#wcitytask

15: Is it okay for guys to wear pink? I think it is because it shows how comfortable they are. 16: Do you still watch cartoons? I haven’t watched cartoons in a long time. 17: Can you swim well? I can swim very well it’s one of my favorite sports to do. 18: Where would you bury hidden treasure if you had some? I would bury my hidden treasure in an underwater cave. 19: What do you dip a chicken nugget in? I dip them in barbecue sauce mixed with hot sauce.

20: What movies could you watch over and over and still love? I could never get tired of any of the fast and the furious movies. 21: Last person you kissed/kissed you? Is it sad to say i don’t remember? 22: Would you ever strip or pose nude in a magazine? I mean if the opportunity ever presented itself i would totally do it. 23: Best thing to eat for breakfast? I would say biscuits and gravy with hash browns, scrambled eggs and bacon. 24: Do you sing in the car? I sing in my car all the time it can be very therapeutic. 25: Ever used a gun? I did when i was younger in my teen years. 26: Occupations you wanted to be when you were a kid? I wanted to be a cowboy when i was younger. 27: Do you believe in ghosts? I believe that their are spirits among the living that unfinished business before they leave. 28: What do you wear to bed? It depends sometimes i wear silk boxers or nothing at all. 29: Ever won a spelling bee? I never entered a spelling bee when i was younger i was interested in other things. 30: Ever been in love? I’ve been in love one it was with my ex fiance and she was murdered.

Once I was Seven Years Old…

Lucette still lived in France, was still close to her sisters, and had yet to realise how fucked up her family’s dynamic was. She was too young to understand that she was nothing but a status symbol to her parents, that she would never live up to the expectations that were set for her. She was more outgoing than she would be for a long time, even though already she was overshadowed by her sisters. She didn’t realise that her interest in the girl who sat in front of her, a girl named Jaime that Lucette blushed whenever she talked to and thought was more beautiful than anyone in the world, was a crush. At that age, Lucette didn’t understand sexuality, and her mother had firmly taught her that Girls like Boys, and that was that.

Once I was Eleven Years Old…

Lucette hated America. The students mocked her for her strong and sometimes a little illegible accent, and her English which was not yet fluent then. Her older sisters were teenagers and couldn’t be bothered with their younger sister. Whilst they were winning medals in dance and soccer and other competitions, Lucette struggled to catch up to their example. Her interest in reptiles had begun developing, something that her mother hated and tried to ‘punish her’ for as she believed that Snakes were ‘the mark of Satan’.

Lucette was invited to a slumber party only once in her life; in fifth grade the students thought they might try and include her. But when the subject turned to boys, Lucette was giggled and sneered at when she admitted that she had never once had a crush on a boy. They told her she was weird, and Lucette felt weird; she didn’t understand the appeal of boys, how the others would giggle and drool over.

Soon, I’ll be Thirty Years Old…

Once I was 7 years old....

Jay hide behind his older sister’s leg. They were yelling. Again. He squeezed his eyes shut. He hated it. He hardly understood it. Until recently he thought this was normal, but when he went to his friends house the other day he realized parents didn’t smoke funny things and yell after too many drinks. They were fed ever day and their toys weren’t broken in fits of rage. His eyes snapped open as Rory moved to bend down in front of him.

“Get your shoes on, we’ll sneak out the back. You have to be really quiet okay Jay-Bear? I’ll meet you by the back door.” The little brunette boy nodded to his sister. He wanted to show her he was a big boy, that he didn’t need help to tie his laces and he could be quiet. He’d show her.

When Rory met him at the back of the house she pushed crumbled up notes into his hand as she pushed him through the door. He held her hand all the way to the diner on the other side of the neighborhood. He didn’t say anything as he watched the tears fall, and the bruise colour on her wrist. He squeezed her hand. He was a big boy; he wouldn’t cry. It was his seventh birthday after all.

Jay was at a turning point in his life. He didn’t understand what was wrong with his family yet, but he knew it wasn’t okay. He didn’t yet make the connection between his brand new sneakers going missing and his parents having new “adult powder”. He was far too innocent, wondering when he would be old enough to have his own adult powder. At dinner that night, the first meal he’d had in three days, he gave Rory his last pancake. Even though she protested and told him to eat it he continued to lie, telling her he wasn’t hungry anymore. He didn’t want her to cry anymore, and pancakes always made him feel better. Maybe pancakes was all she needed. One day he wanted to be able to buy her pancakes every day. He would have his own dog cuddling business - where he got to hug dogs all day - and for every meal they would have pancakes. Rory would never cry, and if she did, he’d give her a puppy to cuddle.

If only life could stay as innocent as a seven year old’s perspective on it.

Soon I’ll be 30 years old...

His own office. Jay got goosebumps as he walked into the space that would now be his own. He no longer had to sit out in the open room where all the young architects and low position roles shared. He could close the door for some quiet, he could hold meetings in his own room, he could use the space to lay out plans and really make the space his own. Not to mention the view was going to help inspire him every day. He walked over to the window, smiling to himself. The beach greeted him.

