#(me and my sister have listened to the entire series while driving places haha)

[songofsunset]

On the one hand, I've been in bed sick since Friday. On the other hand, I finished two books this weekend, which is nice?

Lmao I just checked the time stamps and I started Nona The Ninth at 5pm Saturday and finished it at 3am Sunday morning, so that's less than 12 hours start to finish xD

I also finished a reread of Network Effect for like the third time, which is a delight as always

[lemonlurkrr]

@aureateart​ ok. My favourite parts of twilight princess  (and some other random thoughts about TP sprinkled in there) taken from my monster TP word vomit google doc :

Link lmao

Ok but for real, I like this incarnation of Link :)

I love Ordon (it just seems like such a chill and cozy village)

ALSO love how easy it is to interpret Link as being a sort of older brother figure to the Ordon kiddos. It’s just,, super cute? AND GHHH nice nice good thanks nintendo for giving me characters to care about/characters that I can imagine Link caring about

He didn’t sign up for any of this (tbh, none of the Links really signed up for this jshdjsd). But I mean like, dude was just going to take a trip to castle town, drop a gift off for the royal family, and come back. But haHA oopsies he did get to castle town eventually but definitely not the way he expected hsjdhsd

He’s just a little dude?

AND FUCK. HE REALLY HAD NEVER BEEN OUTSIDE OF ORDON UNTIL ALL OF THAT

everything is new for the player AND Link

Midna

She’s cool :)

she really just

*teleports into your jail cell* hello whore.

I am no master at writing but AYYYY she do got a character arc!!!

She was actually pretty helpful sometimes, I ALWAYS checked in with her before turning to a game guide

Other NPCs

NICE

Love all of the TP character designs (ASHEI’S ARMOUR??? AOWOAOAOOAO)

Saving Zelda and all of Hyrule was important yea but thinking back maybe it was more like, the Ordonians and the kids were what was pushing Link to keep on going

I like the Resistance members :) Very video gamey of them to have one NPC assigned to each dungeon but hey!!! Kinda cool getting to see a little glimpse of each of em

Idk, it’s just fun to imagine Link popping into Telma’s bar after each dungeon and taking a little rest :) (or to celebrate? maybe just chat, idk, give this man some downtime!!)

Honestly it was just kind of nice that Link wasn’t entirely alone. I mean, I know Midna was there the whole time, but I am always for giving Link a big group of friends (see my love for hyrule warriors, age of calamity, and LU LMAO)

Hero’s shade, very very cool, kinda sad he died with regrets but HEY. He got to pass on his knowledge eventually

AND the connection to OoT?? AND assumed to be related by blood too????? GOOD SHIT

Ilia, I REALLY really wanted to like her (er, it’s not like I dislike her, she’s just,,, kinda there for me).

It definitely seems like Nintendo was pushing to make her the romantic interest, but GHHHHH they really threw that out of the window for me by having her lose her memories

I saw a text post a while ago that said it would have been interesting if Ilia was Link’s sister instead and YES!! That would have been cool too :0

Wish we got to know Zelda a little more

I feel like we barely know anything about her

Idk man, like I said earlier, I never really had any sort of drive to save Zelda during my playthroughs

She obviously knows Midna, so maybe if they gave us just a little bit more of that relationship I’d be more interested in her?

TP WORLD BUILDINGGGG

Botw has good world building too, but each race felt kinda,,, isolated? I absolutely love the different architecture and vibe each town has (and all the the weapons too) but ghhh yea everyone felt so separated. As far as I can remember, we don’t see tooo much of the races interacting with each other? Now that I’m typing that out maybe that’s to be expected because of the calamity but KLSJDKJFD ANYWAYS THIS IS ABOUT TP

The world feels nice and alive, love how populated everything is

Castle town I like castle town a lot, it feels dense and busy and I really like how you can’t talk to every NPC you see

Very cool very fun that we got to see the Gorons hanging out in multiple spots

kinda wish we got to see the Zoras a little more (I guess they are a bit limited since they need water but GHHHH the tp zoras are so prebby,,)

BUT HEY, I do remember seeing a zora or two hanging out in the hot springs around death mountain after beating the lakebed temple (I think, might have been a different dungeon) 

but aaaa would have been nice to see them in at least a couple of other places. I think it would have really added to the “congrats Link!! You’re restoring peace to Hyrule” feeling you get from seeing the Gorons hanging out in Kakariko and Castle Town

ORDON

Love how chill it is and how it’s kind of separate from Hyrule proper

They really do seem to be doing their own thing apart from the rest of Hyrule

Just kinda adds onto the “he’s just a regular dude minding his own business” kind of vibes I get from TP Link

Also I like Ordona :)

THE LIGHT SPIRITS,,

Love their design

And love how they’re not exactly like a pure white?

Different spirit representing each aspect of the triforce my beloved

But yes hi I think Ordona is very cool

Who are you, how did you get here, which goddess do you represent? Do you even represent one of the three golden goddesses? Do the Ordonians know about you? Have any of them ever SEEN you??? Do they worship you? Does anybody even know about the existence of the light spirits?? FUCK so many questions but ghhh I like how they broke the status quo a bit by throwing in a fourth spirit :)

I feel like this one is kinda weird but I like that voice sample they used in the light spirit music. It’s spooky and pretty at the same time :)  

cutscenes mmmmm

Ok ok, the spooky lanayru cutscene is very good

BUT THE “Link, Chosen Hero! Lend us the last of your power!” CUTSCENE MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM LOVE IT SO MUCH

IT just

Idk man

It just hit different

I like the music

And seeing the light spirits swimming around in the light juice water whatever it is

Summoning the light arrows?

AND HHHHH “Lend us the last of your power!” THIS IS IT. This is the final battle.

Seeing Zelda bow down, and then Link putting his hand out 👌👌👌

Link: ok bud, let’s do this together :)

Connection to OoT (did I already mention this? Maybe., Whatever)

Very cool nintendo :)

I love seeing connections between all the diff zelda games.

Because like, on one hand, they’re all separate from each other because of yknow, individual hero stuff. BUT ALSO, they’re all connected because of the reincarnation stuff

Grrrr walking through the sacred grove and going “The Hero of Time walked around here a long time ago” FUCK THATS SO COOL

Is the Hero’s Shade watching me? What does he think of me? DIsappointed? Proud? The Hero of Time went through HELL so this timeline didn’t have to deal with any of the shit Ganon was gonna pull with the triforce, better not fuck this UP Link!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Midlink is cute

Kinda hurts that she smashed the mirror but that was probably so Nintendo didn’t have to worry about people going “but what about the twili??????” for any of the other games LMAO

BUT ALSO LIKE SKJDKLJFJ There are some pretty massive plot holes in TP anyway so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ whatever it’s fine we’ll just use this for angst because GOD do y’all like angst

So is Shadlink

Honestly don’t know where this ship came from but it’s cute so whatever

THE MUSIC??

Love Midna’s theme and how they referenced the dark world theme from ALttP (I remember trying to learn the dark world theme on the piano and doing the Leonardo DiCaprio point meme at the little jingle I recognized from Midna’s theme)

Hyrule field theme SLAPS.

Apparently references a couple of the other over-world themes from the previous zelda games (I got this from 8-bit Music theory’s video on the over-world zelda themes, he talks about TP at around 11:40 but def recommend watching the whole video if you’re into music analysis stuff)

So there’s this bit of the Hyrule Field theme, I don’t know the official name for it but I remember seeing somewhere it being called the “at an advantage theme” since yeah, you hear it during the boss music whenever you expose their weak points. FUCKINGGG LOVE THAT. Didn’t notice it during my first playthrough, but hearing it during my second was like a little easter egg for my ears every time :)

Midna’s lament is very pretty (and fun to play on the piano)

COURAGE THEME.

I didn’t care for it too much when I started playing the game but hearing it in ZREO’s arrangement of the Hyrule Field theme literally makes me turn into a puddle of emotions. Also hearing it around and of the Ordon kids (I think it plays after Link saves Colin) AAAAAAAAAAAAA

Orchestra piece #1 and #2 HOLY SHIT???????????????? 

Literally, the first time I listened to those I just,,,, plugged in my headphones, volume 100, layed on the floor/against my desk and silently vibed. I don’t know what the hell it is, but those two just fit so well with TP?? I still avoid listening to them nowadays cause if I DO I definitely will get overwhelmed with the “god I love this game so FUCKING MUCH” kind of feels.

Wolf link sucks at singing

the first time I heard him howling Zelda’s Lullaby I lost my shit because LKSJLDKSGLKJFSKG god that was.,, Bad. Anyways, hearing him howl some of the songs from OoT was cute :)

TP STAFF ROLL??? 

VERY GOOD. IT’s like 10 minutes long and GOD do I love every single second of it. It doesn’t have the same energy as the skyward sword staff roll or the orchestra pieces but GOD does it hit good??

Nice and calm after that big exciting adventure. Maybe it would have been more fun or emotional to have a higher energy piece but it was really nice getting to sit back and watch the camera fly around Hyrule. Seeing like, the Gorons and the Zoras having a good time, the kids returning to Ordon? GOOD SHIT.

and AAAAA that end, when you hear the main Zelda theme and see Link riding off out of Faron woods on Epona… good shit. It gets you thinking, where the hell is he going? What is he doing? Off ot do more adventuring? Going to help out the resistance or something? Going to help Zelda? Or maybe he’s trying to figure out a way to restore the mirror of twilight? Whoooo knows.

hhHHHHhhh it’s just that final reminder that YES!!! YOU JUST PLAYED A ZELDA GAME. JUST ANOTHER STORY APART OF THE WHOLE EPIC OF THE ZELDA SERIES AS A WHOLE

I also want to acknowledge the instrument/samples they used for all the twili stuff.

They’re all just so unique and contrast SO well with the rest of the TP OST. LIKE FUCK!! Anytime I hear the screech from the Twilit Kargarok? Sends a shiver down my spine. I associate those sounds SO strongly with the twili realm. (Like, the same way you associate the BSHEWW VVWWMMM sounds with light sabers)

I love it so god damn much

literally any time there’s a certain sound or motif associated with something I lose my shit

Sacred grove sacred grove sacred gro-

lovely lovely lovely so much fun playing that on the piano. AND again, I did the Leonardo DiCaprio pointing meme when I heard the theme from the lost woods come in GHHHHHHHH

shoutout to TP Faron Woods for helping me study and get through all of my schoolwork

BLEGUUHHH can you tell that I really love music?

and also yea I guess TP is kinda cool too :\

IF YOU READ ALL OF THAT THANKS I GUESS

[clarawatson]

It Only Takes A Taste (2)

Pairing: Aaron Hotchner x [Fem]!Reader (GN pronouns, fem coded) Summary: it’s your second time meeting Aaron. He’s still flustered and precious but he (might) manage to give you his number. W/C: 2113 Warnings: none yet! A/N: i haven’t got chapter names yet, just accept they’re all called ‘it only takes a taste’ haha. AO3 tags: @willowrose99 @genevievedarcygranger @maryosprinkle @kleff03 (if you want to get added, lmk!!) Where am I in this series? 01 | 02 | 03 | 04

The next time you meet him, it’s 2am. Rita’s three weeks off her due date. She’s been staying at Joe’s place, with his wife, because the heating’s gone out in her apartment and her super is a foul man. If you were inclined to murder, he’d be first on your list. Right now she’s out the back, trying to wipe chocolate sauce off her uniform. The baby’s been kicking for hours and knocks things around the counter sometimes. At least it isn’t throwing her ribs out this time. 

There’s a couple of teens drinking milkshakes in the window, they’ve snuck out after bedtime and they’re giggling to each other about how bad they are. You’ve seen their parents drive by twice (they’re regulars after school) but no one’s come in yet.

The agent drives by, and then does a u-turn and comes back. It was literally a double take, no matter how you look at it. You clearly saw him slow down and try to look in the window as he tried (desperately tried) to stay on the main road. And then he’d turned around and come back. 

He’s even prettier dry than he was wet. (Your mind spirals to where that could have gone, which is not something you expected from a 2am shift). He’s loosened his tie and his hair is falling free of the gel. He looks less tired, and yet more tired. A different kind of tired. This one would be fixed by a good night’s sleep.

