A Certain Romance
Title: A Certain Romance
Author: Alaina L. Patterson
Summary: Toby's way of expressing feelings towards others is contrary to what one might assume.
Rating: PG.
Word Count: 1,011
Author's Note: Written for Creative Writing: create a character sketch. The original assignment was supposed to be a couple of paragraphs. Never say Weevil does assignments half-assed. This is based on the main character of the TV Pilot I wrote, called Busted Eardrums. Title from the song of the same name by the Arctic Monkeys
Call her 'Elizabeth' and she won't belt you, but she'll toss off a scathing remark without needing a moment to think. She hasn't been known as Elizabeth since she was christened, and hasn't answered to any derivative other than 'Toby' since she was ten. If you ask her how the hell she got the nickname 'Toby' from 'Elizabeth,' which only shares two letters with its source and none of its phonemes, she won't be able to answer you. She honestly can't remember how she came to be known as 'Toby,' but it is the only name she'll answer to now, so beware.
She is an unremarkable kind of pretty, with medium brown hair that she highlights when she gets into a mood. When she started her job back in college, she dressed in large amounts of black and grey, but she's since mellowed out, and frequents Old Navy more often than not. She's the type of girl that you'd only notice if you were looking, because when she's quiet, she fades into the background. When she gets talking about something, however, people can't help but notice, mainly because no one had ever heard someone talk so fast before.
She's somewhere in her mid-twenties, but she doesn't like admitting it because every time she thinks about it, she realizes she's nearing the age when she should be settling down and having children, and she's nowhere near ready for that. By the time her mother was her age, she had been married for two years, bought a house, and her older brother was nine months old. Toby, on the other hand, currently lives in a one-bedroom apartment in the new Urbandale development which costs her more than it should for the scenery, and is currently trying to figure out how to best dump her boyfriend Sam, who insists on referring to himself as 'The Sampster.' So even though she is the assistant manager of a local record store, Toby is occasionally plagued by feelings of deficiency and self-doubt.
She became assistant manager upon graduating from Western Michigan University because her boss, David, couldn't fathom running the business without her. She knew everything there was to know about running a record store - and you can't really call it a record store if they don't sell records, but a music store doesn't have the same ring to it. She knew which category to put Fall Out Boy under, rock or punk, and her ability to curb Moira's hostility towards anything Jonas Brothers-related is unparalleled. Granted, Toby hates the Jonas Brothers just as much Moira does, but that can't stop her from selling it to poor idiot mothers who want it for their daughters. It's not like she's a Catholic pharmacist that has a problem selling birth control.
Her favorite holidays are Halloween and April Fool's Day. Consequently, in the days leading up to the holidays, there is an uptick in absences from employees attempting to avoid fallout. However, when the store opens on the holiday in question, everyone on payroll shows up to see what grand plan Toby has put into design. The Great Tin Foil Wrapping of Oh-Eight was unprecedented, although Brynn still has unfortunate reactions to leftovers. After the Label-Bomb last April, David has regulated the use of the label-maker: Toby must sign it out and use it only under direct supervision. David would rescind that edict if he knew what Toby has in plan for next April Fool's. He should avoid using his facial moisturizer, unless he wants to look like C-3PO.
Toby's way of expressing feelings towards others is contrary to what one might assume. If she calls you an idiot, it means she likes you. If she adds a couple of choice curses in front of idiot (David), then she really likes you. She considers you a sibling if she punches you in the shoulder. Her wit is sharp, and on occasion, pointed, but if she means to hurt your feelings, you'll know it. For all her sporadic frustrations with her employees, she has not once raised her voice in anger. And if you ask Moira and Bartholomew if they enjoy working for Toby, they will emphatically answer that they wouldn't want to work at Busted Eardrums without her.
To the loyal music crowd, Toby is your average aficionado. She dislikes the new Disney pop; she admires the Beatles and the Rolling Stones for how they changed the face of rock and roll, but if she has to choose between them she'll pick the Who every time; she believes Madonna peaked in the early '90s and is now just scary; Bono's gotten preachy but he can still rock every once in a while; and if you aren't listening to the Arctic Monkeys then get the hell out of her library. Her language is peppered with pop culture references that not many people get, which stands to reason, as they're all from alternative sources. She is patient, and kind, and acts entirely as a normal, anti-establishment liberal pop culture kid should.
So now you understand why, if anyone found out about her gig as treasurer for her sorority in college, she is obligated to kill you; her street cred would be ruined. And granted, she only joined Chi Omega because she thought it was a pirate ship (she was drunk, and Chi Omega's symbol is the Jolly Roger, you do the math), but once the tequila haze wore off, she tried to make the best of it by sabotaging the enterprise. Unfortunately, she learned that sabotage is hard to do when everyone is so damned nice. How can you report to the underground newspaper on unseemly goings-on when the most unseemly thing you've seen is Sally's ratty underwear draped over the radiator? Not exactly a riveting, headline-worthy item, is it?
But seriously - Toby hits people she loves. You don't want to know what she does to the people she's angry at. Keep this to yourself; it's best for all involved. After all, the Sampster can't exactly afford bail money right now.
