#psuschuester

JAMES SCHUESTER

☆ FULL NAME: James "Jamie" Vincent Schuester ☆ GENDER: Cisman ☆ PRONOUNS: He/Him ☆ AGE: 37 (July 28th, 1987) ☆ TYPE: Full sibling; solo (open to twin) ☆ HOMETOWN: Columbus, Ohio ☆ JOB: Veterinarian ☆ SCHOOL: PSU Alumni ☆ SEXUALITY: Heterosexual ☆ FACECLAIM: Dustin Milligan

ABOUT JAMES

Being the first born Schuester, James always knew that he had large shoes to fill. His parents expected a lot out of him without ever really pressuring him, but he still listened nonetheless. They’d enroll him in acting classes, vocal lessons, dancing lessons and everything in between, hoping that he would follow in Will’s footsteps. James absolutely loved it. He loved being surrounded by music, to watch people move their bodies in sync with a rhythm, the way they brought characters to life. It all fascinated him, and he grew quite fond of the community. The issue, however, was that James wasn’t good at any of it. Will had hoped that the more classes that he took, that this would be an improvement. Unfortunately, that never came. What he had in enthusiasm, he lacked in talent.

James continued doing what he loved, though - he was oftentimes cast as the chorus, or the character that didn’t have a line in the school play. He was rejected, but he didn’t mind - he wanted to be like his father, and he was going to continue working at it. Around the time when James was a teenager, he came to the realization that he just simply had no talent. The firstborn of Will Schuester had zero talent. Embarrassing, but he embraced it anyway. He still saw how music had transformed people, the way his father took so much care in the people he’d taught - and how it could change their lives. He took this knowledge with him, and always had a soft spot for music anyway.

What they didn’t expect was James’ love for animals. While he was trying to connect to music, instead he was connecting with animals. He would bring home different types of animals and try to nurse them back to life. Will and Emma always helped him take these animals to the veterinarian, and watching them bring back to life animals made James realize exactly what he wanted to do. He wanted to be exactly like them – he wanted to save animals lives. They weren’t disappointed at all, and they encouraged him to learn more and more, which is why choosing his degree was easy: he was going to become a veterinarian, but more specifically, a surgeon - so he could save their lives.

After college and starting his career, James met Addy Corcoran. The two fell in love quickly, and for a while, their relationship felt like the one stable thing in James’s life. But work became more demanding and he found himself increasingly consumed by work. The long hours started to create a rift between him and Addy. James struggled to separate his professional life from his personal one, and the constant stress led to more and more fights. Despite how much he loves Addy, James finds himself repeating the same mistakes —working too much and not knowing how to balance his career with his relationship.

FAMILY BACKGROUND

The very epitome of theater kid himself, Will Schuester’s life was always going to be surrounded by performance. Unfortunately for him, marrying his high school sweetheart, Terri, turned out to be more sour than sweet, and when their relationship turned toxic, with Terri faking a pregnancy in an effort to keep him around, Will had to give up on his then-dream job of coaching a winning high school Glee Club for free to focus on his main Spanish teaching job. When news of Terri’s fake pregnancy came to light, Will filed for divorce, seeking comfort in the arms of his colleague, the school’s guidance counselor, Emma Pillsbury. The two wed in the year to follow.

Supported by his new wife—who made more than him financially anyway—Will decided to quit his job as high school Spanish teacher, and instead secure a space to open a performing arts studio. The studio and its classes growing in popularity quickly, Will was approached by a production company interested in making a reality show. Soon, The Schue Must Go On, a show focusing on the studio’s child performers with Will the adult face as the main teacher and owner, was born. It was supposed to be something of a filler show, but it gained followers quickly, and soon America was obsessed with watching bratty children compete against each other in their dance, voice and acting classes under Will’s guidance, his family shooting to fame in the blink of an eye.

JOSEPHINE SCHUESTER

☆ FULL NAME: Josephine "Josie" Lily Schuester ☆ GENDER: Ciswoman ☆ PRONOUNS: She/Her ☆ AGE: 36 (March 9th, 1988) ☆ TYPE: Full sibling; solo (open to twin) ☆ HOMETOWN: Columbus, Ohio ☆ JOB: Music Therapy Professor; Music Therapist ☆ SCHOOL: PSU Alumni ☆ SEXUALITY: Lesbian ☆ FACECLAIM: Brittany Snow

ABOUT JOSEPHINE

Being the first born Schuester, Josephine always knew that she had large shoes to fill. Her parents expected a lot out of her without ever really pressuring her, but she still listened nonetheless. They'd enrolling her in acting classes, vocal lessons, dancing lessons and everything in between, hoping that she would follow in Will's footsteps. Josephine absolutely loved it. She loved being surrounded by music, to watch people move their bodies in sync with a rhythm, the way they brought characters to life. It all fascinated her, and she grew quite fond of the community. The issue, however, was the Josephine wasn't good at any of it. Will had hoped that the more classes that she took, that there would be an improvement. Unfortunately, that never came. What she had in enthusiasm, she lacked in talent.