“Hi,” he says with a little quirk in his lip that could be him fighting off a smile.

“Hi,” you return with a full smile. He sits in front of you and steeples his fingers under his chin.

“I’m Aaron.”

A fortnight you’ve been wondering his name and he just swans in and hands it to you on a silver platter. Bless him and his beautiful brown eyes.

“Y/n,” you introduce. “And what can I get for you tonight, Aaron?”

“Maybe not a coffee.” He doesn’t break eye contact with you. He has such a cheeky smile you almost want to reach over and wipe it off his lips. “A hot chocolate would do. I’ve got to sleep enough to take my kid to school.”

“Have here?” Your hands hover over the in-cups and the out-cups. He taps his finger against his chin.

“In.” He folds his hands and you notice he’s not wearing a wedding ring. Kid, no wedding ring, weird hours. Could be a score, could be a serial killer. Could be both! No. Not both. There will be no fraternising with serial killers. Not if you respect your life. 

Would it be weird to ask him where he works? If he works for one of the alphabet soups, will it get you in trouble? Maybe. People don’t like you poking around when sensitive information could be involved. You still ask anyway while the coffee machine has it’s little dummy spit at having to work at two in the morning.

“Quantico,” he says. He probably saw you trying to figure out how to ask. And that’s really all he can say. Maybe. He waggles his eyebrows just a little and you think he’s maybe a little too cheeky for this early in the morning. If Rita was working she’d be swooning all over him. 

“That’s very prestigious, but, sir, I don’t think you have the security clearance to be in this diner if you only work at Quantico. We deal with Area 51.”

“Long commute,” he teases.

You raise an eyebrow. “That’s what the uneducated think. I can break a few rules as long as you don’t start asking questions. No asking about where they keep the aliens, okay?”

“Never.” He wraps his hands around the mug as you push it to him, absorbing it’s warmth. 

“Did your son like the cookie?” you ask. Is it weird to remember he has a son after one interaction? Or the cookie? But he smiles. It’s okay. 

“He’s actually in love with it. He’s not stopped talking about it. I think my sister-in-law might kill me.”

“Joe’s magic in the kitchen. I’ll save a couple of cookies if you know when you’ll be in next?”

Is that too forward? Maybe. He pulls out a little day book and places it before him.

“Is Thursday too soon?”

“No,” you say, shaking your head. You make a note to tell Joe you’re working on Thursday. “Sounds like a good day to collect a cookie.”

“If someone could cut this monster out of me, that would be GREAT!” Rita yells in the kitchen. Her voice is still far too loud out here. Aaron finally drops his gaze from yours, grinning into his hot chocolate.

“Shit, babes, I’m serious. I’ll got for a pocket knife at this point. I’m hot, and it’s not hot, I have to piss every four minutes, I can’t even sit in a car properly and taking the MET is stupid because I still have to pee!” She stops up short, seeing Aaron, and blinks as if she could erase her last comment. “Hi, sorry, you’re rain boy.”

“I prefer Raymond.”

There’s a beat where you try to figure out what the fuck he’s talking about. The cheeky demeanor falls from his face.

“Rain Man! Tom Cruise! Smile." Aaron has no option but to smile at Rita. Too late you realise she's checking the alignment of his teeth to actually equate him to Tom Cruise. "Raymond, for sure. Shit, that’s funny,” Rita laughs, groans, and turns on her heel out the back. She needed to pee again. Aaron smiles just a little.

“Want some pie?” you offer. There’s still a bit left. Joe won’t be in for another hour or so, but there’s some in the oven to take out just before three. Aaron nods.

“Yeah, please.” He puts too much money in the tip jar again. Hands you the exact money for the pie. Had he looked at the menu online? Maybe he had. You take a slice out for him, then a slice for yourself. No harm in that. The whipped cream goes on his like a mountain. You put a bit beside your own pie slice, but Aaron’s grinning. 

He looks like he may do something childish. He doesn't, though, as you join him in pie eating. The teenagers start giggling about something they're watching on their phone. 

Rita comes back looking more tired than usual. Her whole body looks tired as she gets her purse and rubs her belly.

"Say bye to Rita," she says without much playful effort.

"Bye Rita," you return and kiss her cheek as she lifts it to you.

"And to Baby." 

"Bye Baby, be good for Mom." 

Rita snorts. Joe gives you a list of things to do while he's taking Rita home. Apparently Lola's coming in to replace Rita, but that's only going to be proven by Lola actually turning up. Aaron raises his hand around his fork and waves. Rita waves back and waddles out the back.

"Is she okay?" you ask Joe, and he nods. He waves goodbye to Aaron, even though he hasn't introduced himself yet. Aaron waves too. 

"That's a lot to worry about," Aaron says. You shrug and reach over the counter to Aaron's plate, taking some of his cream. He laughs and puts his arm around it to protect it.

"They're family. Less worrying, more caring." 

He nods as if he understands. "Might use that sometime."

"You're welcome to." 

He gives you a smile that only uses half his face. Gosh, he's cute. But it’s nothing more than fleeting night time visits, right? Okay, maybe not, he clearly turned his car around because he saw you working. You catch him staring at your left hand, studying it intently. No one wore rings at the diner, just because everything got stuck underneath them and there was nothing worse than having a maple syrup adorned wedding ring.

“There’s no one,” you tell him, which flusters him entirely. He smiles and looks down at his pie, blush creeping over his face. “Weird hours in a place like this? Hardly a brilliant base to build a relationship on.” 

“Yeah.” He might want to say more, but he’s smiling at you again. “Weird hours, strange place, know that story.”

“Sucks, hey?”

“Oh yeah.” 

The teens from the window go home when they’ve finished their milkshake. You tell them to get home safe and pray their parents don’t come in asking where they went. Aaron scraps his plate, scooping up the cream and pie soupy mess. 

“I have to go,” Aaron sighs. He runs his hand through his hair and his fingers get stuck in the left-over-gelly-mess. You smother a giggle as he rolls his eyes and pulls his hand out with tiny little crack-crack-crack’s. It sounds painful.

“I’m going to shower and get this shit out of my hair.”

“It’ll look nice without it in.”

“Yeah?”

“Oh yeah.”

He blushes, returning to the man you’d met coming out of the rain. 

“Well I’ll remember that for next time.” 

Your heart jumps. Next time! There’ll be a next! Time!

“Listen, hey, um,” Aaron says as he stuffs a couple of bills into the tip jar. “Here--” he stops again, then shakes his head like he’s giving himself a vote of confidence. “This is…” he stops again and licks his lips, then pulls out a business card from his suit pocket. He scratches his number onto the blank back, and then Aaron at the top. “My number,” he managed to finish.

“Thanks,” you respond before wanting to smack your head onto the counter. Thanks?!?! There are a hundred better things to say. “W-when do you want me?” When do you want me??? “To be here, on Thursday, for the cookies.”

Aaron’s gone red. Your face is hot. This is a disaster. There’s no fixing this disaster. There’s no fixing it at all. But Aaron smiles all the same.

“U-uh. I’ll text you?” he looks so flustered. 

“You haven’t got my number,” you giggle, because he hasn’t. You’ve got his. He looks like a tomato as he blushes even more. “How about I text you my number, and you tell me when you’re free, and I’ll make sure there’s three cookies set aside for you that no one else buys.”

“Three?”

“You, your son, your sister-in-law.”

“I could really use you at work,” he laughs and… sits back down. Four seconds ago he was in such a rush to leave, and now he’s looking at you like you’re his whole world. He’s so precious, you wish you could just put him in a jar and protect all that goodness from the evils of the world. Surely he couldn’t have met too many of them just yet? He’s still got a smile that could brighten up the night sky, people who’ve seen all the hurt and pain in the world can’t smile like that.

“I don’t think I’m clever enough to get into Quantico. Unless they like people serving them coffees,” you smile gently and he tilts his head while looking at you. A curious puppy. You want to lean over and squish his cheeks for thinking you could be anything more than a server at a roadside diner.

“You’d brighten the place up.”

“You brighten my place up.” Corny, highschool grade flirting. He smiles all the same. Can he smile any more than that? Probably not, he might combust and become a star. “You know you don’t have to keep putting money into the tip jar, right? Not the amount you do. Most people just put in their change.”

He looks at the tip jar. “It’s for Rita’s hospital bills, right? It’s why she won’t look at it, because she’s embarrassed, but also why you and Joe count every bill that goes in it.”

“Alright, Sherlock Holmes.”

“It says on the jar,” he jokes, and points to the permanent marker that’s bled through the otherside of the tip jar. You laugh. Aaron laughs.

“I do have to go.”

“Go,” you laugh. “I’ll text you when I’m off my shift.”

He nods, looking a little sad to go, but also a little excited. He must really love his son.

“I’ll see you on Thursday, Y/n.”

“I’ll see you on Thursday, Aaron,” you return and watch him leave. Shit, he’s even cuter leaving. He even waves from his car before he drives off. You’re close to squealing when the bikie gang pull up, flooding the carpark, then all come in ready for their coffee. At least Aaron’s hot chocolate warmed up the machine for them.

[aethersea]

you know what, I never do these things, but actually I’ve decided I would like to get to know people better! I would like to partake of the mortifying ordeal! I would like to talk about myself for a bit!

ok for the next...let’s say five days I will answer any of these things that people tag me in, or any random personal questions you plop in my ask box. I don’t have an ask meme on hand but just....pick one you’ve seen recently, or make up questions of your own, and I’ll answer. (the answer might be ‘nope that’s private’ but I will answer.) (@ the anon who asked for book recs - I see you, I’ve been thinking of books all day, I’m going to give you SUCH a long answer, I hope you don’t regret your choices bc it WILL be full of gushing)

alright, let’s go!

🌻 Tag 9 people you want to get to know better

Tagged by @booksandchainmail​

Last Song: I’m currently listening to “Falcon in the Dive” from the Scarlet Pimpernel musical on loop. I watched one or two Scarlet Pimpernel movies when I was just barely too young to fully get what was going on, and the story’s held an odd but deep-seated place in my heart ever since. A few years ago I found out there’s a musical and most of the songs are pretty stellar (go listen to “Madame Guillotine” if you like big ensemble broadway numbers, it’s a banger, the bit where he cries out for God has been running through my mind on and off for a few days now haha not like that’s topical or anything), so every once in a while I spend a few days listening to them a lot.

Sometime last year I read the actual book, and got super into the whole concept of the Scarlet Pimpernel for a while. I plotted out Pimpernel aus for several fandoms, I read the entire wikipedia article, and I went looking for bootlegs of the musical. I didn’t find one, but I did find a full radioplay-style recording of the script, complete with full musical numbers, and listened to it like a podcast.

Reader, I was so disappointed. The play adds some scenes, bc a lot of the dramatic tension of the novel comes from internal conflict and that doesn’t stage super well, and the very first scene of this play – a play written in the NINETIES – features our dashing hero rescuing some aristocrats from a French prison, and then saying to the person in the next cell, who begs for rescue but is not an aristocrat, “We have enough of your kind in England.”

Enough! of your KIND! What in the merry frickety HECK my dudes!! The book has some rather unfortunate™ takes but it is from 1905, it’s regrettable but sadly to be expected. This play is from 1997. It has NO excuse. This scene wasn’t even in the book! What! the heck!

I was so disheartened that I lost my excitement for the play, and a couple songs later I stopped listening. It occurred to me just a few days ago that you could actually stage that ironically, with the person in the cell giving the audience a “can you believe this” look, and then the rest of the play could feature assorted non-aristocratic ensemble members constantly looking at the audience like they’re on The Office. And hey, maybe that’s what they did, or something similar – maybe that was never meant to be taken as a cleanly heroic stance, and the play deals with it in a complex way. It’s possible. I wouldn’t know. Kinda doubt it though, based on song lyrics.

