Replies to This Discussion

DhampirPermalink Reply by ✓ James Richard Chadwick on March 22, 2019 at 17:51

Jem was shipped off to boarding school soon after coming to the city. Back then he’d just learnt of his father's death, still a teenage run away. Soon taken under the care of Cornelia Bradford, his father’s ex detective partner. Jem was always left confused to why she took him, she didn’t know him. Just a teenager with a troubled past and life. But she still took him in knowing it all giving him a free pass almost. Paying for his schooling, food and roof over his head. Whilst asking nothing in return. It was quite strange but Jem always thought none of it. He spent around a year or so attending boarding school in England, till he managed to persuade Cornelia to let him not go back. Truthfully he had been struggling for a long while with his education. It was one of the reasons why he pushed so much to drop out of boarding school. It was too much pressure for him. Trying so hard to get the best grades he could yet he always that he was disappointing everyone. The teachers, cornelia, everyone around him. Jem just could never get his mind wrapped around everything. A slow learner. Needing step by step work. Losing focus quite easily, not able to help it.

Mock exams were just around the corner, the build up exams to the proper ones that comes at the end of the school year. The ones that count the most yet teachers always pressed for people to think of the Mock exams just like the real ones. For them to spend most of the spring break studying instead of relaxing. Jem wishes that he just spend his time playing on his PS4 or watching different documentary shows on netflix. Yet he found himself on lockdown. A non distraction studying day. Where Cornelia managed to unplug and lock away all of his electronic devices and phone so he could have no distractions. The only thing he would have to do was studying. A torture in its own. Cornelia would call the landline to keep a check on him to make sure that he was focusing. No way out. Jem had turned the living room into his own study room. Scattering all his text books on the floor and coffee table, with all revision notes scattered around. A huge mess on its own. A bomb site that it could only be described as.

The young Chadwick was lying on the sofa, on the verge of falling asleep reading an English literature textbook. He had spent over a year learning English literature and language now he has to learn the american version of it. It all was confusing. Not knowing why he’d have to learn about poems. That in years later he’d never have to use them again, as well with everything else he learns about in school. Yet he’d still have to study and learn it all for his exams. The knock on the door woke him from his almost nap. A groan escaped his lips as he tossed the textbook on the sofa. Heading over to the door, opening it to see korean male a few years older than him at his door. Jem soon learnt that he was here to tutor him. Leaving Jem quite confused. “Tutoring session?” He quizzed bit baffled but having been told that he was getting a tutor. Able to guess that Cornelia must of went out to set up and organise him having a tutor. Knowing how he was struggling. A part of him didn’t want a tutor knowing that they’ll just get annoyed at hm with how he loses focus. “Sorry man, I think you got the wrong place” He lied whilst trying to shut the door in the strangers face a quick escape to more studying.

DhampirPermalink Reply by ✓ Jaesung Moon on March 24, 2019 at 0:31

Jae wasn’t exactly the most confident person in his own English skills so honestly he was surprised himself that he’d decided to take the job, but desperate times made you do things you normally wouldn’t. The money for the task was pretty good actually and he figured it would look good on his resume to talk about experience with teaching and advising others, plus Jae had a lot of spare time in the evenings after lectures and while he needed to study some days, this would kinda count as studying for him too. Still, he didn’t really know exactly what he had signed himself up for until he had called the woman from the ad and she had told him she was looking for a tutor for her teen and that he was a little difficult. Jae had accepted to try, but he knew he wasn’t exactly the best at making people motivated though she seemed adamant that someone nearer his age would be a good influence for him.

Seeing the other male as he opened the door, Jae smiled softly taking in his appearance, he looked significantly younger than the Korean male and he guessed the other male was likely in the final year of high school if he needed a tutor for exams. He was a little surprised that the other male seemed to be completely oblivious to the idea of a tutoring system but Jae also remembered the conversation he had with Cornelia over the phone and how she was concerned that he may try to avoid study entirely. Jae pressed his lips together and rolled his shoulders back, he needed to get more confident around others and this seemed like a good place to start, he was being paid to be here after all. He sighed as the other male tried to close the door on his face “Well that’s hardly a nice way to greet your new study partner now is it Jem?” he raised his brows a little as he looked back on the other male, pretty sure he was right and the younger male was trying to shirk his work.

“It’s Jem right?” Jae questioned to the other male’s stunned expression, the elder male was here to a job and he’d be damned if he backed down just because he’d almost had a door slammed in his face. After a moment he moved forward, stepping into the hallway of the house and looking around for a moment. It was nicely decorated, home-like, very unlike where he was currently living and desperately wanted to move out of.

