in this city's barren cold i still remember the first fall of snow and how it glistened as it fell... i remember it all too well
lydia radcliffe - she/her - 22
penned by bea
“maybe the lights could stay up,” clara remarked from her seat on lydia’s sofa. her legs were stretched out across the cushions. she looked up to where her friend was looking, admiring the twinkling lights on the walls. “I think it’s trendy right now anyway. if anything goes, I think it should be the poinsettia. I think it’s time.” she said with a hint of laughter in her voice. “maybe next year, you can go all out. get a small tree and some ornaments. I got one last year from target when it was on sale. it was a steal.”
lydia bit the inside of her cheek, gazing up at the lights. “yeah, maybe you’re right. i’m not sure i’ve ever been trendy before,” she laughed. “god, i know, i feel like it’s haunting me,” she remarked, her eyes looking toward her kitchen. “you know, i’ve been here years now, you’d think i’d have proper christmas decorations. and yet, here i am,” she sighed. “i thought your tree was really pretty. maybe you can help me next year, i need your eye. i’ll pay you in cookies.”
dinner time was the busiest for the happy cow food truck. and, subsequently, violet was at her busiest. she zipped around the tiny metal restaurant at the speed of light. she should really hire help with this thing (like she could afford that). vi was so distracted, before she knew it… the sun had set and she was still flipping veggie burgers. she hadn’t even gotten the chance to eat. finally, the line died down, it’s 11pm and she has to get home soon. she locked up the doors and carried out several stacks of tupperware. so many, in fact – they nearly topple over. “hey – you!” she calls out, spotting someone she believed she recognized passing by. her food truck was parked just a few blocks away from her apartment building. “could you… help me out here? i should’ve brought a bag.” she sighs as one box falls from the top.
her key had just slid into the lock when she noticed violet almost collapse under a pile of containers. “oh my,” lydia giggled, quickly pushing her door open so she could empty her arms to assist. her canvas bag fell down off her shoulder and landed softly on the floor. she’d brought home one too many books from the library - one of her favorite hobbies was looking through the returns for interesting selections - and she let them topple onto a table in order to make her way back into the hallway in a timely manner. “i got them,” she assured the other as she grabbed an armful of tupperware. “good day on the truck?” she asked, smiling at her neighbor. she had always admired violet and her passion and work ethic. “you must be exhausted.”
the hard wood floor was pressed against her back as she lay looking up at the ceiling. her legs were draped over the couch as her eyes scanned the cracks and dust particles above her. “i suppose it’s time to take down my christmas lights,” she sighed, looking at the sparkling fairy lights that were still sadly hanging from her walls. she had intended to decorate for the holidays and make the place a little more homey, but some lights and a bit of tinsel was about as far as she had gotten. there was a dying poinsettia on her kitchen table begging to be put out of its misery. “not that they looked all that great but i still think i’ll be a bit sad taking them down, you know?” ( @clarahq )
how can a person know everything at eighteen, but nothing at twenty-two?
[ virginia gardner, cis female, she/her, silver ] hey have you seen LYDIA RADCLIFFE ? SHE let me borrow HER COPY OF PRIDE AND PREJUDICE. oh, you know them! they’re 22 and they’ve been at Roy G. for FOUR YEARS. They are known to be a total PIECES. i’m surprised you haven’t heard them blaring ALL TOO WELL BY TAYLOR SWIFT all night. they remind me of JOURNAL PAGES FILLED WITH INK, HALF DRANK CUPS OF COFFEE, AND TEARDROPS ON PIANO KEYS. anyway, let me know if you see them ! (bea, 23, she/her, cst, n/a).
tw: teen pregnancy, pregnancy loss
hello ! my name is bea and i’m super excited to be here! lydia is an old character of mine that i’ve modified a bit to suit this roleplay. i’ve been wanting to play again bc i love her so much! i hope you do too. pls let me know if you have any questions or if you’d like to plot! you can hit me up on discord @ nothing new#5393
character inspiration
rory gilmore, cassie howard, jo march, neil perry, jane austen, rachel green
playlist
illicit affairs by taylor swift
motion sickness by phoebe bridgers
tomorrow will be kinder by the secret sisters
grace by kate havnevik
all too well (10 minute version) by taylor swift
favorite crime by olivia rodrigo
she used to be mine by sara bareilles
you all over me by taylor swift feat. maren morris
don’t forget me way out west
every little thing she does is magic by sleeping at last
a brief biography
there was never a time when lydia didn’t know that after high school she would be attending an ivy league university. she was raised on the east coast by two wealthy yale alumni, a legacy family in the making. her entire schooling career was preparing her for the day she would walk through the yale courtyard as a student.
she’s always had a passion for reading and writing. as a little girl she would stay up late, snuggled up with a good book. she would hide herself in her closet with a flashlight reading the iliad, shakespeare, and harry potter.
