#he teaches 12th grade and everyone is 18

[dontfeeltoohot]

Autumn Snz Prompt Day 3 - Sick After Midterms - Teacher AU - Steddie

New AU! I honestly disliked this prompt, and wanted to find a way around dealing with a college AU, so this is what came out of it. I hope you enjoy!

The thing about midterms, is that every person worries about them, and all of the students come to school to take them, even if they’re sick. Which, in the middle of October, they definitely are. So not only does it spread germs to other students, it spreads them to faculty as well. This includes Eddie, who doesn’t even teach a damn core subject or have a real midterm. 

He has a test, of course, making sure the eleventh and twelfth grade students in his theaters arts 3 and 4 classes are understanding the material. Kids who are in TA4 usually all pass any quiz or test he gives out, random or planned. He enjoys working with the kids, and enjoys that they’re the ones who are absolutely going to be actors and actresses for the rest of their life. 18 is a fun age, they have wit and snark, and are (mostly) done with excess hormones and bratty attitudes. 

The last day before fall break, the last day of the teens midterms for the week, Eddie walks into his large room with a sore throat, aching head, fever, and a large to-go cup of coffee, generously given to him by his husband, who’s on his way to his own office near the gym. 

Throughout the day, Eddie lets his dramatics take over. He and Steve have the same break period, but the guitarist stays at his desk when the last of his third period files out. His sinuses are aching, which makes his face throb. Blinking sluggishly, he’s not sure how long he stays hunched in his rolling chair until a hand is being placed onto his shoulder, causing Eddie to jump. 

“Hey, I came to check on you,” Steve frowns. 

“Hey, I came to check on you,” Steve frowns. 

The theater teacher wants to make a joke, say some witty line or lean in and kiss his husbands lips. Instead, he makes a small noise and rubs a hand down his face, turning to cough tiredly into his arm. 

“How’re you feeling?”

Steve fusses with Eddie’s hair, then presses a cool hand to his too-warm face, making the older man let out a small whine. Usually, if he’s sick, he powers through, maybe makes a joke about how germy he is. Today he’s aware he’s unnaturally quiet and listless. He just doesn’t have the energy for much else. 

“You’re burning up baby.” 

“I feel like garbage,” Eddie grumbles, sniffling. 

An itch blossoms in his sinuses, and he turns away, arm heavy as he pulls it to his face. 

“iiGKtSCHew! IhKSHHuhew! ihhGtShh’EW! Fuck..” 

“Bless you.” 

The sneezes scrape at his throat, and when Eddie swallows, his ears tug painfully, uncomfortable in a way that makes him grimace. Chilled, he lets his head fall to Steve’s shoulder, before finally forcing it up again. 

“I’m gonna get you sick.” 

“Like I care? You should see yourself Ed’s. You look sick as hell. Two more classes and we’ll be home okay?” 

Steve grabs a chair and sits with him the forty minutes they have left. Eddie starts drifting, head pillowed against his crossed arms on his desk. He wakes up when his husband jostles his shoulder lightly. 

“Hey baby, you gotta wake up, the bell’s about to ring.” 

Groaning, Eddie rubs at his face, giving Steve a hazy look. 

“You going to be okay if I leave?” 

“Yeah,” the long haired man croaks out, throat aching up into his ears. 

Not very convinced, Steve hugs him tightly then heads back to the gym. Eddie leans back in his chair as his second half of theater four comes in, all looking at him worriedly. Eddie rolls himself to the front of the room, back to the stage they have protruding from the wall. 

“Ok, listen up kiddos. I feel like I’ve been hit by a truck, eaten by Cerbus and spat back out. I have your test. Finish it, hand it to me, then do whatever the fuck you want, as long as it’s not loud and you can grab something to make it look like you’re working if Higgins comes in.” 

All the kids nod. A few of them make sympathetic noises. Eddie has one of the kids, Will; his favorite, hand the test out. It’s quiet aside from the sounds of pens and pencils scratching against paper. Slowly, people start finishing, handing the test papers to him. 

“They’ll be graded eventually, probably not for the first day back,” he adds, voice raspy after the last 18 year old hands the midterm in. 

The students wince at how bad he sounds, his voice on its last leg. Sniffling, Eddie stands and coughs, shivering as he makes his way across the room to throw a few tissues away. As he starts back to his desk, the teacher's head starts swimming, and he fumbles, putting a hand on the wall. 

“Woah, Mr. M, you okay?” 

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Eddie rubs his eyes and determinedly gets back to his chair, letting out a shaky breath once he’s got his head leaning back. 

“Do whatever, just don’t make my headache worse.” 

When the final bell rings, Eddie stays put, waving half heartedly to the teens. The door shuts with a click, and he’s alone, cheeks flushed red, nose pink, skin pale. He feels entirely too cold, body shaking as he stands, knowing he needs to get his things. 

His classroom is completely cleaned up- Will and Max had taken it upon themselves to clean up everything that they could. Fumbling for his backpack, he picks it up and his arms feel like jello, unnaturally weak. Sniffling wetly, Eddie coughs into his arm and sluggishly goes to find Steve. 

As he walks into the Hawkins High gym, he spots Jason and Chrissy arguing about something. The basketball and cheer coaches are flaring at each other and Eddie, who has to walk by them, wishes he could teleport instead. He’s always hated Carver, from middle school to now, but it’s been a deeper loathing since Chrissy broke up with him and the blonde decided to make everyone’s life a living hell. 

The petite strawberry blonde stalks off in the opposite direction before Eddie passes, but he doesn’t get as lucky with Carver, who zeros in on him. Normally, the theater teacher would have some snarky one liner to direct at the jock, but he’s too tired, too sick, and as he brushes past the man, Carver moves and Eddie stumbles slightly into the wall. 

“Watch where you’re going Freak.” 

Eddie blinks at him, giving a tired cough into his arm. His head throbs as he does, and Jason stares at him with disgust on his face 

“The only reason you’re even a teacher here is because Harrington is the Athletic Director, and he sweet talked the superintendent into ignoring the fact you used to sell drugs to kids, and the fact you failed senior year twice,” the coach sneers. 

“Probably, now if you could move,” Eddie grumbles, really not in the mood to deal with more bullshit. 

The thing is, he’s sure Carver is right. The first school Eddie had applied to, he’d been denied. Then the second. He’d sworn to himself in the beginning he wouldn’t work at Hawkins High, wouldn’t go back to the place he spent 6 years of his life in hell. But he needed a job, so he’d applied and then somehow been accepted. He’s sure his husband had everything to do with it, but he’s never brought it up, because at the end of the day, he’s still got a job, despite however he got it. 

“You sick or something Munson? God you’re disgusti-“ 

“Hey Eds,” Steve walks out from the hallway that leads to everyone in the athletic departments offices.  

“Steve, think your husband is sick, might wanna take him home,” Carver says tersely, eyes traveling over the both of him. 

“Yeah, that’s exactly what I’m doing now, Jason. But thanks for the info. I’d also appreciate it if you’d not harass him,” Steve’s voice is clipped, and Eddie’s sure he uses the word harass to signify he can go to HR. 

“See you after break,” the blonde growls, stalking away. 

“You okay?” 

Steve’s got his bag with him, keys around his wrist. Eddie nods and rubs at his face, swallowing. He just wants to go home. 

“Can we leave?” His voice gives out at the last word, but he doesn’t bother trying to clear his throat, instead he just shuts his mouth and lets Steve lead him to the car. 

At least they have the next three days off. 

[illgiveyouthesun19]

5 pm thoughts.

hello everyone, today is one of those days where i decided to write again. to be fair, i write everyday, i write my economics note, i write psychology nites but its all because it is necessary, it isnt what i truly want. what i truly want? i want to be able to write on laptop without the finger next to my middle finger rising and aching, i want to be able to write stories once again and be filled with ideas like a couple of years ago. but times change and so do people, a changed time and a changed person doesnt necessarily mean that theyve become better. perhpas, not all changes are good. the change and shift from real life to reel life that we all witnessed in these past 2 years wasnt all that good for everyone but it certainly teach me alot of things.

things about myself, about the people around me, interpersonal as well as intrapersonal relationship and although i want to say it has shaped me into what i am today, i cant say this with happiness.

because the person i am today, this person sleeps 18 hours a day and relies on other people to give her some sense of motivation and meaning in life, maybe it is because i am lost and confused but maybe its just that i dont want to try and fail. but the person before, she never slept and was always on the move but then again, she wouldnt just sit in metro and look at people while contemplating life or spend 40 mins, walking 6 kms just so she can find an auto to take her home.

life has changed. i am 17 and in my senior year, i have my first final in 15 days but i am sitting here oversharing on tumblr, maybe a year from now, i will be in the university i want to go to or maybe, i'll be just another girl who didnt try hard enough and will regret wasting these precious moments before the important days. but maybe i already regret everything ive done so far and maybe that's why i sleep so much, i dont want to make another mistake that will affect me for so long. one of the biggest mistake ive ever made is perhaps liking a guy. because once you start, there's no going back. i let myself flow and my chances of becoming better at studies slipped away right in front of me whilst i was crying over that guy. that was in 9th grade, freshman year and now in 12th grade, senior year and a couple of guys later, i feel like my whole life is getting affected by these few simple mistakes i've made during puberty and even though ive protected myself from catching feelings for a guy or girl this past one year, i managed to open a small business and fuck up my studies once again. i am eternally grateful for my small business but without the studies, i wont be able to run away from this soul sucking place where you have to get married by 27 or have a kid before 35 and respect the people who belittle you and be nice and respectful and act in a manner even if your parents are okay with the way you're, you have to think of the society. and i absolutely hate it. i never mention anything about marriage and all that and i am thankful my parents dont either, because they want me to be financially independent and make something of myself before i even think of settling down with someone, i think this stems from the fact that both of them are unhappy in their own marriage but again, the society. but i am screaming and crying internally everytime a cousin says i will get married before my elder cousin brother does, why would i get married before he does even though hes 3 years older? oh because youre a girl. and i might as well have to, even if my parents are liberal and my whole family is, i am still scared of getting married before i have reached my potential and sat in cafes in paris and smoked cigrettes in new york or shopped at a book store in notting hill, i am scared and i might as well not be able to do it if i dont get grades and good marks in the exams starting 15 days from now. but what if i give it all and still fail? because even then my dad will be like you didnt try hard enough and i will have to settle for a less nice college, an average degree and life and i wont be able to make it because there are already a dozen amount of people who think i am just another girl with dreams and maybe i am but i wish i wasnt. i dont want to be a failure and i dont have anything to share all this with because i have a supersitioun that if i talk about something with someone, it gets jinxéd and i am fucking scared of that too, i am going through life with 2k followers on instagram but like 3 friends in real life, no one to really say they love me, love me truly not because they're related by blood or contioned to but because they choose to love me, grades that are going down, parents that should seprate but wont and a body that wont decide if its fat or not, an eating disorder and an average small business. look, maybe my glass is half empty but it was never full to begin with.

[bookofjin]

Annals of Taihe 20 (496)

[From WS007. The Emperor changes his family name. The Empress is deposed. The Heir is deposed and reduced to commoner status. Mu Tai plans rebellion.]

20th Year, Spring, 1st Month, dingmao [2 February], decreed to change the family name to Yuan.

On renchen [27 February], changed the fief of the King of Shiping, Xie, to be King of Pengcheng. Used the King of Dingxiang county, Luan, to restore his fief to King of Chengyang.

2nd Month, xinchou [7 March], the Emperor favoured Hualin [the “Illustrious Forest”], and listened to disputes at the Chief Watchtower.

On  renyin [8 March], decreed that since there were no metal and leather [i.e. weapons and armour → warfare], to allow the full three years of mourning.

On bingwu [12 March], decreed that within the imperial demesne, those seventy and above in late spring were to go to the Imperial City, where [the Emperor] wanted to act out the rites of nourshing the elderly.

On gengxu [16 March], favoured Hualin, and listened to disputes at the Chief Watchtower.

On guichou [19 March], decreed that the towns of Jie Mountian were allowed to make cold food, the remainder were forbidden and were to put a stop to it.

3rd Month, bingyin [1 April], banqueted the crowd of subjects and the elderly of the state and the elderly of the myriads at Hualin Park. A decree said:

For the elderly of state, the yellow-haired and wrinkled and above, [will be] provisional Central Unassigned Grandees and commandery Wardens; the aged and above [will be] provisional Serving Affairs-at-Centre and county Prefects. The elderly of the myriads will just be provisional commander and county [Wardens and Prefects]. On each bestow dove-shaped canes, clothes and garments.

On dingchou [12 April], decreed that the Central Correctors of the various provinces were each to lift up their district's commoners' hopefuls. Those aged fifty and above who guarded simplicity [at their] their crossbeam gates, were to conferred on as Prefects and Chiefs.

Summer, 4th Month, jiachen [9 May], the Inspector of Guang province, Xue Fahu, went south in rebellion.

5th Month, bingzi [10 June], a decree said:

Agriculture in particular is at the head of government, and the altars of grain indeed are the priority of the people. Timely rain abundant and widespread is what ought to genuinely be striven for. Should order within the imperial demesne to strictly apply teaching and supervision. Those who are indolent with their patrimony to be restrained with scouring and flogging. Those who put their strength in farming to be drawn up so their names are known.

On bingxu [20 June], began to lay out the Square Meadow at Heyin.

Dispatched envoys to use the grand sacrificial animals to worship at the mounds of Emperors Guangwu, Ming, and Zhang of Han. Also decreed that for the mounds of the various emperors of Han, Wei, and Jin, each would have a restricted area of a hundred paces where [people] did not get to gather wood or herbs, tread or walk.

On dinghai [21 June], the Chariot Drove to have affairs at the Square Meadow.

7th Month [26 July – 24 August], deposed the August Empress, Ms. Feng.

On wuyin [11 August], the Emperor, due to the long drought, altogether put in order the crowd of gods. From guiwei [16 August], he did not eat until yiyou [18 August]. That night there was timely rain, great and widespread.

On dinghai [20 August], a decree said:

Blazing heat contravening moderation, autumn drizzle rolling up timely rain, the responsibility is with Me, who it truth is deeply trembling with fear. For that reason stopped ordering meals for three mornings, so as to instruct high complaints. The numinous discerned the sincere earnestness, and specially let flow the clouds' liquid.

Even when resting, never rest, but instead dare to overstep idleness. There might be worthy people with profound virtue, exalted scholars stuck on their perches, and though applying measuring and selection, [we] are not able to summon them to come. Should focus on inquiring into the secluded valleys, lift up now these worthy intellects, to straight-away speak the utmost admonitions, and correct what I do not attain.

Also when pernicious flattery damage the court, it certainly will only govern vermin; when greedy men pilfer positions, the great government will then be deficient. The master criticizes and reproaches the incompetent, clarifies and demotes [those] with illicit beneficence.

Also when laws are the core of government, the people's fate is particularly heavy. For the prisoners that are in the Capital, comprehensively instruct itemize them in memorials. We want to personally rely on them for timely discussion and judgement.

