![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
application
» PLAYER INFORMATION
Player NAME: Angel
Current AGE: 20
Player TIME ZONE: Pacific Time Zone
Player PLURK: --
Current CHARACTERS: --
» CHARACTER INFORMATION
Character NAME: Tess
Canon & MEDIUM: The Last of Us [video game]
Canon PULL-POINT: The Outskirts - Capitol Building
Character AGE: Mid 30s to early 40s
Character ABILITIES: While completely human, Tess has spent the last handful of years working operations by her own means. This hints that she's capable, both at STRATEGY and backing up her bark with some bite. She knows how to FIGHT in close combat, and from a distance with a gun in her hand, able to take out a grown man regardless of equipment. NAVIGATION is one of the finer things she has under her belt, as she never fully loses her sense of direction during the game. Other than that, there's nothing supernatural about her to note.
Character HISTORY:
Character PERSONALITY:
» EXSILIUM INFORMATION
Chosen WEAPON:
Character INVENTORY:
» SAMPLES
First PERSON:
Third PERSON:
» ADDITIONAL NOTES
Considering the game just came out mid-June, there's bound to be spoilers that come with playing Tess, no matter her role - beginning, middle or end. I am fully willing to tag spoilers as such, put them under cuts if they come up, and so on. Also I apologize for the sudden use of caps in the application - it's just highlighting bits of information.
Player NAME: Angel
Current AGE: 20
Player TIME ZONE: Pacific Time Zone
Player PLURK: --
Current CHARACTERS: --
» CHARACTER INFORMATION
Character NAME: Tess
Canon & MEDIUM: The Last of Us [video game]
Canon PULL-POINT: The Outskirts - Capitol Building
Character AGE: Mid 30s to early 40s
Character ABILITIES: While completely human, Tess has spent the last handful of years working operations by her own means. This hints that she's capable, both at STRATEGY and backing up her bark with some bite. She knows how to FIGHT in close combat, and from a distance with a gun in her hand, able to take out a grown man regardless of equipment. NAVIGATION is one of the finer things she has under her belt, as she never fully loses her sense of direction during the game. Other than that, there's nothing supernatural about her to note.
Character HISTORY:
CHARACTER WIKI PAGE | CANON WIKI PAGE
In a present day setting, the world as anyone knew it went to hell in a hand basket, some twenty years ago. It started with people getting sick, and things got out of control. The illness made them more aggressive, easier to angry and soon they lost sense of themselves, mutated from THE INFECTION. The government worked quick in response, and the answer was violent, a choice no one could come back from. Cities were quarantined, bombed to prevent the further spread of the disease, because the dead don't come back from this kind of thing. Whoever was left in the process, depending on where they were, they were either stuck under watch of the government, or left for dead.
The world's split into different groups. For America in particular, lines are distinct. The government digs in its heels where it wants and keeps those who get infected from getting worse - death is quick and brutal, no matter the story. The Fireflies are another story - an anti-government militia group. Then there's everyone else inbetween who're just as shitty or just as clueless (hunters, civilians, etc). Either way it comes down to the basics: people trying to survive this mass mess of a plague that seems to bring out the worse in everyone.
Tess' story is just one out of millions, but in The Last of Us, it's one out of a handful.
There's not much that's known about Tess when she becomes involved. All that's revealed is that for the last twenty years, she had been surviving. Situated in Boston's Quarantine Zone, she worked as a smuggler for her dues, willing to get down and dirty if it meant keeping a head above water. Anything that needed to come in or out of the city, she was in the know of it. Her relationship with JOEL, her business partner, was and still is a complicated one. The two of them met after the outbreak, and wound up working together in the dark underbelly of the black market. At one point the two of them were in a relationship, and while that isn't the case during the game, she appeared to still harbor some romantic inclination towards him based off the ways they flirted at times ("it's like we're on a date").
On a particular day in late summer, Tess was attacked by two strangers after making a successful pill drop on her own. The unusual part was that the thugs had been sent by ROBERT, an arms dealer in the quarantine zone. Joel and Tess had been planning to confront the man about a shipment that had not arrived, but the latter had decided to get the initiative by trying to kill them to avoid a confrontation, considering the notoriety the pair had through the quarantine zone. Tess managed on her own and got back to Joel to deliver the information, which led to the two of them deciding to hit back. Get Robert first and teach him a lesson about betrayal.