it was no surprise when she entered school that she excelled in english. throughout middle & high school she won several awards for her poetry, short stories, and literary essays. she’s showed her work at conferences across the country and spent a summer interning at the library of congress, an honor usually reserved for college students
another joy liddy found in childhood was her love of playing the piano. it seemed to come natural to her, though it probably helped that she had one of the best piano teachers in the city, and a desire to practice whenever she could. as she got older, her parents encouraged her in her craft, but it was always treated as nothing more than a hobby and nothing to pursue as a career. lydia tended to refer to it as her guilty pleasure.
as anticipated, during her senior year she was accepted into the prestigious university, and that fall she began classes, pursing a degree in literature.
however, during her freshman year, lydia found herself caught up in something she never expected. she was used to spending a lot of time with her english teachers. in high school the english classroom had been her second home. but this time she realized she was developing feelings for her professor, and it turned into a secret affair they were able to keep under wraps until disaster struck.
[PREGNANCY TW] a few months into the relationship, lydia discovered she was pregnant. she was terrified, but she was in love. she’d never really desired motherhood, but suddenly everything was different. in her perfect world, she’d put off college, she’d run away with her love and her baby and read dickens to her child in her garden and be happy. but of course…she knew that was never an option. because the love of her life was married and had a life of his own, and she had expectations to meet and a family image to uphold. teen pregnancy and a torrid affair was absolutely out of the question.
[PREGNANCY LOSS TW] her parents were horrified to learn of lydia’s wrongdoings. they agonized over what to do, and how they were going to cover this up. however, they didn’t have to suffer for long, only two months into her pregnancy, she suffered a miscarriage. they were relieved she could continue school as normal, the student body or their wealthy friends none the wiser. [END OF TW]
lydia had other ideas however. the loss had torn her apart. she knew a life with her child was never an option, but she still mourned the possibility. she decided she couldn’t go back to yale- or anywhere for that matter. she needed to get away- somewhere without the cold or the expectations or the pressure. that’s how she found the apartments in miami.
she took a year off to explore life in a new place- and explore herself. now she’s taking classes at a local community college, something she knows her parents would die at the knowledge of, but she’s trying her best to do something she’s never done before- please no one but herself.
she’s changed quite a bit since her ordeal. the girl who once cared about nothing but her scholarly pursuits was left back in high school. she still occasionally feels the weight of needing to please her parents, but she’s trying to find more of herself too. she knows she has to be someone beyond studying. she wants to branch out, she wants to have fun. she’s just afraid of opening herself up again for the first time since her pregnancy. but deep down, she truly is a happy, passionate young woman.
tldr; lydia is a big fat book nerd who got knocked up by her college english professor and dropped out and fled away from her family’s demands and expectations to miami where she ended up at the apartments. heartbroken & hormonal, she now longs to explore new things, find herself, and maybe stop being so boring.
quick bullets/headcanons
she figure skated throughout childhood, but dropped out during her early teens when the commitment interfered with her academic rigor’
she loves to write, mostly poetry but also prose.
she’s pretty much obsessed with female witers. she’ll talk your ear off about jane austen, louisa may alcott, elizabeth barrett browning, emily dickenson or the bronte sisters anytime. beware.
a bit of a coffee addict, she developed an unhealthy relationship with it in high school that she hasn’t kicked.
lydia grew up wealthy, but is now more or less cut off from her parents. she occasionally receives a bank transfer from her grandfather that is never spoken about- but for the first time in her life she is on her own. she works at a local library as often as she can to stay afloat, and uses her grandfather’s money to pay for school.
wanted connections
friends - give my sweet baby some pals! people she trusts. people that give her new experiences. sometimes she’s a tad bit gloomy since her scandal, so i’d love some people that can break through her shell. some close friends, a ride or die bff, acquaintances, maybe someone who she knew in childhood who also happens to be in miami now?? literally anything.
romantic - past and future relationships of all kind. lydia would be slow to let someone in after her affair which can open the door for a lot of possible connections. maybe the first person who got her to open up, a never ending will they/won’t they flirtation, someone who broke her heart, someone whose heart she broke bc she wasn’t ready yet. i’d also love for lydia to explore her bisexuality but she doesn’t entirely know about yet.
coworker or regular - lydia works at a local library! perhaps your muse works there too or comes in often to check out books
family - maybe a cousin that was a push to come to miami?
other - a college classmate, study buddy, a fellow writer or musician, roommate
anything!! we can brainstorm! i’m open to all types of interesting connections & drama hehe.
ty for reading all this! hopefully it wasn’t too much! i haven’t rped in at least a year so i’m excited to jump back in!
yeah libraries are cool but have you ever found a library with a secret doorway disguised as a bookshelf that leads to a smaller, hidden library filled with ancient books full of mysteries and forgotten knowledge? me neither and i'm sad about it
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