forrestxconrad

[forrestxconrad]

Cherry 🌸:What is your favourite type of weather?

“Thunderstorms. To me, there’s something so relaxing about a storm when you know you’re safe and warm inside. That, and I’ve never felt more inspiration to write than when I’m staring out my window watching the rain lash down, with thunder acting as the soundtrack.”

[forrestxconrad]

MEME DAY!

Conrad

Alejandro

Lauraine

Arwen

Cian

Meme One

Meme Two

Meme Three

[forrestxconrad]

“Oh, god,” Conrad replied, giving a mock shiver. “The last thing I need right now is any of my students seeing first hand just how bad my dancing can be… or to see them at all, during our short enough time off, actually.” He regarded Leo somewhat curiously, remembering a rumour he’d heard circulating in his classroom but had never been able to get to the bottom of. “Phone still banned in your classes?”

“Tomorrow Conrad is not going to be able to do much grading if I keep drinking this much,” he joked. “I’m sure the kids will understand.“

If experience was anything to go by, they absolutely would not understand — if he had to hear one more student complain about how long grading took, as though he didn’t have to read and grade thirty times as many papers as they took, he might scream. Still, as Leo had pointed out — that was a Tomorrow Conrad problem.

“Similar,” he said. Conrad hadn’t really gone on many dates full stop since his divorce, and he certainly wasn’t about to start discussing his own messy love life with a colleague. “I’m just here for some fun, to be honest. Weird as it is to be back at work, it’s actually quite nostalgic to look at it through the eyes of a student again. Did you ever go to your prom?”

Conrad nods, equally uncomfortable. “I keep expecting one of the students to pop out from behind a corner,” he said, half-joking — and eying the nearby doors warily. He’d lost track of how much time he’d spent in this gym over the two years he’d been working in at the school, but with the decor for the prom it was almost unrecognisable. Yet still, he couldn’t help but feel… strange about the whole thing. He’d had to walk through the same halls he walked each day to get to work, had to enter through the same doors he would usher students through, and — if he was completely honest — had already seen some behaviour that made him wonder whether the adults in this room were secretly just teenagers in disguise.

“I don’t think the feeling we should be grading ever goes away, you know,” he said. “That stuff’s relentless.”

He glanced around them, scanning the crowd. “You come here with anyone tonight?”

[forrestxconrad]

“Zombies, sharks, and zombie sharks — what’s not to love?” He laughed. He had a real soft spot for those wacky, low budget movies — terrible as they could sometimes be, most of the time they were coming from a place of genuine love for filmmaking, often by an up-and-comer that was still finding their feet with the craft. It was hard not to feel some kind of way about that — some kind of proud, paternal instinct to support.

He couldn’t help but smile at the passion behind Amara’s words. “That’s amazing,” he said, genuinely meaning it. “That’s such a great internship opportunity! You’re braver than me — I don’t think I’d even get in a boat if I heard that there might be sharks nearby.”

Nodding, he listened carefully to Amara’s argument. This was more engagement than some of his students were willing to give him, so he was more than happy to carry on this discussion. “That’s a fair point — I don’t think anyone can be in love, genuinely in love, within just a few days of knowing each other. But teenagers — they feel everything so much deeper than the rest of us. They’re just learning how to live, really. Chances are, Romeo and Juliet had never really felt those feelings before…” He caught himself before he rambled on for much longer. Amara wasn’t one of his students — it was hardly fair to trap her in a conversation about Shakespeare when they were in her place of work, and having a nice conversation about sharks.