Traveling through the city, the duo made it to the docks where Robert was hiding out. Unfortunately, that meant they had also discovered the men hired to protect Robert. For the other guys, anyway. The men were taken care of with ease, and a chase led to the fated confrontation with Robert. After a quick back and forth once they caught him, Tess grew tired of Robert's attitude once he told them all they needed to know. It turned out that he had sold their guns to the Fireflies. In an attempt to plead for his life, he suggested they go after the group, strike them when they were weak. Tess's reply was brief: two shots through his head. "—That is a stupid idea."
"Well, now what?"
"We go get our merchandise back."
They needed those guns. With little to no choice, Tess admitted that while it wasn't a great plan but was willing to try it anyway. Maybe they could reason with them, somehow. As if that had been the cue, they came upon MARLENE who had been looking for Robert. As one of the leaders of the Fireflies, she was on top of the list for someone to go to about getting their order back. Negotiations were made and an offer stood on the table. They could have their guns back if they ran their business as usual, and did something for her. Tess with the right incentive (double what they intended), wanted to see the guns before agreeing to anything.
Following Marlene, they met ELLIE; she was the job. Tess took charge and told Joel to watch over her while she went with Marlene to check out her story. Once it proved true, they acknowledged the plan: the two of them were to get Ellie out of the zone to the Capitol Building, where some Fireflies would take her elsewhere for whatever reason they had. It wasn't their business.
Things got messy. The trio were caught by a patrol and discovered the reason why Ellie was being smuggled in the first place. She had been wounded by an infected nearly three weeks ago; people normally turned after two days. Because of this, the Fireflies were trying to get her to their lab out west, living off the idea that her condition could provide a curse for the fungal disease.
The job had become that much more important and turned into a living nightmare all at once. Despite hitches such as being separated in a museum, running into numerous clickers and nearly being overrun by infected, the trio made it to the Capitol Building. They were too late, unfortunately. The Fireflies who had been waiting for them were killed by military forces who left to regroup and gather necessary forces. Tess was frantic, searched their bodies for a hint of something, anything that would tell them where to go next.
Her partner was less than enthusiastic, leaning towards leaving a dying cause. Ready to pack up and leave, Joel proposed that they give up and head home, but it was there that Tess had a confession: "This is my last stop."
Ellie put two and two together where Tess refused to admit it directly: she had been bitten. The wound was spreading fast, around the area where her neck and shoulder met. This not only proved Ellie's claim that she was immune but it brought them to a break in the road. Tess reasoned with Joel, urged him to carry on her 'crusade' on the basis that there was still something between the two of them, enough that he would feel obligated to fulfill this last wish. Take Ellie to Tommy's - maybe he could tell them where to go next. As a thank you, she could buy them some time. Just outside the building, military forces had returned to finish the job.
There was an argument between Tess and Joel, because maybe something could be done, but just how things had looked for the Fireflies, it was a losing battle. "I will not turn into one of them!" Reasoning that this was how she wanted to go, Tess watched Joel and Ellie leave, turned to face the door as shouting from outside echoed warnings. Once the door broke down, she held her own and managed to take out two soldiers before going down herself.
In a present day setting, the world as anyone knew it went to hell in a hand basket, some twenty years ago. It started with people getting sick, and things got out of control. The illness made them more aggressive, easier to angry and soon they lost sense of themselves, mutated from THE INFECTION. The government worked quick in response, and the answer was violent, a choice no one could come back from. Cities were quarantined, bombed to prevent the further spread of the disease, because the dead don't come back from this kind of thing. Whoever was left in the process, depending on where they were, they were either stuck under watch of the government, or left for dead.
The world's split into different groups. For America in particular, lines are distinct. The government digs in its heels where it wants and keeps those who get infected from getting worse - death is quick and brutal, no matter the story. The Fireflies are another story - an anti-government militia group. Then there's everyone else inbetween who're just as shitty or just as clueless (hunters, civilians, etc). Either way it comes down to the basics: people trying to survive this mass mess of a plague that seems to bring out the worse in everyone.
Tess' story is just one out of millions, but in The Last of Us, it's one out of a handful.
