- Joined
- Apr 18, 2019
- Messages
- 429
- Points
- 43
Character Name
Don Jones
I Agree
Yes
Has this character appeared in a previous lore?
Yes
Age
49
Blood Type
O+
Personality
Times have been rough on everyone and Don has been no exception to this. He doesn’t give much away on the surface, he’s stoic, emotionally unavailable, and mercilessly practical. The best way to penetrate his psyche is through his relationships with others; his behaviors to those closest to him can often betray his underlying emotions, which he would prefer not to speak about. Some of his old character can begin to shine when around certain people under certain conditions. He still manages to remain loyal to those he trusts, even with current events. He has long given up on personal romantic relationships and has settled for life alone, doing “what he has to do” to survive.
Character Motivations
There was a point in Don's life where he had convinced himself that his sole goal was to stay alive at any cost, but as the years came on, more friends were made, and more friends were lost, it shifted behind his eyes. Don is a man searching for something or someone, perhaps a purpose or reason why he survived that fateful day in West Point, Kentucky, and his surrogate daughter did not.
Physical Appearance
Standing at six-foot even, Don is approachable, but of a rustic appeal and doesn’t swing too far from your standard rural local yokel or working man. He is built strong, like a bull, with defined muscles, a wide frame, his face is well-worn with creases beginning to form beneath his dirty blond hair and thick beard, a chunk of his left ear is missing and several faint scars litter his face. He is commonly seen in practical clothing and nothing too much else.
Character Image Link
Mechanical Occupation
Construction Worker
In-Character Occupation
Smuggler, Mercenary, Enforcer, Construction Worker
Biography
Born in Augusta, Georgia on December 1st of 1979, Don Jones grew up in an impoverished neighborhood with a single father and one older brother. He had an average childhood, had some excitement in his teens as he went into the workforce as early as possible, and skipped college altogether. Don has had his fair share of relationships but never stuck in one longer than a few months for some reason or another. He ended up moving from Augusta to Louisville to be closer to his brother who managed to start up his own business. Over the course of the next few years, Don continued his career in construction and developed a very serious relationship with a woman he met through his brother, Anna.
This relationship felt destined for marriage for a while but soon became troubled after she became unexpectedly pregnant. Don was not prepared for his first child and Anna even less so - she had her whole life planned out and none of it included childbirth. She was possessed by all of the potential negatives; how would they afford it, would Don even stay in the relationship, who would be staying at home to watch the kid all day, all of those sleepless nights. It haunted her, and it soon came to haunt Don, but he had to face the music eventually and grow up. He accepted his first and only child with open arms and promised to stay with Anna if she wanted him to. It never reached marriage but came close on several occasions before it eventually spilled into one nasty divorce where Don would receive sole custody of his child. It became so much that Don’s days consisted of working, coming home to take care of his kid, only to leave to work part-time at the gym to bring in some extra money, and despite everything, he wouldn’t have changed any of it. Life went on without Anna, and Don soon pushed her out of his mind and everything seemed to be okay again until the world very suddenly came to an end.
That day, Don has never managed to forget it through any amounts of alcohol, time, or surrogates. It was the day he lost everything; his life, and his son from his own ineptitude and cowardice. Nobody can be prepared for something like this, to have and fight through the rotting faces of neighbors to protect your loved ones at any cost but your own. For the first eight days, a now grieving Don and his brother found refuge in an old apartment building with several other survivors before being forced out onto the streets after being robbed in the dead of night. They fought out onto the streets and managed to commandeer a vehicle to escape the city. Don’s brother was left with an injury to his leg, and it didn’t seem serious at first. The whole group drove for miles upon miles before coming across a broadcast promising safety at a mall; the destination was set, but would immediately be deterred after running out of gas a few miles away from the nearest town. It was a long, taxing walk that only aggravated the injury to his brothers and eventually left them with an impossible choice as the attention of a slew of hungry eyes were caught.
It all went to hell on a whim, Don’s brother couldn’t move fast enough and the woman who they had been traveling with decided against dying for someone who she firmly believed was already dead. This left him with an impossible choice; would he steel himself and pull his brother to safety against all odds, or would he abandon and leave him to escape the situation on his own. He couldn’t even look him in the eyes as he condemned him to what was all but certain death, Don promised his brother that he would return for him and left him in the temporary safety of a stalled vehicle. He never came back.