A lot had changed for Jay in the last few years. He moved to California where he started his own company. It took a few years to get off the ground but business was booming. They’d just completed the new office building along the coast, something Jay had always dreamed of. He looked around his office again. Every detail in the room had come from his team, every little bend and curve of the surfaces was intentional. Jay walked back to his desk, a box sat on top.

Jay lift the lid and started to unpack the item’s he brought for the room. He pulled out photos of friends from Chicago, the boys at the station, Rory with her husband and two sons. He put them along the wall. Jay picked out a statue he bought at a market in London from the first time he flew overseas last year. Jay pulled out books, some holding names of his old neighbors. Chicago was an interesting place. He pulled out a framed police report from when his parents were busted selling drugs in Texas. It was one of his most prized possessions. “Fuckers,” he swore, smiling at their outcome.

“Daddy said a bad word!” Came the voice of an angel. Jay turned around, his face lighting up.

“Shh, it’s out little secret, okay Bridgette?” he winked at her. The little blonde girl walked up to him, hugging his leg. He reached down to pick her up. “Want to sit at the desk like a big girl?” he asked her, receiving nods in return. He put her in his big office chair, it threatened to swallow her. Jay watched her reach into the box, pulling another photo out. He knew what one it was just looking at the frame.

“Now that one goes on Daddy’s desk,” he told her, moving to press a kiss on her head. Bridgette placed the frame on the desk carefully as Jay lifted her up onto his hip. He then sat down on the chair, holding his little girl close. A moment later the sound of running footsteps came echoing from the hallway. “Here come your brothers,” he said. 

As if needing the announcement two brunette boys pushed through the door, both dressed in doctor uniforms. Suddenly Jay was in parent mode, telling them to be careful, whilst also in boss mode, telling them not to scratch the new floors. He was more layered these days. He had to be strict in his work and home life, but he had to show maturity and kindness too. He used his parents as guidelines as to what never to be. He nosed Bridgette’s hair.

Jay’s eyes trailed from his sons to the new figure at his door. Aiden. He blushed at the look he was giving. All at once four voices yelled out ‘happy birthday!’. Jay had almost forgotten what day it was due to how much he’d been working. But they never let him drown in work. They always found a way to come to the surface and rise above.

After exploring the office together they left for a family picnic down the road. Jay spent all day laugh and playing with his kids. He received a call from Rory. He had friends texting him and sending emails. He was surrounded by so much life it was exhilarating. He didn’t need a fire to prove he was alive anymore, he had people who showed him every day there was a reason for living. Jay once fought for moments like this, now they were given to him in plentiful. Now if he could just work at his business like that, so that one day it would stand on its own. Just like Micheal, Ethan and Bridgette would. He’d give them his all if that meant they could survive his world.

“I just, um, I--”  “You’ve never flirted with a girl before, have you?” Maxine asked. Dakota shook her head. “No, I, um. No. Never.” She fumbled, her entire face burning red. “I just--Looking at you makes me want to write things.” She said. Maxine seemed genuinely impressed with the compliment. They continued to talk all night, discussing the difficulty for Maxine, as an Asian actress, to find good roles in the City. Dakota promised that she would give her an audition for her next show. She was in love, already. Madly, deeply, and with all of her heart. That was the nature of Maxine--gorgeous to a fault, completely self-obsessed, and had the ability to make any person feel important, then take it away in a heartbeat. No one could have warned her, and if she did, it’s not like she would have listened.

--

“Happy birthday, Dakota Gray! How does it feel to be sixty?” The reporter asked, probing a microphone toward her. Dakota raised her brows. “Um, good, I guess. I really don’t feel my age.” She explained, taking a glance at the camera. Recorded for a special on her birthday, then it was off to the gala she was hosting. “What do you think is the most important thing that you’ve learned in your time as a writer?” The reporter asked. God, she was young. Probably just out of college. Dakota couldn’t destroy her for asking such a vague question. She just wanted to wrap this up and get into her dress for tonight. And what was this girl wearing? Some stupid purple thing with awful lace and--Oh, that was why she hated her so much. The same purple dress, dark hair, large round eyes that could look directly into her soul--it was like a mirror into her past.

STEP 1: Once I was ... years old

Pick age 7, 11 or 20. If your character is yet to turn 20 or only around the ages of 21-22 do not pick 20.

The point of this age is to pick a time that is different from your characters current age and introduce us to them when they were younger. What was your character like at 7, 11 or 20 years old? Were they nerdy, shy, did they have hopes for the future? What was different, and what was the same?

STEP 2: Soon I’ll be ... years old

Pick age 30 or 60. If your character is close to the age of 30 (28-32) automatically pick 60.

The point of this age is to pick a time that is different from your character’s current age and tell us what they want for their future. How they hope to develop in society and what challenges they may overcome.

STEP 3: Write [2 paragraphs minimum!]

White a paragraph for each age you have chosen. Try to think in depth about how your character has changed, and what they want out of life.

You can wrote in third person, you can write in paras, diary entries... however you want as long as you write a paragraph minimum for each part. Paragraphs should be around 8 lines at least.

STEP 4: Post