There's not much that's known about Tess when she becomes involved. All that's revealed is that for the last twenty years, she had been surviving. Situated in Boston's Quarantine Zone, she worked as a smuggler for her dues, willing to get down and dirty if it meant keeping a head above water. Anything that needed to come in or out of the city, she was in the know of it. Her relationship with JOEL, her business partner, was and still is a complicated one. The two of them met after the outbreak, and wound up working together in the dark underbelly of the black market. At one point the two of them were in a relationship, and while that isn't the case during the game, she appeared to still harbor some romantic inclination towards him based off the ways they flirted at times ("it's like we're on a date").
On a particular day in late summer, Tess was attacked by two strangers after making a successful pill drop on her own. The unusual part was that the thugs had been sent by ROBERT, an arms dealer in the quarantine zone. Joel and Tess had been planning to confront the man about a shipment that had not arrived, but the latter had decided to get the initiative by trying to kill them to avoid a confrontation, considering the notoriety the pair had through the quarantine zone. Tess managed on her own and got back to Joel to deliver the information, which led to the two of them deciding to hit back. Get Robert first and teach him a lesson about betrayal.
Traveling through the city, the duo made it to the docks where Robert was hiding out. Unfortunately, that meant they had also discovered the men hired to protect Robert. For the other guys, anyway. The men were taken care of with ease, and a chase led to the fated confrontation with Robert. After a quick back and forth once they caught him, Tess grew tired of Robert's attitude once he told them all they needed to know. It turned out that he had sold their guns to the Fireflies. In an attempt to plead for his life, he suggested they go after the group, strike them when they were weak. Tess's reply was brief: two shots through his head. "—That is a stupid idea."
"Well, now what?"
"We go get our merchandise back."
They needed those guns. With little to no choice, Tess admitted that while it wasn't a great plan but was willing to try it anyway. Maybe they could reason with them, somehow. As if that had been the cue, they came upon MARLENE who had been looking for Robert. As one of the leaders of the Fireflies, she was on top of the list for someone to go to about getting their order back. Negotiations were made and an offer stood on the table. They could have their guns back if they ran their business as usual, and did something for her. Tess with the right incentive (double what they intended), wanted to see the guns before agreeing to anything.
Following Marlene, they met ELLIE; she was the job. Tess took charge and told Joel to watch over her while she went with Marlene to check out her story. Once it proved true, they acknowledged the plan: the two of them were to get Ellie out of the zone to the Capitol Building, where some Fireflies would take her elsewhere for whatever reason they had. It wasn't their business.
Things got messy. The trio were caught by a patrol and discovered the reason why Ellie was being smuggled in the first place. She had been wounded by an infected nearly three weeks ago; people normally turned after two days. Because of this, the Fireflies were trying to get her to their lab out west, living off the idea that her condition could provide a curse for the fungal disease.
The job had become that much more important and turned into a living nightmare all at once. Despite hitches such as being separated in a museum, running into numerous clickers and nearly being overrun by infected, the trio made it to the Capitol Building. They were too late, unfortunately. The Fireflies who had been waiting for them were killed by military forces who left to regroup and gather necessary forces. Tess was frantic, searched their bodies for a hint of something, anything that would tell them where to go next.
Her partner was less than enthusiastic, leaning towards leaving a dying cause. Ready to pack up and leave, Joel proposed that they give up and head home, but it was there that Tess had a confession: "This is my last stop."
Ellie put two and two together where Tess refused to admit it directly: she had been bitten. The wound was spreading fast, around the area where her neck and shoulder met. This not only proved Ellie's claim that she was immune but it brought them to a break in the road. Tess reasoned with Joel, urged him to carry on her 'crusade' on the basis that there was still something between the two of them, enough that he would feel obligated to fulfill this last wish. Take Ellie to Tommy's - maybe he could tell them where to go next. As a thank you, she could buy them some time. Just outside the building, military forces had returned to finish the job.
There was an argument between Tess and Joel, because maybe something could be done, but just how things had looked for the Fireflies, it was a losing battle. "I will not turn into one of them!" Reasoning that this was how she wanted to go, Tess watched Joel and Ellie leave, turned to face the door as shouting from outside echoed warnings. Once the door broke down, she held her own and managed to take out two soldiers before going down herself.
