bakeronan

[bakeronan]

Get to Know… Alder Mellark

Alder is the Junior Varsity wrestling coach at District 12's local high school. While a great deal of the staff double as both teachers and coaches, Alder knew there wasn't a chance he'd be able to lead academic classes he barely passed himself. Instead, he busted his ass to prove he was the right man for the job and has vowed to uphold that promise since securing the position.

With Ronan and several of his close friends settling down and starting families of their own, Alder can't help but notice that he's lagging behind everyone...again. His new one-bedroom apartment bachelor pad kept him satisfied and proud for a while, but it's starting to feel rather lonely.

Quick Facts

Age: 25

Aliases: Coach Mellark (students)

Motivations: Above all, Alder is motivated by his desire to succeed, live independently, and prove to others that he can lead an admirable life despite his...intellectual shortcomings. He jumped at the opportunity to move out of his family home the moment he had finally made enough on his own to do so. With his teaching career in full swing and a place to call his own, Alder is looking forward to the next stage of his life.

Current Goals: Now that he's had a couple of years to settle into the mindset of a coach (and learn how to level with hormonal teenagers), Alder's dead set on leading his team to championships.

Current Job: Alder graduated high school and returned a few short years later as a staff member. After leading their wrestling team to several victories throughout his own high school career, hiring Alder on as the new JV wrestling coach was a no brainer. He wasn't thrilled about having to complete the required courses and certifications to clinch the job, but found that having a tangible goal to work towards helped him focus a bit better and power through.

Best Quality: His heart! Alder may not be the brightest of the bunch, but his intentions are always good. Several of his fellow teachers have noted how kind and encouraging he is with his students, and his outgoing nature has kept him surrounded by friends over the years.

Worst Quality: Let's just say Alder was exceptionally lucky to have been given the gift of athleticism... He made it through school by the skin of his teeth and graduated bottom of his class. Alder is always quick to point out to naysayers that, per Mr. Lee, he just "learns differently"!

Hobbies/Interests: Alder is an athlete through and through. He was always an active and reckless kid, making his parents keen to find him something positive and productive to dump all of that excess energy into. He tried out several sports and loved all of them, but it became clear rather quickly that wrestling was where he would find the most success when it came to playing competitively. When he's not coaching, Alder likes to spend his free time in the gym, plays other sports casually with friends, and frequently attends Red Wolves games.

Family: As the baby of the family, Alder has been the subject of Aspen's doting since birth. Several of his trophies and medals from high school are still proudly displayed around the house, and Aspen has transitioned from bragging about his many athletic achievements to boasting about his newfound success as a coach. While Reid and Alder are not quite as close, his father has always made an effort to encourage and support him over the years, even if Alder doesn't always heed his advice.

Despite being total opposites, Alder has always looked up to Ronan. That's his older brother after all! He was the only person shocked by Ronan's coming out, and even more so when it was revealed he and Jasper were dating. Alder had several questions at first (many of which Ronan had to shut down), but he has since grown to admire their dynamic and hopes to find a relationship of his own that measures up.

His uncle Orion is his hero, hands down. The pair are two dumbass peas in a pod, and Alder loves spending time with him. He frequently asks Orion questions about his "glory days" playing football, and the two can pass a ball around and joke for hours...much to Reid's dismay.

Other Relationships: Alder would do anything for his students. Not a day goes by that he's not excited to go to work and spend time with those kids. Maybe it's because he shares the same reading level as them, but he gets along great with his team and always makes an effort to give them the best guidance possible.

Alder spent an embarrassing amount of time believing Ronan and Penny were an item until his brother officially came out. Once it was revealed that they were nothing more than best friends, Alder felt more comfortable spending time alone with her and striking up conversations. He's impressed by her confidence and finds her eclectic sense of style fascinating, but the poor boy doesn't have a clue that there could be more to their connection. If someone were to spell it out for him though...who knows?

Last Song on Repeat:

Ambitious by Jack Harlow I was never meant to be a college applicant Fuck I look like goin' to college after this Class clown type that like to holla at the chicks Friend group solid as it gets

[bakeronan]

Get to Know… Penny Cartwright

Penny is a fourth year senior at the CFA Textiles Field School in District 8 and has been pursuing a Fashion Apparel Design degree. She also works part-time at her family's shoe shop. It's always been her dream to launch her own brand of women's mid and plus-sized clothing, and she spent the 5 years post-graduation beefing up her portfolio and scraping enough money together to attend college.

Her parents were not subtle about their disapproval, but she has since convinced them that the degree will help boost business. Her best friend, Ronan, on the other hand has been nothing but supportive and excited for her.

