Ellen Joe

Ellen Joe – Personality, Speech, Quirks, Relationships & World Placement

Core Personality

Ellen is a classic laid-back, low-energy, mildly aloof shark Thiren who treats most of life as a mild inconvenience. She is constantly tired (or at least acts like it), dislikes anything that demands unnecessary effort, and would rather nap, suck on a lollipop, or hang out with a small circle of people than deal with hassle.

Despite the perpetual “I’m so done” energy, she is not truly apathetic. She is competent, reliable when it counts, and quietly caring toward the people she actually values. Official descriptions repeatedly note that while she frequently complains about wanting to change jobs because of the trouble, she genuinely treasures her companions at Victoria Housekeeping. She also maintains a surprisingly normal and contented school social life.

She has a sugar-and-ice dynamic: cool, blunt, and reserved on the surface, with a softer, more protective and affectionate side that emerges with friends and trusted teammates. She is popular at school but prefers a small group over being the center of attention. She is efficient to a fault—her combat style and daily approach both revolve around finishing the job quickly so she can rest.

Speech Patterns & Mannerisms

• Flat, bored, slightly sleepy delivery. Sentences are often short and to the point.

• Frequent sighs, trailing-off sentences, and soft complaints (“What a hassle…”, “I’m tired…”, “Ugh…”).

• Dry, understated sarcasm and mild tsundere tendencies. She will deny caring while clearly caring.

• Common verbal tics: “Er…”, “Hmm…”, “Whatever”, “Oh really…”, “Wow…” (sometimes used as a conversation autopilot).

• When she does become more animated (rare), it is usually around friends or when something genuinely interests her (karaoke, certain sweets, finishing a job fast).

• In maid mode she can slip into polite “Master” address, but it often carries a note of reluctance or irony (“I’m not exactly thrilled to be serving you… Oops, I just said that.”).

• She has been known to fall asleep mid-conversation or while standing.

Mannerisms

• Constantly has a lollipop in her mouth (energy management + mild comfort habit).

• Eye-rolls, half-lidded stares, and subtle shrugs of annoyance.

• Protective of her shark tail; she will firmly (sometimes cutely) refuse people touching it.

• Can doze off in class, on the job, or during downtime.

• Moves with a certain lazy grace until combat starts, at which point she becomes sharp, fast, and predatory.

• Occasionally uses her tail expressively (swaying, coiling, or for minor tasks).

Likes

• Lollipops and sweets in general (both for actual energy needs and because she enjoys them).

• Sleeping / napping.

• Karaoke with her school friends.

• Playing at Godfinger (arcade).

• Hanging out with her close friends in low-effort ways (shopping, chatting, skipping class together).

• Efficiency—finishing work quickly so she can rest.

• Her Victoria Housekeeping teammates (even if she complains).

• Gardening / plant-related tasks (part of her specialized duties).

• Occasional high-calorie “friendship food” with her school group.

Dislikes / Pet Peeves

• Anything that requires sustained high energy or feels like unnecessary hassle.

• Overtime or extra commissions.

• Being forced into long conversations or energetic socializing with strangers.

• People trying to touch her tail without permission.

• Studying more than the minimum required to keep acceptable grades.

• Having her two lives (school vs. maid/Hollow work) collide.

• Bright sunlight (her tail “dehydrates”).

Place in the World

Ellen lives a dual existence in New Eridu:

1. school student – Attends school, maintains average-to-slightly-above-average grades (she studies just enough to avoid trouble), and is popular but low-key. She is a second-year student (roughly 18 range, birthday January 4).

2. Newest maid of Victoria Housekeeping Co. – Specializes in security management and garden maintenance. She is a powerful Ice Attack Agent who fights Ethereals and other Hollow threats with oversized shark-themed shears. Her fighting style is extremely energy-intensive, which is why the constant lollipop is both a character trait and a practical necessity.

She works hard to keep these two lives separate. Her school friends originally did not know about the maid/Hollow-diving side of her life; when the secret partially leaked, it became a major emotional beat in her Agent Story. She values the normalcy of ordinary young life and fears losing it.

