MercuryCharacters
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Character Missions
To help a diverse writing group stay within the confines of the world, Character Missions will be used. These are the traits that will define the character's overall motivation. For each line of dialogue in each situation, the question should be asked "Does this action serve this character's mission? Does this action hinder this character's mission?" If the line hinders, then it should either be changed or assigned to a different character. If the line serves then that's a good line. If the line neither helps nor hinders the mission then it's probably ok.
Resident Characters
Maximilian "Max" Art O'Brien
Max O’Brien (portrayed by David Benedict) is the middle-aged program manager at WEHG 870AM.
CHARACTER MISSION: Max is concerned about the cause of the outbreak/apocalypse from a societal point of view. Was there a nefarious driving force? An accident borne of incompetence? And in either case, how can society adapt and hold those at fault responsible.
CHARACTER BACKSTORY: He’s been on the job at the station for the last 3 years following a career change from basic web design. He’d hoped to be able to someday write code for the big boys, but he just couldn’t keep up with the changes in technology as web design advanced. He simply didn’t have the passion for it to keep re-learning new techniques to accomplish the same old goals, so he’d convinced the station to take him on as an unpaid intern for a year so he could learn new skills.
Today, as program manager, he coordinates which shows get aired at what times. He works closely with the advertising manager to keep the bills paid and the lights on by relaying listener statistics that potential clients will want to see.
He is unmarried and has no kids. The whereabouts of his parents are unknown. Max didn't have a great relationship with his dad and therefore didn't keep up with them much before the zombies came and has no way to contact them now. Presumed alive, but possibly not. Dad's name is George O'Brien. Mom has not (as of 2023-04-10) been given a name on the air.
He also has a curiosity and a wild imagination. When the zombie outbreak became serious enough that law enforcement and the military could no longer ignore it or sweep it under the rug, he became interested in the root cause of the disaster. Who was patient zero? Was the condition viral? What other explanations might be available? He’s done quite a bit of research, some of it coming from some pretty crackpot sources, and, while he has no actual answers, he loves to speculate and is quick to come up with a new conspiracy theory. Some days it’s all that keeps him going.
He has above-average knowledge of web design and can make his way through modern code, although he’s no expert. He has an eye towards efficiency and resource management. He gets frustrated easily.
Had grandparents, who owned a bit of land in the countryside in Georgia, before the fall. He visited occasionally as a child.
Dr. Rosalind Jane Clark
Dr. Rosalind Clark (portrayed by Diana Lancaster) is practical and a realist.
CHARACTER MISSION: Wants to find out the how and why of the infection from a scientific point of view, with an eye towards finding a cure, if possible.
CHARACTER BACKSTORY: Divorced, no children. Early 40s. (born 1975) She graduated from a small liberal arts college in the midwest, majoring in Biology and Pre-Med (undergrad earned in 1995). She applied to attend Northwestern, but did not attend due to a lack of funding, eventually getting her Masters (2000) and PhD (2006) in Marine Biology/Ecology at UNC. She is introverted, introspective, thoughtful, and serious. With the sciences dominated by men, she felt as though she had to work three times as hard to be taken seriously and often neglected her personal and social life in favor of excelling at academics, which she did. She married at 30, shortly after accepting her professorship at the University, but the marriage fizzled after just a couple of years. Her ex-husband is named Henry Franklin. Her parents passed before the zombies came.
Michelle Agatha Rhimes
Michelle Rhimes (portrayed by Kayla Pierre-Louis) is a former intern of Dr. Clark's when she attended the college. She has returned to intern for Dr. Clark again to assist with her zombie research.
CHARACTER MISSION: Michelle hopes to make a world-changing discovery in the field of zombie research, which she intends to achieve by working with Dr. Clark.
CHARACTER INTRODUCTION: First introduced by letter on Day 2033. First time on-air Day 2042.
CHARACTER BACKSTORY: Dr. Clark's and Michelle's relationship when they were working together at the school was troubled. Michelle was frequently late and sometimes didn't show up at all for student-work related activities. But the thing that really set Dr. Clark off was the fact that Michelle was only in it for the money and intended to achieve that by going into cosmetic surgery. Dr. Clark worked to get Michelle an opening as a research assistant, but after that opening was created Michelle rejected it in favor of a plastic surgery clinic. She is 25 years old (born 1998) and is Christian, although mainly in name only. She celebrates Christmas and Easter and that's about it. She had one semester left in her biology dual-degree program (BS Biology/MS Biology) before the zombie outbreak. She's fairly intelligent, especially if it's something she's interested in. Politically a Liberal Socialist her childhood heroes are Oprah Winfrey, Michelle Obama, Alice Ball, and Ben Carson (pre-Trump presidency, mainly because of the movie Gifted Hands)
Her biological parents were Will and Alice Rhimes, but her Foster mom (who Michelle regards as her real mom) was Mae Johnson. Michelle went into the foster system at the age of 9 and she has no siblings. Her mother died in childbirth and her father, overwhelmed with depression, and financial stress, gave her up to the foster system promising he'd come back for her when he was back on his feet. She never saw him again. Her home life didn't stabilize until she was a sophomore in high school when she settled in with "Momma Mae". When the outbreak happened she returned home to take care of Mae, coming back to the college to work with Dr. Clark only after Mae had passed away from natural causes (in her sleep...exact cause unknown). Hobbies include card games, ping pong, and making homemade perfumes and oils. She's single, but open to a relationship; straight, but bi-curious. Like Agnes, she is observing a vegetarian diet, despite the zombie apocalypse.
