#privelise

[privilege-archives]

[privilege-archives]

ELISE CHANG ➝ THIRD SIBLING

I'M YOUR BIGGEST FAN

❖ FULL NAME: Elise Delilah Chang. ❖ PRONOUNS: She/Her. ❖ AGE: 20. (May 29th). ❖ BIRTH ORDER: Third. Half-Sibling. ❖ GRADE: Sophomore. ❖ MAJOR: Aerospace Engineering, with a minor in History. ❖ SEXUAL ORIENTATION: Polysexual. ❖ ROMANTIC ORIENTATION: Polyromantic. ❖ FACECLAIM: Janel Parrish.

I'LL FOLLOW YOU UNTIL YOU LOVE ME

[TRIGGER WARNING: DEATH]

Michael Chang never meant for what happened to get so out of hand.

To say that it was just one of those things would have done a disservice to the affair that happened. Marlee Roberts was many things– but above all things, she was Julia Chang’s best friend, which made the sordid details that much trickier. Marlee was also a doctor at LA Memorial Hospital, worked closely alongside Michael Chang, and was, in fact, the person who introduced him to Julia Lin. Their sordid affair lasted the better part of ten years, and they didn’t think much else of it until Marlee became pregnant. Considering her own intimate relationship with her husband had been quite stagnant for the better part of two years, she was forced to come clean about having an affair.

Of course, the fall-out was immediate. Marlee’s husband promptly divorced her, and the strain all of that put on the Chang’s marriage could have been irreversible, if Marlee had revealed that Michael, was in fact, the father. Michael swore her to secrecy, and Marlee didn’t have the heart to destroy her relationship with her best friend. With her husband gone, no family to support her, and now a single mother to boot, Marlee was very much alone in the world with a daughter on her hands, now. The thought of giving her up for adoption crossed her mind, but because she was so in love with Michael (a love that quickly went from playful to obsessive), she wanted a piece of him to be with her, always.

So she named the baby girl Elise, and moved up to Seattle, Washington, where the truth would never be discovered. The day she took Elise home from the hospital, she wrote Elise a letter, which revealed the truth of her birth and the circumstances behind it. She tucked it away in a safe and, for the most part, forgot about it. Meanwhile, Elise completely thrived, and she grew up as a very happy only child. From a young age, it was determined that she was quite intelligent, and she always harbored a love for the way in which things worked. Marlee could often find her atop the roof of their home in Seattle with a tiny telescope, trying to make sense of the puzzles that were the stars above.

She was twelve years old when her mother was killed. They were mugged while waiting for the subway train to arrive by a gang. After giving members of the gang her purse, and all of her jewelry, she thought they were in the clear. Their attackers got on the train, and for whatever reason, the door opened up again. As soon as they had a shot, they took it, and little Elise was left to watch the entire thing transpire. It’s left a profound effect on her, as have other things.

As the social workers tore apart Marlee’s house, it was then that she met Julia Chang. Her mother’s best friend had been absent for the majority of Elise’s life, only coming to visit on her birthday, and while Elise recognized her, she was still going to live with a stranger. Elise was adopted shortly after, but for whatever reason, felt the chilled wrath of her adoptive father. It was something that would plague her for years after her adoption. It probably was for the best that Elise’s mind was so sharp, as that was the only way she could feasibly make something for herself. Her head was constantly in the clouds– working through the inner mechanics of airplanes, rocketships, and studying the sky above her. She was known in school to be incredibly talented when it came to the sciences, but she specifically excelled in physics and astrophysics.

So when it came time to apply for college, obviously, her only option was MIT. Or Harvard, but she had her heart set on MIT. Even though her parents were both on the faculty of PSU, Elise really wanted a means to get away from her adoptive father for a bit. Elise was beyond thrilled when she received her acceptance letter into MIT, and was hoping that somehow she’d be able to swing the money, somehow. It was then, when she turned eighteen, that the contents of Marlee’s safe were given to her, as she’d become of age. There was money there, but not nearly enough to pay for the tuition, or to get herself a loan. Most importantly, there was the letter. Upon reading the letter from her mother, that which explained the exact circumstances of her birth, Elise immediately demanded the truth from who she presumed was her biological father.

