CIVILIAN . HERSCHEL, EDITH

Female

Heterosexual

Sixty-six

August 13th, 1945

American

English

She is commonly called either Edie or Mrs. Herschel.

0.5

Civilian

N/A

N/A

N/A

Duvet

Kyu-Sik Moon
Mi-Ho Moon
Naos Dia

High

Sophia from Ristorante Paradiso

Edith and her wonderful husband are a retired couple. However, their savings put them into the bracket around upper middle class. They own a house and a pleasant shop in Los Angeles, and they live quite comfortably. However, they do still work to fight off boredom.

Shopkeeper; Retirement was a word that drove Edith up the wall after the first few weeks. She was bored with it. So, of course, new hobbies were found. Using some of their savings, the Herschel's purchased a modest storefront. After some remodeling, Herschel's Candy was opened. It's a small store full of nostalgic goodies, both bought in and handmade by the old couple. It's appealed to people of all ages. As the couple is Jewish, it should also be noted that everything is kosher.

Retired Mechanical Engineer; Edith has had a lot of odd jobs in the past. A lot. However, she grew up building cars and Mechanical Engineering was something that she had actually gone to school for. She obtained her degree in 1968 and, though she was in and out of work, she fought with everything she had to be taken seriously in the industry despite her gender. She made quite the name for herself in the companies she worked for. She's been retired from the work for a few years now, but she'll still do her best to keep up with the latest new inventions through books and newspapers. Her favorite things to play with have always been airplanes and her thunderbird, but these days she'll also go on and on about her distaste with the current American rail system.

Edith is a typical older woman, as she has a fairy standard build for someone her age. In her younger days she was quite the looker, but she's thin and her curves aren't quite what they used to be. She's at the height of 5' 6". Though average, her legs have always been on the longer side. Her hair used to be a light brown before she started really turning gray in her 40's. Now it's a light gray, but it's still just as well-maintained as it used to be. It is soft and usually kept up in a bun. When let down it hangs a bit past her shoulders. Her eyes are a blue-gray and have softened with age. Age has also made her voice a bit deeper than it used to be, but she still speaks with the same fiery and bright tone that she did as a young woman.

Interestingly enough, the woman has a number of tattoos scattered in mostly hidden places around her body. Aside from the few she obtained through youthful antics, she tried to get one for each place she and Harold lived in for the decade they worked across the globe. She and Harold even have a matching tattoo.

She usually dresses as a classy older woman from her era should dress. No, not a-line skirts and dresses. She's always preferred pants, so she typically wears loose flowy pants paired with different kinds of feminine blouses. The occasional scarf will also make its way into the outfit, as well as a fashionable pair of sunglasses for those sunnier days. Her preferred colors are silvers, blues, teals, and greens.

Positives: Strong-willed, Honest, Generous, Quick-witted, Faithful
Negatives: Stubborn, Rude, Overbearing, Bossy, Intolerant

Edith has always been a talented and headstrong woman, and, though her bite has mellowed a bit in her sixty-six years, she hasn't really changed in that sense. She's always had a very resolute attitude towards the world and she's accomplished a lot for it. Once she decides that she's going to do something, she does it. Simple as that. She does work hard towards her goals to make them possible. However, part of that also means ferociously ripping apart at anything that might stand in her way. She's stubborn and she won't let anyone or anything hold her back once she's set her mind on something. This has played a part in all aspects of her life and she feels successful despite any trouble it's caused her. At the current point in time, she's the type of older woman who spends the better half of an hour arguing with cashiers over coupons, but she's done much worse in the past. It should also be noted that even though she is older, she has always been perfectly capable of keeping herself safe in even Los Angeles. If someone tries to steal her purse, she is not afraid to try and smack them down with a tire iron.

On that same line, the woman has also always been a very honest person. She speaks her mind and never tries to soften or avoid a topic when she wants to say something. While this can easily come off as rude, there is a bright side to it. She's always been a very sincere person and this has been all the more true the older she gets. Though occasionally telling a few lies in her past due to her pride, she's dropped that completely. If you ask Edith what's on her mind or what she thinks of something, you'll always get the truth.

One of the worst possible things she picked up in her older age is being an overbearing woman. Edith is a good person at heart. Although she can be as difficult to deal with as a mule, she is not a mean-spirited woman. She has a good moral compass and she means others well. She's always had an outgoing charm and she's completely capable of welcoming others into conversation and the like. While she may not be out to solve all the world's problems, she takes care of her own and won't hesitate to put her two cents into a case that crosses her path. The woman is fully capable of being kind and generous with a 'teach a man to fish' attitude. However, the other side of this card is the stereotypical image of a nagging grandmother. Sure, she may not have any actual kids of her own, but if she knows you and she sees you in shorts on a chilly day she will ask you where your sweater is and then demand you put it on. That is the lighter end of it. Once she starts on something she won't stop. Surprisingly enough, the exception to this would be her husband Harold. They've been married long enough that she trusts him to be more down to Earth than others she doesn't know as well.

It's easy to call her a bossy woman for all of negative traits above. To an extent, yes, she is. She's not going to hesitate to tell you what she thinks you should do with yourself or whatever else you're doing. At the same time, though, she admits to operating on a 'do as I say, not as I do' basis. Edith has made her fair share of stupid moves in her day, and her attitudes have gotten her fired from more than one job. She's lived and learned, but she'll still let herself do things that she would never advise someone else to try. Thankfully, she's rather quick-witted. She's still capable of thinking on her feet and acting accordingly.

Possibly one of Edith's most important positive traits underneath her iron exterior would be her warm heart. Despite what she may be at her worst, Edith at her best is a concerned woman always trying to do what's best. She's always been reliable when needed, and always makes sure to carry through with what she says she's going to do. Her concerns and relationships are as sincere as the woman herself. Her friendships are true friendships and her love for her relatives is unbreakable. Edith sees a best friend and life-long companion in her husband Harold and, as she finds herself eternally charmed by both him and his view of the world, she has been faithfully by his side since their wedding. However, this large positive trait has also worked against her. Edith has an intolerance for those who can't maintain their own relationships or responsibilities. This has sometimes made dealing with the younger generation difficult for her. Sure, kids will be kids, but there is a line in her mind between being a reckless adventurer and being a lazy partier. She's quick to give those sorts of people a piece of her mind.

1945-1962 (0-17)
The second World War was a difficult time for many families. The United States officially entered the war in 1941. Some jumped at the chance to serve their country. Others, like a newly wed Frederick Blum, really just wanted to stay home, run his car repair business, and take care of his wife Ethel. Unfortunately, he was forced into the military anyway by the draft age adjustment of 1942. During this period Ethel, like many other women, stepped up to the plate and ran her husband's car repair business herself. The couple wrote each other constantly and Frederick's mandatory service was over when two years had passed.

However, those two years had really changed the couple. Ethel was significantly more independent and proved herself perfectly capable of handling the business while Frederick, after seeing the terrible things happening overseas, reenlisted. He was only home for a brief stint in the winter holidays of 1944 before heading back. Luckily it was only a few more months until the war was over, and just a bit after that a young Edith was born. Not only did Frederick come home to a relieved wife, but also his newborn child.

Though young Edith would never know directly of the actual war herself, it had a very strong affect on how she was raised. From her mother she received confirmation that a woman could do anything she set her mind to, which was a big deal when gender roles began to reinstate themselves soon after the war was over. From her father, who had seen so many people killed for the most trivial reasons, she received the strong sense that one should never take life for granted and that it should be enjoyed as much as possible. Overall, they did make sure their daughter knew the difference between real evils and virtues that mattered. However, her upbringing compared to other girls her age just wasn't quite the same. She was that elementary school girl beating up the boys down the street for calling her names, and she was helping her dad put together cars and engines as soon as he'd let her.

