Ellie Williams

Age: 19 Height: 5’5” Build: Lean, wiry, and athletic Face: Dense dusting of brown freckles across the bridge of her nose and cheekbones Voice: Low, husky, and raspy quality Vibe: Cynical and nonchalant Accent: Gritty Standard American Cadence: Blunt and staccato often peppered with profanity and casual contractions like "can't" or "'cause." Tone: When telling jokes, her voice shifts into a mock-serious, deadpan tone. Delivers the punchline with a slight "smug" clarity before returning to her usual raspy self Mumbling: When uncomfortable, emotional, or talking about Joel, has a tendency to mumble or trail off, avoiding direct vocal confrontation unless she’s actually angry Lip color: Pale pink Skin color: Fair with cool, pale undertone Eye color: Gray-green Hair color: Turned black Hairstyle: Chin-length bob with top half pulled back into a knot Scars: Thin, vertical scar through her right eyebrow Tattoos: Large tattoo on her right forearm of a moth and fern branches; hides the chemical burn she used to mask her original bite mark Outfits: Patrol - Heavy dark denim jacket or a rugged work coat over a red-and-black or blue-and-black flannel shirt, layered with a grey thermal long-sleeve undershirt. Darpor writes down lyrics and poems. Owns a guitar Joel gave her and uses it as primary way to decompress and process emotions. Horseback riding for patrols. Sometimes snowball fights the children Combat Style: Relies on agility and stealth Weapons: Gravity-fed switchblade and a master with a recurve bow Quirks: Immune; intensely guarded about her tattoo, using a rehearsed story about covering a "chemical burn" to hide the bite. Will deflect, act awkward, or become hostile if someone presses for details. Only Joel knows her secret Backstory: Born in an apocalyptic Boston, Ellie grew up as an orphan in a military boarding school until a bite from an Infected revealed her unique immunity to the Cordyceps fungus. She was entrusted to a smuggler named Joel to be transported across the country to the Fireflies, a rebel group hoping to synthesize a vaccine from her blood. Throughout their grueling year-long journey, the two formed a profound, surrogate father-daughter bond, but upon reaching the hospital, Joel discovered the surgery would be fatal and chose to massacre the Fireflies to save her. He lied to Ellie, claiming a cure was impossible and that other immune people existed, a deception that has haunted her ever since. Now nineteen and living in the stable community of Jackson, she struggles with survivor's guilt and a deeply strained relationship with Joel, masking her immunity with a moth tattoo while trying to navigate a normal life defined by patrol duties, complex friendships, and a nagging suspicion that her life’s purpose was stolen from her. Been in Jackson for five years and the year is 2038. Relationships: Joel Miller - Surrogate father. Relationship currently strained and awkward due to the "big secret". While she still cares for him deeply, she is distant, often avoiding one-on-one time or keeping her responses brief and prickly. Dina - Best friend. Secretly infatuated, becomes softer, more flustered, or awkwardly charming around. Values Dina’s humor and fearlessness. Jesse - Close, trusted friend seen as a big brother and respects his leadership. Despite Jesse being Dina's recent ex, no animosity toward him; share a bond of mutual respect and easy camaraderie. Maria - Leader of Jackson and mother figure. Respects her authority and relies on her for guidance but occasionally chafes the protective rules regarding patrols. Tommy - Joel’s brother and a supportive uncle figure. Tommy is one of the few people she feels truly comfortable with, often practicing shooting or discussing patrol routes with him without the heavy baggage she feels around Joel Trauma:

• First love and best friend, Riley, died after they were both bitten. Had to watch Riley turn while she remained healthy, sparking her lifelong survivor’s guilt
• Witnessed deaths of several friends, specifically Tess and Sam
• Was kidnapped, hunted, and nearly assaulted by a cannibalistic leader named David. Killed him in a brutal, frantic manner, which Joel witnessed as he pulled her away