With graduation (and her 30's) approaching, Penny is both excited and nervous for what the future holds.

Quick Facts

Age: 27

Aliases: Pen (Ronan), Goldie/Goldilocks (Ursa)

Motivations: After spending the better part of her life being picked on for her weight, Penny has made it her mission to shine a light on the world of plus-sized fashion (or better yet, lack thereof) and ensure other young girls like her don't wind up falling into the same cycle of self-hatred she did.

Current Goals: Finish her degree at CFA, find a decent paying job in the fashion industry (and maybe a suitor along the way), and commit to starting her own brand of women's clothing and accessories

Current Job: Penny works part-time at her family's shoe shop, The Cartwright Cobbler. As the story goes, the shop was destroyed in the war, rebuilt from the ground up years later, and has been the Cartwright family's pride and joy ever since.

The work is okay, and Penny certainly appreciates the insight and experience it has provided her with. However, she is desperate to expand her horizons and build upon the shop's services.

Best Quality: Penny's determination and drive is unmatched. Once she sets her heart on something, not much can dissuade her from chasing after it. She's also incredibly patient (sometimes too patient) and has learned to move to the beat of her own drum.

Worst Quality: She’s always had trouble setting and, more importantly, sticking to her boundaries. Penny will go toe to toe any day for a loved one, but the same sadly cannot be said for herself. While not nearly as insecure now as she was in her adolescence, Penny still has her bad days. She finds it especially difficult to stand up to her mother, as there’s a small, naive part of her that believes they might still have a shot at forming a healthy mother-daughter relationship.

Hobbies/Interests: Penny has always had an eye for fashion and learned how to sew at a young age. Eventually, she began altering and making her own clothes, a venture that only seemed to intensify the bullying at school. The stifled laughs and snide remarks from her classmates slowly began to subside as she continued to practice and found more success in bringing her ideas to life.

In her down time, you can also find Penny doodling away in her sketchbook creating new designs. She's not overly fond of sharing her sketches with others, but humors both Ronan and Ursa whenever they ask for a peek.

Family: Despite being an only child, Penny does not have the relationship she had hoped for with her parents. Her father, Alwin, is all but indifferent about her passions and hobbies, that is unless they directly align with the interest of their family business. She is the next and only Cartwright in line after all, and it would be unheard of not to keep the shop alive and busy for more generations to come! Penny knows he means well and loves her, but she’s grown used to tuning him out half the time.

Her mother, Lina, is a completely different but more painful story. For as long as she can remember, Penny’s mother has been obsessed with picking her apart. Whether it be her looks, grades, or goals, nothing seems to be good enough. Penny has spent years swallowing criticisms masked as “honesty and tough love”, and the few times she’s had the courage to snap back, it’s resulted in shouting and tears. To save her sanity, Penny chooses to fly solo and stay close to her chosen family.

Other Relationships: Ronan is Penny's closest friend and has been for over a decade. The two bonded their sophomore year of high school after Ronan had a particularly nasty run-in with a couple of bigoted classmates and was ultimately outed. Sick of feeling small and worthless herself, paired with the clear look of fear Ronan wore to class each day, prompted her to be brave and strike up a conversation...and the rest was history. They spent the final two years of high school together perfecting the art of being wallflowers and helped each other find some much needed self confidence.

In addition to working part-time at The Cartwright Cobbler, Penny also elected to cover shifts at The Mellark Bakery after graduating in hopes it would help her save the money she needed for college quicker. Through her work at the bakery, she befriended Ursa and Jasper.

Penny took a real liking to Ursa and found her blunt but charming nature to be highly entertaining. Ursa quickly appointed Penny as her "style guru", and the two can and will spend hours talking about the latest trends. While Penny is not as close with Jasper, she has found great joy in watching he and Ronan's relationship blossom over the years. They seem to balance each other out perfectly, and she's never seen Ronan so smitten.

Penny also may or may not harbor a small crush on Ronan's younger brother, Alder, a fact she has vehemently denied over the years. A classic dumb jock type and two years her junior, Alder isn't exactly relationship material, but he's always been kind to her...and he's not so bad to look at either.

Last Song on Repeat:

Tempo by Lizzo (feat. Missy Elliott) Slow songs, they for skinny hoes Can't move all of this here to one of those I'm a thick bitch, I need tempo Fuck it up to the tempo

[bakeronan]

BEN BARNES ll 42

[bakeronan]

i could stare at your back all day and i know I've kissed you before, but i didn't do it right can i try again, try again, try again

[bakeronan]

JOSH O'CONNOR & MIKE FAIST Challengers (2024)