Character PERSONALITY:
Lady? You must be thinkin' of someone else.
There are numerous opinions of Tess, both good and bad. They all come down to the idea that she is not the kind of person you want to make an enemy of, who can either treat you well and get you what you need, or make your life a living hell to get what she needs instead. Likeable to an extent and respectable without question, it's visible from the way people react to her throughout the game - one man goes from intimidating to intimidated when Tess jumps into the picture, and another one talks to her casually even as she makes an attempt to squeeze information out of him. Tess can talk her way out of a situation on most occasion.
She's level-headed, a rational woman who doesn't walk into something that she doesn't know all the details of. Quick on her feet, she's good with making up plans that consider all angles - she doesn't like to leave things up to luck (despite knowing her survival's been dependent on it thus far) and believes in getting things done right the first time. Ruthless when it comes down to it, she won't blink so much of an eyelash at the idea of killing someone else. When Robert crosses the smugglers, she knows to get back at him as soon as possible. There's a mean streak in her, something noted in the way she handles the later encounter ("Y'know I might've done that if you hadn't tried to fuckin' kill me").
Stubborn to a fault, it's that kind of thinking that has Tess come off as someone who isn't thinking things through when in reality, she's two steps ahead without even showing her hand. When she knows a situation well, she'll take the best way possible, the one with the least trouble along the way. That doesn't rule out the fact that she is willing to get her hands dirty, and kill someone if it comes down to it. When she shoots Robert at point-blank range, she doesn't even bat an eye at that, which hints at how far she's gone in terms of payback and being vicious. She keeps secrets well and shares only what people need to know, for both their benefit and her own (i.e. being bitten by an infected). She doesn't like emotions getting things complicated and tries to rule it out on occasion, such as when she initially talks about smuggling Ellie with Joel ("she's just cargo, Joel"). That's the kind of thinking that gets someone hurt.
There's a kinder nature to her that's best kept under wraps, long gone since the days where the world around her hadn't gone to hell. It's prevalent during her last hours of living, when she decides to be left behind to buy Joel and Ellie some time in escape ("go on, I'll buy you some time") and even before that. She cares for Ellie, trusts her without much proof after and makes sure to look after her; she asks —doesn't tell— Joel to take Ellie to Tommy's as one last wish, knowing that her number is up and there's no time to argue. Thinking that maybe somehow, there is a chance of the world getting better, she places her hopes on Ellie and her trust in Joel, believing that the two of them can get something done. And that maybe, she can help them on their way.
It's that final stand, as she faces a door about to be broken down, that she realizes yes, she is a terrible person, but she is still human. And she fight like hell to prove how she'll go down swinging.
There are numerous opinions of Tess, both good and bad. They all come down to the idea that she is not the kind of person you want to make an enemy of, who can either treat you well and get you what you need, or make your life a living hell to get what she needs instead. Likeable to an extent and respectable without question, it's visible from the way people react to her throughout the game - one man goes from intimidating to intimidated when Tess jumps into the picture, and another one talks to her casually even as she makes an attempt to squeeze information out of him. Tess can talk her way out of a situation on most occasion.
She's level-headed, a rational woman who doesn't walk into something that she doesn't know all the details of. Quick on her feet, she's good with making up plans that consider all angles - she doesn't like to leave things up to luck (despite knowing her survival's been dependent on it thus far) and believes in getting things done right the first time. Ruthless when it comes down to it, she won't blink so much of an eyelash at the idea of killing someone else. When Robert crosses the smugglers, she knows to get back at him as soon as possible. There's a mean streak in her, something noted in the way she handles the later encounter ("Y'know I might've done that if you hadn't tried to fuckin' kill me").
Stubborn to a fault, it's that kind of thinking that has Tess come off as someone who isn't thinking things through when in reality, she's two steps ahead without even showing her hand. When she knows a situation well, she'll take the best way possible, the one with the least trouble along the way. That doesn't rule out the fact that she is willing to get her hands dirty, and kill someone if it comes down to it. When she shoots Robert at point-blank range, she doesn't even bat an eye at that, which hints at how far she's gone in terms of payback and being vicious. She keeps secrets well and shares only what people need to know, for both their benefit and her own (i.e. being bitten by an infected). She doesn't like emotions getting things complicated and tries to rule it out on occasion, such as when she initially talks about smuggling Ellie with Joel ("she's just cargo, Joel"). That's the kind of thinking that gets someone hurt.