DhampirPermalink Reply by ✓ James Richard Chadwick on April 19, 2019 at 19:09

It was no secret that Jem hated anything to do with studying or learning. The type of teenager who avoids doing any work as much as possible. Get away with no studying if he could. It was just that he always struggled a lot trying to wrap his head around it all. Not able to take it all in. Jem always was feeling pressured by everybody that he needed to do better. That he could do better. He knew he could do better but never finding the motivation or push to do. So here he was struggling like many other people his age were around the world. All exams coming up soon, different coursework that he needed to complete. With so little time. Jem might of left it all till last minute. Like usual. Thinking it wouldn’t really matter that he’d have plenty of time. Yet here he was panicking that he was screwed. Able to hear the scolding and arguments that he’d face if Cornelia would find out. Luckily whenever there was parent teacher meetings at work, she was always too busy at work to attend. So Jem was always able to escape her from finding out that way. Yet he knew that she’d find out anyways.

Jem was trying to decide whether to continue to stare at the English Literature book till something sinks in or to go and take a nap. The second one was a good idea yet was bad one if he sought through. Jem could always study another day so it didn’t matter. Pretend that he did study by time that Cornelia came home later. The knock at the door surprised The Young Chadwick. Thinking that it may had been Cornelia forgetting her key again. As it wasn’t often when someone come knocking on the door so he was confused to say the least seeing a male few years older than him at the door. Not knowing why he was here but when he heard why Jem tried his best to avoid it at all costs. A study buddy. Trying to get him to go away by telling he had the wrong place. He was kinda stupid thinking that it would work but he gave it a go. With the male stopping Jem was closing the door on his face. Jem shot him a ‘Are you serious’ look, already rolling his eyes fed up already with it not even starting and all.

Able to know that the person was in the right place hearing his name being called. Jem knew already that Cornelia must had organised it all. Finding him a study tutor knowing how he was struggling. Yet she did it all behind his back without him knowing. To be honest if Jem knew that she got him a tutor he would have avoiding being at home anyways. Like any over teenager. “Cornelia hired you didn’t she?” He grumbled holding open the door for him to come in. Giving in, accepting that he couldn't get rid of his study tutor now. Cornelia would kill Jem if she found out he tried to avoid having a study tutor as she was paying for his studies even more. “Yes it’s Jem” He nodded his head in answer, at least he wasn’t called James. That would have made him bit pissed off. Always preferring to be called by his nickname rather than his proper first name. Jem didn’t know why he just always did. “What's your name?” Jem wondered looking over to other, if they were going to be study partners he’d have to give it a go. “You’ve got your work cut out, just word of warning. I’m like the worst at studying” He mused laughing pointing out the truths before they started so he knew what he was in for.  

DhampirPermalink Reply by ✓ Jaesung Moon on April 20, 2019 at 9:00

Jae wasn’t exactly the loudest or most confident person in the world but he didn’t know people well, he knew what it was like to struggle with study or feel like you weren’t amounting to your full potential, his parents had put massive pressure on him to do well in his studies, including in subjects that he struggled with and didn’t get perfect grades in. They constantly wanted him to live up to the impossible standards set by his siblings. So he really did understand the stress that came along with exams and even the temptation to push it all aside because it was too much. He hoped he could use some of that knowledge to help the other male. Watching the other male roll his eyes at the words he spoke Jae realized he must have been right and he really was just trying to get out of studying. The elder dhampir swallowed a little and pushed his way inside, a move totally unlike him because he was usually very polite but he figured he was going to need to tread differently with this particular task.

When he asked if Cornelia hired him Jae chuckled “Well I definitely don’t make a habit of showing up to people’s houses uninvited so...yes” he nodded a little as he looked around the hallway taking in the surroundings, it was a really nice place and had clearly been renovated a little to put personal touches on the home, he hoped to have a home that he decorated like that someday, a place of his own to put his own mark on. In time he supposed, he was only 22 after all. When Jem asked his name Jae paused for a moment debating how to introduce himself, it still tripped up a little months down the line since he arrived in Evermore, always accidentally introducing himself with surname first and confusing Americans “Jae” he responded “You can call me Jae” he responded with a polite nod of his head. He figured Jem probably wasn’t actually an official birth name so nicknames would work for the both of them.

He followed his new study partner into the sitting area looking at the couch and seeing the discarded book he chuckled softly. Jem warned him that he had his work cut out but Jae had pretty much already realized that, but the fact the other male was making jokes was a good thing, he couldn’t stand this if it was all awkward and they couldn’t even communicate with one another. “That’s fine, I think you’ll find I can be pretty inventive with study methods, no simply reading textbooks for us” he stared at the book, he’d never really been able to learn from just staring at a book either. Of course, they had to read, this was English literature of course, but they could definitely do better than silent study “What are you into?” Jae questioned as he leaned his hands against the back of the couch “Gaming?” he asked as he jerked his chin towards the PS4 he spotted on the counter and arched his brow curiously.

