Laurey Williams

So I'm autistic and I've struggled to wrap my head around this concept that someone loving the same gender, even romantically, is sinful. I can't control that I'm asexual. I can't control who I'm attracted to. No one can. I don't see why it's a sin. I'm legitimately curious. 

I have the test this Wednesday and I'd love some good tips on good study/test-taking habits that work.

It's my first AP course; AP Euro. For this weekend I got an assignment for practicing Free Response Questions. I'm stumped and I could use help. I have to create a thesis. For each body paragraph topic sentence, I have to add two pieces of evidence to support it.

The first one; Discuss the causes of the Black Death and its social, political, economic, and religious effects on the culture of the Late Middle Ages. Which of the effects was the most important in terms of the movement of the Middle Ages and into the Modern Era?

I can't restate the prompt. So what are some causes of the Black Death and major effects on the four areas?

So I'd say starting maybe yesterday or the day before, I've been feeling terrible. I have very sore/sensitive skin, I've been coughing a lot which has given me a sore/itchy throat, my nose is congested/runny, which is probably making the bridge of my nose hurt, my ears, mostly right ear, is also very sensitive/sore right now, my eyes are kinda runny, my head kinda hurts, and I feel kinda ugh overall.

My mom still made me go to school today. A lot of these symptoms, which is probably NOT the plague (we watched a video on the bubonic plague in AP Euro Monday and Tuesday, so that's why I brought that up), leads me to two possible conclusions; I have a cold or allergies. If it helps, I haven't really cleaned my room so I could've had exposure to an allergen.

Is it a cold or allergies or something else? How long do they last and what can I do to get well faster?

I'm really considering it for my "Willy Wonka" audition. But it's Streisand's signature. However it seems like a very Veruca song and I'd love to get Veruca.

I'm also considering the title song from "Cabaret" and "Show off" from "The Drowsy Chaperone." The song needs to be upbeat, not a pop song, and 1 and a half minutes at the most. So, should I do "Don't Rain on My Parade?" Or should I pick something else?

So I saw a question on here asking about what to wear to a vocal audition. And it got me thinking. Does it matter what you wear as long as it's not too flashy?

But in case it does, I'm leaning towards Veruca for my audition. What kind of clothes should I wear at a vocal audition? I think I also have a dance audition, but I'm not too sure.

And what if I go with Violet?

Thanks. :)

So I'm fifteen and I have been on 1.5 pills of Zoloft for a while, though I usually just take one. We ran out recently and I've had to go without it. Needless to say, I've been crying more this weekend than I have in the past few months. And it actually feels kinda good to cry more.

But I've also been feeling kinda dizzy and I was really jumpy today. My parents want to put me back on for the end of the year. But I feel a lot more free without it. I think I've have quite a creativity boost and a better motivational drive, except when it comes to homework.

The last time I went off of it, my parents wanted to back on after a while and I freaked out because I felt less emotional and, to be honest, a little bit more depressed, while on it.

I feel like when my parents put me on pills, they're saying I can't function without it. They've gotten angrier at me and they've called me crazy because I realize I don't think I can even call them my family anymore. I speak what's on my mind more without it because it's who I am. So I don't think of Zoloft as an anxiety-inhibiting drug as opposed to somewhat of an identity suppressant and that is what scares me.

Any advice? Thanks in advance.

So my high school's gonna be doing "Willy Wonka" this fall and I wanna get ahead on auditions. I'd love to be either Veruca or Violet. Any ideas for songs that fit the characters? I'm good with

musical theatre songs. Just nothing cliché or from the show.

Thanks! :)

In U.S. History, we're studying Latinos, feminism, and the counterculture of the '60s and we read something I though was a bit interesting. Phyllis Schlafly said that the oppression is only in their heads. Why would some women, aside from the fear of wrecking the family life, be opposed to feminism and think the oppression is merely a trick of the mind?

