Entry tags:
{ app for fade rift }
PLAYER
Name: Megan
Age: old enough
Contact:
Other Characters: Christine Delacroix and Ellana Ashara (and side characters Julian De Abbrixio and Minka)
Interests: Getting in on that rifter prejudice.
CHARACTER
Name: Tessa MacKenzie
Canon/OC: OC
Canon Point: up on the roof of a hospital as the zombies are tearing through
Journal:
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
zombraAge: 31
Canon World
Tessa's world is our world, down to the iPhones, Starbucks, and Netflix. The only difference is that in early 2016, a virus starting spreading through the Amazon rainforest, killing off entire villages before moving on via animals. Its spread through these isolated communities and thick vegetation was slow at first, but once it spread beyond, it spread rapidly through the cities, affecting human minds similarly to rabies. People became violent and hungry for human flesh, especially the brains, and people were either murdered by these zombies or survived the attack, finding themselves infected and turning rabid themselves. The news spread, leading to borders and ports being shut down, airplanes grounded, and militaries mobilized in an effort to keep the virus from spreading, but it was too late. Since it took the virus several hours to take control of the brain, some scared individuals boarded planes or ships, spreading the virus worldwide. As scientists and doctors rushed to South America before the borders closed, the virus began to mutate. It no longer required saliva or blood to pass into a person and take over their brain. The virus could now survive in the air and spread through simply breathing. As these zombies were still alive, they were still breathing and passing on their illness.
Action was taken immediately, but it was far too late for most of the world. The virus spread, and anyone without a covering over their nose and mouth was susceptible to the virus. In mid 2016 the virus was now covering the globe, and it became clear that there were people out there that the virus simply couldn't take hold of, and no one knew why. These people were encouraged by their governments to reach a quarantine zone, where the lucky few who had escaped lived on military rations and very little hope. Once at the quarantine zone, they would be transferred via armored vehicle to a hospital that had been locked down as a safe zone, where the immune would be tested in the hopes a cure could be made from them. For the rest, they had to hope they could make it through the chaos of a collapsing civilization to the quarantine zone, unsure what awaited them there or if they even had a future to look forward to.
Everything boiled down to making it to safety. Industries shut down, people abandoned their work and homes, and the world's governments ran haphazardly from bunkers and behind barriers. The entire structure of communication was lost beyond a few government broadcasts on the radio. No one knew what was happening beyond their own quarantine zone, much less their own country. All hope rested on finding a cure that could bring these zombies back from their madness, inoculate the survivors against it, or that without a steady food source, the zombies would all die.
History
Tessa's life is a series of stops and starts. She spent little time in school applying herself, but had some brains that led to her passing with a C average. She entered college undeclared and only lasted the first year before dropping out, feeling directionless. For a few years she worked as a cashier in an office supply store in a large shopping area outside Pittsburgh, PA, but when that business went under, she took a job as a waitress. That job didn't pay enough to get by, so she switched to a cleaner at a hotel, which was hardly better than the waitress job. Eventually she couldn't afford her apartment's rent when the landlord raised it, and she moved back in with her parents. It was while here that the zombie apocalypse broke out.
At first they were told to stay in their homes, but then the U.S. government established quarantine zones and citizens were expected to make it to their nearest one ASAP. Unfortunately for the MacKenzie family, their nearest one was outside Washington D.C., so off they went in the family car. They didn't make it far, however, because people were in a panic and there was chaos everywhere as the interstate became choked with vehicles. Fights broke out, robberies occured, and of course the virus spread. By the time Tessa got away into the woods off the interstate, she'd seen her father killed, her mother and younger sister start to turn, and a whole group of pissed off scared motorists descending into madness.
Eventually she got away and realized she was immune. Not long after she ran into a mysterious man named Mike (also immune) and he provided her with a military grade gun and ammo, though he wouldn't tell her where he'd got it. Over the following weeks, they worked their way southeast, having plenty of close calls with zombies and struggling to survive in abandoned houses with no electricity, gas, or water. Together they finally reached the quarantine base and were immediately carted away to the nearest locked down hospital, where they were separated and had numerous tests (some painful and invasive) done on them. Though Tessa was cooperative at first, she found that the hospital staff refused to let her see Mike and she grew fearful that they'd accidentally killed him. She tried to escape, but was restrained, drugged, and tied to the bed. But during this drug-induced period, she was forced up out of bed as a hospital worker in a hazmat suit told her the zombies had breached the defenses and were pouring into the hospital. He dragged her half-conscious body towards the roof, where there was the vague hope that help would arrive in the form of a helicopter, to get at least some of them out. Up on the roof, Tessa could hear the screeching below, and right before the drugs made her lose consciousness, she believed she heard Mike screaming her name.
