Post by The Anarchist on Mar 5, 2019 16:11:10 GMT -5
A brief history
------
The 1940's brought a farming boom to Southern California. Lush orange groves became a staple on over 60,000 acres in Orange County. The lucrative crop of Valencia's was responsible for one-sixth of the nation's intake and generated over half of the county's agricultural fund.
The decade also brought hard times to farmers. The birth of a citrus-killing virus called "quick decline" brought devastation to groves, killing thousands of trees in the process. With the decline came skyrocketing costs of water and with it, the loss of profits. Relief came from land developers and with withering orchards, came the sight of concrete slabs next to twenty acres of groves.
As time passed, groves became a scarce sight and as of 2012, were limited to some seventy total acres. Valencia and navel trees gave way to housing development and strip malls. However, It was before the height of orange farming that a young transplant found himself relocating to sunny Southern California from Grand Rapids, Minnesota in 1933.
Beginnings
-----
James Willard (October 14, 1909 - February 27, 1980) first met Florence Keaton (June 10, 1911 - June 22, 1989) at a local movie theater, where she worked the ticket booth in 1935. After courting her for three years, she agreed to marry him. The big day arrived on April 3rd, 1939.
They lived in a single room home in Lancaster from April 1939-May 1940 and then moved to south to Santa Ana, where their three children, Amelia (b. August 2, 1942), Thomas (October 17, 1950 - July 23, 1955) and Lucy (1961) were later born.
Upon arrival, James purchased a quaint farmhouse on 15 acres of land. He soon planted no less than fifty orange trees, while also putting time in at one of the local packing houses to make ends meet.
Florence was a secretary at one of the elementary schools and in her spare time, did some seamstress work. Both of them were hard workers and although times were tough in the later part of the decade, they remained in their employments into the mid-50's.
James and Florence were both of Christian faith, never missing a single service. Nobody knows what political leaning they had, but were believed to be conservative. After the first children were born, Florence settled into the role of homemaker, while James shifted between jobs.
The loss of five-year old Thomas due to complications from pneumonia was difficult on Florence, and it would be another six years before they attempted to have another child.
A future mother
-----
Lucy Elizabeth was brought into the world February 12, 1961 shortly after 3:30 that afternoon; A week earlier than expected. Her delivery was without complication, but with finances becoming strained, so too was the marriage.
In fact, if not for their faith, divorce would've occurred before Lucy would've been three. They always found a way to stay together, if for no other reason than their children. She was a bright, energetic child with a wild imagination and eccentric personality.
The family groves were a magical forest in her eyes, a place she could seek comfort when things weren't so rosy with her parents. The trees offered shelter when she decided to disobey, and a place to hide when James took of the drink. It was a problem he had kept well hidden for years prior.
As Lucy grew, she sought further independence from the strict rules of the household. They weren't all bad, but she had a particular dislike of an early curfew, bedtime, and no dating. The latter wasn't all that big of a problem as she was more interested in books than boys. She would have to sneak those into her room, fearing punishment from her parents if they found out it wasn't the 'holy' book that had her attention.
She wasn't interested in the social construct of marriage, but was enamored at the thought of having a child someday. Her perspective was that it would be someone she could love unconditionally and in return, be loved back with equal emotion. This would be at odds with her parents thought in that marriage ALWAYS came first.
During her junior year in high school, she met Andrew Eaton, a recent graduate and four-year track star who had plans on leaving for the University of Oregon within a year. He was a good lookin' kid with his future all planned out, but you know what they say about plans. Lucy inquired about tutoring help in Math over the summer and early fall of '77.
One crisp night in October, while her parents were out to service, Lucy and Andrew ventured into the groves. Through smooth talking on Andrew's part, her first time (but not his), would happen in the place she still loved dearly. She was under age, but the act was consensual and secretive.
Until it wasn't.
The big news
------
Towards the end of October, Lucy found out she was with child. The first person she confided in was Amelia. Fearful of what her parents would say and how to break the news to Andrew, she started to plan for the imminent future.
He was anything but interested in being a father at nineteen. A point made very clear in the lone meeting they had. He informed her to do whatever she wanted, but the occasion was a one-time thing. After the initial waves of anger had the chance to cool, reality had sunk in that she'd have a child far younger than even she planned on.
She never saw or spoke to him again and was better for it. The result was even less pleasant with her parents. It became so heated that Lucy was kicked out of the house by her father. Her mother had no choice but to go along with it, even if her eyes showed something different.
Lucy found herself relocated eight miles north to Anaheim with Amelia and her husband. Her sister was more than happy to help with anything she needed, and because she was a nurse, was also able to provide aid every step of the way in her pregnancy. Lucy would come to learn that their parents behavior shifted after the loss of Thomas.
In her seventeen year-old mind (February 1978), they no longer existed. They turned her away and in turn, turned away any chance of ever knowing their grandbaby. Amelia disagreed but kept her feelings private. The pregnancy was uneventful and uncomplicated. Lucy was able to finish school early and a month later, her son was born.
