#today is my birthday! please take my old anime quiz.

[corviiids]

i made a death note uquiz

[galfridus1]

Happy Birthday Arthur!

It’s 17 August here and it’s Arthur’s birthday!! Many happy returns!

Here’s a fic, inspired by prompt from @thestarrynightgazer and with thanks to @maybeishouldwait for comments. This is part one of three/four depending on whether you count reblogs.

***

“It’s his birthday? Today?”

Zeldris looked at Gelda with absolute incredulity, his heart pounding uncomfortably in his chest. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” he griped as he shot out of bed, quickly rummaging in the wardrobe for something to wear. “Now I’ve got less than eight hours to find him a present.”

Gelda looked up at him, her face calm and serene as she propped herself up with a number of pillows. “I would have thought you’d remember,” she chastised, a slight smile curving the left side of her mouth. “How long have we been living together now? Time enough for you to know when Arthur’s birthday is. And besides it’s on the calendar…”

“Yes, yes alright!” Zeldris grumbled as he pulled on some clothes. “What’s happening anyway?”

Gelda looked at him, her violet eyes gleaming and Zeldris felt the breath catch in his throat. It was the one feature they shared, their eyes so like one another’s, their beauty causing him pause even after all these years. “You have no need to worry,” she chuckled, “I’ve sorted everything out. The party will be here. Arthur knows nothing about it but everyone else does, and I booked catering. The cake is a masterpiece.”

“How are you always so organised?” Zeldris muttered as he checked his reflection in the full-length mirror, running a hand through his hair to make sure the spikes were arranged in their proper place.

“It’s easy really,” Gelda replied, “You just have to pay attention and get stuff done. Which is what you should do now. I have suggestions for gifts if you’d like?”

Zeldris paused, his lips pressed together as he battled temptation. “No. I do this every year. I’m going to get him something myself this time.”

Gelda laughed, the tinkling sound reverberating through the air. “Well, good luck. Text me if you draw a blank.”

***

Four hours later Zeldris sincerely regretted telling his girlfriend that he did not need her help. He had scoured what felt like the whole of Oxford Street, trying and failing to find something Arthur might feasibly want as a gift. But it was all to no avail. The problem was Arthur had everything any twenty-five year old could possibly want, and if he got him alcohol again Gelda would no doubt raise her eyebrows, the expression saying ‘I told you so’ more clearly than any words could convey.

Still, a bottle of some random liquor was better than nothing. Turning abruptly, adroitly dodging the crowds swarming past in the opposite direction, Zeldris made his way back to the department store he had listlessly explored earlier that morning. The day was hot, the relentless August sun beating down on the shoppers who dragged their feet limply down the tarmaced street but Zeldris trudged on, wrinkling his nose in disgust as the odd smell of grease from the stalls dotting the sides of the road caused him to gag slightly. He just wanted the whole sorry experience to be over. Thank goodness Gelda’s birthday was not until April next year.

He was nearing the pretentious facade of Selfridges when a conversation caught his attention, the words somehow penetrating his consciousness above the hubbub of chatter. His eyes strayed to a small girl walking alongside her mother, clutching at a lead for dear life as an enthusiastic puppy pulled her forcefully along. The animal looked delighted, oblivious to the weather, and Zeldris was surprised to feel a twinge of longing piercing his chest. It looked so much fun, and of course Arthur had always wanted a dog.

Zeldris stood stock still, causing several passersby to bump into him forcefully. And why not? True, a dog was not ideal - they shed hair like nobody’s business and made their surroundings smell like mouldy old socks when wet - but the three of them were older now, and well off. They could easily afford to look after a pet, and it could always live outside in the garden. And as a gift it was at least original; Gelda could hardly complain that he had wimped out this time.

***

About half an hour later, Zeldris was standing in the reception of Battersea Dogs and Cats home, the only place he could think of in central London where one might find a canine at short notice. The walls were covered in pictures and leaflets showcasing the charity’s many success stories, sorry-looking mongrels, skeletal and with mangy fur, transformed into sleek, happy and well-beloved pets. He was just congratulating himself on his brilliant idea when the voice of the receptionist pulled him back to reality.

“You need to book an appointment for an interview about adopting a dog,” she gently explained as she tapped on her computer keyboard. “We have slots next week, but nothing available until then, I’m afraid.”

Zeldris felt his heart sink slightly. “Is there nothing sooner?” he asked cautiously. “I was really hoping to get one today.”

“Well that’s out for a start,” the woman said sharply, her eyes drilling into him as she turned away from her screen. “We are very careful here. We don’t let just anyone adopt a dog. There’s an initial interview, a home visit to check suitability, and then an observation when a suitable pet has been found. The whole process takes about a month.”

“A month?” Zeldris asked incredulously. “But… I mean…”

“If you’re after a specific dog, don’t worry, there’s always plenty, and sometimes the cute ones aren’t all they’re cracked up to be,” the lady continued, her expression softening slightly. “We have dozens of Staffies and they’re great companions. People look down on them, but they’re wonderful. I have three myself.”

“It’s not that,” Zeldris said quickly, feeling an unwelcome heat flooding his cheeks. “It’s… well this is embarrassing. It’s my boyfriend’s birthday today and he’s always wanted a dog. I really wanted to surprise him.”

“Awww!” The noise that issued from the woman’s mouth was somewhere between a sigh and a swoon. “That’s so, so… romantic,” she gushed, and Zeldris felt the blush he was trying to manage spiral out of control. “But it doesn’t change things,” she added more gently, a sad smile on her face. “There’s no way you can adopt a dog as a surprise. Our team will need to talk to your boyfriend too.”

Zeldris was on the point of making a hasty exit when he caught a calculating look in the receptionist’s eyes. “But…” she began, her lips pursed in thought.

“Go on,” he encouraged, with some effort forcing his face to return to its normal countenance. “You have something in mind?”

“As it happens, yes,” the woman continued, the words accompanied by a vigorous nod. “You see, the team raided a kitten farm a few days ago. The poor things were being kept in such awful conditions and… well the upshot is we have far more cats than we know how to deal with. And a slot for an interview just opened up. If we have a cat that’s a match for your family then you can take it home with you today.”

“A cat?” Zeldris mulled over the idea and the more he thought about it the more pleased he became. They were by far superior animals in every way. They cleaned themselves, did not require walks, and had the added benefit that they would keep any pests at bay. Zeldris pictured himself sitting on the sofa, a dainty feline jumping up to him and laying its head in his lap. And Arthur did like cats. Maybe not as much as dogs but he did like them. Only last month he had been encouraging a stray to visit the garden, that is until the sorry-looking animal had given him fleas.

“Thank you, why not,” he finally said, returning the receptionist’s eager smile as the lady started tapping away at her computer once more.

***

No long after, Zeldris found himself being led up the stairs towards a room that smelled strongly of biscuits and bleach. The walls were lined on all sides with cages, perspex doors with holes in giving a glimpse into the almost identical habitats within. Each cat had bowls of food and water, a litter tray and a box to hide in, as well as a few toys scattered about on the white laminate surfaces. The occupants however could not have been more varied: the cats came in every colour imaginable; some ran up towards their doors, rubbing their heads against the plastic in greeting while others shied away, turning their backs.

The interview had been an informal affair consisting of a few questions about the household amenities and some quiz-like queries about the cost of vet care and insurance. Zeldris was glad he had read the blurb on the organisation’s website as he’d waited for his meeting with one of the Home’s volunteers to begin; the answers he’d needed were still fresh in his mind.

“Now let’s see…” the volunteer murmured as he leafed through the notes of interview, the papers rustling slightly in his fingers. “Three adults, all of you working long hours, and no children. I think we have just the cat for you.

