#some clever soul in my inbox went and called me out on it a few months ago

[seyaryminamoto]

Yaaay! Thank you very much for taking your time both to organize and offer your answers for this event! It's always interesting to learn how certain developments have come across for readers, haha. The future questions were also really interesting to see, it's fun to learn what you guys are expecting to see happen in the upcoming chapters!

Thank you, truly, for all this enthusiasm <3 it's easier to stay focused and driven thanks to readers like you. I hope the upcoming developments in the story continue to thrill you, and may the scenes and chapters you look forward to prove just as satisfactory as you want them to be (... or more! xD)!

Gladiator 300th Chapter Celebration

Here are my answers and I have to admit, I realized how hard it was to answer some of them xD

FAVORITE…

1.OC: It has always been Rui Shi. But in general, I do like so many OC's. Tiang is one of them as well. As I say often, Seyary is the Queen of the best OC's!!

2. Guard: Since I chose Rui Shi as my favorite OC, I choose Fei Li here. Funny and cute

3. Gladiator: The Millenium Dragon is a nice person. The Blind Bandit maybe? Or wait, Haru? Honestly I don't really have a favorite Gladiator other than the Blue Wolf come to think of it

4. Sponsor: I'm going with Zhao

5. Pair/Couple (besides Sokkla): Songshi<3 These two are the cutest

6. Friendship: Azula and her childhood friends Mai and Ty Lee. I miss their friendship these days... Azula and Rui Shi, Azula-Sokka-Rui Shi-Song

7. Villain/Antagonist/Opponent: Yes he is evil, but Rhone brought action

8. Suitor for Azula: Kuan and Hahn. Here too, I liked the action it brought. And I enjoyed it how Hahn ended up. As for the characters I like as suitors (if they can really be called that) Zhao and Chan. I believe Chan will be a good character in the future(?)

"Oh?" said Ozai. "And what sort of gift is that?"

"Why, no other than him, of course," said Kuan, pointing at the man he had brought with him.

"Why, your first engagement present to me is a man?" asked Azula, raising her eyebrows. "Your ideas for courting are quite unconventional, Governor Kuan." Chapter 69

Had to drop this here, since I am re-reading this arc currently. One of the funniest scenes xD

9. Place (any houses/island/cities…): Fire Nation Capital (the Palace, Sokka and Azula's house/garden, Ty Lee's, Ember Island, Shu Jing

10. Event (weddings/festivals…): Not sure but Azula‘s birthday and the Gladiator Fight afterwards. And the second Fire Nation Festival with the catastrophic ending

FAVORITE TOP THREE…:

Sokkla Kisses in Part 2 when they become finally a couple: I really like making things difficult don’t I? I might be missing some but at the moment: Their rejoining after the second Fire Nation Festivals, on the ship when Sokka rushed in Azula‘s room while Ty Lee is still in there, Shu Jing domestic life, aaannddd I think on the ship when Azula accidentally spills out the word love and is „angry“ afterwards, Oh and when she hurts her wrinkle and Sokka tends to it and kisses her *_*

Sokkla Love Making: The whole Festivals Arc, random moments, Northern Air Temple, Anniversary

THIS OR THAT:

1.Part 2, or Part 3 (so far): I really have no answer to this. Been reading since nine years, my absolute favorite arcs and moments aren't much more in one part than the other. So, I have to answer it this way ;) in no particular order:

Introduction arc Attack of the White Lotus arc Ember Island arc The Notorious Stingray arc Azula’s Birthday arc Fire Nation Festivals arc Giving in arc Northern Air Temple arc Kinslayer arc Toph finds out arc Fire Nation Festivals #2 arc  Sokka and Azula’s anniversary arc Gladiator Brawl arc Return to Shu Jing arc The Spirit Library arc Fire Lord for a Week arc Wedding arc

2. Zuki Family or Mai Jian Family: I'm honestly impressed by both. I never thought Zuko would be such a good family man with. Mai Jian is a dream. I guess at the end Mai Jian outweighs Zuki even if juuuust little

3. Festivals Arc or Anniversary Arc: Again I guess I like making things difficult xD. Both are bomb... Again there is only the littlest difference and my choice goes with Festivals...

4. Captain Rui Shi or Captain Fei Li: Captain Rui Shi forever

5. Ozai or Zhao: Zhao. He made a 180 degree turn out of nothing these days. But I still like this man in part 2 as well as the beginning of part 3. He treated both Azula and Sokka well in my opinion. Before the whole pregnancy reveal, he's been a good man to his wife Azula. Zhao is one of the best characters in the whole story!!