Also illness and hardship's six extremities are what people and gods have sympathy for. [We] ought to timely inquire into and care [for them], so as to help the poor and discarded. For the widowed, orphaned, hard-pressed and bereft, and those who are not able survive by themselves, clarify applying sympathy and care, and cause them to obtain aid to survive.

Also to make light conscription and diminish taxes is a lordly person's regular arrangement. [If] within a year there is persistent service, draw it up so that the circumstances are known.

Also the Way of husband and wife is first among the living people. During mid-spring to run and assemble, the rite has an insightful model. For those men and women who have lost the times, use the rite to assemble them.

Also for the Capital's people who have begun the legacy, farming mulberry trees is the foundation. For fields that are sown much or little, teach and supervise so that it is not done, and draw it up so the circumstances are told.

8th Month, renchen, New Moon [25 August], favoured Hualin Park, and personally recorded the prisoners and convicts. For everyone he reduced the original crime with two grades, decided and dispatched them.

On wuxu [31 August], the Chariot Drove to favour Songgao.

On jiayin [16 September], returned to the Palace.

On dingsi [19 September], the King of Nan'an, Zhen, passed away.

Favoured Hualin Park and listened to disputes.

9th Month, wuchen [30 September], the Chariot Drove to review the military at Xiaping Ford.

On guiyou [5 October], returned to the Palace.

On dinghai [19 October], was about to pass along the Luo River to enter the valley. The Emperor personally approached and observed.

Winter, 10th Month, wuxu [30 October], used all of the soldiers who had moved from Dai as Feathered Forest and Rapid-as-Tigers. For the people of Si province, from each twelve men they were to levy one functionary, and be four years replacement soldiers. At the beginning of the year, they would alternate to be on leave, and so provide public and private labour and service.

On jiyou [10 November], a special amnesty for the Imperial City.

11th Month, yiyou [16 December], restored the fief of the former King of Ruyin, Tianci's grandson Jinghe to be King of Ruyin. The former King of Jinzhao, Taixing, became King of Xihe.

Intercalary Month, bingchen [16 January], the General of the Right, Yuan Long, greatly routed the rebellious Hu of Fen province.

12th Month, jiazi [24 January], since the north-western provinces and commanderies had drought and bad harvests, dispatched attendant subjects to inspect and examine, and opened the granaries to relieve and aid.

On yichou [25 January], began with restrictions on salt pools, and gave to people to provide to them.

On bingyin [26 January], deposed the August Heir-Apparent, Xun, to be a commoner.

On dingmao [27 January], announced it to the Grand Temple-

On wuchen [28 January], set up Regular Levelling Granaries.

The Inspector of Heng province, Mu Tai, and others in the province planned rebellion. Dispatched the Acting Master of Writing of the Personnel Section, the King of Rencheng, Cheng, to record and put them in order.

The King Leling, Siyu was convicted of knowing about Tai's secret plans and not reporting it. Stripped off his feudal rank to be a commoner.

[therealconservative101]

Want To Put America First? Focus On Our Education

Our nation, like every other, has problems within our borders. While the media and elected officials across the nation portray our most important problems as a wall and governor’s yearbooks, we as a nation tend to ignore arguably the most important problem: our education. 

We have all heard numerous times in our lives: “children are the future”, and they truly are. The students sitting in school today are the future doctors, politicians, lawyers, teachers and artists. They are also the future carpenters, electricians, plumbers laborers, and mechanics. All of these jobs are necessary for our society to function. Yet every student is taught the same as if they are all going to have the same path in life, and that is just one of the many problems in our educational system. 

Everyone reading this has sat in a classroom for years and many can attest that school is not for everyone. Yet instead of focusing on students’ strengths, our nation approaches our education with a liberal arts mindset. Yes, we need our core classes like math and English but these subjects are focused on too heavily. Schools, in all levels of education across the nation, judge and rate our students on their performances in their cumulative grades in all core subjects as well as examinations in the respective subjects and this is not a true assessment of our students. The next mathematician in our country is looked down upon because he or she cannot remember how President James Polk acquired New Mexico. Just like how the future architect is judged for not remembering that the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell. 

A liberal arts education has its benefits, however it cannot possibly help most students. Our education needs to direct our students towards specific careers and fields based on the skills and knowledge they obtain and develop in elementary and middle school. Successful education systems all over the world use this mindset such as Germany. After World War II, Germany went through the Miracle on the Rhine which centered their funding not into their military, but into several domestic policy issues such as education and it truly paid off.

In Germany, children aged three to six, may opt-in to attend kindergarten. After that, school is compulsory for nine or ten years. From grades one through four children attend elementary school (Grundschule), where the subjects taught are the same for all. Then, after the fourth grade, they are separated according to their academic ability and the wishes of their families, and attend one of three different kinds of schools: Hauptschule, Realschule or Gymnasium.

The Hauptschule (grades 5-9) teaches the same subjects as the Realschule and Gymnasium, but at a slower pace and with some vocational-oriented courses. It leads to part-time enrollment in a vocational school combined with apprenticeship training until the age of 18. 

The Realschule (grades 5-10 in most city-states) leads to part-time vocational schools and higher vocational schools. There is also the possibility for students with high academic achievement at the Realschule to switch to a Gymnasium upon graduation.

The Gymnasium leads to a diploma called the Abitur and prepares students for university study or for a dual academic and vocational credential. The curriculum differs from school to school, but generally includes German, mathematics, computer science, physics, chemistry, biology, geography, art (as well as crafts and design), music, history, philosophy, civics, social studies, and several foreign languages. In recent years many states have changed the curriculum so students can get the "Abi" at the end of the 12th grade. Other city-states are making the transition but may still require a 13th grade.

This system provides different types of students with different skills and abilities with a more individual approach to education. This allows weaker students to focus on their best skills and pursue a career path where they can succeed, while allowing stronger students to garner more of the appropriate attention needed. It allows focus on different levels of intelligence in different ways unlike our educational system.

Our educational system actually does the opposite. Especially schools in urban areas of the country, our educational system suffers from a “Brain Drain”. The literal definition of this is the emigration of highly trained or intelligent people from a particular country. Focusing the term to our education, the “Brain Drain” takes highly skilled and intelligent students and places them in classrooms with students who struggle academically. 

We can see radical integration of intelligence levels in schools with the current mayor of New York City, Bill De Blasio. The mayor wants to abolish the Specialized High School Admissions Test. The mayor even wrote in an op-ed for Chalkbeat(an education website) “The Specialized High School Admissions Test isn’t just flawed — it’s a roadblock to justice, progress and academic excellence,”. The mayor and many other elected officials focus more on the students demographics then students capability. 

Another flawed integration of intelligence levels can be seen in “AP For All”. The name itself is the first of many problems in our education. Advanced Placement is not for everyone, in fact it is an opportunity for the students who are capable academically to take a college course in high school. While AP courses are a great addition to our schools, statistics show only 59% of the students scores showed they are qualified in the respective subject in 2018. Allowing deserving students into AP classes simply brings down the course itself once again harming the education of both the top students and the academically average or academically weak students. 

While there is a laundry list of problems with the courses and curriculum in our school system, a problem that is overwhelmingly ignored is the classrooms itself. Our classrooms are extremely outdated and shows how much we truly ignore the need for improvement in our education. We have been through two different revolutions between the past three centuries; the Industrial Revolution and the Technological Revolution. Despite society completely changing during these two revolutions, our classrooms seems to have changed the same. 

Our schools use bulk processing of students—lumping them by age and clustering them in groups of roughly twenty. Then, the desks in our classrooms are placed in rows that are directly parallel to the front of the room where the teacher stands showing the clear authority of the teacher. And finally, students hear a bell to know when to get up, and move on to the next classroom. 

This has been the way classrooms are made for centuries, so what is the problem? The problem is that the design of the classroom and some of the behaviors that go with being in it are based on past ideals. Schools were used during the Industrial Revolution for the sole purpose of preparing children to work in factories. Classrooms continue to be designed to simulate factories preparing students for the assembly line, not for the current real world. We have an unlimited amount of resources due to the rise of the internet. Times have changed and our classrooms need to change as well. Our classrooms need more technology and less students per teacher. The classroom also needs to become comfortable for the students to develop skills and attain knowledge. Our classrooms don’t need to resemble assembly lines. 

Our teachers are underappreciated and need the recognition they earned. According to the National Education Association, the average K-12 teacher earnings was only $58,353 as of 2017, which in fact is almost $3,000 less than 2010. To work so diligently and put so much dedication for the future of our nation, teachers should receive a salary that reflects the important work they provide. 

As a global leader, the United States should have one of, if not the greatest, education system in the world. Yet we disappoint our teachers and our students with an embarrassment of an education. The Trump Administration is halting any possible improvement of our education with his latest budget proposal. According to the White House, the Education Budget will have a $7.1 billion or 10.5-percent decrease from the 2017 enacted level. Our teachers need to be given the resources to make a proper curriculum and courses to allow them to teach as efficiently as possible. Our nation needs to provide our students with the necessary environment and resources to learn and develop. 

If our politicians truly want to put America first, they will reform our education system into an effective system. An effective system that works for all students. A system that will directly benefit our future blue collar workers and our future white collar workers. It will take time, and it will take funding, but our nation's future is priceless. 

[deflowr-blog]

          oh  no ,  it’s  me ,  marty ,  18 ,  he / him ,  comin’  at  you  live  right  from  the  depths  of  the  underworld  ( cst ) .  i’m  so  tired  bc  i  work  litcherally  all  day  five  days  a  week ,  but  guess  who  decided  to  join  an  rp  anyway  bc  it’s  been  to  long  since  he’s  written  Anything ??  anyway ,  here’s  this  li’l  sh/t ,  jude ,  my  darling  dearest  who’s  gone  by  several  different  names  and  slightly  different  histories  before  this .  this’ll  probs  be  Brief  bc  i’m  planning  on  making  his  pages  tomorrow .  like  this  ‘n’  i’ll  mosey  on  over  to  you ,  or  you  can  hmu  here  or  on  discord  @  dick’s wings#3074 !  xoxo

﹠  𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑎𝑝𝑝

— - ̗̀ it was great seeing JUDE FLORES around barcelona today! the NINETEEN y/o is originally from santa rosa, california, but they’re here to study biomedical sciences as an EXCHANGE STUDENT. i heard the SECOND YEAR got into barcelona university because they’re persevering, but some say they can also be hot-headed. no wonder people are starting to call them THE MAVERICK.

﹠  𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑐𝑘 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑠

full name:  jude  flores     nn(s):  literally  any  variation  of  his  name  tbh dob + pob:  august  12th  &  cali     zodiac:  leo  sun ,  capricorn  moon gender + pronouns:  demiguy ,  he / him      sexuality:  homosexual ,  greyromantic ethnicity:  mexican  ( spanish + indigenous ) ,  iranian ,  various  white nationality:  american      language(s):  english ,  spanish ,  catalan ,  french label:  the  maverick     faceclaim:  benjamin  wadsworth

﹠  𝑎 𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑙𝑒 𝑏𝑎𝑐𝑘𝑔𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑

TRIGGER WARNINGS:  death  &  mental / verbal  abuse ,  underage  drinking  mentions .

basically ,  his  parents  are  well - off  enough  to  be  comfortable  with  a  tad  bit  of  extra  cushion .  his  mom  divorced  his  bio  dad  when  he  was  four ,  and  she  remarried  her  side - guy .  his  dad  got  him  on  the  weekends  and  every  other  thursday  and  friday ,  and  he  preferred  being  with  his  bio  dad ,  who  was  his  hero  and  main  inspiration  ( and  still  is ) .

his  bio  dad  died  in  a  workplace  accident  when  jude  was  ten ,  and  his  bio  mom  got  full  custody  of  her  golden  boy  ( that’s  what  his  step - dad  called  him ,  and  not  in  a  Nice  way ) .  he’d  acted  out  before  then ,  but  after  his  dad  died ,  he  acted  out  a  lot  more  frequently  and  more  intensely --  but  he  also  got  better  at  hiding  it  and  finding  ways  around  consequences .

he’s  had  his  mind  set  on  going  to  barcelona  for  college  since  he  was  seventeen  and  freshly  out  of  high  school .  he  wanted  to  get  as  far  away  from  his  mom  and  step - dad  as  possible ,  because  when  they  weren’t  ignoring  his  existence ,  they  were  overbearingly  loud  and  mean  ( and  he  was  loud  &  mean  right  back ) .  they  were  more  than  happy  to  pay  his  tuition  and  get  him  out  of  their  hair .

he  started  smoking  somewhere  between  the  ages  of  sixteen  and  seventeen .  was  drinking  before  then .

as  for  friends ,  he  wasn’t  ever  really ,  you  know ,  the  most  popular  kid .  he  was  bullied  in  elementary  until  he  stood  up  for  himself  in  fifth  grade  by  punching  a  bully  in  the  jaw .  as  he  grew ,  he  preferred  his  lonesome ,  because  everyone  he  got  close  to  would  quickly  turn  around  and  start  ignoring  him  or  whispering  behind  his  back .  kids ,  right ??  //  he  DOES  have  one  friend  he  made  in  eighth  grade  that  is  still  his  best  friend ,  to  this  day ,  but  he  and  his  family  moved  to  australia ,  of  all  places ,  in  their  senior  year .

TDLR:  his  parents  suck ,  he’s  never  liked  people ,  grew  up  too  fast ,  and  he  misses  his  dad  and  best  friend .  oh ,  and ,  he  grew  up  speaking  both  english  and  spanish ,  using  almost  only  spanish  when  with  his  bio  dad .

﹠  𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑎𝑙𝑦𝑠𝑖𝑠

too  intelligent  to  his  own  good ,  but  not  exactly  the  wisest .  his  best  subjects  are  science  and  math ,  and  he’s  a  li’l  nerd ,  but  by  g*d  if  he  isn’t  also  the  stupidest  dude  ever ,  and  he  knows  it .  he  does  it  on  purpose .

cynical ,  sarcastic  as  hell ,  and  has  a  deeply  rooted  hatred  for  authority  and  most  anyone  who  is  above  the  age  of  a millennial .  he’s  ( mostly )  self - interested ,  and  he’s  gotten  people  into  trouble  before  without  remorse ,  even  though  they  hadn’t  ever  done  anything  to  him .

quiet  and  soft - spoken ,  but  easily  riled  up .  he’s  got  a  short  fuse ,  and  anyone  who  has  met  him  knows  this  very  well .  he  doesn’t  usually  yell ,  but  he’s  gotten  into  many  fights  in  the  past .  he’s  got  more  bite  than  bark ,  when  he’s  truly  pissed  off .

seems  fearless ,  but  he’s  just  very  brave ,  bold ,  impulsive ,  and  stupid .  he  will  provoke  someone  thrice  his  size ,  and  he’ll  do  almost  anything  someone  dares  him  to  do .  he’s  got  a  good  record  for  that .

he’s  good  at  not  getting  caught  by  authority  figures ,  or  if  he  is  caught ,  it’s  not  entirely  difficult  for  him  to  get  out  of  a  slippery  situation .  he’s  got  his  wits  to  help  him  out  where  his  physical  strength  and  agility  lack .

he  could  be  literally  dying  and  he’d  still  try  to  get  up  and  walk ,  and  piss  off  the  people  he  doesn’t  like  or  who  hurt  him .  his  perseverance  and  determination  rarely  falter ,  and  it’s  not  always  a  good  thing .

okay ,  so ,  he’s  aloof  and  doesn’t  like  being  close  to  anyone ,  but  he  always  finds  himself  getting  close  with  at  least  one  or  two  people  that  he  lowkey  would  die  for .  he’ll  tease  ‘friends’  to  no  end ,  but  all  in  good  nature ,  and  it’s  easy  to  tell  when  he  likes  you  because  he’ll  talk  a  little  more ,  and  walk  or  sit  closer  to  you  ( and  it’s  easier  to  fluster  him ) .  he’s  actually  a  pretty  decent  friend ,  if  you  get  that  close  to  him ,  always  there  and  willing  to  help  ( even  though  he’ll  tell  everyone  else  he  doesn’t  actually  care  about  you ,  he  does ) .

