Vance Lingolin (Cataclysmic Gerosha)

Vance Lingolin is an employee of Sleet Mountain in Blood Over Water. He is a romantic interest for Monica; as well as a coworker with Chris Kennal, Ashley Phillips, Kyle Tugrass, and Mark Stefflin.

Early life
Little is known about Vance's childhood. However, he attended Rockford High School in his youth. He had a heavy crush on classmate Stephanie Olzin, whom he asked out for the high school prom his junior year. When things got heated in the bedroom later that evening, Vance believed he'd found his future wife. The two dated for about a year; but then Stephanie cheated on Vance and broke up with him. When he confronted her about her infidelity, she claimed that it was because her new boyfriend had military aspirations. Meanwhile, she taunted that Vance would never take a stand for anything, and was as spineless as a worm. He vowed that even if it killed him, he'd prove her wrong someday.

Vance eventually got an opening to go work at Sleet Mountain, a position he took in lieu of going to college. When Stephanie's new boyfriend got cold feet about joining the army, and dumped her to go work at a shoe factory, Stephanie realized she'd made a mistake. But when she tried to get Vance to change his mind about going to work in Stanwood, Vance refused to listen. He told her that he'd made up his mind, and was standing for something.

Stephanie was furious that she couldn't control Vance, and tried to cut the brake lines on his car. However, Vance had installed an alarm. As she fled the scene, Vance's parents caught a glimpse of her on a security camera that she didn't know about. Vance happily testified against Stephanie in court, leading her to jail time. She cursed him for this, vowing that he would die a very violent death for turning her past words to him against her. Vance unwittingly made things worse, vowing back to her: "It won't be by your hand."

As he got settled into his new life, Vance sought to be the pillar of taking a stand for what was right that Stephanie once claimed he'd never be. While generally considered easygoing almost to the point of being a yes-man, Vance knew there were lines he wouldn't cross. In spite this, he had a weakness for women. He especially wanted to know he could get another girlfriend: that Stephanie wouldn't be his last-ever woman.

Rise to prominence
In spite his generally moral upbringing, Vance soon found himself caught up in the same hedonistic lifestyle as his coworkers at Sleet Mountain. Even so, there were fine lines he refused to cross. Little is known of his childhood. However, he was able to join Sleet Mountain at a young age. He quickly worked his way up in the company, and became the accounts receivable department head under Bob Lusital's guidance.

Beginning a relationship with Monica
At a function Sleet Mountain held to promote itself to Ferris State students in February of 2009, Vance met biology student Monica Shelly. The two quickly became chummy and close friends. Eventually, lines were crossed when they got bored one evening. The two spent the next several months as friends-with-benefits. However, they started falling in love by August of 2009. Vance decided it wasn't right to be using Monica in that manner; and he offered to upgrade their relationship to something more monogamous. Monica replied that she would think it over. Her hesitation was due to her rough past life experiences, especially regarding her father's death and her mother's alcoholism. In spite this, Vance made it clear to Monica that he loved her. Their desire to go steady escalates after one morning in August, when Monica's sister Betsy nearly catches Vance and Monica in the act of sleeping together - and quickly deduces what was happening. Vance is able to slip out of Monica's bedroom window and flee into the streets right before he would've been seen by either Betsy or Annabelle. While invited to a company party on that day to usher in Clyde's taking over for Bob, Vance decided to skip the party. He'd rather spend it with Monica.

Noticing things don't add up
As Vance and Monica grow closer as a couple, however, Vance begins to notice the strange changes happening at work - and suspicious outsiders that only Clyde and a noble few are allowed to know anything about. Vance finds this unsettling; but coworkers such as Kyle and Chris insist to him it's probably nothing important. Vance also finds it strange that no one is questioning why no one has ever heard anything back from Bob after the latter's trip.

Getting serious with Monica
As things progress at Sleet Mountain under the new leadership of Clyde, however, Vance keeps Monica updated on his at-work concerns. While they're having sex one evening, Monica suggests that she'll be contacting Hank less often, as she is considering giving a committed relationship with Vance a try. Vance makes lewd suggestions for things for them to try, and Monica informs him that she'd be willing to think over most of the list and consider it. Vance asks how often he should be over, in case of another surprise visit from Betsy. Monica informs him that Betsy by this point already knows who Vance is; and will tolerate the couple's antics insofar as they take every possible precaution not to have Annabelle witness anything she's not ready to see. Vance informs her that this is a reasonable concession, and they fall asleep in each other's arms.

By mid-September, Vance's attitude toward Clyde turns even more sour. He begins to ask Ashley if she senses something sinister going on; to which she replies that she is trying not to make waves. Vance delivers a speech to her about blood and water metaphors, and then heads back to his office.

Vance begins to notice some strange vehicles in the Big Rapids area; but no one seems able or willing to explain what these vehicles are doing in town. Monica shares her concerns with Aaron about it, and he postulates that it could be the Hebbleskins. However, the only lead he has on why the Hebbleskins would be in Big Rapids, is that they must have heard rumors that there were Flippos visiting the Celestine household. He later discovers some strange vans and crews investigating 514 Marion Ave. well after Wanda and Meredith have moved out - seemingly confirming his suspicions that the Hebbleskins were looking for Flippo triplets.

Death
A few days later, Clyde proposes a big plan to Chris, Mark, Kyle, and Vance: cleanup fraud! They would direct other plant workers to assist with hiding evidence of where the plant would dump its pollution: in a nearby pond. They would forge paperwork for the EPA about pollution cleanup protocols that weren't being utilized. They'd keep the EPA inspectors away from the pond. They'd launder saved funds. Those at the top, would each get rich.

