Veronica Sawyer đź’Ł (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
teen_angst_bullshit) wrote2016-06-01 01:19 pm
teen_angst_bullshit) wrote2016-06-01 01:19 pm
OOC | Bio @ Sixth Iteration
personality
To understand Veronica Sawyer, you really need to begin with a single decision. A bright child from a young age, she sailed through her early education with the sort of aplomb that can’t help but stand out. Eventually, testing would confirm the true depth of her potential -- “Gifted” wasn’t even the half of it. A choice subsequently fell to the stridently normal, affluent couple who had inexplicably spawned a daughter of genius-level intellect: Skip her ahead in school as recommended, or have her proceed at a normal pace for the sake of “social development.”
They chose the social development.
As a result, Veronica became a singularity. Infinitely unchallenged at school, she sought her own education wherever she could find it -- In books, books and more books, in the history of popular culture, in observations and shared experiences -- but she never lost sight of the importance of the status quo personified in her pleasant but apathetic parents. The result was a girl who showed her whip smarts most readily in her quick tongue, never flaunted her excellent grades, and conformed the rest of herself to the color-coded, mall-shopping teenage mold.
That was why she let herself be reeled in by Heather Chandler. That was why she stopped hanging out with Betty Finn. That was why, even when her popularity was perpetually marred by guilt, she viewed it as a job which needed to be done.
To be clear, Veronica never fooled herself about why Heather had invited her into the most popular (and most feared) clique at Westerburg High. In a way, she admired Heather’s strategic maneuvering: Veronica had grown into the kind of girl who turned heads, and was sharp as a tack to boot. The only way to neutralize the threat was to bring her into the fold.
Not that it worked out well for Heather in the end.
Veronica had never harbored any illusions about Heather Chandler or how awful she was, or how awful she made Veronica by association. But Heather was no idiot, either -- Veronica, with all of her white, suburban self-righteousness, had liked it. She’d benefited from the notoriety and popularity, yes, but most of all, Veronica had liked feeling superior to Heather even as she acquiesced to her reign of terror. She’d liked that flush of satisfaction in being the nice one, the girl who could be popular but still spare a smile or kind word to the less fortunate crowding Westerburg’s halls.
It’s a fucking shame that it took 3 murders, 2 student suicide attempts and 1 psychotic boyfriend for Veronica to finally, truly realize her own hypocrisy. But at least she got there.
Everyone is always playing at who they think they should be. This isn’t just in high school, it’s the whole world. And for Veronica, there’s a definite appeal in a clean slate -- No more popularity based on arbitrary, uncontrollable factors. No more judgments on the same. The new currency is kindness and understanding -- We’re all a little lost out there in the big, wide world, and Veronica figures that we might as well be lost together. The self-righteousness is still deeply-embedded, lurking, but she’s aware of it now. She’s ready to be the fully-formed human being she’d never quite managed to allow before.
What skills does your character bring to the situation?
As mentioned, Veronica is incredibly intelligent. It’s unfortunate that her parents encouraged her to essentially squander it for so long, but the fact remains that she picks things up quite quickly. She’s adept at problem-solving, and perhaps most notably, in her skills of observation. She has a deep understanding of people when she gets out of her own way long enough to use it, and is excellent at seeing things on a broader, less personal scale.
Veronica isn’t a girl who is looking to be a leader, but when the occasion calls for it… Well, there’s a new sheriff in town. More importantly, perhaps, is her empathy -- She always felt compassion for others, but allowed that compassion to become twisted and self-serving. Now that she’s out the mire of manufactured teen angst that permeated her high school, she is once again capable of being a loyal, understanding and genuinely true friend. She is the sort of person who not only notices when someone is feeling ill, but brings them homemade chicken soup.
Which is a nice segue into cooking, which I have decided she’s good at. The film tells us her mother makes a killer pate, and most of Veronica’s interactions with her parents involve food. She’s a girl who recognizes and appreciates good food and the effort that goes into making it, and I think she’s developed some tangible skills in that area. However, she’ll probably have to have someone else kill and dress any animals for her, at least for awhile; she’s got some lingering PTSD and would likely find that triggering.