Favorite Color: red, probably

Last Movie: I watched that new lesbian christmas movie with my family for christmas, the one with kirsten stewart and the guy from schitt’s creek. it’s very sweet and good and kinda sad, and I really enjoyed it. it also incidentally has the best gay best friend trope in probably anything ever, bc it’s not a trope (I didn’t realize until several hours after watching that it technically fits), it’s just a guy who is the protagonist’s best friend, and they’re just all gay, and then when he Gives Relationship Advice as a gay best friend always does, it’s advice about how to deal with your partner’s hangups around coming out.

actually every part of the gay best friend trope becomes better when they’re just best friends who are both gay. the big dramatic gestures (in this case, driving some ungodly distance in the snow on no notice) go from “haha how kooky” to “queer man will do anything he needs to to rescue his queer friend from an isolating & potentially triggering situation”. the relationship advice isn’t “honey you deserve some self-respect, treat yourself”, it’s a deeply sincere reminder of the vulnerability that is shared across almost everyone’s queer experience, and look I could ramble about this for a long time before reaching a coherent point but I’m INTO IT, okay? I’m into it.

Last Show: you want me to remember what show I last finished???? impossible, cannot be done, it was a long time ago and the adhd has eaten everything that happened before last week. here, instead I’ll tell you about another movie I watched, late at night with my mom in cozy companionship just a couple days ago. it’s called Quigley Down Under and it’s about a cowboy who goes to Australia and kills a bunch of racists, 10/10 would watch again. it’s from 1990 but it feels much older, with the music choices and the cinematography of a 70s Western. the cowboy is great, honorable and fearless and kind, but the breakaway star of this movie for me is the woman who attaches herself to his side and refuses to leave. her name is Cora, and she’s crazy, in the sense that she’s not altogether tethered to reality, but this never for a second diminishes her agency. she’s fierce and clever and compassionate, and she basically never does anything she doesn’t want to in the whole movie. her arc is about overcoming trauma by taking charge of her own fear and facing it head-on, she is never belittled or dismissed by the narrative or the protagonist, and look she’s just so cool. I love her. she’s so vibrantly alive. her story could probably have been handled with a bit more nuance, but honestly for the 90s it’s pretty great. I’m no expert, but I found nothing objectionable in it, just a bit of heavy-handedness.

anyway the theme of the movie is that racism is evil and racists deserve to be shot, and this too could have been handled better (not a single aboriginal character speaks a single line of english in this movie), but it follows through on that message in every way, while still being a fun kinda campy cowboy movie. overall a very good time.

Currently Watching: started showing my sister Hilda the other day, and she’s liking it! I love that show, it’s so incredibly cute. can’t wait to see season 2

Currently Reading: lmao I wish. lately the brain has firmly rejected all attempts to read anything of any length. currently pending, bc I was halfway through them when my brain stalled out, are tano’s fic What Does Kill You Can Make You Stronger, Too, a Toby Daye book - I think it was The Brightest Fell, I got like half a chapter in and haven’t picked it up in over a month, the Locked Tomb series, and probably a few other things too. ooh! also a book called Making Sex by thomas laqueur, which is my fancy academic reading that I’ve been doing in short bursts for the past year or two when I feel fancy and academic. it’s about the development of the concept of biological sex and of gender in Western society, and it’s fascinating. has among other things introduced me to the idea that until quite recently, fathers were a matter of faith. the mother? yeah, you can watch the baby pop out, we all know who the mother is. but the father? how can you know? how can you really know? we have paternity tests these days, but for all of human history up until now, we've just had to take fatherhood on faith. (not to mention we didn’t even know what fathers were contributing to the production of a fetus. clearly it was something, since you can’t get pregnant without a penis getting involved, but we have literally not known what until the past few decades. and that is wild. it has colored ALL of human history, all of our conceptions of society and family and kinship and gender, all of it, and it hadn’t even occurred to me until it was spelled out for me in this book, and it’s just......wow.

Salty, sweet or savory: for christmas my sister and I made seven different types of cookie, most of them involving chocolate somehow.

Craving: no bc I ate so many cookies. unless sleep counts. or maybe pringles, it’s been many moons since last I had a potato chip and I miss them.

Coffee or Tea: no thank you

Tagging: @coloursisee, @krchy-tuna, @sam-j-squirrel, @xzienne, @mirandatam, @viciousmaukeries, @sepulchritude, @elidyce, and @navigatorsnorth bc it’s been a while since we’ve talked, and I’m super hyped that you’re married now. v happy for you!

[purplesurveys]

1220

The person you had the strongest feelings for dies, do you care?  I imagine so, yeah. I’d check up on her family and help in any way I can, if it’s still welcomed.

Is there something you’re happy about at the moment?  I share this all the time in surveys at this point but I’m just really giddy that it’s a Friday evening hehe. Also, I’m seeing Angela, Hans, and (finally!!!) Reena later! We’ll be going to UP to shoot some photos since Angela and Reena are graduating this year and we wanna take pictures with the sunflowers in the campus before they die out. I also never got to take sunflower photos when I graduated last year, so it will be my chance to do so as well.

Do you want someone dead?  Wow, no.

Do you ever wonder what your ex is up to?  It almost never crosses my mind, honestly.

Have you ever fed or taken care of a stray animal?  I’ve fed many of them before, yup.

What is something you tend to worry about?  Pending deliverables at work, especially ones that are out of my control.

What is something you do that is unhealthy?  Be in front of a screen as soon as I’m awake until the second I turn in.

What is something you do that is good for you?  I’m no longer afraid to prioritize myself when necessary.

What last caused you to force a smile?  Ooh I’m not sure. I haven’t had to do that in a while, which is a good thing. What was the last video game you played? Was it fun?  Probably Mario Kart on the Switch, but it’s been a WHIIIIIIIIIIIIIILE. Yeah it’s one of my favorite series for a reason.

What is something not many people know about you?  The fact that I’m obsessed with anything classic Hollywood and I’m a big Audrey Hepburn fan. The topic never gets brought up so I don’t really get the chance to say anything about that interest of mine.

What word describes your basic style?  Casual, laidback. I’m more than happy with just a simple t-shirt and denim jeans these days and I think I’m over my jumpsuit/romper phase haha.

Have you ever been told you were going to Hell?  It was referred to/threatened to me, but not directly with these words.

Have you ever wanted to kill yourself?  It was a regular occurrence before.

If yes, what convinced you not to go through with it?  I think overall I was just scared of fucking it up and fucking up my brain for life as a consequence. Also I knew no one was going to take care of Kimi as well as I do, and I would never leave him behind.

Have you ever rejected a guy, only to have him push the issue by asking “why?” and insisting that you just need to get to know him better?  Nope.

Is there something that you believe everyone should do and you can’t believe that some people don’t do it (e.g., recycle or go to the dentist regularly)?  It’s definitely an Asian thing but it will sometimes hurt my chest when I see people wear shoes in their homes.

Regarding the last good choice (healthy choice, kind choice, selfless choice, etc.) you made, what was your real motivation behind it?  I wanted to be kind to myself and finally let go of what had been keeping me from starting to be happy and pleased with where I am and have.

What is something that you have had to practice at to get the hang of it? If you can’t think of anything, that’s okay, what’s something you are currently practicing at and trying to master?  This is such a shallow answer lol but I’ve recently gotten into this rhythm game called Rhythm Hive that I found impossible to master at first, but after weeks of practicing I now breeze through all the songs at their hardest level.

Have you ever gone to the store to buy something, like a video game, when it came out at midnight?  I haven’t done that, but I’ve watched a movie premiere at midnight - for both times the Breaking Dawn movies came out.

Regarding the last novel you read, was there a romance included? If so, was it central to the plot?  Yes and yes.

Have you ever done relaxation meditations or listened to relaxation guides or positive-thinking/healing recordings?  Nope, they don’t really work on me. I have my own outlets that help me relax.

Do you have any interests that are also often shared by children?  Coloring is one. Also animated movies; I never grew out of those.

Is there something that could be a solitary activity but you really only like to do it with other people (e.g., watching movies, playing video games, etc.)? Definitely eating out. I’ve done it a couple of times before by myself and it does feel nice, but I also always can’t help but think it would be a lot more fun and that I would be much happier if I was sharing the experience with someone else.

Are you satisfied with the interior design or decoration in your home? Or do you think it needs a total home makeover?  Ugh god I need to rearrange and upgrade my room STAT. My K-Pop merch are starting to pile up but they’re all currently in just lazy heaps scattered around in my room since I don’t have any shelves or anything to properly display them on.

Is there something that you’d like to own but you can’t find it anywhere? If not, can you a remember a time when you wanted something? Did you ever end up finding it or did you eventually stop wanting it? This is always me with BTS merch...

Who makes you smile the most?  My friends.

What piercings do you want/have?  Just one on each earlobe. I’m not looking to have any more.

What's your favorite website?  Twitter.

Do you own a fish tank with fish?  We never had one, no.

Do you like the movie 300?  I’ve never seen it and will probably never have plans to. It’s not my cup of tea.

Do you pop your knuckles?  When I feel stressed or when my knuckles feel strained, yes.

Do you have Photoshop?  Nope, I have no use for it.

Do you use tinypic or photobucket?  Way back in the day. I’m not even sure if those websites still exist.

What’s your favourite song from the 1980s?  Heaven Is A Place On Earth.

How about the 1990s?  I’m not sure I have one.

Have you won anything recently?  Yeah we played this online game over Google Meets with my co-workers just this afternoon, before clocking out. My team won twice.

How often do you make Excel tables? What for?  Oh everyday. I work on a handful of sheets every single day at work, but I also like making spreadsheets for personal use haha. Right now the one I’m currently super invested in is my tracker for all the merch I’ve been buying so I can keep note of my pending payments and which ones I should already be asking for updates on.

What was the last baby animal you saw in the wild?  Not sure, I’m barely outdoors.

Are you always available or online?  Yup.

Do you have dietary restrictions? Or do you just eat what you like?  No allergies or restrictions.

Do you prefer gold, silver or steel jewelry? Or no jewelry at all? Silver.

Have you been binge-watching any shows lately? If so, what?  Not really. I’ve stopped watching Hwarang for now, but I do have plans to come back to it someday. I guess I just haven’t been in a K-drama binge-watching mood lately.

If you dye your hair, do you do it yourself or go to a salon?  I’ve never had my hair dyed.

If you have any, do you like your in-laws? I don’t have any. < Same.

Would it bother you, if your partner had cut contact with their parents?  It depends on the story behind it, but mostly no. How close they are with their family isn’t a priority matter for me.

Have you ever wondered whether you were adopted? All the time, especially as a teenager who wasn’t getting any emotional support at home.

What’s the best physical feeling in the entire universe?  When you work on something and expect mediocre results and feedback, but it ends up getting praised instead and you feel all the hard work pay off.

Have you ever grown a berry bush?  Nope.

Have you done something new to your hair recently?  It’s been untouched since the very start of the pandemic. My sister actually suggested that since I had it cut right when the pandemic started, I should wait out till the end of it and see how long it’ll reach. It sounded intriguing enough so now I’m indefinitely growing it out hahaha.

Do you have bad anxiety? If so, do you take any kind of medication for it? I’m sure I have it, I’ve just never been diagnosed before.

One thing you’ve experienced that you thought you never would have?  Managing to get over a rough breakup quicker than I ever expected to.

What was the last thing someone said to you that kept repeating over & over in your head?  It was when I was leaving Angela’s house yesterday and an “I love you” to her parents rolled out of my tongue so naturally I almost didn’t notice it; and when they said it back in a heartbeat. It’s when I realized that her parents are really like my second parents and that her house is a second home at this point. My heart was filled the entire drive home.

How often do you have late nights out?  Never because we still have a curfew.

If you could, would you work from home? Do you think that would make you more or less productive?  I don’t have a choice; it’s the set-up we’re required to live in. I’m pretty productive here at home but then again I don’t have a point of comparison considering I got my first job already in the midst of the pandemic.

If you had the ability to change the weather, what would you change it to right now?  I would like to bring snow to the Philippines.

Is there something that you really need to do, but can’t seem to get motivated to do it?  Upgrade my room and invest in shelves and other home decor/interior design stuff that would make the space more comfy and homey. Right now it just looks like a warehouse with my merch piled up in scattered places.

Most disturbing movie you have ever seen?  Eraserhead or I’m Thinking of Ending Things.