Ozai... well, even if he our Diva Lord is a likable character, (I mean part 1 and part 2 were very funny with him), and even if I don't truly hate him as a character, I can never see him the way I did after all the things he did to my baby Azula

6. Gladiator Brawl, Sponsor Race, Pairs Tournament or Scavenger Hunt: All are very good. My final decision is Gladiator Brawl

7. Xin Long or Appa: I ike Appa. But Xin Long wins here!!

8. Azula’s Squad or Sokka’s Squad: I'm gonna go with Rui Shi's future Squad(?) xD

9. Ty Lee or Mai: Ty Lee I like more in part 1. Mai is always good. This woman and her sudden comments are humorous. Bother if their absence is noticeable

10. Shoji or Kino: Shoojiiiiii

11. Ruon Jian or Haru: We didn't see much of Ruon Jian, but I still like him. I like Haru more still. He was very funny around Azula at the beginning xD

OTHERS:

1.A Place you would like to visit or live: The Capital I would want to live in. And visiting, I would like to see every place. Esepcially Ember Island

2. If you could give Part 2 a title it would be: "A BOND UNBREAKABLE"

3. Something you look forward to: Chan. Rui Shi and the guards. *coughs* chapter 327/329. Azula visiting the South Pole. Reuniting and being happy together again forever*-*. Azula giving birth to more children with Sokka by her side

4. Favorite Sokkla Artwork from Part 2:

These two babies right here*-*:

GUESSING TIME:

Future Ships you think will happen: I thought about Reirei at then beginning (Rei and Renkai) but then I found out about the age difference. Honestly, I don't think there is going to be a big surprise

Azula and Zhao will divorce when/because of … I think Zhao might commit betrayal and lose the royal family's trust (the Spirit Oasis)

When Hakoda meets Azula and Hotaru for the first time …: One of the things I am very much looking forward to. Admiration on both sides and happiness. Maybe some tears?

When Ozai and Ursa see each other …: .................................................................................................................................................... Angry Ursa.... I think she will play a major role in Ozai's future downfall, emotionally(?). Everything aside, I would support some moments of affection and longing from both sides =D. Urzai is a good ship... HAD the potential of being one of the best...

I think Ozai's future looks like...: Since things can change in this story, I don't really have an opinion on that that I can be sure of. All I can say is: I think he will stay alive...

When Azula finally visits the South Pole, I hope/wish/think …: Igloo Sokkla. Fun family times. *wantstocry*. Admiration of the whole tribe for Azula, their new family member

First things Azula and Sokka will do after their reunion:

Be happy, cry, take in each other's scent, cuddle together with their baby daughter, then sharing their miserable journey with each other, Sokka finding out about the letters and her tears and trying to keep his anger in check and never ever letting her go for the rest of his life, no matter what happens.

@seyaryminamoto , congratulations on the release of the 300th chapter! As always, I feel happy-sad and can't believe Gladiator is a journey we've been on for a decade. You already know how much I love this story;). Your hard work and love for writing and making these beautiful artworks amaze me. I appreciate you giving me the opportunity to host events for your masterpiece and I feel valued with your trust! Thank you! I've already started re-reading my favorite arcs. They give me joy!

I'll be posting the correct answers to the quiz on sunday evening.

[innocentbi-stander]

Okay so you kinda left off with hades busting so can I get some more demigod/son of hades jaskier pls? Also I love you!

I am so sorry this has been in my inbox for a while, midterms have really been kicking my ass the past two weeks and I haven’t had the chance to work on anything. I can absolutely provide some more demigod jaskier content ft. #1 Dad Hades. Enjoy!

say what you will about godly parents and their lack of care toward their children, but hades is not that kind of dad

he knows what it feels like to be pushed away, abandoned and forgotten, so he has always done everything in his power to help his kids (as few of them as there are)

he makes sure they are safe, and cared for in their homes. he gives them powers to protect themselves and safe travels to camp

hades is a pretty good dad, even if he’s not there all the time. he loves his kids

and then there’s jaskier

jaskier, who was born after a wild fling with a woman hades and persephone met outside of lettenhove

jaskier, who had his mother’s gorgeous blue eyes and sweet smile

who had persephone’s affinity for flowers and pretty things, who had the most talented voice hades had ever heard in his millennium