“I have to warn you he’s lazy, which is good because he will basically do nothing to the house while you’re at work. But don’t expect him to be a good mouser,” the young man added as he led Zeldris to a cage in the corner of the room. Inside sat one of the fattest creatures Zeldris had ever seen; the white and ginger cat was at least as wide as it was long, if not wider, and sat at its empty food bowl with a mournful expression. It looked like a circle more than anything, or perhaps a stuffed cushion, though the colouring reminded him strongly of Arthur.

“His name is Cath, don’t ask me why,” the volunteer said as he gave the cat an affectionate look. “And as you can see he likes his food. We’ve put him on a diet since he’s arrived and he’s not been too happy about it. But I think some proper fuss will help him settle.”

Zeldris, regarding Cath with something approaching disgust, was on the point of asking if any other unwanted felines were possibly available when the volunteer opened the cage. Before Zeldris knew what was happening the cat had launched itself into his arms and started purring loudly, the vibrations reverberating through him as Cath fell asleep.

“He’s… not done that with anyone before,” the volunteer said incredulously. “He must really like you!”

“Probably just hungry,” Zeldris muttered under his breath but deep down he was secretly pleased. It was nice to be holding the cat, who was even heavier than he looked, in the knowledge that the feline was at least a bit choosy.

The young man retrieved a wad of papers stuck in a plastic folder next to the cage, his eyes flicking from side to side as they traced the words on the pages. “Cath has a clean bill of health, and he’s been fully vaccinated. He’s ready to go,” he said cheerfully as he gave Zeldris a wide smile. “He’s a well adjusted cat too. Nothing untoward in his past; his previous owners just couldn’t afford to feed him I think.”

Prising Cath out of his arms proved more difficult than expected but eventually, between them, two volunteers managed to wrestle the animal into a travel box. So it was that, loaded down with food, a litter tray and, of course, the enormous cat in a cage, Zeldris set off in a taxi heading for home. He imagined how pleased Arthur and Gelda would be even as the weight of the cat pressed into his lap.

It was only as he approached the terraced house the three of them shared that he noticed his phone, the lock screen flashing to show he had several missed calls and a veritable flurry of unread messages, most of them containing the words ‘where are you’ in capital letters. It was much later than he had thought, and the party would likely be starting soon, that is if it was not already underway.

In a rush, Zeldris paid the taxi driver and made his way as quickly as possible to the door of the house, hampered in his efforts by the amount of cargo he carried. He was met on the threshold by a furious Gelda. “Where have you been?” she hissed, her eyes smouldering into his own before she caught sight of the amount of stuff he was carrying, “And what is all this?”

“I got him a cat,” Zeldris said lamely, his voice sounding unsure even in his own ears. Gelda stared him with undisguised astonishment, before her face morphed into an enormous grin. In a second she was kneeling before the travel cage, cooing like an imbecile at the still-purring feline.

“That’s an amazing idea! You are completely forgiven,” Gelda said in rapture as she opened the cage, the huge cat launching into her arms in an instant. “Let’s go give it to him now. We’ve already done the reveal. He was surprised,” she added with a little reproach in her voice as she settled the cat more securely in her arms. “Where did you get it from?”

Zeldris felt slightly aggrieved as Gelda led the way towards the dining room, the cat still purring contentedly in her arms as she sashayed down the hall. “I got him from Battersea,” he grumbled as he followed behind, having deposited the various bags at the door. “And for your information it was a bit of a mission. I think I should be the one to give him to Arthur…”

“Surprise!” Gelda shouted as she flung open the door, revealing a large group of people all holding glasses. The mahogany dining table was groaning with food, an absolutely enormous cake standing proudly in the centre. It was shaped like a castle, iced walls and turrets rising up proud to form three tiers of confection topped with red and green flags. “It’s Castle Camelot,” Gelda whispered into his ear as Zeldris stared at it in amazement. “You know, because he’s Arthur Pendragon. Cost me a small fortune to commission but I think it’s worth it.”

The guests were just beginning to make suitable noises in response to the cat’s appearance when, without warning, it launched itself from Gelda’s arms. Zeldris watched in horror as Cath leapt onto the table and, without hesitation, nose-dived straight into the castle cake, knocking it into pieces in an instant.

The whole thing seemed to happen in slow motion. The tall turrets fell to the table, crumbling on impact, covering the pristine white tablecloth in icing and jam. The guests looked on with horror-stricken faces, mouths open in shock and eyes wide as saucers. The previously cheerful room was now silent as the grave save for the mewls of the cat, who was devouring the cake as if he had not eaten in weeks, small globules scattering from his whiskers into the mass of golden crumbs. Zeldris felt Gelda stiffen noticeably at his side, the soft sound of her breathing betraying her perturbation; it took a lot to upset her but once she was she cried easily. He dared not turn to look into her face, sure that she would be on the point of tears.

Amidst all the commotion, his eyes caught Arthur’s and he felt terrible on seeing his boyfriend’s face was a picture of desolation. Then, suddenly, Arthur began to laugh. First, his lip twisted, a faint chuckle bubbling up before the sound built and grew into an almighty guffaw. Arthur threw his head back, tears of mirth beading the corners of his eyes as he stared at the mess which had once been the most elaborate cake ever to be constructed. Arthur was of course quick to smile, but it had been a while since he had looked quite this happy.

With some relief, Zeldris felt the change in atmosphere trickle through the room as their friends caught the mood, smiles and laughter returning as they passed bottles of wine and spirits round to replenish their drinks. Glasses clinked and jokes passed as the guests quickly retrieved their phones to capture the sight of the ruined cake. It would no doubt be the star of social media before the hour was out, along with the feline who had caused the destruction.

With some trepidation, Zeldris slipped an arm around Gelda, unsurprised to feel her tremble in his grasp. He was relieved to find that she leant into his touch. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered to her as he held her close, both arms encircling her waist as Gelda pressed her face into his shoulder. “They did say he was on a diet but I never thought…”

“That. Was. Hilarious!” Arthur said heartily, moving round the table to join them. He had managed to scoop up the cream-covered cat before it moved on to the rest of the food, depositing dairy smears and crumbs all over his jacket in the process. With a slightly apologetic look, Arthur kissed Gelda tenderly, stroking her hair with his free hand and Zeldris felt her relax against him. It was nice, comforting, the effect only slightly marred as Arthur added with unbridled enthusiasm, “I love him! What’s his name?”

“Cath,” Zeldris confirmed as the now-stuffed animal rubbed its face into Arthur’s chest, continuing to purr as if it was some sort of drilling machine. “His name is Cath. And starting now he is not allowed in the dining room.”

[azzandra]

Modern GG AU, please?

(in response to this meme)

I complained about this one on the GG server, but I am still down to moan about it!

So basically, it was the fic that kicked off every other fic in my GG future AU. I was working on this when I decided to expand a throw-away line into a full fic, and that fic became ‘interbellum’. And then I decided I wanted to expand on something from interbellum, and then ‘encore’ happened. And now I am working on yet another fic in this series, but I still have not been making progress on this one that started it all. (It’s actually a hilarious situation.)

Am I ever going to finish it? No clue!

Have the first couple of scenes under the cut:

Six out of seven popes agree,It's the twenty-first century!

--ad jingle for Pipkin Pocket Watches (2001)***

Lori Scripcar's teachers all had a problem, and that problem was Lori Scripcar.The one who had to deal with this issue, then, was Lori Scripcar's mother, who had a full-time job already, and had not factored in the possibility that any of her children would be Sparks when she and Mr. Scripcar decided to have themselves a few. 