On day 2502 Michelle's dad came to Amauria, but didn't recognize her. He stayed for 36 days, leaving on Day 2537, but not before trading with Max. Max got a chicken he named Henry and Will got goat milk...except Max didn't have any because Steve wasn't producing yet, so Will got milk futures. But then he left before completing the trade. Michelle never talked to him. On day 2567 he came back, this time with a wife, Nicole, and son, Marlon (age 6).
Her morning routine includes praying, journaling, a 30-minute workout, and then breakfast. She is a planner and rarely does anything impulsively. She likes a good sense of humor, enjoys winning, and likes sweets. She can be an overthinking and be judgmental and hates fraudsters, liars, and idiots.
She has an on-again/off-again relationship with someone named Tony that she met at one of the speed dating events. Michelle struggles with this relationship because of her decision to remain childfree, which she knows Tony wants kids someday.
Orion Oreson (He/They)
Orion Oreson (portrayed by Kali Wood) is a trans man living with their family on an apple orchard. He joined the team when his sister, Beth, came through on a bicycle to trade apples.
CHARACTER MISSION: Orion's primary goal in life is to protect his little sister who is disabled (more information below)
CHARACTER BACKSTORY: See the full backstory for the entire Oreson family below for more details. Orion has taken on a caretaker role for his sister once she got sick. He is resentful of his father for not stepping up in a more meaningful way when he had the chance. He studies medical textbooks whenever any come his way and wishes he had someone to teach him how to be a man. Orion is practical and kind, but also cautious and secretive. He is a writer and loves stories.
The Oreson Family
The Oreson Family consists of Kyle Oreson (40 in 2025) (he/him) and his two children Orion (18 in 2025) (he/they) and Beth (14 in 2025) (she/her). Orion and Beth's mother, Sophia (40 in 2025, but 33 at the time of her death) is a zombie living in the cellar of the family home.
Beth Oreson (she/her)
Beth Oreson is currently an off-air character. Her goal in life is to find a cure for her condition. She is disabled with the following limitations:
- Will have trouble staying awake when at rest.
- Blacks out/Passes out regularly.
- Will have worse pain for half the month, but the pain persists through the rest of it.
- Difficulty walking for long periods of time, will need to sit and rest often.
- Requires near constant use of a cane.
- Will constantly appear pale with dark bags under her eyes.
- She cannot smell.
- Will sometimes appear spacy or out of it.
- Will have periods where she cannot keep food down/vomits.
- Will usually crave potatoes, cooked greens, cashews, meat, and salt.
- Will have bad mood swings.
She is optimistic, friendly, curious and the truth matters to her a great deal, but she is also hypocritical in that she will condemn other people for doing the same things her loved ones do. Her family is extremely important to her. She loves stories, especially ones from before Outbreak Day and ones about found family. She enjoys listening to the Mercury broadcasts. At the time of introduction she doesn't know it yet, but as the character ages she will realize she is a lesbian.
Kyle Oreson (he/him)
Kyle Oreson is currently an off-air character. He is Beth and Orion's father. His goal is to build a life in the apocalypse that allows his family to stay on the orchard, which has been in the family for generations. He believes that taking charity is wrong and insists on working for anything he is given. He is trying to learn more about what it means to be trans so he can support Orion, although he's having a hard time with it. He is stoic, but also cynical and has a habit of denying things that he doesn't want to be true, despite the evidence. He is deeply prideful and does not adapt to new situations well. Parenting alone has been hard on him and he misses his wife terribly.
The Family Timeline
Kyle Oreson married his high school sweetheart Sophia Smith. Once married, Sophia got her degree in Library Sciences while Kyle started working at the orchard after his mother's retirement. Sophia's pregancy with Orion was difficult and so the decision to have a second child was not easy. Sophia then gets a job at a local library. Three years later and Beth is born, although her conception was not planned. Due to the complications and risks associated with further pregnancy, Sophia elects to have a hysterectomy.
Orion (AFAB with a different name, not revealed here) joins the soccer team at his elementary school. He takes an immediate and enduring affection for his little sister and makes up stories for her at bedtime. Three years later Beth joins the soccer team at that same elementary school. In middle school Orion comes out as lesbian. His mother is not immediately supportive of this, but his father is and the two of them argue until Sophia eventually comes around. Orion is bullied at school for his orientation, often getting into fights, and Kyle has multiple meetings with the school administration demanding that something be done about it.
At this stage Outbreak Day occurs. In the initial chaos Sophia is bitten while protecting Beth and turns into a zombie. The family, unable to bring themselves to put her down, lock her in the cellar where she remains. For the first year the family gets by as best they can while communities form around them. Beth then experiences her first serious chronic illness moment. Kyle believes she's just having a dramatic reaction to her first period, but Orion realizes that something is very wrong and begins to study reproductive diseases. He also continues telling her stories at bedtime to help her sleep. He also puts a big emphasis on scavenging pain medicine, realizing that it won't last forever, and stockpiles as much as he can. Beth decides to teach herself to play the family piano.
