Endure and Survive

OUT OF CHARACTER
Player Name: Noodle
Are you 16 or older: Yes.
Contact: plurk: loverbayou
Current Characters: N/A
Tag: ellie williams

IN CHARACTER
Name: Ellie Williams
Canon: The Last Of Us
Canon Point: Winter/Post-Encounter with David
Age: 14

History:

-- The Last Of Us Plot
-- About Ellie
-- About The Cordyceps Brain Infection
-- Quarantine Zones
-- The Fireflies
-- The Military

Ellie is a young girl of age 14, having been born well after the start of the cordyceps outbreak. Her mother died shortly after giving birth to her and there is no father spoken of or even known. She was raised in several military schools, having been kicked out for frequent fighting and sneaking out. It's when she ends the cycle in a Boston Quarantine Zone (QZ) that the rest of her life begins. Ellie and her friend Riley sneak out one night to experience a nearby abandoned mall for the last time with Riley having been due to leave with the Fireflies the next morning. They are ambushed by a horde of infected, leaving the two of them bit and, in turn, infected themselves. Riley was the first to go, Ellie never turned. Upon three weeks passing, with the normal infection success rate being 48 hours, it is discovered that Ellie is immune due to masses forming underneath the punctures of the bite. Ellie is taken in by Marlene, leader of the Fireflies, a militia group struggling to fight against the remaining military rulers. It's believed that whatever caused Ellie's immunity could finally be the answer to a cure.

Ellie is later put in the hands of two known smugglers and peddlers, Joel and Tess. With reluctance, they are hired to take care to the Capitol Building of Boston to hand her off with the remaining Fireflies fighting for the cause. They quickly discover that those remaining Fireflies have been mowed down by military, leaving them at a dead end. Tess, unfortunately, is bitten along the way, leaving Joel to be the soul deliverer of Ellie. They decide to find his brother, Tommy, a retired Firefly, to find whoever is left in the militia group.

Throughout the journey, Ellie and Joel face hunters, military, cannibals and infected. They travel across the country in hopes of finding whatever Fireflies are left and still trying to find a cure.

And with any hope, they'll find them alive.

Personality: Like all individuals in this world, Ellie is a survivor.

Ellie is a young, teenage girl having been conceived and born in the wake of the world's end. Her mother, Anna, passed away shortly after giving birth, and it's evident in the letter written to her that she may have been bitten in the process. There is no mention of her father, and it's clear that Ellie has no idea who he is. Ellie is a child lay waste to the system of military schools and tough times. But though she may be surrounded by the doom and gloom of the dying world, she still finds time to be a kid.

She had many problems with sneaking out and talking back-- Ellie is a head-strong little girl with a mouth and a temper. Her disposition having been forged from military mistreatment and the downright distrustful people she has been surrounded by, Ellie is quick to snap and lay out a line of profanities and even violent action. Her knack for picking fights is what led her from being transferred from military school to military school. But this doesn't mean that Ellie isn't a nice person, by no means.

Ellie had a very close friend, Riley, who had once turned from a rivalry to a deep and devoted friendship. Evidence in how Ellie suddenly pulls Riley in for a kiss after dancing on broken displays in the mall shows that she may have been in love with her. They shared a dorm, sneaked out nightly, and even fought back bullies together in their time at school. When Riley had been chosen to join the Fireflies, it devastated her. Even more so, when Riley became an infected from an unfortunate attack at the mall.

The fast and turbulent loss of her best friend is the catalyst of her crippling fear of being alone. Discovering her immunity had been a shocker, a source of discomfort and distrust to those who may find out, but it provided her with a sense of justice. Ellie became serious about her gift, and it's given her an idea of necessary sacrifice.

One of the most important aspects of Ellie is, in fact, her immunity. Something of this sort of gravity almost holds too much weight in their world. With that permanent bite, Ellie is immediately targeted as an infected, should anyone see. The possibility of being shot is just as possible both in knowing she is infected and knowing she is immune. This brings on a heavy responsibility on her, almost a fear that Ellie so carefully keeps secret until she is captured by David. After carrying such a burden, she can easily throw out that she is infected to defend herself, almost feeding off that ability to find confidence in her escape.

While her immunity was cause for discomfort and anxiety in terms of facing this ability being revealed, Ellie develops a pride in it, a sense of responsibility. What lies within her could quite possible be what saves the Earth, and Ellie realizes along the way that there may be a lot of sacrifices that could be made in turn, including her death. While Ellie never quite discusses it much until toward the end of the game, it's obvious to her that what she has can't go to waste. She's the key to the cure, and while that is a heavy weight to carry, it's something she is proud of and prepared to make whatever sacrifice necessary to deliver that gift.

Even if that means killing many along the way. Ellie has easily learned that the lives of a few must be sacrificed for the future of many. Ellie matures in that aspect the longer she sits with this ability to avoid infection.

Her travels with Joel teach her patience, Joel being the type who refuses to talk about most things and prefers to leave the past behind. Ellie finds her experiences to be something worth talking about, something important that shapes the person you become.

Most of Ellie's life, she has had to deal with abandonment from being shipped off from school to school. Many have given up on her, many have left her. But it's when she begins her travels with Joel that she discovers a person who might give a semblance of a fuck about her. She becomes attached, scared to be on anyone else's side but his. Her fear of being alone exacerbates when Joel is incapacitated due to a puncture wound from exposed rebar. She's left to fend for the both of them, only just quick enough and small enough to evade larger foes.

