my mom works with teenagers, and it always strikes me how absolutely extraordinary people are-- children who become teenagers who become adults, casual past times and hobbies turned to passions, children born into circumstances they did not choose, but which they turn into lives of their own making.
it makes me think about how hobbies that teenagers do for fun can turn into something real-- how websites built for fun can become a business, how dreams can be spun into reality through the hard work of one or many.
we are all so extraordinary, and yet we rarely notice it within ourselves. we watch those around us, thinking but they are doing so much better, and yet we look past what we are spinning within our own lives. we dismiss the books we are reading as being unproductive, we dismiss the coding we take up as a hobby, the projects that we start and finish-- or don’t finish-- as nothing.
in the sixth grade, i read 108 books in ten months. i thought it was just a hobby, something i liked to do. ten years later, and i’m an english major, looking to get a master’s in those very same books that i read, and read, and read, as a child.
when i was twelve, i wrote my first novel. by the time i was eighteen, i had written six more.
when i was fourteen, i watched les miserables for the first time. when i was seventeen, i wrote a 20-page paper on the book, which i had devoured in eleven days.
we are all such beautiful creatures, ones who have passions and interests, ones who are willing to do so much for the things that we love. those novels will likely never see the light of day, and i’ll never publish that paper written for school. but they all meant something to me. i poured my passion into them, and that passion manifested itself into something beautiful.
the things that we do feel so thankless, boring, ordinary, when we are in the midst of doing them. but where would we be without it? it is only when we explain them to others that they start to seem impressive.
certainly, there are those who do their work for the glory. in a social media age, we find ourselves frustrated when our work gets no recognition. and yet we keep doing it. hundreds of webcomics that chug along for small-but-dedicated readers. writers who struggle with plot, characters, motivation, but keep writing regardless, desperate to put the story to paper. programmers who create twitter bots just because it makes them laugh. teenagers who code their own blogs, young adults who start youtube channels. people who get a camera and start snapping photographs, who begin to feel pride in their work. maybe they put the photos on instagram, or flickr, or maybe they print them on canvases and hang them in their home, just for them.
extraordinary, each in their own right. each one of these imagined people, and each one a real person. a person you may know, a person who may even sound like you.
looking back on your life, it is so fascinating to see-- even in a young life-- the accomplishments you have gotten. finishing that paper, that school year, getting through that project, understanding the problem in something you were working on, be it a plot hole in a story or a hole in your knitting. line them up and divorce yourself from them, and they sound extraordinary. i find myself thinking “was that really me?” when i think about the things that i have done, the empires that i have built and that have fallen around me. the hobbies i have taught myself, and the hobbies i have had taught to me by others.
being a person can feel so exhausting, at times. but sometimes, it just takes a moment of reflection to find that beauty in our own lives once again.
sometimes, you will struggle with it. you will feel frustrated and tired and like you cannot possibly do anything more in this weary existence. and it won’t work all the time-- but sometimes, you can find inspiration in yourself. do not look to what others have done, but think of what you yourself have done. turn to those who have helped you in the past, and ask them for their help once again.
sometimes, we all need a reminder that we are extraordinary.
“This is, by far, the dumbest thing you’ve ever done.”
Mason and Estella (let’s say they’re like 9/10)
Mason was filled with terrible dumb ideas that usually led them to trouble. It wasn’t exactly his fault because he was encouraged by his best friend but it was 85% his fault over the action at hand. Today was no different. Mason was going to attempt jumping from one tree to the other. They were rather close and it was simply a fence away. Luckily Estella’s grandparents didn’t care about anything happening to the tree. “Mason I swear this is a really stupid idea. No actually this is, by far, the dumbest thing you’ve ever done” she scolded from the bottom of the other backyard. The boy laughed as he climbed to the top, getting a sturdy grip before he jumped
“Ladies and gentleman, mostly ladies. Today you will witness one of the greatest events in all of summer. Today the young acrobat, Mason Dirk, will attempt what hasn’t been done before by any, man woman or child” the boy started only to be interrupted by laughter from his friend
“Use your full name. That sounds much better for a stage name” Estella told him honestly and he sighed
“Fine, if you insist” he said then cleared his throat “today the young acrobat, Mason Caelen Dirk, will attempt what hasn’t been done by any man, woman or child”
“Much better Dirk”
“Let me finish García”
“Today he will attempt to jump over the gorge to the other side. If he should fail, then the alligators will be having lunch”
“Alligators? Seriously? What kind of imagination do you have in that head of yours Mace?”
“You’re ruining the moment Ettie”
“And you know I don’t like to be called that”
“Alright alright Elle. I’m gonna do it”
“Just don’t break your arm”
“No promises”
Mason stopped before he decided to jump, thinking for a moment if he could even do it. He couldn’t back out though. If he did back out, Elle would only call him a coward so he had to do it. The moment he was about to jump, the branch under his feet broke and he fell down to the bottom of the tree. He didn’t move because it all happened so fast. His left arm hurt more than the time he nearly broke it. It didn’t take long for Estella to run over to his yard and call an ambulance
***
“I told you that was really stupid Dirk” the young girl said while signing his cast, writing in Spanish so he wouldn’t have any idea what it said.