TDLR:  he’s  a  little  shit  who  has  A  Heart   and  is  to  Smart  and  Mischievous  for  his  own  good ,  with  the  mouth  of  a  sailor ,  albeit  a  quiet  one .  gets  headshakes  and  tsks  from  everyone .

﹠  𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑛𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠

          close  friend ,  confidante:  someone  who  rivals  his  best  friend  in  australia ,  who  he  didn’t  even  realize  he  was  getting  close  to  when  it  was  happening .  he’d  always  be  suggesting  they  go  out  together  and  do  whatever .  he’d  just  want  to  hang  out  with  them  a  lot  because  they’re  “ the  only  person  he  can  stand . ”  he’d  die  for  them .

          rivals ,  enemies ,  nemesis  and  what - have - yous:  probably  someone  or  some  people  who  are  more  stuck - up ,  who  always  follow  the  rules ;  OR  who  are  just  very  competitive  and  want  to  see  who  can  do  the  stupidest  shit  without  getting  caught .  can  be  amiable  or  actually  full  of  disdain .

          study  buddies / smol  group  of  ‘friends’:  he’s  really  neutral  with  them ,  but  talks  more  to  them  to  most  others  ( a  lot  more ,  actually ) .  they  give  him  the  chance  to  completely  nerd  out ,  and  they  actually  understand  what’s  coming  out  of  his  mouth ,  even  when  it’s  coming  out  a  mile  a  minute .  and  he  listens  when  they  do  the  same ,  and  they  help  each  other  out  when  they’re  stuck ,  teach  each  other  new  things ,  etc .  basically ,  they’re  total  adorable  geeks  together .

          bad - influencee:  someone  who’s ,  for  some  reason ,  taken  an  interest  in  him  and  actually  wants  to  hang  out  with  him ,  and  he’s  starting  to  rub  off  on  them  with  his  mischievous ,  cunning ,  deceitful  ways .

          literally  anything .  i  will  love  you  and  any  connections  you  have  in  mind .

[egg2k16]

Quotes from 12th grade

I forgot to upload these when I graduated, but here they are now!

8/28/17

2. Carlos "I'm giving up my health" 9/5/17 Mario "If we still here during lunch, we can sneak out!" Patricia "You want to sneak into class?"

9/18/17 2. Aliyah "It was hard" Morua "I know it was hard" Sabian "I know it was hard. I made it that way" 2. Brandon "My special need is aid"

10/3/17 6. Vicky "Valery, why is this such shit?" 10/4/17 3. David "Alright Mr. Morua I'll be right back" Class "MR. MORUA?!?!?!" David "Mr. Grana" 10/4/17 Karina "Deaf blind and very confused" Me "That should be the name of my biography" ~ Joselyne "If you're not a competitive person, then don't apply to competitive schools"

10/6/17 3. Luis "I was thinking about the cheese"

10/12/17 3. Me "Unchangeable and swole" Karina "You sound like a fuckboy trying to write a love poem" Me "Am I not a fuckboy trying to write a love poem?"

10/13/17 2. Me "A pity pizza, if you will" 2. Me "All those cans there look sexy" Karina "Your sexuality is those cans. How gay are you? See those cans?" Me "Yeah? Yeah"

10/13/17 4. Student "What movie is this, Captain America?" Students "Civil War" Student "But it's Captain America, right?" Students "Yes" Student "You could have just said so, damn" 10/14/17 Rafael "It's a butter knife, not a cutter knife!"

10/17/17 2. Morua "What are complement goods?" Carlos "Nutella" Morua "Nutella and what?" Me "Nutella and everything" Morua "Nutella and everything. You're not wrong, Valery"

2. Morua "You still have to pay taxes" Marcelo "Not if they don't know you're there"

11/7/17

3. Me “You think I'm not aware, yet what you don't know is that I'm increasingly aware every time I write an essay”

Grana “Ahh, it's almost like you're learning in school”

11/8/17

2. Morua “Disney stocks are very expensive. You would own the paperclip on the CEO’s desk.”

6. Vicky “Cortina”

Joselyne “Everything he says is ugly”

11/13/17

6. Regalado “Only positive stuff now”

Johnny “Oh, ok. Khan Academy is good.”

*silence*

*laughter*

6. Girl “I don't have time to take notes and I don't have time to draw!”

6. Me “It's a see-saw. It's a danger see-saw. Over a cliff. While it's on fire!”

6. Me “That's so pretty. Let's take a field trip to the Hagia Sophia”

Class “Mhmm”

6. Nathalie “I've never seen a Bible in my life”

6. Joselyne “Oh my God. He vored the Bible”

11/16/17

1. Mrs. Ski “Robert, are you still with us?”

Robert *almost asleep* “Yes”

11/20/17

2. Me “You know, that's your problem. You just hand out the tests and they’ll have to figure out what to do with it!”

Morua “You know what, Valery, you right”

11/27/17

6. Me “I like how the lady explaining the mandalas is a white lady”

11/30/17

3. Grana “You just rewrote a Hemingway novel!”

12/5/17

1. Ski “Bleeding hearts want to stop the dear-loving!”

2. Karina “I'm confused and concerned!”

6. Malo “This video is twenty long!”

12/7/17

?. “Don't blame me for your shitty immune system!”

12/11/17

2. Morua “Adulting waits for no one”

12/14/17

3. Rafael “The devil is his father!”

3. Andrea “I'm bullying myself!”

Lunch. Rafael “Oh that's right, I forgot! I'm mad at you too! You're all trash!”

Lunch. Lauryn “She said she liked dick.”

Me “DICK?”

Lauryn “Yes, exactly”

7. Rodriguez “When you're an adult you can make the decision of either moving back to Costa Rica or … Colombia?” “Yeah” “Yeah, I remember Costa Rica more because you're more emphatic when you talk about it. It's like the forgotten little dog”

12/19/17

2. Morua “Death taxes”

Brandon “There's a tax on dying?”

12/20/17

3. Grana “Oh yeah, if he was a cold stone killer. Stone cold. Hehe, ice cream!”

12/22/17

2. Me “What are we gonna do today?”

Joselyne “Nothing”

Morua “What's the phrase … comiendo mierda”

2. Karina “Kids are cool, but dogs are awesome”

?. “TRUST ME YOU NEED TO GO TO FUCKING COLLEGE”

1/16/18

2. Me “B E T !”

2. Morua *about Lord of the Flies* “And as the book continues, what happens?”

Me “Angry little boys”

2. Me “Just don't murder people. But if you do get murdered, then that's your fault”

Karina “Don't be a little bitch!”

2. Morua “The govt makes sure that your rights are protected”

Me “But are they?”

Karina “No they aren't”

Me “You right”

1/18/18

6. Malo “It's just France, except take out the nce”

6. Me “You can't have both, you bitch”

1/22/18

3. Grana “Do any of you recognize this band? (The Cure)”

Me “Are they … British boys?”

Grana “Yes they are British boys”

?. “I was prepared, just not for those questions”

5. Avila “Look at Carlos, making everyone look bad!”

Me “Wow, for the first time!”

Carlos “I know, right?!”

1/23/18

1. Andres “Who are you waiting for?”

Me “Jesus”

1/24/18

3. Karina “Ugh, English”

Me “You're a native English speaker!”

3. David “I love the murdering of families”

Carlos “You know, that's kinda hot”

Grana “At this point, nothing surprises me anymore”

3. Marla “He had the Dexter goods!”

5. Brandon “When you drive, you'll finally have a new perspective on life”

7. Rodriguez “I'm worried, I couldn't do that simple handshake. I wonder if I'm dying”

1/26/18

2. Joselyne “It's just ice, bro. Zane from Ninjago says this”

Me “Canon”

2. Morua “Let's say Agustin is talking in class. And I'm teaching the class and I hear talking behind me and I say, ‘Agustin, go to the office.’”

Agustin “That's just Mr. Sisak”

2. Morua “Robert, are you really living if the government protects you from Karina and the Mexicans?”

2. David “Wow, I can choose between Raul Castro or Castro, Raul”

2. Brianell “You can either choose Raul Castro or Raúl Cástro. One with an accent one without, and if you pick the one without, you die”

1/29/18

1. Samantha “Screw you and your detours”

3. Grana “Yeah, the pizza, pizza van hit him”

Carlos “Pizza pizza?”

Grana “Thanks for that, Carlos”

1/30/18

1. Me “I'm not a meanie”

Samantha “Yeah, she's not a wasp!”

1/31/18

3. Carlos “Did you get the goods?”

Me “Te pasaste la raya”

Carlos “Man shut yo mouth!”

Me “YOU shut your mouth!”

Class *ooo*

Grana “I'm gonna end it there on Valery’s victory”

3. Me “Your eyes don't grow, you grow into your eyes!”

3. Me “Are you still talking about your eyes?”

Kafruni “Is that why you need glasses?”

3. Me “He's a little bitch. You think a hardcore bitch would kill people who talk smack about them??”

3. Gio “You've heard of Atomic Blonde, now get ready for Hardcore Bitch”

2/2/18

Lunch. Joselyne and Me “various versions of Oscar Isaac came to my house”

2/5/18

1. Andrew “I'm a professional kayaker”

1. Andrew “Shut the fuck up, ugly. I'll leave you in the Everglades”

2. Me “What did we do last class?”

Karina “I'm the wrong person to ask that”

2. Isa “You got them ratchet-ass K Mart markers”

6. Khan “It's a phallus”

Me “I KNEW IT!”

Regalado “Obviously”

2/7/18

1. Ski “Quarter 3 is the toughest when it comes to grades, right Agustin?”

1. Ski “The little mosquito that could”

2. Morua “The last war the United States fought on US soil was the Civil War”

Karina “It's because we're smart”

Me “Are we?”

Karina “No”

Marcelo “It's cuz we have a moat”

Morua “Actually, two moats. Two big moats on either side with favorable countries on either side”

2/8/18

3. Tall “The tone is pessimistic and bleak, because that's how Poe is”

3. Gio “... Fortunado has the moral high ground”

Grana “Oh, so he's Obi Wan”

Me “ :D “

3. Me “It's over, Monstresor”

Grana “Ahh :D “

3. Me “Moral of the story is: There is no morality”

3. Grana “Yeah, it's like ‘Oh sorry man I stubbed your toe.’ ‘You're dead to me’”

5. Ivory “You're pregnant? Welcome to Chili’s!”

2/9/18

2. Me “It's okay. It's understandable. You're valid, Mr. Morua”

Morua “Thank you”

2. Karina “They're Other now”

Morua “Umm, we prefer Miscellaneous”

Me *dying from laughter*

Morua “Okay, it wasn't that funny, Valery”

Me “Let me laugh, Morua, damn”

2/2018

1. Me “It's a little bitch”

Sam “Yeah, but what kind of little bitch?”

2/23/18

2. Morua “Say hi, Kafruni”

Everyone “Say hi, Kafruni!”

3/7/18

6. Regalado “I wonder what they did in the medieval times with a solar eclipse”

Me “Johnny’s blind! Shit, that's the fifth one today!”

3/8/18

3. Me “Peacocks are just chickens. Any bird is a chicken if you try hard enough”

3. Grana “Peacocks, we know, are flamboyant chickens”

5. *Brandon just abandoned Brito*

Brito “I KNEW IT! I KNEW YOU WOULD BETRAY ME! WHY DID I TRUST YOU! EVERYONE ALWAYS LEAVES ME, MAN!”

3/9/18

1. Me “This is all your fault, Sebastian”

Sebastian “Okay”

6. Vicky “I have P.E. for sixth period”

3/12/18

7. D Rod “Lies, slander, and libel. Write that down, that I missed it”

3/19/18

1. Me “Drink up, bitch”

6. Regalado “Japan”

Diana “Oh, K-Cock?”

3/21/18

1. Sam “You're killing my vibes”

4/3/18

3. Mary “Did you finish the book?”

Rafael “Did I raise my hand?”

4/4/18

2. Morua “Now you guys can stalk Marco Rubio”

Sabian “We want you to stalk Marco Rubio!”

Morua “I'm not paid enough to stalk Marco Rubio”

Me “We'll pay you to stalk Marco Rubio!”

2. Morua “The average congressman is a white male -”

Me “Wow”

Morua “- and in their late 50s”

Me “I did not know this information at all before in my life”

Kafruni “Jaja, Valery”

2. Morua “This is our district”

Marcelo “Why is it like that. Why is it drawn like that. I disagree with our grouping”

4/5/18

3. Sebastian *about Norwegian Wood* “I kind of lost my train of thought during the interview, but it's cool”

4/6/18

6. Window *laughing but squeaking*

Nathalie “Window sounds like when you cleaning a window!”

6. Window “What happened?”

Me “You're laughing but you're squeaking so much you sound like when you're cleaning a glass window!”

Angelina *dying of laughter* “That's really good, Valery!”

4/8/18

7. Me *about the Star Trek vs Star Wars shirts* “I represented Star Wars. Are you proud of me?”

Rodriguez “Yes I am, my child”

Me “Oh my God, Patty, he finally recognizes me as his child!”

Rodriguez “I meant that in the spiritual sense”

Patty “You guys have a weird dynamic”

Me “But it works!”

Rodriguez *laughs*

Me “Sometimes a family can be a disgruntled 30-something year old man and an energetic 18 year old girl”

4/10/18

6. Regalado “It's a gradient of racism”

4/11/18

7. Rodriguez “Soon, a new Snapchat is gonna come out that will make the original Snapchat look old. What will happen to the last three years of your life?”

Isabella Ruiz “It'll be a fun time, it made me happy”

4/12/18

2. Morua “I don't get why this is so complicated. The exam is on the 24th. If you'd like, we can have a quiz in the days before about the days of the week”

4/13/18

~*Gradbash*~ After hours

Matthew “JUMANJI?????”

Capt Brianell “Matthew, I stick my 12 size foot up your ass!”

Brianell “Go the fuck to sleep!!!”

Rafael “Matthew, you turn on that light, you won't be able to see it!”

