radical

jaxon rue samuels, professional cool cat.

[elizabarnes-blog]

It was nice to hear someone who was much more confident in the whole Yale thing than she was. Of course she knew what she was capable of, but she also knew that Yale’s rate of admission was 7.1%.  That number had been haunting her in her sleep ever since she looked it up. It wasn’t that bad — but she was sure 7.1% was easily the percentage of applicants from private schools, and those people already had an advantage over her. Most people who insisted she would totally get in usually got an eyeroll from her, but with Jaxon’s enthusiasm, it was kind of hard not to smile. “I always thought high school was supposed to be one’s glory days. Though I guess you could combine those two if you showed up to prom in that uniform.” Now that would be a trainwreck that would make the whole thing more interesting for her. It was a few months away, but she had already planned out her entire prom night — an ice cream bucket and her Netflix queue included. And unless a miracle happened, she wouldn’t change those plans. “Gross. We don’t have rats. And I’m pretty sure the spiders are bigger than rats, anyway. They’re mutating down there.” Her eyes still focused on the screen, she twitched her lips. Damn it. So much for not telling him before it was over. She put her cup on the nightstand before slowly turning to Jaxon. “Well..” How was she even going to phrase this? She tried to avoid looking at her hands but couldn’t help herself. This really shouldn’t be so uncomfortable. “You remember that guy from AP English I told you about? The one who somehow got an A+ on a test I only got an A on? He, uh, kind of asked me out.” A psychologist would’ve told her that it would feel better once it was out, but she knew that was a lie. Now Jaxon had countless opportunities to make fun of her, whether the dude ended up ditching her or she would somehow manage to make a fool of herself. Downplaying the whole thing was her best bet to limit the consequences, so she looked up again. “I mean, it’s not really a date. Just, um, dinner and a movie.. which I guess is a date. But it’s no big deal.”

[ofcjaxon-blog]

The idea of showing up to his last prom in his old Boy Scout uniform made Jaxon burst out laughing. “If it would get you to go, I mean...” wriggling his eyebrows in the best way he could, he ended his sentence there, nudging her shoulder playfully. “Seriously, though. C’mon. It’s, like, our last shindig as seniors, might as well enjoy it? And you know I’ve got about one or five dances locked down with you. Plus, it’d be nice to see a bunch’a people dolled up -- or, at least, try to stick to the respective theme while still looking like they lowkey can’t wait to get laid-- anyway, where was I? It’ll be radical. And you should go. Yes.” he nodded as if to affirm his point. At the mention of rats and spiders and mutation, he shuddered. “Totally uncool, dweebus. You know I’m awful squeamish around that sort’a stuff, so quit it.”

“Yeah, I got an A- on that, and I remember A+ boy because you complained about him, our teacher, and the grading system for ages. Although I’m not sure how this relates...?” Eyebrows still considerably raised, he noted his best friend’s sudden inability to stare him in the eyes properly. What was her deal? he thought, but as soon as the words tumbled out of her mouth his eyes involuntarily widened. Huh. Now was usually his cue to start teasing her, prodding her with questions about the boy and what she thought of him -- but for some reason, for the first time in a long time, Jaxon was uncharacteristically quiet. “Hm.” was his only remark, and silence enveloped the room again.

After a long pause that seemed like forever, “So...it’s not really a date. But it’s a date.” Stellar logic you got there, doofus.” Jaxon laughed lightly; after the quietness of the room had given him time to gather his thoughts, he figured he would do as he always did as best friend -- and part of that duty was to poke a little fun, even if something felt...different. Brushing off the feeling as simply being taken aback by the news, Jaxon moved closer to Eliza, grinning knowingly. “How’d he ask you? Where are you two having dinner? What d’you think of him so far? Oooh--” clasping a hand to his mouth, covering up all discomfort with dramatics, “Do you like like him?”

[elizabarnes-blog]

“Injustice, huh? Tell my teachers that. Or Yale’s admission comittee.” It wasn’t like she had a choice. Getting into Yale was hard enough as it is, especially from a public school, so straight A’s was the least she could do. She didn’t mind, though — of course, she missed the free time, but the incidents where she was close to ripping apart her textbooks became less and less. A few more months and she’d finally find out why it was worth it. A smile crept up on her face when he mentioned his Boy Scout days. It had been years now, and she still couldn’t believe he was actually part of that. The mental picture alone was ridiculous. “I’ll take it. You’re lucky I’m not forcing you to do a blood pact, though. I’m too lazy to get my mom’s sewing needles from the attic.” She downed her rest of her coffee, gaze still focused on Jaxon. “It’s Monday, yeah. And two days is definitely not enough, especially considering I, uh, can’t tomorrow.” The grin from earlier disappeared. Damnit. She hadn’t even planned on telling him before it was over. She stared into her coffee cup for a moment before deciding to get up. “I’m gonna go get some more,” she said, holding her cup in the air while making her way to the kitchen. It only took a minute and she was sitting on her bed again, eyes focused on the screen. She took a sip from the cup, hoping he wouldn’t bring up the topic again.