“Well it would of been cool if the branch didn’t ruin it” he replied as he watched her write in the foreign language. “What does it say?” Mason asked
“Don’t worry about that. I’ll see you tomorrow” Estella said with a smile; leaving the room before he could ask anymore questions.
It wasn’t until years later that Mason found out what she wrote on his cast ‘Estás lleno de stupidness pero te amo idiota’ was actually her way of saying 'I love you
_____________________________________________
Their relationship is complicated and I love them. This felt nice to write again
who you were at almost fifteen is not who you are at almost twenty
sometimes you will be scared, and confused, and uncertain. take a moment to breathe.
recognizing that something won’t work is okay. it might hurt a bit, but it’s okay. you’ll get over it.
things can be hard, but they will eventually get better. you will not always be stuck and feeling like the world is falling apart around you.
there will be texts that will make your day. phone calls from someone you didn’t expect, just to say hi. quiet moments in the day to say “things are good”.
you will send the girl you like a quote from your favorite author. maybe she doesn’t know that you like her. maybe she does. it’s okay, though. you just wanted to share.
you will listen to music, just because you can. you still don’t quite get the same thrill that other people do, but you don’t mind it in the background. you will read new books, and want to reread old ones. you will tell your friends that you love them.
january will draw to a close, and february will come.
the start of the year has not been cruel to you. it has been a month filled with love, and laughter. you’ve left some people, and reunited with others. you are reminded of the ones who matter to you. you have shown your family a city that you do not love, but are maybe coming to appreciate. you think that you are perhaps falling a little bit in love. you want to read, and create. you take a chance and enroll in a poetry class, and it’s great. you almost break a finger, but you manage not to. you are in an art class that you do not love, but it will all be okay.
you will breathe. take a look at the thank-you card sitting on the other side of the room from you. paint your nails. rearrange your room a little. take another deep breath. send some emails. do your homework. keep reading the book that you’ve been plucking away at.
life is moving on, constantly, forever. you’re along for the ride, whether you like it or not. might as well try and enjoy it.
lol all I can think of for Joan/Owen is both of them thinking about Ellie's biceps in bed so... for Sam/Mark, what about accidental time travel during a mugging? Or accidental time travel the first time they kiss or try to have sex? First kiss/first time happens somewhere... special because dammit they will not let time travel ruin the moment. Where and when do they go? Back to the 1800s England? Ancient Greece? WWII?
Okay I like the idea of Sam and Mark’s first kiss/ first time getting almost ruined by time travel. I’m gonna go with first kiss because I ain’t comfortable writing about sex so I hope that’s okay. Also I ship this way more than Joan and Owen sorry not sorry
Mark and Sam had officially started dating for a few months and things were heading into the right direction after a few dates of showing Mark most of the stuff he had missed while he was trapped in a time when no one could see or hear him. They had both tried to be considerate about what the other had been through but had been around each other enough to know what the other didn’t like talking about. Mark had organised a small picnic in the park as a date while the sun began to set. Very romantic in his opinion.
The date was going very well until Mark leant closer to Sam. Her anxiety got the best of her and she went on one of her trips. Mark grabbed her hand before she disappeared and went with her. It was the 20th July 1969. The afternoon of the rocket launch.
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I should of just stopped the trip before it started. And I’ve probably ruined the night you planned because who knows where or when the hell we are. I’m sorry Mark. I-I thought I was doing well too with controlling it but-” Sam rambled in a panic tone while trying to figure out where they had both landed.
She guessed the late sixties judging by the clothing of the people looking straight through her. Mark interrupted her by moving her closer by her waist and pressing his lips against hers. The roars of the rocket launching could be heard with everyone screaming with excitement as America made history. Sam grew less tense and let herself relax, her anxiety calming down with the kiss. Mark pulled away slowly and looked at her with a sheepish grin, her face was a fading red colour from being surprised.
“Don’t apologise” Mark told her “it’s alright. Let’s just enjoy the hell and we’ll be back before you know it” he said to her as his hands moved away from her waist, suddenly nervous about what he had just done. It was spontaneous and a random act of affection. It seemed to calm down Sam so it was an added bonus. The woman only smiled and felt the heat from her cheeks fade ever so slowly
It was Caleb’s idea to go out. School had been let go for the summer and Adam’s parents had trusted both boys enough to go somewhere without adult supervision. Granted it was their senior year but things had been a bit hectic to say the least. They were in the holiday home that Caleb’s family owned and he had decided they needed to leave the house. Adam, to say the least, wasn’t feeling up to it. His depression had felt like it had been pushed into overdrive and everything felt heavy. Caleb wanted to help him be less blue.
