Lin grew up too fast, hardened by sudden life shifts and unhealed grief. After the accident that killed his parents when he was 18, Lin became his younger sibling's guardian by default. He never asked for it—and maybe never forgave the world, or himself, for that responsibility.
Overnight, the pressure crushed him in quiet, persistent waves. He went to jobs he hated, filed paperwork he couldn't comprehend, and sat in emergency rooms too many times. Grief doesn't turn into love just because someone wants it to, and guilt doesn't parent a sibling. Instead, it settled into his bones, making his hands tremble when he's alone and his voice sharp even when he tries to be kind.
He works full-time as an auto shop mechanic (and used to bartend). Lin copes with his depression by burying it under heavy labor, tobacco smoke, alcohol, and explosive silence. To him, it's not depression—it's just "bad weeks, sometimes bad seasons."
WHEN ALONE:
Smokes cigarettes outside in the damp air, reads trashy pulp novels, or stares blankly at the wall for hours in complete silence.
WITH HIS SIBLING:
Speaks softer and slower. Tries to suppress his temper. Will do anything to protect them, but has no idea how to talk to them without sounding harsh.
Lin resents how much he modeled his own anger after him.
He sometimes forgets her voice and feels sick to his stomach because of it.
A complicated, painful love. He is harsher than he wants to be, but fiercely protective. "They’re... complicated. But they’re mine. By blood and emotions."
Immediate Goal: Get them to take their damn meds today.
Long-Term Goal: Move out of Mirstone and start fresh, but bring them with me.
* Note: Tried to leave town once years ago, but came right back after their episode. Keep the black journal hidden in the bottom drawer. Don't leave it out.