[ofcjaxon-blog]

“I’m telling you again, dweeb, Yale’s off their bottle rockets if they don’t accept you; they’ve got to. You’re one of the most perfect people for them -- if not the most perfect. Perfect-est.” nodding vigorously, Jaxon was beyond confident in his best friend and her capabilities; very rarely could she do any wrong, especially when things were academic related. The smile that slowly slid its way onto her face was big enough for him to notice, and he knew exactly why she was. “Aye -- quit it.” Jaxon chuckled, shoving a pillow at her softly, “I’ll have you know, those days in uniform are what I’ll look back to in the future and refer to as my ‘glory days’, though I was god awful -- absolutely ridiculous.” shaking his head in amusement, “No, ew, no blood pacts. No attics either, I’m pretty sure there’s a rat in there - or two. Or seven. Oh my god.”

“Two days is always enough, ya dingus, especially with y--” Jaxon’s cheery face fell slightly, accompanied by what he hoped wasn’t too disappointed an “Oh?” She’d never not mentioned plans to him - especially if they were the next day, and Eliza definitely wasn’t the type for spontaneity in her already hectic schedule. “Wh-- alright, then.” he waited for her, eyebrows arched in slight suspicion. If she wants to tell me what’s up, she’ll tell me. No biggie.

But it was bothering him enough to make him ask her as soon as she’d gotten back. “So...” with a seemingly casual tone and an equally casual smile, Jaxon’s voice trailed off uncertainly, not quite sure how to phrase the question without sounding like he was prying into his best friend’s life, “Tomorrow plans, huh? Care to share, doofus?”

[elizabarnes-blog]

A grin appeared on her face as she spotted the popcorn above her head. “Hate to break it to you, honey, but I don’t think we’ll make it to Order without me passing out. Or dying of stress or whatever,” she said, the grin growing a bit wider as she snatched the popcorn out of his fingers. After five seconds of chewing, another thought crossed her mind. “Then again, you might not mind that. It would leave and Luna allllllll alone in your sexy-times. Just don’t whatever you have to do on my bed.” It seemed like the exhaustion had taken any kind of filter from her, too. It was not like anyone could blame her for that, though. Taking four AP classes while still being part of as many school clubs as she could wasn’t exactly an easy task. It was a miracle she still had time to do, well, nothing. A sigh escaped her when her eyes fell down again. Hastily, she got up, grabbed her coffee cup from the side table, and took a big sip. She wouldn’t allow herself to fall asleep at 7pm, no matter how tired she was. Figuring conversation was the best way to keep her up, she turned to Jaxon again, her cup still in her hands. “Have you studied for math yet?”

[ofcjaxon-blog]

Feigning a pout, he took her shoulders into his hands, playfully but gently shaking her. “’ey, Sleeping Beauty, wake up wake up.” he called out to her in a singsong voice, “Or, at least, stay up, in this case. We haven’t hung out in decades because someone’s been so stressed to give even her partner-in-crime the time of day. What an injustice, I tell you.” Jaxon laughed, his ‘mad’ facade breaking as soon as he’d brought it up; both he and Eliza knew there was no way he could stay mad at her. Despite the joking manner in which he’d stated it, it was true; he was so used to seeing his best friend nearly 24/7, and he had to admit -- to himself, at least, and never to her -- he kind of missed just being able to marathon one of the best film franchises in the world with her. “I’ll keep your sheets clean, baby doll; both Loony and I will. Scout’s honor -- though I was the worst Boy Scout in history. So have the Jaxon Rue Samuels guarantee instead.”

The moment Eliza sat up for her caffeine fix, Jaxon reached for the popcorn, grabbing a fistful yet again. At the girl’s question, he uttered a small laugh. “It’s like you don’t even know me anymore.” he snorted, “The test is in, like, three days -- or is it two? Either way, I’ve still got time. And I can come back again tomorrow so you can tutor me and help me totally kick ass.”