That day, at least, Mrs. Scripcar had had a call from Lori's homeroom teacher to prepare her for when Lori arrived home with a medium-sized plastic storage box and a sheepish look on her face. 

"So," Mrs. Scripcar said, meeting her daughter at the door, "what was it that you were supposed to be doing in Biology today?"

"Animal dissection," Lori said, giving the contents of her box a dejected look.

"And what is it that you did in Biology today?" Mrs. Scripcar continued.

"The exact opposite," Lori mumbled.

Mrs. Scripcar tried not to sigh too audibly. The bottom of the box had been filled with fresh wood shavings, perhaps courtesy of the school's workshop. A white rat, its eyes filmy and blind, was snuffling through the shavings. When it raised itself up on its back paws to sniff the air above, it exposed a long, stitched scar down its belly. It also had two tiny neck bolts, apparently made from re-purposed screws. Mrs. Scripcar dearly hoped no desk had been taken apart yet again in the middle of a Spark surge.

"Lori, we talked about performing revivifications on school property," Mrs. Scripcar said.

"Not without a teacher's permission, I know," Lori said, before continuing in a breathless burst: "But Alex was really upset about the dead rat! She was almost crying, and the teacher was going to make her cut it up and she didn't want to."

And sure enough, Mrs. Scripcar knew she was the one Lori had inherited her bleeding heart from, because she couldn't stay upset at the girl.

"I suppose," Mrs. Scripcar sighed, "it's a good thing we kept the weasel enclosure."

Lori's face split into a grin. 

The weasel enclosure had been taking up a quarter of her room ever since their old pet died, three years prior. It was before Lori'd broken through, so no unfortunate revivification incident then, but they'd only taken down the tubes from around the house, and kept the cage. It had been large enough for a weasel, so it would undoubtedly be enough for an undead rat.

"Just remember to go to the petshop and pick up anything you'll need," Mrs. Scripcar added, as Lori skipped to her room.

***Lori knew her mother had a point about going to the petshop. She knew that the basic things, like food and enrichment toys, could be acquired at the one just down the street. But for the fancy stuff, such as safety locks and a Construct Sapience Test Kit, she'd have to go into the Old Town. 

The next day was a Friday, so it was still a school day, and since her classes started at one, she had to make the trip in the morning. It was a pleasant spring day, so tourist traffic would be insufferable, but the quicker she got this over with, the quicker she could get back home and then to school.

She took one of the public tarambulas, staking a seat next to the window. In the outer parts of Mechanicsburg, buses and trams did the job well. But in the old town center, where the more touristy parts were, the tarambulas were the best way to get where you were going quick. Their long, almost delicate-seeming metal stilts could carry an entire carriage of travelers far above the streets and the wheeled vehicles below, rendering them completely impervious to traffic jams.

The tarambula system had been gifted to Mechanicsburg a couple of generations ago, by one of the Sturmvorauses, for the occasion of a Heterodyne's birthday. Eventually Sturmhalten had moved on from the tarambula system, as each sparky Sturmvoraus heir kept tinkering with and improving their public transit system. 

But in Mechanicsburg, the tarambulas were still held in high regard, mostly because they appealed to the Mechanicsburger sense of aesthetic more strongly than the alternatives.  Once in a while, a Heterodyne or one of their friends would tinker and upgrade, bringing the tarambulas in line with new technological breakthroughs, but they'd become such a familiar part of the Mechanicsburg skyline, that no one would do away with them permanently at this point. 

Tourists, as a rule, seemed to regard them as some sort of local eccentricity rather than a valid mode of transport.

But they offered one hell of a view for the passengers. Mechanicsburg was built a bit like a bowl. The outer rings of the city were more recent, and so the buildings were not only newer, but taller and shinier as the city extended outward. What Mechanicsburgers called the city center was not a center, so much as the outspill of skyscrapers at the mouth of the valley. 

The Old Town, though, had remained generally intact over a century of shifting architectural trends. It was what had once been the entirety of Mechanicsburg before the Diesel Wars, surrounded by its old walls and still under the full influence and control of Castle Heterodyne. None of the Heterodynes so far had thought to extend the Castle's influence beyond the Old Town walls and into the new parts of Mechanicsburg. Probably for good reasons, from what Lori knew about the Castle.

As the tarambula scuttled along, Lori checked her watch. She fiddled with the touchscreen, idly sending the wheel of icons spinning once or twice, but as it stopped, she checked on her notifications. The Minions Monthly! app showed updates. Back in the day, when it was still in print, Minions Monthly! was the premiere science tabloid, sharing the hot gossip on the continent's most popular Sparks. 

Nowadays, it and its main competitor, MAD Magazine, were entirely digital, and their output consisted mostly of science memes, listicles, and quizzes. Lori liked their pop culture nostalgia pieces; she'd been a quiz junkie for a while, but had stopped cold turkey when she took the "Which Character from The Heterodyne Boys (1992) TV Series Are You?" quiz and it told her she was Barry. This result offended her deeply in the part of her soul where she was convinced she was Lucrezia, and she never recovered.

She barely got to thumb all the way through a listicle about top five disastrous Spark projects that somehow turned out okay before the tarambula skittered to a halt at Lori's station. She disembarked and cleared away, and the tarambula rose again on its stilt legs and disappeared around a building.

[the-fandom-newsletter]

Fandom Newsletter #4

Today is Friday, the 26th of October, and Welcome back to another Fandom Newsletter! 

Writers: Atlas, Blackpurrl, Fyne, YoursTruly Editors: Fyne and YoursTruly 

“Oh my God, Karen! You can’t just ask people why they’re white.” ~Mean Girls

Let’s get started! 

First to YoursTruly with the Horror, Hannibal, Tim Burton, Animation, and Gaming fandoms--

Horror: Horror fans love the new Halloween movie! The movie has been a massive success among fans young and old! The movie gives off a nostalgic vibe, even referencing the older movies several times throughout the film. However, if you’re going to see this movie, stay until after the credits, there’s a little surprise at the end. 

Hannibal: The Fannibals have began trying to bargain with show runner and producer Bryan Fuller for another season. The show left off on a not so satisfying conclusion, and many fans want more. Bryan Fuller has even teased the idea himself quite a few times. Will we get another season one day? Guess we’ll have to wait and see. 

Tim Burton: Disney is offering, throughout the month of October, Halloween themed cruises. They even offer an onboard show featuring Jack Skellington and Sally. And you can even meet these characters for pictures! Now that’s a cruise! Also- The Nightmare Before Christmas celebrates its 25th anniversary this year! 

YouTube: YouTube recently crashed worldwide for two hours. YouTube hasn’t said much about the incident, but problems like this are becoming more and more common on YouTube. Many people are wondering what the causes of these issues are. 

Animation: Goretober is in full swing! Many animators have been uploading their daily Goretober art. 

Gaming: The season of scary game releases is upon us! October is the month where many creators on platforms like Steam and Gamejolt are releasing their horror games in anticipation for Halloween. 

Now to Blackpurrl with the Harry Potter and Bands fandoms, along with World News--

Harry Potter: Countdown to Fantastic Beasts: 27 days!

Bands: Did you know, about twelve hours of songs are uploaded to SoundCloud every minute? Insane!

World News: Denmark Shooting for the Digital Stars

Next to Fyne with the Sherlock, Supernatural, and Spooptober fandoms, as well as the weekly positive news--

Sherlock - Ever wonder how our beloved show even came to be? Apparently, for years, writers Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss took a train to and from Cardiff while working on Doctor Who, and discussed various projects they were interested in doing. One that kept coming up repeatedly was a modern-day adaptation of Sherlock Holmes. This reportedly went on for some time (with neither man making any particular effort to get it up and going) until Moffat’s wife, Sue, invited both men out for lunch. Her place of choice just so happened to be the Criterion, a watering hole and eatery in London’s Piccadilly Circus. It just so happens to be the same place where the fictional John Watson (Sherlock’s best friend) first hears of the famed detective. The two men got the hint and began working on the series, bringing us our show that we have today. I think we all owe Sue a little bit of a thank you, don’t you?