Karina “I love this sweater, man”

4/16/18

2. Agustín “Yo, can we all graduate together?”

Lunch. Rafael “Joselyne is my best friend”

Joselyne “What the fuck”

4/17/18

3. Gio “I don't know, I don't watch anime”

4/24/18

6. Regalado “The Bauhaus is a rejection of art nouveau”

Me “Is everything in art a rejection of something else?”

Regalado “Yes”

Hass “Hehehe”

6. Window looks at me

I look at window

Me “What?”

Window “What?”

Me “You were the one who looked at me first!”

Diana and Nathalie *laugh*

4/25/18

1. Shawn “Do I have to do para, par, pa, parisitm?”

Ski “Parasitism”

Shawn “That's exactly what I said”

1. Shawn “Dude, why is your example so long? An example is like, an example”

1. Shawn “What are you talking about? If the Earth wasn't sustainable, we wouldn't be here right now”

4/26/18

2. Morua “The President is Chief Citizen, the most well-known citizen of the United States, which we know… is a lie”

5/1/18

3. Karina “When you call us up, are you going to show us our essays-?”

Grana “Your Oscar Wao essay”

Cortina “Oh man”

5/2/18

2. Morua “I can't just fire Valery because I don't like her hair. Valery is incompetent at her job… plus her hair is dumb”

6. Regalado “It'd be a Venus, but since it's era, you have to put the Greek one”

Window “Jesus Christ”

Regalado “No, Jesus isn't there yet”

5/4/18

2. Morua “Writing papers is so easy yet you guys are always, uggggghhhhhh”

Me “It's because we like to write, we just don't like to write for school”

Jethro “Not everyone writes, Valery”

2. Karina “This is too much adult conversation, I'm gonna throw up”

5/7/18

1. Sebastian “Cadmium yellow!”

Vicky “Did you search up ‘Bob Ross yellow’?”

Sebastian “No, I put in ‘yellow Bob Ross’!”

5/11/18

3. Me “Would I lie to you about the X Men?”

Carlos “OOOHHH!!!”

5/16/18

4. Jose Diaz “What's a weaboo?”

Me “You don't wanna know”

Student “OOOHHH!!!”

6. Vicky, crying, mouth full “I love eating”

5/21/18

1. Shawn “You guys don't know how to take care of a child at all”

1. Andrew “What is this, a parent-teacher conference?”

5/24/18

3. Carlos “Hey Mr. Grana, for the playlist project-”

*Grana plays music*

Carlos “- Oh shit”

5/29/18

3. Marla “I love this song!” (Best Part by Daniel Caesar)

Carlos “What is this?”

Marla “Shut up, Soundcloud rapper”

Everyone “OOOHHHH”

5/30/18

?. “No cabrón, esto es un auto de última generación”

6/1/18

2. Joselyne “Today is Tom Holland’s birthday”

Me “Wow, and on the first day of Pride Month. Hmmm”

Joselyne “Hmmm!!!”

6. Me “You will get to mine, right?”

Morua “Yes”

Me “Awesome, thank you, my mom loves you!”

Matthew “That's what you always want to hear. My mom loves you”

6. Steven “Wait, do you want me to sign it?”

Me “Of course, that's why I put it there!”

Steven “I was so confused, you didn't pass it along!”

Me “Did I put it there for decoration? I put it there for a purpose!”

Steven “I got you, I gotchu”

[backtogether-rp]

Welcome Elle! Congrats you’ve been accepted for the role of Valentina Cruz, send your account in within the next 24 hours. Also, make sure to check everything out here. 

Out of Character Information.

name: Elle age (18+): 20 timezone: EST activity level: Same as previously stated, it goes around 5-6 but it increases when I’m on break from school. 

In-Character Information.

face claim: Eiza Gonzalez full name: Valentina Crystal Cruz age: 26 birthday: December 29th 1993 hometown: Miami, Florida current location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania gender identity: Female orientation: Bisexual ships: Age gaps and super understanding people will be the best for her and her storyline, otherwise, anything wish chemistry is good! anti ships: Forced, No Chemistry. triggers: None occupation: Escort and saleswoman for a lingerie store. siblings: None (would be open to step-siblings) +3 positive traits: Loyal, Supportive, Trustworthy -3 negative traits: Tactless, Gullible, Possessive extra details:

She does work in a sexual place and most of her work life involves it, but I don’t roleplay smut. I don’t mind reading it, mentioning it and fading to black once a smut scene is happening, but I will never roleplay it. This is just me trying to say she’s more than what she does at night.

She gets attached very easily to people outside her job, with friends or parental figures. However, commitment is something she does not master yet, or probably never will.

She kind of has two personalities, even outside of her job. The cute and shy Lena and the outgoing and confident Chanel. She can switch from one to the other depending on how comfortable she feels.

Biography.

Born on December 29th 1993 to Alejandro Cruz, a physical education teacher at one of Miami’s high schools, and to Esmeralda Garcia, a mother who always juggled with multiple jobs. Valentina did not arrive on a life already set on a silver platter. To her, family time  was resumed to spending a week with her mother and the next one at her father’s small cabin by the beach. She did not have much, a tutu, dancing shoes and a stuffed animal she named Chanel. Yet, she was not unhappy. How could she have been aware of how unfortunate she was to land in a family that was already broken before she even existed? She could not, because she didn’t know better.

Well, maybe she did. Between the age of six and ten, her parents cooperated to afford her dancing classes. From contemporary, to lyrical and passing by ballet, she learned and loved all of it. After she got in a fight with one of the other girls who shared her classes, she was forced to leave the dance school. She was forced to go back to reality, where her mother and father did not meet to pick her up, did not exchange a smile: did not prove that the broken pieces could be fixed. Valentina was naïve, she did not understand that she would never see her parents in the same room again and that her dream of living like any other little girls she danced with would be impossible.

She was not very demanding, did not believe in the miracle of Christmas and only wanted to spend her birthday with her two parents, which, obviously, never happened. In exchange, Esmeralda saved enough money and put the envelope in Lena’s back pack, sending her by taxi to the cabin by the beach. This ritual was repeated on her 12th and 13th birthday, leaving the young teenager two entire months to spend with her father. They would find new activities for his next year as a teacher, they would collect seashells and make necklaces out of it and, most importantly, they would surf. They would ride the waves at day and stare at the starts, being rocked by the calm water, at night. Valentina had a new hobby to keep her mind busy.

As the young woman’s hair started to lighten up under the sun, her talent started to increase. She won one competition after another, she was becoming a legend in the world of surfing. Some called her a prodigy and nothing could be more realistic: Valentina practically never fell, she dominated the most violent waves and collected gold medals at her father’s cabin. Along with talent and victory came the pressure to participate in bigger competitions, in Malibu or in Santa Monica, sometimes in Ibiza or Australia. No matter how much she begged for it, Alejandro could not afford his daughter’s dream. Neither could Esmeralda.

Valentina quit surfing at the age of seventeen. And by that time, something changed within her. She aspired to be the Miami babe everyone adored. She had wanted a simple life for so long, by the cabin, eating the same thing everyday and spreading positivity around by teaching others how to swim, how to surf, how to let fish play a tickle fight. She loved those kids, with supportive parents. She loved those parents, with enough money to afford anything their kids wanted. She loved this life, but Alejandro hurt his knee while trying to teach his students gymnastic and he had to quit his job for a year. She had to come back to reality, again.

So, she was stuck with her mother all the time. She had nothing better to distract her than attracting trouble at school. Her argumentative behavior that made her win every debate and made of her a witty student was now an issue for every professors. She accumulated the warnings, always managed to get away with them by a wink or a smile. She learned that after watching her mother accumulate the unsuccessful one night stands and from listening closely to her personal stories. Valentina started to sleep around, girls or boys, it did not matter.

She started to sneak out of class, she did not think it would matter. She was not allowed to go to prom as her first consequence. She was not allowed to participate in the graduation party, fearing she would cause too much trouble. She would get the boys excited, she would make the girls jealous. There was a rumor following her footsteps, that even teachers would crush on her. Still, Valentina learned not to care. She got it from her mama.

College was next door and it was her chance to escape from the vicious circle built by the matriarch of the family. Valentina seized the opportunity of moving to New York to apply to college, at a dance program. It was not the greatest nor the worst. She used her surfing scholarship to afford the fees, but she was not accepted. Her grades were a roller coaster, her attendance and behavior issues finally became a problem. She ruined her own chances of having her better life by reproducing the life she had always wanted to avoid.

Thankfully, she had more tricks up her sleeve. Behind her mother’s back, she found someone online who was searching for a roommate. A week later, she was out of the family loft and she was getting to know who would quickly become her best friend. Andrew was a young man, a musician full of talent, and a single dad. The only reason why he accepted Liana as a roommate was because she could do magic with her son, Xavier. They got along instantly, and the deal was sealed. In order to help paying the bills, the rent and the grocery, Valentina accepted all kinds of jobs until she settled with a part-time job at a lingerie store and a full-time job as a nanny to rich, boring and busy families. Kids loved her, lonely fathers did too, sometimes even mothers. She could stay the night once and make more money than she would during the entire month. It lit up an idea.

One of those lonely fathers was a business man, a strip club owner. He obviously noticed that Valentina had a certain talent only he would know how to put under the spotlight. “Do you want a job that will make you afford your biggest dreams?” He said, “I would never refuse anything.” She replied. That was how she started working as an exotic dancer to one of New York City’s highest class strip clubs. It was clean, it was safe: it was the best she could do. She loved to dance, they loved to see her strip down to her naturally tan skin. She was twenty one years-old when she reconnected to a whole different form of dancing she would fall in love with like any other.

Lena ignored that this father was divorcing from his wife who found out about their affair. He tried to comfort her, telling her everything was fine and that they would make it through. She was too important in his life to let her slip away, but that was what happened anyways. She was kicked out of his luxurious condo with nowhere to go for the night. When she came back home to her roommate, her only option was to tell the truth and he, too, kicked her out. She received a huge deposit in her bank account not long after those sad events, then an email, and another one and one more… It was him. He was worried. He wanted to help her.

Not too long ago, he told her he was moving away from his ex-wife and closing his strip club to open another one somewhere else. Without hesitation, she packed her bags and followed him. She was even further to the sea that she loved, but she had nothing to complain about. He paid a lovely apartment and she got a job in a similar lingerie store. She started seeing other clients again. Within a few months of adjustment, she was swimming in money.

Valentina hides behind a persona, she calls her Chanel. Chanel rolls her hips when she walks, bats her eyes when she talks. Chanel knows how to get what she wants. Chanel dances for big crowds, or even privately. In exchange of a pair of shoes, a new set of earrings or simply money, she would spend the rest of night with them. Chanel, and Valentina, loved this life. She could be free, dancing out there in the prettiest lingerie. She could be free, leaving every morning and taking the subway back home. She could be free, pleasing strangers, building relationships, pretending to know what love felt like. She could be free, getting closer to the life she had always wanted.

[inkwelltwins]

Headcanon time! Inkwell population and its way of doing things!

Inkwell is a very small island- only about 200 to 300 max in terms of population. As such, everyone’s voice is that much more important- you can’t get anything into power(Be it a law, an official, etc.) without the population noticing and calling out the sneaky moves. 

The Devil has had to play the long game to get as much influence as he has, but it pays off- he can influence the laws and such of the island as a whole. Despite his reputation and a lot of folks thinking he’s evil, he just makes sure things are fair.

And some more misc. Inkwell things!

-The legal drinking age is 18, same with their legal adulthood age -Inkwell has one school building for 1st through 12th grade -11th and 12th grade are optional, only pursued by those planning to go to the Mainland for university or those who decide to go for it for the extra practical skills taught instead of jumping into the workforce. -Kindergarten is not a thing in Inkwell schools- parents/guardians are expected to teach what would be taught there to their lil ones. -11th and 12th grade on Inkwell teaches important life skills in addition to normal school subjects. Less emphasis is put on electives and those who go through these last two years don’t get electives; they get life skills classes. -Life skills classes include: Cooking, taxes, budgeting, outdoors/survival skills built into the Cooking class, and a class that teaches handyman sort of skills(Changing lightbulbs, fixing a pipe, basic home repair, etc. All basic stuff.)

[sorenmarie87]

In The Middle Of The Ride characters

I forgot I had this but if you want to get to know some of my original babies - Here you go. 

Name: Ryuichi A. Madison Age: 18 Height: 5’1’’ Parents: Mom (Elizabeth)- DJ Dad (Jack)- Animator Eye Color: Light Green Hair Color: D. Brown (Dyes it red)

Background: Before Ryuichi was born her mother (Elizabeth) was in college to become a prize-winning pianist but followed Jack to England. (She changed her major to become a DJ), overseas she became famous while Jack worked at his animation.  Before having Ryuichi, Jack and Elizabeth were married on September 7th 1986.  On July 31st 1987, Ryuichi was born and she meets Will for the time when he’s in the hospital visiting his father.  When she was 3, they moved back to America (Jack had been offered a job working on his newest cartoon and they had requests for Elizabeth in nightclubs).

Name: Madeline (Maddie) Parker Age:  18 Height: 5’6’’ Parents: Mom- Chef   Dad- Teacher (Geometry teacher) Eye Color: Hazel Hair Color:  Red Loves: Writing, singing and dancing

Background: Moved from Louisiana and meet Cordy and Ryu in the 4th grade.  She was born on a floating boat casino on May 8th, 1987.  Maddie loves to write music and singing occasionally. She has an older sister named Isabelle and an older brother named Martin (Marty) She also has a younger sister, Leora, and another younger brother named Daniel.

Name: Cordelia (Cordy) Turner Age: 18 Height: 5’8’’ Parents: Lives w/ mom- College professor Eye Color: blue Hair Color: black hair Born on August 3rd, 1987

Background:  Her parents separated when she was four years old and no one has seen her father since then.  Cordy’s mom teaches at the elementary school for the fourth grade.  Her, Maddie and Ryuichi have tried starting a band (hasn’t performed yet).  Maddie writes, Ryuichi plays the guitar and Cordelia sings (although she tries very hard to get Ryuichi to sing)

Name: Lucille (Lucy) Taylor Age:  18 Height: 5’10’’ Parents: Mom (Leilani)- lawyer Dad (Luke)- Animator   Eye Color: D. Brown Hair Color:  D. Brown

Born on April 1st, 1986

Lucy is the type of person who acts and talks tough, but is really a great person to be around.  Lucy is very protective of her family (Lucas and Ryuichi def.)  Lucas and Lucy are only a few hours apart, but Lucas is the older sibling.  (Fraternal twins) Has some anger issues, and when her dad finds out she's dating someone named Lindsey, he assumes that his daughter is a lesbian... but she isn't.

Name: Alice Wonderly Age:  17 Height: 5’3’’ Parents:  Mom- Nurse Eye Color:  Blue Hair Color:  Blonde Born on October 13th, 1988

Background: Alice was born in the country.  She was born on Oct. 13, 1988.  Was friends with Ryuichi and Erin when they were in elementary/middle school.

(She's the kind of person that if there's someone her friend doesn't like, she doesn't like that person either.  Goes with the crowd basically.  Although she considers Ryuichi a very good friend.)

