#Tuna Fails Her Exams

[tablefourtyone]

And so I, the Dreamwhisker, am dubbed:

I'm kidding, I named her Papra (Maltese for duck).

But let's ignore the narrative in favor of the new game mechanics.

So far they gave us a Jump button, for battle and navigation purposes. Works for the new S yoyo battlesuit, that's for sure.

I also can't help but notice certain game mechanics that are awfully familiar.

And eye-searing to skim. (yeah, you pick these books up with the same icon and action)

There's also the exploration mechanic reminiscent of the Four-Leaf Sigil in Genshin Impact.

And of course,

Boy, I wish characters could also just deposit primos into my player's hand like that. It makes every transaction seem like they're rooting for me to win the 50/50.

I think the only thing I found noteworthy was a cute lil Scottish Terrier summoning two things that looked like Necromorph heads.

And that's really the impression left behind on MHY vet players who've played all three games, gameplay wise.

I actually ignored the main story just to see if people can speed through it with the Skip button and still enjoy themselves.

Pretty much? You get to try the three battlesuits without having to go through the tutorial. I just played it by ear and still won bc there was no time limit. I also didn't use the Assist button more than once.

For better or for worse, part two's graphics have improved, they got rid of the Soulium farming requirement (thank God!), Co-Op is probably going to be Battle Realms from now on, and it's not like the old Bridge is gone forever, you just switch out of the new one.

I just wonder if HYV wants to segue into APHO and Alien Space via Part 2, or rather prepare us for Tunaface to go MIA.

Then again, Part 2 seems to be going off on its own tangent where the protag has to rescue a random Marsverse from a Game Over using inexplicit time travel shenanigans.

I feel like I'm watching that X-Men movie again.

[waywardxrhea]

Tuna-Tober Day 17 - George Weasley

pairing: George Weasley x gn!reader

prompt: Tickling

word count: 553 ish

content: tooth rotting fluff

tuna-tober masterlist / main masterlist

“Can anyone tell me what made Wendelin the Weird go down in Wizarding history?” asked Professor Binns, which almost made you slip out of your trance-like stupor that his voice never failed to cause.

Wendelin, however, was one of your special interests as a child after getting her on a chocolate frog card, and you knew everything there was to know about her. So, you raised your hand as you blinked hard to refocus your eyes. After Binns called on you using the wrong name, you began to answer, “Wendelin was known for being burned at the stake at least forty-seven times during the medieval period. She used the flame freezing charm which allowed her to feel a pleasant tick-”

You stopped mid-sentence as you suddenly were overwhelmed with a tickling sensation taking over your whole body. Giggles began to burst forth out of your mouth and you tried to finish between them. “Tickling sensation-” Your giggles turned into full on laughs as you clutched your middle. “She- She used- hah! a different dis- Hahahah! Disguise every time. The Muggles-”

By then, Professor Binns had finally begun paying attention to you and sent you a glare as he said sternly, “This is no laughing matter. Whatever has come over you, I advise you to cut it out. This will be on the exam.”

“Finite,” you heard whispered from the desk behind you before the tickling sensation subsided. It was George’s voice followed by a quiet chuckle.

You took a deep breath to calm yourself before saying, “My apologies Professor. The Muggles were terrified of magic at the time, but they were very bad at identifying it. Many witches and wizards would pretend to scream while standing in the flames before simply leaving when the Muggles had gone. There are theories that Wendelin even travelled to America to be burned at the stake there, but because of the disguises and transfiguration she used, it is hard to say if it was really her.”

“I prefer to teach about the facts of the matter. Class, disregard the last bit of information given in that answer,” Binns said before turning toward the blackboard and beginning to drone on again.

When class let out after what felt like forever, everyone began filing out of the classroom. After you latched your bag carrying your books, you felt an arm grab your waist and pull you aside and into their embrace. Your lips were captured in a sweet kiss that you smiled into. After pulling away a few moments later, you lightly slapped George’s chest as you chastised, “George Weasley! What were you thinking casting the tickling charm on me in the middle of me answering Binns?”

“That it had been too long since I heard your sweet laugh,” he replied before sneaking another kiss as he chuckled.

“You had me laughing for five minutes before class over a joke you told!” you countered, joining in on his laughter.

“And I think that every moment not hearing you laugh is a moment wasted,” he said.

“You’re a real charmer, you know that?”

“And you love that about me,” he teased.

“That I do,” you said, a smile settling onto your lips as you separated just enough to grab each other’s hand and walk to the Great Hall for lunch.

[ace-angel-judas]

More Hyejin exorcist au? How does she talk to Mark?

“….Pickles..,”

Hyejin frowned as she stood next to Estelle, who had a frown on her face as well. Everyone had passed the exam, excluding Hyejin, who had failed instantly.

Again.

“It’s alright,” Estelle patted her shoulder softly, “Hopefully next year,”

But Hyejin had been at the school for three years now. Her cursed speech wasn’t getting any better, other than a few more words she could speak, she couldn’t control anything higher than a level B.

“Hyejin!”

She perked up as Mark rushed towards her, now in his uniform. He was a fully fledged special grade exorcist now.

“You didn’t get through?” He asked softly, noticing her still in uniform.

Hyejin shook her head.

“There’s always next year?” Mark questioned, pulling out a notebook and handing it to Hyejin.

“I think I might just quit,” Hyejin wrote down and showed it to Mark.

“Come on, your a good exorcist,” Mark smiled, “One more year, I know you can do it,”

He was called off by a group of other graduates, Mark giving her a smile before rushing off. She looked at the notebook, they had used it all through school to talk to each other.

Estelle flinched as she watched Hyejin throw it on the ground, turning and walking off with her hands shoved in her pockets.

Tears burnt her eyes before a voice called out.

“I’m sure your brother is happy you failed,”

She looked up, tilting her head at the tall male. He was in a uniform, but he had a necklace around his neck of a red gem.

“Tuna?” Hyejin questioned.

“Right, you can’t talk,” He stepped forward, “My name’s Johnny, old class mate of your brother, how would you feel about having a new instructor?”

[minor-character-in-this-story]

Marked (Tommy Shelby x Reader) Part 2

I meant to get this out wayyyy sooner than now-I deeply apologize. Hope you enjoy! Also-for all those who asked to be added to a taglist-I dub thee *waves styrofoam sword* tagged. If anyone else wants to be tagged in a further installment of Marked, just ask :)

Also-Trigger Warning for sexual assault. Discretion is advised.

The Thomas Shelby that left for France at the beginning of the war and the Thomas Shelby that returned are two very different people.

The old Thomas Shelby was but a boy: slight with rosy cheeks, a crooked smile, and a love for horses. He was small and quiet, but not to be underestimated. He was dangerously clever, always had a trick up his sleeve, and a bit of a smart-ass.

The new Thomas Shelby is tall, thin, well-dressed, and observant. His big blue eyes are now cold and searching, the spark inside long gone. His soldier’s helmet is thrown into the Cut and replaced with a flat cap that has razor blades in its peak. He’s cunning, fiery, and has nothing to lose.

Under his pressed suit and cool manner, along his ribcage, a second word takes shape: runaway.

**

“Y/N? Are you well?” You snap out of your reverie to face your best friend, Edith. She’s looking at you across your kitchen table, plump lips pulling into a frown. You sigh in response, running a hand through your hair.

“Yeah, I think. I just really need to score well on tomorrow’s exam,” The two of you were lucky enough to attend the local college together: for a certain amount of money from the right families, the school was allowing a handful of women to attend classes. Because your father was a wealthy horse breeder, you were sent to “make the family proud”. The problem was, you were terrible with math. You were lucky to have even gotten this far in the course, but tomorrow’s test will bank on you staying in university. And you couldn’t go back to father and mother empty handed-they would never forgive you.

“Hey,” Edith places her hand on top of yours, “you will succeed. We have been studying for weeks. All will be well,” You look up at her and smile. You didn’t deserve to have this awesome of a best friend. Edith has always been there for you, and you can’t imagine life without her.

“Thanks. Now how do I factor a polynomial?”

**

You hand in your final with shaky hands and begin to make for the door of the classroom, right behind Edith. You’d failed, you just knew it. There were too many questions that you blanked on, too many that you just wrote the first number that popped into your head as an answer.

“Uh, Miss Y/N,” Your professor’s voice sounds, “Hang back a moment,” You look desperately at Edith, who had turned around too. She gives you a sympathetic look, mouthing, ‘I’ll wait outside,’ You nod, slowly turning around to face Professor Lewin.

He had always given you a strange vibe, especially because he made it clear he hated you. He called on you a lot during his lectures, and when you’d stutter out a guess, he’d shrug and look at the male members of the class: “Women, eh?” He’d say, before moving on.

You put on your most confident smile, “Yes, Mr. Lewin?”

Mr. Lewin stands, putting his hands on the top of his desk, “Have a seat,” he says, gesturing towards the desk closest. You obey, sizing him up. He’s a portly man, with slicked back salt and pepper hair and stubble that tries very hard to be a mustache. His dark eyes glare at you as you smooth your skirt.

“You are quite an interesting pupil, Miss Y/N,” Professor Lewin sidles around to the front of his desk. A sick feeling curls in the bottom of your stomach. You don’t like the way he’s looking at you. Regardless, you keep your cool.

“Oh?”

“Yes. You see, Miss Y/N,” Mr. Lewin walks closer to you, looking as if he’s stalking prey, “I just can’t seem to figure out how your head so pretty yet so very empty,” He’s invading your personal space now, leaning over your table to put a strand of hair behind your ear. You clench your teeth, trying to lean as far away from him as possible. His breath smells disgusting-like old cigarettes and tuna.

“Mr. Lewin, I-” A meaty, chalk-smudged finger is shoved hard onto your lips.

“Don’t speak,” Mr. Lewin grabs your wrists in a death grip, and with astonishing strength, pulls you out of your chair and against him, “Just spread those delicious legs, and you may be able to pass this class,” Oh, no. The feeling in your stomach crests, your blood running cold. This wasn’t worth a passing grade. Despite your paralyzing fear, you fight hard against his grip.

“Let go of me,” You snarl, trying your best not to appear absolutely petrified. He doesn’t respond, instead moving one of his hands to gather your skirts. Your newly freed hand scrabbles at the desk behind you, trying to find leverage. You open your mouth and begin to scream…only to have his palm slap over it, silencing you.