[ofcjaxon-blog]

a b o u t  j a x o n  r u e  s a m u e l s

THE BASICS

FULL NAME: Jaxon Rue Samuels NICKNAMES: Jaxon, Jax AGE: 18 DATE OF BIRTH: April 18th, 1996 ZODIAC: Aries NATIONALITY: American RELIGION: Non-Practicing Catholic ROMANTIC ORIENTATION: Demiromantic SEXUAL ORIENTATION: Pansexual RELATIONSHIP STATUS: Single

THE BACKGROUND

PLACE OF BIRTH: small town, small state CURRENT RESIDENCE: small town, small state LANGUAGES SPOKEN: English (fluently); Mandarin (because of that one summer class his parents made him go to before they went to China on vacation); French (language elective at school) FINANCIAL STATUS: Middle Class MOTHER: Katryn Rue FATHER: Carson Samuels SIBLINGS: One younger sibling: Laetitia (14) BIRTH ORDER: First born (x)

THE PHYSICAL

HEIGHT: 5’11” WEIGHT: 128 lbs / 58 kg BODY BUILD: Lean HAIR COLOUR: Black EYE COLOUR: Dark brown DISTINGUISHING FEATURES: High cheekbones, long shaggy hair, a tattoo of the Mandarin characters for “cool cat” on the back of his neck. Single piercing in one ear, as well. DOMINANT HAND: Left ALLERGIES: none. DRESS STYLE: A lot of flannels and pocket shirts and denim jeans; fond of the one watch his dad gave him when he was seven, which was his grandfather’s and his father’s before him. Dresses for comfort, so mostly oversized shirts and the like.

THE EMOTIONAL

OPTIMIST OR PESSIMIST?: Optimist (literally, actual sunshine this guy) FEARS: Losing the people he loves, rats, kiddie party mascots LIKES: Harry Potter films, using the word “radical,” barbecue flavored things, parties, playing the synthesizer, Cards Against Humanity, any written work from the Beat Generation, vanilla milkshakes, really black coffee DISLIKES: people who rag on Laetitia or Eliza, bullies, strawberry milk, playing most contact sports, bad Thai food, gender specific colors, beer PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY:

"Don’t worry, be h a p p y."

THE PERSONALITY

MBTI: ESFP

MORAL ALIGNMENT: Chaotic Good

HOGWARTS HOUSE: Hufflepuff/Gryffindor

FACTION: Amity

ELEMENT: Water

TRAITS:

[ + ] = loyal, understanding, amiable, positive, entertaining

[ - ] = sensitive, easily excitable, prone to high expectations, hasn’t quite grown up yet

[elizabarnes-blog]

Eliza sat on her bed, her legs streched out, her hair more of a mess than anything else, and Jaxon right next her. Typical Friday night, really. They had been sitting like this for hours, currently on the third Harry Potter movie. It was the first time she felt somewhat relaxed this week. With exams coming up, she had been piled up in her room most of it, her head almost exploding with math. She hated it, but if that was the price she had to pay for Yale, she’d happily oblige. She still enjoyed moments like this, though, where she could just sit comfortably and focus on something else for a while. Prisoner of Azkaban was her favorite of the movies, and even though she had seen it countless times, she  was still focused on every scene. After her back started hurting from her wooden headboard, she decided to make herself comfortable on Jaxon’s stomach instead — without asking, of course. After settling down, she looked up to him. “You know, I never really got people’s obsession with Draco,” she said, a slight grin in her lips. “Harry’s much hotter.”

[ofcjaxon-blog]

The boy’s shaggy hair fell into his face more often than naught, and each time he brushed it aside, trying to focus on what was onscreen although he knew exactly what was going to happen. His eyes moved slightly to his left, stealing a glance at the girl next to him, and Jaxon allowed himself a slight smile knowing the girl hadn’t fallen asleep just yet. Eliza had been absolutely exhausted those past few days, and while Jaxon knew this was her down time -- and he was fairly accustomed to hanging out with her until both of them were fast asleep -- he was sort of relieved his best friend was still alive; for the time being at least.

The sudden shift of weight onto his stomach made him push his body up against the headboard slightly. It wasn’t that he minded, of course; his friendship with Eliza had gone past dinner party politeness, after all. Peering down at the girl, Jaxon chuckled, ruffling her hair with an amused smile. “If you say so, dweeb.” he shrugged, “All I know is, come Order, Loony Lovegood and I get a connection no one can deny.” with a teasing smile and a wink, he grabbed the barbecue popcorn from the side table, stuffing a handful in his mouth before offering one to Eliza directly above her own. “Pssst.” poking the side of her cheek relentlessly, “Open wide.” he announced, a single piece of popcorn looming over her head.

[villianside]