Very kind and considerate, she is very protective of her friends & family.  Alice is an only child and lives at home with her mom.  Others consider her bad luck, but she is very lucky actually.

Very quiet

Name: Erin Ophelia Mackenzie Age: 17 Height: 5’5’’ Parents: Mom - Lawyer Dad - Doctor Eye Color:  amber with flecks of honey Hair Color: red (short) Born on September 15th, 1987

Background: Erin was actually Ryuichi's first best friend.  They met for the first time in the 2nd grade.  Her birthday is on Sept. 15, 1987.  Over time, she drifted from her friends and became very interested in other things (I.E. sports and whatever else) She stopped talking to Ryuichi because a major argument they had.  To get back at Ryu (because Erin always has to get her way) she has to bully her in some way.

-Interested in Will only because she finds Ryuichi's reaction amusing

Name: Hilda Roberts "Quatre" Age: 23 Height: 5’6’’ Eye color: Aqua blue Hair color: Blonde

Background:  Lindsey’s older sister who married the owner of a clothing shop.  She met her husband Wolfram in college while she was studying theatrics; she’s good at improv, which explains the toaster.  She was working with the fashion students on a production her class was putting on; they were introduced and instantly were attracted.  Anita and Pilot like Hilda, mainly because they feared their son was gay, but are happy with his choice.

Name: Charlie White Age: 22 Height: 5'7'' Parents: mom- works at a library, dad- works at an advertising agency Hair Color: Brown w/ red highlights eye color: Blue

Background: Charlie was born on Dec. 31, 1985 in a small town.  She has one younger sister named Remy who is 12.  Her parents are married, and she hopes for the same kind of relationship.  Met and started dating Dominic in his freshman year (her junior year) So she has gotten used to him dressing in girl's clothes from time to time.

Works at a coffee shop on her college campus and still lives in town.  Is unsure if she should go see Dominic or not.  (Her feelings for him never changed.) Working on a degree in early childhood.

Name: Will Sparrow Age: 18 Height: 6’2’’ Parents: lives with grandparents Eye Color:  Blue Hair Color: Black -Born on February 12th, 1986

Background: Will was born on Feb. 12, 1986 in a small province of England.  He is the middle child out of three younger sisters (Yasmin-3, Aiden-11, Rhiannon-15) and two older brothers (Caden-21, Benjamin-28)  When he was three years old his father was in the hospital for an extended amount of time.  The night he met Ryuichi's mom, he was on his way home from visiting his dad.  His grandparents offered to take care of him until his dad got better.  He used to play and visit with Ryuichi until the day she moved to America (He never forgot the promise they made when they were little...)  His grandparents moved to America a few months later, and Will's mom sent him to live with them.  He was home tutored until 15, then he was sent to a high school near them and for his junior year, they moved him to LHS.  His other siblings still live in London with his parents.

Name: Jamie Starr Age: 18 Height: 5’11’’ Parents: None. Lives with older sister and her husband. Eye Color:  Brown Hair Color:  Brown

Background: He was born March 30th 1988 in New York City. His parents died in a car accident three years ago. Jamie's sister took him in after the accident. They just recently moved to the area where Jamie met Ryuichi and her friends. Jamie's sister and her husband own a popular coffee shop/bakery in town. Jamie loves to write. He also loves sweets.

Name: Mark Renart Age: 24 Height: 6’2 Eye Color: Green Hair Color:  Blonde

Background: He is the newest addition to Lasiter High School. He teaches honors and AP English for the juniors and seniors. He lives in an apartment near the school. Mark usually isn't into dating anyone younger, but clearly he makes an exception for one of the students...

Name: Lindsey Houst Age: 18 Height: 6’4’’ Parents: Mom & Dad own a restaurant Eye Color: Brown Hair Color: Sandy Blonde -Born on November 29th, 1986

-Moved from Australia when he was 10 and his parents own a restaurant called “Sheila's”

Name: Lucas Taylor Age:  18 Height: 6’1’’ Parents: Lives at home occasionally stays with Elizabeth & Jack Eye Color: D. Brown Hair Color:  D. Brown -Born on April 1st, 1986 -He is Ryuichi’s cousin and Lucy’s brother.

Name: Gavin Smith Age: 18 Height:  5’11’ Parents: Mom - writer Dad-owns his own business Eye Color:  Hazel Hair Color: Brown

Background: Born on March 11th, 1986 but no one actually knows how his eyes got to be orange, but a lot of people don’t believe he wears contacts.  Gavin’s family moved from place to place before settling into his home in the city.  His older sister is named Samira, his younger brothers are Samuel, Brody, and Tommy, and his younger sister is Joanne.  He went to middle school with Cordy, Maddie, and Ryuichi.

Name: Dominic Hayden Howard Age: 18 Height: 6’0’’ Parents: Lives with his sister (Penny) and her girlfriend (Cassidy) -parents are in Ireland Ashton- Penny's son Eye Color: Green Hair Color:  Red -Born on January 3rd, 1986

Background: Dominic’s parents first met when they were on a trip to Ireland and moved to the U.S. after Penny was born.  He was born on Jan. 3, 1986.   Transferred from different schools due to bullying and harassment issues from other students, and has only been in an all-boys school once. The last school he was in was where he met Charlie.  After 2 yrs of dating, Charlie broke up with him and he moved again.  He spent a year trying to make other friends but it didn't succeed.   On his first day of school at Lasiter High, many people were shocked to find he was a boy, and not a girl. Lives with his sister Penny, her girlfriend Cassidy and their son Ashton.  They take vacations with their mom and dad but this year he declined.  

Name: Sebestyen Erikson Age: 28 Height: 6’ Parents: both therapists Eye color: Left- blue, right- green Hair color: faded Green

Background:  With both of his parents being therapists, Sebestyen’s childhood was very messed up.  His family originated from Germany where his parents met at school.  They moved from various areas of Europe before moving to America.  Although he was teased in school, he refused to go to any psychiatrists or therapist, so he resorted to storytelling so he could tell half-truths to everyone around him.  Knows Hilda, Penny and Cassidy from middle school but hasn’t seen them in forever.  Works at the high school as a janitor and as a greeter for stores when it’s Christmas time.  Sebestyen is easy to get along with; he just needs some getting used to.

Name: Wolfram Roberts Age: 29 Height: 6’2” Parents: Anita and Pilot Roberts Eye color: Unknown, he where’s contacts with a different color every day. (NOTE: Not even Quatre knows!) Hair color: Platinum Blonde

Background:  He is married to Hilda, Lindsey’s sister.  He owns a clothing shop and sells his own clothing from his own line of clothes rightfully called “Ambiguous”.  The gang frequently refers to him as Lindsey’s “Ambiguously gay brother in-law”.  His parents Anita and Pilot are rich business owners, along with Wolfram’s brother Zeb and his sisters Manon and Mem, or otherwise considered by Wolfram seeing as he is the youngest, “The Triplets”.  It is thought that the multitude of tea parties and dress up games Manon and Mem forced him into caused the resulted Ambiguously gay Wolfram.

[twinkletwinkle-little-star11]

So it all started when all YOU had was me. Your first kid died before I was even born and you didn't even expected or wanted me but here I am. And you were happy because I was the only person left with you since my father cheated on you while you were pregnant. I on the other hand, had you and grandma even if you 2 weren't talking because of all the mistakes you made in the past. Usually the grandma is always a kid's favourite but you were my hero, mom. You were my everything. I was scared of everything, silent all the time and dreamy because you use to do and choose everything for me.

One day a new man came into our lives and you disappeared with him to travel the world. That was the first time you abandoned me but it's ok, grandma was there to take care of everything. When you finally came back all I wanted to do was to hug you all day long even if I was feeling left out. I wasn't mad.. I was happy that you were happy. You introduced me to the man who later on became a father to me.

Growing up I started to invent and find myself but I was growing different from what you wanted me to be. Maybe because I had different life bases, the ones grandma thought me while you weren't there. In fact, you hated this. I remember I was 7 and I use to climb up every tree, standing there for hours like a monkey. I was the girl playing in the mud. I was the talkative kid, always smiling but shy with strangers. I was the friendly and sensitive one, crying whenever you didn't let me build a little shelter for the street animals or whenever you didn't let me spend my savings for animal food.

We grew apart from each other, mom. You were all into fine things, money and classy stuffs. You wanted me to be your little princess but I wanted to be a knight who takes care of everyone around. Anything I did was wrong for you. You became my enemy and since you couldn't make me be the silent kid again you just let your new husband deal with me. But that's alright, he became my new best friend. He already had 3 sons and knew how to raise a kid. He never criticized me. Actually he and grandma were the only ones to let me be however I wanted to be. He used to build bird houses with me while you were shopping for clothes and jewelry. He was there for me when I was bullied in class for being too skinny. And then, when I got overweight he was there to help me lose weight. All you did mom was criticising but I don't blame you, that's all you had to deal with all your life too. Everyone always criticized YOU for your mistakes instead of helping you out. It's ok...

When grandad died I was so sad. I was spending my days with grandma taking care of the house and the dog for her. She was so broken...

I saw my real father after a looooong time again at the funeral. He was just a stranger to me so I didn't gave him that much of an importance since I barely saw him in 11 years.

After a few months the dog died too and grandma got ill. I spent almost everyday with her helping out. I've noticed tho that something was strange, something wasn't right. One day I came home and you told me that dad had to go back to Germany and he will be gone for a while because he wasn't feeling very well. And you had to go away too. Again.

Honestly I didn't actually care about you leaving me, I was worried about dad.

I moved in with grandma definitely and we were good. She gave me indications with what to do and I was doing everything. It was so much fun but I was still worried because nobody was telling me what was going on.

A few months had passed and you finally came home. I'm sorry to say this but I wasn't feeling very excited to see you... I don't know why, I just wasn't. I didn't really care because I was more familiar with your absence than with your presence. The only thing that made me jump on you and hug you was the fact that your face was aged. You looked awful, like you were in pain. I could feel your bones while I was holding you and I could feel your tears on my shoulder. That's how I found out what was going on.

The love of your life was dying of cancer. Seeing you like that I realized you weren't that superficial as i thought. I felt like my heart was breaking and the pieces scratched my chest on the inside.

Christmas came but it felt like the worst one ever. You 2 were in Germany for his chemotherapy and at home, all the food me and grandma made was just standing there, touched by nobody. I could hear her talking in her sleep saying grandad's name a few times that night.

Since I couldn't stand all the sadness anymore I went to the kitchen, ate the hell out of that food just to throw up everything right after. After that I cried all night in the livingroom. That was the first sleepless night I had in my life.

My birthday was yet to come but that was better I guess. I wasn't in the mood to celebrate but grandma made me bring a few friend from school home and play some games. My 12th bday was ok, absolutely better than the Christmas.

You finally came home with dad for Easter later in April. He was looking good.. different but good. The hair wasn't there anymore and he was thinner but he looked pretty normal. We had that huge party with lots of people and I sat with him and Linxy on the couch all evening talking. So much that I felt asleep and woke up in his arms still on the couch. He was awake but he didn't move. The tv was on the greek programs and as I looked up a bit confused to him he said "I just wanted to hold you like when you were little. You were sleeping so peaceful I really didn't want to wake you."

You were dead sleeping like a rock but we went to get breakfast and I finally saw the secret place where he always got the amazing chocolate and amarena cake. After that we went to the public garden for a little walk and that's where he started crying saying he was so sorry that we didn't brought my new bike he got for me from Germany. "Such a sunny day today.. I'm so sorry I didn't think to bring the bike. I'll teach you next time I come home, I promise."

That day was great. We went to the restaurant for lunch and even if we saw the doctor who diagnosed him with just a cold when he was actually in the second stage of cancer, it was still a good day. That was a sign I think and you know what I'm talking about.

He promised me to come back for the Christmas holidays and I believed that. I believed that because you also wanted to believe that, mom.

When he died in October you were devastated. Depressed. I held you crying for nights. I was taking care of you and grandma during the day and when you finally felt asleep thanks to the pills i uae to go to my room and cry my eyes out for hours. In silence. You were already hurt enough so I was supposed to be tough in front of you so you won't see me sad and feel even worse for me too. I got along on my own, for you.

After 3 months you suddenly decided to go to italy with your friend Gabriele. I knew you weren't just visiting Italy. I knew you were running away, again. I didn't say a word because I was too broken. I really wanted you to leave.

Funny how for the first time, you actually asked me to visit you 2. I was ready to spend a Summer with my mom and her ...boyfriend (?) In Italy, I was ready for a break. Little did I knew, you were lying.

You brought me here because you were getting married in August and you knew I wouldn't have ever come to the wedding. And that wasn't enough for you. You also lied about the holiday. You wanted to keep me here. And so you did. And so I started school here. Being bullied because I was the "romanian girl" and the "gipsy". You took me away from the little things I had left. My friends, my true family. You took that away from me without even asking. My only friend was my english teacher. I got overweight again because I was stress eating. So i got bullied for that too. Then highschool time came. I wanted to reinvent myself. I wanted to start fresh. I wanted to study languages.

That wasn't ok with you. You made me choose chemestry. By force. Because you didn't finish the medical school and you were sorry. But that was your mistake mom, not mine.

But you made sure to make it mine too.

I got depression and anxiety and I started sleepi g and going out a lot with my new friends. Things got worst and worst. We were fighting everyday till you kicked me out of the house. I found a refugee in toxic friendships.. i started doing bad things for fun. I wasn't thinking. It felt so good not to think anymore. It felt so easy and good.

You asked me to come back home and I said with 1 condition: make me change schools. Let me study languages.

Obviously you lied to me again. And I believed you..

I lost the school year because of the low grades and because i tried to kill myself. You found out that your husband was cheating at the time so you didn't really had time to watch over me huh? It was so easy... finding the drugs in the house was so easy.

That was the year we didn't spoke a word to each other. When I finally turned 18 I changed schools and I chose the one I'm attending now. I don't know if I made the right choice but at least it was my decision. Since I stopped trying to be what you wanted me to be and since I stopped doing what you wanted me to do, thing went for the better for me.

I'm tired to hear everyone saying "stop acting like a mom, you are the child and your mom needs to wake up!"

But I'm not you. And since all you have is ME, I won't leave you like you left me more than once.

With love, your daughter.

[rt1cnf]

Autobiography

By: Lyka Marie Umaran

Lyka Marie O. Umaran is my name and I was born 14 weeks premature on the month of love, February 18, 2001 in Gullas Memorial Hospital. I am the eldest daughter in a family of 5, I have 2 siblings. We were raised by our grandparents in Lilo-an Cebu, because Our parent needs to work in the city. When I was four years old way back 2005, I started to go to preschool in Lilo-an. At first I was afraid and shy enough in making friends because I don’t usually go out in our house. I just stayed at home and play alone with my toys or sometimes together with my siblings.

After how many months my mother got pregnant to my fourth sibling and we were so happy when we knew that it was a baby boy. Our family was desperate to see him. When my mother gave birth to my brother our family rejoiced and loves him so much. But sad to say after one year and eight month my brother passed away.