They wandered through the rooms covered in water effects created by the light hand in hand. Adam didn’t feel as blue as the day went on and Caleb was happy about that. They sat down in a nearby park for lunch with full intention to go back inside. This was when Adam decided to speak his pressing thoughts.
“Things are going to be different year, aren’t they?” he spoke quietly and so unsure. Caleb pushed himself into a sitting position, ready to reply but Adam continued.
“And I know why they’re going to be different because of college and everything. We’re both moving to different states. I’ll only be able to see you when school’s out and who knows what happens between then and now. You might find other super fucking cool people like you and realise that you don’t want this to work anymore-“
“Adam stop. Stop right there” Caleb said then moved so he was facing him. Adam had no choice but look at the jock.
“Sure things are gonna be different but we’ll get through it and why would I ever want to be away from what we have. Yes, we won’t get to see each other every day like this year but there is always Skype and phone calls. I have met other atypicals but I still stayed with you. I love you Adam. I want to stay as your boyfriend for as long as possible”
Adam’s mouth slowly moved into a smile “I love you too”
Caleb kissed his cheek and eventually his lips. They laid on the ground and stared up at the sky, staring at the clouds floating away. Adam looked up at the boy he fell in love with. Through everything with his aunt and Damien, Caleb stayed and supported him through it all. He smiled at how lucky he felt to have the jock, Caleb Michaels, in his life to go through all of the ups and downs. They would get through college and everything would be okay. It was a feeling of relief that filled him from head to toe. Somehow he knew things would be alright. Caleb looked over at the smaller one and held his hand gently
“I really do love you dork” “I love you too meathead”
The rest of their day was spent with both of them feeling incredibly green
1.) What made you start writing for the first time? Well if I'm honest I was procrastinating doing my math assignment so I just started writing. Then I wrote in class when work was meant to be done. Still managed to pass the year tho 2.) If you could only write about the ocean, the forest, or the desert for the rest of your life, which one would you pick? Um rude how can I pick one. I've written a story about a forest where a guy's anxiety turned into a monster and tried to kill him in a metaphor for an anxiety attack. I would say the ocean because that shit is scary. Perfect 3.) Would you ever write a memoir? If I was made popular by my blog or Insta or literally anything then maybe. It would be weird if there wasn't anyone who cared 4.) Do you like writing by hand, or on a computer? Both but preferably by hand. If I write by hand then it shows the progress I made writing that day 5.) Would you rather be popular among readers, or unpopular, but loved by critics? By readers because critics sometimes grade things incredibly harshly because it wasn't up to their standard 6.) Do you listen to music while you write, and if so, what is the best writing music? I have my happiness playlist on Spotify that I would listen to while reading and writing. If you wanna follow me (self promo) then it's toomuchtime592 7.) Do people you’ve met find their way into your writing? Depends what that means If it's into the story then no because I don't want to make a character like someone I know because they probably wouldn't appreciate that very much uhm i tag any one who writes and i was tagged by @toomanyskeletons thank you
ABC character tag: Mason
I was tagged by @toomanyskeletons
Okay this was great because I haven’t thought about him in a very long time so this is nice to think about
A) Age: 18/19
B) Biggest fear: it’s either dying or losing everyone he knows from them dying or memory deterioration
C) Current time: 2:00pm
D) Drink they last had: Water most likely or whisky
E) Every day starts with: “Today is going to be better than tomorrow" this is only because the world he lives in completely sucks. Tomorrow simply has to be better
F) Favourite song: Basically anything older than him because he doesn’t remember his favourite song. It just likes all music
G) Ghosts, are they real?: Hell fuckin’ yes.
H) Hometown: Towns don’t exist so he doesn’t know
I) In love with: Georgie Smith (she doesn’t exist yet but they are childhood friends
J) Jealous of: functioning people (long story
K) Killed someone: doesn’t actually remember
L) Last time cried: a few months ago from pain
M) Middle name: Caelen
N) Number of siblings: 2 a younger sister named Jo and a baby siblings
O) One wish: to see his family again safe and sound
P) Person they last called/texted: Either his mum or his dad or Georgie but that’s nearly been 7 months
Q) Question they’re always asked: “What’s wrong with your eyes?“ (This hasn’t been asked yet but it will be)
R) Reasons to smile: the sheer knowledge that his sister could be okay and some memories that he actually remember about his old life
S) Song last sung: a very soft lullaby to his sister to help her sleep
T) Time they woke up: Depends on if he gets information from the enemy or not. If he does then it’s very early in the morning 1/2am. If not then 3/4am. There is no in between
U) Underwear colour: Navy
V) Vacation destination: Anywhere with the ocean. It makes him really happy
W) Worst habit: he bites his finger nails a lot
I tag anyone else who has characters and wants to do this!