jaskier, who had hades’ quick temper, his charm, and his glare. who shared his fascination with the unknown, his persistence, his determinedness. he had every inch of hades’ fierceness and his passion for the ones he loved

jaskier, who was dangerously powerful and wielded it with care (except for the necromancy, the amount of skeletons his son had summoned merely on accident was frankly astounding)

who didn’t want to hurt any living thing except when someone hurt something (or more likely, someone) he loved, all bets were off

when it came to jaskier, hades was a Proud Father

jaskier had always been a boy after his own heart, ever since he had begun his visits to the Underworld as a young child and instead of shaking with fear (as many of his children had at first), his eyes widened with fascination 

hades took great joy in showing him the workings of the Underworld and the spirits it held

jaskier was an endless wealth of questions and curiosity, and hades took great care in answering every single one (by the look of shock on the boy’s face hades suspected that the man his mother had ended up married too was much less inclined to entertaining his pursuit of knowledge; hades made a silent promise to himself to never do that)

persephone liked to tease him that jaskier made him soft, but privately the both of them knew that hades would do anything for the people most important in his life (when his wife teased him, hades always took great care to question her on the hours she spent out in the gardens with jaskier, and the tears he had seen in her eyes the first time the boy called her ‘mother’)

 needless to say jaskier had the both of them wrapped around his finger, and for such a clever boy that was a dangerous thing to be

hades thought he was brilliant

as he grew up, jaskier went off to become a traveling bard, but his interest in the Underworld never faded

he often did tasks on the side of his travels on behalf of hades

and every once in a while he liked to pop in on his son when he hadn’t been down to visit

his son wasn’t likely to ever truly be capable of dying, but hades did like to make sure his limbs were all in order, especially when he forgot to write

he had remembered jaskier’s endless rambling about his witcher and so he wasn’t surprised when he tracked him down to the wolf witcher keep

hades was met with silver swords pointed at him from all sides, and he was just a little bit offended that they thought something as simple as a sword would down the god of the underworld

he knew how he looked to the unsuspecting mortal, tall, dark, shadowed. his eyes glowed silver and moonlight and his skin was endlessly pale

they stood there in silent standoff until he felt an approaching presence, familiar and light

hades smiled as his son broke through the line of witchers, and the smile on jaskier’s face for once wasn’t his mothers, but his father’s, overly wide and sharp

“dad!” he called out, and the witchers startled in shock, the sorceress behind them’s brow creasing in confusion

jaskier dashed forward, dressed in blue and silver, and with a well practiced step entered his embrace

their hug was simple but fierce, they held each other for a moment while their powers brushed a familiar greeting

gently but firmly, hades separated himself from his son and held him out by his shoulders

he sighed

“you’ve been overdoing it again haven’t you?”

jaskier wrinkled his nose, “what- how could you tell?!”

“your powers may be back in full, but your internal soul is still exhausted. you should still be resting” hades thought he heard the witch in the back whisper an infuriated, “I KNEW it!” but he paid her no mind

“your mother sends her regards, as well as this” he pulled the pitch black rose from his pocket and held it out to his son, who gasped when he saw the stars that danced and twinkled across the surface of the petals. jaskier took it from his hand and held it reverently, a pleased smile tugging at his lips.

“tell mother it’s beautiful, and she’s going to show me how she made this the next time I’m home” hades smiled fondly,

“she’d like that”

someone behind jaskier cleared their throat, and a quick glance informed them that it was in fact the witch from earlier.

“And who exactly is this Jaskier? Do introduce us.” she glided forward and slid a protective hand on his son’s shoulder, her grin was predatory

hades liked her

jaskier paid the blatant sign of possessiveness to mind, and made no further comment when the witcher, the one jaskier was always going on about, moved to his other side in a similar position

“oh right, where have my manners gone, terribly sorry!” jaskier rambled, hands flying about “may I introduce to you Hades, god of the underworld and some other things i’ve never been much inclined to remember. my father”

both father and son smiled similarly off putting grins and the shadows of the courtyard seemed to stretch a little longer

this would be fun

______

Thoughts?

[aziraamane]

Human AU - Part 4

(Previous) - (First)

"Anthony Jophiel "AJ" Crowley (born 12 October 1979) is an English physicist, socialite, and philanthropist, formerly serving as a professor of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Manchester. He is the youngest of media mogul Beatrice "Bee" Crowley's five children…"

Ezra didn't mean to snoop, but, well, the information was right there on the Internet, and surely it was the done thing to know a bit about the person whose home you were visiting, yes? Or that was what he kept telling himself, as he skipped to the bottom of the page to the section entitled "Personal Life."

