per aspera ad astra

in character.

character name / richard alexander holloway

character faceclaim / devon bostick

pronouns / he/him

sexual orientation / bisexual

journalism focus / columns (specifically reviews)

alma mater / RISD, then an associates from Miami Dade College, then University of Florida

writing sample.

Sometimes, Richard truly hated Fulton. He’d been holed up in his room for hours, staring at his computer screen. The blinking of the line indicated where he would type next felt like it was mocking him. He’d only gotten a few lines in, nowhere near where he needed to be for something due the next morning. His eyes flicked down to where his laptop displayed the time. 10:00pm. Realistically, that was a terrible time to take a break, but he couldn’t care less at that point. “Fuck it,” he murmured to himself and stood up. His legs felt too stiff and too loose all at the same time, a good indicator that he probably needed to move his body. He grabbed his jacket, his phone, a lighter, and a pack of cigarettes. Sure, he’d been sober from pills (for the most part…) for years now, and tried not to drink very often, but that didn’t mean he didn’t still have vices.

Stepping out into the cold Vermont air sent a shiver down his spine. Despite living up north for a while, he still didn’t know how to dress warm sometimes. It was good, though. It reminded him why he liked being up here, reminded him that he was far, far away from his hometown and all the trouble it had caused him. Of course, some of the worst had happened in Rhode Island, not far from where he was, but that didn’t matter. He was past that. He was working on it.

He walked just out of eyeline from any windows before he lit up his cigarette. Maybe I should stop smoking… he thought as he blew a puff out into the cold air. He watched it, half smoke half just cold breath, as it swirled up into the sky. As he smoked and shivered, he tried to clear his mind of everything. It was hard. When he got worked up, even over small things, like an assignment he didn’t know how to finish, often everything came flooding back to him. Pills, Rhode Island, Miami, his family, rehab, community college, Charles, Lennon, everything. It all swirled around in there, poking and prodding at him, begging him to lose it. He was really trying not to lose it. For as much as he often hated Fulton, he was happier there than he had ever been before. He had friends, friends who actually liked him and laughed at his jokes. He had his apprenticeship, he had nice walks around town. If he lost it again, he’d lose all of that. He’d already squandered enough chances in his life, already closed enough doors, burned enough bridges. If he ruined this, he wasn’t sure he’d ever recover.

With all that in mind, he finished his cigarette and took one last walk around the block, just to breathe in the crisp air. Then, he went back inside, back up to his room, and sat in front of his laptop again. He’d finish this assignment, even if it took him all night.

anything else.

richard’s nickname is “richie” and he’s fine with that most of the time. he hates feeling infantilized though, so if you’re in an argument and you call him richie he will freak out

he says he’s bisexual and he is but he’s got a preference for men that he just won’t fully admit

he absolutely loves pop punk and emo music, still, to this day. he cannot let his emo phase go.

richie is not close to his adoptive family except for his adoptive brother. they still talk almost every day and the only reason richie still goes home for some holidays is because of his brother. he’s practically begged his brother to just have christmas or thanksgiving at his house so they wouldn’t have to go see their parents.

he tries not to drink a lot because he worries about addictive tendencies, but he’s not completely sober

in character.

character name / Charles Drake

character faceclaim / Keith Powers

pronouns / he/him

sexual orientation / bisexual

journalism focus / news

alma mater / university of california, los angeles

writing sample.

THE FOLLOWING IS A RECORDING FROM FULTON UNIVERSITY. THIS AUDIO RECORDING WILL BE KEPT CONFIDENTIAL. THIS AUDIO WAS RECORDED ON FEBRUARY 12TH, 2018.

(Recorder clicks on)

INTERVIEWER: Good morning, Mr. Drake. It is nice to meet you in person rather than email. Before we start, I want to let you know that my secretary is recording this meeting for record keeping. Let me know if this makes you uncomfortable. As you were informed via email prior to this meeting, I will be asking you some questions to determine your fit in the program. Your entrance into the program will depend on your answers but no pressure.

CHARLES DRAKE: Yes, sir. It is a pleasure to meet you as well. Record away, I have no problem with that. I look forward to answering your questions. I always love to start my mornings with off with friendly chats. Please, sir, ask away.

