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Victoria 21
- 21 years
- 5 minutes, then I laugh
- 1 plan, in pencil
Has a plan and says it out loud. Laughs the loudest in the room and sets the table for everyone.
“Why not today?”
Nine pictures. No likes, no scrolling.
Victoria is a fictional character from the world of ELSEWISE. She has no real account; there are no likes and no comments here.
What I like
- Grandma's sunroom when the lemon tree is in bloom
- Data curves with clean, sharp peaks
- Long tables, lots of people, way too much food
- Salsa on Thursdays until my feet hurt
- Blazers that fit just right and skirts that swing
- Sam's notes next to my coffee cup
- Schnitzel with lemon and Grandma's lemon cake
- Plans in pencil, so you can change them
What I don't
- Waiting, in any form
- Crime shows where the lab work takes two minutes
- Unlabeled sample jars and unlabeled food containers
- Wet rowing gear in the hallway
- Losing, even at cards
- When Sam says “We'll see”
- Rain on freshly done curls
- Half measures, half answers, half portions
Typical Victoria
- Sets the table before anyone says they're hungry
- Pushes her curls back with both hands before she says something important
- Five minutes of mad, then she laughs at herself
- Takes off her hoops in the lab and puts them in the same little tin every time
- Writes lists in perfect handwriting and never loses them
- Never measures when she cooks and still gets it right
- Carries the heavier bag when Sam isn't looking
- Helps Chiara and Nora study for chemistry tests, with gummy bears as molecules
Victoria is 21, and she has known where she's headed since her first chemistry class at fourteen: a crime lab, with fibers, traces and samples, where a single crumb can tell a whole story. Her five-year plan is written in pencil on the inside cover of her planner, so she can change it. So far she has changed it twice.
On Saturdays she's behind the counter at the Limonaia, her Grandma Lucia's café. She knows every regular's order by heart, talks with her hands just like her grandma and believes a full table is the answer to almost anything. Her sister Chiara borrows her blazers. They don't always come back.
She and Sam have been together for a little over two years, and they just moved into their first place together. When Victoria gets mad, she gets loud, and Sam gets quiet. She needs five minutes. Then she laughs at herself, and then they talk. She never holds a grudge.
What she's learning right now isn't in any textbook: a plan you share is written in two different hands. And even a good plan can be written in pencil.
I've got a plan.
Victoria
Just tell me straight.
Victoria
Eat first, then fight.
Victoria
We'll measure it.
Victoria
Six faces, one day
| Age | 21 |
|---|---|
| Height | 5'10" (1.79 m), with a dancer's posture |
| Hair | long, dark natural curls; a high bun in the lab |
| Always with her | gold hoops, a delicate gold necklace, her cognac leather bag; no watch, she keeps time in her head |
| Studies | chemistry, aiming for a crime lab |
| On the side | works at the Limonaia, her Grandma Lucia's café; dances salsa and swing with Mr. Ivanov |
| Family | her sister Chiara, 17; her cousin Daria; Grandma Lucia |
| Her flaw | plans for two before she's asked the other one |
| Star sign | Aries, through and through |
Stories with Victoria
Victoria & SamTwo plans. One way.Victoria wants to be a forensic scientist, Sam wants to work in aerospace.→
Living Together & Fairness · Victoria and Sam · 5 min readI thought you had it
Victoria has to keep track of everything: groceries, laundry, mail, birthdays. Sam takes care of every task the moment she asks and can’t see what’s wrong with that. For Victoria, the remembering itself is the work nobody sees.
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Money & Independence · Victoria and Sam · 4 min readWe can afford it
Victoria wants the couch right now, paid from the shared household account. Sam wants an emergency fund first and says no. She feels held back, and he feels like his worry isn’t being taken seriously.
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Closeness & Consideration · Victoria and Sam · 4 min readNot tonight
Sam cancels the night they planned weeks ago because he’s wiped out after a brutal day. Victoria is disappointed, and Sam feels pushed to justify being tired. They both have a reason, and neither of them feels seen.
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Future & Equality · Victoria and Sam · 4 min readYour call
Victoria gets a big chance in the lab, with more responsibility and long evenings. Sam is happy for her but worried about her everyday life and asks a lot of questions. Victoria hears in them that he doesn’t think she can handle it.
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Family & Expectations · Victoria and Sam · 5 min readYour family, my family
Two family celebrations on the same day, and each of them tries to talk the other into going to their side. The scheduling question quickly turns into whose family matters more. And neither of them actually wants either family to lose.
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Choices & the Future · Victoria and Sam · 4 min readWe had a plan
Less time, surprise expenses, more work than they expected: hardly anything is left of their plan. Victoria wonders whether she expected too much. Sam doesn’t want every change to turn into a problem, and Victoria hears that he doesn’t care.
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