"Crowley seldom interacts directly with the media and has confessed that he can be shy. He identifies as humanist and denies claims of atheism, stating that he would rather “listen and analyse.” In a rare television appearance on the American late-night talk show Conan in 2013, Crowley admitted to foiling the media’s attempts to take newsworthy photos of him, by wearing similar clothing every day and never taking off his sunglasses, a stunt later emulated by actor Daniel Radcliffe in 2017. 

Crowley has no children of his own and has never married. He adopted his nephew, Adam, in 2018. They currently live in Mayfair.”

"Dad! Are you ready?"

Ezra clicked off the tab open on his computer screen before shutting the machine down. "Yes, darling, I'm ready," he called back into the flat at large, getting to his feet with the slight groan and creak of a body beginning to feel its age. 

Well, well. It seemed that Ezra had vastly underestimated his schoolyard acquaintance. Not just a pretty face, as the saying went. There was a clever brain and a big heart behind the black clothes and dark glasses. 

Ezra and Warlock lived above an old bookshop in Soho, neighbouring Mayfair, so it was a simple case of one bus and then a short walk to the address sitting in Ezra's message inbox. He had to get Warlock to help with the whole GPS navigation thingy on his phone, but without too much trouble, they soon found themselves standing in front of a high-rise block of flats that Ezra knew, just from the exterior, had to be wildly expensive. He held Warlock's hand firmly, and pressed the intercom button beside the door with his free hand. 

The speaker crackled a moment. "Hello?" came a young voice. 

Ezra's cheeks plumped in an affectionate smile. "Hello, Adam, dear boy. I've brought Warlock to see you."

"I'll be down in a minute! Hang on!" A burst of static, and then silence.

Barely thirty seconds later, Adam came flying down the hallway and almost slammed head first into the glass doors. "Whoops," he laughed as he opened the doors. "That was a bit silly. Hello!"

"Adam!" Warlock crowed, jumping up and down. 

"Are you our guide, dear?" asked Ezra.

"I think so. Come on, but the lift is broken, so we have to take the stairs, but it isn't very high up! Come with me!”

“Not very high up” meant the sixth floor in Adam's language, by which time Ezra was wheezing slightly, thighs and ankles aching. Not for the first time, he wondered if he ought to lose some weight. 

But then Adam opened the front door, and Ezra lost his breath for an entirely different reason.

Crowley's flat was magnificent, all carved marble and polished granite, very minimalist and yet utterly stylish. There was a hint of nature in the air, rich soil and woody sap, alongside the freshness of cleaning products and notes of smoky cologne. From somewhere in the flat, Freddie Mercury's soulful warble sang Let me Live.

"Uncle AJ!" Adam yelled. 

The music dropped in volume, followed by a series of dull and then metallic taps. And then there was Crowley, dressed down in a loose vest and ripped jeans, dirt under his fingernails, a smudge on his cheek...

And no glasses.

"Hello, Anthony!"

Crowley blinked once, twice, then went pale. "Shit - um, just a sec." He disappeared a moment, returning with sunglasses back in place. 

There had been something there, something not quite normal...Ezra couldn’t put his finger on it, and decided it was best to say nothing. Crowley scratched the back of his head, sheepish. "Sorry. Knew you were coming, just lost track of time - should I change? I should probably change. Um-"

Ezra shook his head, laughing. "Anthony, dear chap, this is your home, you needn't dress up just so the boys can have a playdate."

Warlock waved from beside Ezra. "Hi, Mr Crowley."

"Hey, kid. Find the place alright?"

"Think we did."

"Great, good stuff. Adam, why don't you take Warlock to your room, show him your toys and such?"

"Alright." Adam took Warlock's hand and they ambled off into the flat. 

"Take your shoes off, Warlock!" Ezra called after them.

Crowley shook his head. "S'alright, I'm not fussy about that sort of stuff. Here, just...chuck your coat anywhere, I'll wash my hands and get us a drink."

Ezra frowned. "Am I staying?"

"Ngk - er - I mean, if you want?" Crowley practically squirmed on the spot. "Or I can drop Warlock off later. S'up to you."

"I don't want to intrude-"

"You're not. Honestly."

"In that case, yes, I shall stay." Ezra began unbuttoning his tan overcoat. There were a few empty pegs by the door; he hung it on the nearest one.

Crowley grinned. "That's my man. Alright, follow me."

