So, Raindom Fact. In the original fantasy version of the story, the school was going to have a sweater as part of their uniform. But 2009 was around when I decided that if I'm going to write Rain, I'm going to do a slice of life story. For some reason that I admit I don't totally remember, the sweater part of the uniform did not survive the genre transition. I decided to bring it up again here as a little callback.
The only actual punishment she got was detention. The valedictorian thing is as much for her as the school.
Valedictorians get in front of school and give a speech. Think about this. A pregnant girl is often a pariah. She doesn't need this "honor".
So really most of it is him lecturing her and the detention. Not a bad guy at all just rough around the edges. We were expecting a scary hellfire type.
Sorry to say it, but if I was pregnant and in line to be valedictorian but lost it because the principal thought it'd be "bad for the school's image," I'd sue the pig. And in all actuality, Emily isn't (wasn't?) a pariah. She is (was?) one of the most popular girls in school (Remember her Halloween party?). And considering the fact that, despite all this emotional trauma she's been through and that she's maintained the ability to keep her valedictorian status just goes to prove that she DESERVES the honor. And yes, Father Quenton is a (In Aunt Fara's words) pig's ass.
Samantha, being valedictorian is a HUGE honor, one that people strive for for four years. Taking away this honor from anybody because they were pregnant (which is completely unrelated to somebody's class rank) seems extremely unfair to me. And what does being a pariah (which Emily certainly isn't at this point) have to do with someone's right to or desire for such an award? I don't think one can assume that Emily "doesn't need this 'honor'".
Being valedictorian is a huge honor, yes. But you don't seem to be getting the point.
Suppose she goes on stage in a few months, and gives a speech something like this (these btw are all cliche phrases): "Education is not a destination, but a journey. Believe in yourself and question everything. You are the brightest and best generation, never settle and dare to live you dream. And above all... (puke)" and clutching her belly. Maybe some people will put the pieces together, and realize maybe just maybe she's pregnant.
Lower profile is a thing. And when you're worried about people judging you, suddenly standing up on stage where EVERYONE CAN POTENTIALLY SEE your belly is possibly not a good idea. Neither is possibly getting your picture taken by the local news, and having the newspaper do the research to follow up on the story. She will have time to get valedictorian in college. Or she can suck it up and realize that grinding for four years of solid study means she misses out on alot of fun. Frankly, I don't remember knowing any valedictorians personally, they tended to be the most isolated people. I'm not sure that is something to aspire to.
Again, it's an honor she doesn't need. If the guy said she couldn't go to senior prom, I'd say the same thing. Baby belly would show up on a tight dress.
I guess I see where you're coming from, but we'll have to agree to disagree. (You think that taking away Emily's status will protect her, correct?)
I still feel that nobody should be able to decide for another person whether or not they "need" an honor. Emily seems disappointed in the fact that she'll be losing her valedictorian status, and that seems like proof enough to me that she was willing to take on any challenges that being valedictorian may bring (pregnant or not). Besides, she's preparing to show her classmates that she's pregnant soon, so I think the spectacle of her pregnancy will be diluted by the time she graduates.
I also think that generalizing valedictorians as isolated people is a little unfair. (And becoming valedictorian doesn't make you magically become isolated, so people can aspire to be valedictorian all they want without fear of losing some social status).
Anyways, thank you for taking the time to reply, and I hope you have a lovely day. Happy reading.
You also don't get that this is part of her thinking. Notice how "not outraged" she is. She admits that yes it is a downer, but she doesn't want to become news either.
Also, I've read Misfile. We get the sense that Emily (the other one) was also valedictorian, and that's how she got into the school of her choice. But over the course of the story, this decision is examined. She wasn't really happy, she was just carrying out dreams foisted on her by her mom. She was "friends" with fake people, and actually pursuing a course of study that she had little interest in. All in all, this a pretty damning assessment of the entire concept of working your butt off for your parent's expectations.
Just because something is valued, doesn't mean it is always of value. Some things are actually worthless when you consider how much effort was invested for the payoff.
Yes, another person shouldn't be able to take away another person's honors. But if something is actually your honor, nobody can take it away because it isn't a thing to be given or taken. Real honor is how you feel.
But lest you feel I don't know what I'm talking about, I've been close to this sort of thing. I was honors student most of my life. I was in the honors program in college.