Has a life goal or dream ever come true for you yet? If yes, what is it? If no, do you think you’ll achieve it?  I have multiple life goals - some of them I’ve achieved, like getting into my dream university and simply getting employed, and some of them I’m still working my way towards, like getting a promotion. Yeah I feel like I’ll achieve my goals someday. I don’t like losing LOL so when I want something I usually put it above everything else.

Have you ever had food poisoning?  Yup.

What are you listening to?  Blue & Grey by BTS.

Do you think there will be a WWIII? I find it inevitable at some point down humanity's future. People are too hateful for it not to eventually. < Yeah, let’s go with this too.

Has anyone ever asked you if you were emo?  No.

Has someone ever liked you that you never thought would?  Yes. Tbh I never expect anyone to like me so I’ve always been surprised when I hear about someone who does.

In all honesty, can a person be too nice?  Yes, especially if they’re starting to be taken advantage of.

Has one of your friend’s boyfriends ever tried to cheat on them with you?  No.

Is mental abuse really as bad as physical abuse?  Any abuse is bad. :/

Do you shop at Sephora for make-up?  Nope.

Zelda: Twilight Princess or Ocarina of Time?  Twilight Princess only because I grew up with it and never got to play Ocarina of Time.

Do you own a rosary?  I did - I went to Catholic school. But I lost mine all the time because I didn’t really care for them lol I always had to buy new ones at the school bookstore.

If you were homeless, how would you cope? I don’t know.

[luv-surveys]

45

Have you ever started reading a book and wondered if you’d read it before? yes i have. What has been bothering you a lot lately? the fact that i’m sick and super behind on all of my homework but can’t do anything about it. What (or who) have you been missing lately? i’ve been missing home lately since i’m going home this weekend for the first time in a few months. Are you trustworthy? i’d like to believe so. Did your parents teach that white lies were ok? they never specified but i was taught that lies in general are bad. Have you ever hallucinated? yes. Do you sleep with your door open or closed? i sleep with my bedroom door open, but i sleep with my dorm door closed. What flags do you have in your room, if any? i don’t have any flags. What (or who) is the best thing that ever happened to you? i’d probably say beginning to play music in fourth grade, as that really set me down the path that i’m on right now as a student in music school. What is the worst decision you ever made? probably beginning to let my anxiety control me -- it led me down a path that i’m still recovering from, a year later. Do you miss college? no, given that i’m in college right now... Have you ever called a teacher “mom”? i once called my french teacher “mom” because i accidentally said “madame” without the d so it sounded like “ma-ame” = “mom.” What is your favorite arcade game? probably skee-ball. i used to play that all the time growing up. Do you feel neglected? no. What school subject(s) are/were your best? definitely french and english. Are you allergic to grass? no. Do you remember to water plants? no... hence why i don’t own plants anymore. What season is your birthday in? it’s in fall. Name 3 creative people you know. my friend sophie, my friend danielle, and my friend dan. Name 3 YouTubers you aspire to be like. i’d say aspen ovard, jasmine from tbhstudying, and ava jules. What color was your first car? i’ve never owned a car. What year did you graduate? i graduated this year, 2020. When was the last time you saw the person you currently have feelings for? last saturday. Have you ever been scammed? yes. Are you allergic to pollen? yes :( What style of wedding dress do you like best? probably ballgown. Are you over your first love? i’m like 90% there. Do you talk on the phone a lot? pretty often. Would you rather call or text? probably text. Do you always answer your phone? no, i only answer if i recognize the number. When was the last time you went to a party? there really haven’t been any parties since quarantine started, but my friend did have a birthday in may, so probably then. What was the last thing you ate? chicken noodle soup. What’s the last book you checked out from the library? i checked out like nine books, all young adult fantasy. Do you have a twitter? no. If so, what was the last thing you tweeted? nothing. Who was the last person you talked to on the phone? the guy i’m seeing. What’s the last thing you cooked on the stove? pancakes. What color is the cover of the last notebook you used? white and gold. Who was the last person you know to have a birthday? a girl on my snap. Who sent the last e-mail you got? my flute professor responding to my email about a rental. What song is currently stuck in your head? “look what you made me do” by taylor swift Do you have a favorite shape? probably circle. What color are the sheets on your bed? at home, they’re yellow. in my dorm, they’re pink, What time do you usually go to bed? usually, i go to bed between 11 and 12. Do you ever use coloring books? no. Are you planning on watching the Olympics? when they actually happen, yes. Do you pronounce the word “often” with or without a “t” in the middle? with the t. Have you ever been on a trapeze? no. Do you enjoy popping bubble wrap? yes of course. Are there any waterfalls near where you live? no. Do you like seafood? not particularly -- i do like shrimp, though. Have you ever had to wear a uniform for anything? yes, for marching band. If so, what did it look like? it was a maroon jacket, black bibbers, black long socks, black marching shoes, white gauntlets, white gloves, and a maroon shako. and under we had to wear our tour shirts and spandex/leggings. Do you personally know anyone who is an author? yes, my dad is. Do you own a Polaroid camera? nope. Do you enjoy baking? i love baking! What’s your favorite type of flower? right now, daisies. Last time (if ever) you were on an airplane, where were you going? home from florida. Do you know anyone who is left-handed? i have a couple left-handed friends and family members. What is something you think is underrated? probably classical music. too many people think it’s boring but there are some really amazing pieces. Around what temperature do you consider it to be too hot outside? probably around 85 degrees. In what ways do you expect your life to be different one year from now? i expect covid to not be as big of an issue. How often do you travel outside of the state/province you live in? probably around once a month at most. What’s a hobby you used to have, but don’t anymore? definitely reading. i used to read all the time, and now i just don’t have the time or motivation. What has been your favorite job you’ve had so far? i’ve never had a job. What’s your favorite kind of salsa/dip to go with tortilla chips? probably guacamole. Do you wash your car by hand or drive through a car wash? i don’t have a car. Where is the farthest north you’ve traveled to? alaska. Farthest south? florida. East? russia. West? again, alaska. How often do you run the dishwasher? at my house, we run the dishwasher every night. Do you wash your face at the sink or in the shower? i wash it in the shower. Name a stereotype about your gender that you don’t fit. i don’t enjoy wearing dresses whatsoever. Name a stereotype about your age that you don’t fit. i don’t have any interest in trying drugs or smoking. Do you have any unusual decorations in your home? we have a “butler” named jeeves, a family of elephants on a window sill facing away from the front door for good luck, and a couple other things. Do you have any uncommon kitchen appliances, such as espresso machines, waffle irons, etc? we have a panini maker and other things like that. What did your parents major/minor in in college, if they went? my mom majored in psychology while my dad majored in business. Has either of their careers influenced what career you chose or want to pursue? nope. What is the highest level math class you’ve completed? precalculus. How old were you when you learned how to ride a bike? probably around 7. How old were you when you learned how to swim? i’d say 10ish. How do you react when someone is rude to you? i get annoyed but try to remain sweet and kind so i don’t stoop to their level/they don’t have anything against me. Have you ever had a friend who was too clingy? yes, and it was annoying. What kind of natural disaster is most common where you live? probably snowstorms/blizzards. Why is your least favorite season your least favorite? i hate winter because it’s cold and depressing. Do you have a Netflix account? yes. Have you ever had an animal get into your attic? yeah, occasionally that happens. Where is your favorite place to go on vacation? i enjoy traveling to europe since there’s so much history there. How long does it take to get there? it’d be about a six hour flight. When was the last time you started a “new chapter” of your life? this fall when i started college. What room in your home do you spend the least amount of time in? i’d say our downstairs bathroom -- i never use that bathroom. What is the last random act of kindness you did? i can’t really remember since i’ve been alone and sick for the past few days. Do you do anything to reduce the amount of electricity you use? not really... Are you usually open to trying a new food that you aren’t familiar with? yes, but if it’s some type of body part (like liver) then no. Do you listen to Panic! At The Disco? no. Have you ever had a kinky dream about a celebrity? nope. Is there a song you can’t stop listening to atm? not currently. Has anyone ever told you that they loved you, and you couldn’t say it back? no. If your Facebook status doesn’t get any likes/comments, does it bother you? i never post on facebook. Which friend do you confide in most? the guy i’m seeing haha. Do you wear a cross? no. What is your opinion on Arby’s? it’s good and their fries are amazing. When you have your own kitchen, how will it be done? i’d like an island definitely, and lots of counter space. i’d want it to be an open layout too. What is your favorite doughnut? probably jelly. Do you have a hot tub? If so, where is it located? no way. Did you read the Twilight series, or jump on the bandwagon after the movie? i have never read the entire series or been interested in it. What is your favorite party game? wii party or cards against humanity. Do you or your parents rake your yard? my parents do. Were you pro-Obama? nope, but i couldn’t vote anyway. What is your favorite scent from Bath & Body Works? i think a thousand wishes?  What was the last illegal thing you did? probably speeding when i was driving. Who did you last go to the movies with? i think my sister, her boyfriend, and my ex. What color was the last vehicle you were in? white. Do you have any family members in the military right now? nope. Is there a ceiling fan in the room you’re in? no. When was the last time you wished time would move faster? during my class earlier today. Are there any owls in your room (as decor, of course)? nope. Have you ever heard voices? Audibly? no. Do you believe in angels and demons? yes. Who is the worst neighbor you have ever had? we have neighbors that accuse us of things we don’t do and get into fights with us over stupid things. Did your Barbies go on dates? yes! If you’re not straight, who was the first person you came out to? i’m straight. Where did you meet your first crush? school. Do you remember the first time your first crush ever said hi to you? nope. Do you ever go places with wet hair? occasionally, but i try not to. Who is your favorite little girl? probably my cousin. What do you want the most in life? happiness. What is a decision you’ve made that changed your entire life? my college decision. Do you ever wonder what kind of person you’d have turned out to be if a certain event never happened to you? occasionally, yeah. When you’re home alone, do you still shower with the bathroom door closed? yep, i keep it closed and locked. If you could have anyone’s singing voice, whose would you choose? maybe ariana grande. What are your top 3 favorite genres of music? classical, jazz, and electroswing. Where did you buy your dishes from? i’m pretty sure my mom gets them from williams-sonoma. Do you think Mars will be colonized in your lifetime? not in my lifetime. What’s the most expensive thing you’ve bought that turned out to be a waste of money? probably some type of appliance that i never use. What’s something you’ve bought that turned out to be way more useful than you anticipated? my shower shoes! Have you ever been on a ship? yeah. Do you ever take intentional breaks from checking/posting on social media? nope. Who was Van Halen’s better singer - David Lee Roth, or Sammy Hagar? i don’t know what you’re talking about lol. Which fictional character has the most memorable quotes? maybe dumbledore from harry potter? i can’t think of anyone off the top of my head. What’s a class you did not take in school, but now wish you had? forensic sciences. Have you ever been to either of your parents’ workplaces? all the time. What do you think of the ‘Healthy At Every Size’ movement/philosophy? no... not every size is healthy bruh. Have you ever been bitten so hard that their teeth marks were there after? yes. Ever been given a hickey? (Love bite) yeah. Ever gave one? nope. Are you more of an outgoing type or shy type? more shy. Do you think it’s weird if guys wear make-up like eyeliner? nah. Are you self conscious? If so what are you self conscious about? a lot, but mainly my height and paleness. Are you flirty at all? sometimes. Are you racist at all? no. Would you ever date a disabled person? (Be honest) depends on the disability, but more likely than not, no. If you found a baby randomly by itself what would you do? probably look around for parents, and if they’re not there, contact authorities. Would you rather adopt or have your own child? i’d rather have my own. What would you class as cheating on someone? purposefully seeking a romantic relationship/interaction with another person. Do you try to be politically correct? i try to. What’s your favorite kind of sea critter? maybe starfish. Have you ever tasted locally-made honey before? no. As far as earrings go, would you rather wear hoops or studs? hoops! Do you find P.E. humiliating, or think schools shouldn’t teach it? i don’t think it’s humiliating, but from my experience, i don’t know if it’s worth teaching. Do you recycle? yeah. Are you interested in current world issues? for the most part. Do you think you are mature, or immature? mostly mature. What kind of career are you interested in? i’m interested in teaching or performing music. Do you own a pair of sunglasses? yes. Do you use bobby pins, hair clips, or elastic hair ties? Which? i use all of the above. How badly do you get acne? (If at all) i barely get any acne. What’s the best way to cope with a breakup? remember all the things you hated about them and distract yourself. also, a glow-up and showing off your successes never hurts. If someone dislikes you, what is most likely to be the reason? probably because they think i’m egotistical. How many text messages do you have in your inbox atm? 72. When was the last time you had a difficult decision to make? probably deciding whether or not i should stay with the guy i’m seeing. In school, what subjects do/did you find the most difficult? math! Do you still speak to the person you had your first kiss with? not really. Where did you meet the last person you swapped numbers with? here at college. Who was the last person to add you as a friend on Facebook? a kid from my theory class. Who was the last person that asked if you were okay? my roommate, because i’ve been unhealthy. What does your handwriting look like? it’s pretty bubbly and very neat. Do you use any products on your hair, other than shampoo and conditioner? yes, i use dry shampoo and dry conditioner. Who were your best friends in primary school? lindsey. Do you still speak to any of them? nope. What was the last thing you bought from a vending machine? i think candy. What color hair did your first crush have? blond. What type of shoes do you find the most comfortable? moccasins! Are you more masculine or feminine? more feminine, definitely. If you could design your own mug, what would you put on it? something minimalist, like a tiny illustration. What is the best beach you’ve been to? the beach at ocean city, maryland. What is one thing you physically can’t do? i cannot do a pull-up, nope. Have you ever been to a funeral? yep. Have you ever visited your state’s capitol building? no. Have you ever visited your nation’s capitol building? yes. Do/did you have a favorite seat in church? yeah, the one on the left close to the front. What is your favorite park? probably six flags? or disney? Have you ever felt an earthquake? nope. Do you chew gum regularly? no. Where did you go on your first train ride? i think when i was a baby. Do you know anyone with a dual citizenship? yep. What sports teams do you root for, if any? (Extra points for Boston fans.) i don’t root for any sports teams. Do you dunk your cookies in milk? no ma’am. What is something you are confident about? my eye color. Have you ever been physically addicted to a substance? What? i’ve been addicted to afrin during colds, but i always manage to tear myself away. How do you feel about needles? they’re not great, but i’m not particularly scared of them. What is your favorite accent to listen to? i love scottish accents. What was the reason you last got dressed up? church. Have you ever been the subject of cruel rumors? not really. ^ What were they? -- Do you prefer loose or form-fitting clothing? more form-fitting. ^ What about on your preferred gender? more form-fitting as well. What do you do when you are really, really mad? i go somewhere to be alone so i can cool off. Would you rather go naked than wear fur? i’d rather wear fur, but i wouldn’t like it. Do you put a line through your 7’s? no. ^ What about your Z’s? nope. What is one thing that someone could do to you that is unforgivable? cheat on me if we’re in a relationship. Are you able to forgive and forget? it’s hard, but sometimes. Do you like cold pizza? no. What is your favorite fruit? pineapple! What about your favorite fruit juice, if it differs from solid fruit? white grape juice has my heart. Do you like broccoli and cheese? i’ve never had it but it sounds yummy. What about potatoes and cheese? oh yeah that’s good. Have you written a letter by hand, lately? To whom? yep, to the guy i’m seeing. Toaster or toaster oven? toaster. What are you most known for? being a musician haha. Do you have any reputations? What are they? i don’t believe so. Do you wear band shirts? nope. ^ What band was on the last one you wore? -- Do you own any hats? Describe them. yeah, i own a black adidas cap and a white cap. What about masks, you got any? Describe those. oh, i have plenty... thanks covid. i have a black one, a white one, a pink one, a brown one, a green camo one, and a blue floral one. What was the last thing to leave you speechless? probably my flu since it hurts to talk LOL. Do your parents like your friends? If they don’t, why not? yep. Have you been called a bad influence? no way. Describe your favorite pair of socks. i like all my pairs of black socks. Have you experienced any life-changing news, events, etc, lately? not really. Have any self-done piercings? nope. Ever pierced someone else? nooo. Do you get distracted easily? sometimes, but not if i’m focused on homework. Is talking to strangers enjoyable for you, or stressful? it’s stressful usually. How do you feel about getting new neighbors? it’s exciting! How many ceiling fans are in your home? one. Do you tweet your life away? nope. How do you feel about shameless self promoting? i don’t mind it if it isn’t too in the way. When reading words. like. this. do. you always pause after the periods? yep. What about screaming when reading something IN ALL CAPS? uh-huh.