Of course, it turned out to be the truth, and prompted the immediate, highly publicized divorce of Michael and Julia. With quite literally no one to turn to, and with no money to pay for college, Elise wrote to the Dean of PSU and managed to get herself a work-study so that she could afford to go. Now, alienated by both her biological father and adoptive mother, Elise harbors a certain amount of resentment for the Changs, including her half-siblings. She doesn’t feel like she belongs, nor is she a real part of their family. Now that she’s past eighteen years old, she’s free to do as she pleases, so she does. Elise is bitter, but she works part-time at a children’s science center in the mornings, and takes her classes in the evening. Elise also has two other part time jobs in order to pay for school, but she’s extremely organized and manages to get it all done. Her least favorite part of attending PSU is the fact that she’s near her siblings, who she feels very awkward around, because she wonders if they resent her, too.

BABY, THERE'S NO OTHER SUPERSTAR

Elise is far too busy to put work into her appearance. Working three jobs, plus an engineering major is beyond any kind of cute outfit. Elise swaps between wearing glasses and contacts, her hair is sometimes pulled back for when she works at a coffee shop. On the weekends, at her Bath and Body Works gig, Elise puts in more of an effort, because she’s supposed to look stylish, but her aesthetic is comfortable sweats. On her rare day off, she’ll doll herself up. Even though she’s tiny, she packs a punch in confidence and expression.

YOU KNOW THAT I'LL BE YOUR PAPARAZZI

Both Chang parents are on faculty at PSU. Michael Chang has his own medical television talk show, similarly to Dr. Oz. He’s the director in chief at Los Angeles Memorial Hospital, and heads the teaching internship program at PSU. Julia Chang is a retired prima ballerina from the Royal Ballet Academy. She now has her own dance studio, in addition to teaching classes at the college. Their divorce was highly publicized, and tabloid fodder for quite some time.

[psu-pmz]

Do you think the CHANGS (@missalicemae @elisechangs) and COHEN-CHANGS (@privileged-ken-doll @tina-noelle) are related? If any of them had sex, would it be incest?

[porter-sydney-blog]

A Smile is Just a Note Away

WHO: Elise Chang @elisechangs & Sydney Porter

WHEN: Friday, February 17, 2017

WHERE: Java Jive Cafe

WHAT: After a long few days, Sydney finds herself in a small cafe just off campus that Elise happens to work at. They know each other, but not terribly personally. But when Elise notices Sydney’s demeanour, she takes it upon herself to brighten the blonde’s day.

WARNING: Depression TW.

Elise: Honestly, a shift at Java Jive was not something that Elise was going to choose to look forward to, especially after the more recent shifts she’d been having. She was getting more and more exhausted, more and more frustrated, and definitely was contemplating on joining Luna in her quest for a rich person to magically make all of her financial problems disappear. While the prospect of a fairy bankperson was slim, Elise was still pleased to know that she could, at the very least, make someone else’s day better by means of over priced coffee. She had the prospect of visitors, which was always something exciting, but her qualms lay mostly in the fact that she downright ​hated​ her job. So when a customer came up to the window, Elise did her best to paint on a bright, sunny smile, while she tried not to think about the fact that they were out of skim milk and one of the milk steamers was broken. Smoothing her hands over her blue apron and visor, she did her best customer service voice. ​"Hey there! Welcome to Java Jive. What can I get started for you, today?"​

Sydney: The last few days had proven to be surprisingly difficult for Sydney, despite the fact that she had skipped her classes two days in a row and barely paid attention to any of the ones she had gone to since. But ever since that night when Stevie tried to kiss her, Sydney had been feeling herself spiralling toward the dark and gloomy pit of depression she had clawed her way out of not long ago. It was long after she usually stopped by the cafe, but she knew that the pick-me-up that a good cup of coffee provided would hopefully help put her back on the right track toward feeling like her usual self. Fortunately the line wasn’t too long, and once she made it up to the front of the line, Sydney smiled warmly at the greeting - though anyone paying close enough attention could tell it was painfully fake. “Hi. Can I just get, like...a cup of your strongest coffee, please? Kinda need a bit of a boost,” she said, offering up an awkward chuckle.