Unbeknownst to Vance, Kyle had already been filled in on this plan early. Seeing a flyer for Gleeful-N'-Young in one of the bathroom stalls at work right before the meeting further made Vance suspect something foul was going on. He was skeptical of the outsiders that were allowed into one room on the second floor - that ordinary Sleet Mountain staff weren't allowed inside of.

Vance grew belligerent, leading to Kyle threatening him. Clyde attempts to convince Vance to reconsider his position, and Vance instead quits on the spot. Clyde adjourns the meeting even as Vance is leaving, saying he needs to "take care of" something. Only Kyle is allowed to stay in the room. Chris and Mark head to their own offices, with Ashley inquiring of both what the commotion was. However, only Mark was willing to tell her anything.

Clyde convinced Kyle that going along with the plan was the only way to fix Kyle's family situation, resulting in Kyle agreeing to meet a man named "George" that Clyde was associated with from outside the company. Clyde then makes a phone call to George, informing him that Vance has "become a problem." He instructs George to wait for further instruction, and remain where he is until then. When Kyle asks what this means, Clyde assures Kyle that George will ensure Vance doesn't say anything incriminating.

Vance makes his call to Monica after he's finished collecting his things, and is on the road. George, parked near the pizza and grinders shop not far from the local BP station, noticed Vance turning onto Old State Road, and began giving hot pursuit. The chase quickly turns violent, with George ramming Vance multiple times. Vance professes his love to Monica, and then warns her of what he must do - and that someone's chasing him. Right around the time Vance reaches a set of trees just to the south of the intersection of Old State Rd. with State St., George gets Vance to crash in a ditch. George wastes no time at all hopping out of his vehicle, and assassinates Vance with several gunshots to the head. George drags the body a short distance away, and then lights Vance's vehicle on fire.

George loads the body into his backseat, and then takes Vance's body to a dumping spot in the woods not far from Miller Dale Road, alongside the Rogers Dam Pond. A scared Monica all the same arrives at the scene, horrified to find that a burning truck and some blood in the grass are all that remain. She gathers as much evidence at the scene, as possible, and then flees back home before police and fire crews can arrive and spot her. Monica spends the next several months trying to solve Vance's murder - while also pleading with local authorities and media that Vance didn't fake his death, as they assert to be the case without evidence.

Aftermath
A short time after the body of Mark Stefflin was recovered, Vance's remains were also discovered. Monica's story is vindicated, humiliating those who insisted he committed insurance fraud and then skipped town. Officer Brent Yorming is exposed as a Gleeful-N'-Young spy, and is promptly disgraced and arrested. However, the embarrassed officials in both Stanwood and Big Rapids continue to look for ways to vilify Vance, in order to save face. When this fails, they become vindictive toward Monica. In spite their efforts to find a crime to pin on Monica failing left and right, Big Rapids officials eventually "convict" Monica on a lesser charge of "tampering" with crime scene evidence. She spends a year in jail for her effort to clear her deceased boyfriend's name. She is relieved, however, to learn that Vance's killer - George Lawence - was in-turn assassinated by the now-fugitive Chris Kennal.

Personality
Vance's is shown to be hopeless romantic and a very ethical worker. His attachment to Monica begins early, with them meeting in class and becoming teammates. He understands that Monica's past tragic origin is partially why she is hesitant to commit to a relationship with him; and he's patient with her to the point that she declares him patient "to a fault."

Otherwise, Vance's brief presence in the story serves to make him - moreso than anything else - a catalyst for other characters. He doesn't shy away from sexual trysts with Monica; and even has a slight deviant bent with regard to wanting to push sexual boundaries with her. However, he never proceeds on anything without at least her implied consent.

Vance suffers from arachnophobia. His keen moral awareness when it comes to business ethics, however, is dwarfed only by Aaron's strong sense of general morality. That being said, he is not very tactful about his desire to rebel against Clyde. He makes himself - and nearly also Monica - targets for George almost immediately, by not keeping his mouth shut. His recklessness prompts Mark - and later Chris - to be much more sneaky in their own acts of betraying Clyde.

Development
Vance's introduction into the overall story had a bumpy beginning. In 2009, the original miniseries was produced. The wiki articles at that time were lacking in sufficient explanation for why Mark would be willing to risk being murdered for revealing company secrets. Also unclear is why Clyde would consider a pollution and cleanup fraud scandal to be worth murdering someone over. Background materials for the miniseries also left those questions unanswered. What was answered, however, was why Clyde eventually pressured Chris and Ashley into disposing of Mark. This was explained in backstory material as having been due to the failure of an offscreen character named Vance to do the job properly.

The 2013 early proposal for the remake created a lot of room for character reinterpretations, and Vance was among many characters to be reinterpreted. He was changed into a hero for this version - and Mark's catalyst. Mark was made into a greedier individual with fewer ethics, having been corrupted by his friendship with Chris. Chris remains mostly the same, though his exact motivations at the company were altered.

Vance was also re-imagined as a romantic interest for Monica, thus explaining her willingness to help Aaron discover Mark's fate later. The original miniseries referred to Monica as Aaron's "lady friend," when Kyle is taunting them. However, the term may have been used pejoratively. There is no evidence to suggest that Aaron and Monica were ever actually a couple. Instead, the remake rewrites Aaron and Monica to be explicitly platonic, and to have met in class some time before the story began. Monica is given Vance as a love interest, and Aaron is explicitly stated to be dating a new character: Meredith Celestine. Meredith's influence on Aaron further explained why he and Mark took different directions in life.

Trivia

 * In appearance, Vance has always been interpreted as being red-haired and with some facial hair, as well as skinny and having either an SUV or a minivan.
 * Little else was said or known of him until January 18th of 2014, when he was visually depicted for the first time in the Blood Over Water Story Pack for The Sims 3 - at what is now DzMD.