Finn

I am required to write a Common App essay for my AP Lang/Comp class, and I was hoping to get some feedback before turning it in. The prompt is as follows:

Describe a character in fiction, a historical figure, or a creative work (as in art, music, science, etc.) that has had an influence on you, and explain that influence.

In my experiences with these organic life forms which we call humans, I have found that those who relate to me are nigh nonexistent. As a Romantic-era author trapped in the body of a musically-inclined teenager, I have more often than not found myself distinct, foreign, differentiated, alien. But this is not to say that I am alone. Historical figures have never held much appeal to me; those very real persons who make up the fabric of culture simply do not hold sway in the inverted universe that is my own. The freed and imagined but entirely human entities of the mind, though—these seem to be my blood and kin. Several characters come to mind, none of them even nearly similar to myself: Eponine, from Hugo’s Les Misérables, for her heartrending but sincere love; Oscar Lundquist, from the musical Sweet Charity, for his valiant yet bumbling temperament; Ennis, from the story and movie Brokeback Mountain, for his bittersweet legacy, all the more apt having come from the “gay cowboy” movie. But foremost among them is a 14-year-old boy with blond hair, a heroic blade, a sweater to be envied by the gods, and a talent for kicking.

Unfortunately for my self-esteem, he is the main character of the animated children’s show Adventure Time.

This isn’t quite so bad as it seems; Adventure Time is regularly viewed by a large number of 15-25-year-olds, and has a happy following of teens and adults alike. It features a human boy in a fantastic world, enthralled by its wonders but alone in his humanity. It embodies not only the whimsical fantasies of childhood cartoons, but also the struggles, triumphs, loves lost, friends made, and stories forgotten that are so universal to our own lives.

Over the years, I have come to share Finn’s name and idiosyncrasies, and many of his deeply-grounded morals. And while in many ways, I believe Finn the Human has become nearly synonymous with Finn the human, I also believe that each of us has a bit of room to grow into the other. On his part, an improved singing voice could be advantageous, an expanded vocabulary could not be detrimental, and knowledge of calculus seems to be fitting. As for myself, I have quite a bit to learn: flying outside roundhouse kicks certainly top the lists. But with jokes aside, Finn is surprisingly human, and I have quite a bit that I continually learn from him. I find myself guided by his strong sense of morality and oddly comforted by his trivial forays into the ever-more-complex world of romance. I find myself in pursuit of the adventures that fill his life and the friendships which he bases them upon; I find myself taking solace in a world that is beyond the parameters of reality, yet still all too real. I find myself seeking the happily-ever-afters that are at once far from me and close at hand.

My search for a talking, magical dog, though, has of yet been unfruitful.

There we go! Please, some real criticisms!

Okay, so, there's this girl who I met in my AP Music Theory class. I got to know her better when I was seated next to her in choir, and we've gotten close over the semester. And she's really cool, and nice, and all... But I'm gay. So not gonna happen.

Today, she changed her cover photo on Facebook to three pictures of her and I together. She captioned it with a short message about how we understand each other at a ridiculously deep level. Which is true. And apparently she's got a little history of clinginess. She's really nice, though, and I can't see that happening.

So, what to do? She's a senior, so do I let her down slowly and quietly, and wait for the year to end? Or be straight (no pun-tended) with her? Or come out to her (oh noez)?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49wLAmd2INs

It's a duet by Frank Loesser, sung by Bette Midler and Barry Manilow.

If anyone can do this, even a comparatively simple version of it, I'd be really grateful!

I just need the piano part. The vocals should be easy enough, but if anyone can get those in as well, that'd be really cool! PDF or Musescore editions are preferred, but not required!

Thanks so much, if anyone responds!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49wLAmd2INs

It's a duet by Frank Loesser, sung by Bette Midler and Barry Manilow.

If anyone can do this, even a comparatively simple version of it, I'd be really grateful!

I just need the piano part. The vocals should be easy enough, but if anyone can get those in as well, that'd be really cool! PDF or Musescore editions are preferred, but not required!

Thanks so much, if anyone responds!

Ah... You know, I'm not really sure what my question is. Just an overwhelming feeling that I can't quite handle. But I'm sure there's a question somewhere in here, so... Yeah.

Hi, I'm Finn. I'm sixteen, and I live in Dana Point, where the people are accepting, but the churches aren't. I'm a mostly-closeted gay, but I've been kind of conflicted about where spirituality and sexuality meet. So I guess my first question is, what is the real and true Biblical view on homosexuality? Please, I don't want any "religion is what you make of it" crap, and hopefully somebody on YA can provide to me the insight of a person who lives the life and has definitive knowledge on this subject. I want the uncompromising truth, if you will.

Unfortunately, this is not where my question ends, nor where it centers. I suppose first I should explain who this guy is, and then we can move on to what my dilemma is.

Telm is one of my close friends. He's smart, kind, funny, and knows a bit about looking good. I actually met him this year in calculus (ah, I should clarify that we're both high-school juniors), but we instantly took to each other; I had heard a lot about him, and he about me, but we'd never met. Now we're incredibly close, but I recently switched out of fourth period calculus to join choir. Telm is straight, and we've never had any kind of romantic foray. But here's where the dilemma is.

This past Wednesday, I wrote out a valentine gram to Telm confessing the fact that I am not only gay, but am undeniably in love with him. He actually took it really well, expressing that his view of me has not changed, and that he is admiring of the bravery it took to admit to something of that magnitude. He wrote me a letter which he promptly gave to me with a hug after our school's improv show on Thursday (the hug makes it ok... right???) and asked that I read it, and speak with him later. The letter detailed the above two facts and expressed that he would appreciate for us to grow closer, as I am one of his "favorite people in the world" (quote necessary because I didn't want to sound full of myself) and have a "natural aura" that makes him want to like me. Obviously, he also communicated that a romantic interest wasn't possible but that he wanted as close a relationship as possible outside of that. However, he would also understand if I couldn't bear to be held so close but so far, and would do nothing to hurt me. He then proceeded to explain the basics of his personality to me, revealing that his school personality is merely a costume that people enjoy having around.

I want to write a letter back to Telm. What I really want to do is gush emotions until I've bled dry, but I don't want to scare him off. I want to clarify a few things: the first, that I was aware he was straight all along and merely thought he deserved to know that those feelings existed. The second, that even though it hurts a ton, I'd still love to be best friends with him. The third, that I still plan on giving of myself to make Telm happy because, frankly, that's one of the few things that actually makes me happy. And the fourth, that (oops, I forgot to explain that he talked about this part) it was totally fine by me that he spoke to his sister about all this. About that last one, I'm good friends with his sister, Jacquel, and I suppose he thought it awkward that he related all of this stuff to her. Interestingly, I had kept it from her only because I thought the information might eventually leak to Telm, so I'm totally ok with it. I also want to try and express some of the tenets of Christianity to him (Telm's an atheist), but I don't want to scare him, and I don't want to create a black hole of awkward, either. My relationship with Telm is one of the few that I value above most all others, and so I'm just trying to be as careful with this as I possibly can.

Am I being pushy here? Would this kind of stuff scare a guy away? Is the stuff I plan on including in my letter ok? Anything else I should include to express my sincerity and want to grow closer? Why is the world so cruel, anyways? Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy? And can somebody help me with those questions at the very top?

~Finn le Human