I usually went home and cried. I had friends in elementary school, then we moved. I had a few friends in junior high (after some work), a few acquaintances in high school but nobody that I hung out with after school.
It's bullshit. All that studying does is make other people think you're a snob. Someone who can't connect with normal people. But that's not what I wanted at all.
And this is why when I was in honors program, I eventually decided to drop out of the program, make friends with people who had interests I liked, and ditch the whole perfect scholar scene.
Being valedictorian and being obviously not what the school endorses on stage does not subject you to be a pariah for the rest of your high school days because you don't get up to speak until after your high school days are already done.
If Emily is not puking much at 17 weeks and she continues to be careful about how she eats including how much at once, she's probably not going to have uncontrolled puking by the time they're getting their diplomas.
However, being valedictorian isn't just about having the best grades. It's also about being eloquent and having a speech that the school wants to endorse. The student with the best grades in my high school was also the most eloquent, and most of the students thought she was going to be the valedictorian. Unfortunately, the second most eloquent of the top five students wrote a speech that was much more in keeping with the school's "don't rock the boat" attitude, so he got picked instead.
For a Catholic school, being visibly pregnant is part of a message they don't want to endorse - even if she'd gotten married before hand and was still married. So it goes to the next person down the list. That's not really an attack as such, just the school operating as schools operate.
So happy for Rain! That's been a goal the entire comic, and I'm so glad to see it's finally being met. I also hope that the sweater grows on Emily, so she won't think its that bad. Better than discomfort.
I saw your facebook post Jocelyn, so happy to hear everything worked out. I'm not out yet so I try to keep a low profile on facebook, so I'm saying it here!
I've only brought this up on Facebook so far, so for those who don't follow the comic there, I thought I'd just share: my insurance officially authorized my SRS. It was getting kind of scary for a while. I had to wait until the end of the day on the deadline for which payment was due. I could have lived without that. But now it's done and a whole new flux of emotions can begin!
Mind you, it hasn't fully sunk in yet though. I'm still half-expecting a call from Steve Harvey to take it all away. XD
Anyway, that is three weeks away still. You can probably expect a more thorough announcement in the near future regarding what that means for the comic (but don't worry, at the very least this chapter will end before then so I won't be cutting you off at an inopportune point like my previous surgeries).
Okay but CONGRATS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I would love to be nearly half as good a writer as you. Your stories are so realistic and relatable. And congrats on getting insurance to cover it!!!!!! I'm totally not jealous at all (eventhoughjuststartinghormoneskeepsgettingpostponed) ((not gonna complain too much because I'll be 16 when I start, which is earlier than my friends))
Also, I remember at my Catholic middle school there were these old school sweaters that everyone forgot existed. I had a few hand-me-downs from my older brother and I stood out so much whenever I wore them. Of course, me being the only "girl" wearing pants made me stand out more, but that was too be expected.
To be honest, I like how there is a bit of a lack of excitement that Rain is portraying. When I got approved for hormones (about a week ago, actually!) I was over-joyed. But excitement is for some reason really hard to express, especially for something huge like that. I didn't jump for joy and scream. I was just kinda stuck in my head. So, I like the last panel. I can relate.
I didn't have a major emotional reaction, I just saw it as another step, an important one, but still just a step. Right now, the main step is letting HRT do it's job and to suffer through the pain of laser removal while hoping I don't hit boy mode fail at work just yet.
Being valedictorian of your high school ceases to be a big deal after you get into college. I would've been on track to be salutatorian of my high school class (I was valedictorian of my 8th grade... we actually had middle school graduation ceremonies back in those days) but I got the mumps the spring semester of my junior year and missed 4 weeks of school and they wouldn't let me make up my missed schoolwork so my grades got hammered. One of my best friends made valedictorian and I fell back to 5th place. After my friend was in college a couple of years, the whole world pretty much forgot he was a valedictorian of his HS and he got a huge culture shock from finding out that once in college he was just another fish in the sea and he was surrounded by lots of other students that were way smarter then him.
*fanboys so hard his heart explodes*
The only actual punishment she got was detention. The valedictorian thing is as much for her as the school.
Valedictorians get in front of school and give a speech. Think about this. A pregnant girl is often a pariah. She doesn't need this "honor".