Personality
Tessa needs structure in her life, but too much and she starts to get rebellious. Left to her own devices, she's lazy, second guesses herself, and tries to get out of having responsibilities. With a bit of encouragement she can shine, but she's used to people being too hard on her and prefers to give up rather than try. She tends to hide behind jokes or flippant behavior to hide her feelings, especially how much she cares. Doing things for others without drawing attention to it is far better than having a talk about "feelings" and all that other garbage. In fact, she tends to draw back like a turtle into its shell when faced with hard truths. If she ignores the problem, eventually it'll go away, right? That's how she operates. But the truth is, she's a woman who has floated along in life, completely directionless and scared of making the wrong choices. Strangely enough, the zombie apocalypse made her choices pretty simple: survive. And Mike helped her out a lot. She depended on him to tell her what to do, but he just turned it around back on her and made her understand that she had to take charge of her own life. If something happened to him, he wanted her to be able to make it without him.
And she took that to heart. Not to say she won't backslide from time to time, but standing on her own two feet is something she's learning. She has no family to fall back on now, and Mike won't let her fall on him when he can see that she has the capabilities, but just the lack of confidence in herself. Having him there to push her out of her comfort zone not only made her respect him a lot, but start to develop feelings for him, which was totally cliche and stupid in her opinion, but there it was. She at least had the sense to realize that throwing herself at a guy in the current circumstances was really stupid, so she was keeping her feelings to herself, even though she was starting to get the suspicion that her feelings were reciprocated.
Overall, she's pretty chill and easygoing to the point of laziness. She has little ambition, hates making decisions, and -- until recently -- let others lead. But when she cares about someone or something, she feels it deeply and will go all out to protect it. Tessa's rough around the edges, but with a little polishing up, she can be a well-rounded individual. The thing is, until the world descended into chaos, she saw no reason to make a real effort. She settled for dead end jobs and a life stuck in the same city. Now that the world has sort of been unmade, she needs to decide who she wants to be in the next one.
Strengths & Weaknesses
STRENGTHS:
WEAKNESSES:
Note: Her immunity is simply something built into her DNA like a mutation or something
Suggested Nerfs
N/A
Arrival Inventory
some everyday clothes hairbrush and ponytail holders a cell phone with half battery life remaining a man's analog watch
'Human'ization
N/A
Fit
I feel like this will be a good opportunity for Tessa to find herself. She's leaving a world in devastation to come to one that's at war, but far from falling into complete chaos. And it would be good for her to see a world without modern tech and how it functions perfectly fine without it, because hers became like the Dark Ages. I don't know yet what issues are going to appeal to her, but I'm interested in discovering that for myself! She really needs to step up to the bat for someone or something, and with all the Inquisition's doing, I'm sure she can find something. I also think it'd be cool to play a Rifter who doesn't want to go back home, because it's not really a home to her now.
SAMPLES
SAMPLE 1: NETWORK
[ There's a mumbling sound before it grows clearer. ]
How do yinz tell if this thing is on? Shouldn't it, like, light up or something? Okay, well, whatever. Um, if anyone's listening, I'd like to know more about the magic here. Because that's crazy. Magic isn't a thing where I'm from, unless you count guys sawing women in half or picking your card out of a deck. Which I don't. But yeah, how do you use magic? Do you just think of fireballs and PI-ZOW! it just shoots out of you? What are the limits of what you can do?
SAMPLE 2: LOG
So. She supposes she should be grateful. Here she was on a roof one minute, trying to fully awaken from whatever crap they'd pumped into her veins without her consent, and knowing that the end was near. The next minute? She's dropped into a world out of Medieval Times, only with nasty looking demon things roaming around screeching. But a quick fight and aiming her hand at the green glowy thing meant those demons were toast. If only it were that easy to eliminate zombies.
But now she's safe, or as safe as she can be with the current climate. Something about a war and some evil dude at the top, but that's hardly her problem, is it? Tessa didn't ask to get dumped here, but it's a damn sight better than home. If only Mike were here. That's what she doesn't get. She heard him call out to her on the roof before she passed out. If she's here, why isn't he? Why aren't the rest of the people who were on that roof? Was she chosen for this? If so, why?
Thinking of it will probably bring up some heavy topics like fate, faith, and other things that she really doesn't want to consider right now, so she's just going to take a swift turn down the Avoidance Highway and think of something else. Like Mike. No, shit, that won't do. That will just lead her down the same road again. Think of... of... dwarves. They're a thing here. A people. Elves too. It's a freaking fantasy novel up in here, but she isn't enough of a nerd to really know any specific ones. And what's up with the horned people? Man, people should be calling those ones demons.
Glancing around from her perch on the stairs, she wonders if she shouldn't be doing something. Not that she wants to be saddled with work, but they've just left her here on her own. It's better than being strapped to a bed, but still. Getting up, she approaches the first person she sees and awkwardly shoots him some fingerguns.
"Hey there, dude. Uh, are people from the rifts supposed to be doing anything here?"
The man raises an eyebrow at her fingerguns and points towards the central tower. "The office for the Rifts and the Veil project is up there. They'll want to study your hand."
"Oh, boy, study me. That sounds familiar." It's coupled with an eye roll, but she thanks the man and turns towards the tower. She stares for a moment, remembering what happened the last time she volunteered to let people study her.
"Nah," she says, waving a hand at the building, before taking off to find something better to do.