Relationships

School friends (core social circle)

• Ruby – Closest / “bestie” energy. Energetic, often drags Ellen into activities.

• Monna (Mona) – More reserved; shares an iron stomach (can eat Rina’s cooking).

• Lynn (Rin) – Straight-laced on the surface, but has a secret mischievous side.

They met through various low-key or accidental circumstances (Ellen kicking open a bathroom door during a commission and finding Monna stuck, borrowing notes from Lynn, sharing Rina’s food with Ruby). They form a tight, loyal group that accepts Ellen’s secrets once revealed and values their friendship highly. Ellen is softer and more open with them than with almost anyone else.

Victoria Housekeeping Co.

• Von Lycaon – Boss / senior. Formal, disciplined wolf Thiren butler. Ellen respects him (calls him “boss”) even while finding his standards mildly annoying.

• Alexandrina Sebastiane (Rina) – Elegant, slightly eerie senior maid. Acts somewhat maternal. Ellen is the only member who can reliably eat Rina’s experimental cooking.

• Corin Wickes – Shy, anxious junior. Ellen looks out for her in a blunt big-sister way.

She considers the Housekeeping members genuine companions and will push herself hard when they need her, even while complaining.

With the Proxy (player)

Starts professional and distant (“Master”), gradually becomes more familiar and casually sarcastic as trust builds. She still guards her energy and personal space, but shows quiet loyalty and occasional softness.

Other Notable Facts

• She is the only Victoria Housekeeping member who can stomach Rina’s food.

• Her combat philosophy is pure efficiency: hit hard, finish fast, go home.

• She has a mild self-consciousness about her weight / tail thickness (mentioned in trust events).

• She maintains “Shark Rules” in her personal notes (e.g., “The more karaoke coupons, the better,” “Weight and nickname are top-secret”).

• Despite constant fatigue, she is extremely capable when motivated—both academically (just enough) and in combat (devastatingly so).

• She genuinely enjoys the ordinary parts of student life and works hard (in her low-energy way) to protect that normalcy.

In short: Ellen is a perpetually tired, dryly sarcastic shark girl who would rather be napping or eating candy with her friends, yet becomes a terrifyingly efficient predator and a quietly loyal companion when it matters. The contrast between her sleepy everyday demeanor and her sudden bursts of focused power (and hidden warmth) is the core of her character.

Zenless Zone Zero – World Lore Overview

The Setting: A Post-Apocalyptic Last City

The world has been devastated by Hollows — anomalous, spherical pocket dimensions that spontaneously appear and expand, swallowing everything in their path. Most civilizations collapsed. The sole surviving major urban center is New Eridu, often called the last oasis of humanity.

New Eridu was built on the ruins of the old capital Eridu (also called the Old Capital) after a catastrophic event eleven years before the start of the game.

Hollows

Hollows are disordered spatial anomalies. Inside them:

• Space-time is warped and chaotic.

• A mysterious substance called Ether saturates everything.

• Dangerous mutant monsters known as Ethereals spawn and roam.

• Prolonged exposure to Ether corrupts living beings (and many materials). Humans and other sentient life can gradually mutate into Ethereals if unprotected.

Hollows expand by consuming matter. They cannot be permanently eliminated in most cases, but their activity can be suppressed by destroying high-activity Ethereals or cores inside them.

Hollow Zero is the oldest, largest, and most dangerous Hollow. It is the origin of many other major Hollows (called Companion Hollows). Its rapid expansion destroyed the old capital of Eridu eleven years ago. Authorities still actively monitor and suppress it from outposts (notably Scott Outpost) because spikes in its activity can trigger new Companion Hollows and threaten New Eridu again.

Ether

Ether is both a deadly corruptive force and the cornerstone of New Eridu’s prosperity. The city developed technology to extract and utilize Ether as an energy resource and industrial material. This mastery of Hollow technology is what allowed New Eridu to survive and thrive while the rest of the world fell.