Love of her life/Brief upbringing
-----
Jason Sidney Willard was born July 18, 1978 in Anaheim, California at 11 that night. By her side, of course, was Amelia and her husband, Timothy. Everything that had transpired in the past was suddenly gone as the new mother held her son for the first time. There was a quick bout of postpartum, but Lucy's maternal instincts kicked into overdrive.
She worked two jobs into her twenties. A part time greeter at Disneyland and at the Starlight Diner (later relocated and renamed Jubilee's Diner) as a waitress. While at the diner, she brought Jason along so that she could always be around him. When days were bad, she had him there to brighten her mood. She doted on him and fostered his own creative instincts, the direct opposite of what her parents did.
She was a proud mother and made every effort to avoid the habits she saw (real or imagined) take their toll on her parents. Lucy was able to move them into their first home, one not far away from Amelia, in 1983. She eventually moved on from both of her jobs, landing in the same line of work her mother once had: Secretarial.
Jason did well in school, but was introverted in nature. He exhibited little interest in what he would eventually become, choosing instead to remain close to home and his mom. They had each other and in their minds, that's what mattered most. It's when he became a teenager that Jason found himself battling mood swings. He chalked it up to puberty, only it wasn't. Lucy decided to move them to Camarillo, a city that was an hour and forty minutes north.
The rest, as they say, is history.
Mass Destruction
-----
Jason found the perfect way to fill the void he felt over Destiny's maternity leave. Realistically he knew she wouldn't be able to return. So after a discussion between them, he reached out to his mother, who naturally was all too happy to say yes to the managerial duties, despite having no experience in the business.
Lucy Willard made her first on-screen appearance at the 8th Anniversary special of Trauma on January 17th, as she launched a fireball in the face of Phinehas Grimm from an open prop bible. The distraction was enough for her son to pick up the win for his team that night. Two months since that night, Grimm will finally have his chance for revenge at Mass Destruction.
But she won't be allowed at ringside, following a ban from President Loki. This didn't sit well with either Willard, doubly so with the announcement that Grimm's signature weapon would be made legal. Despite having done nothing wrong, there was a sense of conspiracy against them based on Jason's past shenanigans.
He would now go to war with The Hangtown Horror on his own. But that wasn't all. The return of Rick Majors and his threatening language added another problem to account for. But, he couldn't afford to lose focus on the enormous task at hand. Jason wanted this fight and he would surely get one.
...but Lucy would be watching, waiting, and ready for retribution should any serious harm come to her son. A point hinted at on the most recent edition of Trauma.
------
The 1940's brought a farming boom to Southern California. Lush orange groves became a staple on over 60,000 acres in Orange County. The lucrative crop of Valencia's was responsible for one-sixth of the nation's intake and generated over half of the county's agricultural fund.
The decade also brought hard times to farmers. The birth of a citrus-killing virus called "quick decline" brought devastation to groves, killing thousands of trees in the process. With the decline came skyrocketing costs of water and with it, the loss of profits. Relief came from land developers and with withering orchards, came the sight of concrete slabs next to twenty acres of groves.
As time passed, groves became a scarce sight and as of 2012, were limited to some seventy total acres. Valencia and navel trees gave way to housing development and strip malls. However, It was before the height of orange farming that a young transplant found himself relocating to sunny Southern California from Grand Rapids, Minnesota in 1933.
Beginnings
-----
James Willard (October 14, 1909 - February 27, 1980) first met Florence Keaton (June 10, 1911 - June 22, 1989) at a local movie theater, where she worked the ticket booth in 1935. After courting her for three years, she agreed to marry him. The big day arrived on April 3rd, 1939.
They lived in a single room home in Lancaster from April 1939-May 1940 and then moved to south to Santa Ana, where their three children, Amelia (b. August 2, 1942), Thomas (October 17, 1950 - July 23, 1955) and Lucy (1961) were later born.
Upon arrival, James purchased a quaint farmhouse on 15 acres of land. He soon planted no less than fifty orange trees, while also putting time in at one of the local packing houses to make ends meet.
Florence was a secretary at one of the elementary schools and in her spare time, did some seamstress work. Both of them were hard workers and although times were tough in the later part of the decade, they remained in their employments into the mid-50's.
James and Florence were both of Christian faith, never missing a single service. Nobody knows what political leaning they had, but were believed to be conservative. After the first children were born, Florence settled into the role of homemaker, while James shifted between jobs.
The loss of five-year old Thomas due to complications from pneumonia was difficult on Florence, and it would be another six years before they attempted to have another child.
A future mother
-----
Lucy Elizabeth was brought into the world February 12, 1961 shortly after 3:30 that afternoon; A week earlier than expected. Her delivery was without complication, but with finances becoming strained, so too was the marriage.
In fact, if not for their faith, divorce would've occurred before Lucy would've been three. They always found a way to stay together, if for no other reason than their children. She was a bright, energetic child with a wild imagination and eccentric personality.