[sodafishsims]

My Simself

Geek - Music lover - Creative

I tag @hu-wa and i’m too lazy to tag more..if you read this i tag you hehe

1. WHAT IS YOUR FULL NAME? Crystal

2. WHAT IS YOUR NICKNAME? Depends on the person...really. Unfortunately some people call me Crystalina xD

3. BIRTHDAY? 11 September

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE BOOK SERIES? I don’t really have one

5. DO YOU BELIEVE IN ALIENS OR GHOSTS? nahh

6. WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE AUTHOR? Don’t really have one

7. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE RADIO STATION? I don’t really listen to the radio, i prefer listening to my own music

8. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE FLAVOR OF ANYTHING? Mint

9. WHAT WORD WOULD YOU USE OFTEN TO DESCRIBE SOMETHING GREAT OR WONDERFUL? Amazing

10. WHAT IS YOUR CURRENT FAVORITE SONG? Making Flippy Floppy by The Talking Heads

11. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE WORD? Insignificant

12. WHAT WAS THE LAST SONG YOU LISTENED TO? Say it ain’t so - Weezer

13. WHAT TV SHOW WOULD YOU RECOMMEND FOR EVERYBODY TO WATCH? I’m not a huge TV show person...maybe the anime called NANA if that counts haha

14. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE MOVIE TO WATCH WHEN YOU’RE FEELING DOWN? I’ve never really watched a movie because i was “down”...but maybe Last of the Mohicans?

15. DO YOU PLAY VIDEO GAMES? Yeah probably too much

16. WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST FEAR? Not achieving my goals

17. WHAT IS YOUR BEST QUALITY, IN YOUR OPINION? I always try to be considerate

18. WHAT IS YOUR WORST QUALITY, IN YOUR OPINION? My Anxiety

19. DO YOU LIKE CATS OR DOGS BETTER? Catsss

20. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SEASON? Spring

21. ARE YOU IN A RELATIONSHIP? Yes

22. WHAT IS SOMETHING YOU MISS FROM YOUR CHILDHOOD? looking forward to the future.

23. WHO IS YOUR BEST FRIEND? Felice

24. WHAT IS YOUR EYE COLOR? Light blue

25. WHAT IS YOUR HAIR COLOR? Dark brown

26. WHO IS SOMEONE YOU LOVE? My boyfriend and friends

27. WHO IS SOMEONE YOU TRUST? the people above

28. WHO IS SOMEONE YOU THINK ABOUT OFTEN? 

29. ARE YOU CURRENTLY EXCITED ABOUT/FOR SOMETHING? I’m low key excited for the game Cyberpunk 2077 to come out...can’t get too excited because it’s still so far way

30. WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST OBSESSION? gaming probs

31. WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE TV SHOW AS A CHILD? WINX CLUB! I was sooo obsessed. Also Yu Gi Oh GX

32. WHO OF THE OPPOSITE GENDER CAN YOU TELL ANYTHING TO, IF ANYONE? shhh

33. ARE YOU SUPERSTITIOUS? I’m too superstitious to say yes..jk..okay maybe a little

34. DO YOU HAVE ANY UNUSUAL PHOBIAS? Not really…

35. DO YOU PREFER TO BE IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA OR BEHIND IT? Behind

36. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE HOBBY? Gaming

37. WHAT WAS THE LAST BOOK YOU READ? It’s so easy and other lies by Duff Mckagan

38. WHAT WAS THE LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Umm...i think it was Clueless.. lol

39. WHAT MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS DO YOU PLAY, IF ANY? Bass Guitar! :D

40. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ANIMAL? Cats..I’m boring

41. WHAT ARE YOUR TOP 5 FAVORITE TUMBLR BLOGS THAT YOU FOLLOW?  @maplesim @bloomlet @twin-creeks @dreambot @magnasimblr

42. WHAT SUPERPOWER DO YOU WISH YOU HAD? Teleportation

43. WHEN AND WHERE DO YOU FEEL MOST AT PEACE?  When I’m with my friends

44. WHAT MAKES YOU SMILE? Argh when my friends play DOA or Street Fighter and yell at the screen and everybody is yelling..it’s adorable. Also the freckles on my bf’s face :3

45. WHAT SPORTS DO YOU PLAY, IF ANY? I don’t play anymore but i wish i could play baseball and run

46. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE DRINK? Water and Ice Tea

47. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU WROTE A HAND-WRITTEN LETTER OR NOTE TO SOMEBODY? A while ago

48. ARE YOU AFRAID OF HEIGHTS? only if there’s a massive chance i’ll fall off

49. WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST PET PEEVE? People not being considerate

50. HAVE YOU EVER BEEN TO A CONCERT? No :/

51. ARE YOU VEGAN/VEGETARIAN? Nope

52. WHEN YOU WERE LITTLE, WHAT DID YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GREW UP? A scientist

53. WHAT FICTIONAL WORLD WOULD YOU LIKE TO LIVE IN? This is hard...Maybe Lord of the Rings

54. WHAT IS SOMETHING YOU WORRY ABOUT? My future.

55. ARE YOU SCARED OF THE DARK? nahh

56. DO YOU LIKE TO SING? Yeah, when no one is listening

57. HAVE YOU EVER SKIPPED SCHOOL? Once on Swimming day because i can’t swim xD

58. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PLACE ON THE PLANET? City Streets

59. WHERE WOULD YOU LIKE TO LIVE? Maybe Tokyo

60. DO YOU HAVE ANY PETS? No

61. ARE YOU MORE OF AN EARLY BIRD OR A NIGHT OWL? Night Owl

62. DO YOU LIKE SUNRISES OR SUNSETS BETTER? Sunrises

63. DO YOU KNOW HOW TO DRIVE? Only Automatic >.>

64. DO YOU PREFER EARBUDS OR HEADPHONES? Headphones all the fucking way

65. HAVE YOU EVER HAD BRACES? Yeah

66. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE GENRE OF MUSIC? Classic Rock

67. WHO IS YOUR HERO? Commander Shepard.. LOL

68. DO YOU READ COMIC BOOKS? No, they kinda hard to find in my country?? i think

69. WHAT MAKES YOU THE MOST ANGRY? People being mean to my friends

70. DO YOU PREFER TO READ ON AN ELECTRONIC DEVICE OR WITH A REAL BOOK? Real book

71. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SUBJECT IN SCHOOL? English and Science

72. DO YOU HAVE ANY SIBLINGS? Okay well..I have one full sister, 4 half sisters,1 half brother and 2 step brothers...

73. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU BOUGHT? A cheongsam

74. HOW TALL ARE YOU? 164cm

75. CAN YOU COOK? Not entirely well

76. WHAT ARE THREE THINGS THAT YOU LOVE? Snuggles, Hugs, Games

77. WHAT ARE THREE THINGS THAT YOU HATE? People are inconsiderate, People who are selfish, MONKEYS

78. DO YOU HAVE MORE FEMALE FRIENDS OR MORE MALE FRIENDS? More males

79. WHAT IS YOUR SEXUAL ORIENTATION? Straight

80. WHERE DO YOU CURRENTLY LIVE?  South Africa

81. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TEXTED? My Bf’s brother’s girlfriend

82. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? day before yesterday

83. WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE YOUTUBER? Probably Chris from Abroad in Japan

84. DO YOU LIKE TO TAKE SELFIES? nah

85. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE APP? Reddit

86. WHAT IS YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR PARENT(S) LIKE? With my Mom it’s okay. I never answer my Dad’s calls 

87. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE FOREIGN ACCENT? Japanese, Dutch