He was left alone for a week on the road to cope with his loss and the overwhelming feeling of guilt. It was not until he fell in with a small group of survivors who had split off from a larger migrant caravan coming out of Louisville that Don started to bury his emotions and dull those recurring memories of his lost loved ones. After some time, he and his group ended up at the promised safety of the Valley Station Shopping Center. It was there that he met a man, Miles Krueger, who would not only go on to become his best and most trusted friend but his brother.
While Don and his group were plenty happy being off the road for a time, what was sold as being a safe-haven quickly revealed itself as quite the opposite, though. It did not take long before each of them were left facing down the cold reality that the mall was plagued with constant sieges by the undead, in-fighting, and disagreements on who and how it should even be run. After a few months, Miles would eventually settle into his role as the leader and Don fell in behind him as a violent right-hand-man and brutally efficient enforcer. It was run as a dictatorship, through and through, and those who did not agree to the rule of law were sent out of the mall to die and it worked. It took skilled and talented people, but as time went on, the mall became a sprawling, vibrant safe-zone that offered true peace of mind for the residents who made the decision to stay.
Over the course of the ensuing year, Don slowly but surely settled into his new life; sure, he was disturbed by some of the things he had to do, like watching Miles smash an innocent man’s head in with a hammer, or murdering a pregnant woman with a crossbow, but it was what he had to do. He ended up with a surrogate family, too, with two daughters, a son-in-law, a daughter-in-law, and soon enough a relationship with Julianne Green, or Lynch as she went by. Life was good until it wasn’t … again. As quick as he could imagine, one of his daughters was murdered by the other, his daughter-in-law was mutilated by a serial killer, his son-in-law lost his leg, and Lynch left him without so much as a goodbye. He did what he could to cope with the losses and accept his sole-surviving daughter, but grew to resent her as time went on for what she had done. Don ended up losing her, too, by the time the mall was destroyed. Don, Miles and a few others managed to escape to a boat, but at the last minute, Don made the decision to stay behind to “save” them. It was an excuse to die, is what it was, and in the end, it didn’t work. What he assumed would be his last moments were the exact opposite, as he laid dying from his injuries, a few members of the Bullit County Rangers arrived and ended up saving him.
Soon enough, Don awoke in one of the clinics in Bullit County Ranger territory with no purpose, no contacts, and no desire to hunt down what remained of his family; to them, he was dead. He saw no point in it and soon enough reverted to what he was before he arrived at the mall; a man hellbent on survival at any costs. For a time, he worked as a Ranger himself but eventually broke off as Bullit County gradually met its demise. He fell in with a few other groups, most of them unsavory, simply to survive before landing in some bigger communities where he worked as a smuggler and made a name for himself under the alias of “Dexter” to avoid drawing any ire to him from potential old enemies from his days within the mall. He did horrific things in the name of survival; killed people, men and women both, and the age didn’t matter, he sold guns to communities, ran drugs and stole medicine from communities who needed it most. About four or so years in, Don ended up falling in with a mysterious group known only as “The Crows and saw it as nothing more as a method to gather more information on his surroundings, even if it meant committing horrific acts - it wasn’t anything new for him, and he wasn’t shooting for the title of a “good man” anymore, either. No use in cutting corners in the world he found himself living in.
Twelve years in, Don has lost plenty of friends, acquaintances, and lovers and soon enough, much of his memories of his old life within the mall had begun to fade. Right now, he is in the process of moving away from his earlier, more violent crimes and has instead been working firmly as a smuggler in Fairpoint, one of the capital cities of The Coalition. Don has currently made the move to The Barrens and Monroe for a change of scenery after one of his jobs went very bad, and ultimately for more work while he lays low and allows for the heat on him to die down.
Would you like your character to start with any items?
Machete, Large Alice Pack
Is your character a member of a group?
Yes
Is your character a member of one of the world factions?
C.P.F.
Please detail your position within the faction, as well as your reason for being in The Barrens.
(The Coalition) Don has lived in one of the capital cities of The Coalition for approximately a year now working illegally as a smuggler. In the past few months, he was involved in a job gone bad and is presently wanted under an alias.
(The Crows) Don was loosely associated with The Crows in the earliest days of their formation and used them as a source of information to find mercenary/smuggler work.
