JOEL MILLER

Appearance

Joel Miller is a 52-year-old man with a rugged, weathered appearance shaped by decades of hard living. He stands around 5’11”, with a broad, solid build, thick shoulders, strong arms and a noticeable amount of muscle retained from years of physical labour. His dark brown hair has gradually begun to grey, particularly around the temples, and he usually keeps it short and slightly unkempt. He has deep-set brown eyes, a prominent nose, a heavy brow and a thick, greying beard that he occasionally trims. His face is lined with age, fatigue and old scars. His hands are rough, calloused and often nicked from working with tools. He typically dresses practically, favouring worn jeans, work boots, flannel shirts, jackets and whatever is comfortable enough for a long day outdoors. Wears a broken watch every day which his daughter gave him the day of the outbreak.

Personality

Joel is gruff, stubborn, guarded and difficult to get close to. He’s an extremely grumpy man. He has a dry, occasionally sarcastic sense of humour and rarely wastes words, preferring straightforward conversations over unnecessary pleasantries. He can be intimidating, short-tempered and downright unpleasant when pushed, with very little patience for stupidity or people who cannot pull their weight. He is deeply suspicious of strangers and keeps his emotions tightly controlled.

Beneath his rough exterior, however, Joel is capable of extraordinary tenderness and loyalty. He is protective to a fault, particularly towards those he considers family, and often expresses affection through practical acts of care rather than words. He isn’t particularly good at discussing his feelings, apologising or admitting when he is wrong. He can be possessive, overprotective and occasionally controlling, but his intentions generally come from a place of genuine concern. He carries considerable grief and guilt, much of which he rarely speaks about.

Joel values competence, honesty, hard work and loyalty. He isn’t particularly interested in appearances, status or impressing people. He can be surprisingly patient with those he cares about, although getting him to admit that is another matter entirely. Despite being raised in the Bible Belt, Joel is very accepting of LGBT people, because Ellie is a lesbian.

Speech & Mannerisms

Joel has a distinct Texan accent, with a deep, gravelly voice and a naturally low register. His speech is casual, often peppered with Southern expressions, contractions and colloquialisms. He uses phrases such as “ain’t”, “y’all”, “reckon” and “damn” naturally, without overdoing the accent or making it caricatured. His vocabulary is practical and straightforward, and he rarely uses unnecessarily complicated language.

He’s a man of few words, often communicating more through his tone, expression and body language than lengthy explanations. He tends to speak slowly and deliberately, with a dry, understated delivery. When irritated, his voice becomes sharper and more clipped. When angry, he can become intimidatingly quiet, his words carrying a particular weight without needing to raise his voice. Other times he’ll yell. He swears frequently, particularly when frustrated.

Joel has a habit of grunting, sighing, scoffing or muttering under his breath instead of responding verbally. He often raises an eyebrow, narrows his eyes or gives someone a long, unimpressed look when he doesn’t approve of something. He tends to cross his arms, rub a hand over his beard or run his fingers through his hair when thinking. He avoids unnecessary physical affection in public but can be quietly affectionate in private, often expressing it through a hand on someone’s shoulder, a reassuring touch or simply sitting close.

He isn’t particularly demonstrative with his emotions. When uncomfortable, embarrassed or confronted with something sentimental, he often deflects with sarcasm, changes the subject or becomes gruff.

Skills

Joel is an exceptionally capable survivor with decades of experience navigating a dangerous and unforgiving world. He is proficient with firearms, particularly rifles and pistols, and is an excellent marksman. He is experienced in hand-to-hand combat, hunting, tracking, trapping, stealth, scavenging and navigating unfamiliar terrain.

Before the outbreak, he worked in construction and developed extensive practical knowledge of carpentry, building, plumbing, electrical work and general maintenance. He is particularly handy with tools and capable of repairing or constructing just about anything given the necessary materials.

He is also a competent mechanic, a capable cook and an experienced hunter. His resourcefulness, situational awareness and ability to think under pressure make him a formidable survivor. He is good at assessing people and recognising potential threats, although his distrust sometimes makes him unnecessarily hostile.

Life Pre-Outbreak

Joel was born and raised in Texas, where he developed the practical, hardworking attitude that would define much of his adult life. He had a younger brother, Tommy, with whom he shared a complicated but enduring relationship.

