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[personal profile] findingtruth
OOC INFORMATION
Name: Clari
Contact: awakened @ plurk
Age: 36
Other Characters: Dee Reynolds || [personal profile] agiantbird & Lucille Sharpe || [personal profile] blackmothwings

CHARACTER INFORMATION
Character Name: Nancy Wheeler
Age: 18
Canon: Stranger Things
Canon Point: End of Season 4
Character Information: History

Personality:
When we first meet Nancy in Season 1, she's your typical teenage girl. She's dating popular jock Steve Harrington, finds her brother and his friends annoying, and gives into peer pressure fairly easily. Nancy seems to be well-liked in school. She gets invited to parties, people talk to her comfortably, and she appears to be happy. She has a best friend, Barbara 'Barb' Holland, and she's getting excellent grades in school. Everything seems to be going well for her until the night of Steve's party. Barbara goes missing, and Nancy's world is turned Upside Down (SORRY).

The party is a key point in Nancy's history and evolution as a character. Nancy pressures Barb to go with her, despite Barb insisting that they shouldn't. If Nancy had not insisted that Barbara attend, we might have had a somewhat different story for her character. While at the party, we see Barb looking left out, ignored by Steve, his friends, and most importantly, Nancy, who is preoccupied with trying to fit in with and impress Steve's group. We see a typical teenager who doesn't understand herself yet, and who is succumbing to peer pressure. After a night of ignoring Barb, she tells her friend to go home alone. Barb doesn't go home and encounters the Demogorgon while sitting by Steve's pool. She goes missing, and this sends Nancy down a stormy path of anger, guilt, regret, and, ultimately, revenge. But it also turns her into someone who values truth, and who is determined, brave, and compassionate.

The first time we see Nancy's sense of determination and bravery is when she discovers that Barb is missing. She starts looking for Barb and goes so far as to return to Steve's home (without his knowledge) to find her answers. And she doesn't stop searching for answers, doing everything in her power to uncover the truth. These two traits show themselves throughout the series. For example, in Season 1, Nancy finds a portal to the Upside Down and, despite knowing the danger, crawls through it to try and save Barb - something that many people would be too afraid to do when faced with the same situation. After encountering the Demogorgon in the Upside Down, Nancy is clearly frightened and traumatized by the experience. This doesn't stop her from wanting to fight, however. It makes her all the more determined, instead. No matter how terrified she is, her determination, resolve, and bravery keep her moving forward.

But Vecna can't hurt them. Not if he's dead. We have to go back in there. Back to the Upside Down.


In Season 4, despite feeling rattled after a confrontation with Vecna, Nancy still chooses to try and stop him from harming her family and her hometown. She is visibly terrified when Vecna gets into her head and toys with her guilt over Barb before showing her his childhood and visions of Hawkins being destroyed. It's an experience that would probably frighten some people enough to stop them from investigating the situation any further. Some people may (understandably) turn tail and run. However, once again, Nancy's fear only makes her more determined to try and stop the monster from threatening her family and hometown. She knows the risks involved but takes action anyway because she needs to (at the very least) try and save her loved ones. She refuses to let her guilt, fear, and trauma cripple her, no matter how overwhelming it may feel.

"You're pretending like everything is okay. You know, like we didn't... like we didn't kill Barb."


As mentioned earlier, Nancy is guilty over Barb's death, and it's a trauma that continues to haunt her. During a drunken confrontation with Steve in Season 2, she vents her frustration and anger over her forgotten friend, and the viewer can see that she wants to make amends and find justice for Barb. We catch a glimpse of her belief that she is personally responsible for Barb's death, but we can also see that Nancy channels that guilt, anger, and regret into action. She doesn't wallow in self-pity and doesn't succumb to depression. She gathers up her pain and her anger and utilizes them to make things right. To get her revenge. Whether wanting to kill the Demogorgon or unveiling the truth behind her friend's death, Nancy always takes action. Of course, there are times when she locks herself away, needing time alone with her thoughts. In Season 3, being fired from the Hawkins Post, and having an argument with Jonathan causes her to lock herself away momentarily before eventually seeking advice from her mother. Sometimes she needs help organizing her thoughts, and she isn't afraid to ask for that help.

In Season 4, she shows herself to be a leader, heading the plan to take Vecna down, and she is shown to be very comfortable in this role. She speaks with an air of authority, insisting that no one deviates from the plan. She's the one standing at the front, ensuring everyone knows what to do. And when she isn't heading plans to kill monsters from alternate dimensions, she's overseeing the school newspaper and, quite comfortably, managing her coworkers. In Season 4, we can see that she has evolved into someone who has a better idea about what she wants in life. We see her grow into someone who can confidently take charge of a group and delegate tasks.

She doesn't shy away from conflict and gets actively involved in whatever is happening. She'll do whatever she feels she must to try and protect others, even if it seems extreme. In season one, she points a gun at Steve Harrington whilst demanding he leaves the Byers' home. In season two, she tears a phone out of the wall because its ring would have let the Mind Flayer know where they were. When possessed Will starts choking Joyce, Nancy jabs him with a fire poker. She shoots at Flayed Billy Hargrove when he threatens her safety and everyone else's safety. If an action seems necessary, she'll do it.

She can get argumentative and somewhat aggressive if something stands in the way of her truth, and while she may acknowledge other points of view, she’ll occasionally disregard them if she feels they don’t align with her ideas and feelings. She hasn't quite refined her aforementioned leadership skills yet, and sometimes she can be interpreted as bossy, especially when she’s irritated. When irritated, she will make demands or give directions in a stern tone which may come off as abrasive. She mentions in Season 4 that she’s gone through a lot of managing editors, implying that they may have clashed due to her stubborn, bossy tendencies. Again, she can be a strong leader but she isn't perfect and may come off too strongly under some circumstances. She can get irritated fairly easily sometimes. We see her getting irritated with Mike at the start of Season 4, and we also witness her getting visibly irritated with Robin when Robin starts rambling in the library.

Jonathan: Mortgage, college tuition. You know, they're real things, Nancy. Things that you don't care about only because you don't have to.


We see an example of her stubbornness in Season 3. Nancy becomes so caught up in her desire to prove herself right to the men at the Hawkins Post that she ultimately costs herself and Jonathan their jobs. Nancy doesn't care about losing her job, and her need to prove herself puts a strain on her relationship with him. Nancy is in a comfortable financial situation. Her family is doing well for themselves, and she can lose her job without worry. On the other hand, Jonathan needs his job because his financial situation isn't comfortable. This stubbornness affects Jonathan, and she doesn't see it until it's too late. She can also say cruel, thoughtless things out of anger. After they lose their jobs, Jonathan tries to explain his point of view, and Nancy refers to it as 'the Oliver Twist routine.' It's something said out of anger and proof that she could be insensitive when she's upset. Of course, she isn't unjustified in her anger. Nancy can tell that she's being treated differently because she's female, and her anger over this is a huge motivator in her quest to prove herself.

She also tends to hide her true feelings at times, and this is usually when it comes to her personal life. She has an unfortunate tendency to lie to herself, and she can be out of touch with her feelings, which in turn can lead to feelings of conflict and uncertainty.
She is still a young woman trying to find her place in the world, and she will occasionally lie or obfuscate how she truly feels to keep up appearances and pretend things are okay. In season 1, she's very focused on maintaining an image of herself that doesn't necessarily reflect who she is, deep down. She's concerned about what people think of her and doesn't want to shatter that carefully constructed image. In seasons 1 and 2, Steve Harrington feels like a 'safe' choice to Nancy, like someone she 'should' be seen with. So she tries to convince herself that she loves Steve when she doesn't. She's attracted to Jonathan Byers and only acts on it after Murray Bauman points it out to her. Deep down, she thinks that Jonathan is a better match, but it takes a drunken confrontation with Steve for her to openly admit that she doesn't love him. As Murray Bauman says, "we like Steve, but we don't love Steve." Once Season 4 comes around, we can see that she doesn't give into peer pressure anymore and has grown into someone who has a better idea of who she is and what she wants, but she still stumbles at times.


Jonathan: Are we okay?
Nancy: Yeah.
Jonathan: Yeah?
Nancy: Yeah, totally. Yeah, it's... it's just... You know. It's hard.


Unfortunately, Nancy and Jonathan's relationship appears to be struggling once Season 4 comes around, and although she tries to stay positive, it's easy to see that, once again, she's being dishonest to herself about how she really feels. She insists that they're okay, even though it's clear to the viewer that they aren't. She keeps these mixed-up feelings close to her heart and gets irritated when people question her relationship with him. When it comes to careers, she knows exactly what she wants. She wants to be a journalist and a leader. But when it comes to her personal life, she still struggles to understand her own heart. She appears conflicted about wanting to be with Steve or Jonathan, and can't be honest with anyone, including herself. She has done a lot of growing up since Season 1, but her tendency to be dishonest with herself still shines through.