Supernatural - Did you notice that (according to Archangel Michael in the episode The Song Remains the Same) Dean and Sam come from the bloodline of Cain and Abel? So is this important? Or is this just another coincidence?

Spooptober - This year is the year that Halloween movie Hocus Pocus reaches its 25th anniversary. The premise of the movie is this: After moving to Salem, Massachusetts, teenager Max Dennison explores an abandoned house with his sister Dani and their new friend, Allison. After dismissing a story Allison says is superstitious, Max accidentally frees a coven of evil witches who used to live in the house. Now, with the help of a magical cat, the kids must steal the witches' book of spells to stop them from becoming immortal.A family favorite movie that almost everyone has seen and that is playing on at least one channel nearly every night of October. If you haven’t seen this iconic movie, you definitely should go channel surfing at some point this month.

Positive News - The words we use to talk about mental health can perpetuate stigmas. A new portrait project featuring people who have mental health issues aims to make us think again about the language we choose.

Lastly to Atlas with the Voltron, Musicals, and Movie fandoms--

Voltron: This fandom is a ticking time bomb set for December 14th. We are all going to die.

Musicals: George Salazar ships Boyf-riends! 

Movies: Who else wants a live action Corpse Bride?

Now back to Blackpurrl with the weekly movie review--

Movie Review: Hannibal Rising

This movie relays the story of Hannibal Lecter’s childhood. Although most of the especially gory parts are not on camera, the viewer eventually knows exactly what became of the victim. It provides an interesting plot, and explains why the famous cannibal does what he does. I would not recommend this movie to anyone under thirteen or anyone who cannot handle tragic stories. Overall, I’d give it a 10/10.

And back to Fyne with the weekly trivia fact and quiz--

Trivia Fact - Did you know that the inventor of liquid soap became paralyzed after he slipped in the shower?

Are you an optimist, a pessimist, or a realist?

1. You fail a test. What is your reaction?

A. I'm stupid. I’m going to fail my exams.

B. This was just a blip. I’ll do better next time. 

C. The questions were too hard. This is where my abilities stand.

2. You have quit smoking, but you accidentally have a cigarette. Which of the following is your reaction?

A. You have been set back, so you just go right back into the addiction.

B. You have been set back, but you believe you can quit again.

C. You have been set back, so you come up with ways to avoid similar circumstances that led you to the set back.

3. You are shown a picture of a man who isn’t smiling. What do you think this man is feeling/doing?

A. The man is plotting, rude, or experiencing something unpleasant.

B. The man is relaxing, thinking, or did not have enough time to smile. 

C. The man is posing for the picture.

4. A close friend of yours sets you up on a blind date. How do you feel about this?

A. You have no clue what your date is like and you are afraid they’re going to set you up with a complete loser.

B. You have faith in their opinion and want to see for yourself what your date is going to be like. 

C. You decide to see what your date is like and decide for yourself how well your friend did. 

5. You’re a business owner who goes bankrupt. How do you proceed?

A. You see this failure as a sign that you are not meant to be in this business and pursue other options.

B. You see this failure as a lesson and use it to help you further your business in future reference.

C. You see this failure as a sign and choose to make plans to pull yourself out of bankruptcy.

6. You get a raise. How do you feel about it?

A. You don’t understand why you got the raise and you wonder if there is an ulterior motive.

B. You accept the raise happily, glad that your hard work has finally been recognized.

C. Yay! More money!

7. You’re an accountant and today you made a mistake with a number. What is your reaction?

A. You figure out where you went wrong, and then feel horrible about it for a long time afterward, questioning your abilities and worthiness as an accountant.

B. You figure out where you went wrong, fix it, and move forward.

C. You recognize the mistake and move on. 

8. You have a bad day. Which of these is you after the day is over?

A. You believe that your life has been full of hardship and negative experiences.

B. You see the bad days as part of your life that help you grow or benefit you in some way.

C. Recognize that you had a bad day, and resolve to try again tomorrow. 

9. You are struggling with groceries and someone comes to help you. How do you respond? 

A. You become suspicious, tell them that you have nothing to give them, and maybe even yell at them to leave you alone.

B. You thank them and talk about their day or ask them about themselves.

C. You politely say thank you and either accept or decline their help. 

10. You go on a vacation. Which of these is you?

A. Complain about everything you do and could potentially do, and eventually wind up not wanting to do anything at all but watch TV in the hotel room.

B. You want to experience as much as the location has to offer, even though you had no plans about what to do.

C. You enjoy the vacation and plan extensively about what you want to do and when.

Mostly A’s: You appear to be a pessimist. Always seeing the bad and negative in everything probably isn’t helping you be any happier or lead a happier life. Try and maybe appreciate things more often.

Mostly B’s: You appear to be an optimist. Always seeing the good and positive is probably helping you be fairly happy, and even leading to a happier life style. Though try not to be too optimistic all the time because it may end up hurting you in the long run.

Mostly C’s: You appear to be a realist. I guess you’re sort of a neutral character. Good for you.

(This isn’t physiologically proven, its literally just a test I made up in my free time so don’t take the results to heart and please do not be offended)

And finally, back to YoursTruly with the weekly book review--

Book Review- The Life Of P.T. Barnum is a fantastic book for anyone who loves a good biography. The book is a wildly entertaining autobiography by P.T. Barnum about his own life, starting from his childhood and following him through all his adventures. All in all, a fantastic book. 10/10 

Wish our illustrator and writer Blackpurrl a happy birthday today! Comic is brought to you by our very talented artist, Blackpurrl. That’s all for this week, we’ll see you next week with another Fandom Newsletter! 

Signing off, 

Atlas, Blackpurrl, Fyne, and YoursTruly 

[the-rivernyx]

get to know me tag

i was tagged by:

@malec18 and @hobiisthesunfiteme

THE LAST…

-Drink: peppermint hot chocolate

-Phone call: maman to see if she would get me wings from boston pizza

-Text message: my lovely girlfriend

-Song you listened to: no one is lost by stars

-Time you cried: last month when in montreal i was crouched on the ground laughing so hard i cried for a solid couple minutes after one of the girls i was walking with said “his butthole?” as we walked through a group of rough-looking montreal boys and one of them snorted really loud

-Dated someone twice: yeah, sort of? my girlfriend and i kinda dated twice?

-Kissed someone and regretted it: nope, i’ve only ever kissed katy

-Been cheated on: nope

-Lost someone special: yeah, but it was a long time ago and i’m 100% over it

-Been depressed: for four years now, yeah

-Gotten drunk and thrown up: nuh uh, i’m a hamilton and we know how to handle our liquor((not that i drink a lot anyway lol))

Three favorite colors: Pink, black and purple

IN THE LAST YEAR HAVE YOU…

-Made new friends: yes!! a couple people over tumblr and some from my university courses

-Laughed until you cried: yes indeed

-Found out that someone was talking about you: a now ex-friend who tried talking shit about me at my old workplace. luckily the other girls there like me more than her and told me so joke’s on her

-Met someone who changed you: yup

-Found out who your friends are: oh, absolutely

-Kissed someone on your Facebook friends list: don’t have facebook, nor ever will

-Do you have any pets?: no :( although me and my sisters are thinking about becoming fosters for our local animal shelter when our jobs are more stable

-Do you want to change your name?: mm...i don’t think so

-What did you do for your last birthday?: went out for dinner with my friends and took a bunch of artsy pictures downtown

-What time did you wake up?: 9 am

-What what you were you doing at midnight last night?: drawing, i think?