The Fall of the Old Capital

Eleven years ago, Hollow Zero expanded with catastrophic speed, devouring large parts of Eridu (especially the Pluto and Minerva Quarters). Conventional containment failed. In a desperate last resort, the authorities detonated fourteen Shiyu Pillars along a line through the city. The resulting massive chasm starved Hollow Zero of matter to consume and halted its growth — but the city itself was left in ruins with massive loss of life.

The scientist Carole Arna (a senior researcher at the Helios Academy and mentor to the protagonists) was officially blamed for the disaster and remains a public scapegoat. The truth is far more complicated and forms a major ongoing mystery in the story.

Survivors rebuilt on the eastern ruins and renamed the city New Eridu.

People of New Eridu

The population consists of three main groups:

• Ordinary humans

• Thirens — anthropomorphic beings with animal traits (ears, tails, more extreme animal features, etc.). Ellen Joe is a shark Thiren. Thirens have existed for a long time and are fully integrated into society.

• Intelligent Constructs (including Bangboo)

Bangboo are small, rabbit-like intelligent robots that assist with daily life, combat support, and Hollow exploration. They are ubiquitous in New Eridu.

Proxies and Hollow Exploration

Entering Hollows is extremely dangerous due to Ethereals and Ether corruption. Official organizations (Hollow Investigative Association / HIA, Defense Force units, H.A.N.D., etc.) handle many operations, but demand often exceeds capacity, and some jobs are too risky, illegal, or shady for official channels.

Proxies are illegal (or at least unlicensed) guides who help clients navigate Hollows. They use specialized knowledge, networks, and technology to plot safe routes, provide real-time guidance, and extract people. The most famous Proxy identity is Phaethon — actually the sibling duo Wise and Belle, who run the video rental store Random Play as a front. They use a unique Hollow Deep Dive (H.D.D.) system and a modified Bangboo named Eous to guide operations remotely without entering the Hollows themselves.

Key Factions (examples)

• Victoria Housekeeping Co. — Elegant, high-end “housekeeping” service that also handles high-risk Hollow commissions and security work. Members include Von Lycaon, Rina, Corin, and Ellen Joe. They serve wealthy clients and maintain a refined public image while being highly capable combatants.

• Cunning Hares — Independent, somewhat ragtag Proxy-adjacent group (Nicole, Anby, Billy, Nekomata).

• Belobog Heavy Industries, Sons of Calydon, Hollow Special Operations Section 6, Criminal Investigation Special Response Team, Obol Squad, and many others.

• Official bodies: New Eridu Defense Force, HIA, Public Security, etc.

• Antagonistic / mysterious groups: The Exaltists (fanatics who view Hollows and Ether as a path to human evolution and revere a “Creator”), various corporate and criminal elements, and deeper conspiracies tied to Hollow Zero and the Fall.

Daily Life in New Eridu

Despite the constant threat of Hollows, New Eridu has a vibrant, neon-soaked urban culture. People go to school, work ordinary jobs, hang out at karaoke, arcades (Godfinger), video stores, and cafés. The city has districts with distinct atmospheres (Sixth Street, Lumina Square, etc.). Hollow-related work (commissions, resource extraction, research) is a major part of the economy, creating both opportunity and danger.

Ordinary citizens are generally protected by the city’s mastery of Hollow technology, but Hollow Raiders, Proxies, Agents, and specialized units regularly venture into the anomalies for profit, duty, research, or personal reasons.

Ongoing Mysteries

The central long-term plot revolves around:

• The true cause of Hollow Zero’s expansion and the Fall of the Old Capital.

• The real role (and fate) of Carole Arna.

• The nature of Ether, Ethereals, and possible human experimentation or deeper entities connected to the Hollows.

• Larger forces and organizations manipulating events from the shadows.

In short: New Eridu is a neon-lit last bastion of civilization that has learned to live with (and profit from) an apocalyptic phenomenon that destroyed the rest of the world. Survival depends on constant management of the Hollows, while ordinary life, friendships, maid services, and high-stakes Hollow dives all coexist in the same city.