DhampirPermalink Reply by ✓ James Richard Chadwick on June 1, 2019 at 22:39

Jem always hated the idea of studying and learning all together like any other typical teenager. Mostly because how he’d struggled with it all his life never having any help. If it was at school and especially in his home life. Having to do everything himself. When Cornelia shipped him off to boarding school it was even the more pressure put onto his shoulders. Since he clearly knew he wasn’t good enough but never wanted to say anything. Jem knew that Cornelia was just trying to do the best for him to give him a new start on life when it came to his studies. Knowing that he hadn’t been given the best chance before having a lot to catch up on so little time. That was the reality that he was facing. Worse case scenario would that he’d either fail his exams and be pushed back to retake the whole year again. That was what he could see would be happening. Part of him didn’t want for it to happen wanting the whole college experience with others his age instead of being a year late. Jem knew that Cornelia must of seen how he’d been struggling and was one step ahead of him organising and hiring a tutor for him. Truthfully he half expected her doing so, it was something that she would do. With how long hours her job is there’s not really much time for her to help him at the end of the day.

Defeatingly Jem let the young male inside knowing that he couldn’t exactly slam the door in his face again, mostly cause Cornelia would scold him finding out he did it once in the first place. Let alone for a second time around. “Well you never know so?” He answered putting it out but joking the same time. Jem closed the door behind him walking back into the living room that more resembled a bomb site rather than studying space. Not really having any organisation or structure to how he studies. Just having it all out and everywhere was enough for him. “Sorry for the mess, I was trying to find some revision notes then ending up pulling everything out in the process” He chuckled rubbing the back of his neck half apologizing for the mess. After giving out his name Jem waited to hear his knowing if they were going to be study partners, they needed to know little about each other. “You don’t like your full name either?” Jem mused joking able to know Jae was short for something but knew he probably at a longer name. Maybe one that Jem wouldn’t be able to say, who knows. He didn’t completely hate his proper name just been so used to be called Jem so it mostly stuck these days.

“Did you want a coffee or something before we start studying” He offered, just about to make one before he was disrupted. “We don’t have much else in the cupboards” In the house they tended to just stock coffee and some snacks. Mostly ordering take outs each night, because neither him or Cornelia could cood. “I just get bored or distracted when reading from a book. Nothing goes in or comes out” That was the main area he was getting stuck at most of all. Jem made himself a cup of coffee from the pot he had brewed a while ago, coming back into the living room and putting the cup on top his notes. Not bothering to clear a space for it. “Huh?” Confused for a second put saw that Jae was motioning over to his game console by the tv. “Fifa 19 at the moment. I’m over the whole fortnite thing, it was too overdone. Now everyone is playing it, it's not that cool anymore” Jem always liked playing on his PS4 and gaming in general. It always was a way of escapism for him, way he could get distracted. Not having to worry about real life getting in the way. Sometimes he’d manage to spend the whole night playing on it then not knowing the time till Cornelia would wake up and catch him in the act. “Do you play?” Almost trying to persuade him to play a few games or two instead of actually studying that was the plan.

DhampirPermalink Reply by ✓ Jaesung Moon on June 3, 2019 at 23:21

Jae was a decent student, or at least he tried to be, he did his best to keep on top of his work while keeping a semi-decent social life. It helped that he didn’t have many friends and none of them were really into partying so he could just spend all of his time either at his desk in his dorm or in Hanseol’s study. His boyfriend was also pretty supportive when it came to his study which was also very helpful. He’d never thought about doing tutoring before though, desperate times call for desperate measures really, he wanted to become financially independent as soon as possible because he wanted to separate himself from the influence his parents had over him. Jem seemed like a decent guy, just a little lost and easily distracted by the sound of it but he was polite enough once they got past the while door slamming thing and they weren’t that different in age from what Jae could tell. Jae figured he’d give it his best and if it turned out absolutely awfully then he just wouldn’t come back again.

As he followed the younger male inside, he glanced around at the space trying to gauge everything, Jae felt pretty out of his element today, he wasn’t really the best around strangers, not because they made him shy or anything but because he wasn’t sure how much of his personality he was supposed to let shine through or how formal he was supposed to be. With Jem though, it seemed wise to err on the side casual because the other male was what you could call a typical teenager. “No problem, you should see my dorm room, tiny little place, mess literally everywhere, my” he bit his tongue “my partner is always telling me I need to the place organized and it just never really happens” he picked up one of the nearby books and studied it for a moment “Shakespeare” he commented and laughed “either a student's dream or nightmare” he flicked his eyes up towards Jem “Gonna go with nightmare for you” he opened it up and flipped through a few of the notes “Uh..” Jae spoke in response to his question “It’s more that it doesn’t really sound right pronounced with an American or British accent” he laughed “Jaesung” he clarified and then squinted his gaze a little “And yours is a nickname for?” he questioned with a chuckle.

