CHARACTERS
LANCE BUNKMAN Back To Characters Lance was born on Labour Day. It was a sign of things to come. Ever since he left high-school life has handed him lemons—a succession of terrible jobs, and oh yeah, employers who are bent on pinning the world under their thumb. Unlike other popular monster fighters, Lance faces his trials with nothing but bad-credit and a need to do what’s right. He had instilled in him from an early age a solid set of values from his folks, and now as the sole provider for his twin sisters Nicki and Vicki, he would do anything to protect them. But this same sense of duty also drives Lance to protect his co-workers when trouble inevitably rears its ugly head. Luckily Lance has a couple things going for him. Physically he’s a natural, with quick reflexes and a level of endurance that have saved his ass on a number of occasions. He’s quick to pick up new skills, handy considering his circumstances. Lance has since become a Jack-of-all-trades, from short-order cook to minor-landscaping, and he knows his way around a spreadsheet too (although his sisters still handle his taxes). But it’s not like there’s a dark-rain cloud hanging over Lance’s head. Despite his trials, he gives off an easy-going vibe that his colleagues, however temporary, seem to understand. Hey, hope-spring-eternal right—and Lance lives forever in hope that maybe this time a job will turn out fine. But it’s a little like Charlie Brown and that football—he has an idea of what’s he’s in for, but can’t help running in for the kick. No matter how bad things are he gets on the assembly line or in the office—he knows where you’re coming from because likely he’s been there too. Outside of work, he’s the kind of guy guys want to have a beer with, and women gush over. However he’s become a bit of a loner—freelancing will do that to you. His biggest wish is to learn how to relax-- get that after-work beer for once and just chill. And maybe, once he does take five he can figure out what he actually wants to do with his life. Until then he’s catching up with his Nikki and Vicki in his off hours, and working hard to pay the bills. One of these days Lance might ignore his suspicions about his bosses or the instinct that sends him into save his coworkers and actually keep himself employed. Until then he’s resigned to living his life from gig to gig, even if he hasn’t quite figured out why they always take a turn for the worst. NICKI & VICKI BUNKMAN Back To Characters Nicola and Victoria Bunkman are Lance’s secret weapon and closest confidants. They’re also the reason he’s been doing what’s been doing for as long as he has. They are genius identical twins who are in their final year of high-school who have been smart enough to raise themselves while Lance has been running around trying to pay the bills. They’re kind of like Penny in Inspector Gadget with a dash of Nancy Drew or Veronica Mars. Doesn’t get much cooler, or smarter than these twins—but they have also taken themselves out of the Mean Girls popularity sweepstakes, pinning their hopes on acceptance to Ivy League schools. Though they are twins, they are confident and don’t feel a need to strike out in their own individual style. They even indulge in it when necessary, using each other to slip out of classes during a spare—only to catch up on extra studying. When it comes to subjects however Nicki finds she is more drawn to biology and genetics, fascinated by the behaviour of animals, particular her pet white rats. Vicki is into more hard engineering, having fixed Lance’s video game console on many occasions, and keeping a tiny crush on Bill Gates. They look up to Lance, and are always there to encourage him when faced with another monstrous task. They also each have one half a heart-shaped locket around their neck, which holds a picture of their parents from when they were both young. Nicki and Vicki are the only people who Lance has ever confided in that his worklife is more than it appears. Lucky for him-- there was only so many times you can find your brother cousin covered in protoplasmic slime and believe it just “came from the photocopier.” Even better-- they accepted this early on with cool rationality as just another weird part of the world, and do their best to help him whenever they can. ZACHARY BUNKMAN Back To Characters Zack is Lance’s cousin, the only son of Eddie Bunkman, Lance’s Uncle on his dad’s side. Zack is only a few months younger than Lance and for a time they grew up together in California when their families lived in neighbouring towns. But don’t let this fool you into thinking they’re friends. When they were kids—Zack always came in second. From school sports, family board games, to surfing Lance was the one who would excel, and this drove Zack nuts. At their very last family gathering before they moved away, Zack finally came out in top in a game of Risk – only to be humiliated when the twins discovered he was cheating. But things have changed. Now that they are grown up, Zack has come out on top, and lets Lance know this every time they meet. He’s at the head of his class in law-school, he’s a fifth degree black belt and his stocks are rising. He’s slick, he’s GQ, knows where to get the best manicure. But despite his makeover, he can’t quite get that look off his face that he knows it, ya know? Lance for his part doesn’t get Zack, all he knows is since they’ve been adults they’ve been butting heads. The twins however have still got a soft spot for their now way cool California cousin, and try to make things right—after all, he’s some of the only family they’ve got left. In our story Zack is already in California at their Grandfather’s bedside, and has no bones about making Lance feel that he’s the one letting his family down. Zack’s parents, Eddie and Patricia aren’t peaches either—both of them were open about their distrust with Helena for moving away. When Helena disappeared, they fought to raise the twins, who instead elected to stay with Lance, and they’ve never forgotten it. LEON Back To Characters While Lance can be described as cool-under-fire, no one will ever make that mistake with his buddy Leon. Leon is a former co-worker who met Lance while working at J.F. Kelly’s Frozen Foods, which was subsequently attacked by monsters from the freezer. He’s one of the few people who still believe that is was more than just a cooling experiment got out of control—and as such is a rare confidant in the world of work. Leon’s a laidback goofball from a wealthy family, who are withholding all help from him until he learns some responsibility. Good luck with that—the only thing Leon has been learning is how to microwave a burrito and little he has to do to keep himself afloat, and he’s loving it. But he has picked up a few things about looking after himself from Lance. In return he shares tips with Lance on how to take it easy while on the clock (“Rule One: Find a safe place to Nap!”) In the meantime, Leon keeps an eye out for job postings for Lance, usually passed on by his parents. He figures that it’s okay to give them away since he would likely be fired anyway. Besides it gives him more time to work on that screenplay… |