“I told you to be quiet, bitch!” He mutters menacingly, tearing at your skirts. Your desperate left-hand closes around something long and sharp on the desktop. Without hesitation, you jam whatever it is hard into the closest part of Mr. Lewin’s body-which happens to be his neck. It sinks in surprisingly deep, and you feel his grip on you loosen. You wrench away, watching in horror as blood spills out from the side of his throat. Mr. Lewin looks at you with what can be best described as astonishment before staggering forward and collapsing face-first on the ground. Warmth rushes against your feet as your math professor’s blood pools around your shoes. He’s dead. You just killed him. You just fucking killed him. Bile rises in your throat, but before you can act, the door to the classroom slams open.

“Y/N! Are you alrigh-” Edith rushes through the door, then stops in her tracks. Tears well in your eyes as your wet, red hand flies to your mouth.

“I didn’t mean it-he just-he tried to-” You choke out. Oh, dear God. You’re so dead. You just killed a man and now you’re about to spend the rest of your life in a cell. A warm hand touches your shoulder, shaking you.

“No now, stay with me Y/N. It’s going to be alright. We just have to leave now,” Edith’s voice is surprisingly calm, her hand on your shoulder comforting and steady. Somehow, you summon the strength to nod.

“I know some people, and I have an uncle in Birmingham. Come along now, we mustn’t linger,”

**

It’s almost midnight when you board a small boat stacked with pallets of textiles. Your elegant-bloodstained-dress has been traded in for brown, baggy slacks and a tan button up. Your hair has been sheared to your chin and covered up with a large, floppy hat.

“Your job before has been to impress, stand out, yeah?” Edith is saying while fussing you’re your new headwear, “But, now, your job, my dear, is to blend in. My uncle will take care of you, let you help him with the horses, but you need to be able to disappear in a crowd. Your family thinks you jumped from Tower Bridge. Y/N L/N is dead. You’ll go by Marion now. Do you understand what I’m saying?” You look at Edith, awestruck but nodding.

“How-How do I repay you?” You stammer. You have no idea why she’s doing all of this for you.

“Oh darling, you already have. Your friendship has meant more to me than you’ll ever know,” Edith pulls you into a warm hug, kissing your cheek, “Now stay safe, yeah? Give this to Uncle,”

She presses an envelope into your grasp before climbing out of the boat and waving to the captain. With a groan, the vessel begins to glide along the surface of the canal, leaving your old life behind. As it does, the skin on your right hip begins to burn. You shift your clothing and watch as a blotch of ink slowly forms into a word: troubled.

**

A portly, nervous looking gentleman meets you in Birmingham. He shifts from foot to foot, giving you a small smile.

“Ello. My Edith says you’ve come to give me help with the horses,” You dip your head, handing over a small envelope. The man opens it, scratching the back of his head as he reads. Soon enough, he straightens with that same nervous smile.

“Right then, Miss Marion. I’m Curly, and if you would follow me, I’ll show you to my horses,”

Taglist: @fireghost-x @octaviareina @captivatedbycillianmurphy @screemqueen

[cichocicho]

Uhmmmm, number 28, 34, 40, 51 (only if you want to!), 57 and 62!

28. five songs to describe you?

mitski — nobody

salvia palth — i was all over her

the smiths — i know it’s over

hether — shy

wolf alice — don’t delete the kisses

34. advertisements you have stuck in your head? first thought — dłuższe życie każdej pralki to calgon

40. weirdest thing to ever happen at your school? okay so on april fool’s day me and my friend has decided to put around school some funny stickers i printed out from tumblr including the one with alex turner and “there’s this tuna i found that makes me think of you somehow” quote and i had a crush on this boy that was really into arctic monkeys and for some reason after school i decided to open his locker (i know it’s wrong but shhhh it didn’t have a lock on it) and he put some of my stickers into his locker <3 it’s not really that weird but i didn’t know that guy, just admired him from afar so in my head back then it was certainly something weird

51. current stresses? i have this huge exam (from like all of the medical topics and it lasts 4 hours) coming up and i didn’t really study for it so yeah that’s gonna be interesting (i have already passed it but i wanted to improve my grade so that’s why i’m taking it again but it’s not gonna happen, oh well)

57. the three biggest struggles you've overcome? hmm anatomy exam (i failed it the first time and had to retake it after the summer break in my first year of uni), being shy (but still struggling with that), sleeping on a couch in the living room for 4 years lmao don’t ask

62. seven characters you relate to? i don’t think i can name 7 because the thing about me is that i often forget the books i read 💀 lucy snowe from villette by charlotte brönte, rory gilmore from gilmore girls, lexi from euphoria, celine from before sunrise, and all the hopeless romantic ladies from the 90s romcoms

[alexthegamingboy]

Toonami Weekly Recap 8/21/2021

Fena: Pirate Princess EP#03 - Bar-Baral: A British officer enlists the help of a pirate named O'Malley to bring Fena back to the island. Meanwhile, Fena and crew's submersible ship (Bonito II) docks at the free island of Bar-Baral so that they can get food and supplies for their journey. Fena and the warrior twins Kaede and Enju get some new clothes and find a lead on another separate clear stone that was discovered to have come from Germany. Suddenly, the three are ambushed by the British soldier who originally bought Fena before she escaped, who is now leading a crew of hired pirates and mercenaries to capture her. The twins and Yukimaru manage to fend off their attackers, although Yukimaru gets hit by a musket ball while escaping with Fena. Being back out on the water, Tsubaka scolds Fena and the twins for their irresponsible actions. Later that night, the British soldier is shown tossed overboard to his doom as his services are no longer required by the British officer.

Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon EP#08 - The Dream Gazing Trap: Riku pays a visit to Jūbei, who gives him a large sum of gold for his services and reveals that he intends to use Towa, Setsuna and Moroha in his plan to defeat the remaining three Perils so that he can obtain all seven Rainbow Pearls and gain untold demonic power. Meanwhile, the three girls follow Yotsume to Kyūki's hideout. Kyūki uses the Purple Rainbow Pearl to empower Yotsume, who uses his power to put Towa, Moroha and Takechiyo to sleep. In their dreams, it is revealed that Moroha was given away at Kagome's urgent request as a baby and entrusted to Hachiemon when the two were about to confront both Kirinmaru and Sesshōmaru, Takechiyo was entrusted as a baby to Jūbei by Miroku for unknown reasons, and that the Dream Butterfly had carried Setsuna's memories to the Sacred Tree of Ages, where the adult Rin is imprisoned. Setsuna, being incapable of sleep, resists Yotsume's powers and destroys him. Kyūki reclaims the Pearl and confronts the three girls, stealing Towa and Moroha's energy due to them still being under influence of Yotsume's spell. As Setsuna fights Kyūki alone, Moroha reminds Towa about her natural ability to steal demonic energy and Towa uses it to fight and defeat Kyūki with the Sōryūha attack she inherited from her dog-demon father. After the battle, Riku arrives to obtain the purple Rainbow Pearl, and Jūbei later introduces him to the girls as his and Takechiyo's employer, rewarding them for Kyūki's defeat with part of the gold he received from Riku.

My Hero Academia Season 5 (Endeavor Agency Arc) EP#104 (16): Long Time No See, Selkie: The Oki Mariner Crew is pursuing a ship carrying chemicals used to make an illegal quirk booster drug. Due to the difficult situation, Selkie requests a team up with the Ryukyu agency. Ryukyu, Uraraka, Asui, and Nejire arrive, and Selkie has the young heroes relax on the beach for the day to boost their morale. As the sun sets, the heroes take to the ocean while the smugglers attempt another escape. Selkie and Asui board the ship, but a cargo plane carrying the chemicals starts to take off. Sirius fires a harpoon carrying Uraraka, who utilizes the grappling hook in her new costume to latch onto the plane. Uraraka takes out the smuggler and with help from Ryukyu and Nejire, lands the plane safely. Afterwards, Selkie and Ryukyu discuss how the smugglers’ client had used a fake name, and that the chemicals were supposed to be brought to Otheon, Europe. Meanwhile, a mysterious man hears about the disrupted delivery. However, he declares it to be fine, as he already has the amount needed to prepare for the "salvation of humanity".

Food Wars: The Fourth Plate (Promotion Exams Arc) EP#62 (01) - That Which I Want to Protect: With the first round resulting in a sweeping victory for the rebels, the second round begins with Kuga, Megishima, Mimasaka competing against Tsukasa, Rindou, and Saitou respectively. The theme ingredients are green tea for Kuga and Tsukasa, tuna for Mimasaka and Saitou, and cayenne pepper for Megishima and Rindou. Rindou decides to use alligator meat, revealing her specialization in rare, exotic ingredients. Megishima also takes advantage of his ramen specialization, intending to use char siu pork to create an "African ramen". In a flashback, it is shown that Megishima initially did not want to join the rebels, deciding to protect the local ramen shops in his hometown. However, he was convinced by Soma's determination, and joined the fight against Central. In the present, both Megishima and Rindou prepare to add cayenne pepper to their dishes.

Black Clover: The Spade Kingdom and the Dark Triad Arc EP#162 - The Great War Breaks Out: Rill and Charlotte depart to meet the other captains so Asta and Finral return to their base. Loropechika and Undine suddenly sense six enemies inside the kingdom, including Vanica Zogratis and her devil Megicula. Asta reaches Bull's base and Finral teleports to fetch Yami. Gordon continues training in curse magic with his family. Asta learns after Magna returned from the Heart Kingdom he disappeared with Zora. Henry suddenly warns the Bulls the base is being levitated by Dante Zogratis using gravity magic. Realising his target, Yami, is absent, Dante attempts to crush the base, only failing due to Rouge. Seeing Vanessa is both powerful and beautiful Dante decides he wants her as a mistress. Gauche creates multiple Asta clones, hoping Dante cannot dodge them all, but Dante activates his devil form and generates a reality warping black hole so every attack misses. Seeing that Asta is also devil possessed Dante attempts to reason with him that humans are the evil ones but Asta furiously disagrees. Dante destroys Rouge and stabs Gauche. Asta has a very brief flashback of a woman calling him her beloved son before unleashing his devil powers. Lucifero, Dante’s devil, assures him Asta is likely possessed by a low level devil, so Dante is shocked when Asta manages to predict his movements and slash his face, enraging him.