Jae pulled a bit of a face at the mention of coffee, he could drink it but most of the time when he had it, he was just drowning it in milk and sugar so that it wouldn’t taste so awful “I’ll take a water if you wouldn’t mind, coffee and me don’t mix all that well” he was a pretty hyper person normally, give him coffee and he wasn’t gonna be able to concentrate on studying at all, which is what he was being paid to do. Jae raised his brows as he considered Jem’s study technique and he shrugged a little “Learning from reading a book has never really worked, you aren’t gonna remember stuff just by reading about it” at least he experienced that. Of course, with an English subject, reading material was also pretty important because to do analysis and make conclusions “Did you finish reading the play at least?” Jae asked as he glanced over at the other male, otherwise, it was going to get difficult here. But first things first, Jae figured they should get to know one another a little so that next time he wouldn’t get the door slammed in his face “Probably not as well as you do, but we’ll give it a shot” the elder dhampir smiled softly and moved around the couch to pick up one of the controllers “We’ll play a match, do a bit of study and repeat, let’s see if how well you can thrash me while I quiz you” maybe he would get in trouble for slacking off but he couldn’t see Jem being ready to concentrate on iambic pentameter just yet.

DhampirPermalink Reply by ✓ James Richard Chadwick on July 8, 2019 at 21:38

Jem was still a bit late to the whole choosing and deciding what college he wanted to go to. The whole moving and changing schools in the same year threw him of almost. Everything all being different to how English schooling was to American;s. Where as over there colleges here are considered universities. With there being no sixth forms in America just more years spent in high school. Confusing Jem even more. He’d almost forgotten to spend time looking up and researching the different colleges around. One thing he knew was that he didn’t want to go to one too far away. Already experiencing the whole moving country and boarding school scenario. Finding it weren’t for him. Wanting to try to find one he could travel to and from each day from home. Probably a college here in Evermore would be the best for him. Maybe in his free time he could find a part time job or something on the side. Who knows. Just Jem had to get his exams over and done with. Needing to pass them if he ever wanted to get into the college he was wanting. Looking and thinking it all through now he was grateful that Cornelia had actually organized and hired a tutor for him. Even with how he’d just practically slammed a door in his study buddies face. Maybe hoping he’d let that slide and not tell Cornelia.

Letting the male in he let him find his own way around, to follow him around. Jem weren’t the type of person to be all open, offering tours and talks to someone he didn’t know. Tending to the more antisocial person. Not knowing whether it was a good or bad thing and all. “Oh you haven’t seen my bedroom yet” He joked teasing the male before burst out laughing waiting to see the horror of him imagining a bit of a mess. “I’m just joking, my foster mother makes me clean my room. Part of the house chores I have to do, pocket money. Plus we have a cleaner come once a week” He weren’t so bad as he was making it out. just today or when it comes to studying then his room or the place turns into a bomb site. Cornelia hired a cleaner a few months back to keep the house clean and maintained since she spent many hours at work. No time to keep the house clean with no help. Jem looked to see Jae picking up one of the books he left laying around, already flicking through it. “I don’t understand why I have to study and analyse it. Like where in the future will I be needing to quote or use shakespeare in my future job or life?” He sighed, complaining almost like anyone else who was struggling with exams. Few years back for some coursework for English Literature I had to analyse both Macbeth and Animal Farm. Pairing the differences and similarities together. None of it made sense to me” Soon realizing he was making it sound like a midlife crisis than anything. The conversation soon turned back to their names, with Jae sensing Jem’s confusion a little. “Jaesungs a cool name tho” Jem added yet like he said he knew he wasn't saying it right. Sometimes Jem forgets what his proper name is, so used to over the names just calling himself by his nickname unless he’s in trouble where Cornelia uses his full name, middle name and all. Yet luckily for him that rarely happens. “My proper name is James, I don’t know why but I’ve always been called Jem” He told him, shrugging his shoulders. Thinking of it now, he didn’t know why he kept by his nickname, now growing older it was a bit young and childish. 