88. WHAT IS A PLACE THAT YOU’VE NEVER BEEN TO, BUT YOU WANT TO VISIT? Japan, Morocco, Hong Kong, The Netherlands, Germany, USA

89. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE NUMBER? 19? idk

90. CAN YOU JUGGLE? sort of

91. ARE YOU RELIGIOUS? Not really.

92. DO YOU FIND OUTER SPACE OR THE DEEP OCEAN TO BE MORE INTERESTING? Outer Space

93. DO YOU CONSIDER YOURSELF TO BE A DAREDEVIL? My mind is like yes but the other me is saying “ you’re too much of a scaredy cat“

94. ARE YOU ALLERGIC TO ANYTHING? I think Kiwi fruit :/

95. CAN YOU CURL YOUR TONGUE? I think?

96. CAN YOU WIGGLE YOUR EARS? No

97. HOW OFTEN DO YOU ADMIT THAT YOU WERE WRONG ABOUT SOMETHING? I kinda just stop talking and the person can tell I know i’m wrong lol

98. DO YOU PREFER THE FOREST OR THE BEACH? Forest maybe

99. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PIECE OF ADVICE THAT ANYONE HAS EVER GIVEN YOU?  Don’t worry about what others think (even tho i do all the time xD)

100. ARE YOU A GOOD LIAR? When it’s about something serious then yes.

101. WHAT IS YOUR HOGWARTS HOUSE? Raven Claw

102. DO YOU TALK TO YOURSELF? Yes haha

103. ARE YOU AN INTROVERT OR AN EXTROVERT? I’m neither, i love talking to people but i’m too shy and i get exhausted if i’m around people too much

104. DO YOU KEEP A JOURNAL/DIARY? No

105. DO YOU BELIEVE IN SECOND CHANCES?  No but that doesn’t stop me from giving them lol

106. IF YOU FOUND A WALLET FULL OF MONEY ON THE GROUND, WHAT WOULD YOU DO? Try find the owner

107. DO YOU BELIEVE THAT PEOPLE ARE CAPABLE OF CHANGE? Yes but it depends entirely on the person if they actually want to or not

108. ARE YOU TICKLISH? Nope, I have trained myself

109. HAVE YOU EVER BEEN ON A PLANE? Yes, plane food is nice

110. DO YOU HAVE ANY PIERCINGS? None!

111. WHAT FICTIONAL CHARACTER DO YOU WISH WAS REAL? Commander Shepard

112. DO YOU HAVE ANY TATTOOS? No, but i’d get if they weren’t permanent

113. WHAT IS THE BEST DECISION THAT YOU’VE MADE IN YOUR LIFE SO FAR? ummmm

114. DO YOU BELIEVE IN KARMA? No but it’s nice when people “receive it”

115. DO YOU WEAR GLASSES OR CONTACTS? none

116. DO YOU WANT CHILDREN? NEVER

117. WHO IS THE SMARTEST PERSON YOU KNOW? My boyfriend definitely

118. WHAT IS YOUR MOST EMBARRASSING MEMORY? My sister’s bf’s sister introduced herself to me “Hi, I’m Robin” and all i could say back was “Hi, I’m Robin”...fml

119. HAVE YOU EVER PULLED AN ALL-NIGHTER? Who hasn’t?

120. WHAT COLOR ARE MOST OF YOU CLOTHES? Black

121. DO YOU LIKE ADVENTURES? Yesss

122. HAVE YOU EVER BEEN ON TV? I don’t think so

123. HOW OLD ARE YOU? 20

124. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE QUOTE? Ummm....If they can’t do it maybe I can! - I just made that up xD

125. DO YOU PREFER SWEET OR SAVORY FOODS? Savory

[tthe-last-timee]

2019 Recap

January 

1/18: Bought my plane ticket back home to the motherland! 

Binge watched You season 1 — thanks, Kayla, for recommending it to me! 

Worked full-time during winter break because my work was severely understaffed (more $$$ yaasss)

As a result of working full-time, I also drank coffee on the daily. 🙃

Also binge watched The Hookup Plan on Netflix. 

First and only time my class was cancelled because of a snowstorm. 

The start of my second semester as a junior. 

Restarted watching Game of Thrones. 

February

Identity crisis. 

Bought tickets to see BLACKPINK in April. 

Obsessed with skin care, spent a lot of money at Sephora. 

Uni kept me busy for the most part. 

Wasn’t able to watch GoT as much. :(

Hello, dean’s list! 

March

Started my weekly professional practice experience (PPE) at UI Health. Every Friday for 8 weeks. Made me realize how crazy expensive parking downtown is. 

Binge watched GoT so I can watch the last season when it came out. Season 7 is my favorite! 

Discovered SHY Martin and omfg I love her music. 

Had a fight with one of the closest people in my life, and it opened my eyes to many things. I learned a lot like for example: no matter how close you are to a human being, there will be times where your opinions and views won’t align and I guess that’s okay. Try not to take things personally.

Also discovered L Devine from a YouTuber and I love her music too!! 

I was finally able to use my Twitter account on the actual app. I was locked out for months and had to use a third party app. 

April

Saw BLACKPINK with my sister and two of my cousins. First concert attended for 2019! 

Finally caught up with GoT and was able to watch s8 as it came out every Sunday. 

Uni kept me busy (lol when does it not???)

I was awarded, along with two other classmates, the Chancellor’s Student Service Award. 

Became a ninang to my first ever inaanak, Miah. 💗

May

Watched “Someone Great” on Netflix and bawled my eyes out towards the end. Nicely incorporated music throughout the whole movie. 👍🏼

Started to get disappointed with how GoT was going. 

A classmate & I did a joint report on our PPE experience at UI Health to end the semester. 

Started to watch Kdramas again! I watched Touch Your Heart and I had the biggest crush on Lee Dong Wook for a couple of weeks lol. 

Watched Aladdin with my sister at AMC Oakbrook and wore an all white outfit when it was pouring rain lmao. I still feel sad about how my continental 80s were soaking wet. 😢

June

Started watching Lucifer. I fell in love with Tom Ellis. 

Worked the weekends only because my boss didn’t give me as much hours as I wanted. :( I need money for my vacation :(

Warriors lost the finals, and with many injuries to their star players. I am a sad potato :(

WHEN THEY SEE US. Omfg this show stirred up so many feelings in me that I didn’t know I was capable of. I still highly recommend this mini series. This show also replaced my crush from Tom Ellis to Jharrel Jerome. 

So many books and conferences for senior year. I cry :c

Spoiled by coworkers (bought me coffee almost every weekend) <3

New crush alert: #15 USWNT. 

July 

Hello birth month! Kicked it off by travelling to Florida with my grandparents to visit my tita & tito who live there. Very hot and humid omg. First time my eyes were ever dry that I needed to use eye drops. 

Also, Southwest lost my luggage so we were stuck at home the first day in FL to wait for it to get dropped off. 

 A lot happened this month...

Had to fly to PH early because of a family emergency. 

CULTURE SHOCK. I haven’t been home in 6 years. 

So grateful for my longtime bff, Johan, for staying with me at home while my grandparents were in Bohol sorting some things out. 

7/23: LANY concert at MOA Arena with Johan. Second  and last concert for 2019. #thefeels. Manila traffic is insane. Flew back home early the next day because..

7/25: stayed at davao overnight. Had dinner with friends. I was wasted af. Early flight next day to Cebu. 

7/26 - 7/30: Spent 5 days with my close gal pals Johan, Hannah, Cara, Arvel, and Auleve at Cebu and Bohol. Spent my 22nd birthday with them and it was the best. ❤️❤️❤️

7/27: At Simala Church and I prayed to God about you. (He really listens!!)

He made me a playlist because I asked for song recommendations. That was really sweet of him. 

7/31: Instead of closure, we started something new. We decided to try again. Probably the first and last time I’d let someone read what I wrote on my private blogs. Also, everything happens for a reason haha. 

For the record, I’ve drank the most in this month than I ever had in my entire life. Hangovers can suck it. 

August

08/04: Davao house party with our closest friends!! Love how supportive they are of us. Didn’t get much sleep, took care of my wasted friends lol. 

Frances made a video of the house party linked here: https://youtu.be/t_AATf2fCg8 

08/09: 💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛

08/10: Date at davao, then had dinner with Dan (one of his closest friends and our high school classmate) and his girlfriend, Alyssa. 

Started to get texts and emails again from work and uni. :(

Meant so much to me that one of my favorite high school teachers supports us. ❤️

Awarded some $$$ from uni because I had the highest GPA in the HIM program. 

Attended the junior orientation at school. Glad to see it’s getting more diverse each year. 

Lover!!! 💗💗💗

Officially a senior! One. More. Year. #HIM2020

Impulsively upgraded my phone from 8+ to the XS. 😬

September

My lover’s birth month. 

Honeymoon phase. 

Part of UIC’s Jeopardy team at the AHIMA Conference and we won!!! YAY TEAM!

One of my high school friends, Paolo, and his friend Riz, visited me here in Chicago for 2 days. Going out with them was a nice break from my monotonous schedule. 

And because I had visitors, it was the first time I had to drive on the highway for a long time. Finally conquered my fear of driving on the highway because I had no choice. *pats self on the back*

October

Sad month. Lost another classmate. 

Back to drinking Starbucks on the daily. My debit card is crying. 

Baby fever is real!

And who would’ve thought... my bff is pregnant!! I tagged Johan on a tweet that said “baby fever but like in an aunt way” and she called me a few days later telling me the good news. I thought she was messing with me at first hahaha. I have a new inaanak coming soon!

Mama’s birthday. Had lunch at our favorite place Joy Yee. 

My mom’s brother who she hasn’t seen in 8 years visited us here in Chicago. 

November

Friends thought I’m getting engaged or married when I told them I’m going back home after graduation. Love how supportive they are haha.

I was invited to be a panelist for an event at uni. Great experience, although I would not do it again because parking downtown is expensive. 

“Not everything about your relationship has to be shared with others.”

Mental health spiral. (I pulled through after disappearing for a few days)

Cut my hair short, but not that short. 

December

Senior In-Service done!  

Starbucks discontinued my fav Chestnut Praline Latte and I am the saddest bean ever. :( </3

Impulsively upgraded my phone to 11, hated the quality (reminded me of android phones). So after four days, I upgraded it to the 11 Pro Max. No more spending this year! Lol. 

After all the struggles I went through with school this semester, I still managed to finish with straight A’s thanks to the extra credit points from completing the course evaluations. Summa cum laude = secured. 👩🏻‍🎓✨☝🏼

I tried Disney Plus and binge watched The Suite Life on Deck. I remembered I used to have the biggest crush on Cody since the first Suite Life lol. 

