Narrative Story

We were given thee assignment in English class to write a short narrative. We could write almost anything as long as it had a conflict. For my story I wrote about a boy named Theodore who wants friends. I got inspiration for his character by my childhood hamster who was named Theodore also.

Narrative Audio

For this project once we were finished writing it we had to audio record it. We used our audio recorders and then used Protools to edit the audio. We also added a song in he beginning and end of the recording along with adding SFX noises to add emphasis to our story. I valued being able to strengthen my pro tools skills.

The Melt

 My eyes keep bouncing around this wretched smelling malt shop. The foul tobacco air sticks to my skin and to the windows. I despise this place, but I have to endure or I’ll have messed up my last chance. If I mess it up like I did last time, I’ll never hear the end of my little brother’s incisive taunts that nag at the back of my brain until there is none left. I’ll be stuck with that loner in the corner of our classroom who doesn’t know how to have normal human interaction, but hey, if this doesn’t end up working out I could always become that guy’s friend

NO. I need to focus on this, I need him as a friend at this new school, he’s my last resort. Everyone just keeps leaving because they think I’m such a control freak or they’re freaked out by my heterochromic eyes, I need to shut that in a drawer and let things go with the flow. But I just can’t seem to relax.

“Earth to Theodore. Ya in there?” announced Louis from over his shoulder, His lightning green eyes stare at me expectantly while his black puffy hair seemed to have a life of its own. Does he ever wash that shaggy mop? Stop, don’t think like that!

“Oh yeah, I’m sorry just got daydreaming again.”

“Oh yeah, I’m sorry just got daydreaming again.”

As we sat down I could feel the stickiness of the brown leather cushions, ignore it, just ignore! While we sat and ate our ice cream, I tried to make my mind forget about the conditions I was in, tried to just focus on the matter at hand, Louis.

We talked about how when he was older, he wanted to be a film director and how we shared a lot of the same movie tastes. We were starting to bond. We were rudely interrupted by a ringing that started to come from the table from his outdated looking phone.

“Hey sorry man. It’s my ma. Gotta pick up. Be right back.” He got up and handed me his soggy ice cream and left me alone in the booth by myself. Sitting there for 5 minutes without a distraction was treacherous.

What if he decided to use the phone call as a way to get out of hanging out with me?

What if. . . I felt something drip on my hand. My head shoots to my right hand, My blue and brown eyes bulged. His ice cream was dripping and it was dripping fast. It was coming down like a dammed of waterfall that was just destroyed. I felt my life flash before my eyes.

The stickiness of my hand was increasing as fast as my anxiety.

I place it down on the table and got an almost non absorbent napkin to try and absorb the cream from my hand but the wretched feeling wasn’t going away. When looking back at the table, it looked like a crime scene. The ice cream had created a puddle of its remains. I can’t let it keep making this mess, it’s going to get all over the table. I should eat it.

Are you insane? Eat It? He’ll hate you for it! But if I let it melt I’d had left a perfectly good ice cream go to waste as well as the money to buy it. But if I consume it he might disown me, might never even talk to me again. Is it really worth it to lose the last chance I have for friends over ice cream melting. But the grey counter is going to get all sticky, more than it already is. My whole body was wracking with nerves. What was I to do? I closed my eyes and concentrated at raking my hands through my blond curly hair which was a mistake in itself, my hands were still sticky. Crap! Now my hair is all sticky that’ll take at least two showers to get rid of the stickiness let alone the smell. What if he causes a scene and everyone watches, if I’m already not at the bottom of the school I will be now. But, I can’t let it go to waste and make a catastrophic mess.

I picked up the ice cream with a napkin around it and started eating it while frantically pulling more napkins out of the table dispenser to clean up the puddle at the same time. Guilt was overriding me. I’ve messed up again. Oh crap he’s going to despise me. How long has he been gone?

My skinny legs covered in my beige khakis were bouncing like there was no tomorrow, I think I burned off all the calories from the ice cream. Here we go again being the kid with no friends, accept your fate. I heard the bell from the Malt shops front door ring. My heart skipped about three miles, my doom was coming.