My parent decided to transfer us in the city so that they will be the one who will take care all of us because my mother regrets so much on what happened , that she is not on my brother’s side when he needs a mother’ s care.

I transferred school and honestly it was not that easy to adjust into another society but as time pass by I learned to make friends again and start a new life. It was on March 23, 2013 when I graduated elementary.

On my first day of school on my junior high at CIC-Cebu I felt nervous. I was surrounded with new faces, new environment and new attitude. I remembered the day that everyone need to introduced yourself in front of my new classmates but this time we are all girls. I was ashamed that time because I need to speak English but I told to myself I will make it this first day and the on following day until I can adjust and embrace myself. On April 28, 2017, I had my Moving up Ceremony. It was a happy yet sad moment for all of us, we finally moved up but it is also the time to say goodbye to someone who is closed to my heart for how many years.

For me Junior High school life is the best memory of being student. This is the time when I totally realized that life was full of mysteries. Mystery is term of experience because at this stage of my life. I have a lot of experience that mold my personality. That I can treasure through the journey of my life.

On my Senior High I felt mixed of emotion excited and nervous. Excited in the sense of I will gain new experience, new friend and new teachers. Nervous, because some said that senior high school is more stressful and many task to accomplish and I don’t know if I can get through this stage of my life.

I enrolled to Humanities and Social Sciences as my academic track. I experienced a lot of failures in this stage of my life especially on balancing my time as a student and as a volunteer catechist in Lahug Elementary School. Having this experience really helps me build my relationship with God and how to have patience to someone. After how 8 months of being a teacher catechist I decided to set aside my passion so that I can focus on my study because at this time I need to have good grades in order to have a scholarship next school year. Right now, I am on my 12th grade. We just had our work immersion last October 14-25, 2019. It was an 80 hours’ work immersion in Creotec, It was totally fun and challenging and that work immersion gives me an outlook in the near future Job I can have. It was a great work experience because it teaches me on how to deal with life and on how to think critically and creatively in doing a task.

In life there are many types of challenges we can experience that’s why we need to be strong and learn to focus unto something that makes you happy .There are no shortcut to success , all things are connected. Do the things that you think it’s the best for you and if you ever fall down you must learn to stand up by your own and always remember that everything happens for a reason that’s why don’t give up because tomorrow is another day and always remember that God is always with us.

[partnersrelief]

A strong boy I met

Since I started working at Partners most of my time is spent working with children in different boarding homes. They all have different backgrounds and different problems. Every time I visit the homes, I interview the students and caregivers. Every time I hear their stories, it never fails to encourage me. I wonder how they can go through these situations. They showed me they are able to love and smile when it is hard for them. It is really powerful to hear someones life experiences. For the past 2 months, I’ve gone to Mae Ra Moe Refugee Camp to visit the children and caregivers. I interviewed many students, but Saw Dal Lwe Htoo stood out to me out of all the children. When he shared his story, his life story showed me how much he needed to be strong for his younger brothers and sister. I am so proud of him and I am so glad that I got the chance to know him.

Saw Dal Lwe Htoo is 18 years old. He has 5 siblings and he is the 2nd child. His younger sister, 2 younger brothers and one older brother live in Mae Ra Moe dormitory with him. It is his first year living in Mae Ra Moe Refugee Camp and he stays in the dormitory that Partners supports. He used to live in Ei Htu Hta Refugee Camp with his mother and younger siblings for many years, but moved into Mae Ra Moe Refugee Camp because there was no high school to attend anymore in Ei Htu Hta Refugee Camp. All of the high schools from Ei Htu Hta Camp moved back to Karen State. His hometown is Si Taw Kue Village, which takes 3 days of walking and 1 day by boat to get there. He shared that his mom stayed with him for a few months in Ei Htu Hta Refugee Camp, but she decided to go back to their hometown because she wasn’t able to work inside the camp. He has been living away from his mom for 9 years and he hasn't been able to visit because he hasn’t had any chance to go back. After she left the refugee camp, the only information he received from her is through one of her village friends who returns to the village once in a while.

His mom is currently living in Burma by herself because his father and grandfather were killed when he was 7 years old. His grandfather was a traditional healer and healed people in the old village. Yet, one of his patients died and the villagers thought his grandfather was trying to kill them, so they killed everyone on his father’s side. It was really hard for Saw Dal Lwe Htoo’s mother to continue to live her life, but she didn’t give up and raised her kids to move on for the future. Another difficulty that Saw Dal Lwe Htoo faced at a young age was when his family had to run away from the Burmese Army. The army raided their village and burned down their home. He ran away to the jungle for a week. He couldn’t eat well and had to sleep in the rain. Once the army left their village, he returned back to his village. 

Living in the dormitory this year, he has shared that he has been really happy and there are moments when he forgets about the difficulties he experienced in the past. He is in 12th grade and he hopes to become a teacher, so that he can go back to his village to teach. Whenever he has free time, he plays soccer and does homework. He asked us to pray for his studies, future, and mom. “I hope that I can see my mom again.”

Every time when I feel down, I think about why my life is so hard. However, when I heard Saw Dal Lwe Htoo’s story, his struggles are much bigger than mine. He showed me how strong he is because if I was him, I would not be able to move on. He keeps fighting for his life. Saw Dal Lwe Htoo has taught me many things about being honest and never giving up. I will use it for my future.

Chaung Klane has been working at Partner’s Mae Sot office for 5 years. She oversees all the children’s homes in refugee camps and the work for the CARE project. She also helps plan the Christmas parties for children’s homes and helps host teams that come to volunteer!

[scatteredenthusiasm-blog]

Order, Disorder, Reorder: My Experience with an Ongoing Spiritual Transformation

I have been so intrigued with Richard Rohr’s three phases of life: Order, Disorder, and Reorder. Order is the belief system and rules that were passed down to you when growing up, Disorder is when those beliefs are challenged and fall away, and Reorder is a new life on the other side. 

Order, Disorder, Reorder is the pattern of growth, transformation, and any story worth telling. Here’s how I have seen it play out in my life the past 18 months...

ORDER

Order was being the youngest child born into a Christian family. Order was having my nursery decorated in a Noah’s Ark theme before I could even crawl. Order was spending Sundays in children’s church before I could even walk. Order was church on Sunday morning and every Sunday night. Order was learning Bible stories before knowing how to read or write. Order was eating goldfish after singing Jesus Loves Me. Order was drawing Zacchaeus up in the tree, a wee little man was he. Order was felt-board Jesus.

Order was boring hymns that sounded 1,000-years-old – maybe they were. Order was the booming voices of older men in baggy suits singing Rock of Ages, and the woman in the pew behind me holding the note a half-second too long. Order was the organ-player putting her heart and soul into every note. Order was a church-wide dinner in the gymnasium on Wednesdays before the midweek service.

Order was memorizing the Westminster Shorter Catechism for Kids, reciting them to my Sunday school teachers: “Q. 14. Where do you learn how to love and obey God? In the Bible alone. Q. 15. Who wrote The Bible? Holy men who were taught by the Holy Spirit.” Order was being freaked out about questions 10 and 11: “Q. 10. Where is God? God is everywhere. Q. 11. Can you see God? No. I cannot see God, but he always sees me.” Order was keeping it to myself like everyone else.

Order was attending a Christian school from Kindergarten through 12th grade. Order was learning colors, and words, and numbers. Order was learning how to write my name with an oversized red pencil. Order was seeing the same faces in class that were in Sunday school. Order was trying to make friends laugh during naptime, and getting in trouble for doing so. Order was just trying to make it to recess.

Order was a weekly Bible verse memorization for 13-straight years at school. Order was weekly sword drills, seeing who could find the chapter and verse the quickest. Order was winning the 4th grade sword drill competition, with the grand prize being – yes, you guessed it – a new and sharper “sword.” Order was more concerned with the “what” and “where” in scripture, not the “why.” Order was learning about the Bible the same way as learning our country’s 50 States and Capitals.

Order was being taught a literal six-day creation story with no room for an alternative theory. Order was every teacher giving a disclaimer when science videos hinted at the Earth being 13 billion years old – “Oh, before I press play, the stuff at the beginning about evolution and all is obviously not true, but the rest of the video is pretty good.” Order was hearing the same stories at church and school, giving no reason to question it because it was often coming from the same people.

Order was authority figures always having all the answers, regardless of the topic. Order was Bible teachers answering existential questions with the same certainty as questions about the Periodic Table. Order was having P.E. coaches tasked with teaching Bible classes. Order lacked mystery and the unknown. Order was building walls around me without my knowledge.

Order was then attending a large public university, but quickly finding a group that fit inside those walls. Order was having the same beliefs preached every week, but in a different state by different faces so that it felt like newer ideas. Order was meeting new people outside of the walls, but always returning and locking the door behind me. 

Order was moving to Chicago and meeting people from all different backgrounds, which didn’t poke holes in the mortar of the walls, but rather revealed the actual existence of the walls. Order knew to find a church immediately to ensure that friends would be on the same page, but even then Order started to look dated. Order was a small group that had open and honest discussions, but often the group’s honesty wasn’t to Order’s liking.

Order was moving to Nashville where it felt safe and sound. Order was reconnecting with old friends and making new friends that fit comfortably back inside of the walls, which put Order at peace. Order was going to a new church where the music was better and the people dressed well, masking that message hadn’t changed since the felt board. Order was still hearing preachers talk about who was in and who was out, how single people “needed to be rescued,” and how all were welcome, but with an asterisk next to “all” so large it could be seen from outer space. Order’s walls began to get exposed by personal experience, and the views from inside were bleak. Order became old and stale.

Order, however, was important and necessary. Order was learning right from wrong. Order was learning safe from unsafe. Order was great friends, mission trips, camps, lock-ins, white-water rafting and ski trips. Order was sports, movies, television, (heavily-guided) reading, singing, bad dancing, dating, and parties. Order was performed and taught by lovely people with good intentions. Order needed authority figures to have authority, just not the absolute kind.

Order was missing one key ingredient: curiosity. Order would encourage curiosity, but only if it fit within Order’s walls, because Order didn’t like to be challenged. Order had curiosity and mystery on a retractable leash, letting them have the feeling of running wild until they reached the threshold, then they were violently whipped back, returning to their origin.

Order was necessary because Order is always the beginning. Order is not to be tossed out, but for growth to occur, the walls of Order must come tumbling down.

DISORDER

Disorder doesn’t start with an explosion. Disorder begins like the first few sprinkles of an approaching storm, causing the glassy lake to lose its smooth reflection. Disorder is ripples, not waves.

Disorder, however, won’t start or go anywhere without the companion that Order kept on the leash: curiosity. Disorder has its learner’s permit, but it is not allowed to drive anywhere without curiosity in the front seat. Disorder will knock on the door relentlessly, but curiosity has to unlock the door from the other side. Disorder, for some, knocks on the door for years, exhausting the tenant who won’t let curiosity near the deadbolt. Disorder is the vehicle, but curiosity is the fuel.

Disorder began with an innocent book about a guide to creating a life worth living. Disorder knew I wouldn’t realize that it was spiritual at first, but later I would realize that everything is spiritual. Disorder knew that Order had installed a more passive approach to living: our time on Earth was a waiting room for the glory that’s to come, so speak the party line until you advance to the next level. Disorder needed to show me that the glory was here and now, and that God was looking for co-creators saying, “Psst – this is a gift, and you’ve had it the whole time.”

Disorder needed to start with adjusting my mindset before hitting the road. Disorder didn’t try to change my lens, but rather reveal the existence of the lens. Disorder turned on the lights, exposing just how high the walls towered overhead.

Disorder then tapped on my shoulder when my Uncle, a pastor of a large church in San Francisco, opened the doors of his 20-year-old church to the LGBTQ+ community, fully affirming and inclusive. Order had taught me for years about who was in and who was out, but with no research other than an authority figure saying, “Well, the Bible says…” Order loved to keep things black and white, stifling any resemblance of a counter-argument on such topics.

Disorder began by asking me not what I believe, but to consider why I hold certain beliefs. Disorder wasn’t trying to change my mind right off the bat; it just wanted me to be open to the idea of a change of mind. Disorder was setting the stage; ripples, not waves.

Disorder doesn’t force your hand, but it won’t do the dirty work for you.

Disorder was a book about re-examining scripture’s view and the history of the church’s relationship on the LGBTQ+ community, cracking the mortar of Order’s walls as I flew through each chapter. Disorder was then another book on the same topic, then another, and then podcasts full of stories from this community that had been treated as less than human by the church forever. Order had taught me a narrow, dualistic view that turned away so many, and doing so “in the name of God.” Disorder showed me that we are all beloved children of God, with no exceptions, and we have been the whole time – no matter what.

Disorder was always asking the question, “If so, then what’s next?” If Disorder stops asking that question then it’s no longer in the room, and you need to go open the door and let it back inside.

Disorder was then Rob Bell’s podcast with Richard Rohr about the Alternative Orthodoxy, causing me to write page after page of notes on the skinny balcony of my old apartment. Disorder was tearing through the rest of his podcasts, some causing me to accidentally sit through red lights while in deep thought, others leaving me teary eyed thinking about how I had spent the last 25 years treating this sacred life like a pit stop. Disorder was giving me a whole new approach on how things progress, on how the whole thing moves forward. Disorder cracked the foundation of the walls.

Disorder then introduced me to a whole new world of thought leaders, some religious, some not: Liz Gilbert’s Big Magic (both the book at podcast), Richard Rohr’s books and daily meditations, Suzanne Stabile and Ian Cron on the Enneagram, The Liturgists, Science Mike, Rachel Held Evans, Glennon Doyle Melton, Peter Rollins, Peter Enns, Brene Brown, Mary Oliver, Martha Beck, Mark Nepo – a list of names that would be a spooky hell dream of my conservative past. Disorder also gave me teachings from other religions, challenging me to connect the dots of what I had previously thought of as off limits.

Disorder gave me so many podcasts and books that challenged me to rethink every single thing I had been taught growing up. Disorder had me back on that skinny balcony reading Love Wins, crying as I turned each page thinking about how certain I had been that people in the “out” crowd were destined for an eternal, boiling fire by a monster, judgmental God – and all of the times that I prayed that this God wouldn’t send me there too; what kind of loving God would do that? Disorder was turning the ripples into waves.

Disorder wasn’t going to airlift me to safety out from inside Order’s walls as they crashed around me. Disorder left me in there and made me watch every last brick come crumbling down from the inside. Disorder wasn’t interested in the easy way out.

Disorder was sleepless nights, leaving me replaying all the ways that my previous beliefs hurt people when I thought I was helping. Disorder was an interior journey, demanding me to mine the soul to its core.

Disorder was brewing inside of me every second of every day, but it hadn’t bled into my surroundings yet. Disorder still had me at the same church, but leaving every Sunday upset and bitter at what felt a room full of people missing the point. Disorder made every church service and Bible study feel like I was showing up for a game in the wrong color jersey. Disorder then turned to cynicism, telling me that I’m the only one in this town – or even this part of the country – that thinks this way.

