HISTORY
There honestly isn't much to say about Gen's early history. She was born in Costa Rica and grew up there as well. Not having the privilege of knowing an ounce of English at an early age, she remained restricted to the rainforest with her parents who loved her dearly in their own quiet ways. Her parents origins themselves are a bit vague to even Gen; she knows that they settled down with each other sort of late in their lives, so she wouldn't be surprised if she has paternal or maternal half-siblings that she doesn't know about. Day by day, she'd watch as humans and viscets with their strange, lilting tongue that she only caught snippets of and understood occupy and nearly invade the rich ports and coasts. She remembers her mother and father advocating for the preservation of their territory, and through their tireless efforts they got their one wish.
They didn't live to see their dream flourish for long, however: soon after the establishment as a national park, the Osa peninsula suffered an intense wildfire (caused by either some type of manmade chemical or metal, since it burned despite the near constant drizzle) that killed both of her parents in their beds. They both inhaled too much smoke to be able to gain consciousness in time to escape. She was the only one awake that late at night, and thinking that her parents would follow her once she desperately tried to rouse them before the flames drove her out of her home, she escaped the house. Once she discovered that her parents didn't make it, Gen, in her grief, left the peninsula to try to run away from such a sorrowful place . She was only at the tender age of 11, and wouldn't return to Costa Rica for another sixteen years.
In that time span, she traveled to America to hopefully do something worthwhile. But, as an estranged and listless viscling, she barely survived in America as an independent- always running from something or another until she was able to obtain a citizenship through the kindness of a few select individuals. After that, it only got harder to build up her status since her English was choppy at best. The bullying and discrimination that she faced due to her language barrier ended up affecting her a great deal. Never wanting to be seen as inferior as in that time again, she quickly learned complex English and nearly destroyed her strong accent in order to be taken seriously by other English-speakers.
However, her quick learning only attracted more attention to her. Thankfully somewhat positive this time. She stood out amongst her peers and her teachers quickly snapped up Gen and labeled her a "genius." As a young viscet who was clearly relieved to finally be noticed, really noticed after being overlooked for so long, she let the special attention get to her head. To say the least, she was a mean, self-centered little kid. But, she felt justified. Above all else, those few years of bullying stuck with her.
Gen wasn't actually able to shake herself of her haughtiness until she became an adult, so she was a regular menace to her peers and got away with it too since the teachers liked her. Her adult years acted as a wake up call since absolutely no one took sympathy on her or saw her as something special. Trying to become successful as a writer, which ended up being her favorite subject right beside environmental science, only made her pass under the radar even further. Time and time again she was stranded or missed deadlines for job opportunities because she expected someone to tell her at least once without her having to go investigate herself, and she missed numerous opportunities until she finally had to, in the bluntest way possible, pull her head out of her ass.
She ended up having to adjust to seeing herself as not being the center of everything, which led her to deciding that she honestly didn't feel at home in America. As a result, she traveled the world once she got far enough through college for it to matter any, and in her travels she expanded her world view past her own nose and matured more in those few years than at any other point in her life. She connected to other creatures, humans, and viscets alike and exposed herself to their characters in order to shape her own. Regrettably, most of her experiences weren't the brightest, so she came into the mindset that most creatures... just weren't inherently good. She created a great few skeletons in her proverbial closet during her early adult years. Gen wasn't surprised though, given her own personality.
However, so many years away from her birth home matured her and helped Gen get past her misgivings on returning home. Her grief was still palpable, and the effects of the fire still showed in the rainforest, but she could live with it and grow as a result. Gen wanted to finally honor her parents' legacy and commitment to the rainforest in the Osa Peninsula. Through her efforts, she was able to restore the balance in the national park even further, but not without hardships. She had to fight legally with humans and viscets to recreate her home in the peninsula, but she was happy that her struggle wasn't in vain.
Currently, she resides in her home mostly and leaves every once in a while for her conservation work. And, much like her earlier adult life, she still meets some of the most unique characters. While it doesn't seem to show, she anticipates every new day and the experiences that it brings her. Good or bad.
Mild Warning about Length!
