget was busy getting its head chopped off in a stockyard when the Apocalypse hit. Left alive, but without feathers or a face of any kind, Nugget wandered into the wild outdoors, where it was shocked to find that all the other animals still had their heads. Nugget spent its first months of freedom in hiding, mortified at the thought of being seen.
Eventually, Nugget was stumbled across by a curious tyke called Amnio, who thought up a quick solution to the little chicken's dilemma: a replacement head! Taking one of his dad's old baseball caps, Amnio drew a face on the front, then used it to cover Nugget's stump. With its confidence restored at last, Nugget now feels ready to step into the spotlight... so long as its head stays on.
Likes: running around; shady spots; sunglasses
Dislikes: not remembering for sure if it used to be a hen or a rooster; when Mister Bitch tries eating it; not being able to wear sunglasses
Dreams and Goals: making new friends; finding hats with good chin straps; learning not to panic when a breeze sends its 'head' flying