Disorder had me church hopping for a month or two, but it was only a distraction from the truth – I didn’t really want to find one. Disorder turned into taking a break from church, because why go somewhere for an hour and a half knowing that it’s just going to piss me off when I could stay home and watch the previous night’s SNL?

Disorder turned me bitter towards any people or organization who didn’t see things the way I did now: friends, family – aunts, uncles, cousins; previous schools, classmates, teachers, churches, pastors. Disorder ping-ponged back and forth from anger at how limited the belief system I was taught growing up to despair, making me wonder if any of it really mattered anyway.

Disorder had taken everything I had been told to be true and buried it in the rubble.

Disorder wouldn’t call the cleanup crew right away; it let it sit for a while as I laid watching the dust settle on the destruction. Disorder knew that I needed a break.

Disorder leaves you bloody and broken, because it knows the desire and hunger for growth is at its highest when you are at your lowest. Disorder knows you are most open to new life when you are at complete death.

Disorder then placed me in the front seat, tossed the car keys to curiosity, and hopped in the backseat. Disorder knows its time isn’t over – in fact, it’s never over – but it knows to lay low for a bit.

Disorder was and is to come.

REORDER

Reorder is harder to write and put into words because Reorder is still very new. Reorder is less of a reflection like Order and Disorder, but more like a stream of consciousness because Reorder is unfolding right now.

Reorder isn’t on my DVR. Reorder is live on the air.

Reorder found me in the rubble, but it only came after me because it saw that I was still holding onto curiosity. Reorder knew that as long as I had curiosity then I would be willing to answer the question, “What’s next?”

Reorder is being made new, not hitting the restart button. Reorder is a new birth, not reaching for the defibrillators.

Order is Palm Sunday. Disorder is Good Friday. Reorder is Easter Sunday. Reorder isn’t naïve though, it knows there are more Disorders to come, and in fact it welcomes them. Reorder doesn’t fear future Disorders because Reorder has experience as an ally; it knows how the cycle works. Reorder doesn’t exist without Disorder.

Disorder and Reorder are like the oars of a canoe. Disorder is when the oars come up out of the water, readjusting the paddle to a new angle. Reorder is when they re-enter the water and propel you forward; you can’t go anywhere without both working in perfect harmony.

Reorder is the one step forward to Disorder’s two steps back.

Reorder knows whom it’s dealing with; it has watched me since birth, so it’s never surprised by the handlings of Disorder. Reorder is the feeling of being fully known, and there’s such magnificent comfort in that. Reorder is out of the proving my worth business, it’s not keeping score. 

Reorder is the feeling of Divine connection; maybe Reorder is the Divine, or the closest we can get; maybe Reorder is the difference between being a Christian and being Christian – I don’t know. Reorder is acting my way into a new way of thinking instead of thinking my way into a new way of acting.

Reorder recognizes that the process of Order-Disorder-Reorder is all around us; it’s found in the seasons of the year in the same way as the seasons of life. Disorder was winter; Reorder is spring, aware that it won’t last forever, but knowing it will return. Reorder starts to see the Divine in everything. Reorder has me more interested in art, writing, comedy – any creative pursuit that helps with the ongoing creation of the world, which is when I feel most connected with the Divine.

Reorder is keeping an open mind about everything, always looking through a progressive lens. Reorder has taken this lens to the Bible, sparking a fascination about the Jesus story and what it means to be human than ever before. Reorder is realizing that the writers of the text were incredibly progressive at the time, and the best way we can honor the word is to keep pushing forward instead of trying to revert back to a literal interpretation. Reorder is making it hard for me to even talk to people about anything else.

Reorder is curiosity in action.

Reorder can be small things like seeing a t-shirt that says, “I met God, she’s black,” on it and then being excited when my sister got it for my birthday a few weeks later – a shirt I’m wearing while writing this.

Reorder can’t stomach conversations like: “How’s it going?” “Good, you?” “Good.” “Oh, Good.” Reorder has no interest in the surface level – it demands to go deeper. Reorder wants to know what gets someone out of bed in the morning – what makes them tick – and why?

Reorder can (and will) railroad friends and family with excitement and energy about this new way of being, but unlike Disorder it doesn’t get bitter when the feeling isn’t reciprocated because it knows that everyone else is on their own journey on their own timeline. Reorder knows that not everyone who doesn’t see the world the same as I do is a bad person – they are just as beloved as the rest of us, even when it doesn’t feel like it. Reorder is the constant practice of patience and understanding, but maintaining that an inclusive, progressive approach is the right way.

Reorder is looking back at my Facebook profile and hardly recognizing the person on there, like it was from a past life, often feeling horrified at some of my “This day in history” notifications of previous posts throughout the years, making me wonder, “Would the version of me today even be friends with former me?” Reorder, though, doesn’t wipe it out and start over because Reorder knows that everything belongs.  

Reorder now looks back fondly on Order, and is no longer upset with former teachers and pastors, it knows that they were doing their best with the information they had. Reorder has no desire to go back and change anything because Reorder knows that every Bible class, Sunday school lesson, and chapel service on Thursday mornings led to this specific journey. Reorder, again, knows that everything belongs.

Reorder is my same Uncle telling me about a progressive community like Gracepointe Church in Nashville, a place I had driven by 1,000 times and never noticed. Reorder introduces you to tons of like-minded people, restoring hope when Disorder made you feel like you were alone. Reorder’s excitement has me jumping in headfirst, sometimes forgetting that I’m new there and people don’t really know me yet, but the place felt like home the first time I walked in the building. Reorder is not the feeling of wearing the correct color jersey now, but realizing that the jersey color doesn’t matter, because a true representation of the Kingdom knows no labels.

Reorder longs to be around people who are fully alive, taking on life with the same level of curiosity and passion that Reorder knows so well. Reorder doesn’t have time for the mundane. Reorder is interested in those who have a desire to keep pushing forward, making me want to grab them by the hand and take off.

Reorder is still pursuing ideas that challenge my current way of thinking, understanding that I’m a perpetual student and the learning process is never over. Reorder is answering, “What’s next?” with even more books, poetry, meditations, podcasts – not staying still and waiting for the next Disorder, but rather lacing up my boots and going on the hunt for it.

Order, Disorder, Reorder is the pattern of growth, transformation, and any story worth telling. Reorder has the wisdom of knowing that the pattern really looks more like this: Order-Disorder-Reorder-Disorder-Reorder-Disorder-Reorder, and so on.

Reorder is the restoration of hope, and it has me excited for what’s to come.

[darkstrangevirgilanxiboi]

High School Trends That I Remember Fondly

Okay so let me share with you all some quality high school trends from my days in high school because boy were we a bunch of sass masters These all took place from 2007 -2012 because I went to a weird fusion school that lumped every grade from 7th to 12th together ( that means we had thirteen year olds up to 18-19 year olds in the same school ) Anyway let's go 7th Grade( I was a smol 13 year old) First off there were like 30 kids in each class okay? So.... - Pencils as hair decor ???? Why???? - Swiping needles from Home Ec and sticking them in your finger JUST under the surface of the skin to freak out the teach - Referring to lunch as ' the troph special' -Girls sending guys Valentine's that just said ' U R No Good ' and ' Allen Ur Not In My League ' - Guys sending girls tiny stuffed animals for V Day with cards that said ' I'm Soft For U' and ' Be My Plush One?' - Claiming various things had ' killed our ancestors ' : ' I can't do long division , my thirty seventh great grandfather died doing that' ' No I can't answer that question sir, every male in my family so far has died answering English questions ' ' I'm not allowed to be disciplined , discipline killed my grandma' - Wearing rubber bands as bracelets or rings and the tighter you could get it the cooler you were ???? This kid almost lost a finger by third period I mean ..... -Asking our biology teacher what would happen if insects could speak every class period ' What if wasps could speak but they only spoke Mid-6th Century English ' ' What if spiders all speak Russian' ' Do you think bees know English ' - Pestering our history teacher for the history of the Leaf Village ( I'm sorry Mr. Hoagland ) - Replying ' Deleted' when your name was called ..... I accidentally started this one 8th grade ( I was 14 ) - Rap battles to settle arguments ???? - Yoyo fights. It got intense. -Every white boy in school dressed like a bad Western movie character , cowboy hats and spurs and SO.MUCH.PLAID. - ' The Dew Crew', a gang of boys who drank nothing but Mountain Dew as refreshment , was born and monopolized the school's soda supply of Mountain Dew . All of them made it to adulthood but it is suspected they no longer require sleep and eat only the disdainful glares of women for survival ( at their peak there were 15 of them ) - Intense shouting of someone else's name every time something went wrong ( usually the name Sasuke ) - Pentagrams everywhere ; drawn on any surface we could find unsupervised for a second , started by me doodling in art class and picked up by my squad . The school board thought someone was possessed by the devil it was GREAT.... I NEVER GOT CAUGHT - In Chemistry we watched Finding Nemo about 3 times a week because the teacher was really forgetful and he let us watch it when he forgot his lesson plan , so by the end of the first month that year every kid he taught would call various roundish objects ' the butt' and I was nicknamed' Dory ' by everyone I knew Also the principal was nicknamed' Bruce" -Hardcore Zombie prep planning , there was a gang and everything . The Apoca-Punks are still strong - Disney discourse in English class because our teacher was a huge nerd for Disney and loved nothing more than to watch us argue over which princess would beat Gaston in a fight faster ( Kida won by a landslide but we all agreed Mulan would murder him in five seconds flat ) Also he nicknamed all of us after Disney characters and I was Lilo ( my best friend was Stitch ) - Okay so I brought a bag of chocolate as a treat for the class one week and I was really tired and out of it so when the teacher ( our English teacher Mr . Bagley, who was also the principal) asked me to ' explain the historical properties of chocolate' I got sarcastic and went ' For many years chocolate has been used in medicinal treatments for ailments of all kinds. Perhaps it will even cure the lack of hair on Mr . B's head' ...... For a second it was dead silent and then he laughed and said "Well put , you continue to live up to your nickname, Lilo!" - Shakespeare quotes at inopportune times " Exit, pursued by a bear" " We are in the middle of a test , Austin. " " A rose , by any other name , would smell-" " DO NOT ENCOURAGE HIM INDI" - The drama kids dramatically snapping during arguments - Okay so there was this weird loft zone in the second gym( because our school had two , a sucktastic old one from the fifties and a newish one from the eighties ) nobody was supposed to go up there unless they had permission and it was for filming a basketball game ??? But everyone went up there anyway and at least ten couples lost their virginity up there ( what a weird place to do it tho , we kept the wrestling mats up there) I sluffed class a few times and took a nap there And it became a Thing to draw a little baby face on the wall if you lost your V card there -Supergluing coins to stuff???? There's still a dime on someone's locker and it's been like ten years -' Ambrosia' , AKA this super delicious combo of cherry slurpee , Sprite, and orange Fanta that our English teacher made us during parties . He literally made it in these huge plastic bins and just ladeled it out to everyone 9th Grade( I was 15) - The Goth Invasion Everyone who was punk enough wore black ripped jeans and eyeliner and streaked their hair with red and black One kid never left the Goth phase , we love u Scott ( it's cool he was our school's Warren Peace anyway ) - AFTER A SCHOOL ASSEMBLY VIEWING OF SKY HIGH FOR HALLOWEEN MY CLASSMATE SCOTT WAS NICKNAMED WARREN BY THE ENTIRE SCHOOL He was really salty about it too , he said " Warren isn't goth he's Punk there's a difference you capitalist Bible thumpers' Scott got 54 Valentine's that year but just shrugged and gave his candy to me and my squad because we were , as he put it ' the only punk crew in class, plus you're all really cute ' He never kept a girlfriend very long but he was the nicest guy you've ever seen ( everyone thought he was gay but just too shy to say it ) Over the years he is consistly hotter , and more unashamedly Goth - My sister arrived in school and was immediately the most popular kid in school and was nicknamed ' Princess ' - My squad got nicknamed ' Squad 7 " due to our obsession with Naruto and other anime , and we each were nicknamed after characters from the show by my friend Indi ( who was named after Indiana Jones, no lie) Melanie was ' Kiba' ( which delighted her because she would marry him in a heartbeat ) Mackenzie was ' Neji' because according to Indi she was the most monologue-y Chandra was ' Hinata' because she was shy but fierce And I, Aubrey , was ' Gaara' because according to Indi :' Your dad is kinda sucky and you've got two siblings . You're sort of the social outcast of school and when you get annoyed enough it's like you've got this terrifying supernatural thing in your eyes , I love it ' I LOVE THAT NICKNAME 10th Grade( I'm 16) - ' Because I'm Batman ' being an answer to every question - Goonies puns - Three girls got pregnant and were called the ' Baby On Board Squad" - Due to this teen pregnancy scandal , my heavily Christian community had our school hold assemblies about how ' Sex will kill you' and how ' every time a teen has Sex Thoughts, an angel cries' ..... There were ' God Is Abstintent ' posters everywhere So naturally we revolted and the drama class put up these fliers reading ' Without Sex, You Wouldn't Be Around . ' ' Satan Loves You and Wants You To Explore Your Perfectly Normal Urges ' ' Sex Won't Kill You- But STD's Could! Use Protection! ' ' Wrap It Before He Taps It And The Angels Won't Be Crying " " Boys Like Girls.Boys Think Of Girls In Sexual Ways. Boys Best Treat Her Right First . Boys Best Be Stepping Up As Baby Daddys If They Tap Dat " And many more golden rebellious posters - Shouting " Go Go Power Rangers " when dealing with a problem and just out of nowhere any kid wearing the appropriate Power Ranger colored shirt would appear So you'd get a guy in red , a guy in blue , a guy in black , a guy in white , a guy in green , a guy in gold , a guy in silver, a girl in pink and a girl in yellow and they'd all pose dramatically and do the Power Rangers moves - Rubber band slingshot warfare using hairpins as ammo - The school dividing into Benders and Non Benders , and the school's most loved outcast was deemed Avatar( I got the honor so my squad was nicknamed accordingly ) - High School Musical was the biggest thing ever because our music teacher WROTE THE SCORES FOR THEM I MEAN....... We all knew every song by heart that year Everyone shipped Chad and Ryan 11th Grade( I was 17 ) -Percy Jackson was huge and everyone wanted a godly parent - Every girl used a dramatic break up song to end things with her man it was GLORIOUS - Taylor Swift was playing on the radio every day - My class finally realized that my friend Courtney and I had the same exact birthday and birth year , and thus introduced us to substitute teachers as ' The Fraternal Twins' Courtney and I are both gonna be 23 on March 20 at 6:40 am - Our history teacher thought my friends and I were in an assassin cult because we were always drawing kunai knives and swords and guns , so he banned kunai drawing????? And it thus became the Cool Thing to graffiti everywhere??? All because I drew one on my ASVAB???? -The sheriff pulled me out of homeroom because I'd been overheard singing P!nk's " Funhouse" and the Secretary thought I was an arsonist because of the line " I'm gonna burn this sucker down " and thus rumors spread like wildfire that I'd: ~ Murdered someone ~ Witnessed a crime ~ Started a gang war ~ Shot a cop ~ Robbed the one gas station in town ~ Insulted the sheriff's daughter by not inviting her to my birthday party so he was here to bribe me to do so ~ Stolen the sheriff's prized collection of horse paintings 12th Grade ( I was 18 ) - Posters everywhere about the world ending ( it was 2012) - Harry Potter mania - John Lennon Memes???? No really on the anniversary of his death the school was flooded with posters of him everywhere saying " In Loving Memory Of A Dreamer " and the radio only played his music and the drama class went around stating facts about his death it was surreal and I was part of it

[brittney-brutal]

Hi guys!

