Is This Thing On? [Open]

[Chelsea Marie Simmons]

It was well known around Riverdale High that Chelsea wasn't exactly the type to sit down and take...well, anything. If she felt that something was unfair in any way, you could count on her to say it. She had a voice, and she planned to use it. As far as she was concerned, she was reincarnated for a reason. Hell, even if it wasn't for a reason, she would make her own. Chelsea absolutely hated to be relegated to the background.

It was for this reason that Chelsea had opted to join the school paper. Newspapers weren't anything new to Chelsea - She and Elizabeth Cady Stanton had worked on a women's rights focused newspaper in her past life. She was used to this media, and found that it was a wonderful way to communicate her ideas to a larger audience. Even that had changed, though. The Riverdale High newspaper was primarily on the school's website, though printed copies were still published as well.

The thing that had Chelsea most interested was a contest that was going on within the newspaper class. There were a select group of students who wrote the articles for the newspaper, of course, and Chelsea was amongst them. She was one of several, however, and the teacher wanted to test this with one person at first to see how receptive it would be. So the next articles had to be extra good, as they would be weighed against each other to see who would qualify to make the first video blog post. As she knew that a video blog would reach an even larger audience, the idea intrigued Chelsea, who had almost no problems with public speaking. In fact, she'd already bought the equipment that she would need to upload, record, and edit videos, and tested it out. Thus far, she'd had no problems with uploading and recording...editing was a different story, and she was afraid she might have to enlist a bit of help with that one. Maybe her brother? Or Skylar? He was known as the school's techie for a reason, even amongst normals...

The fact remained, though, that she'd gotten a bit ahead of herself. She needed to write a stellar article to get that prime spot, and so she sat in the currently empty theater, trying to think of a good subject. It only stood to reason that Chelsea wasn't so much concerned with reporting that the Phoenixes beat the Wildcats in the latest basketball game...no, her article would almost certainly be an opinion piece. What about, though? She had a lot of passions, but which one did she want to address? This was an important decision, as far as she was concerned. The sophomore tapping her eraser against her chin as she thought, unaware that she was no longer alone in the theater.

Word Count: 474
To: Open
Notes: None

[Aria Selena Cooper]

Aria really has no place to be at this time and was wandering around. She tried to call her mother and fill her in on what they were doing at school but like most of the times she tried to reach her parents the phone was either off or had no service. It wasn’t because they didn’t want there one and only daughter to contact them but because they were off seeing the world. Which was good for her mother to get out of the dentist office and her father to put down the legal books and actually get out and see new and different inspiring things. She had wished a million times she could be out exploring the world with them getting rich ideas from different cultures but school was first in her eyes and her parents.

As she strolled around school she couldn’t see anything inspiring here right now. She was caught up on all her homework and even a couple weeks in front of other students. It was dedication to knowledge and since in her other life before this one woman didn’t get opportunities like this at such a young age. They were expected to be homemakers, which wasn’t one of Aria’s strong suits. As she made her way around the building it seemed everyone else was off doing last minute things or just hanging with friends. At this time a lot of her friends were catching up on homework or just plain else where. This annoyed the sophomore but she understood that people had places to be and things to do. Coming upon the theater room she stop and stared looking at the door. Usually drama people were in there practicing for an upcoming play and that could be satisfying on it’s own. Although she couldn’t remember if there was even a school play coming up since for weeks she had been locked in her dorm doing homework or just plain research.

So hoping for some sort of luck she opened the door and stepped inside. The first thing she noticed was there wasn’t a play or anything going on the theater room. But that is where she was wrong as she look down at the auditorium she noticed her best friend Chelsea or who she used to call Susan. She walked down a long isle to get down to her friend although after reevaluating she seemed to be plotting ideas. She wasn’t to sure about what though since they hadn’t really talked due to her wanting to get a head in school. Aria bit her lip but decided maybe she could help Chelsea out with that ever she was doing.

“Hello Chelsea, what are you doing holed up in here? Your starting to look like me holed up in our dorm. Although the mole is out of her burrow for at least a couple weeks.”

Aria couldn’t help but laugh by calling herself a mole. But it was true she would go to class and straight up to the dorm. It was terrible but it helped a lot with studies and her friends knew what a fanatic she was to get things done and done right now before it was even due. But now that she had time for friends it seemed they were all doing last minute stuff. Although Chelsea had a full plate also and figured it was probably something to do with school or extra curricular activities.

[Chelsea Marie Simmons]

It wasn't until Chelsea heard Aria's voice that she realized that the other girl was even in the theater with her. Chelsea stopped tapping her pen and grinned over at Aria. "Take a seat! I don't think you'll have trouble finding one."[/color] Chelsea was a very outgoing person, but even she needed some time away from the crowd occasionally. This was one of those times. She also had her doubts as to whether Errol would enter the theater unless there was some sort of event going on, which was a plus as well. It was no secret how much Chelsea detested Errol Murdock, especially after he forced a kiss on her at a Valentine's Day event set up by the school. Add to that the fact that he was one of the main players in Anti-RSOR? Let's just say that if she and Errol were hanging out near a volcano, Chelsea wouldn't be entirely against 'accidentally' nudging Errol and sending him plummeting into a fiery pit of lava.

...alright, maybe she wouldn't go that far. She did find relish at the mental picture, though!

"I'm trying to think of a good idea for an article. The school newspaper is holding a contest between article writers to decide who will make the first video blog post on the school website. I'd like to earn that spot, but I need a good article to blow everyone else out of the water. Have any ideas?"[/color] Chelsea actually considered herself quite lucky that Aria entered the theater rather than anyone else. She felt more comfortable discussing this with Aria than anyone else, really. Even Evie or Isabella, who were probably her closest friends other than Aria. Aria was there for her past life, though, and the two made strides in the women's suffrage movement together.

That didn't mean that Chelsea wanted to be limited to an article about women's rights, though the thought occurred to her. However, there were other issues she saw fit to tackle as well. Gay rights was a huge one in this life. There were also more school centered issues, such as the issue with RSOR and Anti-RSOR. She was sure that that one would get a good readership, and she'd be careful not to give anything away too closely. Then again, she thought with a frown, she'd probably have to interview Errol if she had to do anything with Anti-RSOR. So perhaps that wasn't such a good idea. Again, she was back to the many passions that she had and which one she actually wanted to address for the article. She sighed in frustration, tapping her pen against her papers this time rather than her chin. "You know, you should consider joining the paper."[/color] Chelsea told Aria. After working on The Revolution together in their past lives? Chelsea wouldn't mind working on a paper again with Aria at all.

Word Count: 497
To: Aria/Shannon
Notes: Whoo, a post

[Aria Selena Cooper]

“Thanks.”

Taking a seat in the row in front of Chelsea she had her knees on where you sit and her arms hugging the backrest. Aria looked around the theater one more time noticing how eerily quiet it was in here without the drama kids all over the place. But it was the perfect place to come and think complete quiet unless someone like her came along and interrupted. Aria listened to Chelsea as she talked about a good idea she needed for an article. Aria thought for a moment on ideas but nothing was really popping out at her. Which was surprising because she always had ideas and topics to rant about. Maybe it was all the homework she had done these past week had leveled her brain and now she couldn’t think straight.

Sitting there thinking of a topic that could pop and wow the student population was a difficult one. But it was an opportunity that Aria was going to see Chelsea achieve. Because if she had anything to do with this, they were going to get Chelsea on that first blog. It was a big step from where they were and to get their voices out to the public again and in to the spotlight it needed to be done. Plus blogging was seen by a bigger majority of the people unlike newspapers, which barely anyone reads anymore. Aria sat there thinking of different topics they could use, the biggest one in her mind would be going green. But a second biggie in her book would be no texting and driving. But since most of them live in dorms that really wouldn’t make sense to make that a topic.

“Well I would say the most major topic to me would be going green and recycling. Because do you know how many recyclables are put in landfills each year? Not to mention that if we don’t stop this we could all end up with no clean water, which means adios human race! Or you could talk about student lifestyle of why it’s better to live in dorms or at home. But that ones not really catchy…. Or you could go with a really fun one of why it’s better to be a reincarnate then to just be normal. Kidding!”

Aria made sure to say reincarnate in barely a whisper just enough for Chelsea to hear. Although that topic could be fun it was definitely out of the question. Even though sometimes she loved knowing her past and where she came from but sometimes she envied the normals. They got to live as there own person not someone from the past. It was almost like a cruel joke bringing them back when relatives or spouses are still dead. But she couldn’t dwell on it there was nothing she could do to change the past just make way for a better future. Aria listened as Chelsea told her she should consider joining the paper. Honestly Aria never even thought about it before. And it would look good on a transcript not to mention she could have writing freedoms again.

“I will definitely think about it, I mean it was fun writing on a paper before. Plus I’m getting sick of just writing papers for classes anyway. I could have fun with my writing styles again instead of essay format.”

Words count:560
Notes: Almost felt like this post was made to me and you didn't even know it! ha.

[Chelsea Marie Simmons]

The issue with Chelsea was that she didn't want to give everything that she had for this one article, but yet she wanted it to stand out enough for it to win the contest. The grand prize was the blog entry, which Chelsea knew would have a greater viewership than the article she was currently working on. She planned on using the blog as a major platform. The article, on the other hand? It was just the means to get there. It didn't mean that she wasn't taking it seriously, and that she didn't want to make a point with the article, it just meant that she knew she'd get her point across better with the blog than the article.

Chelsea appreciated Aria's confidence in the matter. Chelsea was not lacking in confidence herself, but even she had her doubts occasionally, and it was nice to see that someone else had confidence in her and was willing to help. Aria was one of her best friends. They went back to the 1800s. If Chelsea trusted anyone to help her through this, it was Aria.

Chelsea considered the recycling angle. "It's not a bad idea, and an issue that needs to be addressed. It's a pretty commonly addressed issue, though, so it might not stand out enough."[/color] The last thing Chelsea wanted was to blend in with the rest of the entries. She wanted hers to stand out. Not to mention she didn't feel as strongly on recycling as she did on other issues - Though recycling and taking care of the planet was important, to be sure. The sophomore laughed at her friend's next suggestion. "Elizabeth Cady Stanton! You know how much trouble I'd get into for writing that?"[/color] She whispered, knowing that no one was in the theater to overhear. That said, she was grinning, showing that she was clearly teasing. When it came to stating her opinion, she didn't care whether she got into trouble or not. She'd gone to jail for daring to vote in an election, for pete's sake!

Chelsea continued to dwell on what to write. "I was thinking maybe a gay rights platform. You know, the Wizard put up that bulletin about me saying I was a lesbian like it would be a bad thing if I was. I'm not, but I didn't like the implications of the bulletin."[/color] Even if Oz did apologize for it, and Chelsea did forgive him, it exposed something that Chelsea wanted to address. Question was, did she want to address that for this article or the blog post itself? Hearing that Aria was seriously considering joining the school paper, Chelsea smiled. "That would be great! You should really do it..."[/color] Now, to see what Aria would say to that.

Word Count: 481
To: Aria/Shannon
Notes: It kinda does. 0.o

[Aria Selena Cooper]

“Very true it is very common issue people love to talk about. And it’s an easy topic to attack nothing that would make it jump off the page. “

Aria could help but laugh as Chelsea playfully scolded her about her next topic idea. Although Aria did find it to be humorous, but she knew what would happen if they even touched that subject. All hell would break loose for the school and everyone who was a reincarnate. Not that it stopped them before but women’s rights were a little more down to earth than being reborn in to your second life. Thoughts flew through Aria’s mind but nothing seemed to make her want to share her ideas. Everything seemed so generic there was nothing shocking to stand up for these days. It was almost calm in this decade, which she wasn’t used to.

“Well hey if you’re Lesbian, Heterosexual, Bisexual or A sexual you’re still the same person. I can’t really lie though it would be funny if you were A sexual. And yes that is a really big one conservatives don’t like to talk about or religious freaks because it’s not right to them but really what is right in this world? Is the rules that man makes that is completely right? I don’t think so. It the rules we choose to make that are right, of course with out hurting or killing people. I mean people saw us trying to help women and most every man had a stink eye out for us. The only thing about gay rights is a lot of readers might be on the fence about it or not even read it at all. Plus people talk about gay rights all the time. Not that it’s bad because we talked about women’s rights until our words were crammed in to any ear that would listen. But if you want to do this piece I would save this for the finale, the blog if you really want people to hear you.”

Remembering the bulletin almost relit the ember in Aria about the Wizard. It was one thing to be mean, but to be that cruel and make fun of someone in such a rude way was unacceptable. Even if Chelsea were gay it wouldn’t matter she’d still be the same outspoken person Aria had been best friends with since the last decade. But some people were ignorant and would try to attack someone any which way they could. It was ridiculous how cruel this world had become before her arrival back. She had seen bullying so many times, some things she could try and stop others she couldn’t. But bully had gotten so bad. Not to forget there were bully’s in her past also but they didn’t seem as scary as these new bullies who could follow you home via text and email not to mention social networking sites.

“Why don’t you do a piece on bullying? I mean I know that’s a little drawn out too. And I think I will join the newspaper, I mean it can only help my resume for college. Plus we can have another class together! How do I sign up?”

Aria couldn’t help but bounce up and down a bit. She was excited to start something new and maybe this could help her reestablish herself as a writer. It had been a long time since she wrote for plain fun and to get issues she sided with across to people. Although she did have a notebook of scribbles it was nothing more than that, just a bunch of note book scribbles. Possibly with this new found opportunity it could be more than that.


Words:615

[Chelsea Marie Simmons]

It wasn't even that the issues between RSOR and Anti-RSOR were a bad subject to address. It was a heated subject that she knew would get people talking, which was exactly what she wanted. However, even she realized the risks that came with attempting to do an article on that, and thus was not about to touch that with a ten foot pole, as tempting as it was.

Especially when considering that writing an article about RSOR would be rubbing the whole thing in Errol's face, which would be satisfying in it's own way. She still needed to get back at Errol for that forced kiss.

Chelsea took what Aria was saying into consideration. She agreed with most of what the other sophomore reincarnate was saying (as usual), right down to the idea that gay rights would be better addressed in a video blog. It was a polarizing issue, and one that needed to be addressed, but the fact that it was polarizing in the first place meant that it might not be the best choice for a contest. As much as she hated to think about it, and as much as it annoyed her, she had to take into consideration that the folks judging the contest might be biased, and that they might push her article aside because of that. She had nothing holding her back with the video blog, and had visual media as well as written media to rely on. But she needed to get there first, which meant that she had to strike a balance.

Chelsea's eyes widened at Aria's next suggestion. "That's a great idea! Plus, if I do win the contest, it can serve as a segway into the video blog, since the subjects are somewhat related."[/color] The sophomore liked the direction that this was going in. Just as she expected, Aria was the right person to go to to help her reach this decision. She was even more thrilled when she discovered that she'd succeeded in convincing Aria to join the school paper. Oh, the things they could do with both of them working on the same paper again. Granted, this paper wasn't their own making, which meant that they wouldn't have as much power as they had with The Revolution before, but it was a start. They were only sophomores in this life, and Chelsea was fine with working her way back up again. They had plenty of time to do so, after all. "I can let the teacher know that you want to transfer in, if you'd like."[/color] Chelsea nearly felt like jumping for joy. Not only did she have an idea for this article, but she had an idea for the blog itself, and Aria was joining the paper. This trip to the theater was working out far better than she initially expected it to!

Word Count: 489
To: Aria/Shannon
Notes: None

[Aria Selena Cooper]

“Exactly! Plus it’s not like they can revoke you from doing the blog because the material you want to talk about. And if they do we will make some noise and I’m sure they will see it our way.“

Aria couldn’t help but puff out her chest a bit and raise her head a little higher. She knew that she didn’t come up with the topic single handedly but it made her feel as if she helped and that was rewarding enough. Aria’s head couldn’t help but wander, what if they got to do the video blog together or could start a school video blog that featured them and what pressing topics were out there and needed to be voiced. She couldn’t help but get excited, it something new and in its own revolutionary way. They could reach so many people if they convinced the teacher they could do blogging for the newspaper with maybe even guest stars, who have something to say about each topic they will be talking about.

“So about your, soon to be our teacher… what is he or she like? Also when I get in to the class maybe we can persuade our teacher to let us blog every week on pressing issues. I mean whom better to get news out there than you and me? And we sure know how to get people to listen. Plus so it looks like we are not being selfish we could have guest stars. I’m going to fast aren’t I? I’m just so excited to get our voiced back out there!”

Aria pretty much was bouncing from the theater seat now, her head was spinning with all the wonderful ideas. Although he knew she would want to present her new teacher with a article to show that she had the guts and spirit to be in the newspaper and wasn’t just trying to get in just because. But that’s just how Aria was; she wanted to show off what she knew and to prove that she could learn more. First Chelsea had to see if she could slip in the class before anything was written in stone. Although she couldn’t help but to think she would be automatically in when she presented a paper that wasn’t even asked for. That was the best thing about Aria she always liked to be one step ahead. She always surprised people but that was the best part to see that she brought something better to the table.

“So I was thinking that maybe I should write a small little tester article and present it to the teacher on my first day. I mean I want them to know I can write and not just about fashion or something easy but cutting edge things people don’t want to discuss but need to. What do you think Chels?”

Word Count: Well forgot to count but it was in the 400's =D
To: Mandee/Cheslea
Notes: None

[Chelsea Marie Simmons]

It was Chelsea's hope that they wouldn't try to remove her from the blog (if she was chosen, of course) because of the subject matter she chose to address. If that did actually happen? Well, Chelsea wouldn't take it laying down. She'd either do a blog on her chosen subject or she'd protest long and hard until they either replaced her with someone else (and then she would still protest) or gave into her demands. Fortunately, she knew that she'd probably have at least one person backing her up, judging by this conversation.

Chelsea grinned at Aria's excitement. "He's a he, and he's a pretty decent guy. I don't think he'd try to censor us too much, from what I've seen so far."[/color] Considering that she was only a sophomore, that wasn't much compared to some of the older students on the paper, but Chelsea was still fairly confident that he'd allow them to write about what they wanted to write about. Even if Chelsea didn't win this video blog spot, she planned on having her voice heard. It would just be nice if she got that spot. Even if she did go back to written articles afterward, her name would be out there more prominently, and that made it worth it.

That said, she wondered if Aria was going to go for the prize as well. Chelsea would be thrilled if either of them won, though she had to admit that she wanted to win more than she wanted Aria to win. Like Aria, though, Chelsea was getting a bit ahead of herself. In her excitement, she nearly forgot that Aria had yet to even step foot in the classroom. She was sure that the teacher would let her in, but as for what would happen after that? That was a different story. The rest of the staff knew Chelsea decently well, thanks to the sophomore having been on the newspaper staff since halfway through her freshman year. They still had to feel out Aria. Hell, a few of them still had to meet Aria. Other sophomores might know her, but she wasn't so sure about the older students.

"That's a great idea, actually. I didn't even think to do that on my first day. I think that will make you stand out from the get go. Good plan!"[/color] While Aria certainly didn't need to prove herself right away (nor did she need to prove herself to Chelsea, who knew that Aria would do a fine job), Aria would be going into this with guns blazing, and Chelsea had a lot of respect for that attitude.

Word Count: 449
To: Aria/Shannon
Notes: None