-Name something you can’t wait for: my winter break, it’s a full month and i’m pumped

-When was the last time you saw your mom?: today, she took me to the mall to find ideas for christmas presents for my sisters and papa

-What are you listening to right now?: downtown by majical cloudz

-Have you ever talked to someone named Tom?: yup, a boy from new hampshire named tom is in one of my uni courses

-Something that gets on your nerves?: people who don’t know me pretending like they do and like they can about me as if we’ve met

-Most visited website: tumblr/youtube

-Hair colour: naturally, dirty strawberry blonde. currently, light pink fading to rose gold

-Long or short hair: long

-Do you have a crush on someone?: i’ve got this really big crush on @malec18. don’t tell her

-What do you like about yourself?: i’m a nice person until you give me a reason not to like you, and then i’ll tear you up

-Blood type: ab+

-Nickname: nyx

-Relationship status: not single

-Zodiac: taurus

-Pronouns: she/her

-Favorite T.V shows: letterkenny, travellers, stranger things, community, sense8

-Tattoos: the little lion that rafiki draws in the lion king on my shoulder with the words “remember who you are” underneath it; the ley lines from the raven cycle by maggie stiefvater surrounded by three ravens and the words “arbores loqui latine” with the word “excelsior” underneath it on my back

-Right or left handed: right

-Surgery: nope

-Sport: i was a competitive swimmer for seven years

-Vacation: ???

-Size of shoes: 9 or 10 depending on the style/store

-Eating: jolly ranchers

-Drinking: earl grey tea

-I’m about to: write a 2000 word essay, a three page outline of a term paper, and take a unit quiz

-Waiting for?: this semester to be over

-Want?: to just relax and draw. and also cuddles from katy

-Get married?: omg fuck yes please

-Career?: not sure yet

WHICH ONE IS BETTER?

-Hugs or kisses?: hugs

-Lips or eyes?: eyes

-Shorter or taller?: either

-Older or younger?: older, usually. i find that normally people younger than me are too immature for me to handle

-Nice arms or stomach?: stomach

-Hook up or relationship?: relationship

-Troublemaker or hesitant?: troublemaker

-Kissed a stranger?: ew, no

-Drink hard liquor?: i usually go for sangria or coolers but i’m down for whiskey or vodka too

-Lost glasses/contact lenses?: i don’t ever plan on wearing contacts and my glasses are always on my person so nope

-Turned someone down?: yeah

-Sex on the first date?: nuh uh

-Broken someone’s heart?: a few times

-Had a broken heart?: nope

-Been arrested?: not yet

-Cried when someone died?: yes

-Fallen for a friend?: i fell hard for my best friend and we’ve been dating for two years <3

DO YOU BELIEVE IN…

-Yourself?: i try to

-Miracles?: not really

-Love at first sight?: no? idk man

-Santa Claus?: no

-Kiss on the first date?: depends

i tag whoever wants to do this and

@andyrhyian @katherinetgreat @sugamancy

[dramallamadingdang]

Oh, God! Question meme! A really long one! Run! Hide!

Tagged by @ajaysims. *points* It's his fault! His! Not mine! ;)

This is really long, since it's a synthesis of two of these questions memes and I have verbal diarrhea. So, I cut.

Name: Katrina

Nicknames: Most RL people other than my kids and grandkids call me Kat because one syllable is less than three. :) Simmers call me iCad because that's what I chose to call myself when I started participating in the community. Hubby calls me Kitten. Kids call me Ma, usually in exasperated/long-suffering tones. Grandkids call me Mimi because I hate the usual things that grandmothers are called because they're associated with old people. I may be old, but I'm not old, y'know? :)

Zodiac sign: Taurus, but astrology is still bullshit.

Height: A hair less than 6'0/about 182cm. And very underweight due to digestive/metabolic issues mostly because of a malfunctioning liver. (No, not from alcohol. From having had asymptomatic Hepatits C that I most likely got from a blood transfusion in the early 80s, before they screened donated blood for that. It sucks, y'all. Cherish your liver. Baby it. Seriously. Stop with the alcohol. Just stop. Do weed instead.)

Orientation: In experience/practice: A Kinsey 2. In terms of the kind of person who attracts me: People with IQs over 130. I really, truly don't care what you look like, what gender you identify as, or what sex organs you have or don't have. Smart is seriously sexy. So, I'm sapiosexual. :)

Ethnicity: Whitey-white-white, yay! :| Glow-in-the-dark white. I-start-burning-in-the-sun-in-30-seconds white. Damn-near-albino white. Also, mostly of Welsh descent. Only sort of half-second-generation American on one side; my paternal grandma was one of those horrible immigrants who took a job away from a Real American(TM). She was even a somewhat illegal one, for a few months. But she was white and British so I guess that's OK.

(Sorry, as a person married to a man whose mum -- who is awesome -- was born in Mexico and who came here legally with her family when she was 7 and is a citizen but she still gets shit these days because she’s “a Mexican,” I've sorta come to really hate the kind of people who tend to call themselves Real Americans(TM).)

Favorite fruit: Okra, especially when part of aloo bhindi masala, an Indian dish. Okra IS a fruit. Really. Look it up. Also, tomatoes.

Favorite season: Autumn, when everything is dying. MWAHAHAHAHAH!

Favorite book series: Still Sharon Kay Penman's "Welsh trilogy." Also, though not really a series, per se: The Star Trek novels that were published in the 80s. They got mostly stupid after that, but there were some gems that were published in the mid-80s, before The Next Generation was a thing.

Favorite flower: Calla lilies. Usually used in funeral arrangements, along with Easter lilies, yay. Flowers of death! MWAHAHAH!

Favorite scent: Lilacs. Lavender. Honeysuckle. And this "rain" scent scented candle. It's so clean and fresh and not-perfumey, yet it manages to drown out the brine smell that eventually permeates everything when you live close to the shore...

Favorite color: Greens. All shades, although I prefer the yellower shades, especially the darker ones like army green. Also, orange.

Favorite animal: The spotted hyena, but I already extolled their many virtues the last time I did this list, so I'll refrain. Also, elephants.

Coffee, tea, or hot cocoa: Hell no, maybe, and yes please (if it's vegan), respectively.

Average sleep hours: Sleep? What is this word? *just came off a 38-hour work "day" a few hours ago, and I'm too wired to sleep.* YAY SHOWBIZ! :| But generally, when life isn't crazy, usually about 6 hours per 24 hour period. And I'm nocturnal, so those six hours are usually between about 0900 and about 1500. :)

Cat or dog person: Both person. And llama person. And alpaca person. And horse person. And snake person. And spider person.

Favorite fictional characters: Spock. (Well, actually, pretty much the entire original Star Trek crew except, well, Kirk. Whom I hate. With a passion. I really like Abrams-Kirk, though. Oddly enough. So it might just be that I can't stand Shatner...) The Cardassian characters from Star Trek: DS9, but especially Garak. Also, Julian Bashir and Miles O'Brien from DS9. Jack O'Neill and Rodney McKay from the Stargate franchise. KITT from the original Knight Rider. And Jayne Cobb from Firefly. (Hi, @eulaliasims!)

Number of blankets you sleep with: I'm in SoCal at the moment. No blankets because I tend to sleep in the warm part of the day. And when I do sleep at night, there's a furnace-like husband and a large, furnace-like dog in the bed with me. Blankets would be overkill.

Dream trip: Still Antarctica. Or space. But Antarctica is more likely at this point. ;)

Blog created: I think it was December of 2013. Maybe November. Ahhhh, those halcyon pre-2016 years...

