wes_the_silent | Recent Entries

OOC Information

Name: Raile
Timezone: EST
Journal: N/A
Player Contact: railerat on AIM, Railehatesfun on Plurk

IC Information

Name: Wes
Canon: Don't Starve
Gender: Male
Age: Unclear. Probably late twenties/early thirties. Don't Starve has no specific ages for anyone in canon and time stops being a meaningful construct in the setting anyway.
History: WES IS A CANON OC. Most of this is... stuff I made up. Lots of it was based on context clues and minor canon details, but just as much of it is pure fabrication. If you need or want an accounting of purely canonical information, shoot me a PM and I will divulge it. Otherwise, enjoy.

Wes was born Jean-Marie Wenceslas Denoix, second child and second son to a Catholic family in France, somewhere along the outskirts of Paris. For historical context, the Crimean War ended in 1856, just a couple of decades before his birth, and the Franco-Prussian War occurred between 1870-1871, right around when he would have born. He grew up during the scandal of the Dreyfus Affair and noticeable conflict between the French government and the Catholic church. Wes and his family lived as part of a multi-occupancy in one of those large not-quite-mansions one could find in the city, which had been divided up between multiple families—a practise known as habitation à bon marché.

They were not particularly well-off, but it was tolerable living. His father was a farrier, and Wes and his older brother were often witness to his trade. At one point, his younger sister was kicked in the head by a horse and died shortly thereafter. Tragic, but the death of a child was not terribly uncommon around then. So for all intents and purposes, life was not eventful in any atypical way for Wes until he was around the age of fifteen or so.

The bohemian movement and culture in France was in full swing. Artists, writers, and performers of various kinds were not uncommon sights in the streets and cafés. Wes, second son and in no way heir to any kind of family business, began to take note of the performing artists in particular. He was not interested in the bohemian lifestyle--poverty and pretence--but the art of it, communication and entertainment… that was a different matter. At first, he was a little unsure where he was going with it, and he started out by ignoring his interest, but as time went on, physical performance and mime in particular caught his fancy. It was expressive in a way that transcended language. Whether he articulates it or not, Wes is very aware of and frequently frustrated by the constraints of spoken and written language—pantomime is an art that is simultaneously expressive and entertaining. Communicative and fun. What could be better than that?

But France was not as economically strong as it had been, and the prevalence of bohemian culture made focusing on entertainment as a lifestyle prohibitively difficult, if not impossible for all but the very best and very lucky. He could have made a living, of course, but not as well as he’d like or doing what he’d like. Having received a certain minimum of education, Wes had some skills, but few career prospects outside of a factory job or a late apprenticeship--both of which were viable options, but neither of which appealed to him for a variety of reasons. And if he was not going to settle down and wed, to build a family, then the life he had ahead of him seemed rather mean and miserable. His older brother Benoît was taking on the familial responsibilities, so he knew his absence would hurt very little. Wes believed--hoped--he had better chances elsewhere.

Which is how he immigrated to the United States.

He passed through Ellis Island and came to rest on the east coast, unsure of himself--not the mention the language. He began to build a stronger repertoire of performance skills, however: not just mime but tumbling and certain kinds of acrobatics--even, perhaps, the strange art of balloonomancy. When he caught up to a circus, the first one shot him down. He got lucky with the second one. He was given his chance. Thankfully, between his performance and his knowledge of horses... well, he certainly had a job now. And a life. By the time the train accident rolled around, he was well-established with the circus, good with both animals and people. Not everyone liked him, of course, but you can’t win everyone over, and Wes was more than willing to let slights go in favour of continuing his life largely unmolested.

He continued to write letters home periodically, although postage to France was fairly expensive, and his lack of a consistent mailing address makes getting letters back didn’t generally happen.

This is where the events of canon begin to kick in. As with Wilson, Wes made a deal with Maxwell that led to his building a door, and as with Wilson, this led to his imprisonment on the Island as a survivor. According to the official timeline, Maxwell first began to pull people onto the island at around 1910. Wes was taken in the first couple years--but Wes, of all Maxwell's victims, wasn’t made to survive. Where the others had a fighting chance, Wes was practically a fish out of water. Oh, he tried. In a sense, Wes felt everything more keenly. His triumphs were more celebrated, his failures more crushing.

But eventually he could take no more.

Eventually, Wes committed suicide, knotting a noose and hanging himself from one of the infinite trees on the Island.

This is what led to his imprisonment. (Like so much of this history, this is mere speculation--the only canonical explanation for Wes' plight is received when you inspect Wes in his prison while playing as Maxwell, who observes merely "he displeased me.") In canon, Wes is one of the few characters who must be unlocked. It's an exacting process. Wes is trapped in an invisible prison with no freedom to move around at all--an imprisonment that is implied to last for years. Before you can even reach him, you must enter Adventure Mode through Maxwell's Door. As Wilson is the 'main character' of Don't Starve, it can be assumed that it is Wilson who frees Wes. Unfortunately, Wes passes out and vanishes upon his release; once freed, he becomes a playable character.