[134340am]

hiya tuna! i havent been here in a while,,, so how are you?

me personally ive been feeling kind of down considering ive been studying everyday but everytime there are exams i always get the average grade (70) and im p sad

my friend and capricorn guy are progressing and im very happy for them, i just hope she doent get treated the way i did,,, and now shes trying to set me up with someone from her class 🤣

well i hope all ends well, all the best for you tuna!! <3

!!! hello my fren <3 i was getting worried about you but i'm so so glad you decided to pop in again to talk to me :*) i'm feelin good! i've had a busy day today but i just ate dinner and am now sipping on a jelly pouch. (*^▽^*)

i totally get the average grade thing! i honestly think sometimes it's a matter of using the wrong studying method... not saying that you are, but perhaps that's something you can look into? : O i find that i had to change my study method (drastically) after entering uni but i learnt it the hard way and failed many quizzes before i found what worked for me lmao! i m keeping my fingers crossed for u and i'm rooting for u!!! remember to take regular breaks while you study and take care of yourself, okay? （＞人＜；）

ooooh! she's setting you up with someone new? is he a capricorn too? (i hope not haha) but that's so exciting! >o< i hope everything goes well -- please keep me updated 😋 having someone new to talk to is anyways so exciting hehe i miss that feeling

thank you for the well wishes and i m sending them back tenfold, alongside a biiiig big hug for u <333 mwah mwah mwah!

[pinksweatergettingbetter]

//what the fuuuuuuuuck??

i feel like i just walked into a different game

-

‘a foreigner’

well 

like

maya is the direct descendant of freakin Mystic Ami 

man i really hate Kooraheen

-

“I wonder if Maya has matured any since the last time I saw her?”

oh they tried, phoenix

they tried

but that shit doesnt fly 

...apparently growing an inch well after you've naturally stopped growing does, though. oh well whatever

MAYAAAAA

-

“its on top of a mountain and its freezing”

“i think i can handle it”

bullshit phoenix youu fucking liar exercise and cold are your least favourite things

-

ahlbi: dont go in there that river is full of souls

phoenix: lol but what if i did

jesus phoenix 

-

all this stuff about prayer has got to be taking the piss

i cant tell if this game is against religion or just... i have no idea

-

“it’s been many a day”

yeah like i dunno just a DECADE 

many a day??????? what the fuck is this

-

“you have to train in Kooraheen because this is where the technique originated”

oh yes, totally not in Kurain, the place Mystic Ami, the founder of the Kurain Channeling Technique, founded. No way. 

-

“all i learnt was to look like a nun”

yeah because youre iN THE WRONG PLACE MAYA

-

“seat-of-you-pants, come-from-behind wins”

UM

-

“ok so it wasnt my finest hour. sue me.”

id marry this man 

-

“yep! completed the full two years!”

wow so i guess the Incredible, Amazing-Special and Highly Spiritual Kooraheeneese training regimen is the equivalent of an associate degree. 

-

“the high priest practically begged me to do it!”

mayas going to jail and he's the killer isn't he. 

-

i love that theyre like “lady keera isn't like the deities we think of from back home; she was a really real person!!”

and its like 

ah

awkward for jesus.

-

I WANT PICTURES OF LADY KEERA! (slams table)

-

“sightings of her go back 2 years!”

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm 

-

“you think some regular cosplayer could take on a bunch of guys in costume alone????”

well i mean essentially every super hero is just that so

“thats why she's real!!”

ok, wearing a cloak and kicking a rebel in the balls now makes you a god. you heard it here first guys

-

something about all of this just makes me rly uncomfortable and i cant put my finger on it

-

“can we leave my hair out of this?”

once again phoenix worries more about his hair than... well, being called edgeless i guess 

-

maya’s wearing a robe and she punched a lawyer in the face... i’d say that gets her canonized at least.

-

♫ he's got spurs, that jingle jangle jingle (jingle jangle) ♫

-

“Look! Its Acolyte Zeh’lot!”

me, wincing from the pain of the pun but also yelling: ITS FUCKIN AANG HLY SHIT

-

phoenix wright’s new fun personality gimmicks include: destroying foreign monarchies and having Unexplained Broken Spine Syndrome 

I’d like to think capcom beat him with a gold club while reminding him that most of the oldest living attractive-enough-to-be-a-protagonist people in Ace Attorney are like 40

-

i dont know why but the image of a few brightly coloured monks hauling phoenix’s unconscious ass down a mountain is making me wheeze like nobodys business 

-

ahlbi: miss mayas been arrested!

phoenix: (completely unshocked) what

-

(brutal murder has just occurred)

praying man: do you think we should get up??

praying man #2: nah were just part of the background.

-

ema failed the forensics exam because she continually took fingerprints without consent. confirmed

-

phoenix: i never thought id have to do another trial where the defence was unwelcome

you'd have to quit to achieve that kind of peace, phoenix 

-

“he's calm and kind and almost always has a smile on his face”

correction; he’s haughty, condescending and almost always has a holier-than-thou smirk on his face.

-

theres so much cursing and exploding into flames in Kooraheen.

-

‘iii guess thiiiiis is what its like to live in a deeeeeeply religious society, huuuuuh’

oi

i dont know how to feel about this

-

poor baby faces his least fav things; cold and high

-

oh crap not figure skater princess

oh dear god. this is ominous as fuck. phoenix is just like “that looks like...” and then its just. one huge EXAMINE button followed by her being the only choice.

I'm feeling deeply uncomfortable 

-

“we know the killer is one of your own!”

HER ANCESTOR INVENTED–– AGGHHHNNN never mind

“in my country suspects are innocent until proven guilty”

we’ve all said it once and i’ll say it again

bullshit, capcom

-

“phony baloney” 

-

“tweedledum and tweedledee did a number on her impression of foreigners”

what the fuck does that mean

who the fuck is he referring to

this is the tuna boat all over again

-

“who taught you to demonize a whole group of people anyway”

just sounds really stupid when the “people” in question are lawyers.

-

...is this the kooraheen version of (positive adjective) people

its marginally better than the regular SOJ (positive adjective) people  

-

oh lady Kee’ra is katniss everdeen. she's even got the mockingjay and everything!

-

this reminds me a lot of Bridge

even figure skater princess is a bit like assistant!Franziska. but less amusing.

she’s rather helpful though, to a disgusting scum sucking lawyer like me.

-

idk Kurain village felt a lot more atmospheric than Kooraheen does. I’m not quite sure why... Might’ve been the music (which was awesomely spine-tingling)

but also something about just... the general feel? Like the strict rules of Kurain village felt more claustrophobic and stifling than the almost cartoonish seeming Super Prayer Aesthetic of Kooraheen. (who knows; maybe there are countries that spend 15 hours straight in prayer but idk them) 

maybe Kurain village felt more realistic in that a single town housing nothing but mediums seems within the boundaries of reality, but an entire country completely based upon it does not. 

Kurain felt like a small part of a bigger picture, whereas i feel like Kooraheen is a big picture with nothing much in it.

-

when is a medium-based case not a locked-room mystery???

-

cleared away snow... a broken lantern... gosh!!! THAT... REMIND ME OF SOMETHING

also phoenix taking more pictures is [100 emoji]

-

“almost... boggles the mind...”

he didnt seem scared but his vision did blur

maybe he got 

high

haha h ah hah hah ha

-

a full body poncho is a great fighting outfit

-

i wonder if spider-kee’ra is a fella in disguise 

-

“I wonder if he has amnesia”

either youre sherlock fucking holmes or that was rly forced. he said like 2 words to you.

-

characters who look like theyre gonna shoot u thus far: 

-Precious bobby

-dirty hobo eating lizards

-

mind reading lizard eating hobo

-

hes a power ranger!!!

-

you ask this man, phoenix wright, to move on???

you fool

-

“all my tools were confiscated at the airport”

oh except this HUGE SPRAY BOTTLE OF LIQUID

-

ema: (backhandedly mentions klavier)

me: (clenching fist with a tear in my eye) someday 

-

“Who’d have thought you’d get caught up in something like this? And so far from home?”

phoenix pls

-

“Besides, I thought you’d be used to being the usual suspect by now!”

[wheezes] that was like 3 lines before this unholy contradiction 

-

(cries) the bars are so wide he can hold his pwecious bffs hand thru them

like. if he wanted to.

also the music is surprisingly nice and atmospheric. very subtle and gentle and not an atonal mess like the investigation theme.

-

oh fuck i forgot you were here rayfa

-

maya just called herself a foreigner. fuck you capcom.

-

“ive never eaten anything better in my life”

MAYA HOW COULD YOU FORSAKE BURGERS

NOOOOO

-

fucking fuck rayfa 

she's 

the master

of the kurain

technique 

-

oh i see. she's been keeping her talent a ‘secret’

cant FUCKING WAIT to find out what the bullshit excuse plot twist is!!!

-

“I found this”

and why do you,,,,, still have it maya,,,, while ur in jail

kurain guards suck ass 

-

why did she... bring up the ladder argument 

it came right the heck out of nowhere after she says she's gonna ‘keep it real’ from now on. is she saying that was stupid and frivolous?? damnit fuckin fuck SOJ dont mock the most precious running gag in the series thats poor fuccking taste

-

priest is a rebel isn't he

-

“We’re not in Kansas anymore...” 

could’ve fooled me, y’all

-

“All Abord the Phoenix Freedom Express”

that omnibus sure came a long way...

-

rayfa doesn't speak japanifornian very well, only khumerican.

-

yikes, another ‘examine person’ scenario.

-

“are you she”

..........................phoenix

-

everyone’s so shocked that a woman is communicating with the dead in a country wHICH REVOLVES AROUND COMMUNICATING WITH THE DEADKJ HKFH; GHHL /

-

Wait, Datz isn’t kooraheenese?

-

three hole??????? three hole????? duhhh.... three hole.......... i dont know huhuhuhuuh

-

“theres an unusual custom”

not depicting a religious figures is an unusual custom????? they have got to be taking the piss

-

“I think its stunning!!” so stunning that i will steal the poster hahahaha

-

HSHFGSJK AAAHHH THE PLUMED PUNISHER

KILL IT 

KILL IT WITH FIRE

(weeps in relief)

thank you for.... dousing the pain with the original.... my soul is cleansed.

-

so what if she called herself lovely

she is lovely

let a gal have some confidence in herself, phoenix. 

-

eyyyyy psyche locks and their badass 2013 theme. I'm down for this 

-

a three pronged arrow is such a stupid fucking idea. they do know that the shape of an arrow is designed to go in easily and be difficult to pull out, right?? 

