Line #15 Literature/TheGenesisOfJennyEverywhere


1	%% Administrivia/ZeroContextExample entries are not allowed on wiki pages. All such entries have been commented out. Add context to the entries before uncommenting them.
2
3	An attempt at trying to create a BackStory for open-source character MediaNotes/JennyEverywhere, which started to be written by Tropers/TheLyniezian and is still very much unfinished.
4
5	In this tale Jenny is a reluctant schoolgirl- well, sixth-former to be precise- in a fictional English new town, with an overbearing mother, an annoying sort-of-friend named Leah "Leelee" Jones, and many enemies, who is constantly dreaming of adventure and wishing she could get away from it all. As it will turn out, she can, but not in the way she expects...
6
7	First part(s) can be found on the author's blog [[https://talesoflyniezia.wordpress.com/2022/09/25/the-genesis-of-jenny-everywhere-parts-1-2-pre-alpha-version-re-upload/ here]], though future versions of the story may be subject to revision.
8
9	----
10	!! Contains examples of:
11	* AllergicToRoutine: Leelee, who is notoriously unpredicatable, attending school one day and playing truant the next on a whim.
12	* AlphaBitch: Charlotte Mitchell, leader of the worst GirlPosse at school and Jenny's nemesis thereat. [[BerserkButton Don't call her Charlie.]]
13	* AlternateHistory: Imperial Japan still exists, for example.
14	* AlternateUniverse: Jenny lives in one, as demonstrated by various anachronisms, the fact that the British school system in-universe allowing truancy and pupils to wear what they want, and so on. Her dreams also contain references to unreal things such as airship pirates, domesticated mammoths, and the like.
15	* AlternateTechline: Jenny's world is like this- for example she listens to music on (8-track?) cartridges.
16	* AmbiguousTimePeriod: The alternate universe setting and deliberate anachronisms relative to our own (see below) give no real indication of what exact point in time relative to our own it is set in, which is never mentioned.
17	* AnachronismStew: Justified as it's not our universe, but despite the (roughly) modern day setting we have BBC Radio 4 being still called the "Home Service" and the school (called an "academy", very much a modern development) still has "forms" (first to sixth) not "years" (7 to 13)[[note]]notice the disparity in numbers? Well, in the old days Years 12 and 13, the optional "sixth form", were (probably) sometimes called the "lower sixth" and "upper sixth" respectively[[/note]]. Not to mention the fact that Jenny still listens to music on "cartridges" and the existence of airships in common use.
18	* BackStory; SuperHeroOrigin: when we first meet Jenny, she doesn't know she's the Shifter yet, she's just an ordinary (sort of) teenage girl who dreams of adventures a lot. Then she discovers, almost by accident, she has shifting powers...
19	* BrilliantButLazy: Implied; Jenny seems quite intelligent and can do well in school when she can actually be bothered. She at least manages to quote the famous pre-battle speech from Shakespeare's ''Theatre/HenryV''.
20	* {{Bulungi}}: discussed. "Learning about the drought problems of the Democratic Republic of Muganda" is one of the things cited as one of the things Jenny ''isn't'' interested in at school. The existence of Muganda in-universe may or may not be true, as it could simply be snark (see below).
21	* CantLiveWithThemCantLiveWithoutThem: Jenny has this sort of relationship with Leelee. The latter frustrates the former no end, but life is pretty miserable without her. [[spoiler:Ultimately, Jenny will turn out to be AFriendInNeed.]]
22	-->Leah "Leelee" Jones was probably the closest thing Jenny had to a friend, even though she was still only a fourth-former and could be intensely annoying at times. Not so much of the cling-to-you-like-a-limpet-and-don't-leave-you-alone kind of annoying as she used to be when she'd first joined secondary school and started hanging around Jenny because she was "really cool", but still overbearing and silly with a sense of priorities even Jenny felt worrying.
23	--> ''(later)'' But then again, if she were any different she'd not be the Leelee Jenny actually liked anymore, just another member of the herd, leaving her with nothing but herself and her dreams to shield her from this dreary world.