So recently I’ve gained more followers and I just want you to know that I appreciate each and every single one of you for coming with me on this crazy adventure.

I’ve had this blog for.... 9 years this August? I never thought it would have the impact that it does, and I never imagined anyone would care enough to follow.

So for all my followers, new and old, anonymous and known, here’s some of those famous “tumblr questions” so you guys can get to know me more. I also haven’t done any of these in YEARS so I’m actually excited to see the answers and compare them to my old ones.

My ask box is always open ❤️

1. What is your name and what does it mean?

- my name is Brittney and it simply means that my parents chose that name for me instead of Samantha or Jordyn like they wanted to.

2. How long have you known your best friend?

- well I have three, and I’ve known one since 2009, and I met the other two in 2017.

3. What position do you sleep in?

- uh, on my side/stomach with my one leg bent and the other under the pillow? You know, the “girl” position?

4. Were you in a clique in high school?

- LMAO yo I was the girl that wore pink/zebra Osiris skate hi-tops with black/white TIE DYE jeans. And band tees. I had a bracelet that I made from zebra DUCT TAPE. I was also in the top 10% of my graduating class, coming in at #77 with a 4.257 GPA. I was NERDY AND WEIRD. But I had friends from every clique.

5. Favorite high school teacher and why?

- I mean it’s been... 7 years since I graduated but I think it’s still Mrs. Nash. She was my astronomy teacher in 11th grade and then I also was her teaching assistant in 12th grade. She was so beautiful and sweet and the best mom to her kids.

6. Name a few places you’d want to travel to if money wasn’t the issue?

- Bora Bora, Germany, Australia, The Grand Canyon.

7. Did you or do you play any sports?

- I used to dance jazz and hip hop, I used to play soccer, I could do a mean jump rope routine in grade school. Was even part of a team lmao. Recently I’ve really wanted to learn how to skate again.

8. Things you find attractive?

- in general? Being able to hold a conversation and actually put forth enough effort. Street smarts. Knowing how to cook and take care of yourself. Knowing and setting and keeping boundaries. Nice eyes. Good sense of humor, the protective possessive type. Always considering my thoughts and feelings, even when I don’t seem to have any.

8. Where did you grow up?

- Sunny, humid, hot, sticky, rainy Florida. Born and raised unfortunately.

9. Do you have any embarrassing stories?

-FUCK THIS QUESTION. Yes. One time in 8th grade I had a crush on this guy named Erik. We were great friends and he was littleraly the biggest prankster around. So one day in science class we’re all taking a test and our teacher suddenly looks up and asks “do you hear that” and we start looking around and everyone starts to hear it and Erik asks me “what is that, is that you?” And to my ABSOLUTE FUCKING HORROR, my iPod started playing Sexy Can I by fucking Ray J DURING THE TEST. thankfully Erik took the blame so my life wasn’t completely ruined after that. I also got catfished by someone when I was....14-16. Eventually she came clean and we’ve spoken before here on tumblr. No hard feelings.

10. When is your birthday?

- January 28, 1996. I’m the ripe old age of 24 with arthritic bones and an ankle that cracks every few steps I take. I’m knocking on heavens door rn.

11. How many pillows do you sleep with?

- why is anyone asking this question lmao but I sleep with 9. I have a queen bed.

12. Name 5 things about your appearance

- I mean I have a whole page dedicated to my selfies so check that out I guess.

13. Favorite drink?

Alcoholic? Rum runners or bahama mama’s. Non alcoholic would probably be.... cherry coke or Mountain Dew code red.

14. Strange talent you have?

- I guess you could call it a talent in some aspects, but I have mockingbird syndrome where I can imitate just about anyone’s singing voice.

15. How did one of your friendships end?

- I found out I had feelings for her in high school and she was my best friend. I was in love with her like bro I was fucked up over this girl. I mean, let me clarify. At the time she was in the process of figuring out her identity and she was identifying as a male, and was really confident in that role. Her appearance changed drastically but her person never did, and I loved every bit of whoever they decided to be. Through three different name changes and back and forth pronoun changes. I loved this person. My first real hard love. We would walk around holding hands and if anyone knows me, I hate physical touch unless I’m dating you bc my trauma is fucking up my head, but I let them do that. Long story short we stopped talking, I moved away, I reached out years later and we started hanging out again. She changed. I say she because they had decided that they were in fact female, and that didn’t bother me, but something just felt extremely off. I went home one night and she texted me hoping to see me again and that scared me. It scared me and confused me bc my feelings were coming back after so long and I didn’t know what to do. So I didn’t do anything. Stopped answering the calls and the texts and the crying voicemails. I felt like shit for what I did and reached out again just recently a few months ago. Hoping to at the very least clear the air. I anon’ed her on here and she knew it was me, bc who else can’t let things go. So she basically said stop reaching out to me I hate you I don’t want you to talk to me ever again. So, I haven’t. And I miss her. But I deserve it.

16. Are you still figuring out who you are?

- Every single day. I am constantly changing and it’s so interesting that I’m not the person I was ten years ago. I’m not who I was three years ago. I’m not who I was when anything bad in my life happened, but yet I still hold onto it. I know my sexuality I’ve come to terms with it and I embrace it but I don’t make it obvious. I love who I am as a person and my core values and what is important to me at the end of the day.

17. Favorite restaurant?

- Cheesecake Factory.

18. Favorite pizza?

- fun fact I hated pizza before I got pregnant with my son, and now I LOVE it. I’ll crave pizza even still. I love pepperoni, green pepper, mushroom, pineapple, and crushed red pepper with a stuffed cheese crust. Ooh with the garlic sauce from papa johns.

19. Do you collect anything?

- knives. I used to collect snow globes when I was younger but my innocence has died and now I’m emo as fuck.

20. Biggest lesson you’ve learned the hard way?

- Your pride will get in the way every single time.

21. Your favorite band?

- A Day to Remember

22. What are your top three favorite albums?

- Voicenotes by Charlie Puth, I listened to this album on repeat my entire pregnancy. It means a lot to me.

- Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight by Travis Scott, I know every single word to every single song. It got me through one of the worst breakups from the most toxic relationship I’ve had back in 2016.

- What Separates Me From You by A Day to Remember, the cover art is what I’m basing my next tattoo off of.

23. What’s your dream car?

- Chevrolet Camaro SS. Hyper Metallic Blue with black carbon fiber accents. All black interior.

24. What’s your sign and do you believe in astrology?

- I’m an Aquarius, my moon is Taurus and my ascendant sign is Gemini. I read my horoscope often but I don’t base my every move off of what it says y’know?

25. Where do you go or what do you do when you’re sad?

- I like to drive. I drive at night and I play my music and I allow myself to feel whatever I want. Driving clears my head and it lets me think about things I usually push away. If I’m feeling really bad I’ll drive to the beach and sit by the water and just watch the sunset by myself and watch people live their lives and think about when I was happy.

That turned out much longer than I wanted it to be but there’s 25 things about me that you now know.

[davidchanus]

A ‘golden ticket’ to training contract glory, or losing its shine? Legal Cheek explores the Oxbridge law degree

Recruitment teams still dazzled by high-status law schools, despite so-so performance in rankings

In the battle for a top training contract or pupillage, an Oxbridge law degree is a sharper sword than the same from another Russell Group (RG) university.

At least, that’s what the statistics seem to show. The number of Oxbridge law graduates hitting the legal market is, comparatively, tiny — UCAS data revealing 435 aspiring lawyers accepted places at Oxford or Cambridge last year versus 6,435 at the other RG unis. That means less than 10% of new RG students are Oxbridge; throw all other law schools into the mix and Oxbridge’s lot make up just 2%.

The elite duo’s impact on the graduate recruitment market is far greater.

Training contracts first. It’s difficult to obtain data from law firms about the universities their trainees attended (Legal Cheek has tried). There are a number of big players in our Firms Most List, including four of five of the magic circle outfits, which do not release these statistics.

Some do, though. Of the 20 data-releasing firms with the biggest trainee cohorts, average Oxbridge representation is 18%, this ranging from 0% (Irwin Mitchell) to 39% (Herbert Smith Freehills). Outside of the top 20, we spy one firm, Weil Gotshal, with an even meatier Oxbridge intake of 42%.

No firm, though, took on more Oxbridge-educated trainees than it did other Russell Group-educated trainees — in stark contrast to the bar.

At the 20 biggest chambers by pupil places, 59 of their 100 newest tenants are from Oxbridge, as shown in our Chambers Most List. That’s an average of three out of five (60%) per set. At seven of these top 20 (Littleton, 4 Stone Building, 7 King’s Bench Walk, Brick Court, Erskine, Essex Court and Fountain Court), four out of five new tenants are Oxbridge grads.

At Maitland, it’s a full house (five out of five), which is also the case outside of the top 20 at XXIV Old Buildings. Small wonder, then, that when we asked one Cambridge graduate and barrister-to-be whether he thinks an Oxbridge law degree is a golden ticket to a top job, he replied, without hesitation, “absolutely… I’m sure it’s helped me massively applying for jobs and further study”. But, should it?

He doesn’t think so: “Many employers value an Oxbridge degree much more highly than they should,” he says. Though recruiters are often “dazzled” by the universities’ status, our sceptical graduate believes “Oxbridge doesn’t always give you a ‘better’ law degree”.

His gripe principally lies with the “disappointing” teaching he received on some modules:

“Many top academics at Oxbridge are there for their brilliant research skills, not their brilliant teaching skills.”

Though Oxbridge is consistently praised for its research quality and tough entry standards, by comparison the pair falter in more student experience-oriented categories of university rankings, like teaching.

In The Guardian rankings, Oxford’s law school comes in 18th place for its teaching, while neither Oxford nor Cambridge seem to be particularly hot on student satisfaction. In The Guardian, Cambridge comes behind London South Bank and UEA in third place, and Oxford 29th. They do worse on the Complete University Guide: Cambridge’s law school comes in 12th place for student satisfaction and Oxford’s in 39th.

Buy your tickets now for the legal education and training event of 2018 - on 23 May

As for the percentage of students satisfied with feedback, Cambridge places 29th and Oxford 54th.

In each of these categories, there are RG universities outperforming (at least one of) the pair: Belfast, Leeds and York in teaching and student satisfaction, for example, while seven of the other 21 RG law faculties score better for feedback. “Apply for Oxbridge every time,” one recent Cambridge graduate recommends to aspiring lawyers, “not because the degree is better, sadly, but because everyone thinks it is.”

There are myriad reasons why his advice will not be followed, though (and not just by people who don’t have the grades).

A student at Liverpool says the open days she attended at both Oxford and Cambridge painted the historic duo as “very work focussed”, with little to be said for “sports (other than rowing!) or student societies which were not academically focussed”. This deterred her from applying.

An Exeter graduate, now studying at a top-rated London university, says he didn’t apply to Oxbridge because you had to sit an admissions test. Another aspiring lawyer, now studying at Durham, concedes her “personality didn’t align with Oxford”, while a fellow student who recently graduated from Cardiff University was put off applying because of Oxbridge’s “culture and regulations”.

Whatever the motive behind it, a decision made aged 17 not to punt for Oxford or Cambridge, thankfully, does not sound the death knell for aspiring lawyers’ career hopes. Succinctly summarised by one Durham student, “strong academic results, a compelling application, being personable and being able to see the applicant thriving within the firm, in my opinion, carry greater weight” than candidates’ alma mater. Even a Cambridge law student concedes:

“Law firms want to see many other qualities [beyond intellect and good grades] in their applicants before giving them an offer. Having an Oxbridge degree doesn’t necessarily mean that a person is a team player or that they can communicate well and effectively with others.”

Firms’ involvement with the likes of Rare Recruitment and a select few’s introduction of ‘CV blind’ go further to show a candidates’ prospects of lawyer success don’t lie just in the name of their university. These programmes encourage recruiters to consider candidates more holistically and to avoid ‘lazy’ Oxbridge bias. “Firms want the best,” one LSE student says, “they no longer want a brand of elitism.”

These diversity pushes, though, don’t seem to have led to a drop in Oxbridge representation. Research from 2013 and 2016 by Chambers Student in fact suggests the percentage of Oxbridge-educated trainees has increased — by 1.2 percentage points.

Buy your tickets now for the legal education and training event of 2018 - on 23 May

The Chambers Student research suggests Rare Recruitment and other initiatives are having an impact, but at the expense of RG representation. Firms recruited from 14 more universities in 2016 than in 2013, the statistics show, and at the same time the percentage of RG-educated trainees was knocked down by more than 15 percentage points (from 79.3% to 63.8%).

The RG bearing the brunt of firms’ diversity pushes comes at a turbulent time for this group of top-rated universities. In a previous Legal Cheek article on the RG’s faltering position and influence, the author argues RG leaders “have manoeuvred themselves into a situation where they are massively dependent on undergraduate revenue irrespective of the quality of the intake”. Some RG law departments are now taking on in excess of 500 students a year, and: “In turn, that will accelerate their poor performance in the National Student Survey (NSS).”

Indeed, though Oxbridge hardly receives praise all round for its student experience, certain RG universities consistently find themselves languishing at the very bottom of the NSS. The most recent league table saw no RG universities ranking better than 19th. Southampton, Queen Mary and Edinburgh came in in joint 90th place. LSE failed to make the top 100. The Complete University Guide’s ‘student satisfaction’ rankings also place a number of RG law schools at the very bottom, such as: Birmingham (81st), Edinburgh (82nd), King’s College London (80th), UCL (81st) and Manchester (91st).

That said, RG graduates are, like their Oxbridge counterparts, still hugely overrepresented in law firm trainee cohorts: they are outnumbered by non-RG law graduates entering the job market by about one to three, yet make up an average of 64% of rookies at the 20 biggest firms that release this data.

We wonder whether turmoil over the RG’s prestige will alter this.

All the while, Oxbridge’s revered status hums along, leaving its law graduates with the (very enviable) recruiter box-tick of being from the best universities in the country. But, that doesn’t mean they have the best grades, the best interview technique or the best application form, nor does it mean they’re the best candidate. We’re not sure a helpful first box-tick is quite a golden ticket — but maybe it’s a silver one.

The post A ‘golden ticket’ to training contract glory, or losing its shine? Legal Cheek explores the Oxbridge law degree appeared first on Legal Cheek.

from Legal News https://www.legalcheek.com/2018/05/a-golden-ticket-to-training-contract-glory-or-losing-its-shine-legal-cheek-explores-the-oxbridge-law-degree/