“I do love Shakespeare, but I think my real passions are either contemporary tragedies — like, Arthur Miller, Tennessee Williams, that kind of stuff — or Ancient Greek theatre. I mean, so much of modern western theatre and entertainment comes from the Ancient Greeks — some of my students don’t love it quite as much, but I find it fascinating to trace modern day entertainment all the way back to Ancient Greece. We’ve always loved to tell stories, to make people feel things, to investigate what it means to be human…” He cleared his throat, aware he was once again rambling. “Sorry.“

Conrad can’t help but laugh at the mention of ‘Santa Jaws.’ “I have a bit of a soft spot for Misty Talley’s directorial work,” he confessed. “Mostly because I really love the fact that almost everything she’s ever directed is all Louisiana shark SyFy originals. She’s found her passion and she’s stuck with it.” Then, “If you haven’t seen it, ‘Zombie Shark’ is a fun watch — it’s your classic ‘weekend getaway goes wrong’ story, but with zombies, sharks, and zombie sharks. I mean, what’s not to love?”

“How did that opportunity with the Great Whites come about?” He asks.” Are they as big as they seem in the films?”

He listens closely as Amara speaks. “I get that,” he says with a nod. “It’s definitely not to everyone’s tastes. But at least you still gave it a go — that’s pretty much the one thing I ask of my students, anyway. To me, as long as they’ve tried, that’s enough.”

He ponders for a moment upon her comments about ‘Romeo and Juliet.’ “Fair point,” he says in response. “I think maybe it’s down to the teaching? To me, I’ve always liked reading it as a warning about holding onto grudges and feuds, and the innocence of love. Though I can’t say I’ve ever considered Friar Laurence an… overly bright character. I feel like there were better ways to reunite Romeo and Juliet than the one he came up with.”

[forrestxconrad]

“Absolutely,” Conrad replied, taken aback by the enthusiasm in his own voice. “It was nice to go back for a bit — pretend I wasn’t an adult for a little while. I’m guessing you gave it a miss?”

“It’s a cute town,” he remarked. “Certainly a change of pace, but a welcome one. Not to be all touristy, but you should definitely see some of the sights — they’re hotspots for a reason.”

“What brings you to Aurora Bay?”

“Absolutely,” said Conrad, halfway through a serving of nachos, hoping he could muffle the effects of the inevitable upcoming morning hangover beneath copious tortilla chips. “Although, to be fair, you have joined us right as all of us were reliving our youth at prom, so spirits are probably unusually high even for us.”

“Are you new here, then? How are you finding Aurora Bay — aside from unmatched in optimism?”

[forrestxconrad]

Conrad couldn’t help but smile as he saw the familiar face of Mei approaching him, greeting her warmly. “You have no idea,” he replied. “I keep expecting one of my students to pop out around a corner or something.”

All that said, he had been enjoying his evening. For the first hour, he’d had this strange… uncanny valley feeling, in seeing the gym he’d escorted so many classes to, and sat through so many assemblies or pep rallies, decorated for a prom he was encouraged to attend. It had felt bizarre, being encouraged to drink and dance in his place of work. Yet the more time passed and the more he was able to settle, the more he found himself relaxing into his suit and actually having fun.

“You look nice, by the way,” he said. “How’s your night been so far?”

closed - @forrestxconrad

where - prom

While she originally wasn't going to attend, Mei ultimately was happy she did. She loved spending time with Santiago, and him wanting to get her out of the house and have a good time after all the bad as of late really did mean a lot. She felt lucky to have him in her (and her daughter's) life. But all the same she wasn't going to force her friend to be attached at her hip the entire night so she went off to people-watch a bit, figuring maybe she'd get a drink, maybe even walk around the building a bit since she'd never been inside. Before she could fully make her decision then too she saw a familiar face and smiled as she walked over. "Is it not odd to be spending your free time in your place of work?"

[forrestxconrad]

Do you have a comfort item? Tell us about it!

“I still have the teddy bear my parents gave me when I was born. It’s stuck with me throughout the years; it went with me to college, to Hollywood, and now back here to Aurora Bay. He lives on my bookshelf now, in the office.”

“I’m not sure if this one counts, but I also still have the first copy of ‘Hamlet’ I ever read — the one with all my old annotations from high school. That was the book my teacher sat down with me with, and showed me that there’s far more to studying than just the formulaic way I’d been taught before her. That play changed my life — opened my eyes to this whole new world, got me interested in literature and writing, and that in turned pushed me towards screenwriting… I don’t know why I keep it, but that’s one book I’d be completely devastated to lose.”