Don Jones
I Agree
Yes
Has this character appeared in a previous lore?
Yes
Age
49
Blood Type
O+
Personality
Times have been rough on everyone and Don has been no exception to this. He doesn’t give much away on the surface, he’s stoic, emotionally unavailable, and mercilessly practical. The best way to penetrate his psyche is through his relationships with others; his behaviors to those closest to him can often betray his underlying emotions, which he would prefer not to speak about. Some of his old character can begin to shine when around certain people under certain conditions. He still manages to remain loyal to those he trusts, even with current events. He has long given up on personal romantic relationships and has settled for life alone, doing “what he has to do” to survive.
Character Motivations
There was a point in Don's life where he had convinced himself that his sole goal was to stay alive at any cost, but as the years came on, more friends were made, and more friends were lost, it shifted behind his eyes. Don is a man searching for something or someone, perhaps a purpose or reason why he survived that fateful day in West Point, Kentucky, and his surrogate daughter did not.
Physical Appearance
Standing at six-foot even, Don is approachable, but of a rustic appeal and doesn’t swing too far from your standard rural local yokel or working man. He is built strong, like a bull, with defined muscles, a wide frame, his face is well-worn with creases beginning to form beneath his dirty blond hair and thick beard, a chunk of his left ear is missing and several faint scars litter his face. He is commonly seen in practical clothing and nothing too much else.
Character Image Link
Mechanical Occupation
Construction Worker
In-Character Occupation
Smuggler, Mercenary, Enforcer, Construction Worker
Biography
Born in Augusta, Georgia on December 1st of 1979, Don Jones grew up in an impoverished neighborhood with a single father and one older brother. He had an average childhood, had some excitement in his teens as he went into the workforce as early as possible, and skipped college altogether. Don has had his fair share of relationships but never stuck in one longer than a few months for some reason or another. He ended up moving from Augusta to Louisville to be closer to his brother who managed to start up his own business. Over the course of the next few years, Don continued his career in construction and developed a very serious relationship with a woman he met through his brother, Anna.
This relationship felt destined for marriage for a while but soon became troubled after she became unexpectedly pregnant. Don was not prepared for his first child and Anna even less so - she had her whole life planned out and none of it included childbirth. She was possessed by all of the potential negatives; how would they afford it, would Don even stay in the relationship, who would be staying at home to watch the kid all day, all of those sleepless nights. It haunted her, and it soon came to haunt Don, but he had to face the music eventually and grow up. He accepted his first and only child with open arms and promised to stay with Anna if she wanted him to. It never reached marriage but came close on several occasions before it eventually spilled into one nasty divorce where Don would receive sole custody of his child. It became so much that Don’s days consisted of working, coming home to take care of his kid, only to leave to work part-time at the gym to bring in some extra money, and despite everything, he wouldn’t have changed any of it. Life went on without Anna, and Don soon pushed her out of his mind and everything seemed to be okay again until the world very suddenly came to an end.
That day, Don has never managed to forget it through any amounts of alcohol, time, or surrogates. It was the day he lost everything; his life, and his son from his own ineptitude and cowardice. Nobody can be prepared for something like this, to have and fight through the rotting faces of neighbors to protect your loved ones at any cost but your own. For the first eight days, a now grieving Don and his brother found refuge in an old apartment building with several other survivors before being forced out onto the streets after being robbed in the dead of night. They fought out onto the streets and managed to commandeer a vehicle to escape the city. Don’s brother was left with an injury to his leg, and it didn’t seem serious at first. The whole group drove for miles upon miles before coming across a broadcast promising safety at a mall; the destination was set, but would immediately be deterred after running out of gas a few miles away from the nearest town. It was a long, taxing walk that only aggravated the injury to his brothers and eventually left them with an impossible choice as the attention of a slew of hungry eyes were caught.
It all went to hell on a whim, Don’s brother couldn’t move fast enough and the woman who they had been traveling with decided against dying for someone who she firmly believed was already dead. This left him with an impossible choice; would he steel himself and pull his brother to safety against all odds, or would he abandon and leave him to escape the situation on his own. He couldn’t even look him in the eyes as he condemned him to what was all but certain death, Don promised his brother that he would return for him and left him in the temporary safety of a stalled vehicle. He never came back.