-

 Rayfa knows words like “Meritorious” in English, but not the implicit meaning of Freedom Express. 

-

youve gOT BALLS FOR A LAWYER

THIS GAME CAN GET AWAY WITH “YOUVE GOT BALLS” BUT APOLLO CANT SAY ‘FUCK’????

-

Inga’s like Redd White but less funny. amusing in that he calls phoenix ‘white’. 

also what kind of cigar is he smoking that has wax on the end??? that cant be healthy

[bryanllamado]

Feb-ibig

Okay. So before you start reading this blog entry, here’s a quick story. After celebrating Valentine’s the entire week (yes, I made it happen), I had chicken pox. *frowns* As of writing, I’m taking some time off of school to recuperate from this illness–perfect timing, the prelim has just begun (and so as this chicken pox). Disclaimer: I have zero idea on how I got this–no one from the fam or the squad had this skin disease recently. I’m starting to hate February for this apparent reason (getting sick); it never fails to ruin things. But looking on the brighter side of things, I got to spend this year’s V-Day with the one[s] I love!

I have planned this–my dream V-Day celeb–for a long time already and though some things didn’t turn out as planned, I’m glad with the way everything drove out in general. Damang dama ko ang simoy ng pag-ibig, mga bes! I enjoyed every single moment of the week and I feel privileged to have spent the Hearts Day sharing love with the best people in town. Plus, this year saw the light for my first ever (legit but not so legal) valentine date–though it wasn’t exactly a date. Tamis! Let’s just say that I celebrated love the way it is supposed to be rejoiced. But for now, it’s time for me to do a recap of how the previous week went. #HappyHeartsDay

Valentine Week 2017

Sunday

As soon as I reached the dorm, I prepared a little surprise for my girl: a special valentine greeting poem and a banner. I spent the rest of the night finishing the poem (though I finished it swiftly) and cutting out letters for me and my friend’s ‘HAPPY HEARTS DAY’ banner surprise to our two lovely girls. The good thing is that I have the materials that I need at the dorm–glue, colored papers, bond papers and a pair of scissors. I prepared the letter cuts and Gian inflated the heart shaped balloons. We have everything laid out that night and the only thing left to do is to execute the plan. #loverbois

Monday

It’s been a while since we (me and my girl) last visited Starbucks so we planned to grab coffee to start the week. We both came from our respective schools–the 2 Lasallian universities in Dasmariñas–and headed straight to meet each other and get our favorite flavors of frappe. I guess we both needed a breather from a long hard day in school. I enjoyed the night (even though we weren’t able to talk much and catch up). I was preparing for a report and a major exam for the following day as she was scanning through her notes. Handouts before hangouts as people say but why choose when you can have the best of both worlds?

Tuesday

Prior to this week, she already informed me that she and her (single girl) friends will be going out on V-Day. I gave it a nod since I don’t want her to wait too long for me as she’ll be dismissed earlier than I’ll be. The plan is that we’ll meet at exactly 6PM at Walter Mart with no particular place to eat at. It is also the day when we are supposed to hand our valentine gifts to each other but a few days before, the Instagram account (from which I ordered my gift for her–a blue cap and a matching blue watch) informed me that they couldn’t ship/send the items to me yet because they don’t have them yet.

Since she’s out with her friends, I decided to join my friends to try Bittersweet–a café that some of our fellow COEd students manage. I wasn’t supposed to join them (as I’ll be having a dinner date with my girl) but I wouldn’t want to miss a food adventure. After class, we grabbed a jeepney ride and headed straight to Area G–where the café is located. Too bad, Rica, Jane, MJ and Rjhay weren’t able to make it. For the meriendate, majority of us had Tuna Pasta and Choco Kisses milk shake and we all shared a plate of nachos and a barkada serving of fries.

Everybody enjoyed the food and (believe it or not) none of us spent more than a hundred bucks. The food is great and the menu offers variety–though the serving size is a little reduced but my taste buds are still satisfied. The sizes of their drinks are named single, taken, complicated and barkada (from the smallest serving to the largest). The place is not that spacious but we managed to arrange ourselves on a long table. I am satisfied with my Bittersweet experience in general. *thumbs up* After we finished our meals, we had isaw and betamax on a nearby streetfood spot.

I went back to the dorm to fix myself for my first ever (could­-have­-been) valentine dinner. She texted me around quarter to 7PM and told me that she’s on her way already. I rushed to reach Walter Mart and arrived 13 minutes late–not that punctual for an actual date. We decided to dine at Bon Chon (our common fave food place) but to our surprise, the place is too crowded–with people waiting both inside and outside. We were supposed to try the new seafood flavor Bibimbowl but apparently, there’s no vacant table left for us to dine in. It is unwise to have our orders taken out but we did in hopes of saving time.

Instead of having Bibimbowls (which we would appreciate more if we eat in the actual serving), we opted for 2 servings of Calamari. The crew told us that we will be waiting for 20 minutes to get our orders but we ended up waiting for almost an hour–partida, standing ovation pa kami n’yan. The waiting game is on and we took the time to catch up on each other’s ganaps. Instead of getting bored, I enjoyed waiting since I’m with my favorite person. I can still recall her saying, “Sana pala dito na lang tayo kumain kung ganto katagal din naman tayo maghihintay.” I bet she would laugh in case she’s reading this.

Since I’m chasing a curfew time, we went home with our take outs (told you, it wasn’t a date). I’m absolutely disappointed with how the night turned out–the gifts were delayed, waited for an hour to get our orders and ended up not eating together. I actually insisted that we eat instead given that it’s a special day (and I wouldn’t mind going back to the dorm past the curfew time) but she insisted that we should go home–since we’ve spent enough time together. We left the place not with satisfied tummies but with memories and good laughter. Tip: If you’re going on a date, make sure you set up an early one or have a table reservation. By the way, the banner and balloons surprise for our lovely girls was a success! Thanks a lot Gi! I owe you so much man.

Wednesday

We were supposed to see My Ex and Why’s (but she dislikes mainstream Filipino films) or Fifty Shades Darker (but she has already seen it) so planned to have a movie marathon on their place instead. Our friends Gian and Yna–our fellow Lasallian couple–set up the marathon and we all chipped in to have popcorn and nachos to complete the movie experience. We watched Holding the Man and Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children (the former is LGBT romance themed, the latter is a fantasy). My bad, I slept in between the 2 films so I didn’t understand any of the storyline. It always feels authentic when I’m with the 3 of them; plus, nachos and popcorn. *drools*

Thursday

Y’all know what it is: my friends and I planned to see Fifty Shades Darker on that day and as if fate is on our side, everything went according to plans. Praise the heavens! Apparently, my friends are sort of obsessed with the franchise and I feel their strong will (judging on their reactions when they saw the trailer) to see the film. Well, I’m a fan of film adaptations of novels in general and what could have been a naughtier way to celebrate love month than to hit the movie house with this flick? In short, we have anticipated Darker from the very beginning.

The hype is so real that to some extent, some of my friends even fabricated birth certificates to prove that everyone’s in the legal age–since Darker is R-18. Babala: Ang programang ito ay Rated SPG. There are a lot of ‘great things’ I supposed that happened during the day. 1. I recovered my ID from SWAFO. I lost my school ID (the jacket is already broken so it’s no wonder it got lost) that day when we attended a seminar at the Alumni Building. Good thing I was able to retrieve it from SWAFO right before we leave for Robinsons Dasmariñas.

2. The full show was moved to 3:50PM instead of half past 3PM (which gave us more time to fake birth certificates and get food). We grabbed snacks from 7Eleven; I had a butter flavored popcorn and a huge cup of Gulp–which I finished by myself. #nosharing 3. There is no traffic and the jeepney driver changed routes to shorten the ride. We left 30 minutes before the showing and we crossed our fingers for no traffic. Good thing the driver of the jeepney changed routes to get to the mall faster. After that, we ran–far beyond the stoplight to enter the mall to the last floor to reach the movie house.

4. The guard from the mall simply asked us about our ages and college level (he simply looked at our IDs without even asking for legal documents or proofs). Honestly, there are 3 of us who are not yet 18–Alpha, MJ and Faith.  Rica and Rjhay were not able to join us; T. Annie (Dairen’s best friend) and Leslie (MJ’s special someone) joined the pool. 5. We got inside the movie house just in time. When we entered the cinema, the film has just began and so we quickly looked for seats and placed in the 3rd row. I sat beside Nica and Tin. Our acquaintances Clarisse and Errol were also inside the cinema.

I’m satisfied with the film in general–the story lines and the cinematography. Although I haven’t read the novel yet, it would have been a better experience to know what to expect (aside from what we saw in the trailer). FYI: The plot of the entire trilogy focuses on romance; not on the BDSM thing or the sexual encounters (though the love scenes are really noticeable). One thing I love about the film is that it featured a cohesive shift from the ‘sexual’ to ‘intimate’ relationship between Anastasia and Christian. I highly recommend this flick for lovers out there; perfect for the love month.

After seeing Darker, majority of us headed home straight but Nica, MJ, Leslie and I hopped to SM Dasmariñas which is just a few blocks away. The lovebirds (MJ and Leslie) will be dining there while Nica and I went to Imagine. I personally wanted to go to Imagine because I want to belt out my favorite songs on the karaoke (which I barely do; thank you to my blockmates–Ayah, MJ and Cyra–who went to Imagine that Monday for making me envy). Nica and I had an equal share of songs and this is my set list for that night:

·        Chandelier

·        You are My Song

·        Someday We’ll Know

·        Home

·        Alone

·        Baliw

·        If I Were a Boy

·        The Gift (duet with Nica)

·        Forever’s Not Enough

·        If We Fall in Love (duet with Nica)

I’m not even kidding with the set list though most of the songs are very unlikely for me to sing–Chandelier, If I Were a Boy and Forever’s Not Enough). *laughs* I just want to know if I can still sing those songs. Nica sang Counting Stars, I’ll Be There, Somebody that I Used to Know, Born This Way, A Whole New World, etc. Next time, I’ll be doing more of band music and alternatives like Maroon 5, Coldplay and Paramore–medyo rock para mapaos–or maybe some throwback Chris Brown or Ne-Yo. #nexttime Unfortunately, they don’t have Secret Love Song yet–would’ve been a great jam if the song is there.