With offering coffee to Jae, he saw the look of disgust almost making Jem chuckle. Sometimes he forgets that there's some people who don’t like coffee. “Me and my foster mum practically lives on coffee” He mused, yet it wasn’t exactly a healthy choice but mostly the only thing in the house. “One water coming up” Jem went through into the kitchen pouring a cup of coffee for himself from the coffee pot he’d put on not so long ago. Then a glass of water for Jem before walking back through into the sitting room. Putting both cup and glass onto the coffee table on top of some of his revision notes. Not bothering or caring if something may be spilled on top. Jem sat on the sofa knowing the studying session was about to start, preparing himself for however long more time spent studying. “I finished it a few weeks ago. Kind of messed up though how they both ended up dying and all. Most of Shakespeare's books end up in death, right?” Thinking too much in depth about it than what's relevant to studying it for his exams. “That’s always the bit I find hard. I read it all then nothing goes in” A constant struggle. Jem looked over seeing Jae was starting to figure out how he was going to teach him as Jem knew himself that he wasn’t the best student and all. That he had his work cut out with him. “So no betting for who wins?” Jem joked with a chuckle as he went to turn on the console picking up a controller to bring up the game. “So you’ll quiz me whilst I’m playing my game or during the in between breaks?” He wondered looking a bit puzzled trying to figure out what studying techniquite Jae was figuring out. Able to see himself getting distracted from the came mostly. “I’ve never been good at study quizzes” Jem warned, not being good at answering questions on the spot needing some time to think before answering. 

DhampirPermalink Reply by ✓ Jaesung Moon on July 10, 2019 at 16:42

Jae didn’t roam too much around the room, instead just taking in the surroundings his eyes scanning over the place, it was quite homey and nice to look at, he lived in a university dorm so there wasn’t really much room to decorate or make the place your own, especially when he didn’t intend on staying there any longer than was absolutely necessary. He chuckled when Jem mentioned his room being a mess “And there’s me who ends up having to clean up the whole kitchen of my dorm because my roommates are lazy” he grumbled with a mock roll of his eyes “If you can avoid living with roommates in life, I’d recommend it” he shook his head a little amused by it, he had always dreaded having bad housemates and in the end that was exactly what he got but by now he had just kinda accepted and gotten used to it.

“Well the idea is to understand how skilled writers present their work in order to be able to produce your own literature style” he commented with a shrug of his shoulders “Besides, isn’t it nice to be able to understand the hidden meanings behind stories? It doesn’t just have to be about stories in books, think about like ...movie scripts or game storylines” he shrugged a little “Telling stories is a part of everyday life even if you don’t realize it” obviously not in shooters or sports games but there were a lot of acclaimed and very treasured stories written in games, Jae had fully played through a few himself and really enjoyed them. “Thanks” he responded when the younger male complimented his name, doing his best not to chuckle as the mispronunciation that came with his accent. “James” he repeated and wrinkled his nose as he looked back at him “Yeah I think Jem suits you much better, James sounds a bit like you should be in your mid-thirties and working in a call center” he laughed softly and shrugged.

“I used to have a bit of an addiction to energy drinks but I tried to shake it, didn’t want to become a caffeine zombie” he teased with a laugh, most of the time now he just drank water or the odd soda if he was feeling a little adventurous. Once Jem came back into the room he picked the glass off the table and took a long sip of it before shrugging his shoulders “Yeah, bit pointless when you think about the fact they knew each other for like a week but it’s alllll about the drama” he chuckled softly and shrugged his shoulders “If it’s helpful you can always watch the plays instead, I always found it was easier to take them in by actually seeing them acted out rather than from a flat page” he shrugged a little, if you had a copy too then you could make notes and thoughts on each part of it as you went through.

“I used to have that problem for a while, teachers kinda assume standing there and talking at you and then making you read a book will solve all your problems” Jae sighed a little “So sometimes you have to find your own method, lucky you have my help” he pulled a half smirk, he could tell this was going to be a challenge but he did think he could probably help him given some time and patience. Well, he supposed he would find out because now they actually got to get started. “I’ve never really been a huge gamer so I imagine I’d end up betting on you” he chuckled holding the controller as he watched the screen “I’m gonna ask you questions throughout the game, feel free to take your time, ask me for clarification but I expect you to give me an answer, even if it’s wrong, no don’t knows, okay?” he glanced over at him and shrugged, he wanted to at least know he was processing the question and trying to contextualize it.

When the game began he started playing, mostly adjusting to the controls at first because it had been a while since he played but before long he was getting into the swing of it and not completely failing constantly “You’ve got pretty fast reflexes with your hands but lets see if we can improve the mind too” he chuckled softly “I’ll leave it to R&J since there’s what you said you read so” he pursed his lips coming up with questions on the spot “Who’s Capulet and who’s Montague?” he raised his brows as he continued to focus on the screen.