The family groves were a magical forest in her eyes, a place she could seek comfort when things weren't so rosy with her parents. The trees offered shelter when she decided to disobey, and a place to hide when James took of the drink. It was a problem he had kept well hidden for years prior.
As Lucy grew, she sought further independence from the strict rules of the household. They weren't all bad, but she had a particular dislike of an early curfew, bedtime, and no dating. The latter wasn't all that big of a problem as she was more interested in books than boys. She would have to sneak those into her room, fearing punishment from her parents if they found out it wasn't the 'holy' book that had her attention.
She wasn't interested in the social construct of marriage, but was enamored at the thought of having a child someday. Her perspective was that it would be someone she could love unconditionally and in return, be loved back with equal emotion. This would be at odds with her parents thought in that marriage ALWAYS came first.
During her junior year in high school, she met Andrew Eaton, a recent graduate and four-year track star who had plans on leaving for the University of Oregon within a year. He was a good lookin' kid with his future all planned out, but you know what they say about plans. Lucy inquired about tutoring help in Math over the summer and early fall of '77.
One crisp night in October, while her parents were out to service, Lucy and Andrew ventured into the groves. Through smooth talking on Andrew's part, her first time (but not his), would happen in the place she still loved dearly. She was under age, but the act was consensual and secretive.
Until it wasn't.
The big news
------
Towards the end of October, Lucy found out she was with child. The first person she confided in was Amelia. Fearful of what her parents would say and how to break the news to Andrew, she started to plan for the imminent future.
He was anything but interested in being a father at nineteen. A point made very clear in the lone meeting they had. He informed her to do whatever she wanted, but the occasion was a one-time thing. After the initial waves of anger had the chance to cool, reality had sunk in that she'd have a child far younger than even she planned on.
She never saw or spoke to him again and was better for it. The result was even less pleasant with her parents. It became so heated that Lucy was kicked out of the house by her father. Her mother had no choice but to go along with it, even if her eyes showed something different.
Lucy found herself relocated eight miles north to Anaheim with Amelia and her husband. Her sister was more than happy to help with anything she needed, and because she was a nurse, was also able to provide aid every step of the way in her pregnancy. Lucy would come to learn that their parents behavior shifted after the loss of Thomas.
In her seventeen year-old mind (February 1978), they no longer existed. They turned her away and in turn, turned away any chance of ever knowing their grandbaby. Amelia disagreed but kept her feelings private. The pregnancy was uneventful and uncomplicated. Lucy was able to finish school early and a month later, her son was born.
Love of her life/Brief upbringing
-----
Jason Sidney Willard was born July 18, 1978 in Anaheim, California at 11 that night. By her side, of course, was Amelia and her husband, Timothy. Everything that had transpired in the past was suddenly gone as the new mother held her son for the first time. There was a quick bout of postpartum, but Lucy's maternal instincts kicked into overdrive.
She worked two jobs into her twenties. A part time greeter at Disneyland and at the Starlight Diner (later relocated and renamed Jubilee's Diner) as a waitress. While at the diner, she brought Jason along so that she could always be around him. When days were bad, she had him there to brighten her mood. She doted on him and fostered his own creative instincts, the direct opposite of what her parents did.
She was a proud mother and made every effort to avoid the habits she saw (real or imagined) take their toll on her parents. Lucy was able to move them into their first home, one not far away from Amelia, in 1983. She eventually moved on from both of her jobs, landing in the same line of work her mother once had: Secretarial.
Jason did well in school, but was introverted in nature. He exhibited little interest in what he would eventually become, choosing instead to remain close to home and his mom. They had each other and in their minds, that's what mattered most. It's when he became a teenager that Jason found himself battling mood swings. He chalked it up to puberty, only it wasn't. Lucy decided to move them to Camarillo, a city that was an hour and forty minutes north.
The rest, as they say, is history.
Mass Destruction
-----
Jason found the perfect way to fill the void he felt over Destiny's maternity leave. Realistically he knew she wouldn't be able to return. So after a discussion between them, he reached out to his mother, who naturally was all too happy to say yes to the managerial duties, despite having no experience in the business.
Lucy Willard made her first on-screen appearance at the 8th Anniversary special of Trauma on January 17th, as she launched a fireball in the face of Phinehas Grimm from an open prop bible. The distraction was enough for her son to pick up the win for his team that night. Two months since that night, Grimm will finally have his chance for revenge at Mass Destruction.
But she won't be allowed at ringside, following a ban from President Loki. This didn't sit well with either Willard, doubly so with the announcement that Grimm's signature weapon would be made legal. Despite having done nothing wrong, there was a sense of conspiracy against them based on Jason's past shenanigans.
He would now go to war with The Hangtown Horror on his own. But that wasn't all. The return of Rick Majors and his threatening language added another problem to account for. But, he couldn't afford to lose focus on the enormous task at hand. Jason wanted this fight and he would surely get one.
...but Lucy would be watching, waiting, and ready for retribution should any serious harm come to her son. A point hinted at on the most recent edition of Trauma.