[ddrkirbyisq]

You'd think that being unemployed I'd blog more often instead of less often...but I guess it's more just that the days of me feeling like i NEED to say something about =everything= are past.  I definitely remember that stage in high school where I just found it really nice, theraputic even to just type everything out as a way of processing it and to distill any of those leftover thoughts and feelings that I had.  I'd like to (?) think that I am a little bit better at being able to acknowledge my thoughts and feelings as they happen and "let them pass", so to speak.  Kind of like meditating, you know?  Where you don't necessarily feel obligated to act upon every single thought or feeling. Speaking of which, I think I'm really feeling a lot better so far about (not) stressing out about things in general.  Of course there is still an internal alarm bell (or whatever metaphor you want to use) that starts going off whenever I haven't gotten to one or more of my responsibilities for a long time, but I think it's been easier to not stress out about that alarm going off (and trust that I will be able to get to it).  Perhaps more importantly, it's also been easier to manage that alarm in the first place, since I really feel like I am doing a better job of keeping up with things in general now, with letters, music, etc.  Things will never be perfect and my plate will never be fully empty, but as long as I'm making forward progress I'm happy. I did some tai chi for the first time in forever the other day!  It felt nice, just went out to the park after doing some stretching and such at home.  I'm super out of shape of course, but actually not =as bad= as I thought, so that was nice.  It didn't take a ton of time either, so hopefully that's something I can start doing randomly a bit more often.  Though it is a bit less fun doing it alone compared to when it was with others.  But it's sort of fun to be alone in its own way, too, I guess. Worked on a bunch of music stuff today!  Got started on an interesting request to remix Gliding Dance of the Maidens, which took quite some tries to get started on, but I think I'm making headway there, yay.  Also did OHC today, in which I tried to emulate puru's progressive sounds.  I was eh...about halfway successful I think.  I managed to get pretty tight drum sequencing, which I think worked really nicely -- I'm going to have to push this "clean" style of drums more in the future.  I really stumbled on making the proper trance pluck sounds though, something which I feel like I used to be able to do but I guess I've gotten out of practice with it.  After OHC ended I spent some time experimenting with that, trying to get the hang of it not only with the classic 3xOsc synth, but also with Harmor and Sytrus.  I actually might start trying to use Sytrus a bit more often for this type of supersaw sound, as it's fairly easy to get a good unison saw sound out of sytrus and the filters actually work pretty nicely.  Harmor can do it too, of course, but...I dunno, the UI in harmor just feels more clunky and confusing, really.  Both Sytrus and Harmor are capable of doing subtractive synthesis, even though Sytrus is built for FM/ringmod and Harmor is built as an additive synth.  So maybe more Sytrus is in my future when I want to play around with synth stuff...?  Anyways, it felt good to be doing so much work on music.  It's just as well too, since I already have a commission lined up for next month too! Xmas letters are progressing smoothly!  I've gotten 25 of them done, and also took care of some birthday letters along the way as well.  Only 6 more days left!  I still have some of the longer ones left to do though, so hopefully I can schedule them in at good times.  I still have to do my Japanese letter too, which will probably take a while, haha.  Once all the letters are done I have to make sure to not relax -- need to get all the gift shopping done early otherwise deadlines will sneak up on me before I know it... Progressing further and further in Dark Souls, which has been keeping my interest pretty well!  I've also started listening to the Bonfireside chat podcast (that, the "Analog" melee podcast, and Limited Resources for MtG are my 3 podcasts to listen to while driving) alongside my playthrough, which...well, I wouldn't say it's the =greatest= podcast in the world, but it's enjoyable enough, for a drive.  Anyways, the main cleric character (Sayuri) has a bunch of points into Faith and uses lightning spear in addition to the Jagged Ghost Blade (currently reinforced to +4), which fortuitously dropped from one of the ghosts in new londo ruins.  It's just as well too, because we spent a LOT of time down in those ruins fighting those ghosts wayyyy before we were supposed to...we ended up clearing the ENTIRE area out and got confused because there was nowhere else to go (turns out I had just completely missed the door to the lower undead burg, argh).  Anyways, it's been serving really well, as it's got really nice base damage AND procs a nice bleed effect as well.  The only thing is that it doesn't do too well in narrower spaces or against short or flying enemies as it mainly has horizontal slash attacks, so occasionally we'll switch to the good ol mace (one of the better weapons in the game actually) and use those vertical attacks to smash things. The jagged ghost blade doesn't have much scaling, so eventually we'll replace it with some sort of divine or just regular reinforced dex scaling weapon.  Our scimitar is currently a divine scimitar although we haven't needed it yet (once we go into the catacombs, I guess?), and we just picked up a falchion so that could be a candidate.  Some sort of katana would actually be great -- apparently there is an Iaito somewhere in blighttown that you can get to by jumping to a platform, so maybe that, if we end up going back there.  I might just do some backtracking through blighttown (ugh) anyways, as I'm sure I didn't get everything there.  I actually also should go back to the lower burg since I apparently completely missed Griggs there, lol. Anyways, we actually made our way all the way through the depths, through blighttown, and beat quelaag, rang the second bell to presumably unlock sen's fortress (?) and are now near the ruins of chaos.  There are quite a few different directions we can explore go at this point, though I guess sen's fortress is the next real progress area (?).  There's no shortage of unexplored areas, at any rate, as there's the bridge in valley of drakes that i don't know where it goes (shortcut to somewhere?), there's the crest of artorias door which I don't know where it leads to, and a bunch of stuff in blighttown probably.  There...is certainly a lot of stuff in this game, lol.  Also, we accidentally killed the Chaos Servant guy guarding Quelaag's sister, whoops!  Didn't see the option to talk to him since I was holding my shield up.  Fortunately that doesn't really matter all that much in the grand scheme of things, just sort of unfortunate.  Wish somebody had left a message there that indicated something about that dude though.  We also missed beating Kirk in the sewers -- didn't realize he was an NPC to be beaten.  Whatever, there's no way to expect to get everything right on the first playthrough. My second character is a sorcery-focused int build, which is a drastically different playstyle, as she gets to really nuke things with hard-hitting magic attacks, but it requires a different set of tactics as she's sort of fragile and the magic takes time to cast, so it's tricky sometimes to find a good window of time to fire them off.  I've beaten the Gaping Dragon with that character, so next is to head down to blighttown. Third character is sort of a lolzy one, just focusing on strength and two-handing huge weapons.  I haven't played with that one very much at all, I think I only beat the taurus demon so far.  Don't know if I'll continue, though it does seem funny to just hold really huge weapons around haha. Cleared a Space Alert mission successfully for the first time in about 3 years, which was fun!  Really gotta keep your wits sharp to succeed in that game...it's still fun though. I've started playing through Hollow Knight as well!  In earnest this time, as the last time I tried I didn't get very far at all.  Currently just got to the Fungal Wastes...man, a LOT of attention and detail went into the art for this game, it's pretty insane how fully-featured all of these environments are and so far the different feel of all the areas is coming across really well.  It's been fun so far. Things that are coming up (a.k.a. things that I have to get done, lol)...besides stuff that is not really worth mentioning (getting my flu shot at some point), I actually still might want to do a short post-mortem for Bath Time, lol.  Speaking of which, there's a pretty annoying touchscreen bug, so (sigh) I probably will try to fix that up and make a new mobile build for it.  At SOME point I'll have to try to actually get back to development on Rhythm Quest, though it is certainly intimidating since there is so much that needs to be done there.  Besides all the content, I want to redo how the map screen works entirely if possible, maybe the main menu as well, but also have to make a calibration screen of some sort, etc etc etc. For anime, Inuyasha (lol) is on hold at the moment, but I finished off Evangelion for reals (yay).  I didn't expect the ah..."change of direction" at the end of the series to be so...SUDDEN...but thinking about it, it makes sense.  For some reason I expected that to start happening earlier, but it really was compacted into the last little bit.  Anyways, now I'm making my way through the latter parts of Onii Sama e...which has had some quite nice episodes.  I don't really know what to say about it without having to explain a lot of other things about the anime, so I won't really bother, but it has been good. Not much melee these days, but one thing that is exciting is that Rishi and KJH made it into summit!  Woot!  Should be a good lineup!  That's pretty exciting. Also been catching up on going through random music that I've got backlogged on my drive, including Chronology (jazz rearrangement album of Chrono Trigger, it's pretty nice!), as well as Harmony of Heroes (super smash bros giant rearrangement album) and the Final Smash extension (those two didn't have that much that was to my liking, but a few things here and there were nice).  As I said, it just feels nice to be making progress on things.  I even went through all of my accumulated deviantArt notifications the other day, haha.  I'm actually trying to get back into my habit of using my little batch script to open up a bunch of websites every morning for me to check for updates!  Anyways, all of these things feel great to be going back to.  I should also be putting out my "Monthlies" release for this month relatively soon too!

[ifeelyou-johanna]

Girlfriend tag 1-80

1. Describe how you met each other. I was working for a magazine. A friend of mine asked me to write a preview for this theatre program she was directing and invited me to sit in on a rehearsal. Lo and behold, Hana walks in and I’m completely smitten. Afterward, we grab Korean BBQ and find out we actually matched on Tinder a couple of months earlier and just never messaged each other2. What did you first notice about each other? I don’t exactly know her answer, but I first noticed her presence (aura, if you want to use that word). She commanded the room through her contagious laugh and smile, her bouncing energy, her attention to the person with whom she was speaking to. Also her style was cute as fuck. ALSO she was the most beautiful and aesthetically pleasing person I’ve ever laid my eyes on3. Who first asked the other out? Hana sort of did through Tinder when she was standing right next to me haha but then I was like “no seriously, want to get dinner some time?”4. Where was your first date? At a restaurant near the theatre called Lunch & Supper. We then grabbed ice pops from my former work place and then I saw her performance. After that, we got tacos with her cast5. Who was first to verbally say “I love you”? I was6. How did your first kiss happen? Who initiated it? We were at an art museum, and since she knows ASL, I learned how to say “Can I kiss you” in ASL. Apparently, I learned it incorrectly, so she was confused at first, but then I did it again and she put the pieces together7. When is your anniversary? June 19, 20178. How long have you been together? 3 months9. What made you realize you were in love with her? I could write volumes about that. But for now, I’ll keep it short and sweet: Hana is the epitome of what a girlfriend, a partner, a friend, should be. She is supportive, caring, attentive, loving, affectionate, hilarious, tender, adventurous, and forgiving. She is everything I need in a girlfriend and so much more10. Where you friends before you became lovers? Not really actually haha we kind of just went in head first11. Were either of you out before getting with your girlfriend? Yes, both of us were12. Have either of you dated a girl before getting with your girlfriend or is she your first? I was the only one who had actually dated other women before we started dating. So technically I’m her first official girlfriend13. When is your girlfriend’s birthday? Who is older? March 1. I’m older by almost a year and a half14. Do you live together? No, we’re not at that point yet haha also we go to different colleges so that makes it tricky15. Have you met your girlfriend’s parents? If so, what was that like? I have! I spend so much time at her house that her parents are used to me being there. Meeting them was nerve-wracking for me. I really wanted to show them that I wasn’t just a temporary thing, and that I care very deeply for their daughter16. How many people are in your girlfriend’s family? She’s an only child, but her extended family isn’t too terribly large17. Whose family do you hang out with more? I think I went to her house more frequently this summer?...she’s met both of my siblings AND my parents, which is more than any partner I’ve had in the past18. What is a typical date night like for you and your girlfriend? The best part is that it is never the same. We don’t really have a “typical date night.” It can be anything from a night drive to getting Taco Bell at 1am to dressing up and going to dinner to going to a drag bar. However, we always end the night in bed together19. How do you usually spend your time together? We love adventures. Every day is a new and exciting adventure. We’re exploring, we’re discovering, we’re driving or walking or swimming. However, we also love to nap together. Often times she’ll nap and I’ll be laying next to her and just be while she sleeps. But I love that20. Have you ever been mistaken for sisters? No, since we have very different features (I have curly strawberry blonde hair, she has straight brown hair), but we’ve been mistaken for best friends many times21. Have you ever worn your girlfriend’s clothes? I’m currently wearing her shorts. I have quite a few of her clothes, and she does too22. Have you ever experienced any discrimination or prejudice because you are a same sex couple? There have been a couple of occasions where people have made comments, fetishizing our relationship. Additionally, we’ve had requests for threesomes and nudes and have been sent dick picks. But no one has been outrightly like “oh look at those two LESBIANS”23. Does anyone you know disapprove of your relationship? Not that I’m aware of24. How much PDA do you do? I would say a decent amount. If it’s not too hot and we feel good, we’re at least holding hands. But for the most part, we like physical contact and PDA25. Do you have any pet names for each other? A few. My love, my girl, my peach, sweetheart, babe26. Does your girlfriend have any pets? She has two dogs27. Who is more likely to cook a meal? I would only say me ?28. What is your girlfriend’s favorite food? Least favorite food? Apples. She loves apples. In terms of least favorite, I know she doesn’t like raw onions or tomatoes29. Who is more likely to cry for no reason? Ha probably me30. Have you ever been on your periods together? Oh yeah. We synced pretty quickly31. Can your girlfriend play any musical instruments? She used to play piano32. Who is your girlfriend’s favorite musical artist? I don’t think she has like a top favorite (edit: upon asking her, she actually doesn’t have one, so I’m right)