Josephine continued doing what she loved, though - she was oftentimes cast as the chorus, or the character that didn't have a line in the school play. She was rejected, but she didn't mind - she wanted to be like her father, and she was going to continue working at it. Around the time when Josephine was a teenager, she came to the realization that she just simply had no talent. The firstborn of Will Schuester had zero talent. Embarrassing, but she embraced it anyway. She still saw how music had transformed people, the way her father took so much care in the people he'd taught - and how it could change their lives. It was essentially therapy, she'd thought.

Which is exactly why she declared her major as Music Therapy. She fell in love with the subject, and learning more and more about both psychology and music changed her whole world. She was good at something and that was all that mattered to her.

After college and starting her career, Josephine met Addy Corcoran. The two fell in love quickly, and for a while, their relationship felt like the one stable thing in Josephine's life. But work became more demanding and she found herself increasingly consumed by work. The long hours started to create a rift between her and Addy. Josephine struggled to separate her professional life from her personal one, and the constant stress led to more and more fights. Despite how much she loves Addy, Josephine finds herself repeating the same mistakes —working too much and not knowing how to balance her career with her relationship.

FAMILY BACKGROUND

The very epitome of theater kid himself, Will Schuester’s life was always going to be surrounded by performance. Unfortunately for him, marrying his high school sweetheart, Terri, turned out to be more sour than sweet, and when their relationship turned toxic, with Terri faking a pregnancy in an effort to keep him around, Will had to give up on his then-dream job of coaching a winning high school Glee Club for free to focus on his main Spanish teaching job. When news of Terri’s fake pregnancy came to light, Will filed for divorce, seeking comfort in the arms of his colleague, the school’s guidance counselor, Emma Pillsbury. The two wed in the year to follow.

Supported by his new wife—who made more than him financially anyway—Will decided to quit his job as high school Spanish teacher, and instead secure a space to open a performing arts studio. The studio and its classes growing in popularity quickly, Will was approached by a production company interested in making a reality show. Soon, The Schue Must Go On, a show focusing on the studio’s child performers with Will the adult face as the main teacher and owner, was born. It was supposed to be something of a filler show, but it gained followers quickly, and soon America was obsessed with watching bratty children compete against each other in their dance, voice and acting classes under Will’s guidance, his family shooting to fame in the blink of an eye.

CASSIDY SCHUESTER

☆ FULL NAME: Cassidy "Cassie" Emma Schuester ☆ GENDER: Ciswoman ☆ PRONOUNS: She/Her ☆ AGE: 24 (October 22nd, 2000) ☆ TYPE: Adopted sibling; solo ☆ HOMETOWN: Columbus, Ohio ☆ JOB: Professional Interloper ☆ SCHOOL: Freshman, majoring in Drama ☆ SEXUALITY: Fluid ☆ FACECLAIM: Jenna Ortega

ABOUT CASSIDY

Adopted as a newborn after a young birthmother chose Will and Emma Schuester early into her pregnancy, the two heavily involved all along and both present at her birth, Cassie was an unremarkable, easy baby, though as she grew and developed her own distinct personality, it became quickly clear to everyone else that the family had their hands full—not that Will and Emma would ever allow themselves to see that, though. See, trouble seemed to follow Cassie. Something would break in the family home, and Cassie was the only one who could've possibly done it; all she had to do was bat her long lashes and promise in the sweetest voice that it wasn't her, and her parents couldn't help but believe her.

When she started school, Will and Emma would receive constant phone calls from the principal asking them to come into school because Cassie had done something she shouldn't have, but the second they arrived and she promised them in her sweet, butter wouldn't melt voice that it wasn't her, they'd back her all the way. Their failure to see the bad in their daughter created a monster within Cassie, who realized quickly she could do exactly what she wanted, exactly when she wanted, and she'd get away with it unscathed. This behavior became worse as Cassie reached her teens; not only did her wrongdoings reach a much larger scale, she'd also had the time to practice her excuses and lies, and suddenly Cassie was the very definition of a nightmare.