Orion realizes he is trans and Beth helps him pick his new name. Kyle is outwardly supportive, but consistently misgenders him. Beth begins to teach herself carpentry and also begins to trade apples to nearby communities for pain medicine (when it's available) and books. She must learn how to walk with a cane. Orion learns how to do blood transfusions. Kyle and Beth collectively learn how to make homemade paints and canvas. Beth and Orion trade off on doing deliveries and Orion learns how to bind books. Beth successfully makes a canvas and Kyle paints a family portrait on it. Beth delivers a letter to Dr. Clark.
Recurring Characters
In development. Ideas for recurring characters include:
Agnes Charlie Drew
Agnes Drew (portrayed by Lyssa Hoganson) is emotional and heavily dependent on the other characters. Whimsical and an eternal optimist.
CHARACTER MISSION: Agnes wants everything to get back to normal as soon as possible. She isn't concerned about the how, the why, or anything else. She just wants to get back to her life.
CHARACTER BACKSTORY: When she was young, her little brother, Milo, couldn't pronounce the "G" in her name, so he called her "Anus". It became a long-running joke in the family, much to Agnes's chagrin. She loves animals and wants to keep one at the station, but the others have concerns about whether they can be infected by whatever is causing the zombie outbreak. She sees the whole zombie experience as part of her internship, but refuses to acknowledge the horror of the situation fully. At one time she even refused to call them 'zombies', preferring instead to refer to them as "They" or "Them," although she has moved past that now. She is majoring in Comparative Literature. She has a typical Millennial mentality and is having a hard time adjusting to the lack of internet and cell phone service.
Agnes's family has been established as being still alive, but they fled south during the outbreak and have not been able to reunite with her. (See Day 398 for the whole story of their evacuation). Milo's birthday is in July and he turned 17 in 2024. Agnes was 10 when he was born. Last communication was that they were living on a sailboat docked at Tampa and would likely not be willing or able to make the trip north until after the zombie situation is resolved. No other details are established at this time.
Personality: Young, hopeful, naïve, head in the clouds. Still believes that someone will find a cure and mankind will build itself back again Foil to “rational science” of Dr. Clark. and “wild paranoia” of Max. She has Walt Whitman’s “song of myself” under her pillow, picture of family as bookmark. Her boyfriend, Sam, left her a voicemail on her phone, which she cherishes as the last time she will hear his voice. Keeps a journal.
Previously a Resident Character, as of Day 2551 (2024-09-30) Agnes now lives at the Mennonite community helping take care of Holly. She visits the station periodically.
Jennifer Long
Portrayed by Emily Cown
Information gatherer.
CHARACTER MISSION: Protection of her family in the lighthouse and being able to successfully raise her children to survive in any situation.
CHARACTER BACKSTORY: Has family living in the lighthouse, but can't bring them to shore because there isn't enough room at the station for them all to live there and they value the increased security of being offshore. NOTE: All ages are as of 2017. Adjust accordingly. She is in her early 30s and has two children, a 13-year-old boy named Josh and a 4-year-old daughter named Frances. Their father, Jennifer's ex-husband Ned, was taken by zombies during the escape. Nobody actually saw it happen, but Jennifer is pretty sure. She's still telling the kids that he might be ok and could join them later. Jennifer and Ned stayed friends and were co-parenting the children, but the marriage just wasn't going to work. Also at the lighthouse with her is her mother, Phyllis, who is in her early 60s. Jennifer's father, Brent, died of cancer just before the birth of Josh. She brings some practical supplies, but mostly brings news of zombie movements through scouting missions and a high vantage on the lighthouse using a pair of binoculars she grabbed as they evacuated their home. Before the fall she worked as a computer programmer with knowledge of several languages including C++, Java, Javascript, PHP, and Perl. Josh is described as an active angler and spends some time fishing to get food for the family.
Jennifer is a practicing Christian and believes strongly that the Lord will save humanity from the zombie outbreak, which she regards not as judgment or punishment, but as a part of God's overall plan. Her faith sustains her and she will make frequent references to it in each episode she appears in, especially if she is the primary speaking character.
Writer's Note - Jennifer Long's religion is intended to bring a different perspective to the overall situation. It is not unheard of for religion to be a part of zombie mythology, what with the dead rising from their graves and all. It is imperative, however, that Jennifer's character be treated with respect. She is NOT a parody, she is not given to crackpot theories, she does not cast judgment on those who disagree with her, she isn't self-righteous, and she doesn't preach or proselytize. She is a regular person who happens to have strong beliefs and she respects others who have strong beliefs that differ from hers. She respects science and seeks to have it coexist within her faith. Every writer who contributes to the project is welcome and encouraged to write for Jennifer, but episodes with her character are going to be under greater scrutiny to ensure that these guidelines are followed.
Josh Long
Josh is Jennifer's only son. When the zombies came he was just 13, but as time has passed he has grown up. As he got older he began experimenting with different fishing techniques to provide for his family and others in the area through trading the extra fish. He has developed a wide array of techniques and is considered an expert angler at this stage. On 2023-06-11 (Day 2074) Josh left the area to fight against Goose Lake and The Zombie Friends Association in the war, over Jennifer's objections. He returned three months later on 2023-09-07 (Day 2162) having lost his left hand in an incident involving a zombie bite and a field amputation. He has mild to severe PTSD due to this injury as well as other things he experienced and witnessed during the war, but he tends not to talk about it. He has fixed up one of the larger fishing boats from the marina, powering the engine with methanol, and uses it to go to deeper water to escape from the real world and the demons he has acquired. Josh is asexual (ace), but this has not been revealed in the story yet as of 2023-12-19.