So really most of it is him lecturing her and the detention. Not a bad guy at all just rough around the edges. We were expecting a scary hellfire type.
Suppose she goes on stage in a few months, and gives a speech something like this (these btw are all cliche phrases): "Education is not a destination, but a journey. Believe in yourself and question everything. You are the brightest and best generation, never settle and dare to live you dream. And above all... (puke)" and clutching her belly. Maybe some people will put the pieces together, and realize maybe just maybe she's pregnant.
Lower profile is a thing. And when you're worried about people judging you, suddenly standing up on stage where EVERYONE CAN POTENTIALLY SEE your belly is possibly not a good idea. Neither is possibly getting your picture taken by the local news, and having the newspaper do the research to follow up on the story. She will have time to get valedictorian in college. Or she can suck it up and realize that grinding for four years of solid study means she misses out on alot of fun. Frankly, I don't remember knowing any valedictorians personally, they tended to be the most isolated people. I'm not sure that is something to aspire to.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/why-we-dont-need-valedictorians/
Again, it's an honor she doesn't need. If the guy said she couldn't go to senior prom, I'd say the same thing. Baby belly would show up on a tight dress.
I still feel that nobody should be able to decide for another person whether or not they "need" an honor. Emily seems disappointed in the fact that she'll be losing her valedictorian status, and that seems like proof enough to me that she was willing to take on any challenges that being valedictorian may bring (pregnant or not). Besides, she's preparing to show her classmates that she's pregnant soon, so I think the spectacle of her pregnancy will be diluted by the time she graduates.
I also think that generalizing valedictorians as isolated people is a little unfair. (And becoming valedictorian doesn't make you magically become isolated, so people can aspire to be valedictorian all they want without fear of losing some social status).
Anyways, thank you for taking the time to reply, and I hope you have a lovely day. Happy reading.
Also, I've read Misfile. We get the sense that Emily (the other one) was also valedictorian, and that's how she got into the school of her choice. But over the course of the story, this decision is examined. She wasn't really happy, she was just carrying out dreams foisted on her by her mom. She was "friends" with fake people, and actually pursuing a course of study that she had little interest in. All in all, this a pretty damning assessment of the entire concept of working your butt off for your parent's expectations.
Just because something is valued, doesn't mean it is always of value. Some things are actually worthless when you consider how much effort was invested for the payoff.
But lest you feel I don't know what I'm talking about, I've been close to this sort of thing. I was honors student most of my life. I was in the honors program in college.
I usually went home and cried. I had friends in elementary school, then we moved. I had a few friends in junior high (after some work), a few acquaintances in high school but nobody that I hung out with after school.
It's bullshit. All that studying does is make other people think you're a snob. Someone who can't connect with normal people. But that's not what I wanted at all.
And this is why when I was in honors program, I eventually decided to drop out of the program, make friends with people who had interests I liked, and ditch the whole perfect scholar scene.
If Emily is not puking much at 17 weeks and she continues to be careful about how she eats including how much at once, she's probably not going to have uncontrolled puking by the time they're getting their diplomas.
However, being valedictorian isn't just about having the best grades. It's also about being eloquent and having a speech that the school wants to endorse. The student with the best grades in my high school was also the most eloquent, and most of the students thought she was going to be the valedictorian. Unfortunately, the second most eloquent of the top five students wrote a speech that was much more in keeping with the school's "don't rock the boat" attitude, so he got picked instead.
For a Catholic school, being visibly pregnant is part of a message they don't want to endorse - even if she'd gotten married before hand and was still married. So it goes to the next person down the list. That's not really an attack as such, just the school operating as schools operate.
I've only brought this up on Facebook so far, so for those who don't follow the comic there, I thought I'd just share: my insurance officially authorized my SRS. It was getting kind of scary for a while. I had to wait until the end of the day on the deadline for which payment was due. I could have lived without that. But now it's done and a whole new flux of emotions can begin!
Mind you, it hasn't fully sunk in yet though. I'm still half-expecting a call from Steve Harvey to take it all away. XD
Anyway, that is three weeks away still. You can probably expect a more thorough announcement in the near future regarding what that means for the comic (but don't worry, at the very least this chapter will end before then so I won't be cutting you off at an inopportune point like my previous surgeries).
Also, congratulations!!