Number of followers: Right now? 1443. It might change in an hour or so.

Time right now: About 0220 Pacific Time, Wednesday, March 22. One month and one day until my birthday. I expect presents, people! (Nah, I kid. Birthdays after 50 don't mean much. Hell, birthdays after 18 -- or 21, nowadays, I guess -- don't mean much. :) )

Last thing you googled: I was looking for some textures to use for some recolors I'm working on during downtimes at work.

Fave music artist: In terms of non-classical stuff: Queen, always and forever. But I also really like the Barenaked Ladies and other such alternative groups from the 90s as well as 80s New Wave stuff. Also, Metallica. In terms of "classical" stuff: Beethoven, always and forever.

Song stuck in my head: Beethoven's 8th piano sonata, 3rd movement. I was playing it at work today...on my cello. I'm working on arranging the entire sonata for solo cello...starting with the 3rd movement because I do better working on things backward. (Since I'd be willing to bet most people don't know the tune off the top of their head, here's Dubravka Tomsic playing it on youtube, if you're curious.

Last movie I watched: Star Trek Beyond. I liked it better than Into Darkness but not as well as the first Abrams-verse one...

Last TV show I watched: I have Stargate Atlantis paused on my computer screen at the moment. I plan to work on furnishing/decorating the house I put up for download tonight when I'm done with this, and I usually have a TV show playing while I build/decorate stuff in my game. :)

What I’m wearing right now: A pair of black sweatpants and a Telluride Daily Planet T-shirt. (That's the local newspaper at home. :) ) Boring white underwear. My fleece-lined moccasins because my feet are always cold.

The kind of stuff I post: Sims stuff, duh! At least on this blog. :) The other blog has the ranty/political stuff.

Why did I choose my url: Because I like to point and laugh at silly internet drama and because I own llamas, and I added dingdang because dramallama was taken and because of this song.

Gender: According to every one of those silly "What Gender Are You?" online quizzes, I am male, mainly because I'm a self-confident, argumentative, assertive, non-empathetic asshole who doesn't do "feelings." Yet, I have girl plumbing. Go figure. Meh, it's all just social conditioning and expectations, anyway, so...I rebel. I reject gender labeling and their associated roles.

Hogwarts house: I took a quiz once and it said Gryffindor. I've never read Harry Potter or seen any of the movies except one of them during an airplane flight...and I fell asleep during it, so...Yeah, I don't know what it means to be Gryffindor. Don't much care, either.

Pokémon team: Don't know anything about Pokemon, either.

Lucky number: 13 because I am anti-superstition. (Well, except when it comes to white pianos, of course, but I have hard evidence that they are evil, so it’s not superstition. ;) ) Or 42. Take your pick.

Dream job: I once said "Not having one" but then followed it up with "but that's boring." So, I decided to take on some work through June. And you know what? I'm gonna go back to "Not having one." I just need to find some volunteer work to keep me occupied for a few hours a day. Not for 38-hour "days," though. :p

Relationship status: I is married to my second husband. He's cute. And a lot younger than me, woooooooo! First marriage wasn't nearly so fun, though. The only good thing that came of it was my kids.

Pets: Oh, God. Most of them are back home in Colorado (where I have a 39-acre ranch) while I'm here in California, but:

A herd of llamas and alpacas, about 50 total at the moment, but "unpacking" season is approaching, so that number will be going up to about 65 soon. 5 horses 2 nanny goats...which actually belong to a neighbor but they're currently housed on my property, so...they count! 8 dogs 5 cats...although sadly that will probably be going down to four soon because the 18-year-old whose had health problems all her life is currently quite sick and likely won't be getting better. :( Also, there are a ton of barn cats, but they don't really count as pets. A flock of chickens. 1 rooster, the rest hens. 1 California kingsnake 5 tarantulas, various species 8 dragonfly nymphs. I think 2 will become dragonflies this year because I've had them for a few years now...

Last song you listened to: Beethoven's 5th piano concerto, for somewhat sentimental reasons.

Favorite TV Show: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. I love the original series a lot, too, but DS9 surpassed it in my book.

First Fandom: Star Trek, of course. I remember declaring that I would marry Spock when I grew up. I was 3 at the time, in 1967, watching the episode "Amok Time" (in which Spock almost gets married) in its original run. We'd only just gotten a color TV a few months before, so it was REALLY COOL. I also wrote a crapton of fanfic in the 70s/80s and a bit in the 90s. Even published a 'zine in the 80s. It was expensive as hell back then but SO MUCH FUN!

Randomly Tagging People I Don’t Think I’ve Tagged For This Thing Before: @randommindtime (It's what you get for following me!), @yandereplumsim, @elfpuddle, @halousims, @nuttydazesublime, and @kayleigh-83. As always, feel free to ignore for whatever reason. :)

[hermanwatts]

Sensor Sweep: Bruce Pennington, Science Wonder Stories, H. Bedford Jones, Post Oaks and Sand Roughs

Reading (Rawle Nyanzi): By now it is well-known that reading in the US has declined across all demographic indicators. Whether it’s caused by television, the internet, video games, or boring literature classes, the drop-off in reading time is plain and obvious to see. Some even claim that we are entering a “post-literate” period where the written word is actively rejected in favor of images and sounds conveyed by electronic media.

  Art (DMR Books): In the process of finding art for my new Gene Wolfe post, I noticed that the artist, Bruce Pennington, turns seventy-five years young today. Bruce has been a fixture on the UK fantasy/scifi scene since the late ‘60s. Check the link here to see what Bruce has been up to for the last five decades.

  Science Fiction Pulp (Pulpfest): The first issue of SCIENCE WONDER STORIES hit the newsstands ninety years ago, on May 3, 1929. Behind the dramatic Frank R. Paul cover were included five short stories, the beginning of a serialized novel — “The Reign of the Ray” by Fletcher Pratt and Irvin Lester — a science quiz (with the answers in the issue’s stories), an essay contest, and “Science News of the Month.” SCIENCE WONDER STORIES ran for twelve issues dated June 1929 through May 1930. David Lasser was managing editor and Hugo Gernsback was publisher and editor-in-chief.  Each issue had a fantastic Frank R. Paul cover.

  History (Running Iron Report): On July 28, 2014, an American expat living in Sweden named Indiana Neidell (for real) launched a Youtube project titled The Great War. Its premise was to cover the events of the First World War, matching up the centennial of that seminal conflict week by week through November 11, 2018. Other segments included technology developed during the war, concurrent events like the Mexican Revolution and vignettes on remarkable personalities.

  Pulp (DMR Books): The King of the Pulps died on this date seventy years ago today. Henry James O’Brien Bedford-Jones, better-known to his millions of fans during the pulp era as “H. Bedford-Jones,” passed away in his comfortable Beverly Hills home after forty years of living well off his pulp fiction.

Bedford-Jones was born in 1887 in Canada, though he spent most of his life in the U.S. Before his twenty-second birthday, he had sold his first story to one of the greatest pulps ever, Argosy. He went on to write over a million words of pulp adventure per year for decades.

  Radio (Tangent Online): The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1939-47) aired “The Adventure of the Dying Schoolboys” on November 9, 1946. During this incarnation of Sherlock Holmes on radio (the first coming in the early 1930s and the last running to 1959), Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce reprised their Universal studio film roles of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson for close to 220 episodes. Afraid of being typecast–and following the cancellation of further Holmes films–Rathbone wanted out of his radio role. Though the show’s sponsor at the time, Petri Wines, offered him a generous bump in compensation if he would continue, Rathbone declined.