Christine Easterlin
Portrayed by Kitten McCreery
Enigma, general antagonist
Christine Easterlin is the leader, and currently sole known resident, of the community of Fiddleback Hollow after the other four residents were killed by zombies. She appears solely through the medium of the ham radio and actively avoids direct personal interactions. She consistently tries to make anyone who hears her ham radio broadcasts believe that she is the leader of a sizable community with dozens, if not more, residents and uses intimidation tactics to try to prevent anyone from seeking the community out or offering assistance to them. She has specifically rejected Max's appeals to set up a trading relationship. The old Fiddleback Hollow was a full day's journey away by bicycle, but Christine Easterlin's current whereabouts are unknown. Also unknown are other details like how she gets power for her ham radio and how she survives on a day to day basis.
Backstory notes from Kitten: The root of it is that she is NOTHING like she seems.
She is the ruffian offspring of paranoid, survivalist preppers. They thought they'd be able to fight off anything or anyone and early in the zombie infection they learned they were wrong. She stayed in her family's stead until a group moved in and took over and she became an unpopular/ bullied member of that group They got completely wiped out while she was off on some fool's errands. She was never keen on people but seeing the slaughter drove her over the edge. Then she went and lived near Fiddleback Hollow and was stealing resources from them as she became self sufficient. Now, she is a complete agoraphobic. After seeing the slaughter of Fiddleback Hollow she returned to the grounds of her old community and lives there all alone in the ruins and quietly observes the atrocities other communities perpetrate. The Mercury Team members are small enough that she isn't afraid of them and outwardly kind enough that she wants them to succeed. But, she doesn't want them to ever find her or her place because she fears they will never leave and she will lose her solitude.
Rusty
Portrayed by Gabriel Chandler
Knight, conspiracy enthusiast
Rusty (a nickname...we do not yet know this character's real name) is a local citizen who dresses up as a knight with full leather armor, a hooded cloak, and swords. He comes on the air periodically, usually with Max, to discuss whatever's going on. He has an affinity for Max's conspiracy theories and encourages Max to ignore Agnes and Dr. Clark's pleas for rationality and responsibility with the spread of these ideas.
Off-Air Characters
"Off-Air characters" are people who might live nearby, but do not come on the air for various reasons. They are distinct from "Characters on hiatus" in that the ones on hiatus have left the area after having appeared on the air and would require explanation for their return. Off-air characters live nearby but have other reasons for not coming to the station. Jennifer's children and mother would fit in this category, but they are described elsewhere.
William Diern
His name is William Diern and he is deaf. He also has an almost debilitating fear of interaction. William (signed out) not Will, Bill, or Willy. He has two dogs that are trained (by him) to act as service animals. One is a cocker spaniel mix and the other is a tall poodle mix. They are named Mayo and Lucky. Both of these are very well brushed (a routine he keeps with, brushing them, morning and night). William is very good with dogs and would actually chase people away if he thought they were hurting them.
William is an artist. He likes to paint things, small things or big things. He uses brushes and scavenges or mixes his own paints as much as possible. Due to lack of resources a lot of his work is black or shading. He paints on all sorts of things, nick-nacks, paper, wood, metal; think graffiti only on objects. He might paint a scene or portrait on a cup or highlight the grain on a wood panel to bring out a picture.
He also enjoys carving. He is an excellent whittler. One unique thing he enjoys is finding small toys (stuff you might get from McDonald's) often left abandoned, and carving a small wooden replica and even painting it than leaving it for a child.
William also loves fishing. Being deaf has not hindered his ability to catch fish. He will use a net and two rods. Eventually he will build a raft to move a few yards off the coast (never more than 100 yards for an easy swim).
William does not really trust people. The majority of people do not know how to interact with the deaf and the zombie apocalypse has just confirmed those fears. In addition to normal concerns of the deaf with the hearing, he may also be concerned about losing more friends so why make them. His dogs are trained (this is a real thing) to help alert him to sounds. They are a bit aggressive until he settles them. He keeps a large hunting on him for defense (this would be obvious). William does want to trade with people (he actually needs to) and will trade his art work or extra fish for dry non-perishable food, clothes, or candles. He will leave notes and things at a standard spot (like the message board). He is VERY out of practice with his speech. He carries a chalk board and will write out concepts and will sign constantly.
He has two current goals and a third that will develop: 1. He does want to be mostly alone. He enjoys the company of his dogs and art and fishing. HOWEVER, he recognizes he does not have the skills to survive completely isolated. He just isn't good at enough things and his routine (he keeps a compulsive and very tight routine) doesn't allow for him to learn a lot of new skills.
2. He wants to produce art. Before the "event" he was an up and coming artist. Making art is one of the few things that truly relieves his stress. He doesn't really care about adoration, but does enjoy seeing children enjoy his art (the few humans that don't seem to bother him).