Author: Alaina L. Patterson
Summary: Toby's way of expressing feelings towards others is contrary to what one might assume.
Rating: PG.
Word Count: 1,011
Author's Note: Written for Creative Writing: create a character sketch. The original assignment was supposed to be a couple of paragraphs. Never say Weevil does assignments half-assed. This is based on the main character of the TV Pilot I wrote, called Busted Eardrums. Title from the song of the same name by the Arctic Monkeys
Call her 'Elizabeth' and she won't belt you, but she'll toss off a scathing remark without needing a moment to think. She hasn't been known as Elizabeth since she was christened, and hasn't answered to any derivative other than 'Toby' since she was ten. If you ask her how the hell she got the nickname 'Toby' from 'Elizabeth,' which only shares two letters with its source and none of its phonemes, she won't be able to answer you. She honestly can't remember how she came to be known as 'Toby,' but it is the only name she'll answer to now, so beware.
She is an unremarkable kind of pretty, with medium brown hair that she highlights when she gets into a mood. When she started her job back in college, she dressed in large amounts of black and grey, but she's since mellowed out, and frequents Old Navy more often than not. She's the type of girl that you'd only notice if you were looking, because when she's quiet, she fades into the background. When she gets talking about something, however, people can't help but notice, mainly because no one had ever heard someone talk so fast before.
She's somewhere in her mid-twenties, but she doesn't like admitting it because every time she thinks about it, she realizes she's nearing the age when she should be settling down and having children, and she's nowhere near ready for that. By the time her mother was her age, she had been married for two years, bought a house, and her older brother was nine months old. Toby, on the other hand, currently lives in a one-bedroom apartment in the new Urbandale development which costs her more than it should for the scenery, and is currently trying to figure out how to best dump her boyfriend Sam, who insists on referring to himself as 'The Sampster.' So even though she is the assistant manager of a local record store, Toby is occasionally plagued by feelings of deficiency and self-doubt.
She became assistant manager upon graduating from Western Michigan University because her boss, David, couldn't fathom running the business without her. She knew everything there was to know about running a record store - and you can't really call it a record store if they don't sell records, but a music store doesn't have the same ring to it. She knew which category to put Fall Out Boy under, rock or punk, and her ability to curb Moira's hostility towards anything Jonas Brothers-related is unparalleled. Granted, Toby hates the Jonas Brothers just as much Moira does, but that can't stop her from selling it to poor idiot mothers who want it for their daughters. It's not like she's a Catholic pharmacist that has a problem selling birth control.
Her favorite holidays are Halloween and April Fool's Day. Consequently, in the days leading up to the holidays, there is an uptick in absences from employees attempting to avoid fallout. However, when the store opens on the holiday in question, everyone on payroll shows up to see what grand plan Toby has put into design. The Great Tin Foil Wrapping of Oh-Eight was unprecedented, although Brynn still has unfortunate reactions to leftovers. After the Label-Bomb last April, David has regulated the use of the label-maker: Toby must sign it out and use it only under direct supervision. David would rescind that edict if he knew what Toby has in plan for next April Fool's. He should avoid using his facial moisturizer, unless he wants to look like C-3PO.
Toby's way of expressing feelings towards others is contrary to what one might assume. If she calls you an idiot, it means she likes you. If she adds a couple of choice curses in front of idiot (David), then she really likes you. She considers you a sibling if she punches you in the shoulder. Her wit is sharp, and on occasion, pointed, but if she means to hurt your feelings, you'll know it. For all her sporadic frustrations with her employees, she has not once raised her voice in anger. And if you ask Moira and Bartholomew if they enjoy working for Toby, they will emphatically answer that they wouldn't want to work at Busted Eardrums without her.
To the loyal music crowd, Toby is your average aficionado. She dislikes the new Disney pop; she admires the Beatles and the Rolling Stones for how they changed the face of rock and roll, but if she has to choose between them she'll pick the Who every time; she believes Madonna peaked in the early '90s and is now just scary; Bono's gotten preachy but he can still rock every once in a while; and if you aren't listening to the Arctic Monkeys then get the hell out of her library. Her language is peppered with pop culture references that not many people get, which stands to reason, as they're all from alternative sources. She is patient, and kind, and acts entirely as a normal, anti-establishment liberal pop culture kid should.
So now you understand why, if anyone found out about her gig as treasurer for her sorority in college, she is obligated to kill you; her street cred would be ruined. And granted, she only joined Chi Omega because she thought it was a pirate ship (she was drunk, and Chi Omega's symbol is the Jolly Roger, you do the math), but once the tequila haze wore off, she tried to make the best of it by sabotaging the enterprise. Unfortunately, she learned that sabotage is hard to do when everyone is so damned nice. How can you report to the underground newspaper on unseemly goings-on when the most unseemly thing you've seen is Sally's ratty underwear draped over the radiator? Not exactly a riveting, headline-worthy item, is it?
But seriously - Toby hits people she loves. You don't want to know what she does to the people she's angry at. Keep this to yourself; it's best for all involved. After all, the Sampster can't exactly afford bail money right now.