24	* CoolBigSis: Jenny is viewed as "really cool" by her younger friend Leelee, with some reluctance on Jenny's part.
25	* CreatorInJoke: both the reason for the name of Levendale City and the title of a film Leelee suggests seeing (see below).
26	* CreatorProvincialism: Though the setting of Levendale City is kept deliberately vague, it's also definitely stated as being in England; characters [[BritsLoveTea drink tea]], watch [[UsefulNotes/AssociationFootball football]], listen to [[Creator/TheBBC BBC radio]] and study for [[UsefulNotes/BritishEducationSystem A-levels]]; whilst a few [[UsefulNotes/NorthEastEngland North-Eastisms]] are inserted (boys and girls becoming "lads" and "lasses" and Leelee's tutor referring to her as "our Leah"). These, too, are deliberate. The "Amy Johnson" reference is something like this, given the TransatlanticEquivalent would probably be UsefulNotes/AmeliaEarhart.
27	* DeadpanSnarker: Jenny's way of coping with the world around her, if not as much as the author was aiming for. Also true of a few other characters in odd lines, for example her maths teacher:
28	--> '''Mr. James:''' We want you solving integrals, [[LampshadeHanging not breaking the air speed record in 1934.]]
29	* DeliberateValuesDissonance: Jenny's Dad uses a term for the Japanese which is a slur in real life (they have just invaded Mongolia, though). Schools lack uniforms and truancy laws have been abolished.
30	* TheDitz: Leelee. She does whatever she feels like, oblivious to anything else and regardless of how much sense it makes.[[note]]Though usually, it seems this inevitably involves bunking off school and riding her bike round the park; this is slightly PlayedForDrama as Jenny hints the park is infested with "perverts" who sexually harass passing young girls.[[/note]] She also doesn't get words like "enlighten", or quotes from Shakespeare. Not yet written, but [[spoiler: she'll also end up being oblivious to a bus which nearly kills her, prompting Jenny to discover her shifting powers trying to save her.]]
31	* DoNotCallMePaul:
32	** Played straight with Leelee, who prefers not to be called Leah.
33	** Inverted with Charlotte, who hates being called "Charlie" ([[{{Pun}} probably as it makes her look like a right one]]).
34	* DreamingOfThingsToCome: due to her power to communicate with her other selves mentally, she dreams a lot of their adventures. Foreshadowing the life she'll have.
35	* EducationMama: Jenny's mother, who amongst other things insists on her being half an hour early to school "to create a good impression". Jenny would rather be dreaming of adventures, though, even though it won't help her pass Further Maths [[note]]In Britain [[UsefulNotes/BritishEducationSystem this is an A-Level course]] which would hint that Jenny in this story is somewhere between 16 and 18. This is confirmed in an update.[[/note]].
36	* EverybodyHatesMathematics: Vaguely hinted at with Jenny. Averted with Mr. James, the only teacher so far to appear, who is Head of Maths.
37	* FlashSideways: Jenny's dreams and daydreams are implied to be this, given according to Jenny Everywhere lore, she can shift awareness into the minds of her other selves in other universes.
38	* FreeRangeChildren: To the extent that the law doesn't prevent truancy and definitely the case for Leelee (when she can get away with it), whose uncle and guardian could not care less about what she gets up to.
39	* GirlyGirl: averted with Jenny, but discussed in contrast with the other girls at her school who make fun of her.
40	* GirlPosse: As led by Charlotte Mitchell. The "Bitch Squad" Jenny refers to, though, may or may not refer to pretty much the entire female student population that isn't her and Leelee- ''none'' of the other girls seem to like either (This may be refuted by later updates, as it makes Jenny too unsympathetic which is not really what the character is supposed to be. Possibly even retconned so that Charlotte's Posse ''is'' the "Bitch Squad").
41	* GogglesDoNothing: Nobody can understand why Jenny wears them. Other characters lampshade the fact.
42	* IJustWantToBeSpecial: Jenny is fed up with being a bored, put-upon schoolgirl and constantly dreams of being an adventurer in all manner of fantastic worlds.
43	* InSpiteOfANail: Jenny's home world is clearly different from our own, yet still manages to have boy-bands and reality TV shows.