  Robert E. Howard (REH Foundation): The REH Foundation Press is proud to present Post Oaks and Sand Roughs & Other Autobiographical Writings. Outside of the boxing stories, whenever Robert E. Howard used the name “Costigan��� the autobiographical implications weren’t far behind. This volume collects those “other” Costigan tales, including the title novel as well as the previously unpublished early draft. It also contains other items that reveal details about the people and places in Howard’s life, including the “Lost Plains” stories, items from The Junto, personal essays, and more, all restored to the original text, where available.

  Popular Culture (Rawle Nyanzi): I believe that all professionally produced franchises are either SJW -converged or soon will be, given enough time.

Let’s run down some prominent examples:

– Star Wars, the biggest name in sci-fi, attacked its own legacy and its most loyal fans to the point where its most recent movie flopped — the first flop in the franchise’s history.

  Fiction (John C. Wright): From Book 1: My name is Officer Thomas Nolan, and I am a saint.Tommy Nolan lives a quiet life. He walks his beat – showing mercy to the desperate. Locking away the dangerous. Going to church, sharing dinner with his wife and son. Everyone likes Tommy, even the men he puts behind bars.

Then one day a demon shows up and he can smell it. Tommy can smell evil –real evil. Now he’s New York City’s only hope against a horrifying serial killer that preys on the young and defenseless.

  Fiction (Elgin Bleeker): John Buchan’s 1915 novel, The Thirty-Nine Steps, is one of the grand old spy adventures of yesteryear and is still a pretty great read.

Most people will know the plot thanks to Alfred Hitchcock’s 1935 movie version, “The 39 Steps.”

A spy with information vital to the British government is killed in Richard Hannay’s apartment. The police think Hannay did it and hunt him down. The real culprits – enemy spies – think Hannay knows their secret plans, and set out to kill him.

  Cartoons (Broadswords and Blasters): As a kid growing up in the 1980s I was naturally attached to cartoons. That’s one of the defining characteristics of late Gen-Xers/early millenials (I’ve seen us referred to as a crossover generation, but isn’t everyone really?). For me, those cartoons were GI Joe, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, and Voltron.

  Pulp Awards (Pulpfest): The PulpFest Organizing Committee is pleased to announce that fifteen individuals have been nominated by their peers for the 2019 Munsey Award. The honor is named after Frank A. Munsey — the man who published the first pulp magazine. This annual award recognizes an individual or institution that has bettered the pulp community, be it through disseminating knowledge about the pulps or through publishing or other efforts to preserve and foster interest in the pulp magazines we all love and enjoy. Congratulations to all of the nominees for this prestigious award, presented annually at PulpFest.

  Comic Books (Rough Edges): Several years ago, I read the graphic novel GRAVEDIGGER: HOT WOMEN, COLD CASH, written by Christopher Mills, and enjoyed it a lot. These days, Mills is putting together an entire line of comics called Atomic Action, which takes public domain superheroes and puts them in new stories written and drawn in the classic style of the Sixties and Seventies (which means they’re right in my wheelhouse). The first issue of these new comics, SPACE CRUSADERS #1, came out recently, and it’s great fun.

  Paperback Horror (Kirkus Reviews): If you’ve spent any amount of time in a used bookstore, you’ve undoubtedly seen the horror paperbacks section. Adorned with decades-old book spines that are predominantly black, they boast covers that are simultaneously creepy, kitschy and remarkably appealing. Those books never fail to evoke a sense of nostalgia and—I’ll admit it—appreciation.

Grady Hendrix shared that same appreciation with readers in 2017 with the publication of the Bram Stoker Award-winning love-letter to 70s and 80s horror fiction, Paperbacks From Hell.

Anime (Karavansara): I have often written in the past about the impact that the first series of Mobile Suit Gundam had on my generation and on me in particular. I think the best evidence of how much it impacted me is the fact that I am still watching the cartoons – no longer as a start-struck teenager, not as an otaku (I never was that), but with an eye to narrative structure, themes, character arcs, patterns.

  Gaming (Niche Gamer): One of the hardest aspects of game development is standing out from other games of the same genre. This is further compounded when you are heavily inspired by a particular style of game. Enter Hellmut: The Badass from Hell. A twin-stick shooter like Enter the Gungeon with a style roughly based on a more light-hearted classic Doom. Comparisons to both those games quickly end once you start to play. Does Hellmut evolve from other games in the genre, or is it a mutation better off being sterile?

    Sensor Sweep: Bruce Pennington, Science Wonder Stories, H. Bedford Jones, Post Oaks and Sand Roughs published first on https://sixchexus.weebly.com/

[xox0britto]

Bc I have no life and still stuck in 2007 myspace era.

1. Last beverage: Water.

2. Last phone call: My mama.

3. Last song you listened to:

Bad Intentions - PARTYNEXTDOOR.

-ADVERTISEMENT-

4. Last time you cried: Few days ago while I was intoxicated.

5. Have you dated someone twice: Yes.

6. Have you ever been cheated on: Once.

7. Kissed someone & regretted it: Learning experiences.

8. Have you lost someone special: Unfortunately.

9. What are your three favorite colors: Pink, baby blue & maroon.

10. Met someone who changed you in the past month: No.

11. Kissed anyone on your friends list: Yes.

12. How many kids do you want: 2! Girl & boy.

13. Do you want any pets: I currently have 2 cats. But eventually want more animals!

14. Do you want to change your name: Not legally.

15. What did you do for your last birthday: Got a table at Dive Bar. So much fun.

16. What time did you wake up today: Around 9-9:30ish

17. Name something you CANNOT wait for: St. Patricks Day.

18. Last time you saw your mother: 2 weeks ago?? I think.

19. Most visited webpage: Google lol

20. Nicknames: Britt, Burm, Urmetz

21. Relationship status: Single.

22. Zodiac sign: Virgo.

23. Male or female: Girl.

24. Height: 5’5.

25. Do you have a crush on someone: Yes.

26. Piercings: My ears and the sound of my voice.

27. Tattoos: 4!

28. Strong or Weak: Strong af.

FIRSTS

29. First surgery: 0.

30. First best friend: Emmy.

31. First sport you joined: I don’t think ballet counts as a sport lol.

32. First vacation: Hmm. I think my cruise back in 2010.

33. First school: Applewood elementary.

34. First pair of trainers: ?

WHICH IS BETTER

35. Lips or eyes: Eyes.

36. Hugs or kisses: Hugs.

37. Shorter or taller: Taller

38. Older or younger: Older.

39. Romantic or spontaneous: I’m not romantic, so I’ll take spontaneous.

40. Sensitive or loud: Loud. Sensitive people freak me out.

41. Hook-up or relationship: I guess that depends on the person. Lol idk.

42. Shy or outgoing: Shy. 

HAVE YOU EVER

43. Kissed a stranger: Yes.

44. Gotten a speeding ticket: Yes -_- 

45. Lost glasses/contacts: Don’t wear glasses but probably should.

46. Sex on first date: Next question please.

47. Broken someone's heart: Sadly, yes.

48. Been arrested:

Yes. Very unfortunate.