Although her parents were wrapped around her little finger, still unable to see anything but good in their sweet little princess, they learned quickly that she wasn't the best fit for her father's show. She had a semi-decent singing voice, but nothing to write home about, and when it came to any dance-related activities, Cassie had two left feet. Plus, whenever she was on set, mysterious things would happen. Ballet shoes would end up with their ribbons tied in impossible to unfasten knots, or she'd get in a fight with one of the dancers, but of course it was never Cassie's fault. She was always the victim, further backed by her parents unwavering faith in her and their inability to not believe any and every lie she told.

Cassie did okay in school. She had plenty of friends, because for all she was a compulsive liar and loved to screw with people for nothing more than her own entertainment, she could be a good friend when she wanted to be, too. Her grades were always fine, although the one class in which she excelled was drama. It should've been no surprise really, considering how great she was at making people believe anything she said, and when her parents realized drama really was her subject, the theatrical tantrums she'd periodically thrown throughout her life made a lot of sense. Since her singing was only decent, it was definitely her acting chops that helped land her lead roles in school productions, and Cassie was great at getting into character and captivating an audience.

It was her love for theatrics—aided by her penchant for manipulation—that led Cassie into the strange but entertaining (for her) side gigs, in which people are able to hire her to attend their weddings and object if they decide they want a way out, or their funerals where she will stand mysteriously in the back and cause problems for confused attendees who are left wondering if their deceased loved one had a secret child nobody had known about, or a far too young for them mistress. It was also what made her eventually apply to college specifically to study drama.

It took a few years after high school for Cassie to decide to apply to PSU, happy with her life of ruining people's weddings and funerals while getting away with any and everything living under Will and Emma's roof. Starring in community productions was fun enough for a while, but recently the itch to spread her wings began to grow, so Cassie decided it was time to leave Columbus and terrorize the people of Los Angeles instead. A bigger city, and a bigger setting like a vast college campus, would be the perfect playground for Cassie to cause problems, now on a much larger scale than ever before.

FAMILY BACKGROUND

The very epitome of theater kid himself, Will Schuester’s life was always going to be surrounded by performance. Unfortunately for him, marrying his high school sweetheart, Terri, turned out to be more sour than sweet, and when their relationship turned toxic, with Terri faking a pregnancy in an effort to keep him around, Will had to give up on his then-dream job of coaching a winning high school Glee Club for free to focus on his main Spanish teaching job. When news of Terri’s fake pregnancy came to light, Will filed for divorce, seeking comfort in the arms of his colleague, the school’s guidance counselor, Emma Pillsbury. The two wed in the year to follow.

Supported by his new wife—who made more than him financially anyway—Will decided to quit his job as high school Spanish teacher, and instead secure a space to open a performing arts studio. The studio and its classes growing in popularity quickly, Will was approached by a production company interested in making a reality show. Soon, The Schue Must Go On, a show focusing on the studio’s child performers with Will the adult face as the main teacher and owner, was born. It was supposed to be something of a filler show, but it gained followers quickly, and soon America was obsessed with watching bratty children compete against each other in their dance, voice and acting classes under Will’s guidance, his family shooting to fame in the blink of an eye.

MATHIEU SCHUESTER

☆ FULL NAME: Mathieu William Schuester ☆ GENDER: Cisman ☆ PRONOUNS: He/Him ☆ AGE: 31 (April 30th, 1993) ☆ TYPE: Full sibling; solo ☆ HOMETOWN: Columbus, Ohio ☆ JOB: Graduate Assistant in PSU’s Psychology program ☆ SCHOOL: Second year Neuropsychology Master's student ☆ SEXUALITY: Bisexual ☆ FACECLAIM: Mike Faist

ABOUT MATHIEU

(trigger warning for eating disorders)

It could’ve been easily predicted that Will Schuester would expect his oldest to follow his lead, and Mathieu was never one to disappoint. In fact, the very fear of disappointment has been his biggest motivating factor for pretty much every decision he’s made since he was old enough to understand the concept. The majority of lessons he learned from his father weren’t about how to navigate the world, at least not in a way that translated well to his brain. Instead, his role in the family seemed to become hyperfocused on the performing arts when it was clear that Mathieu did in fact have a natural talent. With that talent being finely tuned under his dad’s training, did it really matter that his heart was never in it? Growing up, it didn’t seem like it.