44	* ItsQuietTooQuiet: but the only danger to Jenny is dozing off again... solution: stick on a cartridge and boogie down as you get ready.
45	--> [[QuieterThanSilence The faint strains of John Whatshisname roasting another politician for breakfast could be heard coming from the radio downstairs, whilst in the distance the low hum of a zeppelin and the odd whoosh of early morning traffic punctuated the silence]], but this would hardly motivate Jenny to do anything other than flop back onto the bed and return to her reverie.
46	* JapanTakesOverTheWorld: an unusual, downplayed variant has a continuation of the pre-1947 Empire of Japan continuing to expand throughout Asia, as a background news item.
47	* ManEatingPlant: Jenny wishes Japanese knotweed was something like this (sadly it's mere AlienKudzu both in-universe and in RealLife) just so biology lessons would be more exciting.
48	* MaliciousMisnaming: Charlotte and Jenny both do this during their brief SnarkToSnarkCombat; see below.
49	* ManicPixieDreamGirl: discussed. Jenny thinks Leelee would make a good one, if she were actually interested in boys. [[note]]This isn't meant to be subtext: in context, it could be read as "I wish she could go pester someone else for a change."[[/note]]
50	* MixedMetaphor: Jenny uses one when making a snarky comeback to Charlotte, telling her to "go take a kite-surf off a short pier".
51	* {{Nephewism}}: Leelee is an orphan, "raised" by her uncle.
52	* NobleBigot: Jenny's Dad, who complains about "the Japs" and still thinks of football as a "men's game" (in terms of players, not audience) but is otherwise a pretty nice guy.
53	* NoDressCode: Levendale West Academy, unlike most RealLife examples of TheGoodOldBritishComp, has no obvious school uniform, and whilst even the teachers are puzzled by Jenny's habit of wearing goggles, they do nothing about it. There are no real sexually-provocative examples in the narrative, but some of the other girls are implied to be wearing makeup, a definite taboo in British school uniform regulations.[[note]]Not that that bothers most teenage girls in RealLife, of course![[/note]]
54	** In RealLife this might be justified with Jenny and others her age, being sixth-formers; Leelee is a fourth-former (Year 10) but still is out of uniform.
55	* ObviousBeta[[invoked]]: Lampshaded in the title of the blog post, calling the version found therein a "pre-alpha version". The story is not only as yet unfinished, but very much likely to be rewritten if the author can be arsed.
56	* OnlyFriend: Leelee to Jenny (sort of), and as far as we can currently tell, Jenny to Leelee.
57	* ParentalNeglect: Leelee's uncle doesn't seem to care less about where his niece goes when she's supposed to be at school, no matter how many letters he gets from her form tutor. Contrast with Jenny whose parents generally avert this trope (hard, in her mother's case).
58	%%* RandomTransportation: What will happen when Jenny first discovers her shifting powers. It'll take her some time to control them.
59	* RealWomenDontWearDresses: Jenny mentally berates other girls at school for liking things such as makeup, fashion and boy-bands.
60	* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Mr. James the teacher; Jenny's Dad.
61	* SchoolIsForLosers: Played with. Jenny would much prefer to be off on adventures but goes (and pays what attention to studies she does) because her mother forces her; Leelee takes a much more ambivalent attitude- [[CloudCuckooLander school is the place you go when you get bored of riding round the park scaring the ducks,]] an attitude Jenny resents. (Oddly subverted when Jenny chides Leelee for ''not recognizing a Shakespeare quote.'')
62	--> When all it [getting to school early] would really mean is standing around the yard in the freezing cold whilst the other girls made fun of crazy Jenny with her silly goggles and scarf, always dreaming of adventures that would never happen; when she should be fawning over some boy-band member, arguing over who was going to win the latest reality TV contest or which shade of foundation was right for you. None of which interested Jenny in the least, any more than learning to solve differential equations so you could pass Further Maths or learning about the drought problems of the Democratic Republic of Muganda. School was just one big drag. Mum, though, didn’t seem to realise any of this. It was like talking to a brick wall.