Before we went home, I dropped by Tokyo Tokyo to take out Ramen (insane cravings for Ramen; had two steaming bowls that day–one for brunch and another for dinner). That day is indeed tiring but I have seen a great film (Darker), I have great food (Ramen) and I’m with a great company–my college squad. I have 3 homeworks and a quiz the following day but fret not–Carpe Diem. I’m really glad that I was able to carry out everything I have planned that day–felt extremely blessed. Guess what, I’m starting to love Thursdays more than ever… again! #thankyouLord

Friday

Another (tough and long) week at school has passed and the best way to end it is a street food fix: had calamares and my fave buko juice after class. After 2 weeks of indulging in calamares after class, I (think I) should stop this habit–for a.) it is not that healthy; b.) it’s about time to stop cheap thrills; c.) I’m bringing back the thrifty habits. Before I catch the bus ride home, I dropped by my girl’s place and shared a few bites off our favorite doughs. She did it again–she bought a box (a dozen) of our favorite donuts from Krispy Kreme.

In fact, we had KK donuts twice that week because Gian and Yna also purchased a dozen of assorted doughs that Tuesday (which they shared with us). This time though, we had the box all by ourselves–though we have only consumed 4 of which. I helped her fix her things; she helped me sort mine. #dormergoals #rgoals As we packed our bags together, I asked her if we could meet the following day–I’ll finally received my valentine gift for her–so we can give our gifts to each other. Delightedly, she said yes without asking about details or whatevers.

Saturday

The Instagram account (from where I ordered my gifts for her) messaged me that Friday that they already handed the items to my friend Bea–a friend who resides in Manila and the one who picked up the gifts. I personally tapped Bea to contact the account and help me purchase the items since she’s in Manila (most of the time). She went home that Friday so we managed to meet the following day to give me the gift. So there, if you’re reading this, you’ll know where I bought my gifts for you and who conspired with me to get the items. *winks*

We met at SM Trece Martires–our new hide away as the mall is not crowded–and she arrived late (very unlikely of her to). Well, I was late when we met that Tuesday and it is just fair that she came late that time–quits lang. Oh girl, please don’t make me wait. When she arrived, she immediately handed me her gift and to my surprise (nasarprays ako literal), her gifts were the items next on my bucket list–the items that I would care to have but can’t at the moment. Thank you boo! I love your gifts! I handed her my gifts as well–quite nervous if she would like them or not.

She has been eyeing the blue cap–which is from a merch store–and the blue watch on Instagram for some time now. Since she doesn’t have time to purchase them yet, I did the deeds and surprisingly, she liked my gifts. I won’t give a hint on the price of the items (shh lang muna; she gave me a pricey gift as well so secret na lang) because she also bought a quite expensive gift for me. She’s really eager to have the cap–which I would also love to have–and I made sure it comes with a watch (because she’s a big lover of watches; bought a blue one to match the color of the cap).

And all of a sudden, I had chicken pox­–just the mere thought that I have this makes me want to throw up instead. *note sarcasm* So it goes a little like this, Cupid and Aphrodite made me feel all the love the entire week then sends me crashing back down to earth (after putting me on a cloud 9). But kidding aside, I don’t know what I did to contact and/or deserve this kind of sickness. The good thing is that this came after Valentine’s–I got to spend the Hearts Day the way it is supposed to. #atleast

The bad thing is that this came right at the beginning of the Prelim week so I had to take 5 special exams. Not to mention, I’ll be staying at home for the rest of the week and (sighs) no allowance. Sayang baon, mga beshy! I could have felt that Valentine hangover if not for this. *frowns* Di bale na. Looking on the positive side of things: I get to rest for some days; I have been enormously blessed the entire week; I have the love of my life with me–there’s nothing more that I could ask for. #blessed

How about you, my dear readers? How did you spend the Hearts Day? By whatever means, I hope you all had an incredibly romantic and intimate celebration with the one[s] you love! Just a friendly reminder: You deserve to be loved. ❤

Till the next blog entry! Bry. x 022317

P.S. To the one who made this year’s Valentine’s extra special, thank you! I’m blessed to have you.

P.P.S. I didn’t publish this whole entry to brag; it is just my pleasure to share with you how it is to be me.

[ruffsficstuffplace]

The Keeper of the Grove (Part 31)

Ruby and Blake trekked back to Keeper's Hollow, a pole on their shoulders supporting a giant, seven-foot long, several-hundred-pound weight tuna; the latter had a content smile on her face, her stomach noticeably distended.

“We're home, and we brought tuna!” Ruby called out as they came to the foot of the elevator. “Well, just a tuna because Blake got hungry on the ride back, but she'll share with everyone! Except Weiss, sorry about that!”

Silence, not even the sounds of anyone heading out to the elevator.

Ruby frowned. “Uncle Qrow? Penny? Weiss? Zwei? Any of you guys home…?”

It was then that she noticed three figures sitting on the highest balcony of the house--”Qrow's Nest” as her mother used to call it, because of how fond he was of going up there alone. One was clearly Zwei, laying down and looking forlorn; the other two were sitting over the edge, nursing drinks in their hands.

Ruby sighed, her face falling. <Oh no...>

Blake frowned. <You need help with drunk duty?> she asked as they set the tuna down on the ground. <I'll help with Qrow, but Weiss is all yours.>

Ruby shook her head. <Nah, I got this; you get this tuna in the fridge, before the Weavers' spell starts to run out,> she said as she headed up the ladder on the side.

After the fish was safely cut up and stored, Ruby made her way up to Qrow's Nest. Zwei looked up from both Qrow's and Weiss' laps as she poked her head out of the hatch; he panted happily at her, before put his heads back where they were, anchoring them to the floor with his weight, eyes watching them both carefully.

Qrow turned around and waved. “Hey Ruby,” he said, slurring slightly.

“Hey Uncle Qrow,” Ruby said, trying to smile. “You're not both drunk, are you...?”

“Just buzzed, but Weiss is 100% sober,” Qrow replied, before he took another sip of his beer.

“It's impossible to get drunk on milk, after all,” Weiss grumbled, before she took a swig of her own drink.

Ruby blinked. “You're drowning your sorrows in milk?”

“Yes! Because apparently the fermentation process for all your alcohols involves so much bacteria it'll utterly annihilate my stomach as is, and your uncle here only seems to ever buy the shitty, beer-flavoured water than the good brands.”

“Well excuse me for being poor…” Qrow muttered.

“So, how'd the Job Gauntlet go?” Ruby asked quickly.

“Terrible!” Weiss replied. “I failed every single exam. Did you know I'm completely unqualified for any sort of job the Fae could offer me? I have printed evidence from the professionals to prove it, just ask Penny when she's done with her daily maintenance!”

“Did you try the Watchers like Elder Goodwitch asked?”

“She did,” Qrow replied. “The holo for her combat test's gone viral all over AoA.” He switched languages. <It's called 'Soft-Skin Schnee Gits Wrekt.'>

“Go watch it,” Weiss grumbled.

Ruby frowned. “I don't know, Weiss, it sounds pretty--”

“Just do it. The sooner all of you Fae watch it for the fifteen-hundredth time and collectively get sick of it, the better.”

“Shit, Weiss, that holo's going in the Hall of Fame!” Qrow said. “Hundreds of years from now, we're still going to be pulling that out of the Codex and thinking 'Man, you'd think this'd get old, but it just gets funnier each time!'”

Weiss scowled. “That's a very encouraging thought, Qrow,” she said through gritted teeth.

Qrow shrugged. “Just making sure your expectations are realistic! It's easier to just face your shit reality and do something about it now, than waste time and energy pretending things are going magically to become better. Trust me, sooner or later, the smell's going to be impossible to ignore.”

Ruby sighed quietly. “I'll just go do that, then...” she said as she climbed back down.

“Watch it on the HV!” Qrow called out. “It's better with big resolution!”

Later, Blake and Ruby were sitting on the couch, grilled tuna slices, cookies, and milk between them. They loaded up the holo, skipped through the technical details and the info that was for the benefit of the senior Watchers handling recruiting.

They watched Zwei come out from the cage. Ruby smiled, Blake frowned.

<...And for the purposes of this test: ZWEI on FIRE!> Nora cried.

Zwei was set alight with soul fire. Ruby frowned, Blake smiled.

As the giant, flaming, two-headed canine came bounding towards her, Weiss turned around and fled, arms in the air and screaming at the top of her lungs.

<… And our recruit is off, trying to put some distance between her and—oh, nope! Zwei caught up to her already.> In Nivian, “Cardio, Weiss, cardio!”

Weiss replied by shrieking in renewed terror as Zwei grabbed her in one of his mouths, bit down just hard enough to hold her steady as he shook her side-to-side.

“Use your sword!” Nora cried.

Weiss whacked the hilt on the side of Zwei's head.

“Use your sword as a sword!”

Zwei carefully tossed her away. Weiss went flying for several feet, rolling as she hit the dirt. She dropped her rapier as she scrambled back up to her feet and started running for higher ground.

“Wait, Weiss—you dropped your weapon!”

“I KNOW!” Weiss screamed, tears streaming down her face now.

Zwei stopped and looked up at Nora, conflicted and still alight.

<Go get her, boy!> she called out. <She's not going to pass if you go too easy on her!>

Zwei turned to Weiss over on the other side of the arena, sobbing and jumping up and down, trying to reach a handhold that was just slightly taller than she was.

Blake choked on her fish from laughing so hard. Ruby smacked her on the back as they continued watching.

“Turn around and shoot him!” Nora cried. “His vitals are getting low! Well, low enough for you to get a good score!”

Weiss turned around, held up her shooting arm, and fired. Because of the tears in her eyes and the absolute terror she was experiencing, most of the darts missed Zwei in spite of him being an incredibly large target that was only getting closer.

Weiss ran out of ammo, the repeater kept on spinning and whining as she held the trigger.

“Reload! Reload! Reload!”

Weiss started smacking the release lever, her hand missing several times.

“No, Weiss, point it away from your--!”

The empty canister popped out and flew into her eye. “GAH!”

“--Too late.”

Weiss groped about, dropping two of her extra canisters before she finally got a grip on the third. She was about to load it into her repeater when the bright glow of the Pit's floodlights were replaced by an ominous, green hue.

Zwei slowly padded up to her, both heads deep in thought, unsure of what to do.

Weiss screamed, threw the canister at him, it bounced harmlessly off his left head.

Zwei barked.