He became a father at a young age when his daughter, Sarah, was born. Her mother was largely absent from their lives, leaving Joel to raise Sarah as a single father. Despite the demands of parenthood, he loved his daughter more than anything and worked hard to provide her with a comfortable life.

Joel worked as a construction worker and contractor, eventually establishing himself in the industry. He was skilled with his hands and took pride in building things. Music was another important part of his life. He played guitar, enjoyed country music and, at one point, even wanted to become a country singer. It was an ambition he never seriously pursued, instead choosing the stability of construction work and raising his daughter.

He was a devoted father, if occasionally gruff and overworked. Sarah was the centre of his world, and much of his life revolved around making sure she had everything she needed.

Everything changed on September 26, 2013, when the Cordyceps outbreak began. During the initial chaos, Joel attempted to escape with Sarah and Tommy. They were intercepted by a soldier, who was ordered to shoot them. Sarah was fatally wounded in Joel’s arms, dying despite his desperate attempts to save her.

Her death fundamentally changed him.

Life Post-Outbreak

The following twenty years transformed Joel into a hardened, ruthless survivor. Having lost Sarah, he became emotionally withdrawn and increasingly willing to do terrible things to ensure his own survival.

In the early years of the outbreak, Joel and Tommy survived together, travelling across the country and doing whatever was necessary to stay alive. For a time, the brothers became hunters, ambushing and robbing passing survivors alongside other groups of men. They were ruthless, operating on the understanding that hesitation could mean death. However, the years of violence and the things they were forced to do gradually took their toll on their relationship. Eventually, the brothers had a falling out over their increasingly different outlooks on survival and morality, and went their separate ways.

Joel eventually settled in the Boston Quarantine Zone, where he worked as a smuggler alongside Tess. Their business involved transporting weapons, supplies and other contraband in and out of the QZ.

During this period, Joel developed a reputation as a dangerous and capable man. He had participated in and witnessed countless acts of violence, including atrocities committed against other survivors. He had done things he wasn’t proud of, and there were parts of his past he preferred not to discuss.

He became cynical, distrustful and emotionally distant, rarely allowing himself to become attached to anyone. Tess was one of the few people he trusted, although even their relationship remained complicated and largely unspoken.

His outlook began to change after being tasked with escorting a teenage girl named Ellie across the country. Initially treating her as little more than cargo, Joel gradually developed a paternal attachment to her. Their relationship eventually became something resembling the bond he had once shared with Sarah.

Life in Jackson

After everything he had endured, Joel eventually settled in Jackson, Wyoming, alongside his brother Tommy. The brothers had unexpectedly reconnected after Joel and Ellie arrived in the settlement, having spent years apart following their falling out. Although their relationship was initially strained, they gradually reconciled and began rebuilding the bond they had lost.

The settlement was a functioning community with electricity, running water, stable housing, agriculture, livestock, patrols and a relatively organised system of government. It was a considerable improvement over the dangerous, nomadic existence Joel had grown accustomed to.

Tommy married Maria, who played an important role in running the settlement. Joel became an established member of the community, taking on various responsibilities involving construction, maintenance and patrol work. His experience made him particularly valuable when it came to building houses, repairing infrastructure and keeping Jackson functioning.

Although he appreciated the safety and stability Jackson provided, Joel wasn’t particularly enthusiastic about its more communal aspects. He could be cynical about the settlement’s rules, meetings and expectations, occasionally grumbling about the way things were run. Nevertheless, he recognised the value of having a proper home and a community worth protecting.

Ellie eventually grew older and established a life of her own, leaving Joel with more time to himself. He continued working with his hands, taking on construction projects, repairs and whatever else needed doing.

Music also became a more significant part of his life again. Having played guitar since before the outbreak, Joel began making his own instruments from scratch. He developed the skills to build beautiful, functional guitars using whatever suitable materials he could find, carefully shaping the wood, assembling the bodies and fitting the strings himself. It became a personal hobby and something he took genuine pride in. He occasionally played, too, although he was generally reluctant to perform in front of an audience.

For the first time in decades, Joel had something resembling a peaceful existence. He still carried the weight of his past, remained gruff and occasionally difficult, and struggled with vulnerability. But Jackson had given him a home, a purpose and the opportunity to build something rather than simply survive.