Lance B. Fleece

Age and Birthday: 19, March 3rd
Birthchart

Grade: Sophomore

Orientation: Uncertain / Bisexual

Focus: Film / Camera operations

Appearance:
Tends to blend in to his surroundings and prefers it that way
Lanky stature reaching to 5'9, thin features
Curly mop of blonde hair, definitely as soft as it looks
His deep umber eyes are on a constant look out for cinematic images to capture. He has very noticeable birth marks upon the right side of his face as well as upon his chin, a source of much insecurity in his childhood years

Personality: A quiet type, usually only speaks when he has something of importance to say. He's not a loner though, he greatly enjoys the company of others but he prefers to tag along instead of take lead. The more active his friends are, the more encouraged he gets to break out of his voyeuristic shell. What he likes most is being the observer, a recording device for wherever he goes. It gives him a sense of purpose, in a way, to capture his experiences constantly - to know that someday someone will watch his life's collective work and get something out of it that he would've never dreamed of. Since he was bullied in elementary and early on in middle school, he is fairly self-conscious when it comes to meeting people who are higher up socially than he is and needs reassurance before he's able to get comfortable around them. He tends to use his camera as his means of expressing himself and is able to either quickly attract or deter people just by having it on him, makes it easy to make acquaintances as well as ward off possible tormentors.


Likes:
- Busy environments
- People watching
- Being in the right place, right time
- Birds and nature in general
- Artists at work

Dislikes:
- Being stared at
- Having to take charge of a situation
- Running out of camera battery / memory
- Distractions and unwanted obligations
- Lack of lighting




Backstory:
Born the second son in a successful middle class family, Lance learned very early on to not follow in his brother's shadow. Though he may have been interested getting in to competitive sports as a young child who knew no better, he quickly got a reality check when he tried to. His hands were no good at handling the numerous sporting materials his brother had around the house, they fumbled clumsily even at simple games of catch. So he was at a great loss during the time before he was sent off to school, his only hobbies being bird watching with his mother and sitting on the sidelines as his brother and his teammates monopolized their backyard. Since his father was more interested in following Jost's interests, his mother inclined herself to help her younger son find his. They tried drawing and painting and molding clay, but Lance just seemed to go through the motions without much enthusiasm. It was when she introduced him to her unused digital camera that he showed more attention to than anything she'd tried before. He wasn't allowed to take it to school with him, but he could use it whenever he wished while at home.

Then it was time for Lance to begin grade school. He was excited, ready to experience whatever it was that Jost had come home from with so much to talk about. To his surprise, there was nothing fun or exciting about school for him. Unlike his brother, Lance was picked out almost immediately by a small group of peers who made fun of him constantly and who all went out of their way to make him feel like dirt and hurt him physically and emotionally. This hardened him very early on, because he knew that no adult could always be there to prevent the actions of the group - and not even his loving mother could do anything to help him, so he never told her. The years passed, Lance did everything he could to ignore the group and it seemed to work in his advantage, for awhile. He realized that the more he faded in to the background, the more they left him alone and focused their attention elsewhere.

It was when he was blessed with his first growth spurt that he could no longer be invisible. He was the tallest in his grade and stuck out like a sore thumb. Naturally, his previous bullies found new and creative ways to harass him, calling him new things that hadn't been applicable before. Lance started out in middle school feeling completely out of the ordinary and awkward, most of the school facilities designed for students who hadn't sprouted up so early. What was even worse, his mother was pregnant with a girl - an event she'd always wanted. The camera that he had grown attached to was now taken back to document the process of her pregnancy and everything that was involved with it. Lance simply began to ostracize himself from his family, building a unstable little shack along the side of the house just so he could escape the chatter that a new baby brought along.

That Christmas though, he received a gift that turned almost everything around for him - a handheld camcorder all his own. Noticing how her son had been using the video clip feature much more than the intended purpose of her own camera, Paula thought she could make it up to him by encouraging Lance to continue on the path of film making. He would take it everywhere - to the point where his middle school had to call her up about it. They all came to an agreement that Lance would not film in class or anywhere else where it could be seen as a disruption. Lance was just glad to have an outlet for his indifference, and soon he began to appreciate things in ways he never had before. Seeing everything through a lens helped him cope as well as discouraged his fellow students' reproaches. He used it so much that he had to learn to become ambidextrous - as to not cramp his favored hand as much. As his brother graduated and moved out of state on a college football scholarship, Lance found so many uses for his own skills. His mother mentioned to all of her friends how he could record their children's games, plays, and recitals for them in the case they couldn't be there or just plain didn't want to do it themselves - and Lance loved it. He realized that he liked being relied on, even for something as small as capturing a bit part as a prop in a play for someone. He liked hearing the compliments on his lighting and zoom technique. It was still like he was invisible, but in such a way that allowed someone to stand in his shoes and see what he saw. There was nothing like it.

Once he applied to Metric he knew exactly what he'd be focusing on. He could tell that the admissions staff were impressed with how early he'd began with his passion and they accepted him unanimously. It was incredibly refreshing to be wanted somewhere, Lance decided that he would stick to his momentum and make everyone including himself, proud. In celebration, his parents seriously upgraded him with a go pro cam along with his choice of accessories. With Jost far away, they were finally showering praises and showing their affections for their once forgotten son. He didn't hold resentment, none at all - Lance was so silently amazed at how things could change for the better when he was focused on what he loved doing. He has excelled throughout his underclassman years and it doing just as well in Metric's university.


Family members:
Claude Fleece (Dad)
Paula Fleece (Mom)
Kimmy Fleece (Little sister)
Jost Fleece (Older brother)

Important relationships:
TBW

Playby: Max Barczak