Weiss dropped to the floor and curled up in the fetal position.

The horn was sounded.

Birds came by and dropped cure water on Zwei, extinguishing the soul fire. An extraction crew came up, along with Penny and a Therapy Mender carrying a well-worn, much-loved limited edition Eluna plushie the Watchers kept on-hand for situations like this.

There was a final shot of Weiss hugging it and squeezing it to her chest as she was carted away, before the video ended.

Blake snatched up the remote, and pressed the replay button.

Ruby heard a door opening, turned around saw Weiss dejectedly walking back into their room, her milk exchanged for one of her bottles of bacteria culture. She picked up her dinner and went on after her.

She knocked on the door with her horns. “Weiss?” she called out. “Can I come in?”

“It's your room, you decide!”

Ruby frowned, and opened the door. She saw Weiss already lying on her side in her hammock, gently rocking back and forth as she hugged Winter's Eluna plushie, an empty bottle on the floor.

“You want some milk and cookies?” she asked as she held up her dinner.

“Already had way too many,” Weiss muttered.

“Okay,” Ruby said. She walked over to her nest, and sat down on one of her pillows. “So...”

“So, what am I going to do about my being a NEET?”

“A what?”

“It's an acronym: 'Not Employed, in Education, or Training,'” Weiss explained. “I guess it's the human equivalent of Moss.”

Ruby nodded. “Yeah, that. So, do you have any talents or anything? Song, dance, arts and crafts, maybe? I'm sure we can use your being a human as a gimmick while you're starting out and building a fan base—I'll even be your audience if you need someone to test an act out on!”

“I can sing, but I think I'll just sell my body to science,” Weiss replied. “If being a star with the Fae is anything like being a star with us humans, the competition's going to eat me alive by virtue of being able to talk with their fans anytime they want without needing a translator…”

Ruby frowned. “Weiss...”

“You don't need to come with me to the Chronicler's Grove,” Weiss said as she turned away from Ruby and to her other side. “Qrow and Penny are already overdue for a 'brain drain,' so they're taking me with them tomorrow morning.”

Ruby sighed and put her food down. “Weiss, you can't just give up like this!” she said as she got up and walked over to the other side of her hammock.

“And why not?!” Weiss snapped, glaring at her, tears beginning well in her eyes once more. “Let's face the facts here, Ruby: I'm completely, absolutely useless to all of you!”

Ruby blinked. “Well duh! I thought that was already pretty obvious.”

Weiss gritted her teeth. “You were supposed to tell me I'm not useless.”

Ruby frowned. “Why would I do that?”

“Because I was fishing for compliments!”

“Fishing for what now?”

“It's when we talk bad about ourselves so other people will try and make us feel better...”

Ruby paused, and slowly raised a finger. “Weiss, let me get off topic for one moment:

“THIS IS WHY I FUCKING HATE NIVIAN! 'THE DOVE DOVE,' 'THE KNIGHT RIDES OUT AT NIGHT,' THE ENTIRE CONCEPT OF 'SARCASM' WHERE YOU SAY THE EXACT OPPOSITE OF WHAT YOU MEAN FOR 'EMPHASIS'!

“WHY THE FUCK WOULD YOU EVER INVENT A UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE FOR EVERYONE IN AN ENTIRE REALM WITH THE INTENT OF BEING MISUNDERSTOOD 90% OF THE DAMNED TIME?!

“WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU HUMANS?!”

Weiss stared up at her, stunned.

“Whew!” Ruby sucked in a deep breath. “Look, I'm sorry, but I had to get that out of my system!

“Anyway… Weiss, you're going to find something you can do to make yourself useful, and even if it's probably going to be just me and Penny, we're going to help you find it. We'll put you through a training regime, teach you Actaeon and all the other stuff you'll need to know, help you develop a skill than you can use to make something out of your life!

“There's a saying in Actaeon—something about every animal, from the smallest bacteria to the biggest monsters in the Timeless Depths being here in Avalon for a reason, all of them with a purpose in life, and because we Fae are animals too, that means we have those too!

“Maybe it won't be as obvious and instinctive as sheep existing to eat grass and get eaten by thunder wolves, who keep their population in check so they don't eat all the grass and everyone dies of starvation…

“… But you're not going to be useless forever, Weiss.

“Maybe now, yeah, you can't do anything right, but way back when, the Valley was just a big patch of wet dirt and swampland that happened to get shade from the sun because of the Twin Peaks, and retained a lot of the water from the Flood.

“But now look at it, after we Fae moved in and put in the work to try and make it better...”

Ding.

Weiss could see the light bulb go off in Ruby's head.

“… And I just got a great idea!”

“It's not going to involve faking my own death again, is it...?” Weiss asked warily.

“Nope!” Ruby replied, beaming. “Go to sleep, Weiss—you're going to need it!” she said as she hurried on out, stopping only to grab her dinner.

Weiss sat up. “Ruby, wait--!”

She was already out the door.

Weiss sighed, before she laid back down, and decided to just do as she was told and get some shut-eye.

Whatever it was Ruby had planned this time, it could wait till morning.

In the living room, Qrow and Blake were still rewatching the footage of Weiss' ill-fated fight, drinks laid to the side after one too many choking and spitting incidents.

<Uncle Qrow!> Ruby said as she zoomed up right to the back of the couch.

Qrow turned around. <Yeah, Ru--?> he dodged and avoided being accidentally gored with her horns.

Blake noticed, and paused the video.

<Sorry!> Ruby cried. <Do we still have dad's old tools?>

<Uh, yeah, they're in the shed, still on the old hooks on the wall—why do you ask?>

<Because, I've got a great idea to help Taiyang stay here!> Summer replied.

Qrow blinked, shook his head, and noticed Ruby frowning at him.

<A flash again...?> she asked.

<Yeah, don't worry about it,> Qrow replied.

Ruby sighed. <You should really go get your chronicle fixed, Uncle Qrow.>

<Not until that doesn't come with a mind wipe...> Qrow grumbled as he turned back to the HV. <Go get Penny to help you, I've stuffed a LOT of crap in there over the years, and I don't know what might have nested there since the last time I opened that door.>

<Will do, Uncle Qrow!> Ruby said, before she zoomed off once more.

<What was that all about?> Blake asked.

Qrow shrugged. <Who knows? Now unpause that holo, we're almost to the best part!>

[strainingfororiginality]

Interlude 9 - Choices

Inspiration: Freak of Nature - Broods, Tove Lo

Dancing scars from long nights I've been bruised by your light Help me now, lonely lover Show me how to uncover

Days of darkness make me smile No one's safe here for a while

It wasn’t really darkness.  Not exactly, it was more like a kind of pure blackness surrounding her now.  At first she assumed it was a lack of light, but she looked down at her open palms and could see them with absolute clarity.  It was everything else around her that was simply empty.

“There are over three thousand species of Anisoptera on the planet, 348 genera in 11 families.”

She knew that voice … it belonged to Ellie … She knew this wasn’t right and now she struggled to remember where she had just been.  The last thing that she recalled before she was standing here was staring into his troubled face, his furrowed brow and his trembling eyes.

Ah yes … that’s right … she had been in his arms.  He had been saying something ... screaming something, but she couldn’t hear him anymore, she couldn’t hear anything anymore except for Ellie’s voice in this black place.  It had been quite distant at first, but now it seemed louder; with each sentence, it seemed clearer and full of pride.

“An adult’s compound eye has nearly 24,000 ommatidia.  That’s one hell of an amazing eye.  Imagine the things that you could see with that sucker.”

She remembered this conversation now and as suddenly as she had been overcome with nothingness, she was immediately sitting at the concrete table staring across to her friend.  They were back in college, eating lunch and discussing … what was it again?  Anisoptera?

“They spend most of their lives as nymphs, undergoing several incomplete metamorphosis of varying stages before they finally emerge as one of nature’s most perfect predators.  Did you know they are found on every single continent except for Antarctica?  That’s damn impressive.”

She blinked at her friend as she stared back at her.  She was still holding the stale tuna sandwich she had just purchased from the student co-op center and she took another reluctant bite of it as her friend rattled off more trivial and pointless information.

“In Europe, they were considered pretty sinister.  They were known as the Devil’s Darning Needle.  And some thought they had the ability to weigh people’s souls … to see their sins.”

“I’m not sure if that’s the type of information they’ll be looking for, Ells.”  She offered her friend some advice as she stared down at her returned exam, taking another bite of that terrible sandwich.  It was terrible yes, but she now loved the taste of it.  It wasn’t dehydrated after all.  It was “fresh”, back from before the world was fucked.

“To the Welsh, they are known as the Adder’s Servant.  They are said to follow snakes.”

Her friend shrugged off her suggestion, “It will be a comprehensive report.”  And she continued to rattle off something that really shouldn’t find its way into her Evolutionary Biology thesis.  What were they talking about again and why was she here, at this point in time now, reciting the same conversation she’d had with her friend over eight years prior?

“But to the Japanese, they are symbols of courage, strength, and happiness.”

She stared back at her as the final word repeated itself in her mind … happiness.  The sandwich was absolutely delicious now and she looked down at the failed exam again, placing her head in her hands.  She remembered this day clearer now.

“In Southern American Lore, they are known as snake doctors.  They are believed to follow snakes around to mend them and provide aid when needed.  Huh … two absolutely unique cultures associate them with serpents.”

Serpents ...

This was the day that she changed her major from Botany to Mathematics.  It was one of the few days that she had made the choice to surrender to some type of failure and the realization of that fact had brought her great sorrow.

“To the Cheyenne, they were a warning of impending danger from enemies.”

She’d gotten sick and blew the exam entirely.  Actually … Ellie had gotten her sick, but she didn’t blame her.  But this class was a core class for her desired major and she couldn’t just retake it.  It was only offered in the springtime and it was a prerequisite for all of her other classes.

“Native Americans throughout the Great Plains used their imagery during battle because of their quickness and difficulty to kill … always able to dart about and evade capture.”

She would have been forced to stay in school for another year entirely.  That, simply, was not acceptable.  She was good at math after all and she was already accelerated on that path due to the college classes she took in high school.

“The Dakota claimed it has the ability to avoid all danger.  Man, Animal, and even thunder being unable to hurt it.”

She looked at Eleanor again and missed her greatly.  She had always been a wealth of strength for her, even when she was being pig headed, as she was now.  She knew that Ellie’s thesis would be too rooted in theology for her biology teacher to enjoy and as such, she would wind up leaving school without finishing.  She could tell her now, but she knew this was just a memory.  None of this mattered anymore … did it?