The entryway led to a kitchen on the right hand side, plus an adjoining dining room and lounge. Crowley strolled over to the sink to rinse the dirt from his hands while Ezra primly seated himself at the island in the centre of the room. "You look as though you've been gardening," he remarked, tracing a finger absently over the polished granite counter top. 

"Er, yeah. Something like that." Crowley turned to face him, picking out the last of the dirt from under his nails. "Got a few plants in the back, 's a hobby of mine."

Ezra blinked in surprise. Of all the things he expected of Crowley, gardening wasn't on the list. "You're quite the decorated gentleman, Anthony.”

“Mm?”

“Oh, yes. Botanist, scientist, philanthropist - is there anything you can't do?"

Crowley paused with his hand halfway to the kettle. "Ezra," he said in a low voice, "have you been reading my fucking Wikipedia page?"

Oh, bugger. 

After a moment, Crowley burst out laughing, and what a sweet, merry laugh it was. "I'm just messing with you," he said as he filled the kettle. "S human instinct, isn't it, to hunger for knowledge, want answers. Can't say I blame you for looking. I'd have done the same, if it were my kid going to some fancy schmuck's house. Tea or coffee?"

"Tea, please." Ezra found himself relaxing infinitely. That laugh had done wonders for his nerves.

"Sugar?"

"Just milk will be fine."

"Gotcha." Crowley brought two cups over, setting one in front of Ezra. "So…" He sat on a vacant stool, drawing up one long leg to rest his heel on the edge. "Librarian, right? Which uni?"

"King's." 

"Chancery Lane?" 

"Yes, as a matter of fact." Ezra wrapped his hands around the steaming mug and sighed at the heat seeping into his palms. "I suppose I just live to be surrounded by books. Tried my hand in the bookshop below me when I was younger, you see, but it hurt me so much to sell the poor things, I just couldn't do it."

"And now you lend them out to students. Late fees, tea rings, dog-eared pages, drunken frat boys, the lot." Crowley laughed again. "Couldn't sell a book...that is the dumbest thing I've ever heard. I love it!"

Ezra smiled politely, a blush on his cheeks. It sounded like a compliment, but he couldn't quite be sure. "You're looking better today," he said quietly. 

"Practically overdosed on Benadryl last night. Reckon I was high as a kite using that bloody headset."

"Was that wise?"

"Still alive, aren't I?"

Ezra tittered as he sipped his tea. "You high-fliers, always living in the fast lane."

"Is that admonishment I hear, angel?"

Blue eyes blinked rapidly over the top of the mug obscuring the lower half of Ezra's face. Angel? 

He shook the thought from his mind quickly. It wasn't too different from his usual affectionate “dears” and “darlings.” "I'm hardly in a position to scold you, dear fellow," he replied, and Crowley chuckled as he sipped from his own mug.

"Staying for lunch, Ezra? You a fussy eater at all?"

"Do I look like a fussy eater, dear?" Ezra patted his plump belly. The movement prompted Crowley’s eyes, jewel-bright behind his sunglasses, to follow, a gentle smile tugging at his lips, possibly the first true, relaxed smile that Ezra had seen.

"Oh, I think you and I are gonna get along just fine, angel."

[mirk-eaves]

2019-2020 Application Cycle Reflection

I want to start this post off by saying that it is okay if it takes you more than one cycle to get into veterinary school. It’s actually quite common to take multiple cycles to get to school. Disheartening and soul-crushing? Yes. An indication of your inability to be a great doctor? No. One of my favorite doctors took two cycles to get in and another doctor I knew took three. In fact, VMCAS (Veterinary Medical College Application Service) shows that 50% of applicants do not receive any acceptances in an app cycle. Why is this? -- because there aren’t enough seats in all the veterinary medical schools combined for all the applicants and it’s such a competitive process. Sometimes, it really did feel like a luck of the draw and the applicant pool changes every year. When I received all five rejections from all five schools my first time around, I was very discouraged (not to mention during that time, I also had a precarious job situation and was in a terrible, manipulative relationship, so many things in my life just weren’t good at once). I know it’s hard and my heart goes out to you. But if you’re willing to try again, I highly recommend it if you know this is the field you want to enter.

I applied a lot smarter my second time around. I heavily researched schools about their mission statement, values, the type of students they prefer, their GPA requirements, GRE requirements, if I could see myself a student at the school, the cost of education, the cost of living, social services, research opportunities, MPH opportunities, all of it.

