Elle Santiago — Roleplayer Guild

Name: 

Lynn Lavere

Personality:

At first glance, one can see that she’s a kind-hearted soul that would offer help to anyone that needed it the moment she noticed it. Polite and always having a soft smile, she’d do work with vigor and determination to finish it with precision and in the earliest time. To the contrary, however, Lynn just wanted everyone to quietly fuck off so she could mind her own business in peace. The almost habitual asking for people if they wanted help, offering her seat, and her hardworking facade was something she utterly despised, yet something she cherished.

Lynn had consumed a lot of media and it had skewed her worldview slightly, thinking that parents thought of their children as merely investments, in the worst light possible.  As a kid, she was energetic and had that glare on her face that would scare the little kids away and make the adults laugh at her cheek. Friendly to most, she’s quite popular in school as someone that can be relied on, the community knowing of her as an active volunteer.

Once the apocalypse came, her dutifully hidden temper forced its way out to the forefront of herself, giving way to the gruesome side of humanity. Lynn had felt guilt and relief every time she turned her head away from a person that needed help, finally feeling that she was free of such obligation. However, the good side of humanity still prevailed during that stressful time, helping a lost kid in the quarantine zone to get in touch with his parents through the bustle and hustle of everything. Still, even though she had gotten such a good feeling out of it, the memories of mercilessly swinging the metal bat on a zombie’s face was too fresh, and so did the sensation of glee and excitement from doing so.

Background: 

Lynn is the only child of Mark and Rita Lavere. Her father is a server and her mother a chef in a nearby five star restaurant. Unfortunately, that meant spending a lot of time at work, their child more of an inconvenience at one point because they couldn’t find enough rest. When the crying stopped, however, they found the charm of their daughter, the two of them being excited when Lynn spoke her first words. She really was more of a pet while the heavy lifting was done by the babysitter. 

Said babysitter with the name Maria Luisita wasn’t the most accommodating, however. She was loud, always glaring at nothing or at Lynn whenever she made too much of a fuss or a noise, the kid learning to keep quiet soon enough. It had never been physical but the woman liked to watch violent soap opera dramas. Lynn, being an impressionable kid, had been introduced to the idea early. Still, she was quiet during her early years, made a few friends here and there, and her parents thought everything was all well and good.

It was the unexpected news of Lynn punching a fellow classmate that led to Mr. Lavere to drive towards the school, finding a kid he didn’t know nursing his bloody nose and a teary-eyed Lynn. Both parents made a fuss, protecting and reasoning and excusing their child’s actions and after all was said and done, Lynn and Mark drove home, finding a very angry mother. There had been hurtful words said, a frightening look on Rita’s face as she spoke heatedly. Every word that escaped her mother’s lips were listened to but the girl couldn’t help but think of it as unfair. 

The kid, Michael O’something or the other, had been teasing Lynn every minute the teacher even dared turn their back on the class. A little tug of the hair, a little call of ‘princess’ in his annoying snotty voice, a little jab on her sides where it was painfully tickly, a little feet jutting out ready to trip her when she was distracted. Every little thing had been tolerated because it wasn’t nice and the teachers back in the nursery was very specific about that lesson. There was only so much she could handle, however, and she blew up in Michael’s face, or more specifically, blew up Michael’s face with clumsy punches on his mouth, cheeks, nose, and eyes. Because, seriously, fuck that kid.

Thankfully, Michael had been an unruly kid since the beginning of school and had made a reputation of himself and, with Lynn being known as the quiet little girl, had mostly been let off with just a tiny punishment. Lynn had also learned an important lesson that day: know how, where, and when to fight your battles. It was always about subtlety. It was also when she started getting into the habit of lying. 

The following school years had been filled with silence. Lynn had been reserved, being painfully polite, following every words of her father and mother as if not doing so would result into the most grievous act. Mark was worried at first but had been satisfied having an obedient daughter who had been stellar with her academics. With Lynn’s parents content on how things were, they didn’t supervise her consuming of media. In fact, they were more than happy supplying their daughter with trinkets in exchange for great grades.

When high school arrived, Lynn had felt intense pressure from her parents and, being an only child, was told to strive for perfection. Tension had built up when the household was complete but, Lynn understanding ultimately that what her parents wanted her to do was for her own good, wasn’t able to let off steam. Punching the walls would attract too much attention so she resorted to self-harm. Cuts were too obvious so she bruised her legs and thighs, leaving it enough so she was able to walk normally. 

One day, during gym, one of the nosy students in class remarked the violet marks that failed to fade over the weekend, rumors quickly escalating into some sort of bullying campaign. It was far from the truth, really. Lynn dressed quite differently from what was expected, leaning more towards the tomboyish looks, frequently seen with khaki pants and short sleeved shirts. Adding her almost obsessive learning, lack of physical activities, and quiet demeanor, she seemed to be a perfect target. 

But she wasn’t. Lynn was dangerous to touch. She had many connection with the teachers and the students, helping whenever needed, the volunteer services forced upon her by her mother being a good reputation booster. She had also known and been friends with one Abigail since childhood, popular teen that was hanging around bad influences. Lynn had known and spoke to a few of them and while their usage of swear words were abundant, she had harbored feelings akin to admiration. To be so bold and true to themselves, it was something she had always dreamed to be. She did not have the courage to do so, however.

Anyways, when the rumor spread outside of school and entered the hearing range of her parents (whatever rumor it was, it had never been confirmed), Lynn was immediately forbidden from talking to her friend and polite acquaintances, the command immediately taken as a sign of aggression. Questions had been asked regarding her bruises, too, but she quickly buried it with the excuse of bumping against the table.

It worried Lynn, though. The bruises had been noticed and she couldn’t take another chance of it being found out. Not wanting to tire herself out with running and cutting her sleep, she decided to let off steam by writing on a diary that soon evolved into writing a story, then evolved into drawing since her words soon couldn’t be enough to describe the idea she had in mind. It calmed her down considerably and let her mind relax once in awhile.

Lynn, while respecting and understanding her parents’ reasoning on staying away from the delinquents, felt that she shouldn’t let go of the friends she had made. But, as their friends, she couldn’t risk them getting in trouble once another rumor decided to make itself known. So, she made it discreet. Before anyone knew it, graduation was up and college was soon in view. Her parents had plans for her, every scholarship applied to and some had accepted. With her grades, Lynn was practically free to go wherever she wanted but found no passion in any of them. 

Every plan, every school that was good for her parents, it felt like a cage to her. It was infuriating because Lynn knew that she had to go to the recommended colleges and universities. A good future awaited for her there but she couldn’t find it in her to attend. Yet, she considered attending the schools. She also considered lying about it. She considered not attending at all. But it was too confusing and this wasn’t the same as taking petty revenge by talking to some delinquents or setting up that one bitchy girl in an embarrassing situation.

It was her future at stake. Lynn approached her parents about it, the confession awkward and silent, her words leaking honest hesitation and fear. Afraid of their reaction, afraid that they would force her on their path, afraid that she’d be disowned, afraid of many, many things at the time, Lynn hadn’t noticed the gentle looks on her parents. The conversation had went better than expected and she had been given a year or two to settle her thoughts. 

It was after a stressful day in her part-time job in an ice cream shop, when her hands had started going crazy at the details of her new art project did she consciously realize that it could be it. It had never crossed her mind since it wasn’t conventional but, for once, she could actually do something she wants to do without any lies or manipulation going in her end. It was just a simple want to create anything and have people enjoy it. 

Well, for a price, of course.
Elle Santiago Member

The Hopeless Slightly Narcissistic Optimist

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