I'm fifteen and around 5' 1". I really want to be on Broadway, but I've heard that girls have to be 5' 5" or 5' 6" unless they lead. I don't know if I can reach that, so is there anyway you can still be Broadway if you're my height and don't lead? Or are there any ways I can gain a few extra inches? Thanks in advance!

I'm feeling under the weather right now and I'm more sensitive to pain when I'm sick. There's this weird feeling in my skin. It feels kinda like itching, but it hurts. Do the nerves act up or something when you're sick? What can I do to make it go away as fast and as easily as possible?

So I'm going to Poetry Out Loud Regionals and one of the poems I'm reciting is "Jabberwocky" by Lewis Carroll. And call me crazy, but I believe that, despite what I've heard, it's not just a nonsense poem. I feel like there's a deeper meaning in the poem. I want to be able to understand it for regionals on the 13th of February.

From what I can tell, it sounds like the poem is saying that even the most impossible of things can become possible. Like slaying a beast, despite your father's warnings.

Am I right to think there's a deeper meaning behind it? What are your thoughts on the poem's meaning? Thanks!

I'm going to be a junior next year and registration is coming up. My parents want me to take Spanish, but I want to take French. They think Spanish is more useful, but if I take Spanish, I'll have to take Spanish 2 which is hard, according to my sister who has taken Spanish 2.

Junior year is gonna be heck enough as it is with the ACTs. I don't want to enroll in a super hard class and put more stress on me. Plus I'm going into Creative Writing and theatre, so French will be much more useful for me.

I've tried to tell them it's my life and if I don't like it, then I suffer the consequences. My dad says I can, but then he won't drive me anywhere or pick me up from anything. I haven't gotten a learner's permit yet and I don't think I will because I only have one good eye or I can just leave the house.

This isn't fair! I've tried to convince them it's my life and my decisions, but I feel like they're holding me back. It's getting really frustrating and I feel like they won't listen. I'm stressed enough as it is. Taking Spanish 2, because I've already kinda taken Spanish 1, will just add more stress to my year. I feel like I'm gonna cry. Please help!

So normally I have a series of dreams in one night and this one sticks out. There's this freshman guy that I went to Sadies with (I'm a Sophomore, by the way.) and he kidnapped me. Yet I think I kinda willingly went him?

I know this dude has a crush on me. He told me himself. And on a sort of unrelated note, I've been kinda obsessing over "Phantom of the Opera" lately. I say sort of because he told me when were waiting in line to get tickets to see "Phantom of the Opera" and I have a fear of being kidnapped and being forced to sing for someone.

So, does anyone have any idea as to what this means, if it means anything?

So, I'm analyzing and reciting "We Wear the Mask" by Paul Laurence Dunbar for Advanced English and one of the things we have to do is create a visual representation of the poem's meaning. I was thinking of using the Phantom of the Opera as part of the visual. Reason being his deformity has to be hidden from the world that hates it so. I sort of think of it as similar to hiding your feelings because the world may hate you for showing them.

So I was wondering if the Phantom would be good to use on the visual and does anyone have any other ideas? Thanks in advance! The project's due Thursday.

I've done this about four or five times, but I've only auditioned for one play. The rest were musical auditions.

Anyway let's cut to the chase. I'm a Sophomore and my high school is doing "Antigone" for our spring production. I know that the title role might go to a junior or senior, but I really want to go for it.

I know that Antigone is stubborn and rebellious as well as a little bit rude, but what else is she like? If I can embody her personality, I figure that I'd have a better chance of at least getting called back. How else can I prepare for the audition?

I really want this part. She's a confident person who stands for what she believes in and I want to become more like her. If I played her, I might be able to use those skills in real life.

I'm fifteen and I love acting. Unfortunately most roles have 20/20 vision and I have to wear glasses for two reasons:

1. I don't have good vision.

2. I have a prosthetic eye and I don't want to lose the other one.

I don't think that contacts would work for me. They sound like a pain to handle and I'm worried that I might poke my eye out. But I really want to play a lead sometime. The only lead that I know of that wears glasses is Marian Paroo in "The Music Man," which I actually would like to play.