The constantly moving nature of his family was exhausting. Mathieu learned to play the part well in front of the cameras, but he much preferred when he could find an excuse to sneak away on his own. He enjoyed peace and quiet, watching reruns of Jeopardy! during breaks at his dad’s studio and finding excuses to do his English homework on set. Mathieu has always been smart, but his performance abilities seemed to be the bigger point of discussion over his academic excellence. 

Mathieu maintains that his problems with food (he’s always avoided calling it what it is: an eating disorder) hadn’t been purposeful in the beginning. It had all started early in his adolescence. Running late for breakfast, voice lessons that ran into dinnertime. But the more excuses he found to avoid meals, the faster he slid down a very slippery slope. Growing up surrounded by the media and underneath his parents’ watchful eyes, it was very rare for Mathieu to feel like he had any sort of control. When he did realize that his body and hunger were two things he had a say in, he knew he had to keep it secret. There were a few forum posts online, few and far between, that would catch sight of the oldest Schuester in the background of scenes and question if he was alright. But for the most part, Matheiu became an expert at lying. To his family, to his friends, and to himself every time he was sure that he was still in control. 

When he finished high school and was admitted to PSU’s musical theatre program, it was naturally a cause for celebration. For the show, it was a great boost to the ratings, the ultimate testament to just how grand someone could become under Will’s tutelage. For Mathieu, it was an escape. Not that he would ever say that outloud, of course. He did miss his family once he was on campus, but it was also the first time he ever felt like he could really breathe. As expected, he did well in his program, but he also took the opportunity to take classes outside of his major as well. Science, language, humanities, literature – he loved every second of it. It also became apparent that while he had the training and talent (if not the proper nourishment) to keep up with his classmates, he was missing something that they had in abundance: a passion for the performing arts. Mathieu had spent so long assuming that this was the only option for him, that being good at something equated to it being your entire life. He had begun daring to think of a life outside of the arts, but ultimately it wasn’t his choice to leave the field. No, it all came to a crashing halt when he passed out during a dance lesson in his junior year, his body finally giving in after over a decade of self-abuse.

He tries not to think too much about the aftermath. Mathieu isn’t proud of how he reacted to being forced to accept what he’d done to himself. Still, that didn’t come close to the shame he felt when his family was made aware of the situation. A lifetime spent desperately trying not to disappoint, immediately wasted. Matheiu physically could not handle treatment and school at the same time, so he was forced to drop out and begrudgingly move back home, despite the increase in his parents looming over his shoulder.

Two years later, Mathieu returned to PSU, just not to their musical theatre program. His recovery has never been the most stable, but he knew that going back to the performing arts would be the worst possible choice. Instead he restarted his degree from scratch, focusing on psychology. He hadn’t realized he could love his major so much until then. He graduated with his bachelor’s degree, and then followed it up soon after by getting accepted into PSU’s neuropsychology master’s program. His ultimate goal is to earn a doctorate, but Mathieu is trying to follow his therapist’s advice and focus on one achievement at a time. He’s now in his second year of the program. Oftentimes, it feels like he’s walking a tightrope, still trying to keep from failing his family even more while also knowing how dangerous that can be. Some days are better than others, but he really is trying.

FAMILY BACKGROUND

The very epitome of theater kid himself, Will Schuester’s life was always going to be surrounded by performance. Unfortunately for him, marrying his high school sweetheart, Terri, turned out to be more sour than sweet, and when their relationship turned toxic, with Terri faking a pregnancy in an effort to keep him around, Will had to give up on his then-dream job of coaching a winning high school Glee Club for free to focus on his main Spanish teaching job. When news of Terri’s fake pregnancy came to light, Will filed for divorce, seeking comfort in the arms of his colleague, the school’s guidance counselor, Emma Pillsbury. The two wed in the year to follow.

Supported by his new wife—who made more than him financially anyway—Will decided to quit his job as high school Spanish teacher, and instead secure a space to open a performing arts studio. The studio and its classes growing in popularity quickly, Will was approached by a production company interested in making a reality show. Soon, The Schue Must Go On, a show focusing on the studio’s child performers with Will the adult face as the main teacher and owner, was born. It was supposed to be something of a filler show, but it gained followers quickly, and soon America was obsessed with watching bratty children compete against each other in their dance, voice and acting classes under Will’s guidance, his family shooting to fame in the blink of an eye.