Nancy has her weaknesses but she also has a lot of strengths. Nancy has a strong sense of right and wrong and believes in making the right choice, even if it goes against everything she's been told to do. She isn't above telling small lies, so no one worries or goes looking for her. Little lies, like lying to her mother about sleepovers so she can work on exposing a government coverup, are acceptable if she doesn't think they're hurting the person being lied to. She is very capable of being dishonest toward other people, but only if it's to protect someone or find clues that will help her in her investigations. If the only way for her to get her answers is to break a rule, then she will. For example, she's more than willing to pretend to be someone else and lie to the director of Pennhurst Asylum so she can talk to Victor Creel. She drops the facade as soon as she gets to talk to Victor alone and approaches him with honesty and kindness despite her nerves. When secrets and lies actively harm other people, that's when she gets upset, and she will break as many rules as she must if that's what it takes to protect or help someone affected by that lie.

This determination to uncover the truth, as well as her desire to protect people demonstrates her kindness, compassion, and ability to empathize with others. In Season 2, she sees the Holland family desperately looking for Barbara, and it's evident that this breaks Nancy's heart. It pains her to know that they might go their entire lives looking for their daughter without finding closure, and so Nancy chooses to try and expose the lies of Hawkin's lab and bring light to Barb's death so her parents can grieve instead of clinging on to false hopes. The gang is told to keep quiet after Season one's events, but Nancy cannot do that. She won't stand for it. She is driven by her need to find some kind of justice for the suffering inflicted upon the Hollands and the Byers. Another example of her compassionate, kind nature can be found at the end of Season 2, during the snowball dance. Nancy sees Dustin standing alone, looking unhappy, and she chooses to check on him. She invites him to dance with her, so he doesn't feel left out and does what she can to cheer him up. In Season 4, she approaches Wayne Munson and says she wants to tell his side of the story. The other newspapers are weaving their own truths about what happened to Chrissie Cunningham, but Nancy (who values and cares about the truth), is interested in finding the real truth. Nancy cares and has a strong ability to sympathize with others, and this compassionate nature has helped shape her into a truth-seeking, determined young woman.

Nancy is intelligent, and her mind works quickly to find solutions to problems. In Season 3, Episode 3, Nancy's attempt to prove herself by investigating the rats and the missing fertilizer is met with derision and mockery. Naturally, this upsets her at first, but she turns this mockery into an idea and suggests taking the rat to animal control. She's also highly observant, noticing little things others might not pick up on immediately. She notices, for example, that the Demogorgon is drawn to the scent of blood, acting like a predator. Then she uses her intelligence and her knowledge to try and understand the creature so she can kill it. In Season 4, she uses her intelligence and observation skills to make out the Creel house from Max's drawings.

She may act aloof towards her brother, Mike, but she often demonstrates her love for him and her desire to protect him from harm. In the first season, she immediately steps in to help Mike save Will and embraces him, telling him she was worried for him. They reconcile with each other and promise never to lie to each other again. It's a promise that's broken immediately after they make it, but it's a step forward in their relationship nonetheless. She also hesitates to go with Jonathan and Joyce to Hopper's cabin during the 2nd season because she wants to protect Mike. And she expresses relief over Jonathan being with Mike during Season 4. These are the actions of a sister who truly loves her brother and cares about his well-being. They might fight, like so many siblings do, but when things get dire, she's there to fight by his side and protect him. They still snipe at each other, as seen at the beginning of Season 4, but there's a lot less bickering, which is also a sign that they're all growing up. She is also visibly shaken when Vecna shows her visions of her family dying, demonstrating that she truly loves them and wants to protect them.

Nancy is a young woman still working to find her place in a strange, complex, and often horrifying world. Although she may have trouble being true to herself, she values uncovering the truth for other people and ensuring that justice is found for them. She may occasionally be irritable, bossy, and thoughtless but she is also kind, caring, and empathetic. She shows strength, determination, and love when it is truly needed and is seen evolving into someone who will take charge and lead the way for others.


5-10 Key Character Traits:
+ Compassionate
+ Brave
+ Determined
+ Intelligent
+ Observant
+ Leader
- Dishonest (with herself, and when she needs to protect someone or uncover information that she can't obtain without lying)
- Guilty
- Stubborn
- Irritable

Would you prefer a monster that FITS your character’s personality, CONFLICTS with it, EITHER, or opt for 100% RANDOMIZATION? Fits, please!

Opt-Outs: Arachne, Slime, Shade, Werebear, Minotaur, Simulacrum (+ Waldgeist (Dee) & Harpy (Lucille))

Roleplay Sample: Ryslig TDM
Folkmore TDM

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Nancy Wheeler

January 2023

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