He was left alone for a week on the road to cope with his loss and the overwhelming feeling of guilt. It was not until he fell in with a small group of survivors who had split off from a larger migrant caravan coming out of Louisville that Don started to bury his emotions and dull those recurring memories of his lost loved ones. After some time, he and his group ended up at the promised safety of the Valley Station Shopping Center. It was there that he met a man, Miles Krueger, who would not only go on to become his best and most trusted friend but his brother.
While Don and his group were plenty happy being off the road for a time, what was sold as being a safe-haven quickly revealed itself as quite the opposite, though. It did not take long before each of them were left facing down the cold reality that the mall was plagued with constant sieges by the undead, in-fighting, and disagreements on who and how it should even be run. After a few months, Miles would eventually settle into his role as the leader and Don fell in behind him as a violent right-hand-man and brutally efficient enforcer. It was run as a dictatorship, through and through, and those who did not agree to the rule of law were sent out of the mall to die and it worked. It took skilled and talented people, but as time went on, the mall became a sprawling, vibrant safe-zone that offered true peace of mind for the residents who made the decision to stay.
Over the course of the ensuing year, Don slowly but surely settled into his new life; sure, he was disturbed by some of the things he had to do, like watching Miles smash an innocent man’s head in with a hammer, or murdering a pregnant woman with a crossbow, but it was what he had to do. He ended up with a surrogate family, too, with two daughters, a son-in-law, a daughter-in-law, and soon enough a relationship with Julianne Green, or Lynch as she went by. Life was good until it wasn’t … again. As quick as he could imagine, one of his daughters was murdered by the other, his daughter-in-law was mutilated by a serial killer, his son-in-law lost his leg, and Lynch left him without so much as a goodbye. He did what he could to cope with the losses and accept his sole-surviving daughter, but grew to resent her as time went on for what she had done. Don ended up losing her, too, by the time the mall was destroyed. Don, Miles and a few others managed to escape to a boat, but at the last minute, Don made the decision to stay behind to “save” them. It was an excuse to die, is what it was, and in the end, it didn’t work. What he assumed would be his last moments were the exact opposite, as he laid dying from his injuries, a few members of the Bullit County Rangers arrived and ended up saving him.
Soon enough, Don awoke in one of the clinics in Bullit County Ranger territory with no purpose, no contacts, and no desire to hunt down what remained of his family; to them, he was dead. He saw no point in it and soon enough reverted to what he was before he arrived at the mall; a man hellbent on survival at any costs. For a time, he worked as a Ranger himself but eventually broke off as Bullit County gradually met its demise. He fell in with a few other groups, most of them unsavory, simply to survive before landing in some bigger communities where he worked as a smuggler and made a name for himself under the alias of “Dexter” to avoid drawing any ire to him from potential old enemies from his days within the mall. He did horrific things in the name of survival; killed people, men and women both, and the age didn’t matter, he sold guns to communities, ran drugs and stole medicine from communities who needed it most. About four or so years in, Don ended up falling in with a mysterious group known only as “The Crows and saw it as nothing more as a method to gather more information on his surroundings, even if it meant committing horrific acts - it wasn’t anything new for him, and he wasn’t shooting for the title of a “good man” anymore, either. No use in cutting corners in the world he found himself living in.
Twelve years in, Don has lost plenty of friends, acquaintances, and lovers and soon enough, much of his memories of his old life within the mall had begun to fade. Right now, he is in the process of moving away from his earlier, more violent crimes and has instead been working firmly as a smuggler in Fairpoint, one of the capital cities of The Coalition. Don has currently made the move to The Barrens and Monroe for a change of scenery after one of his jobs went very bad, and ultimately for more work while he lays low and allows for the heat on him to die down.
Would you like your character to start with any items?
Machete, Large Alice Pack
Is your character a member of a group?
Yes
Is your character a member of one of the world factions?
C.P.F.
Please detail your position within the faction, as well as your reason for being in The Barrens.
(The Coalition) Don has lived in one of the capital cities of The Coalition for approximately a year now working illegally as a smuggler. In the past few months, he was involved in a job gone bad and is presently wanted under an alias.
(The Crows) Don was loosely associated with The Crows in the earliest days of their formation and used them as a source of information to find mercenary/smuggler work.
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