(no subject)
the ic
Name: Lauren Himmel
Age/Birthdate: 22, April 3rd
Occupation: Personal assistant to both May Decanter and Kilroy Benson. Has a BA in Media Studies, with solid extra curricular surrounding television production, with a particular strength in set design.
Fairytale: The Dormouse, from Alice in Wonderland
Ability, if any: No powers, just an inexplicable ability to get along with her bosses, and she's always exhausted.
History: Lauren Himmel grew up in upstate New York, in a very small town that was a bit like fictional South Park, Colorado- There were two seasons, winter and July. The scenery was stunning, the people boring, and little Lauren, floundered through life.
The daughter of the school nurse and one of the High School chemistry teachers, it was odd that Lauren seemed predisposed with the theater arts. As a young child, she spent most of her playtime setting up elaborate make believe sets in which to play her games; Playing house involved quartering off her room into a make believe bedroom, bathroom, living room and kitchen. Space travel had a cardboard control panel, and many bits of tinfoil everywhere. Most spectacular were her tea party set ups, always with a Ken Doll in a paper top hat, a stuffed rabbit and a barbie doll she diligently referred to as Alice. Her parents and other adults giddily assumed she had read Alice in Wonderland, but until 6th grade, she hadn't. She was merely reliving her past.
With an odd knowledge of science (thanks, Dad!) and a tendency to point out the danger in average childhood games (And thank you, Mom!), Lauren was never very popular. Her glasses and lack of fashion sense didn't help things, either. But Lauren was diligent in her schoolwork, earning excellent marks, and did find joy in her school's theater departments, starting in middle school. She never was one to be on the stage herself, but she relished working behind the scenes, on lighting, set design and props. As Lauren grew older, and she stopped playing at tea parties and little dolls named Alice, she never got the vision out of her mind. It was never more than a semi frequent dream for years- As soon as she fell asleep, she awoke into her dream to two unlikely, babbling friends and some girl who disrupted everything. By this point in time, into her high school years, she recognized the story, the chapter from Alice in Wonderland, but she could never understand why she dreamed of it, or why she had acted it out as a child.
Just a persistent dream it was, and it didn't stop Lauren from moving on and up in her life. When she reached high school, her family's low income meant she had to take on a job, and from her freshman year on, Lauren was always balancing some sort of part time job (or jobs) on top of her school work and theater involvement. She worked as a science tutor, a SAT tutor, a babysitter. She worked the local grocery store, the video store and the pizza place. She rarely had a moments rest, and it was in this sleep deprived time that Lauren took to drinking highly caffeinated tea. Though she was always on the brink of passing out, a cup of tea always made Lauren relax. During these years Lauren learned to thrive in a hectic environment- Her grades never suffered and her jobs were always completed, but she was always a bit stressed looking, all a mess of papers and notes-to-self, but constantly completely aware of her surroundings.
All her hard work won her a partial scholarship to NYU, where she boldly pursued a degree in Media studies. Lauren wanted to push her theater involvement further, and on to bigger things. While a good portion of her tuition was paid, and her parents could pay a bit more, Lauren had to keep up her steady stream of part time work and classwork. With an even stranger schedule what with college class schedules, Lauren learned to sleep when she could- On the metro, in the library, in the few minutes she had to herself during work. She had been caught dozing on the job a few times at her bookstore job, but her amusing tendency to chatter in her sleep kept her from being fired.
It was in her sophomore year of college that she realized who she was. She awoke from another dozing session, this time at her desk in her room. Her dream had been her entire tea party with Alice, the Hatter and the Hare, all the way through. It had felt, natural, right, and she was no longer in the dark. A matter of days later, a woman brought her a book and the truth, she was the Dormouse.
Aside from being the living, humanoid reincarnation of a fictional mouse, life stayed the same. She finished her BA, graduating Cum Laude (she would have liked to have been Suma or Magnum, but she keeps that to herself). She had plans to work for a year and move to LA, to continue her education and break into the industry, but May and Kilroy had other plans. For three weeks, the pair harassed her, her coworkers and anyone around in the bookstore in which she worked, until she agreed to be their assistant.
It was the best decision Lauren had ever been pestered and forced into making. Life has been a whirlwind since she joined the pair, with meetings and filmings and the tv world accoutrements. Her sleepiness has only increased, and she often falls asleep on the job. At least she has the two most understanding bosses.
Personality: Lauren is very excitable. No, excitable isn't the word. She's stressable, easily riled, and high strung. She works well under pressure, but it is hardly her natural element. It is something she has adapted to, to the point where, when blessed with free time (that must be spent awake), she's anxious and eager to get back into action. However, most of her free time is spent napping, when she can. She also enjoys reading fiction, the stranger the better, and biographies of extremely odd historical figures. Her most recent read was the official biography of premiere Satanist Alastor Crowley. It got her plenty of odd looks.
Her high strung ways aside, she's really quite nice, and very helpful. Helping others is something she's good at, and she's the most helpful to her bosses. She, herself, is a fairly rational, logical person, but she's never had a problem following the minds of the Hatter and Hare. Occasionally, she steps in, and gives her opinion ('No, I don't think jam in a light socket would be very fun, actually.') but she's not their keeper. She's actually quite protective of them and their crazy ways, and becomes very cold toward people who have anything negative to say about the way they act, think, or the things they say.
For someone who can, at time, come over like a pushover as she is delegated task upon task, but when push really comes to shove, Lauren gets what she's after. In true assistant style, she's got enough balls to get a reservation for dinner at an exclusive restaurant if May or Kilroy desire it. She really is their cushion; She is happy to let them lean on her, and she's happy to help them. Insane as the job is, and as out of place as she often looks, she feels that she's definitely found her place, at least for the time being.
Played-By: Chyler Leigh
the obligatory bit
Many tales retain little quirks from their counterparts, and Lauren is no different. She's constantly exhausted, taking naps where she can, and she's got a fondness for tea, and a finesse for telling off the cuff wild tales.
However, the way she best connects to her tale is through her relationship with May and Kilroy. She feels eerily calm and at home by their side, and on the set of To Bed. Every once in a while, she will open her book, to her chapter, and read her part, happily, and with a touch of longing. Knowing she's a reincarnated tale, and finding her storymates has given her a deep sense of satisfaction, and it's an aspect of her life she holds very dear.
the optional bit
May and Kilroy! Obviously, and I think she would have quite a lot to say to Smith Road, Karisma, and anyone else a part of the To Bed family. She's also very keen on chatting with her fellow Wonderlanders.
I would love for Lauren to have a crush on a hunky To Bed actor, any tale would do. I know we don't currently have one, but I will probably post the suggestion to the wanted character post thingy.