“Sorry about that Theo, it was my mom trying to get me into tuba lessons, never again!” He chuckled but looked irritated anyway from the crease in his eyebrows. Great he’s already irritable.

He looked at the guilty smitten look on my face and cocked his head to the side. He looked at my hand for his ice cream where he left it then followed my line of sight to where his ice cream used to be before I engulfed it selfishly. He saw the mountain of tissues on the table where I tried to frantically clean up the table. His face filled up with understanding of what happened, he looked at me intensely. Here we go. The end of my social life as I knew it drew nearer.

He hit my right shoulder with his hand, I flinched.

“Good thinking my man, it would have all melted by now because of how long my mom went rambling on.” He said completely out of my radar. I just stared at him dumbfounded. 

“What’s wrong, man? It’s just ice cream. It would have just made a huge mess and have been a waste of money. . . . y’know flies gonna fly in your mouth if you don’t close it.”

“So you’re not upset that I’d rather it not make a mess than keeping it for you?” 

“Yeah man, it’s fine. Ya like things clean there’s nothin’ wrong with that.”

“Really?”

“Yea Theo, really.”

I was dumbfounded, did he really mean that? Why was he able to accept that I value things clean and not anyone else and not even myself. Maybe all the other people were wrong,
I don’t need to change myself, I just need to find the right people who accept me for me including myself.

“Hey, let’s get some more ice cream since mine melted.” Louis offered with his big puppy eyes.

“Yeah let’s do that, but let me pay this time.”

Character Questionnaire

  • What’s your name?  Theodore Merano
  • How old are you?      14 or 15
  • What are your two most physically defining features that cause people to recognize you?    Freckles and heterochromic eyes (one blue one Brown)
  • How do you typically dress? What do your particular clothing choices / accessories say about you?  Shorts and a sweatshirt, vintage/Casual, with complimentary band aids 
  • Empty your pockets. What’s there?: A few spare coins, gum wrappers, and a crumpled up arcade ticket and to do list
  • Where were you born / where have you grown up?  Grew up in New York
  • Where do you live now? : recently moved to a small town in Oregon with Family, Parents and younger brother.
  • Where are your favorite places in the world and why? Creeks because I like to play in them and the Ice Cream shop because I love food and get to hang out with friends. Arcade
  • What’s your primary mode of transportation? Bike or Scooter
  • Who are your parents? Father is a businessman and Mother runs a candle shop
  • Do you have any siblings? A younger Brother, Drew
  • Did you have a happy childhood? Explain: You could say that, strict no funny business, tight on money
  • Where have you attended school? (And are you in school now? If so, how’s it going?)    First year of high school, trying to be cool and popular not really working
  • Are you religious? Why/why not?  Yes, because parents are
  • What do you like to read? Watch on TV? Favorite movies? Music? Other art/entertainment?  Comics, favorite movie is Star Wars 
  • How do you best express yourself? Through over thinking and doing everything   perfect
  • Do you have art/music talent? Nope unless you say overthinking is a talent. 

Narrative Reflection

Beining able to write a short story with so little liminations besides it had to have a conflict was very liberating. It let my mind flow and create whatever I wanted.

Illustrations

Geometric Light Cover

For one of our “finals” in digital media we were able to make a 3D light cover that fit together like a puzzle. Putting it all together in the end was probably the most nerve racking experiences i’ve had in awhile.

Final Project

Illustration Project Choice

For our Design class we were given the freedom of choosing which illustrator project we wanted to work on. I choose stickers because I absolutely love stickers and I wanted to make my friends some.

Design

Design is a class where we learn how to use many art tools inclusing Adobe Illustator which we used for this project. We learn how to take apeasing photographs and art.

Narrative Illustration

In my design class for our Narrative unit we where asked to make a creature that represented our main characters personality from our short story. We had to pin point 5 different characteristics that go with 5 different creatures and mash it all together to make one thing.

Behind the Scenes: For this poject I used Adobe Illustator and when using Illustrator you have to make many layers. I had to make over 40 which is a pretty limited amount for a project like this.

Colored pencil project