By the time she was a teenager, the girl had grown into quite the beautiful young lady. However, she was also commonly referred to as a tramp. She wasn't overly promiscuous, but she was a rockabilly greaser always in pants, she kept her hair tied up in scarves, she built cars, she raced those cars, and she started smoking and drinking a bit sooner than she should've been allowed to. Edith could've been considered a bit of a party girl as she always stubbornly lived life to the fullest, but having her pride and a realistic set of morals helped keep her grounded enough to stay in school. She had been known to skip school quite a bit, but once she set the goal to study further into auto-mechanics she spent her final two years raising her grades for her diploma. She was technically gifted enough in her desired field that she even managed to get accepted into New York University, where she planned to officially broaden her knowledge in Mechanical Engineering.

1963-1972 (18-27)
Edith spent her college years as reckless as she had spent her teen years. Early on, she was still one of those girls people warned their children about. She was at the bars on the weekends and drinking with her friends. One particular Saturday of her freshman year, October 3rd, 1964, she was merrily drinking and listening to an airing of a ballgame between the New York Yankees and Cleveland Indians. Edith had been raised a vicious Yankees fan, so when an Ohio man by the name of Paul Truman began making negative comments about the team an argument broke out. This argument escalated to the point that a mildly drunk Edith finally snapped and threw a chair at the man despite others trying to mediate. Edith was thrown out of the bar and banned from returning. (She is still banned to this day.) Thankfully, a friend of Paul's named Harold Herschel came out to apologize for what happened. She was skeptical, but accepted and then let the man walk her back to her college dormitory.

The bar fight was what sparked her three-year relationship with Harold. Though a slightly odd couple, they were happy together. They went to different schools where they both took their chosen fields seriously, but they had fun together in their free time. However, Edith came to a hard decision when she reached graduation. With the help of one of her professors, she managed to land an entry job with an auto company in Michigan. For a woman to get the position, it was a big deal to her. The problem was that this meant leaving behind Harold. Not wanting to be the sort of person to ask someone else to follow her, but also not wanting to give up on her own career-starting opportunity, she decided to end their relationship as cordially as she could. Which turned out to be rather blunt still, but it was a good try. She was very fond of him and wished him all the best. They parted ways.

Edith did amazingly well in Michigan. She had always been a fairly independent individual, so she was able to take care of herself in the new setting easily. That much wasn't a problem. However, she did face other conflicts. There were always a few that refused to take her seriously and she often responded by verbally shoving how much better she was at what she did down their throats. That being said, there was a lot of love/hate going around the company while she was there. Two years into working there, there was finally a mutually understood firing when Edith spent the better half of three months fighting for quality over quantity with a new model concept. She couldn't agree with the marketing decisions and her employers were tired of having a lower level employee writing them incredibly rude notes over the matter.

There was some relief in being let go from the company. However, that was followed by a quick wave of not knowing what in the world she was going to do with herself afterward. And that's when she met Damiãno. He was an impulsive rich man with a Latin flair she found irresistible. Only after a week of knowing each other, he insisted that she come with him to live in Peru. At first she thought he was insane. However, what did she have to lose? At the time it was a once in a lifetime opportunity and she had never been one to turn down an adventure. She packed her bags, took care of her passport needs with his help, and hopped on a plane to start a new life.

Looking back on the whole thing, Edith debated on whether or not this moment was her one life mistake. It wasn't long after she began living with Damiãno that she realized she didn't particularly care for him. They got along well enough and she did like him, but there was a certain spark missing from their relationship. She wasn't the housewife type, but a lack of visa made it impossible for her to get a real job. The area was beautiful and the language barriers were overcome by her outgoing charm, so she did managed to find a few odd jobs like English tutoring or gardening. Unfortunately, the whole situation with her Latin lover just wasn't working out and for awhile she felt a bit trapped.

That's when a familiar face unexpectedly reappeared in her life. All the way down in Peru was her college sweetheart, Harold Herschel. It was surprising considering the odds, especially after it had been five years with little to no contact. Edith played it cool for awhile and, being a bit prideful still, made sure Harold knew that she was doing just fine and she was there with another man. Still, she was happy to see him and she welcomed a best friend back in her life. While this was fine for a short time, it didn't take long for the situation to become more awkward. What became very clear to Edith during her time in Peru spending time between the two men was that she did not love Damiãno, but she was still very much in love with the nerdy, mild-mannered Harold. It just so happened that Harold felt the same way, so, without giving Damiãno so much as a clue, the two made some plans.

In 1972, the couple eloped and they were married in California. Though the wedding was brief, Edith felt her life was back on the right track if only because she reclaimed something important to her, and she couldn't have been happier. Their honeymoon was then a road trip across the States before they settled down in Virginia. Harold had gotten a job with the government, and that's where they decided their home would be for the next few years.

1972-1984 (27-39)
The Herschel's lived in Virginia for a whole twelve years. While Harold worked and also decided to complete his doctorate, Edith decided to throw herself back into the industry she had been in before her venture to South America. In the time span she worked for two different major companies close to the area, one for cars, the other for building plane engine parts. Each one she worked for about five years, filling the two year gap between them with more odd jobs like baby sitting, tutoring, auto repair, house painting, temping, drink mixing, etc.. Not only did she gain a lot of important experience and learn a lot through the odd jobs and the auto industry, she also managed to contribute to their savings in preparation for the next ten years.

1985-1994 (40-49)
For a couple that obviously enjoyed a bit of adventure in their lives, the two decided that twelve years was enough time to spend in one place. They were both ready for a journey of sorts and made all of the proper preparations. For the next decade, they traveled across the other side of the world to places like India, Egypt, Turkey, Greece, and Scandinavia. In each place they were able to live for a year or two thanks to the fact Harold managed to find work in each area. While he spent his work week studying ancient cryptograms and whatnot, Edith spent hers either meddling about in some sort of strange job in the area or being a tourist. In each setting, she rarely knew the right language. However, she never had an issue with adapting and doing what she needed to do to get by. She was resourceful, she kept herself busy, and she was having the time of her life because of these factors.

1995-2007 (50-62)
And then… the inevitable happened. She was 50. They were getting old. With their passports also about to expire, they decided to return to the States once more. It was time to tighten their belts, get back to real work, and prepare for their retirement years. During this time, Edith once again found herself working for the auto-industry. However, oddly enough she was this time working as a company consultant for international matters. It was at times a difficult change of pace, but she wore her years of experience well and succeeded in proving herself both impressive and knowledgable in this position. The pay was good, so she saved quite a bit until she lined her retirement up with her husbands and gave up the reigns in 2006. To celebrate, they went on one final world tour all the way through 2007. Though only a year long, they were full-time tourists seeing all the things they had missed out on and this time really seeing it all together.

2008-2012 (63-present)
After their final world tour, the two decided on Los Angeles as their new, if not last, home. Settling down for good while also being retired was an odd concept that took Edith a little bit of time getting adjusted to. Aside from their house, the first thing she did was also go out and buy herself a disused 1956 Thunderbird much like the one she remembered her father owning himself for a number of years. Restoring the car to its former glory occupied much of her time for at least a few months. Thankfully, Harold came up with the idea for a store after she was finished with that. He had been into candy-making for quite some time and she had gained enough business sense in her years to see the concept of opening a store through. Working together as the great partners they always had been, they opened up Herschel's Candy.

» Edith is Western Jewish by ethnicity, but she is a second generation American. While she can tell you how to say a few basic words or phrases in a few different languages after her years of travel, the only language she truly knows is English. The only accent she has is that of a New Jersey girl. Which, no, it's not that bad. However, everyone is 'youse guys' when she gets angry.

» Never having actual children of her own, Edith frequently babies her car. It's a green 1956 Thunderbird fondly named Huey.

» Edith has never been one for clutter around the house. However, she has been noted to carry around a large purse full of everything but the kitchen sink. It does get a monthly cleaning, but otherwise it is a graveyard for pens.

» While she isn't quite the chain smoker that she used to be, the woman still enjoys the occasional cigar or cigarette.