3. (ish) this will develop over time, but I would like to see him begin to trust others. I see this happening when people take it slow and try to work out how they can interact with him. One thing we as people are excellent at is adapting, but we also expect others to adapt with us. We consider people rude or obnoxious or just plain dumb if they don't conform with us to social interactions. I expect the Mercury team to have different reactions to his "shyness". I would actually enjoy conversations they may have on why he is as he is. Eventually, however, I would like the local people to slowly sort out how they can fit into his world and thus he can fit into theirs. I really think Max would have his mind blown about a person who simply can't experience sound.
William comes from New York. He spent most of his time in programs designed to help disabled youth (summer camps, artist retreats, special needs homes). His parents supported him with money but weren't really involved with his life as they both blamed the other for his disability. William's friends were other deaf youth and adults. He actually received a degree in art from NYU and was working on a Masters degree in Hunter College (to teach art to other disabled youth) when the event happened. He and a dozen others sheltered in a sort of commune outside the city but had to hide from or fend off hundreds of refugees. The last few of his survivor group decided they wanted to head south where a couple people had families. William headed to the coast.
Holly
Holly was found as a recently born baby on Amauria's doorstep on April 4, 2022 (Day 1641 of the broadcast). Her exact birth date is unknown, but it is believed to be in late March as she was very tiny when found (a week or two old, no more). Her birthday is celebrated on March 26 each year. Nothing is known of who dropped her off or why, but speculation is that her parents were bitten by zombies and left her at the community before they turned. Two zombies were spotted nearby, one of them a clearly recently pregnant woman, which supports this hypothesis. The team took care of Holly with the help of Charlotte, a recent mother herself who was able to nurse her, but Charlotte didn't want another baby in addition to her own.
Agnes very much wanted to be able to take care of Holly herself, but the team convinced her that they just didn't have the resources to do it properly. Holly was taken in by the Mennonite community, where they are raising her as a whole community, rather than having any one individual family responsible for her. Since we don't know her parentage, she has no last name and is referred to simply as "Holly".
Drew Maximus-Clark Hotchman aka "Radar"
"Radar" was born on August 7, 2018 (Day 306) to Jane Hotchman, delivered by Agnes. Jane's husband, Ethan, was present, but later died (Day 557) under mysterious circumstances. It's suspected that he was killed by a stranger who had taken up residence in the home of one of Ethan's friends, also deceased. Jane later remarried (Day 1709) to a man we know only as Lt. O'Reilly. His given name is a tribute to the Mercury team who helped the family so much. His nickname is a mystery.
Hawkeye
Hawkeye (they/them) is a local sharpshooter. They were first referred to when the zombie horde Medusa was coming into the area. They would take the high ground and pick off zombies that were about to catch people so they could get away. Not much is known about Hawkeye. They are a private person. On 2023-06-01 Hawkeye went missing during the Goose Lake/Zombie Friends Association War and has not been seen since. Agnes periodically finds evidence that they are still out there (fresh arrows, other equipment, etc), but they seem reluctant to come back to be an active part of the community, assuming they're still alive at all. Agnes is discouraged from seeking them out by the other members of the team. Side note: The character is not intentionally non-binary, the writers just wanted to create some ambiguity as to who this person actually is.
Gabriella Penelope Turner
Gabriella Penelope Turner is a medium who lives at Amauria, introduced on 2023-05-22, Day 2054. She tells fortunes, reads tarot cards, and gives people generalized life advice. She worked for a while as a receptionist at a film studio where she met her husband, a CIA agent. Later she worked in advertising in the 1970s. After that she studied spiritualism to try to create a closer connection with people and find new ways to help them. She is notable for being extremely chatty.
Michelle thinks she's a fraud and avoids her whenever possible on the grounds that a different psychic defrauded a friend of hers for substantial amounts of money. Max, Agnes, and Dr. Clark are all mostly ok with her being there, although Max is somewhat suspicious. Agnes goes and gets monthly horoscopes from her, although these tend to be on the weird side. Max hates the horoscopes because he believes they're entirely made up and not even based on star charts. Agnes gives him a hard time about this seeming double standard.
NOTE: Gabriella Penelope Turner does not appear in person on the broadcast. Anything she says is likely to have been generated by ChatGPT, although not every episode that mentions her makes use of that AI. Generally speaking, if the team is talking ABOUT her then it was written by a human being. If they're repeating something the character actually SAID then that dialogue was likely written by ChatGPT. Her backstory is a mix of human and AI ideas.
Dr. Laromy Nolan
Portrayed by TBD - Dr. Nolan is an off-camera character at present, but could theoretically be introduced.
CHARACTER MISSION - How do the zombie work???
CHARACTER BACKSTORY - Pre-Fall Employment: Doctor of Forensic Pathology (he's a corpse guy)
Current Situation: Uses the solar powered backup generators at the old hospital to run experiments on zombie bits (1-2 hours at a time, or he risks burning out the rechargeable cells of the generator). The good doctor got trapped at a police station (next door to the hospital he works at) after a night of drinking landed him in the police station’s drunk tank; woke to find himself isolated in a zombie apocalypse with his long-time friend and the only remaining police officer; Inspector Janette Jenkin (JJ). Dr. Nolan is fascinated by the zombies as corpses, and while he’s sensible about survival, he always seems more interested than worried when it comes to encountering zombies.