“As a creature of the Wind, they represent change or metamorphosis… the perspective of self realization.  It is said to arrive in your life when you are called upon to transform and evolve.”

“I guess that is the theme of the day then … time to transform.”  She frowned and stared down at the test yet again.  Her friend frowned too but continued anyways.  She was on a mission to teach her about … What the hell was it again?  Anisoptera?

“As a creature of the Water, they represent the subconscious … the dreaming mind.”

She had brown hair and a beautifully clear and tan complexion that fit her overly thin body.  She’d always been jealous of Ellie’s even skin tone as her own freckles had often made her feel out of place, especially when she refused to adhere to modern standards and add layers of makeup to hide her imperfect skin in shame.

“They carry insight into our deeper thoughts and deepest desires.”

“Can they tell me if I really want to be a Mathematician?”  She pondered out loud and her friend ignored her question completely, continuing on with the subject at hand.

“It is the harbinger of our dreams, understanding our real capabilities and giving us the ability to accomplish our birthright.”

Eleanor was always an optimist, even her name implied it.  It was Greek for "bright, shining one."  She’d never known her real Russian family and she was forever grateful for the family that had adopted her here in the States when she was only three years old.

Dawn looked down at the flip phone that jingled on the table, indicating a new text message and giggled to herself as she remembered the pre-smartphone days.  She looked down at the message from him, pleading for her to see him that day.  She’d ignored him the last 2 days.

“Is that the ass?”  Ells questioned.

“He’s not an ass.”

“Yeah he is … He said you were a 6 out of 10.  That’s a D … he gave you a D.”

“I shouldn’t have asked, but at least he was honest.  And it was a 6.5.”

“Whatever, he’s an ass.  You deserve somebody who thinks you’re a 10 or fuck, an 8.75 at the very least.”  Ells finalized her opinion of him right then and there.   After this point in time, there was no changing this mindset.

“So, you are basically telling me I deserve to be alone?  Besides, you are the one who set me up him!”

“Yeah, I know.  I’m sorry.  You deserve better.  You do.  But, he’s … “  She seemed like she wasn’t sure exactly how she wanted to finish that statement and suddenly, Dawn could hear the word that Ells had wanted to say at that moment … she hadn’t heard it the first time, but now she did … necessary?  Was that even right?  But, he’s … necessary.  Ellie let the sentence trail off as she decided to continue on with her lesson.

“For the Navajo, they represent pure water.”

Ellie hadn’t really talked her into changing her major, but she had made her realize it was the right choice.  It would be easier to find a job as well.  Dawn considered this choice, at this very moment, and the impact that it had had on the future.  When she had nearly walked out of their lives entirely, when she had nearly walked away from them … from him ... from Quintus … that day.

“It was used as the emblem of the Mayan goddess of creativity, Ix Chel.  Their myth says its wings and songs revived her after she is almost slain.”

“What about the Cherokee?”  She questioned her.  That was something her and Ells had in common, their ignorance of their backgrounds.  She’d never known her father but her mom had claimed some kind of link through him to the Cherokee, while Ellie had no idea what her race even was.  She was at least half Caucasian, that much was certain, but there was something a bit darker mixed in.  She’d always been envious of her ability to actually tan.  Dawn always thought she was pretty, but neither of them really met that definition in society’s eyes.  

“I don’t know about the Cherokee, but to the Iroquois, it is considered a messenger … of the Great Spirit itself.”

She thought back to this day and wondered again why it was of importance as she devoured the final bit of her stale sandwich with glee.  And as she swallowed the last bit of it … she remembered as Ellie spoke again.

“Libelle, Pipilacha, Libellule, Libellula”

“What?”  She sharply turned her attention back to her rambling friend, “What did you just say?”

“Huh?”  Her confusion was sincere, “About what?”

“What did you just say?”  She pushed again, her eyes were wide.  She remembered that word.  He’d called her that word.

“They are just translations.”  Ellie blew off her question, which required her to ask again, raising her own level of annoyance.

“What was the last one?”  She demanded harshly.

“Libellula.  Its Latin.”

“Latin for what?”  She already knew it was Latin and she pushed again.

“What do you mean … for what?  Have you not been paying attention to anything that I’ve been saying?”  While her words implied annoyance, her face showed the complete opposite.  Ellie seemed to be smiling now, “Anisoptera.”

Dawn sighed heavily and she stared at her and furrowed her brows, “Ells ... Please.”  She begged.

And her friend’s smile widened, “Anisoptera is an infraorder of Odonata … the Dragonfly.”

Dawn blinked at this and realized why she was remembering it.  It was his final word to her, the final parting gift he’d given her before he left her and started to fade.  The last thing that she had heard from his lips before it had become her turn to … fade.

She was dying … again … in his arms.  All things considered, this wasn’t a bad way to go.  She wouldn’t have wanted to die anywhere else, she suddenly realized.  But this revelation actually made her feel like a fucking fool and there was a great swell of shame that followed her foolish feelings.  How amazingly pathetic she felt at this very moment ... pining over a man who is already eternally in love with someone else ... She pushed his image from her mind completely forcefully to turn it off.  This weakness disgusted her.

“No ... “  Ells shook her head as she already seemed to know what was happening within Dawn’s psyche, “Your feelings do not make you weak ... and turning them off will not make you strong.  Your empathy is what sets you apart from all of those around you.  Your capacity for love is what makes you more powerful than they can imagine.”

Dawn stared down towards her empty hands and felt the tears begin to well up within her eyes as Ells spoke again.

“I’m sorry that its been difficult.  I’m sorry that you’ve had to suffer to get to where you are now.  But know that you are not the only one who has had to endure pain.  I told you that you deserved better ... the very very best ... but you’ll need to be open to it ... Fear makes us all say stupid things.  Don’t let yesterday destroy tomorrow.  Yesterday is dead.”

Looking back into her friend's eyes, she found Ells was smiling even wider now, “Why?”  She asked, “Why are you telling me all of this now?”

“Because you need to hear it.”

“But why Anisoptera?”

Ellie spoke confidently, “Because you needed to remember it.”

“For what purpose?”  She questioned, “I don’t need to remember anything anymore.  I get to end now, don’t I?”

“This is only your end if you wish it … And we both know that you don’t.  You can’t.  You aren’t wired that way.”

“I don’t understand what you mean.  I gave up ... I gave him my life.”  She stated to Ellie.

“No, you gave him a choice.  He’s been given this same choice before.”  Her smile was brilliant, “And he has already made it, as we knew he would … now it's up to you again … it’s your choice ...”

We?

“What choice … what choice could I possibly have now?”  She was grabbing at straws when she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder.  She turned to face its owner, as she looked up to a woman, younger than she was now with beautiful dark skin with darker hair, a slender face with beautiful and bewitching brown and amber eyes.  Dawn’s eyes grew wide when she spoke because it was her voice … it was ... holy shit ... that voice.

“Whether you will fade … or whether you will transform, Libellula.”

And everything faded …

          into a blinding and painful white.

[kaplanwhitley0-blog]

11 Ladies About what An Average Month Of Elegance Spending Appears like.

He's a beast and-- no big shock-- he is actually a great friend of PHYSICIAN Peter Attia, my MD good friend who consumes jet gas" trying to find ideal sports efficiency. Some folks will certainly have health and wellness concerns, including reduction of period as discussed above, at a BMI from 19, and some certainly not unless their BMI is here 17. If you are actually undernourished you will definitely pass away the second you become so, no one is actually stating that. What is being actually said is that for http://boldstyles-blog.info/ , there is a series of a healthy weight to elevation ratio. It is this rise in digestive tract permeability or even leaky intestine" that creates egg white intake challenging for individuals with egg allergy symptoms or autoimmune condition. As soon as in an OPERATING lesson (a 10k class concerning a year and also a fifty percent ago) i asked them about the trots, as well as health and nutrition tips, as well as such that can help me. I was basically REPROACHED through some people gulping out loud and the teachers clear humiliation that i possessed the NERVE to ask such a question. As for the nay-sayers - I carry out understand that some people are actually seemingly unaffected through gluten, however, for those that truly possess a sensitivity, the results night-and-day. The bigger problem is actually definitely thinking of the operating age population and also the concern that I presume he actually wished to discuss was the group from people who get on the social safety net for a long period of time. My fiancée experienced for specifically 10 years off UC. Those years appeared torture, not only for her yet likewise for the people that join her, i.e. me also. An evaluation might aid tease out concerns that may not be actually coordination issues. Maintain that more mature variation of your own self in thoughts regularly Whenever you assume after these questions. Fast food joints have actually capitolized on this way of thinking, and also that has resulted in an entire generation of folks who figure I ought to have a break today". Accurate tale: Our experts stay in an age where folks are therefore hyper-connected that we examine our phones 150 opportunities in the course of a common time. I am actually presently 21 weeks expecting along with little one 2 and also merely finished up a run this morning (ran to 30 weeks in my very first pregnancy). As crude as this system is, I assume slapping on your own in the skin each opportunity you bite your nails will certainly obtain your to cease very promptly. I do not perform this due to the fact that I believe it's a little bit spammy, but it's your series, you choose what jobs well for you. 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Beyond that the meals I consume are typically extremely basic, but individuals have the tendency to drool over all of them none the less =-RRB-. A recent favorite is actually could tuna/ w avocado and shredded carrots (/ w seasonings on top). Our company perform sometimes observe hypoglycaemia on individuals taking no medications, yet this is usually when folks have only recently ceased blood insulin and also most likely, the mechanism for gluconeogenesis is actually 'corroded'. If you are actually 5 years of ages as well as claim you wish to be actually a rocketeer, your moms and dads tell you that you can be anything you desire to be actually. It's harmless, like telling a youngster that Santa Claus exists. It concerns the procession from humankind around many life-spans, and also the play of concern as well as awareness among as well as in between people, various other varieties, Mother Earth and deep space itself. This is actually scary of course to think of- the concept that wrong relocation, and also you will practically be actually thrust for the remainder of your life must consume under you think full with, as well as there is actually nothing at all you can do concerning it due to the fact that that is actually not reversible. Or, somebody handling a physical illness travelling to the Globe Bodypainting Celebration in Austria to redeem their physical body in Technicolor. I don't find any kind of practical means for them to market benches without some individuals falling under this trap. Even further, the above strategy for picking up supports uses listed here, at the same time; the plan outlined the leading 20 very most reliable on the web fitness online marketers, the approximate dimension from their mailing lists/social media existence, as well as-- where applicable-- a listing of the supports they owed me. To puts it simply, a listing of folks our company might assure would certainly promote the book. If one thing possesses carrageenan in it, I may promptly inform. I receive intestinal cramping from this. I failed to understand this was this ingredient until I started checking out the dairy alternatives that were providing me this complication and saw that carrageenan was actually the principal . Yet there are plenty of distance runners for which January 1 is actually simply an additional day on the instruction routine. I also reviewed that you possessed an eating condition and also i believe that you have to have an actually sturdy individuality to realise that you have a i review you're account i understood that i additionally have a harmful connection along with food items. If folks with rare health conditions hang around till all the simple facts reside in from randomized double-blind exams carried out on low-carb populations, most of all of them will definitely be dead first. The short articles for Style II diabetics issues and various other concerns along with sweets are actually because of the fructose in the glucoses, not the blood sugar. I am actually certainly not observing a ton of starving folks in The United States, especially among reduced earnings individuals.