63	* SkippingSchool: Leelee, constantly. She gets away with it as nothing can actually be done to legally stop it, in that world.
64	* ShoutOut:
65	** When Jenny cones downstairs, an AffectionateParody alternate universe version of [[Creator/TheBBC BBC Radio 4's]] ''Today'' programme[[note]]for non-Brits, it's a morning news and current affairs show, usually incorporating a religious homily slot entitled ''Thought for the Day''.[[/note]] is on the radio. In this universe, though, Radio 4 is still the Home Service.
66	** When Jenny tells Charlotte to "Go fly a kite!" it was loosely inspired by ''Film/MaryPoppins'', though meant in an insulting sense, not literally.
67	** Charlotte mocks Jenny by calling her "[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amy_Johnson Amy Johnson]]" (a famous British aviatrix of the early 20th century, who set numerous records before being crash-landing in [=WW2=] whilst serving as an auxiliary pilot- for American readers, kind of the TransatlanticEquivalent of UsefulNotes/AmeliaEarhart, if you will).
68	** The author's note explaining Levendale City's WhereTheHellIsSpringfield status explicitly mentions [[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons the Trope Namer.]]
69	* SnarkToSnarkCombat: Jenny and Charlotte:
70	--> '''Charlotte:''' Where you off this time, [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amy_Johnson Amy Johnson]]? Australia? America? Cloud Cuckoo Land? You can take Leelee right back home whilst you're at it!
71	--> '''Jenny:''' Go fly a kite, Charlie. In fact, [[MixedMetaphor go take a long kite-surf off a short pier.]] At least then you might get some ''real'' excitement before the waves take you. Except you can't, [[VanityIsFeminine that'd make your]] [[MakeupIsEvil mascara run]], I'll bet.
72	--> '''Charlotte:''' Ooh, feisty! [[BerserkButton And did you just call me Charlie? You know that's Not My Name, don't you? It's Charlotte and don't you forget it...]]
73	--> '''Jenny''' ''(on the defensive, about to be surrounded by GirlPosse)'': Well... that's probably because you're a right one, eh?
74	* SympatheticPOV: very much written from Jenny's perspective, despite being a third-person narrative, and often delving into her thoughts. The very ''un''-sympathetic view of the other girls at the school, particularly, is Jenny's opinion and may or may not be true.
75	* {{Tomboy}}: Jenny, who disdains typically girly things and enjoys going to football matches with her Dad.
76	* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Being MediaNotes/JennyEverywhere, Jenny likes toast, naturally.
77	* UnkemptBeauty: Leelee (for her age), [[InformedAttractiveness described as such]]. Justified, as shes not the kind who cares much about her appearance, or anything else.
78	--> ''(describing Leelee)'' ...a small girl with messy, mid-length blonde hair, pretty but with the lack of personal grooming which would make the Bitch Squad turn their faces in disgust...
79	* VanityIsFeminine: One criticism Jenny has for other girls at her school, particularly the "Bitch Squad".
80	--> ''(just after Jenny gets dressed)'' The Bitch Squad would probably still be wondering what top matched what skirt or ensuring their eyeliner was applied just so, no doubt, she mused.
81	* WhereTheHellIsSpringfield: Jenny's home town of Levendale City, although the author privately imagines [[CreatorProvincialism it's probably an unspecified location in the North-East of England, and is in fact named for a tributary of the River Tees]], as well as being loosely inspired by a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leven,_East_Riding_of_Yorkshire village in East Yorkshire]] he remembers visiting as a kid. Or, as explained in the text:
82	--> ''And don't ask where Levendale City is. [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Levendale The real Levendale is a small suburb]] somewhere in the vicinity of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yarm a small town called Yarm.]] This isn't it. It's a lot bigger, for one thing. Like Springfield, it's everywhere -- in fact, just like Jenny. And yet, nowhere.''
83	* ZeppelinsFromAnotherWorld: Amongst other things, Jenny dreams of "Battling [[SkyPirate airship pirates]] over the Alps". Though as it turns out, Jenny's world has them as well, minus the pirates.
84

Context Literature / TheGenesisOfJennyEverywhere