Art: High School Sucks

Inspired by Wen-M (and the fact that I did go to a private school), I designed prep school outfits for my characters, trying to put them into classic high school stereotype roles. A large part of me is just amused by how much petty drama there is in high school that we make it such an ingrained part of our media culture - think, teen horror films, teen romances, teen slice-of-life shows.

These pseudo-bios will be pretty bad since I am tired, so I apologize beforehand.



Despite the large amounts of money put towards his education, Brian Taylor, the Jock, has little more ambition than to get a soccer scholarship to a state school and spend as much of his junior year as he can getting drunk. Outside of that, he has an uncouth sense of humor that, while well-meaning on his end, is both surprisingly sharp-witted yet lewd. Haha, boobs.

Fenwick Arthur III, the Nerd, has two, rich parents - descended from a couple on the Mayflower - whose first date was at Renaissance fair. However, when he placed first at city-wide MathCounts, his competition pants-ed him on stage, resulting in three years of self-esteem therapy. He spends his free time playing Dungeons and Dragons and preparing for the SATs which he is taking early, as a sophomore. If he had his way, he would turn into a minotaur and gore everyone else.

River Aaron, the Punk, was named after the movie star, but no one realized that and just made fun of him. His grandfather fought in the Korean War and took home an "Oriental" wife. Their resulting daughter became an active, protesting, hippie. The ensuing filial drama tore the family apart - which didn't bode well with all three generations under the same roof. As a result, Rivek thought it would be a good idea to "make a statement" with multiple facial piercings and rock concerts. He secretly prays his track scholarship will get him out of this mess, but he still has a year to go. Worst comes to worst, he'll join the Air Force.

M. Aaron, the Burnout, would never admit her real name is "Mirabelle," nor that she is repeating her senior year. Completely devoid of ambition, she pays no attention to her brother or anybody unless they have smokes or a bottle they're willing to share. Oddly enough, she has concentrated much of her unexplainable inner rage into amateur boxing, but she never tells anyone why she disappears from school since she prefers the social anonymity silence provides.

Sophia Williams, the Art Kid, came from a family with no financial hardship, where she was constantly told to express herself. Despite being unable to control a pencil, she owns a very expensive camera and takes artful but painfully cliche photos. Sheltered most of her life, she has a tendency to dramatize ordinary events - like pop quizzes and break-ups - to seek attention, preferably with herself in the middle. However, to her parents dismay, she desires to go to art school, not invest her talents at the Ivy League university they, as alumni, would have preferred. Luckily, she is a freshman, and they still have four years to convince her.

Stephen Anderson, the Prep, was the only sophomore to have a car - and it was a Lexus convertible. He was born to powerful parents who made their fortune in the stock market (particularly in the energy sector) and weren't affected too badly by the recession thanks to embezzlement to offshore accounts. However, most people know him as an unsympathetic douche, so he has a tendency to only form relationships with freshman girls who dump him once they realize there is better out there.