Elise: Normally, Elise was a switch-on, switch-off kind of girl. She tried to be happy most of the time, but there was an inherent darkness in her. Her life hadn't exactly been easy, despite being surrounded by people of privilege, and it had made her quite bitter. Once she saw the look on Sydney's face, though, her smile went from "let me please my boss by being as chipper as humanly possible" to one of genuine concern. Clearly, someone was having a worse day than she was, which immediately caused guilt to ebb at her conscience. ​"You got it,"​ Elise began to type the order into the register, nodding her head. ​"How do you take your coffee? You can go ahead and sit, I'll bring it over to you."​

Sydney: “Perfect, thank you,” she replied softly as Elise began to punch the order in. Being out in public in this sort of state always made her feel incredibly awkward, as though people could sense the depression, or something. Even though logically, she knew most people wouldn’t pay much mind to her at all, let alone care if her smile was as fake as can be or not. Hearing the follow up question, Sydney perked up slightly. “Oh, um, just a bit of cream. Are you sure..? I usually just wait here for it...” she said, glancing between the tables strewn about the shop and the barista. 

Elise: Shrugging, Elise played it off casually. ​"There's nobody else after you, so don't worry about it. Go ahead and get settled."​ She offered up a smile before heading into the back to pick up a post-it and a pen. The coffee itself wouldn't take much to make, but Elise hastily scribbled down a note. ​Keep your chin up, gorgeous! This one's on the house, as are its refills. Hope something makes you smile today!​ Elise signed it with a heart and her name, attaching it to the bottom of the saucer of the coffee cup. Being extra careful not to spill, she made Sydney her coffee and delivered it. ​"Here ya go!"​ Elise chirped, before resuming her post back at the counter.

Sydney: She took another couple of glances between the tables and the woman standing on the other side of the counter before shyly nodding her head, a clear sign that she was going to heed the request. Sydney picked a table near the window, watching the people as they walked past, happily going on with their days. She was sure it was odd, but she often liked to analyze the way people walked, where they were looking when they did, and just their general appearance. She could spot depression in a crowd easily. It was the one that smiled often but didn't let it quite reach their eyes. It was the one who looked put together, but was always a few steps behind their friends because their wasn't as much pep in their step. It was the ones who acted like her - the ones who go through the motions to prove to themselves and others that they are fine. Sydney was startled slightly by Elise bringing her coffee over, but she was quick to offer up a warm smile and soft "Thank you" when it was placed in front of her on the table. She waited for her to head back to her position behind the counter before she wrapped her hands around the warm mug and bringing it to her lips. She hummed contentedly at the first sip, and just as she was going to set the cup back down she noticed the post-it attached to the saucer. Reading over it, Sydney smiled widely, ducking her head ever so slightly for a moment before she looked over at Elise and mouthed another quick 'thank you' to her.

It went without saying that the note had only further improved her not-so-stellar day. Once she had polished off the last of her drink, she gathered her books and made her way back over to the counter. She pulled a couple of five dollar bills out of her wallet and placed them in the tip jar. "That kind of made my entire week, just so you know," Sydney said shyly, sliding a post-it of her own across the counter to Elise. On it was written her phone number along with As cliche as this is, here is my number. Maybe next time we can have coffee together. She didn't give Elise much of a chance to read it before she was headed toward the door, throwing a quick wave her way before exiting the shoppe.