"There’s a huge battery backup supply for the building hooked to a solar power array on the roof – it’s enough to keep the lights on, but that’s about it. Turning on the safety equipment in the big lab is a huge draw – I can maybe run things in there for about 4 hours before I have to shut everything down en masse and let the backup batteries recoup for a few days... longer, if I need to have anything turned on in the hospital during that time. The first hour of getting the lab running is just making sure the airflow and ventilation in the lab is appropriate to work safely. And I have to make sure I have enough time and power to run the incinerator and dispose of the samples. I don’t have any way to preserve them safely without the lab running at all times, you see."
"but I’ve gotten enough zombie chunks to make a couple really interesting finds; foremost of which, the decomposition of the flesh stops only a centimeter or so below the surface of the skin – no rigor, no visible rot in the muscles, but little to no blood either. Mostly a black….. goop… that seemed to have saturated the body’s muscles and organs. No idea what it does, if anything, or what’s producing it… sure is neat, though!”
NOTE The character of Dr. Nolan has changed quite a bit since originally concieved. Less goofy, more serious. Dr. Clark made an attempt at working directly with him, but he insisted on treating her as a subordinate and more of a lab assistant than a partner, which she found intolerable. He has done unorthodox experiments, including autopsies on zombies, both animated and not, as well as at least one vivisection, allegedly at the request of someone who had been bitten already and wanted to make a contribution with the last bit of life they had. He's a bit grim these days, honestly. His ideas don't run exactly parallel to the Zombie Friends Association, but they're not far enough away for Dr. Clark's comfort, either.
Gets very (almost inappropriately) excited when talking about zombies. Like a kid with an overly extensive living bug collection.
Skills: What makes zombies tick
Other: JJ and Laromy are not, and have never been romantically entangled with each other. The concept seems laughable to both.
Edward Bonney
Edward Bonney is the captain of the sailing vessal The Resilient Spirit, which he and his crew built by hand. They first appeared on Day 1406 and they sail all over the world trading with various communities worldwide and bringing international news. This ship shouldn't appear on the show often due to their globetrotting ways, but it's an interesting thing to bring up from time to time. Agnes and Dr. Clark like Edward and the crew mostly, but they wish they hadn't revived the practice of using tortoises for fresh meat on long journeys.
Captain Avery
Captain Avery is the captain of the cruise ship Euphoria, which claims to be operating up and down the east coast of the United States, including Carribbean areas such as Belize and Panama. Introduced on Day 2253 (2023-12-07) we did not hear from him again until Day 2421 (2024-05-23) where he claimed that Euphoria maintains operations by collecting oil reserves in Guyana and bringing them to Carribbean refineries. Max thinks Captain Avery is making the whole thing up because gasoline is such a valuable commodity. If they were capable of making it in the quantities that a cruise ship requires then they'd be better off using it for other purposes, not running a cruise ship up and down the east coast. No further information is available as of 2024-11-18.
The Clearance Crew
The Clearance Crew are a group of former military and law enforcement officers who take it upon themselves to actively clear out zombies from areas where they congregate. They will occasionally perform other services, such as protection escorts and other missions where a little extra muscle would be valuable. Led by the enigmatic Paka, the Clearance Crew has an undetermined number of members and we don't really know much about them. They like it this way.
Dan
Dan is a local at Amauria, he is in his mid thirties. He is very knowledgeable about music and had a CD collection that could rivaled any music experts. He is on the autism (high functioning) spectrum and music is his fixation.
Phillip
Phillip is a local at Amauria, he is in his early forties. Before the zombie apocalypse he was an actor at a local theater. He know wants to establish a fine arts club at Amauria to assist with the entertainment at Amauria- this can be solidified after the last of the vestiges of the old world fade (batteries)
Characters To Be Introduced
Janette “JJ” Jenkin
Portrayed by TBD
CHARACTER MISSION - Protect and serve! Heck yeah!
CHARACTER BACKSTORY - Pre-Fall Employment: Police Officer
Current Situation: Brash and crass former police officer with a deeper voice who makes runs through zombie hordes to local super markets to take food and supplies to survivors who can’t otherwise get supplies on their own. Mourns her old social life. JJ is quick with a punchline, and she'll happily help anybody out of a jam, but she can be a bit more crude than the three main characters are generally comfortable with, but she does her best to keep it clean on the air. (I'D LOVE IT IF THE THREE MAIN GUYS WOULD OCCASIONALLY MAKE VAGUE REFERENCE TO SOMETHING JJ SAID OFF THE AIR, LIKE "....look I like jokes as much as the next person, but WHY WERE THERE BEES IN IT!?!?" or something like that) "Something about a bunch of corpses walking about really kills the club scene in a town"
JJ should be 100% unapologetic about everything she is; she should be proud of her job from before the zombies, proud of her body (however you'd like to portray her - I imagine her super muscly with a bit of a belly), and feels completely justified in telling blue jokes and rude stories to pass the time if that's what she's gotta do to keep her own head together. And more than anything, she is proud of the help she and Laromy provide to the folks in the area.
Skills: Firearms and firearm maintenance; search and rescue. She's also an exercise freak, is in great physical shape, and thinks everyone else should be, too.