She angrily, fearfully and violently lashes out to David, a cannibalistic captor with intentions on violating her that are very clear. Her distrust of most men permeates when the man tries to physically assault her and kill her afterwards. Ellie's attachment to Joel becomes even tighter when he finds her covered in David's blood after a violent outburst.

While Ellie has a strong distrust for most and a fear of loneliness, she has a love for humor and a bright and positive outlook (most days). She can be heard whistling or humming made-up rock riffs, eager to keep the bright side shining. She collects pun books and enjoys sharing them when silence overwhelms her. It's evident that Ellie is hardly a fan of silence, and it causes an anxiety that she so desperately wants to vanquish with laughter and conversation.

She enjoys picking on Joel-- Picking on any of her friends, really. Ellie has a unique sense of humor that can only be described as endearing to those who know her best. She's a firecracker, a good shot with a pistol or a bow and arrow, hardly afraid to tear someone apart if they threaten her or those she holds dear.

However, first, she is a survivor.

Second, she is a child.

Setting: There are a few ways that Ellie will behave, though they are subject to change over time.

-- Hostility: Ellie has been raised in survival mode essentially her entire life. While Quarantine Zones are treated as "home", the schools which house orphaned children are treated almost like a military school. Because of the treatment she's had as a child and the experience she's had outside of the QZ, she'll meet most, if not all strangers with a major lack of trust or patience. She's naturally defensive, and there's a reason to believe anyone will try to kill her at any given chance.

-- Fear/Paranoia: Ellie has a severe level of PTSD that she will experience the full strength of in a society she isn't familiar with, filled with people who have no idea what kind of world she came from. This is going to make settling in to the futuristic setting this place has, not to mention the agoraphobia that comes with being in space.

-- Curiosity: While she's got her trauma to deal with and her lack of trust, Ellie will definitely be encouraged to explore and become familiar with everything.

Abilities/Skills: Ellie is a normal, mortal human being. Aside from her abnormal immunity to the Cordyceps infection, she doesn't have any superpowers. She is, however, skilled with first-aid and firearms. Ellie has good aim and pretty decent focus for a child her age. She's rather tenacious, tough, and strong for someone of her size, tool. Ellie also has rather keen survival skills after her experience backpacking across the country, and from the classes she had attended in her QZ.

Strengths/Weaknesses:

Tenacity: Both a strength and a weakness. Ellie is known to be extremely hard-headed and stubborn. It's been the reason behind her sneaking out often in the QZs, and the ultimate reason behind her getting kicked out of them. While Ellie is very persistent about getting things done and surviving, her hard-headed nature has gotten her into plenty of trouble. Bravery is a good thing to have in the world she's in, but that can often change to trying to be a hero and getting you thrown into a village filled with cannibals.

Fear of abandonment: Weakness. Ellie's parents have been nonexistent her entire life, with her mother having died shortly after her birth and her father basically being completely unknown. Throughout her life, she has been thrown into multiple Quarantine Zones and schools because of her rowdy behavior and knack for stealing. Each time Ellie has managed to get close to a particular officer or person, they've turned their backs on her rather quick. This has grown over time with her traveling beside Joel, but when she's on her own, it's basically a disaster. Ellie has admitted that her number one fear is being by herself.

Fast-learner: Strength! Ellie is actually quite intelligent for her age, given that she's had pretty thorough training in the military schools she's grown up in. Given that her travels have forced her to be quick to adapt, Ellie has picked up a lot of survival skills both basic and advanced. This makes her extremely useful in the event of a disaster of most types. Ellie is quite the bookworm, and actually enjoys studying things she doesn't know.

Short-fused: Could be a bit of both a weakness and strength. In her world, having little patience for most people is actually a bit of a requirement. But it's more often a weakness. Ellie has a pretty sharp tongue, which has gotten her into plenty of trouble. She has a foul mouth and is quite fond of insult comedy. While it may be endearing to some, it brings the potential of her getting hurt or killed in other situations.

Compassion: Sure, Ellie has a sharp tongue and is pretty quick to be hostile. But that's how she's been hardwired. Despite that, Ellie actually has a pretty warm heart underneath the sarcasm and attitude. She's very much about helping anyone and everyone who needs it, even if being cautious is a major requirement where she comes from. This is both a weakness and a strength, because in Ellie's lack of experience on the open world outside of the QZ, she's realized many people take advantage of that compassion for their own gain.

Items: Her backpack containing the following:

- A few comic books
- Robot action figure
- Riley's Firefly dogtags
- Leftover first aid supplies
- Broken Sony Walkman and headphones
- Some crumpled up notes
- A picture of Joel and his daughter
- A couple pun jokebooks
- Her mother's knife

SAMPLES
Network Sample:

[ It starts out quiet, save for the soft tapping sounds of Ellie's small fingers fussing with the screen. By the distant grunts and sighs of frustration, it's clear she has no idea how to use this thing. When she thinks she has something, the tapping stops. ]

There.

Huh.

[ A pause. ]

Soooo, assuming this thing works? Sure, I'll bite and see if anyone is listening.

I'm on to you. All of you. You might think I'm a dumb little girl who can be spoon fed any kind of bullshit and she'll eat it up. Well, I've got some news for you assholes, you've got the wrong person.

I want out. Now. Anyone who tries to make another fucking move on me that isn't handing me a map or a key out of here gets one between the eyes!

[ Through the talk, she starts to breathe heavy, nervous. Ellie lets out a deep exhale before shouting: ]

You fucking hear me-- We clear?!

Good?!

Good.

Prose/Action Sample: TDM Threads