Hey Jayne!
Red Dead Redemption 2 self-insert!
Jane! by The Long Faces helped inspire this character, so if u wanna listen to it ♡
Jayne is a 23- 25-year-old Mexican woman; she's an outlaw who works as a gun-for-hire and bounty hunter when needed. As a woman of color, to prevent discrimination when looking for jobs, she uses an alias under "Jay". She used to do jobs around West Elizabeth before moving over to New Handover.
Jayne grew up moving from home to home; she had learned from a young age that no one was going to take care of her or save her. Her mother died of disease, and her father died through gang violence. Jayne was left with her 2 younger siblings. She had left them with a distant family member. She was too young and unstable to take care of them properly.
She had become involved in stealing and petty thievery. Small gangs in Saint Denis with the other children. The other kids were just a bunch of delinquents, but for Jayne, it had quickly become a survival skill for her. She had learned how to read situations, steal, shoot, ride, and disappear before anyone could catch her. These habits would follow her into adulthood.
She eventually became an outlaw gun for hire, mostly taking work around West Elizabeth. When jobs became scarce, she'd turn to bounty hunting.
Jayne has her own rules she refuses to break:
She will not hurt children
She will not strip struggling families clean of their money
She avoids single parents as much as possible.
She knows what it's like to be an abandoned child, and she refuses to be the kind of person who makes other children suffer.
Jayne presents herself in an extremely masculine manner. She refuses to wear dresses and prefers practical clothing; she also hates being treated as delicate or inferior because she's a woman. When hired, she uses her alias "Jay" in letters so employers won't immediately discriminate against her.
She doesn't mind being called ma'am; she interprets it as respectful. Words like miss, lady, or girl bother her because ot makes her feel diminished or objectified.
However, Jayne isn't emotionless. This is one of the biggest misunderstandings people have about her. When she feels safe, she's quite warm. She hums quietly to herself when she is happy. She has such a loud laugh; it carries across a room. She is a horrible singer but will happily perform drunk in a bar without shame. She makes jokes that rarely land and tries to lighten situations even when she probably shouldn't. She's sarcastic, playful, and stubborn.
Jayne's greatest contradiction is that she is both violent and gentle.
She can kill
She has survived through gunfights, bounty hunting, and numerous outlaw works. But she notices the small things as well.
In her small book, sketches of landscapes will be on the white, tattered paper. Small journal entries. Doodles of plants she found that are edible.
She collects strange little objects that remind her of the places she's been: rocks, dried flowers, unusual sticks, and small trinkets.
She keeps these things in a small box alongside letters from someone she loved and lost back in Blackwater. To Jayne, this is proof she existed. Proof that she is more than just a gun.
Blackwater
The lady in Blackwater
(Listen to " Not " by Big Thief for immersivity. I cry when I listen to that song as I wrote this lol)
TW: Misogyny, violence
One of Jayne's most defining events in her life was meeting a young, wealthy woman in Blackwater who hired her as her personal guard.
The woman wanted to travel across the country despite her father's objections.
Jayne refused at first. Why would she bother with some high class wanna be travaler?
The woman then offered excellent pay; she promised to cover every expense during their travels. Jayne stopped in her tracks. She would be set for a few months for food and a safe place to sleep. Her eye twitched.
Jayne eventually agreed.
During their journey, the two became extremely close.
Jayne took her to places she'd traveled, telling stories of gunfights, running from the law, bounty hunters' hiding spots, and saloons where she was banned. A new world was shown to the woman.
She looked at Jayne in awe.
The woman had slowly broken Jayne's tough exterior.
Jayne had fallen in love. With her.
The woman knew who Jayne was, her parents, her lifestyle. And still loved her regardless.
Their trip was coming to an end. Jayne wanted to go out for lunch one last time before they parted ways. In that cafe, Jayne sat across from her; they stared at each other slightly, soft smiles covering their faces.
Unfortunately for them, a gang was in town; they had decided to try to rob the bank. The bank robbery quickly erupted into a shootout. The two were separated in the chaos; a stray bullet struck the woman in the chest.
Jayne rushed across the street, jumping through the broken glass from the window. The shard scraped her skin, leaving deep cuts in her leg and arms. She jumped over fallen chairs and tables, rushing to her. She held her as she died.
...
Jayne had to deliver the news to her father. The man who never wanted her to leave in the first place. The woman's father blamed Jayne for her death. He was under the impression Jayne was a man. His daughter had been sending letters throughout their travels. She had never clearly written who Jayne was exactly.