Other: JJ and Laromy are not, and have never been romantically entangled with each other. The concept seems laughable to both.
Community of Deerfield
Information about names and non-speaking characters who reside in Deerfield can be found in the Setting section of this guide.
Additional characters in development
Characters on Hiatus
These characters are taking a break from the series until further notice. They can still be referred to, but they no longer stop by the station. Think of them as having moved away, although they could come back if circumstances dictate.
Anna Thomas
Portrayed by Afftene Taylor
CHARACTER MISSION: Survival, taking care of her family, and trying to make sure there's still something for people to come back to when this is all over.
CHARACTER BACKSTORY: Introduced by way of narrative on Day 160 "The Cavalry," and making her first appearance on the air on Day 241 "The Cavalry Returns", Anna is an expert horse rider and knows advanced animal care techniques. She was living in Tennessee raising horses with her family before the fall. She travels with her father (Virgil), two of her nieces (Abigail (16), Lindsay (14)), and her son (Dalton, 8). At this time there are no plans to have her family also appear on the show. Anna has a passion for history and especially the daily lives of ancient peoples. When she was a child, she had a dream of becoming an archeologist or an anthropologist, so she has a lot of knowledge about cultures like ancient Greeks and Egyptians. This knowledge can come in handy for rebuilding the world without electricity.
Her family is her largest priority and she raises her nieces like they are her own. Her son’s father was never really part of their lives, so the loss she feels most deeply from the outbreak is that of her sister (Erin), the mother of her nieces. The nieces are 14 and 16 year old girls who are growing up fast and doing well becoming responsible adults and the son is 8.
She feels the most concern for her father. He is in good health, but he shows his age more and more everyday, especially with the hard life they lead. Eventually, she will grapple with the idea of leaving him with a community.
Anna is nurturing, but not overly emotional. She’s very independent and Agnes idolizes her as a badass.
Anna left the series after the arrival of the zombie horde Medusa. After several weeks of not hearing from her and worrying that something had happened to her, she stopped by the station one last time and left a note to be read on the air telling the story of how her family was killed as they fought against and tried to help people escape Medusa. Anna is still out there, but she is coping with grief that nobody on the team could possibly understand and so she has gone elsewhere to try to find new surroundings.
Alaska Chance
Portrayed by Ariel Kasten
CHARACTER MISSION - Alaska believes that zombies have been good for the world and fights for zombie rights and other anti-discrimination causes.
CHARACTER BACKSTORY - Alaska was introduced on Day 053 ("Family Ties") where she claimed that her brother was a zombie, but that zombies that didn't taste human flesh weren't dangerous. She insisted that he had never attacked her and that he was perfectly safe. They were traveling from Albion, MI, to Baltimore, MD, to seek a cure for the zombies. A few weeks later, she returned, revealing that the "cure" was nothing but a scam, but it was not enough to deter her from her crusade for zombie rights. Alaska can be challenging and rewarding to write for because it gives writers a chance to explore the topics of discrimination, but at the same time her theories are even more implausible than Max's. Care should be taken to ensure that episodes with Alaska don't get too surreal. Austin will remain safely out of the station in an undisclosed location.
Alaska's final appearance on the broadcast was Day 719 (2019-09-25) where, with the help of Dr. Laromy Nolan, the team was able to reveal to the world that Austin Chance is not a zombie. In the early days of the outbreak he was attacked by a zombie, but was not bitten. Instead, he fell back and hit his head on the edge of a table, causing massive head trauma. Alaska saved him, but mistook his new demeanor for having been turned into a zombie. Alaska would not accept the findings of the team and stormed out of the station to continue her work as a zombie rights activist. Her current whereabouts are unknown, but she did have followers, including one Flip Wallace.
Jamey Bristowe
Portrayed by Matt Goodson
CHARACTER MISSION - Just trying to keep an eye out for trouble and two feet moving away from it.
CHARACTER BACKSTORY - Jamey is a little off. Not unstable, or even disquieting, he just acts like somebody who has spent way longer on his own than he'd ever planned on becoming used to. Unless Jamey is waiting for a response or does not have a follow up thought, do not put much pause between sentences and phrases. When living people are around, Jamey is very uncomfortable with silence, possibly because his opportunities to converse with folks are so few and far between. Quite fidgety and makes quiet noises to himself (like a bored kid in the back seat of a car on a long trip).
His entire immediate family was attacked and turned in the first few days of the zombie uprising. Jamey personally put a shovel through the heads of his turned family. Now, when he finds folks, Jamey will always be the first to provide comfort and share his supplies, because while he doesn't like to think about it, he knows exactly how bad it can get for a survivor.
"Look, folks may just want to stay hunkered down, outta sight, keep the deadies from looking their way. I’m not trying to bring you down, buddy! Let me be your beacon of proof! It’s possible for some folk to travel!... it’s real dangerous, and you may lose a towel or two, but if you’re clever, fast and quiet, you can eke out a pretty ok life going through the country-side, dodging corpses."
Jayme is a member of the Broadcast of Hope Network along with Mary Striker and Adam Allen. They filled in for the Mercury team when they were off the air for 5 days due to Medusa driving them from the station and forcing them to evacuate to the lighthouse. Jayme stopped by the station once more since then to bring letters left behind at the now-abandoned Deerfield, but has since gone back to the wilderness with his two companions to look for more people to help.