33. What is your girlfriend’s current favorite song? I’m not entirely sure about her top favorite, but I can name several that she loves!34. Do you have a couple song? Peach by The Front Bottoms, along with many more. But definitely Peach35. Do you have a couple name? No one has given us one yet!36. Who is more likely to forget where they put things? Honestly both of us are very prone to doing that hahaha37. Which side of the bed do you each sleep on? I usually sleep on the left side of the bed, so she’ll be on the right38. Does your girlfriend have a job? She used to work as a swim instructor, lifeguard, and kid zone/day care person39. What do you argue/fight about the most? I don’t know if there’s really something we always argue/fight about...probably something petty40. How do you usually get over a argument/fight? We talk it through. Feelings are addressed and then we try and work on a plan from that point on. We always end with I love yous and asking if we’re good41. Who is more likely to refuse sex? I’d say it’s pretty even, but we both really like having sex with each other, so it’s not really an issue haha42. What nationality is your girlfriend? American43. Does your girlfriend play any sports? Not as of right now44. Does your girlfriend root for any sports teams? I think New York since she has family from there ?45. Does your girlfriend have any quirky habits? I mean, don’t we all? I love all of her habits. It’s in the way she laughs or drives or sleeps46. What is one thing your girlfriend does that you don’t like? She picks at her zits and scars and such even though I tell her not to. It causes scarring!!47. Who is more likely to remember an important day (i.e. birthday, anniversary, etc.)? She has a good memory of like random things that I won’t really remember, but I think I might remember other types of things ? Idk48. What is your girlfriend’s eye color? Bluish green49. What is your girlfriend’s shoe size? She’s an 8 I think?50. What is your girlfriend’s dress size? Small, that’s all I know haha51. What is your girlfriend’s favorite TV show? I’m not entirely sure. She definitely has favorite YouTube shows/series52. What is your girlfriend’s favorite movie? She likes comedies, but I can’t recall a favorite as of right now53. Who hogs the covers more when sleeping together? We both do it tbh54. What is one item on your girlfriend’s bucket list? I’m not entirely sure. I think travel to certain countries is on there55. Who is your girlfriend’s #1 celebrity crush? FUCK I don’t know off the top of my head damn56. Is your girlfriend more likely to save or spend money? She definitely likes to save it, but she’ll occasionally treat herself or me :)57. Who squashes the bugs? If they’re in the shower, I’ll get them. But she likes them when they’re not in the shower with her58. Who is more likely to forget to turn the lights off? Me59. What is your girlfriend’s favorite color? Black60. What is your girlfriend’s middle name? Danielle61. Who is more likely to randomly burst out into a song? Both of us tbh. Probably her more so62 Who is more likely to randomly start dancing? Her, for sure63 Who usually pays when you go out to eat? Me hahaaaaa but that’s because I’m faster64. Have you ever taken a vacation together? If so, where to? We did! Blue Ridge Mountains and it was SO great65. How tall is your girlfriend? 5′5″ maybe? I know she’s taller than me66. What is your girlfriend’s number labeled as in your cell phone? Her name haha I have a cute picture as her contact name67. Is your girlfriend religious at all? She’s Jewish! Her family is Jewish, and she’s done BBYO in the past. She actually just wished me a happy Rosh Hashanah!68. Who is more likely to spontaneously be romantic? I think it’s equally split tbh69. Whose laugh is cuter? Hers70. Who is the better driver? She’s a pretty good driver, I’m pretty decent. I’m not sure if someone is better than the other tbh71. Who is the better singer? Hahaha she definitely loves singing in the car and in her room, but she likes listening to me72. Who is the better dancer? Her. Without hesitation or thought73. Who is better at math? We both hate math fuck haha74. Whose handwriting is better? Hers without a doubt75. Who is more likely to sign a card or a note from the both of you? I don’t think we’ve had to do it yet, but I definitely think we’d both do it76. Have you ever discussed marriage? Yes!!77. Have you ever discussed having children? We haven’t necessarily discussed the ones we want together, but we’ve talked about what we think about having kids as individuals78. What is one thing about your girlfriend you think most people don’t know? There’s definitely stuff I know that she doesn’t share very often with people, but this really isn’t the platform to share it. There’s a reason why she hasn’t told many people haha but on a less serious note, she has a condition where one of her thumbs is shorter than the other. She’ll gladly show you, but most people don’t know it until she shows them!79. Choose one word to describe your girlfriend. Why that word? Warmth. She is my ray of sunshine. She spreads warmth and light wherever she goes, no matter the mood she’s in. She brightens up my day and makes me feel like I can grow and flourish and blossom, just as the sun does for flowers and trees80. Pass on one piece of relationship advice. Communication. Hana and I have been pretty good at this, but from a personal standpoint, my biggest piece of advice is to communicate. People aren’t mindreaders. So if something is bothering you, say it. Along that same line, don’t keep things from each other. It will just fester and end up hurting more than helping. So that goes along the same line on communication. 

[purplesurveys]

535

What is your favorite thing to do on your phone? Tweeting, looking at my photos, or more recently, playing Mario Kart Tour hehe. Do you know what you are going to be for Halloween this year? If so, what? I dunno if we have plans for Halloween this year. I don’t really want to spend my money on a costume either. Do you still go trick-or-treating, and if so, how old are you? I do it for some years. I think the last time my friends and I did it though was 2015. Gabie’s sisters trick-or-treated last 2017, but we just accompanied them.

Which Disney princess resembles you the most? Physically? Moana would probably be the closest. Which fairytale seems closest to your life story? I don’t really like fairytales so I don’t know enough of them to identify which one I could possibly relate to.

What color was your first phone? It came in a red Winnie the Pooh skin when my parents got it for me. Was your first phone a flip phone? Nah it was the old Nokia 3310. My third phone was a Sony Ericsson flip phone. Have you ever butt dialed someone? Nope, but I’ve called people in my sleep haha. What is your favorite pizza parlor? Pizza parlors aren’t a thing here; we just have Italian restaurants in general. My favorite place that serves Italian food is Mama Lou’s. What is an old website that closed down that you miss? TWITPIC. I posted so many photos there from 5th grade which was my favorite year of elementary school. I have no idea how to retrieve them since the site shut down around five years ago. I’d be happy even to find out my pictures just floating somewhere around the internet; I just don’t want them gone forever. If you're a girl, have you ever had an embarrassing period story? Yeah, I was in PE class two months ago and was doing sit-ups when my partner looked at me nervously and she said I had a huge stain on my shorts. I had to do the rest of the workout in denim, ripped jeans. ...If so, what happened? ^ That. What was your worst experience in high school? Not having friends and struggling to know who I was and what I wanted. What was your high school's mascot? Meh my school doesn’t have one. How much did your senior prom dress cost you? A few thousand bucks. I didn’t take my prom seriously so I didn’t want my parents to shell out too much for my dress. Do you listen to Grace VanderWaal? I know a couple of songs of hers and I admire her, but I’m not a rabid fan. ...if yes, what's your favorite song of hers? The song she sang at her AGT audition has always struck me. I think I’ve cried every time I came across it. Do you watch America's Got Talent? Nah I only watch the really viral ones and the golden buzzer bits. Which country has the best accent? I can’t distinguish or identify English accents but I reeeeally like the way Tanya Burr sounds when she speaks. That’s an accent I really like. Oh and the one Claire Foy uses in The Crown; I’m not sure if that’s her natural accent but anyhow that one sounds pleasant too. Which country's flag do you like the best? The ones that go outside the box, like Nepal and Switzerland. Libya’s old flag (all-green, no design) was a bit interesting too. Did you cry at your high school graduation? No. I cried the days before. By the time of my grad I think I was just elated to finally finish high school and excited to finally be out with Gab. Did you cry at your college graduation (if applicable)? I haven’t reached that point yet but I have a strong feeling I’ll be trying not to cry the whole time, because my dad plans to be there and he’s never been to any of my graduations yet. Do your parents try to stop you from chasing your dreams? No. I know they support me so long as they know I can handle whatever it is I want to attain. What dreams have stuck with you since childhood? Going to the moon, fighting a fire, having a job that involves caring for animals. Oh and stepping in a wrestling ring. Who is a former friend that you wish would come back into your life? Sofie. She’s still a friend, but I’ve seen her like twice in the last three years. Sad, considering how ridiculously close we were in high school. Have you ever been in a serious romantic relationship? Yes. Who was your favorite Spice Girl? Uh I was too young to ever be a big fan. Did you ever want to be in a band or music group? I wanted to learn how to play the drums, but I didn’t actively aspire to take up a career in music or be in a band. What instrument did you play in the marching band? If you could take any one type of dance class right now, what kind you take? I’d love to go back to ballet. Who got kicked off of your favorite talent show that you were mad about? Pia Toscano and Siobhan Magnus from American Idol, without a doubt. Do you own the entire series on DVD of any TV show? If so, what? My dad got me Seasons 1 and 2 and a bootleg pack of Seasons 3-8 of Perfect Strangers. What show did you always want to be on when you were a kid? Hi-5!!! I always wanted to be a part of that crowd of dancing kids. I had no idea they shot everything in Australia, and that just because they air the show in the Philippines doesn’t mean the studio is also located here. Can you tell the difference between Mary-Kate and Ashley? No, I never paid that much attention to them. I know they dress nicely though. Who is your favorite set of twins? Les Twins! They’re Laurent and Larry, dancers who’ve performed with Beyoncé for the last several years. What is the stupidest baby name you have heard recently? Stupid is kinda harsh...but a weird name I’ve heard of would be Luckysia. I can’t even begin to think where that came from. What is the grossest thing you have ever vomited up? OMG I dunno...straight-up vodka, I guess? I don’t look at the things I throw up lmao. Have you ever thrown up in public, in front of someone else? Yep. ...If yes, was it embarrassing? Very. I haven’t gotten that drunk since. Did you ever take your dog to school? No as pets aren’t allowed in my school. Name one person you know who had a baby in high school. I don’t have a batchmate who gave birth while in high school, but there are several who have since had kids while in college. If you had had a baby in high school, what would you have named him or her? I’d probably have named a girl Audrey and a boy Gino, because those were my favorites back then. I still like the name Audrey but now I’m not so sure if I’d still want it as a first name for my kid. If you had a baby now, what would you name him or her? Olivia. Dunno what name I’d pick for a boy. Do you make lists of names that you like? Yes, but it’s a list for girl names only hah. Do you keep a list of your favorite quotes? Nope, I don’t like living by quotes. Describe your dream wedding in three words. Lots of: flowers, people, food. What is your favorite Chinese restaurant? The Shang Palace in Makati Shangri-La. Does Chinese food make you feel sick? Nope. It’s part of our culture so it would be unusual to get sick from Chinese food. I know it spoils quick, though. Have you ever seen someone throw up on a plane? Nah I’ve only seen that in Mr. Bean haha. I’ve seen more people get dizzy and throw up in boats/ships. Do you get motion sickness? Yes, mostly in cars, and especially if it isn’t my parents driving. Has God ever healed you of anything? If so, what? Do you believe in God? Do you pray, and if so, to whom? What is the most boring church you have ever attended? All of them. What is the most lively church you have ever attended? Do you find church fun or boring? Boring as fuck, but that’s because I’m a nonbeliever and am only forced to go because my mom is a crazily devout Catholic who makes sure her whole family catches church every Sunday. When was the last time you went to a church service? Last Sunday. When did you learn to ride a bike? I never learned :( A couple of years ago my dad tried to teach me and I was able to retain my balance for like three seconds, but I was never able to repeat it. What do you hate the most about summer? When it gets too boring it’s usually easier to fall into depression or negative thoughts in general. What is your favorite thing to do in a swimming pool? Just float in the water and relax. Which part of your body is the most muscular? I don’t know. Do you like sugar skulls? I’ve never encountered those before, so no.  Have you ever painted a sugar skull on your face? Nope. Are you an artist? I am not. Did you ever take Latin in school? No, but we were briefly taught French in Grade 1 because my school's origins is in France. They didn’t keep up the lessons, though. What was the last race you ran called? Idk, does Mario Kart on my phone count? Hahaha Do you prefer to run in the street or on the sidewalk? I prefer to...not run at all. Which major holiday is closest to your birthday? Easter Sunday, typically. Does your zodiac sign fit your personality at all? I don’t care. What is your zodiac sign? Taurus.