name victor gibson
dob sept 27 1981
hometown Maysville, KY
occupation art teacher/painter

history

victor was adopted by his fathers, arnold and martin burard, when he was only a few weeks old. it was an open adoption, and he grew up knowing that his birth mother loved him very much, but was too young to raise a child. she was a family friend, which made the same-sex adoption easier to deal with, because there was no red tape or discrimination against two men wanting to adopt a baby. In the 80s, this was almost unheard of, but they were determined to give their son the best life they could, and were prepared to throw down with anyone who disagreed with their 'lifestyle'.

When vik was in second grade, he met Lucas and the two became fast friends. Lucas didn't care that he had two dads, and soon they were inseparable. the greatest tragedy of their lives was that they were a grade apart, and therefore couldn't ever be in the same class. but they spent every moment together that they could, weaving into each other's lives like the bright plastic thread of the friendship bracelets that they sloppily made for each other at summer camp. But threads break occasionally, and when Lucas started doing things that made vik nervous, he tried to talk to him. To convince him not to cut classes, not to go out drinking, not to try those drugs that were offered to him. But Lucas was rebellious, and forever stubborn. And eventually, the two of them drifted apart. It was incredibly painful for vik, and arnold gave him a book titled 'How To Survive A Breakup With Your Best Friend'. And while he and Lucas hadn't actually 'broken up', they definitely weren't close anymore. vik graduated high school without his best friend at his side, and it broke his heart.

Heartbreak doesn't last forever, though, and soon the ache of missing Lucas eased. his dads THREW HIM A belated graduation PARTY AND GAVE HIM AN OLD TOYOTA (A CAR THAT LATER WOULD ALMOST LITERALLY EXPLODE ON THE ROAD) ALONG WITH A CHECK FROM HIS GRANDMOTHER FOR AN AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT WAS STAGGERING FOR A TEENAGER WHO'D BEEN WORKING AT DAIRY QUEEN FOR A YEAR AND A HALF. UNDER THE ENCOURAGEMENT OF ARNOLD AND martin, HE TOOK A GAP YEAR. HE WENT TO EUROPE FOR FIVE MONTHS, japan for one six weeks, and spent the rest of the time bouncing around the states. he made friends, did things he never thought he'd do (like jump out of a plane. that was a thing. never again) and stayed in motels that looked like they would be perfectly at home in some horrible made for tv murder movie. IT WAS FUN, BUT WHEN HE GOT BACK TO kentucky AT THE END OF AUGUST, HE WAS MORE THAN READY TO return TO HIS STEADY LIFE. ALWAYS BEING ONE TO DOODLE IN HIS BOOKS AT SCHOOL MORE THAN ACTUALLY STUDY, IT SEEMED NATURAL FOR vik TO BECOME AN ARTIST. TO BE SPECIFIC, HE WANTED TO ILLUSTRATE GRAPHIC NOVELS AND COMICS. SO ART SCHOOL SEEMED A NATURAL CHOICE. HE WOUND UP ATTENDING Paducah School of Art & Design, WHERE HE EVENTUALLY GOT HIS BFA IN COMMUNICATION ARTS. AND THAT DEGREE GOT HIM... EXACTLY NOTHING. BECAUSE, SURPRISE SURPRISE, YOU COULDN'T GRADUATE AND EXPECT SOMEONE TO HAND YOU AN ILLUSTRATION JOB THE MOMENT YOU LEFT CAMPUS. AND SO, vik LOOKED FOR ANOTHER JOB. HE WOUND UP FINDING SOMETHING AT AN INSURANCE COMPANY THAT ONLY REQUIRED HE TAKE A QUICK ONLINE COURSE TO GET HIS CERTIFICATIONS. HE HAD TO WEAR A SUIT TO THE OFFICE, WASN'T ALLOWED TO DECORATE HIS CUBICLE, AND HE WAS MISERABLE. HE DIDN'T STOP DRAWING, HOWEVER, AND more and more of his free time was spent slapping paint on canvasses to help relieve the stress of his daily life. after a year or two of this, his dads came to him and told him that this wasn't working. it clearly wasn't what he wanted to do, and they couldn't stand to see him like that. prepared for another 'do what makes you happy' speech, he was half checked out until his parents suggested something that made him blink at them. what if he taught art? it was a revelation.

It seemed almost unfair for him to go back to school after doing it all already, but getting his teaching degree felt important to him. He wasn't even sure if he needed one to just teach art, but if he was going to do this, he was going to do it properly. so it was more school, more late nights studying, and more doodles in the margins of his notes. he passed his final exams with flying colors, and was granted that lovely teaching certificate. except he ran into the same problem he'd had before; you can't just graduate college and expect to be handed a job immediately. thankfully, though, this time he didn't have to work a dead-end insurance job that he hated. because while there were no teaching jobs for art in kentucky, that said nothing of other states. and it only took him a few weeks of looking before he found potential in CITY. it wasn't a place he'd ever thought he would settle down, but it seemed like it was meant to be when he discovered Lucas, who he had recently started chatting with again - social media was amazing for finding people who you'd thought you'd lost forever - lived there. and when he took a trip out to visit his wayward best friend, and found an almost perfect apartment that was right in his price range and near the school that was looking for an art teacher, it felt like the stars aligned. this was how it was meant to be.

to further the 'this is right' feeling, before his trip was over, vik had both a job and an apartment. he went back to kentucky and told his dads that he was moving, and while they were shocked at how fast everything was going, they were more than happy for him. they helped him pack, made him promise to call and visit about eighty times, and sent him off on his own. nevermind that he had left for college twice already, his parents still pouted when he pulled out of the driveway to make the long drive to CITY. and that's where his new life began. and it was wonderful. so much better than living as a miserable insurance agent.

currently, vik lives in the condo he upgraded his apartment too. he and Lucas are back to being thick as thieves, and it's almost like they never drifted apart at all. he still paints whenever he can, and often comes home from work covered in glue, or glitter, or both.

personality
✗ Too often feels like things that are out of his hands should be in his hands. He takes the weight of the world on his own shoulders. ✓ He's so sociable and friendly it's hard not to like him. He will forever be in your corner, and has endless positivity for other people.
vik is an extroverted young man with a sunny outlook on life. He's the perfect example of the kind of teacher you'd hope to have your kids in his class. He's bold and outspoken without being rude, and opinionated without forcing it down your throat. He's not perfect, he does get gloomy and down on himself sometimes, but he's overly optomistic when it comes to everything except himself.