Discovering that their memories may have been tampered with:
Offended and upset are the first words that come to mind. While Veronica is very much a team player, she’s nonetheless an incredibly independent young woman, and has long prided herself on her intelligence and ability to think for herself. The idea that someone might have altered memories or perceptions would be incredibly unsettling to her on a fundamental level -- The loss of control would be terrifying once she really considered the possible scope of such a thing. She isn’t against memory tampering as a general concept -- We all have things we’d prefer to forget -- but the non-consensual aspect to this situation, and the moral thorniness involved would definitely bother her.
How she’d act in the wake of that knowledge would likely vary -- If it was someone else whose memories were thought to have been altered, she’d be angry on their behalf and supportive. Were she to suspect it of herself, however, she’d likely go through several reactions, including paranoia (including, but not limited to writing as much down as possible) and a driving sense of self-righteousness that could see her mounting some sort of campaign for answers.
Having to do physical labor to survive:
This will definitely be something new for Veronica, who has never had to work at anything a day in her life. At first, I’m sure it will seem like a novelty -- Almost like camping -- although I don’t picture Veronica becoming the spoiled rich girl after the shine wears off. Given that there will be a group of characters all together, it seems natural, at least for Veronica, that they’d find a way to each use their best skills for the betterment of the group.
Even if this utopian ideal doesn’t materialize, Veronica is the sort of person who would see the benefit in banding together, and would immediately look for others willing to form a partnership to alleviate some of the difficulties of survival.
Having to share resources with others:
In keeping with the above, not a problem whatsoever. Veronica is a generous person by nature, but her logical mind will also recognize that sharing resources and skills will be the key to their survival. She knows enough about ancient civilizations and primitive peoples to know that their success hinged on everyone doing their part. You bring home the rabbit, she cooks it up in a pot, and everybody gets to eat.
On the flip side, if there are any stingy people in the bunch, it would likely annoy her endlessly. She’d be constantly looking for an opportunity to change their mind.
Being unable to leave the area:
This goes back to the loss of control I touched on in the memories question. It isn’t that Veronica hates the idea of living in the middle of nowhere, or the idea of a quaint village, or of sharing, or having to work for her livelihood. It’s not having any choice about it that will bother her.
At first, I can see her looking for answers -- Doing inadvisable things like marching into the woods to try and suss a way out until she gets smacked down a few times. I think she’d settle into village living and find herself preoccupied with the simple act of staying alive and well for awhile, but once strange things begin happening, I can absolutely see her forming a group to learn more. She is not a character who likes being in the dark.
Doing without modern conveniences and technology and/or being around tech more advanced than they're used to:
It will certainly be an inconvenience, but definitely not as terrible as for a more modern-day character. Veronica doesn’t own a PC, and smartphones haven’t been invented yet. She’s fairly practical, so I can’t imagine her missing technology that wouldn’t really benefit her much anyway, but she’ll probably be quite frustrated by the kitchen “appliances,” furnace and unreliable hot water for awhile, not to mention the lack of useful tools.
Then again, she’ll probably also have moments where she’s immensely grateful just to have indoor plumbing and a flushing toilet.
Being separated, possibly permanently, from loved ones and their previous life, including loss of powers, if applicable:
It’s funny, but I think the person she’ll be most upset about is Martha Dunnstock. Veronica is coming from the very end of the film, where she has her big epiphany, shit gets blown up, and she asks Martha to join her for a prom night of chilling at home with popcorn and movies. Veronica’s parents have been apathetic at best, her friends are mostly frenemies, and her boyfriend was a psychotic who blew himself up in front of her. But Martha -- Martha was a genuinely good person. Veronica begins her story by grudgingly helping to play a cruel prank on poor Martha, and is able to come full circle at the end of the film by genuinely bonding with her. The idea that she might have inadvertently stood Martha up will be devastating, particularly within the context of Martha having recently attempted suicide. It will be something that bothers Veronica for a very, very long time, and will make her question whether she’s truly a good person despite the abandonment being out of her control.