In other words, his "freedom" means only that he is free, once more, to struggle and die on the island like everyone else.
Personality: Wes is nervous but sensitive. Despite his presentation, he's an actual adult, meaning he takes care of himself and he expects to take care of himself. That doesn't stop Wes from being very playful--he has a distinct and pronounced sense of fun. He also has a somewhat mischievous sense of humour, which can sometimes cross over into becoming annoying. Wes is an entertainer, but he also entertains himself.

Wes can come off as somewhat guileless and innocent because of this, but nothing could be further from the truth. Lacking any other advantages (strength, knowledge, useful skills, etc.), Wes survives solely by virtue of his wits. He's very clever, very resourceful--creativity and improvisation make up a great portion of his survival toolbox. He's very intelligent, in a practical sort of way. The rest has been won through hard work, experience, and trial and error. In some ways he’s one of the most strategically-minded individuals in his canon. Wes thinks things through because he has to; he has no special affinities or strengths he can call upon to support his efforts to survive. In fact, most of Wes' attributes are decidedly counteractive to his continued survival. He has a rapid metabolism (1.25x hunger modifier), poor stamina (less health than most other characters at 113), struggles mentally and emotionally (lower sanity), and to top it off, he is definitely not a fighter (.75x damage modifier--the same modifier as Wendy, who is a ten year old girl.) Needless to say, fear, uncertainty, and death have played a big role in the past decade of his life. In fact, of the player characters, Wes dies the most often by far (one of his listed 'perks' is simply 'Has Trouble Staying Alive') and he's the only one singled out by Maxwell for specific punishment. He's tenacious if nothing else; despite everything--his imprisonment, his constant and painful deaths, his lack of any applicable abilities whatsoever--he continues without obvious complaint, living by sheer pluck, determination, and force of will.

When it comes down to it, in fact, he can be downright intractable. Wes is an incredibly stubborn person, often to the point of being oppositional or just frustrating. It bears him in good stead when it comes to things like "not being a doormat," but it's not the most endearing trait for a man who effectively plays charades for a living. His 'attitude may' or may not have something to do with the fact that Wes can tend towards being quietly rude or even somewhat deprecatory--he is not a sarcastic person, but he is also not terribly tolerant of stupidity.

Wes’ identity and sanity are very much tied up in his makeup, his performance. It helps give him a basenote, some grounding and sense of self even when shit is... well, shit. In canon, Wes is defined by his inadequacy, but personally he defines himself based on his sole point of adequacy: if nothing else, he is a spectacular mime. This (along with the presence of certain cryptic Mime Rules) is why he remains 'in character' even during his imprisonment, to say nothing of the brutal struggle to survive. Especially with his low sanity threshold, this means that Wes’ pantomime, his clowning around, is not just fun--it’s essential to being who he is. And remaining who he is.

Tying all of this together is the fact that Wes is very sensitive--both to others and to his surroundings. It allows him observations that are helpful sometimes, but often taxes him mentally and emotionally. One of the reasons Wes loves pantomime is that it’s expressive in a way that transcends language. He is very aware of and frequently frustrated by the constraints of spoken and written language--pantomime is an art that is simultaneously expressive and entertaining.

To some extent, Wes’ ability to live for the moment and derive fun or enjoyment from little things is almost what counts as his own coping mechanism. He's a very open person--not that he wears his heart on his sleeve (in fact, Wes masks his feelings and bottles things up on the regular), but he's more predisposed to honesty than not, and he tends to be very immediate; he is concerned about the present first and foremost, and after that, tries to anticipate a bit about the future. He is cautious and he learns quickly, but is overall a gentle person.

All of that said, Wes has become a very nervous individual with a lot of acquired traumas and fears. Many of them are sensible in the context of his canon, but at his very worst and very lowest, Wes can become outright dangerous. More likely, however, he'll deteriorate to catatonia. Or simply be paralysed by fear and/or indecision.
Powers/Abilities: Wes is an exceptional performer, both in pantomime and in a more minor role as an erstwhile acrobat. His ability to remain in-character and completely silent even when imprisoned in what amounts to an invisible sensory deprivation isolation chamber or being ripped apart by hounds borders on superhuman--not so much as a whisper or whimper, not even once. He's also demonstrated to be capable of some acrobatics--a figure believed to be Wes is seen on a circus poster, performing a one-handed handstand (on the head of an elephant no less) and is actually very flexible.

His father being a farrier, Wes is fairly knowledgable about horses, their feet, and their various ailments. He is also comfortable around elephants, of all things; while he is less knowledgable about them overall, he is still competent in their basic needs and daily care.

And, of course, survival skills. Wes is, at this point, an inveterate forager and capable of crafting everything from a basic fire to a serviceable spear to a crude set of armour made of hewn logs. He can track and hunt, tan hides, build simple structures... not to mention traps, nets, wooden chests... you get the idea.

In addition to these fairly mundane (if esoteric) skills, Wes has a few peculiar abilities that don't really come with any real explanation. The first is 'balloonomancy,' which is listed under Wes' perks on the character selection screen. (The three perks are 'Can't Talk,' 'Has Trouble Staying Alive,' and 'Practices Balloonomancy.' Yes, 'Has Trouble Staying Alive' is a listed perk for Wes. He's a really unfortunate guy. His character only exists to make the game harder. In other words, Wes literally exists to be useless.)

He comes with an item called 'Pile-o-balloons,' which is an infinite-use item that... allows Wes to blow up a balloon. Wow. The balloons are brightly coloured and come in a variety of shapes, but the really odd part about this is that the balloons float. Either Wes can exhale helium at will or his balloonomancy allows his balloons to float even when filled with carbon dioxide. I'm assuming the latter. Each balloon Wes blows up costs him 5 sanity (remember, he has a maximum of 150) and popping the balloon does 5 damage. If Wes pops his own balloons, they do damage him, and balloons can pop each other in a chain reaction. ~~It is completely possible to accidentally murder yourself with your own balloons.~~ And... that's it. That's all the balloons do.

His other peculiar ability is the ability to temporarily defy gravity/the laws of physics for miming purposes. In canon, he can actually 'ride an invisible bike' in a manner that involves floating several inches off the ground for a few seconds, although he remains stationary while doing so. There is no practical purpose to this ability. Maybe balloonomancy allows him to make anything float if he so desires.

.... yeah, he's pretty useless.

Keepsakes/Mementos: Wes's primary thematics are 1900s France, the circus, and Maxwell's Island. His personal effects are limited by the last of these--the only objects frequently associated with Wes besides bright coloured balloons are his makeup kit and umbrellas. Umbrella one and umbrella two. There's not even a clear explanation for the umbrella thing, although I suppose there's always the saying "when it rains, it pours." ... which is a pretty accurate description of Wes' entire life.
Sample: Winter, grey and frozen, held the island in its icy grip. Food was harder to find, impossible to grow. Heat--and its makings--had become more precious than gold.

And Wes--

Wes was a lot of things, but a fighter was not one of them.

He had not intended to bother the nest. Until the spiders had come pouring out in a roiling tide of bristling black legs and sharp teeth, he hadn’t known it was there at all, the tower of white silk camouflaged against the shadows and snow. Days of eating rabbits and crows (either as jerky or as meat boiled with twigs as filler) had taken its toll on him, physically and mentally--checking his traps twice a day, baiting bird traps with seeds scrounged from under layers of ice, shivering by the fire, hungry and tired and cold... but nothing grew in winter, and with only a thermal stone and some rabbit earmuffs, he could not stray from his fire for long without freezing.

Then he'd found the tracks. Tracks leading to precious food--and, if he was lucky, the makings of warmer clothing. It was a huge risk--tracking a koalefant took days, and finding it would be hard, to say nothing of bringing it down. But killing just one would provide him with meat for days. Finding the tracks had been a huge stroke of luck, and the mere prospect of its rewards was nothing short of exciting. But his focus had been his downfall. He'd been so intent on hunting, on following the koalefant tracks left in the frozen ground, that he'd missed the signs until it was too late.

Now he ran for his life. The spiders, half a dozen or more, pursued him relentlessly as he fled through the woods, their sharp fangs having already punctured his arms and legs more than once. Adrenaline and fear, more than strength, kept him going, but his stamina flagged in the shadows of trees, the cold ripping his throat and lungs raw--

He did not, could not stop.

The ovoid stone in his pocket had begun to lose its heat some time ago, though, and it was no longer a question of whether or not he was going to die; it was becoming a question of what would kill him first. The vicious, hissing spiders, the searing agony of the murderous cold, the lethal indignity of final insanity--

The forest gave way to swampland and he stumbled in the mud, a bruising fall into the muck.

Normally he avoided this part of the island--and for good reason. The slightest movement woke the terrible tentacles lurking beneath the spongy earth. But the very reason he stayed out of it might now be his only chance. Whatever the tentacles were attached to--if anything--didn't care what disturbed them; they cared only that it perished. Wes, the spiders, the aggressive fish men that inhabited this area--all were equally prey to them.

He fled deeper into the mire. It didn't take long for him to hear the tell-tale rumble of earth. The first whipping tendril rose from the muck and Wes ducked it, glancing behind him to see the spiders take the blow instead. The sickening crunch of an exoskeleton gave him a fleeting breath of hope. The second missed him by a degree of inches--but it too missed. If he could just put a little more distance between him and the skittering of many-jointed legs, if he could just keep going, just a little more--

He didn't see it coming--just a flash of purple, a sudden impact; in a way, he was lucky this time.

He almost didn't feel it when the tentacle's long spike pierced his heart.
Mindset: Wes remembers his death. He also remembers dozens and hundreds of other deaths. The death part is not what's going to be weird here. Wes was last present in the 'real world' in about 1910. He has no idea what a computer is. He's still under the impression that "underwear" requires an undershirt. Add to this his incredibly (reasonably) nervous disposition, and it will be very difficult for him to be anything but overwhelmed and fearful about this entire thing. Frankly, he's going to assume that Maxwell has something to do with this--the setting, the situation, etc. There may be an attached uncertainty about whether or not he somehow did something wrong. He's adaptable, though--if nothing else, Wes is definitely good at learning.
G̶̶l̨͡i̵͢t̷c͝͠h̕é͠s̷̷͡: Wes' canon has given him a massive list of fears. The dark, for example, which on the Island hides an unseen monster that will literally tear you apart unless you find a source of light. And quickly. Shadows, too--especially moving ones. Shadow hands are a frequent motif in canon (Wilson's origin trailer and Maxwell's final performance shed some light on that. Not only do they pull the character into the world, they're used to pull the character through portals once there, and when a player is low on sanity, they can reach out of the dark at night and attempt to put out the player's campfire. (This is accompanied by tinkling music box music.) There a number of shadow-based creatures that begin to appear as the player's sanity drops as well. One of them will attempt kill you if your sanity drops too low.

Wes is very much afraid of enclosed spaces, especially in conjunction with the dark--while time is canonically stated to move "differently" on the Island (Maxwell asks the player what year it is "out there" when you reach his throne), time does clearly move. Wes spent the equivalent of nearly a decade (as measured outside the Island, not within), trapped in an invisible box in unremitting darkness. Anything that reminds him of either is a one-way ticket to instantaneous terror that can ramp up to hysterical fear very quickly. The feeling of being trapped, a feeling of being smothered, a place he can't find the exit to... all you'd have to do is lock him in a linen closet to watch him start to freak out. Needless to say, actually BEING trapped in similar conditions, even for a few seconds, is an entirely different beast. Wes would begin to panic in a matter of moments, if that long, and if he couldn't get out, he'd probably crack completely.

Anything that reminds Wes of Maxwell is a good candidate for glitches. Maxwell's voice (especially the phrase "say pal," which is part of Maxwell's little speech every time you have to start a new game. I can't find any versions that don't feature someone talking, so I just grabbed a Markiplier video) is guaranteed to make him jump. Other hints of Maxwell include radios and the smell of cigar smoke (ironically, Wes himself is a smoker of cigarettes.)

Actually, Wes hasn't heard his own voice in years, so even that would be frightening and disorienting.

Wes has a hard time with sleep. He is so aversive to sleep that he would rather stay awake well past the point where he begins hallucinating; this is not a healthy behaviour, but he is so trained to the fears of sleep that at this point it's intractable. You need to relax to fall asleep, but for Wes, the very idea of falling asleep is anything but relaxing.

The mere act of falling asleep is scary enough, but then there's sleep itself. He's afraid of not waking up, of course, of being killed or starving to death or even just dissolving or disappearing in his sleep. Nightmares are a very real concern, too, as are the consequences of being asleep in general. You're completely vulnerable and unaware while you're asleep, after all--where will he wake up? what can or will happen while he's asleep? what will he wake up to? WILL he wake up at all? Plus, sleeping with blankets means he can wake up short of breath, feeling like he's smothering--which leads to panic because then it's like trapped or buried alive or what-have-you.

Finally, there's Wes' makeup. Like his balloons, Wes' makeup is incredibly important to him. There are three pigments to it: white as a base, black, and red. Messing with his makeup in any way will be distressing to him. (Personal headcanon is that as he ran out of makeup on the Island, he mixed his own using clay, bone powder, charcoal, and berry juice/flower petals for the red. You can find human skeletons lying around in canon. Sometimes they're your own.)

If you need more ideas, there's a lot of in-game stuff like the hounds (they attack in increasingly large waves on a regular basis, and barking can be heard well before they physically appear),evil flowers, lureplants, nightmare fuel, or the Nightmare Throne. Even the food animals (like rabbits) can get pretty unsettling.

Honestly, just about everything in Don't Starve is weird and/or deadly. One kind of tree a href="http://dont-starve-game.wikia.com/wiki/Birchnut_Tree">becomes a monster if you chop them down. Oh wait, so can the other kind of tree. And--what's this? Fantastic. Even the trees that don't kill you have faces and make human moaning sounds.

Wes

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