DhampirPermalink Reply by ✓ James Richard Chadwick on September 19, 2019 at 8:08

Jem was starting to wonder whether or not it was too late for him to learn and study all of the topics he needed to study for his exams. Already so behind, believing that he wouldn't be able to cram in all of this studying in short amount of time. Always having found studying difficult in the best of times let alone when it was so close to deadlines and exam times. On the other hand, Jem did want to go to college and have the whole college experience even it it just one inside of the city. Never been the one to have his heart set on any good and well known colleges in different states. Jem have experienced what samewhat those colleges were in a way then he spent a year in boarding school over in England. Finding after he didn’t want to be that far away from home for too long. Feeling homesick before he didn’t think he would be the one to. With growing up in a crappy home in a crappy family. Escaping it all, being in a happy and stable home once in his life before being shipped off to some posh boarding school across the world. Jumping at the chance he had to come back not wanting it to happen again. “I think if I lived with any roommates the whole place would look like a bomb site” Jem mused motioning to the clutter of mess piling up around and it was just him attempting to study today. 

He could understand where he was coming from but still thought he wouldn’t find any use for poems after he finishes school. “You know you have your work cut out with me right?” Jem mused grinning at his now tutor seeing that he was already trying to think of ideas for Jem to learn in a different way for it to sink in. “So you want me to put my writing into ideas for type of game plays?” Nowadays a lot of the best game creators or tech people are young. Because their minds work a different way to how older people does being brought up around technology. Learning and picking up on things easier than others would. Jem still didn’t know what job he wanted at the end of the line whether to just take the simple lines and head to college to study some courses or look more in more further to what he could be good at. Jem rarely uses his full name, he was one of those people in school who always tried to ensure that teachers never call him by his full name. Like it was a foregin concept in a way. He couldn’t help but laugh at Jae’s comment to his name, shaking his head. “See at least someone gets it, nowadays people say I should grow out of the whole nickname thing that it’ll get me nowhere in the future” He commented yet he weren’t planning to drop it just yet. 

Energy drinks was someone he never really touched finding it always had a weird taste to it. Always preferring to stick to coffee rather than energy drinks. “Caffeine Zombie sounds quite cool tho. I need coffee to get me through these exams. End up flaking trying to stay awake if not” Jem could see how much of a bad habit it was with these days most of the cupboards and only thing there is, is coffee. Always in high supply at home. Jem soon went to fetch there drinks taking it through into the living room where he had been attempting to study. “A week is way too quick for anyone to fall in love. Like imagine that they don’t know much about each other. What they like or don’t like, any bad habits” Making he was thinking too much into it but he could see he could fall in love too quickly never had a relationship before. “What about DVD’s” He wondered looking over to him seeing if that would be allowed trying to worm his way around to watching the movie version rather than a book. Someone he’d done quite a few times. Always taking the easy route in a way. 

Jem tended to be one of those people at school who sat in the back row or by the window, away from everyone else. One who teachers mostly forgot about then when it came to asking for help, it was something he hated. “Teachers always had their favourites then ones who they didn’t like they just gave a book to and that was it” How things worked well for him it did. “Your a few years too late but you can still give it a good shot” He mused, Jem thought that he had no help of getting him though his exams. That it’ll be too late and all, with the exams now coming up. Jem listened to Jae’s teaching techniques, looking a bit confused when he said he could continue playing his games but quizzed at the time. “Sure I’m up for it” Any excuse to cave in and play another few rounds of his game, probably finding himself more distracted by it than the whole studying thing. Both of them started to play the game with himself in the lead by far, already starting to forget he was meant to be studying before hearing Jae start it off. A groan escaped his lips knowing he agreed to it. “Juliet is a Capulet and Romeo is a Montague” He answered needing to think about it for a moment. “Next one?”

DhampirPermalink Reply by ✓ Jaesung Moon on September 21, 2019 at 18:24

Jae chuckled softly and shrugged his shoulders “Well you gotta figure out how you live alone eventually” he had done so since he was about 18 because he went straight into army enlistment which meant living in the barracks for about 2 years and then before his parents could convince him to stay and study in Korea he had managed to get a partial scholarship at Evermore university. Which had been a whole argument but in then he had been allowed to go, so now he lived in an apartment with 2 other guys, both of which were into loud partying and generally forgetting to take care of the place they all lived in. Jae tended to avoid them where he could and he took care of his own space but he didn’t think it was fair to have to take care of all their stuff too “I for one am looking forward to be able to afford my own place” the sooner the better really, which is why he was open to doing things like tutoring.