Because I really did not want to go through the grueling application cycle a third time, I went a little crazy and applied to 14 schools. This is abnormal. According to VMCAS, the average applicant applies to four schools. I’m just a weirdo who wanted to put all my eggs in one basket and then some. This basket was overflowing. I applied to: Cornell, Georgia, Colorado State, Wisconsin, VA-MD, Long Island (new school), Michigan State, Minnesota, Tufts, UPenn, Purdue, (the) Ohio State, Tennessee, and Illinois. I admit, some schools I applied to I did not know much about and decided to apply anyway (Tennessee and Purdue), but the other 12 were schools that I wanted to attend for various reasons. I did not apply Caribbean because I knew I wouldn’t be able to tolerate island life. Kudos to those who can, but I wanted to stay in mainland USA. For that reason, I also did not apply to any international schools.

My first cycle, I thought I wanted to be an avian doctor, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized I cannot really concretely say that was my passion simply because I didn’t have enough experience. That was what I wrote about in my application essay, by the way. Avian medicine is a field that I’d love to learn more about, of course, and I’m sure I’ll have more concrete experience in it through wildlife clubs and rotations in vet school. So, the second time around, I completely scrapped that essay and rewrote it based on the strong background that I had in research and small animal medicine. By that time, I had been working as a genetics lab technician and a veterinary assistant for a couple of years. I had my trusted, close friends read and eviscerate comment my personal statement essays. It was difficult, of course, but necessary to the process of making my application essays better -- and it did! My dear friends helped me organize my thoughts and make my essay short, sweet, and clear. I am eternally thankful for them, which reminds me that when quarantine is over and before I move for school, I need to take them out for some fancy cocktails and dinner!

I submitted my application and supplementals literally the day that they were due. I had all my recommendation letters and transcripts sent a month back, but I spent up until the day of to look over essays and to spend a few days to sleep on my application so that I can feel confident when i submitted them that they best reflected who I am. I encourage everyone else to do the same: sleep on it for a few days. Those moments are so great in realizing things you may have forgot to include or mull over how you really feel about your writing instead of thinking it is all great at the heat of the moment -- because (hoo boy) when I reread my application essays from last year, I cringed so hard. There was too much fluff. I tried too hard to seem impressive, rather than show who I am, as a human being. Do not be like me my first time around and use fancy language. It’s really not that clever and future you will be thankful to avoid the inevitable cringe you will feel when you read it over a year later. It’s like reading your facebook posts from when you were twelve -- it seemed like such a good idea at the time... but it wasn’t. Keep it simple and make it a true reflection of you. Schools already know you are smart and capable. They want to know who YOU are and why they should choose you.

I very distinctly remember the day I submitted the applications. I stayed late in lab (something I often do where I won’t be working anymore, but my desk space is such a productive place for me to work on applications/course work) and as soon as I hit submit, two of my lab mates and I went for some much needed drinkos.

All you can really do after that point is to wait. And wait. And wait some more. God, the waiting is terrible because there is nothing you can do at that point, but be alone with your thoughts and who wants to do that? Not me! Slowly the confirmation emails trickled into my inbox one by one that the schools have accepted my application and that it was all complete (well except for Wisconsin since their timeline/process is a bit different).

Over the next couple of months, I received my first wave of rejection letters. I expected them, to be honest, so they didn’t hit me hard. I think this is a very important thing to learn: expect to get rejected --  not because you suck, but because that is the reality. I got on the interview-waitlist for VA-MD (same as last year), then a few more rejections from other schools. UPenn specifically rejected me particularly early for not being competitive enough, which sucked, but it’s okay. I was wondering if I’d be unsuccessful this cycle again when... 

December 18th, I was talking to my lab mate with my laptop on my knees when I heard an incoming email ping from Michigan State University inviting me to interview with them! I shrieked, hugged my lab mate, and hugged everyone else in our little lab neighborhood, and immediately called my mom, who also shrieked. I was overjoyed! My first vet school interview!!!!!

I went back to New York for the winter holidays to visit my family for two weeks and while I was standing in the checkout line of a T.J. Maxx on December 30th with my mom and my brother, I received another email. I see the header on my phone and it is from University of Minnesota about my application status. I read the first sentence of the email, which was a generic “thank you for applying to this school blah blah” and I honestly thought it was a rejection letter, but then I read it more closely and it was another interview invitation!?!? I couldn’t believe it! I thought I’d be lucky to just have one interview from any of the schools I applied to and now I have two? I am over the moon!!!

More on the actual interviews in the next posts!