[forrestxconrad]

What's something upcoming that you're excited for?

“The summer break?”

“I love my job — I do — but I can’t wait to spend just a little time without my students causing whatever chaos teenagers love to cause. I’m practically counting down the minutes now to that final bell.”

[forrestxconrad]

Have you ever written or received a love letter?

“I’ve often found it easier to articulate myself when given the time to write my thoughts down. Back when I was married, I used to do things like that all the time — they weren’t often essays, but I would write little notes to slip into her lunch, or write long paragraphs in birthday cards. Our vows were handwritten, if that counts”

“Of course, I haven’t done anything like that in a long time now. That was probably the first sign my marriage was ending — I stopped putting in the effort to write notes.”

[forrestxconrad]

MEME DAY

conrad

alejandro

arwen

lauraine

cian

soft asks

secret files

send a symbol

[forrestxconrad]

Conrad wasn’t good at many things — or, at least, he wasn’t confident enough to say he was good at many things — but he genuinely believed he was a good teacher. Not through any skill or any insane intelligence, but through the simple fact that he cared. So, when he’d seen a man sat besides the cabinets lining the walls of Aurora Bay High School, he’d taken an interest.

He listened closely to his words, and shook his head. “I was never very good at any of that. Always picked last for a team. Couldn’t catch to save my life. I was always more into the whole art and language thing, anyway.”

“Sounds like you had a shit time with it all, back at school,” he added. He fought down the part of him flickering with irritation, knowing all too well the importance of giving children something to work towards, something to look forwards to, rather than simply deciding who they were before they’d even had a chance to grow into their personalities yet. “Did you get to be a part of any of the other school activities?”

Status: Open Location: Outside the gym @aurorabaystarter

When Jameson had been in high school, he was essentially banned from attending prom. The last year he had tried to better himself. Doing the work that would help him academically and socially but they still just saw a Cassidy at the end of the day. Someone they made an example of. It was why he was somehow still shocked that he wasn’t being immediately thrown out of the dance this time around. He’d arguably been through worse, but it wasn’t high school anymore. Hopefully people changed. Still, he was sitting out in the hallway after a couple drinks and looking at some of the photos and trophies that adorned the cases. “ you ever try out for any sports? “ he asked glancing over. “ I was really good at track but I got out on academic probation so joining a team would have never happened. Honestly I’m shocked the school didn’t put me on a do not enter list out of tradition “

[forrestxconrad]

“Absolutely,” said Conrad, halfway through a serving of nachos, hoping he could muffle the effects of the inevitable upcoming morning hangover beneath copious tortilla chips. “Although, to be fair, you have joined us right as all of us were reliving our youth at prom, so spirits are probably unusually high even for us.”

“Are you new here, then? How are you finding Aurora Bay — aside from unmatched in optimism?”

WHO: Anyone! @aurorabaystarter WHERE: A food/drink establishment in town. WHEN: Can be pre or post prom.

Aurora Bay was interesting, to say the least. The hospitality was uncanny, and Stéphan didn't know whether to attribute it to people simply being more pleasant thanks to the proximity to the beach or its unique way of gathering the community together. No wonder his siblings were seemingly thriving here. "Is this place always brimming with unmatched optimism?" He had heard chatter about the prom and made the better choice not to attend. "I feel like I'm in some fairytale land."

[forrestxconrad]

Conrad nods, equally uncomfortable. “I keep expecting one of the students to pop out from behind a corner,” he said, half-joking — and eying the nearby doors warily. He’d lost track of how much time he’d spent in this gym over the two years he’d been working in at the school, but with the decor for the prom it was almost unrecognisable. Yet still, he couldn’t help but feel… strange about the whole thing. He’d had to walk through the same halls he walked each day to get to work, had to enter through the same doors he would usher students through, and — if he was completely honest — had already seen some behaviour that made him wonder whether the adults in this room were secretly just teenagers in disguise.

“I don’t think the feeling we should be grading ever goes away, you know,” he said. “That stuff’s relentless.”