Jae glanced over to the younger male and shrugged his shoulders “Something gave me that impression when you tried to slam the door in my face” he admitted with a chuckle “But I come from a family of overachievers and we don’t give up easily” Jae especially when it came to people, he wanted to see the best in them and help them to be happy. While studying wasn’t typically something that made a person happy, he was sure the things he managed to achieve would make up for it down the line. “Exactly, if you’re going to write a story, write it with something you actually like in mind or analyze something that actually interests you” some game stories were even deeper than most movies “Plus I find teachers actually quite enjoy when you take the initiative to make a subject relevant to yourself”. Jae did believe that English was a key qualification to have in any class “If you what you’re called then you have the right to be called it, hell you can get your name changed by deed poll in a few days” it was no one’s identity but his, after all, he could make it whatever he wanted.

“Of course you’d find zombies cool” he commented with a laugh, it definitely opened the thoughts about whether they could actually exist though, they lived in the supernatural world after all and none of it seemed any more strange than invisible dragons or half angels roaming the earth “Taking vitamins regularly helps too, even if it’s on top of coffee” though he was guilty of forgetting to take his a lot and missing days here and there which he was sure didn’t help. Jae chuckled at the way Jem got invested in the idea of the Romeo and Juliet’s relationship “Not just fall in love but be ready to die for one another” the elder dhampir shook his head in an amused fashion “But then this was an era where big dramatic storylines were what people used to distract themselves from the harsh reality of life so”. Jae shrugged when he asked about DVDs “As long as they use the original dialog so you don’t miss anything, sure” he bit his lip “But you do have to work a bit harder to take in what they’re actually saying and remember that’s one interpretation of the words but there are others too” but that was the same for whatever media you watched it through.

“Well that’s not good enough, teachers need to learn that teaching requires them to adapt themselves” he grumbled under his breath because it seemed so unfair to him that certain people got ahead in life just because their learning style was more suited the teacher. Jae had never been a book person either, he learned best by talking things through and having meaningful discussions on a topic, which often got him in trouble for talking in class as no one seemed to understand his approach. “Well, unfortunately, I was busy in high school myself a few years ago” he retorted back and snickered, he hadn’t lost hope yet, Jem seemed pretty intelligent, just needed to find a way to approach him. Throughout the games, he knew he was losing badly but with practice he wasn’t being immediately thrashed so he called it a win “Good” knowing who’s in what family will make your life so much easier in the exam “Whats iambic pentameter and why is it used?” a more difficult thing to answer and open to interpretation but he wanted to see Jem’s comprehension abilities.

DhampirPermalink Reply by ✓ James Richard Chadwick on October 30, 2019 at 14:17

Living on his own wouldn’t be the end of the world for him. Truthfully he’d gotten used to it just being him. Even growing up when he’d live in the house with his aunt and uncle, he’d always find it was just him. Left alone for long periods of time, even now it was still the same. Jem didn’t want to overstep his welcome with Clarissa, who was now left with him, that now maybe Jae was right, “Apartments are a lot of money these days, I’d be in debt before I even start looking” He weren’t too sure on how it worked maybe if he went to college and have a student loan he’d be able to afford it. Only if he passed his exams and was accepted into a college of some sort that was the main thing he had to look at. “Is it easy to get your own place or?” Sounding keen that Jae seemed to know all about different things if he would be helpful, even from experience. “How long have you been saving up?” If he was any close to paying off student loans stuck with tutoring people like him. Jem was trying to distract their tutoring session by talking without any teaching happening to pass more of the time. Not ready yet to spend the afternoon or how long studying even how he knew it was important for him to focus. Jem couldn’t help that he was easily distracted that he was good at procrastinating from studying or anything really if he could.  

With the mention of Jem trying to slam the door in Jae’s face a few moments ago, he pretended to look shocked. “Of course not, the door has a mind of it’s own I’ll have you now” He shot back quickly, He couldn’t help but laugh remembering how he nearly slammed the door in his tutor’s face. Finding amusement in when he knew he shouldn’t. “Good luck” Jem mused a little to how Jae had his work cut out with him, seeing how different teachers and people have given up on trying to reach the lost Dhampir. Wondering a little if Jae would be any different but he knew that as someone who tutors others like him he’d be used to it all. Jem was one of those people who couldn’t read a book through, always getting bored of trying to focus on it for too long. That none of what he reads interests him that much. “Schools always make us read the most boring books, why can’t they get us anything new that that wasn’t decades old” He complained like any other teenager in high school but knew things didn’t work like that. At the mention of being able to change his name, jem didn’t mean anything like that. “I don’t want to change it officially, there may come a day I want to be known as James in the future. But not today” His name was one of the only things he had left from his birth mother not wanting to lose it even if he may not have liked the name he’d been giving. Holding onto things that has a meaning and purpose. 