[theleftoverurl]

.*.*. October 16, 2017 .*.*.

Facing the Music :(

So I’m going to do a double-post about yesterday and today because I didn’t have time last night.

Yesterday was a very, very bad day because I finally had to face the music and deal with the fact that my disorganization has meant that I haven’t completed one of the capabilities that I need for my degree. I have been in denial about it for a long time and pushing it back. In first year I was very nervous and had strong personalities in my hospital group, so I never felt able to speak out and I did not feel comfortable (especially as I was a first year) doing my SOCAs then. By the end of the year I was in a mild form of panic about it, but rationalized that I had to do 4 and there were 4 courses next year, so all I had to do was do one per course. Additionally, I already had one under my belt sans reflection, and I don’t think the importance of the reflection had made its impression on me.

Despite the fact that upon reflection I sort of knew about that being a key component as expressed during clinical skills, the fact that I was still settling into interstate life, being in college underage and not being able to rely heavily on my friends because they were new led to this negligence. I made a terrible mistake out of laziness in not checking the other requirements, such as what courses I had to do them in and that they were actually due after the 3rd course of second year. I have also always struggled with asking for help as I have never really had to do it and I think maybe it is pride to some extent or just being scared to ask. I was also too scared to ask my new friends about the requirements of SOCAs or how to submit a reflection because it was so late in the year and I was afraid of judgment. In hindsight, it’s sort of fitting that I’m going to fail the Effective Communications capability.

Unfortunately for me, this realization all came crashing down towards the end of the second course and then I didn’t contact anyone about it because I was in a state of homesickness and general misery for most of the end of Semester 2 and couldn’t get my act together. I don’t want to call it depression but it was the most prolonged state of helplessness, stasis and low-key just feeling down that I’ve ever experienced. Veronica had suffered a panic attack, Hadeel had tried to kill herself, Kate’s dad was really sick so her mum had to come up, I was in the process of breaking up with my boyfriend and then I had this to stress about too and I just couldn’t deal. I considered talking to the psych about it, Ute, but I’ve never approached a psych before and I didn’t want it to seem like a cop-out trying to get out of the fact that I dropped the ball sort of thing. Also I just couldn’t seem to motivate myself to do anything during this period. Luckily 2nd course ended so I got to go home and recuperate a bit.

Then when I got back ready to start 3rd course and deal with this I realized a terrible thing – I forgot to submit my hospital SOCA for the 2nd course amidst all that misery. I was very upset because I made super sure to get it done, but there is no fax machine in college and so my inherent lack of motivation kicked in and I brought it with me to Perth to scan it in during the holidays but by then it was too late. Then we had a weeklong break because it was university break even though we had just started so the med office was closed, and the week before that I went to Singapore (I arranged it so I only ended up missing one class and I am glad that I went).

Then last week I spoke to Katie, head of my floor about it because I wanted advice and anatomy help for pracs and she wasn’t very helpful, to be completely honest. Very lovely and encouraging, but I knew then that I had to go to MESO. I went that Friday but the Phase 1 coordinator was not in, so I sent an email. The reply came on yesterday.

My issues with communicating about this issue were sort of exacerbated by email because I had to keep it short and to the point. Also I know all of the above does not negate the fact that I just dropped the ball and was lazy and disorganized and it’s jeopardized by degree but I’m a university student and a teenager, so I wanted to sort of explain myself and realized that I just can’t. There’s no way I can summarize the above and frankly I don’t really think it makes a difference to my case either way. However my lack of being able to tell my account and the fact that my case bounced between different people in charge through a very long email chain meant that I spent the entire day being reprimanded by different people, and ruminating on my mistakes without really having an outlet to vent/let it out/explain myself. This made me very miserable and distracted so I probably didn’t do a very good job at all of tutoring that afternoon.

However, luckily my common sense kicked in enough to realize I still have to prepare for exams and I still have to try my best in anatomy and study really hard for the other components, so I had quite a productive day. Hospital was cancelled because our tutor forgot and my ethics teaching for peer teaching was today so I did a lot of work on that and got through some notes for the general med course. We had a group meeting and I had come up with some really interesting/controversial ethical issues and linked them to the main topic (euthanasia) so it was a really good group meeting. I really like Luke, he’s a top bloke and Kuheli and Hei Wai were good at expressing their opinions which gave me a lot of hope for my lesson.

Then after tutoring I missed the bus (probably because my mind was after other things) and so made it as far as Newmarket and then had to pay $15 to Uber home which was really annoying. In a very, very bad mood I went up to Floor 7 where Kate was starting to pre for El Topo and I figured that there wasn’t really much more I could do about my Effective Communications cap right now, so I might as well go out and have fun. I borrowed a really nice dress from her for pink party (to raise awareness for breast cancer) and we drank a bottle of bubbly. By then I was feeling a little better because I’m (too) good at compartmentalizing my problems. We joined Loz and Jaime and stuff for a floor crawl and Linley was absolutely trashed. Then we headed for the bus. I was feeling good cos I only had 3.5 standards in me so wasn’t drunk at all and it was the last time Baxter went out as a college and the last party bus too.

Linley vomited into a bin the whole bus ride, so Max took her home. Kate, Claudia and Nick were really triggered because she was being dramatic about it and wanting them to leave the club to see her and they didn’t want to. Kate and I had agreed as soon as the music was shit we would go home because I wanted an early night to do work in the morning and she had class but the music was so good. It was a really good night and we still left relatively early and Hamish tagged along. Kate went straight to bed when we got back and so I was left to my own devices. I added tuna to Mi Goreng and it was probably one of the best decisions of my life. A bit too salty but I love tuna and I love noods and I felt proteinated and a bit more healthy and a bit more full. Brilliant.

Hamish sent me the weirdest passive-aggressive texts about me ignoring him all night and never talking to him etc. etc. and it was just so awkward because like I do want us to be friends but I also don’t really care like I’m not really going to touch base a lot or anything. I want it to sort of be like low maintenance cos I ain’t got a lot of time but I feel like he and I are just on completely different pages now.

Finally, full and feeling marginally better, I took the 4h of sleep available to me.

 .*.*. October 17, 2017 .*.*.

Work, work, work, work, work, work :)

That title is fairly representative of my life anyway in the next 2 weeks with 55 lectures to catch up on.

Anyway, I was woken up at 7:00 to take the college picture which I didn’t really give a shit about but didn’t want judgment from Kate for not going. I then tried to go in my Baxter jumper and pyjama shorts but then saw that everyone bothered to put on nice clothes so rushed back to change. How ridiculous. We are wearing our academic gowns so you only see a strip of clothing and there are 210 people in Baxter, so you’re hardly gonna see you pinky fingernail-sized face let along your formal dinner gowns. I felt so dead but a little better after hot brekky.

Then I tried to get back to sleep to no avail and was just drifting off when I was woken by the cleaner. I took my book Peak and my laptop to the common room and had a nice peaceful morning reading and doing lots of med work. I skipped the tutorial we had (I think it was physiology?) because I got a follow-up email from the professor in charge of portfolios for my college and the time he gave me to ring him was during the tute. I gave him a call and it was really quick and basically he said he has no information about what I can do, he has to ask Dr. Taylor (who refused to tell me anything yesterday so good luck) and to get back to him tomorrow. He did say if I fail though it “sets you back to the end of February” which I think is wrong because we don’t start uni till then anyway? Anyway all you do is rewrite your portfolio and they “get you to do things like SOCAs” so I think it should be okay cos I can’t imagine being set back very far and my only concern now is doing the SOCAs when I’m in Perth for the holidays, but I can probably come back early anyway as I have settled accommodation here. So that was some relatively good news.

I ran my ethics tutorial and it wasn’t as good as I expected but it was also more interesting and in some ways better than I expected too. Karim said it was interesting which I thought was high praise. Steph was her usual self-absorbed whiny self and Pam looked like she was gonna kill me when I gave my argument for gay marriage. However, everyone participated and I think they at least appreciated what I was trying to do. No one in my group commented on it so I think it was okay. Then we had a last minute group meeting and I was allocated the Johari windows again RIP but I think I can bullshit it well enough (hopefully). It doesn’t really matter anyway.

Then I went to tutor Ella and mum rang me on the bus. I was running really late (30min!) which was embarrassing but mum and I had a good chat even though I feel kind of bad I’m not telling her about this portfolio fiasco but I also feel like that will just cause her unnecessary anger and stress when I’m handling it (finally). I love Ella she’s a beautiful girl and we are really going to work on her problem solving skills so that she’s a confident maths student by the time I’m done with her. Her dad Scott is really nice too.

Then I bussed back and tried to do anatomy but maybe it was the 4h sleep or maybe it was the sudden alleviation of stress from the day before or maybe because I only ate a salad all day but I fell asleep and had an hour-long nap. Then when I woke up I started reading Gray’s Anatomy because I think textbooks are helpful and the consequence is I have a lot of work left to do but I think the nap was a good idea anyway because my concentration was noticeably better.

Now it’s bedtime and tomorrow will be another chaotic day, full of group meetings and tutoring and lectures and follow-up for portfolio and also Tas has come and is staying the night?! So yeah lots of fun and I don’t really even mean that sarcastically, at least I’m busy and my life is sorting itself out and we will just deal with each day as it comes.