He glanced around them, scanning the crowd. “You come here with anyone tonight?”

closed: @forrestxconrad

location: under the sea prom

"This is...weird," Leo drawled, looking around the gym warily. He'd spent a lot of time there, unwillingly attending assemblies, more willingly attending pep rallies, or chaperoning dances just like this one, but actually attending a dance here himself? It had something of an uncanny valley effect.

He turned to look at his coworker. "I'm getting this weird feeling. Like I should be grading papers right now."

[forrestxconrad]

“Just about,” Conrad replied. “I wasn’t exactly cool in school, so for me the prom was more… just an excuse to hang out with my friends and sneak drinks away from our parents prying eyes — not that I’d ever admit to any of that now.”

He thought for a moment. “I’m considering it,” he admitted. “I’m just — and this is slightly embarrassing to admit, as a grown adult that should know better — but I think it’ll be really awkward if I don’t know anyone there. Still,” he added with shrug, “It could be fun. Relive our youths a little.”

open starter: @aurorabaystarter (assume connections)

where: la vie en rose

"Did you go to your prom? I got pregnant at seventeen so I didn't exactly have much of a senior year in high school. I always thought it seemed so fun with all the pretty dresses and corsages. I'm thinking about buying a ticket and going myself, to the one town hall's throwing!" Noelle said as she popped a cheese cube into her mouth.

"Are you going?"

[forrestxconrad]

He chuckled a little at the image of her scaling the shelves in her hunt of a particular book. “How old’s your daughter?” He asked. “I imagine she must love being lifted that high!”

Nodding, Conrad couldn’t help but smile at her words. “If more people had you as a teacher — or had your attitude at least — I feel like we’d be living in a far better world. People always underestimate children.” He shrugged somewhat. “They’re going to be adults one day — and adults don’t often like being told they’re wrong. Better to teach them how to love and be loved when they’re still willing to listen.” All too often, Conrad was reminded of how formative those early years truly were — those were the foundation upon which everything else was based. To have someone with Mei’s attitude teaching the children of today… well, maybe tomorrow would be okay, after all.

“I feel the same way about my students,” he confessed. “Though, to be fair, I feel as though you’re probably stepping far closer into the remit actually looking after them like they’re your own than I am,” he joked. “I don’t often have to help potty train my students, or teach them to tie their own shoes.”

He accepted her handshake with a smile. “I’m nothing if not entirely predictable. I’m afraid I don’t get any less cliche as you get to know me,” he half-joked. “But there’s really no need to thank me. I’m sure you would have done the same.”

The English teacher in Conrad couldn’t help but smile at her words. Books, in his eyes, truly could change the world — could change lives, shape viewpoints, open people’s eyes to ideas they would never have considered otherwise. They could take people on adventures they would never otherwise embark upon — or encourage them, like they had encouraged him, to actually chase those dreams. Hearing that someone out there was doing what she could to instil that love of reading and books in children, when they were still at such a formative age, was almost enough to make his day.

Reaching upwards, he grabbed the book in question. “As funny as it would have been to watch you try to use the shelves as a ladder —“ he passed the book across to her — “Here.” Then, “I used to love this book as a kid.”

“Are these all for the daycare?” He asked. “Those children must be pretty lucky to have someone that cares this much looking after them.” He hesitated for a moment. “I’m Conrad, by the way — I’m an English teacher, down at the local high school.”

[forrestxconrad]

leo ≻ is your character confident ? charismatic ?

“Absolutely not, in any way whatsoever. I don’t think I’ve ever met a person and not felt anxious about it, and unfortunately I’m the world’s worst actor so I’m entirely sure they could tell.“

[forrestxconrad]

capricorn ≻ is your muse an optimist , realist, or pessimist ?

“I think I’m a realist. I try not to get my hopes too high, but life’s too short to only ever see the bad side. What’s that old saying — prepare for the worst, hope for the best? That’s probably what best sums me up. You can’t control life, but you can’t sit around thinking about all that can go wrong either. That’s no way to live.”