49. Have you turned someone down: Ever? Yes. I believe so. 

50. Fallen for a friend: Maybe in my high school years. 

51. Moved out of town: Out of my hometown where I grew up, yes. Out of state, no. That’s a weird question..

BELIEVE IN

52. Miracles: Or luck, either one, I’ll take it.

53. Love at first sight: No.

54. Heaven: Something like that I guess.

55. Santa Claus: No.

56. Kiss on the first date: Maybe.

57. Angels: Or “spirits” ? Sure.

58. Yourself: 50/50

ANSWER TRUTHFULLY

59. Had more than 1 girlfriend/boyfriend at a time: No. 

60. Been in love with someone you couldn't be with?: I don’t think so.

61. Ever cheated on somebody: I learned my lesson.

62. If you could go back in time, how far would you go?: I wouldn’t.

63. Are you afraid of falling in love: No.

64. Was your last relationship a mistake? No, relationships are learning experiences and were right for their time.

66. Who did you last say “i love you” to? My mom over the phone.

67. Have you ever been depressed? Not clinically but sometimes I'm down. It never lasts though.

68. Are you insecure? At some aspects of life.

69. How do you want to die? Painlessly at 150 years old. What kind of morbid question is that?

70. Do you bite your nails? I get them done so I don’t do that. Too many germs.

71. When was your last physical fight? Never really gotten into a physical fight.

72. Do you have an attitude? Sometimes.

73. Twirl or cut your spaghetti? Twirl.

74. Do you tan a lot? I do not. In the summertime I do. Duh.

75. Ever eaten food in a car while someone or you are driving? McDonald's cheeseburgers are great.

76. Ever made out in a bathroom? Yes.

78. Would you go back in time if you were given the chance? No.

79. What are your plans for this weekend? Working.

80. Do you type fast? Yes.

81. Can you spell well? Sure.

82: What are you craving right now? Chicken and rice. With like a huge Sprite.

83. Have you ever been on a horse? Yes.

84. Would you live with someone without marrying them? I have.

85. What’s irritating you right now? The constant cold outside and not being able to drive my car.

86. Have you ever liked someone so much that it hurts? Not physically.

87. Does somebody love you? I hope so.

88. Have you ever changed clothes in a car? Yes.

89. Milk chocolate or white chocolate? Milk chocolate.

90. Do you have trust issues? No.

91. Longest relationship? 4 years.

93. Have you ever walked outside in your PJs? Yes and I have gone shopping in them as well.

94. Do you believe everything happens for a reason? Yes.

95. Did you have dream last night? Yes. I don’t remember it though. Obviously.

96. Have you ever been out of state? Yes.

97. Do you play the Wii? Does anyone anymore?

98. Do you like Chinese food? Yes.

99. Are you afraid of the dark? Depends on where I am. Not in my house.

100. Is cheating ever okay? No.

101. What year has been your best? Too hard to judge. 2010,2012,2015,2018. 

102. Do you believe in true love? Love is an attachment that grows. So yes, true love exists.

103. Favorite weather? Easy answer, sunshine and 80 degrees.

104. Do you like the snow? No.

105. Do you like the outside? It depends on the weather and environment.

106. Is it cute when a boy/girl calls you baby? I think so.

107. Have you ever made out for more than a half hour straight? Lol in like middle school yes.

108. What makes you happy? Animals, food and seeing people be positive.

109. Ever been to Alaska? No. Alaska scares me for some reason and idk why lol.

110. Ever been to Hawaii? No but I would LOVE to go.

111. Do you watch the news? Sometimes when I wake up super early. Other then that no. It’s just depressing.

112. Do you love MTV? They play some pretty good movies now and then.

113. Do you like subway? Hell ya

114 Would it be hard to kiss the last person you kissed? No.

115. Your best friend of the opposite sex likes you, what do you do? Be freaked out probs.

116. Why did you decide to do this quiz? Because I’m bored and I used to enjoy taking MySpace surveys.

117. Have you ever seen someone you knew and purposely avoided them? Lol yes. Hence why I moved out of my hometown.

118. Do you have a friend of the opposite sex who you can act your complete self around? Yes.

119. Who was the last person of the opposite sex you talked to? Austin.

120. Who was the last person you had a deep conversation with? Rob.

122. Ever gotten pregnant? No.

123. Have you ever slipped on ice? Yes.

124 Have you ever missed the bus? Yes. Back in elementary school. 

125. Have you left the house without money? Yes.

126. Have you ever smoked cigarettes? Too many when I’m drinking or on a road trip.

127. Have you ever smoked a cigar? Tried to. Yuck.

128. Did you ever drink alcohol? Yes.

129. Did you ever watch “The Breakfast Club”? It was just on like 30 minutes ago lol. Best movie ever.

130. Have you ever been overweight? Not really. 

131. Ever been to a wedding? My dads when I was like 5.

132. Ever been in a wedding? No.

133. Have you ever been on the computer for 5 hours straight? Myspace and AIM were no joke. 

134. Did you ever watch TV for 5 hours straight? Sadly.

135. Ever kissed in the rain? Aw my first kiss was in the rain.

136. Did you ever shower with someone else? -

137. Did you ever fail a driver’s test? Yes lol.

138. Ever been outside your home country? Yes.

139. Ever been on a road trip longer than 5 hours? Yes. NYC & Virginia Beach.

140. Ever been to a professional sports game? Go Cavs, Browns and Indians!

141. Have you ever broken a bone? No. I'm invincible.

142. Did you ever win a trophy in your life? I honestly don’t think so. I never played sports growing up and I sucked in school. My parents did a good job I know.

143. Ever get engaged? No.

144. Have you ever been on a diet? Tried.

145. Have you ever been on TV? No -_-

146. Ever ridden in a taxi? Yes.

147. Ever been to prom? Yes. Loved it.

148. Ever stayed up for 24 hours or more? Yes. Good times.

149 Have you ever been to a concert? I’ve been to a few. Drake, Future, PARTYNEXTDOOR, Miguel, Travis Scott, Wiz, Jhene Aiko, Waka, Chris Brown. Wish I could go back tbh.

150. Have you ever had a crush on someone at work? Yes.

151. Have you ever been in a car accident? Yes when I was about 17 years old. My mom told me not to take the car because I was grounded and it needed something fixed. I was coming back from my friends and the brake axel broke off on the highway. Thankfully we/others were okay and my dumbass learned a lesson lol.

152. Ever had braces? No. I wanted them though so bad in middle school though because I wanted all the different colors like my friends had lol.

153. Did you ever learn another language? Not really. I never took a language in high school. I know some Spanish if that counts lol.

154. Do you wear make-up? Yes.

155. Did you ever have your wisdom teeth taken out? No but they’re coming in unfortunately.

156. Did you ever kiss someone a different race than yourself? Yes.

157. Ever dyed your hair? Oh yes.

158. Did you ever wear someone else’s clothes? What are friends for? 

159. Ever ridden in an ambulance? No.

160. Ever ridden in a helicopter? No.

161. Ever caught the stove on fire? No thank god.

162. Ever meet someone famous? No.

163. Ever been on an airplane? Yes.

164. Ever been on a boat? Yes. Love them.

165. Ever broken something expensive? When I was younger.

166. Did you ever kiss someone before you were 14? Yes.

167. Did you ever find something valuable on the ground? Yes. 

[arrianacorr]

Lesson 1: Hello, my name is: Nice to meet you! Samurai hats (origami), writing your name (making bookmarks), saying yes and your class-mates and teacher's names (bring in toys Scott kun and Millie san for demonstration), (taking register in Japanese), counting to 3 in Japanese, greetings for different times of the day, most common polite phrases and words (please, thank you, itadakimasu and gochisousama deshita), basic customs (bowing for politeness and hands together for food), classroom instructions (Simon Says: stand up, bow, sit down), colours of different origami papers, Kudasai and arigatou when getting the papers, Sayonara and arigatou gozaimasu at the end! Lesson 2: Ask how are you? I'm good! (O-Genki desu ka? Genki desu) Register in Japanese (Saying yes and Practice the greetings and saying class-mates and teacher's names in Japanese way (san/chan/kun/sensei). Starter activity Simon says (Japanese classroom style: stand up, sit down, bow and add in raise your hand). Counting to 10 in Japanese with action and pneumonic. Number bingo game! