TESS MCKAY

The picture of Tess is courtesy of the lovely Draig!“That is why we distance ourselves. That is why we make jokes. We don't do it because it's fun— we do it so we can get by… and sometimes because it's fun. But mostly it's the getting by thing..."
– Dr. Perry Cox, Scrubs

Bio

• Documented Mutation/"Full Form" Image

KNOWN HISTORY

Tess is close-mouthed about the days before her mutation manifested. If pressed, she’ll admit that her father was a high school band director, her mother ran a dance studio for children, and that she had three sisters. Her maternal grandparents, she proudly admits, were a professional pianist and violinist respectively.She was raised in a multicultural household by parents and grandparents who were quite involved in her life. Possessed of moderate talent in a family of already talented people, she spent more time with music and dance classes than she did friends. For the most part, this suited her just fine--at least until her parents realized she was at the very real risk of burnout.Her mutation manifested at fourteen: violently, painfully, and traumatizing not only Tess but the family she left homeless. Considering the destructive nature of her power, the risk to the other McKay children, and the lack of publicly-known mutant support services, no one knew how to handle what was happening. Things... did not go well, and we'll leave it at that.
Decades later, Tess refuses all pleas to return home and reconcile.From there, her story is “standard mutant teenager”, narrowly avoiding the dangers faced by any teen on their own as she hitchhiked her way to New York. (Why New York City? Well. Why not? She’d always dreamed of seeing Broadway…) Eventually, she was found by Caliban of the Morlocks and taken to live in the tunnels beneath the city.
Mentally scarred by the loss of her home, at being a “mutie,” and from the pain that accompanied shapeshifting she couldn’t control, she was quick to answer the mental call of Professor Charles Xavier when he reached out. While Tess didn’t intend to be cruel, she nonetheless abandoned the Morlocks without so much as an explanation or a “thank you”– a decision the surviving members of the group resents to this day.Still, she’d beaten the odds. Whisked away to Muir Island for several physical examinations and participating in a study in mutant pain management, Tess was eventually relocated to the world’s finest (and perhaps only) school for mutants. With the aid of the best child psychologist the universe had to offer, “Woolf” and the professor began work piecing her shattered psyche back together. Over time, she placed Xavier on an impossibly high pedestal.As such, Xavier’s decision not to induct her into the X-Men at age eighteen was a severe emotional blow. (After all, what could be more important than furthering the Professor’s dream?) It was, perhaps, healthy to shatter some of the illusions she’d built up about him, but this led to a period of estrangement between the two.How did she decide to get back at him? How else? By not going to college. (Juilliard’s refusal to allow her to audition certainly helped this along.)Tess’ brief attempt at an entertainment career failed, and her borderline phobia of poverty and homelessness led her to sit down and seriously consider her next course of action. The decision to go into exotic dancing was actually well considered and not another childish attempt to punish someone she felt betrayed her. (Unfortunately, there were some people she couldn’t convince otherwise.) While she didn’t particularly care for her job, the “gentleman’s club” was fairly upscale, she liked her boss, and the money was excellent. Tess hoarded it carefully as she cast her nets out for hero teams looking for potential members.Eventually, Tess’ ambitions led her to a brush with the Hellfire Club and employment at the Hellfire Cabaret. While her dealings with the Inner Circle were peripheral at best, the experience caused her to take a long look at the direction her life was taking and think about what sort of person she wanted to be. (This, of course, had everything to do with the connections she was trying to make.) Not long afterward, she reconciled with Xavier. While Tess did retire from dancing, it had more to do with being sick of the job than anything else.Of all things, she wound up working as a sanitation technician: a dirty but stable job that provided a comfortable living of its own. Though she never did become a member of the X-Men, Tess was considered for a number of third-string hero teams as she approached her thirties.
Oh, and then some shit with Svartalfheim went down. There goes her life disappointing normality. Kind of.

PERSONALITY EVALUATION

Tess excels at compartmentalization. Compartmentalizing, along with a fierce confidence and the ability to look death in the face and smile, has become her primary coping mechanisms over the past twenty years. At times, this makes her difficult to deal with–even outright obnoxious. Quick with a jab or one-liner, she’s the sort of woman one finds entertaining… or wants to pitch out an open window. (Sometimes, she manages to be both at once.) Unfortunately, Tess is also the sort of woman who would try to drag herself back inside… with two broken legs. Out of spite.
She’s far from the girl she was in Atlanta: sharp-eyed, strong-willed, and sometimes swept away by the power of her own emotions. This is problematic when she’s faced with very strong personalities; something in her responds. Common sense doesn’t always win out, and matters escalate if both parties aren’t careful.
Flaws aside, Tess tries to wring as much joy and satisfaction as she can out of life. Being single and childless certainly help. (Besides, she’s happy playing the role of the “cool aunt” to her best friend’s three children.) She has a good support system–when she uses it–and has built a second family for herself over the years. She loves to laugh, goes tango dancing most Saturday nights, and has an active sex life. (As for intimacy… well.) From time to time, she even dusts off her fiddle to play.
Suffice to say, her days and nights can get busy.
Her life might not have turned out the way she wanted, but she’s alive, sane for the most part, and the master of her own destiny. In the end, that’s nothing to sneeze at.
Right?

RULES

They're long, I'm sorry, but I want you to be informed and comfortable.Mun Information: I’m cereal: bisexual, white cis female and Jewish conversion student! Age forty, she/her pronouns. I'm a cat lady who tries not to take roleplay too seriously.Obligatory Disclaimer: Tess is a multiethnic character! While I'm about as white as butter, I have been studying to convert within my local Reform Jewish community for years. I am not from any sort of Native background. I do my best not to fall into subconscious bias caused by institutionalized racism. That said, Tess has a problematic mutation (READ: big and scary shapeshifter with a heavy emphasis on body horror). If you're not comfortable with this and don't want to interact, I understand! We curate our own experiences here.
If there are topics I don't touch upon, it's because elements of Cree culture are closed and because it's not my place to deeply explore her issues regarding assimilation and feeling distanced from her roots. I do the best I can within those boundaries and try to be aware that it's a fine line to walk.Long disclaimer over! This blog is an exercise in genre whiplash. I write as much romance, fluff, and friendship/family as much as I do horror. Some threads will contain (unromanticized) gore, stalking, violence, etc.1. No smutting, sorry! If you’re looking for nsfw content, you can follow themckaytriarchyafterdark. Please read the rules there.2. This may sound harsh, but it’s important: if something is bothering you, it is your responsibility to communicate. It’s not fair to you to sit and wrestle with those feelings, and it’s not fair for me to be expected to read your mind. Nothing is fixed without communication!3. I don't interact with blogs that have HYDRA agent verses/or HYDRA agent OCs. I’m unable to separate the agency from its Nazi roots. Likewise, I stay away from MCU Pietro and Wanda, including WandaVision content. Agatha All Along muses are the exception.4. This blog is low activity and (often) mutuals only. I work every day and struggle with mental illness, so posts may take a while. I mostly keep to one thread per person.5. I can't play therapist. I’m happy to lend an ear sometimes, but I can’t be your automatic “go-to” person. Please keep me out of any drama.6. I use outofcereal as a tag for OOC.7. Shipping: I’m not looking for new ships with canon male muses if we haven't written ships before. That said, shipping is not out of the question. I don't ship Tess with characters under the age of thirty. In ships (and everything else) mun and muse are separate! This blog may also ship with canon duplicates. However, each iteration of a muse is unique and important. Your portrayal is valued, and your muses are not collectibles!8. Tags and Triggers: I tag triggers with triggername cw or triggername tw. NSFW posts will be tagged nsft, nsfw, and usfw.

VERSES

Mainverse: Marvel 616- First a rejected hero, then a rejected entertainer, Tess spent years living a life she viewed as mundane. The "X-Life" eventually found her... if one considers pinging around as a fairly irrelevant figure across the Ten Realms. That Big Canon Event? Yeah, she's that nameless background character.
This verse spans a period of years with a focus on the events of Thor: God of Thunder and the War of Realms events and involves heavy interaction with inactive the-accursed. Currently, she's living on Krakoa.Subverse: Hope You Survive the ExperienceFollowing the War of Realms and her subsequent time in Svartalfheim, Tess returns to NYC and resumes plans to get her business off the ground. Shortly before opening, she's forced to confront the reality that she doesn't want to spend her life behind a desk. Conveniently, Charles Xavier extends an invitation for Woolf to join the X-Men.... and help teach a new generation of mutants. Nothing can possibly go wrong.

Subverse: Krakoa+
Written primarily with dusktrip, this is a thirty-plus-year alternate timeline where... we do what we want. Lots of factionalism, parasitic horror, and original NPCs.

Secondary 'Verse: X-Men TAS/X-Men '97
A member of the team lost in another dimension in 1991 (shortly before the events of TAS), Tess is pulled back to her reality by Hank McCoy shortly after Xavier's "assassination" but before the events of X-Men '97. She's reacclimating after five years away from active duty. Involves heavy interaction with positivelybeastly, emmatriarchy, and itsaninfestation.Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Former Bajoran resistance fighter, Kayma Tes is now living on the DS9 adapting to post-war life. Right now, she's in a business partnership with her troubled sister, Luru, and helping raise her half-Cardassian nephew, Verrin.(Set around Season 3 of the series.)Dead by Daylight
Essentially Marvelverse, except she was plucked from her world by the Entity and depowered. Now, she's living the Survivor life (death). Verse status: Problematic.Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Anti-Whedon. Set post-finale. Thirty-five-years-old, Tess is one of the many Potentials awakened by Willow Rosenberg’s spell. Her dream/memory connection to the past Slayers is strong and her physical strength noteworthy even among her sisters. However, her healing ability lags and her ability to sense vampires is weak.


Assorted Crossover Verses and Whatever
DC Comics/or DCEU: She's relocated for work, doing Krakoan business, and... stuff.XMCU/MCU: Heavy headcanons, plus ignoring the MCU iteration of Dark Elves.

Deadpool Movieverse: Written primarily with xtrainee. She gets to be in the Cool Room with the rest of the X-Men, but somehow misses going on every mission because she's out on a beer run, her transport broke down on the way, etc. She's having a secret affair with the Roger Corman version of Doctor Doom.