Some other roles that I'd love to play:

-Laurey Williams in "Oklahoma!"

-Christine Daae or Meg Giry or Carlotta in "Phantom of the Opera," mostly Christine Daae.

-Gertrude McFuzz, Mayzie LaBird, or JoJo the Who in "Seussical."

-Hermia, Helena, or Titania in "A Midsummer Night's Dream."

-Sister Sarah Brown in "Guys and Dolls."

-Elle Woods in "Legally Blonde." (I do have naturally blonde hair, but it's golden blonde.)

-Ariel in "The Tempest."

-Myrtle Mae Simmons in "Harvey."

-Antigone in "Antigone," which my school is doing for our spring production this year. I'd also take Ismene or Eurydice.

-Vera Claythorne in "And Then There Were None."

-Juliet in "Romeo and Juliet."

That's all I can think of off the top of my head.

Do you think that any of these roles could be played by someone with glasses, even if that's not normally the case? Do you think that directors would understand if I told them why I need to wear glasses? (I was born with a coloboma and I had to get the eye removed.)

Personally I like the Phantom, Meg, Madame Giry, Christine, Piangi, and Carlotta. I don't really like Raoul or the managers.

Phantom: He's not really a villain. In "Phantom," he's actually the protagonist, not the antagonist. The whole show is about him. Heck he's the freaking title character. Since this is the case, would that make people like Raoul, and even Christine, the antagonists?

What the Phantom really is is misunderstood. He has good intentions. He just isn't able to show them in the best ways possible. Sure he does kill, but at least he has reasons which, if put into certain terms, could possibly be justified.

Meg: In my mind, Meg is really underrated. She's kind of the foil to Christine. While Christine believes in this Angel of Music and such, Meg is more down-to-earth and has realistic expectations. She's also kind of brave and self-sufficient, I guess.

Madame Giry: She's also fairly underrated. Madame Giry is really brave for keeping the Phantom hidden and safe and she has to keep the secret or risk getting into danger. Madame Giry is a very caring person who only wants to keep the theatre and its residents safe.

Christine: I will admit that Christine is kind of a love/hate character in my mind. On one hand, she's naive, too needy, too clingy, and too easily tricked, playing the role of the stereotypical damsel-in-distress. But on the other hand, she puts herself in danger unwillingly for the good of the Opera Populaire. Plus who wouldn't want to sing like her?

Piangi: He's just a very funny character. Maybe a bit underdeveloped, but he's very funny.

Carlotta: She probably tops Piangi in comic relief. She is a bit of a priss, I will admit, but that's what makes her so funny. Her attitude is so sassy and arrogant that it actually makes her a little bit likable. Plus she's taking the majority of the Phantom's crap, which makes her all the more of a tragic, but funny, character.

Raoul: While he is cute and brave, he was a bit of a jerk to the Phantom. To me he's really the antagonist.

The Managers: They were also jerks to the Phantom.

What do you think? What are your preferences and why? Who do you like and dislike?

So at times I get depressed for no reason. It especially happens on Sunday nights. I have anxiety as well, but I'm not sure if I'm suffering from depression. I think that I might have mild depression, but I'm not too sure. Any ideas?

So I'm fifteen years old. Over the summer, I had a seizure and a few weeks ago, I followed up with the neurologist. He told my parents that we should have me do genetic testing by taking blood. No biggie, right? Wrong.

Here's what you need to know:

A. I'm a hypochondriac. If anything bad comes back from the results, I will freak.

B. I can't stand needles. I'm supposed to have a blood draw every year and I'm overdue for the annual blood draw.

C. The people who do the testing could come to my house to do it.

The other option is to take saliva, but it could mess up the results. I really don't wanna have inaccurate results, but I don't like needles and I don't want them to come to my house to take blood. What should I do?