[cis-female and she/hers ] Welcome to Aurora Bay, [ DEVIN ZHANG ]! I couldn’t help but notice you look an awful lot like [ LOLA TUNG ]. You must be the [ TWENTY-THREE ] year old [ POTTER at TIMELESS POTTERY STUDIO / STUDENT at AURORA BAY COLLEGE ]. Word is you’re [ GENTLE ] but can also be a bit [ MEALY-MOUTHED] and your favorite song is [CHARLIES GARDEN BY DJO]. I also heard you’ll be staying in [SEABROOK QUARTER ]. I’m sure you’ll love it!
pinterest || @aurorabayaesthetic
tw: anxiety & preterm labor.
THE BASICS
NAME: devin ji hu zhang. NICKNAME: devi. dev. PRONOUNS: she / her. GENDER: cis woman. SEXUALITY: pansexual. BIRTHDAY: september 20th. BIRTHPLACE: aurora bay, ca . HOMETOWN: aurora bay, ca . CURRENT RESIDENCE: seabrook quarter . FAMILY: father - shun zhang, mother - natasha zhang, older siblings - kevin zhang & jenny zhang.
PERSONALITY
+TRAITS: gentle, optimistic, accepting. -TRAITS: mealy mouthed, sensitive, sheltered. LIKES: galleries, the library, the smell of old books, natural light, red clay, bandanas, her family, chai tea, wind in her hair, the smell of fresh flowers, pastel colors, the feeling of clay between her fingers. DISLIKES: her pieces cracking in the kiln, mean people, judging others, loud noises, & raw sushi .
Devin, the third Zhang child, was unexpected to say the least. Her mother's pregnancy had been cryptic, she hadn't even known she was expecting until her water broke at twenty-five weeks. Far away from home and isolated from everything familiar, she gave birth to Devin alone. With no nursery waiting and no time to process the shock, she could only hold her breath and pour a lifetime of fierce, protective love into her tiny fighter.
The first six months of her life, Devin called the sterile walls of Aurora Bay's Hospital NICU home. Her stay was so lengthy, and her medical needs so critical, that her family ultimately packed up their lives in Oakland and relocated to the town just to be near her. For years Devin was monitored like a hawk, driven more by her mother's anxiety than by the quarter sized hole that had been found in her heart. It ultimately lead to her finding herself on the sidelines for majority of her life, her mother's fears constantly looming over her. Sports were never an option and the Aurora Bays public school system was deemed unnecessary for the youngest Zhang child. The majority of her childhood and education took place in her family's spare bedroom, interrupted only by the occasional weekly homeschool playdate or field trip.
She never questioned it. Her older siblings never brought up the differences in their upbringing, and her father didn't dare challenge her mother, mostly out of guilt for everything. And as a result, Devin was practically molded into a mini version of her mother, developing a codependency that would last for years.
When the time came for college, no one had ever considered the idea of Devin leaving the state. Yet when Ohio State sent their acceptance letter she was ecstatic. So Devin went, she saw... and she only lasted two months before heading right back home. The workload had became simply too much. The intense pressure to succeed, combined with the fear of being critiqued, and just being so far away from everything she had ever known had triggered an overwhelming anxiety she couldn't handle.
It took some time, but things eventually started to look up. Within a few months, she enrolled at the local community college, taking just a couple of classes each semester to keep the workload manageable. She even "moved out" to build some independence from her parents, and now lives in the in-law suite above their detached garage. While things are still slowly falling into place, she can't help but look forward to what the future brings.
HC
+ Her mother named her after the nurse who supported her through her birth. + Devin’s mother is an artist, and her father teaches Western Civilization and European History at Aurora Bay College. + She has worked at the studio since she was a teenager, a place she frequently visited with her mother during childhood field trips. It was there that she developed her love for pottery. + Devin is a very shy person and hates being put on the spot. (( If she had attended public school she is def the person that would cry during a class presentation. ))