"Father, you should visit the mountains someday! Jay says there are places farther west where the snow is never-ending."
"Jay taught me how to shoot today. Do not be angry, Jay said; I have a steady hand. They prepped the rabbit I shot; tomorrow they will be teaching me how to skin."
...
"Jay is such a kind person. It's a shame someone had to endure such hardships and remain soft. I worry for them."
...
"I believe Jay worried for me as well, more than they will ever admit"
...
And the final letter,
...
"Father, I think I may love Jay"
The man had always thought "Jay" was some male gunslinger who had corrupted his daughter.
Jayne had knocked on the man's door. Jayne had gotten the address from one of the letters the woman never sent out. A house servant opened the door. The servant walked Jayne to the man's office door. Knocking twice before opening the door slightly.
"Sir, a visitor," the servant said before walking down the hall. A gruff sound was heard. Jayne swallowed thickly before opening the door all the way.
...
"How could you let this happen! She was never allowed to leave this city! This would have never happened if you walked away! Or even done your damn job!" The man yelled, screaming and throwing objects he had in his office at Jayne. Jayne moved her mask down to talk to him more clearly,
"Sir-" He looked. A woman? Was Jay a woman? His rage grew. A fire in the bottom of his stomach flared.
"You stupid fucking whore! What are you doing in a man's job? This is why you stupid women should be stuck inside the house. Tending, not protecting!" he got up, throwing his chair to the side. He walked up to Jayne, jamming his finger into her chest.
"You're a woman." his face twisted in disgust. "All this time. You had me believing you were some man."
Jayne stood her ground. "It wasn't my intention to hide my gender. I didn't lie, sir."
He pushed her shoulder, making her stumble and almost fall.
"Didn't lie?" He spat. "You dress yourself up like a man, carry a gun. Rode around the country with my daughter hand in hand, and you expect me to believe you weren't deceiving anyone?" He turned around, running his hands through his hair anxiously.
"She knew who I was, sir-" his head snapped in her direction
"Oh, she knew?" he laughed. "Of course she knew! My God-following, loving daughter knew? God Almighty, what have you done to her?"
Jayne stared. "I loved her"
"Don't you call that love." he moved his face in front of hers. "You think putting on a man's clothes makes you one? You think carrying that pistol makes up for something you're missing? You're a [------], that's what you are," he spat
Jayne flinched. She could feel the hot breath on her cheek. The smell of his cigar still lingered. Jayne glared once more. She gritted her teeth.
"Im... sorry. Sir," was all she could muster. She could feel the rage building in her. But she was smart. Picking a fight with him now would never lead to anything good. Her eyes darted across the room, looking for a quick escape. A habit she learned throughout her years. "im sorry"
"Sorry won't fix what you've done!" the man was angry again. Jayne thought if she had pretended to agree with him, his rage would go down. She looked up at him only to be met with a fist. She stumbled, covering her face for cover. The man pushed her to the ground. Yelling more slurs and derogatory words at her. He kicked her in the stomach repeatedly. Punching, kicking, yelling, spitting. Jayne didn't fight back. She understood. It was her job to protect her. She let the moment of chaos distract her. She loved her. She'd do anything to be near her again. She'd do it all again with no payment.
The insults continued. The pain continued. The man bent down to grab Jayne by her neck; he was infuriated. His grip was tight. It began to bruise her throat. His nails dug into her skin, drawing blood.
Jayne slowly reached up to the man's wrists. Her body was getting weaker. Her vision faded in and out.
"im sorry..." It was weak. quiet. Blood from her nose dripped onto the man's wrist. Tears followed shortly.
The man stopped. Tears began to swell in his eyes. He dropped to the floor, dropping Jayne hard onto the wooden floor. He was reminded of his daughter's letters. Oh, the joy the letters gave him. he could feel the fondness in them through her handwriting. The small pressed flowers she would send in them. Looking at Jayne on his floor, she was gasping for air, covered in her own blood. He had done that. He had hurt the person his daughter loved. He tried to kill them... Jay. The guilt ate at him. He sobbed, a loud cry from a man with nothing left.
"Leave. Leave. Don't you ever come back here. If I see your face again... I don't know what I would do next time," he cried, his threat made it clear what would happen. He would shoot her without hesitation.
Jayne stood up, grabbed her hat from the floor, and immediately left.
Since then, Jayne has avoided working in West Elizabeth.