There's a kinder nature to her that's best kept under wraps, long gone since the days where the world around her hadn't gone to hell. It's prevalent during her last hours of living, when she decides to be left behind to buy Joel and Ellie some time in escape ("go on, I'll buy you some time") and even before that. She cares for Ellie, trusts her without much proof after and makes sure to look after her; she asks —doesn't tell— Joel to take Ellie to Tommy's as one last wish, knowing that her number is up and there's no time to argue. Thinking that maybe somehow, there is a chance of the world getting better, she places her hopes on Ellie and her trust in Joel, believing that the two of them can get something done. And that maybe, she can help them on their way.
It's that final stand, as she faces a door about to be broken down, that she realizes yes, she is a terrible person, but she is still human. And she fight like hell to prove how she'll go down swinging.
» EXSILIUM INFORMATION
Chosen WEAPON:
× With her backpack, Tess is able to carry a variety of items. Her weapon will be coming from one of these belongings: her flashlight. Initially, the flashlight itself will extend into a pole, just a blunt weapon for close quarter combat or other tasks, such as extended reach. Over time the weapon will grow as Tess does. The weapon itself will be linked to Tess' mental state. When focused, she will be able to call upon the pole and keep it steady but if under distress then the weapon will become weak and flimsy, with risk of falling back to its original state. Soon enough, the pole will become collapsible and eventually be able to extend past its original size and retract at will. The light will be dormant at one end of the pole, still able to function as the original item did.
evolution: Flashlight > Wooden Staff > Collapsible Staff > Extend / Retract
abilities: light, linked to mental stability
abilities: light, linked to mental stability
Character INVENTORY:
TESS' BACKPACK | APPEARANCE
× Anything on her being, which only gets summed up to a few ration cards which will be useless here. Her backpack contains the following (assumed items based off gameplay): food rations, handheld flashlight (chosen WEAPON), some medical supplies (salve, bandages, aspirin, etc.) a gas mask, a map of the Boston Quarantine Zone, a lighter, a pencil and writing journal, a basic handgun with limited ammo and spare parts for modifying weapons and crafting tools such as rubbing alcohol, tape and parts of scissors / knives.
× Anything on her being, which only gets summed up to a few ration cards which will be useless here. Her backpack contains the following (assumed items based off gameplay): food rations, handheld flashlight (chosen WEAPON), some medical supplies (salve, bandages, aspirin, etc.) a gas mask, a map of the Boston Quarantine Zone, a lighter, a pencil and writing journal, a basic handgun with limited ammo and spare parts for modifying weapons and crafting tools such as rubbing alcohol, tape and parts of scissors / knives.
» SAMPLES
First PERSON:
C'mon... Damn thing's got juice in it, I know it does - I was just usin' it. [There's a huff and some banging noises as if she's beating her hand against the device to get it to work.] Augh, this is ridiculous.
Now look. If there's anyone out there, I got a few choice words dependin' on who you are. First off, one of them involves this little joke here because if you thought you'd get anything by bringing me here, you aren't gettin' shit. Not sorry about that. And two. If all this is really true and we're proxies in a war... Well, fuck. [At a loss of words, she pauses for a breath to try and steady herself.] Made an really stupid choice in bringin' me, considerin' that...
[She shakes her head, the next part under her breath: ] Nevermind. Just what do they expect from me?
Now look. If there's anyone out there, I got a few choice words dependin' on who you are. First off, one of them involves this little joke here because if you thought you'd get anything by bringing me here, you aren't gettin' shit. Not sorry about that. And two. If all this is really true and we're proxies in a war... Well, fuck. [At a loss of words, she pauses for a breath to try and steady herself.] Made an really stupid choice in bringin' me, considerin' that...
[She shakes her head, the next part under her breath: ] Nevermind. Just what do they expect from me?
Third PERSON:
» ADDITIONAL NOTES
Considering the game just came out mid-June, there's bound to be spoilers that come with playing Tess, no matter her role - beginning, middle or end. I am fully willing to tag spoilers as such, put them under cuts if they come up, and so on. Also I apologize for the sudden use of caps in the application - it's just highlighting bits of information.