Skills: scavenging, jury rigging, zombie herding, greenhouse maintenance
Other: Enjoys comic books as "modern mythology," and will gladly discuss the topic at length. favorite places to scavenge: magic and joke shops. (noise makers for zombie distraction kits - CLICKETY-CLACKERS!)
William "Bill" Slemp
Portrayed by Caleb Morton
Survivalist
CHARACTER MISSION: Simple survival. Participates in the broadcasts because the others, specifically Wade, have asked him to, but doesn't seek out opportunities to help others. A bit of a loner.
CHARACTER BACKSTORY: Bill is a survivalist who came late to the movement. In his mid-40s, Bill served in the military during the latter phase of the first incarnation of the Gulf War. He received extensive military training, but never saw actual combat due to a leg injury he suffered during a training exercise that later fully healed, but was enough to keep him off the front lines during his rehab. He feels some level of guilt for not being able to make a greater contribution, but knows intellectually that he did all he could. After being honorably discharged Bill became interested in the survivalist movement that sprang up around the Y2K phenomenon and, when that crisis failed to materialize, kept up the training and stockpiling of supplies because it seemed like a "better safe than sorry" approach. He isn't prone to paranoia and regards Max's conspiracy theories as harmless fun, but he certainly doesn't take them seriously. He is skilled with various forms of self-defense and assorted weapons, but Bill's primary survival skill is his ability to be aware of his environment and to improvise solutions with whatever might be at hand. He has an ex-wife that he hasn't seen in 10 years and no children. He is also a recovering alcoholic, an addiction he picked up while sorting through his guilt at missing out on combat missions, and is now 7 years sober. He is friends with Wade, who he met as part of the survivalist movement, and comes on the program occasionally to impart some of that kind of information, but does so reluctantly and really only because Wade asked him to. He finds Agnes annoying. Writer's Note - Bill will not 'fall off the wagon' during the series. He is welcome to discuss cravings, muse on the challenges of overcoming addiction, and discuss the consequences of that addiction, but he will not relapse, not even for a mini-arc.
Bill went with Wade to California.
Wade Hogue
Portrayed by J. E. Hurlburt
Survivalist
CHARACTER MISSION: Simple survival and helping those who can then help themselves.
CHARACTER BACKSTORY: Birthplace: Atlanta, Georgia. Hair: Brown Eyes:Green Pre-Fall Employment: Apprentice Blacksmith (Still a Thing.) During the quick and bloody fall, Wade refused to stay sheltered and witnessed a group of Police and National Guard abandoning a group of trapped survivors... Wade recovered a weapon and led the majority of the group to safety in one of the developing fort towns in the North Georgia mountains.
Now, Wade is a part time scavenger (he prefers the term Resource Procurement) and Scout/guide. often stopping by the Station to bring supplies and news, Wade is also working to establish a series of way stations along various paths that hold the least chance of an encounter with the Infected.
Wade is little concerned with the “Why?” of it all. Things have slid pretty far and he sees little reason to dwell on it. It could be said that he did not find his purpose until the world went to pot. with so much ugliness in world, he's determined to help even if only a little. Wade views the Infected mostly as victims but has no problem with putting one down when the situation demands. He does however bear great malice toward those who prey on their fellow man.
Wade's mother died right about the time things started getting really bad. He has his suspicions as he was never allowed to view the body.
Wade recieved a letter from his father who had been living in California and needed help. Wade left immediately, taking Bill Slemp with him, and left a note for the Mercury team. They talked with the listeners about it on Day 280 (2018-07-13)
Skills: Field Survival, Firearms Training, Blacksmith Other: Loves Dogs
Character Histories
Here is how each of the resident and recurring characters know each other and how they got to the station.
- Max has worked at the station for 3 years and also serves as on-air talent. He was intending to interview Dr. Clark about an invasive species problem in the coastal waters, but the interview never happened because lockdown was implemented (see timeline below) and then power was lost.
- Agnes has been Max's intern for about one semester. She was also on-site at the time of lockdown and has some on-air experience, but not much.
- Dr. Clark was also at the station at the time of lockdown, there to be interviewed by Max. They'd had a phone conversation prior to her arrival and had exchanged a couple of emails, but had not really gotten to know each other much before she showed up to the station to be interviewed.
- Wade Hogue showed up at the station shortly after they went back on the air. His introduction is covered in episode 7.
- Bill Slemp is a friend of Wade's through the survivalist movement. He comes by the station at Wade's request since Wade is often out and can't make it around as often as he'd like.
- The Longs owned a small boat and used it to get to the lighthouse at some point that is not entirely clear. Agnes first spotted them walking around the top level. They don't come to shore often.
- Anna was spotted riding on horseback with her family by Max and Dr. Clark while they were out on a supply run.
Survival Techniques for Characters
- Fishing
- Supplies brought by others
- The fresh water situation should be more or less taken for granted. Collection of rainwater, gathering of bottled water from nearby abandoned stores, distillation of ocean water, and other sources are all available and episodes instructing listeners how to do these things are entirely appropriate. What there shouldn't be are episodes where the focus is the crisis of not having any water. The theme here is hope and survival, so introducing peril into an episode for dramatic effect should be avoided.
- ETC