Lydia Dunham
Name Lydia Anne Dunham
Position Survivor
Character Information
| Gender | Female | |
| Age | 26 | |
| Birthday | February 14, 1984 |
Physical Appearance
| Height | 5'4" | |
| Weight | 107 lbs. | |
| Hair Color | Red | |
| Eye Color | Hazel | |
| Physical Description | Long red hair, hazel eyes, slender and graceful in her movement. Good sense of style; knows how to dress and there are pieces in her wardrobe with designer labels tucked in amongst her thrift shop finds. |
Family
| Spouse | None | |
| Children | None | |
| Father | Michael Dunham, M.D. | |
| Mother | Elizabeth Logan Dunham, M.D. | |
| Brother(s) | None | |
| Sister(s) | None | |
| Other Family | Charles Dunham |
Personality & Traits
| General Overview | At heart, Lydia is a creative soul with an adventurous spirit and a strong sense of right and wrong. She will do what she believes to be right and has it within her to find the courage she needs to follow through – it's just making the decision that can take a bit of time. She channels what she feels into her art. She’s gentle by nature, incapable of violence, and good at polite conversation which gives virtually nothing about herself away. She has a ready laugh, delights in the world around her, and has an instinct for survival – a way of finding the good even in the middle of the bad, of creating small, almost magical moments | |
| Strengths & Weaknesses | Strengths: > Trained in classical ballet. It speaks to her creative soul and while she’s never performed on a stage, she does dance when she’s alone as an expression of things she’s feeling. > Holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from Pratt Institute, New York City, New York. > Strong sense of right and wrong Weaknesses: > No weapons training whatsoever. > Panic Attacks Stemming from her time with Whistler > Uncomfortable around men she doesn’t know well > Somewhat introverted - which means that she needs time alone or time with people she trusts well to recharge after prolonged social interactions with strangers > Hot Chocolate |
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| Back Pack Contents | > Sketchbook and small case with pencils, erasers, fine line markers, small chamois cloth > Small watercolor set with brushes > Water bottle > Small utility knife > Cell phone and charger > Handful of energy bars > Flashlight with extra batteries > Matches > Bear Spray > Wallet with money, credit cards, and pictures |
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| Weapon | Bear Spray | |
| Hobbies & Interests | Hobbies > Long hikes/spending time in nature/swimming > Drawing (though that’s more her life than her hobby) > Dancing > Reading |
| Personal History | The Dunham family, owners of the third largest privately held corporation in the United States, are what is sometimes called ‘old money’ and while they’ve always believed in giving back to society in some way, every member of the Dunham family receives a share of the profit. Lydia’s grandfather, Charles Dunham, was an attorney and founding member of a prestigious law firm in Manhattan. His son, Michael, was a physician and, along with his wife, Elizabeth, worked for Doctors Without Borders. Lydia was their only child and when she was born, the couple settled into married life in Manhattan. Because of their work commitments and active social calendar, Willet, a full-time professional nanny, was hired from the prestigious Norland Agency. While Willet was given an apartment of his own within the same building as the Dunhams, he was considered live-in and worked on average anywhere from 8-12 hours a day. Michael and Elizabeth tried to be there for their daughter as much as they could and, together with Willet, formed a close working relationship. They were a team and Lydia, who never knew anything else, thrived. Outside of Michael, Elizabeth, and Willet, she also spent a lot of time with her grandfather, Charles. She was an active, engaged child with a whimsical sense of humor and a passion for all things creative. She started taking ballet lessons and had her own cheering section of four at every recital. And then, when she was twelve, a car accident cost Michael and Elizabeth their lives. She remembers the funeral, watching the caskets lowered into the ground, and thinking that … nothing would ever be the same. And it wasn’t. She moved in with grandfather who retired in order to spend more time with her and that meant Willet left. Life was different … sad for a time but it got better. Always new things to discover, new adventures to be had. She did well in school and, at the age of 18, was accepted into the Pratt Institute to study art. She lived in a penthouse apartment with her grandfather and used the trains and buses, much the same as any typical New Yorker, to get around. Her senior project involved portraits of the homeless community in Manhattan and received high marks. She graduated at the age of 22 and started on her Masters. The idea was that, failing the sale of her work, she could always teach. Not that she needed the money, Dunhams never needed income, but a strong work ethic was as much a part of her as her smile and long red hair. However, in her second year, on her way home from a class at Pratt, Lydia went missing. The police believed that she had been kidnapped and the story made national headlines. Her grandfather established a reward, hired detectives, but it would be two years before she was discovered in Central Park. She had no memory of what had happened to her but it was clear, from the damage, that it had been bad. It took months of therapy for the memories to come back and when they did, her grandfather contacted an old friend, Andrew Morgan, for help. Andrew contacted a lawyer from his firm, who had gone to work for the city of New York, and together they began to build a case against Lucien Black. A sociopath, Lucien was lean, almost to the point of emaciation, and possessed of a keen intellect. He knew the streets, knew how to blend in, and more importantly, he knew how to disappear. Before enough evidence could be secured against him, Lucien disappeared. The case went cold and Lydia was left to the difficult task of rebuilding her life. By the time she was 26, the panic attacks had lessened from four or five a day, to once a week on average. She no longer felt safe but she was slowly, painfully, rebuilding her life. And then, if that wasn’t enough, the wildfire virus hit and her grandfather died. Alone in the world, she felt vulnerable and alone. The camper she had been using for the last few years, on art trips, became her permanent home. She packed up and left New York behind. Just in time as it turned out. Vehicle Ford E350 Turtletop fully converted as a mobile sanctuary, fully insulated. Fits in a standard parking spot. Battery system runs electricals and hot water with two inputs to change, solar on roof, and the alternator when driving. Underbed storage accessible from within the vehicles and from the back doors. Additional storage in bench seating, upper cabinets, and dresser. All windows have covers to prevent people from looking in. She’d already been living in the van before the wildfire virus ended the world. (Images in #references-and-resources) |
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| Service Record | 1984: Born in Manhattan, New York City, New York 2002: Entered Pratt Institute, New York, New York, Fine Arts Major 2004: Graduated with a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts 2004: Entered the Master’s of Fine Arts Program at Pratt Institute. 2006: Abducted. Whereabouts unknown. 2008: Found in Central Park 2010: Left New York to escape the Wildfire Virus |