1920s, 1940s, and 1980s
Send Me A Decade
…and I’ll describe to you my muse’s style, interests, and how they’d make a living during that decade.
Verse 1920s
In 1912, when Viggo was 12, the Wolfe family boarded a ship from England to go back to their home in America. The ship was named Titanic, and as everyone would later know, the ship was destined for a watery grave. Both Ira and Anna sought out a lifeboat for their children, knowing that they were filling up quickly and some were even being lowered down when they were less than half-filled. Naturally, Elijah and Viggo didn’t want to go without their parents, but Anna convinced them to, saying they would grab the next available one. In spite of Ira’s demands that she take another one, though, it also meant that he would not be allowed to join her given his sex. Anna refused to leave him behind, and in the process perished in the ship’s decline along with her husband.
For the young Wolfe boys, Viggo kept Elijah close as they shivered throughout the night until the Carpathia arrived to rescue them. Scared, tired, and heartbroken, they had to find a means to survive on their own. Taken to New York, Viggo took in the bustling city and began a lifetime career as a starving artist, except along the years, the starving part became less accurate.
By the Roaring Twenties, Elijah had married and was living with his wife, who was already expecting their first child. Viggo, although still keeping in close contact with his brother, decided to go to Paris to expand his profession and become a part of the Expressionist movement. He gained recognition for the angst that went into his work. One in particular is inspired by the Titanic, where the bodies are frozen and yet delicately swimming through the water. Along with expressionism, Viggo also has a strong appreciation for impressionism, and receives several commissions that keep him living comfortably.
As for his personal style, Viggo isn’t dressed very well for the era. He’s avant-garde for the time in the way he doesn’t busy himself with multiple layers of clothing and prefers comfort over fashion. In the winter, he’ll have a dark green turtleneck that he dyed himself with a scarf around seven feet long that drapes in front of him. In the summer, he cut the sleeves from a button-down shirt to make them just long enough to cover his shoulders. For his hair, it’s usually unkempt. For the colder months, it grows out to tickle down his neck, but in the hotter times, he’ll go to get it cut. It’s the one thing he’ll ask someone else to do because he’s convinced he’ll accidentally puncture his neck if he does it himself.
Verse 1940s
During WWII, Viggo willingly joins the military, following in his father’s footsteps. It doesn’t take long before he is sent to Europe, where he meets another young soldier that is part of the Allied forces. This British officer is Charles Irons, who becomes well-acquainted with the American just like in canon. Their connection, however, is more secretive, knowing that it has to be considering the terrible laws against homosexuals. In a time when even Alan Turing, a man that defeated the enigma code, would be penalized for his sexuality, it was not something to be fooled with. On the other side, though, the two of them find companionship in one another and stability, which is something desperately needed.
In due time, the two are naturally separated, and both of them find themselves on equally brutal circumstances. For Viggo, because he is fluent in German, he’s a valuable asset in the army, if for nothing else but as a translator. He is one of the few that can communicate with those his company finds in the concentration camps.
When Viggo returns home, he’s a man that has seen death in a thousand different ways and none of them are good. Ira understands his son, but Viggo just wants a way to distract himself instead of becoming a burden. By chance, he answers an advertisement for a radio station. With his deep and soothing voice, it leads him to become a rather popular journalist on the radio, going on different trips to report the important issues of the day.
For style, Viggo again does not follow protocol. In spite of no longer being in the military, he wears his olive-green army jacket that gathers wrinkles from his constant wear with a white undershirt. His dogtags are placed beneath that, similar to canon, and can sometimes faintly be heard through the radio whenever he shifts. It nearly becomes a trademark.
Verse 1980s
Viggo's passion for tea is able to shine through far greater in the 80s than in any previous decade. With support from his mother and hard work, he's able to open his own tea shop. Without tragedy chasing after him, his attraction to the same sex is no longer hindered by asexuality. From the discovery of AIDs, he has also been seen as an activist and offers support to those in need. In spite of details about the disease being mostly unknown, Viggo is particularly careful with anyone he meets in terms of a relationship, ironically leaving him a virgin. For him, the business and his community are more important, anyways.
In this world of pop, he has a guilty pleasure for Pac-Man and horror movies, but honestly doesn't understand why Madonna is well-liked (except for Like a Prayer because that's... admittedly catchy, and might know it by heart from all the times he's heard it on the radio.) Along with the fads, his interest in the recent space missions probably catches some off guard by just how much he knows about them and the stars in general. It's fascinating to him, and he was completely devastated during the Challenger disaster.
For someone completely devoid of fashion sense, he fits naturally in this era. He has a red pair of beaten up converses that he's had for over a year now and should've tossed them out a few months ago. There are several pairs of acid-washed jeans and many tank tops that range from black to neon yellow. In winter, he'll throw on an over-sized sweatshirt over said shirt. His dark blond locks are messier than usual in a straight-out-of-bed look, but at least it's attractive, unlike his ensemble.