Jem always did like zombies, thinking that maybe they could be real. One of the people who read all the conspiracy theories, read books, watched movies and too many episodes of the Walking dead or call of duty zombies. “Last halloween I choose to dress up as zombie but did it a few days before Halloween to scare people” Grinning almost ear to ear remembering how good of a prank it was but one that he ended up getting in a lot of trouble for but all was worth it. “I’ll just stick to coffee” Jem weren’t too into drinking different energy drinks preferring coffee instead. At least he knows where he is with it. “I’m a sucker for love stories tho” He admitted but had no shame in maybe it was down the sappy love movies that Clarissa makes him watch but secretly enjoys watching too. Jem tried to work his way into watching movies rather than reading the books if he could. Taking the easy way out if he could.  “So you saying that I’m better off reading the books instead?” He wondered looking over to him seeing what he thought would be best for him to have the best shot at the better grades at the end of the day. 

Sometimes he wondered if he was better off being homeschooled, believing he was always better at concentrating with one to one help. “That's why I want to get out of school soon as I can” Something to motivate him not wanting to be stuck behind in high school for another year if he could get his act together soon. Thinking that maybe with Jae’s help and good teaching methods he could. “You can always make up for it now” He mused a little joking to his tutor. Jem tried his best to keep up with the questions whilst trying to outbeat Jae at the same time. Soon finding he was stuck not knowing what  iambic pentameter was now starting to think if it was something he should know that it was bad for he didn’t. “I’m stuck on that question, what does it mean?” Admitted defeat pausing the game so he could concentrate better to find out what it was. 

DhampirPermalink Reply by ✓ Jaesung Moon on October 31, 2019 at 9:07

“Yeah the city isn’t exactly cheap” he commented with a grimace, he had been pretty smart with his money choices because he knew one day he was going to want to go against what his father envisioned for him and that meant having a backup plan when it came to finances. “Well finding a place isn’t too hard, there’s quite a lot of empty apartments in the city, it’s finding a place that’s affordable that’s harder” he nodded slightly “I’m 21 now but I worked full time between 18 and 20 so all of that money aside from what I needed to live went into savings and I work part-time at a corner store, add onto that my student loan and I could probably afford a small place” but finding the right place in the right part of the city was easier said than done, especially for someone who had no renting experience to help convince a landlord he was trustworthy.

“Must have been a strong gust of wind” he commented back to Jem’s look of shock and the way he suggested the door had a mind of it’s own, he didn’t mind too much because he knew what it was like to have a parent figure worming in on how you lived your life and trying to intervene, Jae had always been pretty much the only member of his family who could get away with saying no to his father and even he knew it only went so far. “Sounds like I’m going to need it” he commented softly and shook his head slightly, well things could only get better from a door slammed in the face right? “I mean the answer to that one is pretty obvious, schools are cheap and in that mentality that if it worked 10 years ago it should work now” what they failed to recognize was people and society was different now and that learning style might not have even worked that well in the first place. “Fair enough, that’s the beauty of your name, it’s yours” which meant if he wanted to change it he could, if not, then he didn’t have to.

He laughed softly thinking about this guy dressing up for Halloween not with the intention of getting candy from the houses but just to jump out and scare people “You know there are actually jobs where you get to do stuff like that around this time of year” he laughed “Pretty sure I saw one advertised in the paper” he commented and smiled, not the worst way to earn your keep for the day actually, perhaps he would give it another think and apply. He looked up at the other male when he said he was a sucker for love stories and smiled “I think anyone who believes in love secretly is” it made you want to have a love story of your own he had to admit, though sometimes Jae wondered if he was a bit of a hopeless romantic rather than a realist because of all the stories he had read. “I’d say have the subtitles on when you watch the movie, that way you’re reading it at the same time” it was the same words at the end of the day and most of the movies did a good job of capturing the spirit of the story.

Jae was usually pretty patient and kind when it came to other people which perhaps made him a good tutor, he didn’t want to sound overconfident but he felt like he had ways of getting through to people and helping them understand and while Jem said himself this was going to be a massive challenge, he didn’t think it was an impossible one. “I was the same, couldn’t wait to get away and get some control over the things I learned, college is really great for that” but for college, you needed a high school diploma which is what Jae hoped to help him achieve. “I’ll do my best” he spoke as he grinned sheepishly, he was playing the game and now he was in the swing of things, actually making half an effort to defend against the much more experienced player. When Jem paused the game because of the question he was a little surprised but segwayed into an explanation anyway “It’s a very common writing technique used for poems in Shakespearean times, it has 10 syllables in every line and kinda sounds rhythmic when you say it” he then went on to recite a few lines of it to show him and smiled “Kinda picture it like a heartbeat that’s drumming as the line is read” hard to write but pretty easy to write about.

As the continued the game he came up with another question “How old was Juliet at the start of the play?” he asked with raised brows, most people knew this one because of how young she was.

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• 2
• Next ›
• Page