INTERVIEWER: Good, it is nice to see someone so peppy at 8 o’clock in the morning. I expected you to need coffee. Anyways, let us begin, shall we? What experience do you have that you feel has prepared you for the stress of graduate school?

CHARLES DRAKE: I try to steer away from coffee. Protein shakes and smoothies are the way to go. Well, sir, I believe one of the biggest stressors in graduate school is accountability. Graduate students often mention how you are expected to be on your own. You are no longer reminded of deadlines or required to attend classes due to an attendance policy. Instead, you are responsible for waking up on time, turning in your assignments, and diving much deeper into the work than in undergraduate. Ultimately, you hold yourself accountable for your own education and knowledge of your field.

But, you see, sir, I have already held myself accountable. My mother was not involved much with my sister and I. And my father…well, he ended up in jail when I was seventeen. I took on the responsibility of raising my sister. I was not going to let our futures dissolve because of absent parenting. I do not come from a place where I was allowed to fix my mistakes. I was responsible for my own education and for my sister’s education. And, well, as you saw in my records, sir, I graduated in the top 10% of my undergraduate class. My sister just recently graduated high school with a 3.92 grade point average and a full ride to her dream school. My accountability and passion will drive me through trying times in this program.

INTERVIEWER: Uh huh, I see, so your parents were not around? That is a shame. I am glad to hear that both you and your sister have a promising future despite their unwillingness to help you gain that future. What challenges do you expect to face in this program?

CHARLES DRAKE: Would you mind if I took a moment to deliberate on that question and take a drink of my shake, sir?

INTERVIEWER: Not at all. Go ahead.

(a minute & one protein shake sip later)

CHARLES DRAKE: Well, sir, I believe I have two weaknesses in my life that would cause challenge in graduate school. The first is that I have a hard time letting go of projects I start. I always want to see it from start to finish. In graduate school, I know that topics get thrown around, but they are not necessarily fully fleshed out. I think I will have an issue letting go of cool topics I would like to write about for more realistic topics. This would be similar to an advisor telling you to write it their way rather than your way. It takes me a moment to switch gears and get it where it needs to be, but I will always keep an old draft on hand for future project ideas. Lastly, I could use more experience in delegating tasks. I often take on too many things at once because I do not want to both anyone else with my needs. Once I become too overwhelm, I start to delegate them, but until then, I stick to all the tasks. I need to learn when to delegate sooner than I currently do.

INTERVIEWER: Good thinking, Mr. Drake. If it helps any, while advisors do expect you to write a certain way, they will generally give you creative rights to the work. You are free to write whatever you would like under a specific topic.

CHARLES DRAKE: Yes, sir. I read that on your website. That is what drew me to your program. I chose you guys to help improve my weaknesses so I can be better prepared for the job market.

INTERVIEWER: It is nice to hear that you checked out the program. Many applicants fail to do so, but they also generally fail to get an interview. My last question for you, Mr. Drake, is to understand a bit more about you. I am going to ask you the toughest question. Why should we pick you? What stands out about you that you think is different from other applicants?

CHARLES DRAKE: That is a tough one, sir. It can be hard to determine what makes you stand out, but I think I have an answer for you - my willingness to be humble, quiet, and to learn. From what I have read about Fulton University, the success of the program stems being able to grow and develop as a writer. I started writing for my high school newsletter at seventeen. Unfortunately, none of my writing was accepted. I worked with my high school mentor to really develop my writing. By the time I hit undergraduate, my professors placed me in advanced skills workshops, guiding me to become a better writer.  My drive and dedication is the reason Fox News was interested in me, but I decided to term them down to hone my skills. I know I am not close to newsworthy yet, but after this program, I am confident I will be ready for any story I write in the future.

INTERVIEWER: Awesome, thank you, Mr. Drake. You may proceed with the rest of your interview day. I will get back to you soon about your acceptance.

CHARLES DRAKE: Thanks, sir, for this amazing opportunity. You have certainly taught me to stay humble and question myself more. Have a blessed day, sir.

(Recorder clicks off)

anything else.

Additional headcanons for Charles:

His little sister is his pride & joy. They talk to each other on the phone at least twice a day and videochat weekly.

His mother recently remarried to someone with kids. She is a better mom to them than she ever was to him & his sister. He is currently trying to reconcile with that but finds it hard.

He is involved in the Catholic church and attends mass every chance he gets.

                                                       resources & links: