Community, Positivity, & Me ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

Some of you may know me as an exemplary avoider of all things social. Please, hold your shocked gasps if you were not in The Know™, but I secretly hate people. Not any of you specifically, obviously it would be kind of self-involved to think that way, no I mean the concept of large groups of people in general, no I will not specify the number, figure it out. Being a part of large communities generally doesn't appeal to me. I find no interest in school spirit, I ghost all club joining queries, and question my life choices during homecoming. So in my definition of what I like to do, I prefer solitude, and outside of that solitude, try to limit the number of people I like to spend time with to maybe a little over a dozen, if we are being generous. So after all of this, do you think I find any positivity in the community? Well, rarely, yes. For this experiment, we will limit our scope to a close group of friends, based on prior personal standards. I find positivity in this situation by playing games, any type but generally where we can all be on separate teams. A small, close-knit, calm, and serious when it comes to games and community, that is where I find positivity. 

Community Served! (In the Court of Law)

Do you, yes you, want to bond with your community? Sometimes, some people just can’t keep plans together. They may try really hard, but they flake away. Well, I have a solution for you! Commit a non-violent crime!!! These crimes have a chance for you to be mandated by the United States Justice system to community serve. This makes it nearly impossible to miss, wouldn't want to go to jail, would you? At these community events, you can meet people who share your interests—baking, knitting, video games, and committing misdemeanors. You will find commonalities in no time! And the added benefit of being there with the same attitude, and hatred due to court mandates, you will be even more likely to form long-lasting friendships. Just like one would be likely to form a friendship with a cellmate, one would also be likely to form a greater friendship with a fellow person, dedicated to serving the community. And please, always be aware of the massive fines and possible jail time that can result from committing crimes, especially once this goes on your criminal record. Good luck, and have fun!

-Austin

A fun fact about me;  I’m part of    Middle School’s NJHS (National Junior Honors Society). As a member, I’ve already done a good amount of community service, enough to be able to talk about it at least.

My first job was a simple one; organizing some cabinets in one of the English Teacher's rooms, normally they would be pretty clean, enough to know where certain things go, but this? This was beyond my expectations. I spent a lot more time than I thought, just organizing a cabinet. It was something that put me into the reality of how unorganized the English Teachers in my school are- but it does help me know what to expect now.

Though, that was one of the more chaotic and difficult ones, that snapped me back into the realization that not all the teachers in my school are incredibly organized. I’ve also taken part in some jobs that make me feel like I was helping these teachers in my school. Honestly, volunteering and helping teachers with things they don’t have time to do, does make me feel like I’m doing something good for the staff.

-Charlotte

The First Book of the Graceling Series, Simply titled Graceling, was written by Kristen Cashore and released on October 1, 2008. Yes, this book may be older than a reader of this paper. The synopsis goes as such, “Katsa is a Graceling, one of the rare people born with an extreme skill. As the niece of the king, she lived a life of privilege until the day her ability to kill a man with her bare hands revealed itself during a royal banquet. Now she acts as her uncle’s enforcer, traveling the Kingdom and threatening those who dare oppose him. But Everything changes when she meets Po, a foreign prince Graced with combat skills who is searching for the truth about his grandfather’s disappearance. When Katsa agrees to help him, she never expects to learn the truth about her Grace – or about a terrible secret that could destroy them all.” 

SPOILER WARNING

Yes as seen, Katsa is the royal enforcer of her uncle King Randa. In her years of being an outcast, for both her murderous Grace and the fact of being a Graceling, she has found Few friends, her Cousin Prince Raffin, His companion Bann, Lord Ol, Lord Giddon, and her Maidservant Helda. In this time she has formed what is known as “The Council” which deals with undermining the authority of the neighboring kingdoms of the land. On one fateful mission to retrieve Po’s Grandfather from captivity, She duels, beats, and then officially meets a day or so later, Prince Po. They become quick friends and she quickly brings him into the inner circle of “The Council.” Upon learning that Po’s Grace is not truly combat skills, but the ability to read the mind of anyone thinking about him, she ends their friendship for a time. With his grace comes greater awareness of his surroundings. Soon they leave, but not before declaring independence to her coward of an uncle, in search of Discovering what has happened to His aunt, The queen of Monsea, in the time since his grandfather has been Kidnapped. They set off and on the way, gain deeper affection for each other and become partners for life, outside of the traditional marriage sense.  On their way, Po starts to think a larger conspiracy is afoot regarding King Leck, the King of Monsea. Is theory is confirmed upon meeting him, witnessing him killing his wife and attempting to kill his daughter, Bitterblue, without anyone caring. It has now become clear that King Leck’s words, be they true or false, make anyone who hears them believe them, save for mind readers. While in the outside world, he was portrayed as a kind king, In actuality he was a visceral abuser to everyone in his court. In an attempt to kill him, Po loses his vision in a major accident, and Bitterblue and Katsa have to travel to Po’s homeland, Lienid, the long way around, to avoid being controlled by Leck's spell, for help. While Po has lost traditional sight, his grace allows him to be able to function almost normally. After weeks of climbing dangerous mountains in the winter, Katsa has finally realized that her Grace is survival, being able to have all the abilities necessary to survive alone in the wilderness. Upon Arriving at Po’s castle, they are greeted by Po’s family and King Leck. While being confused by his words, Katsa gains the ability to kill him to protect the secret of Po’s Grace. Shortly after, Bitterblue is crowned Queen, and Katsa and Po reunite and promise to stay together in love. While Bitterblue is shown to be kind, The kingdoms still have many unjust Kings that need to be reckoned with.

-Austin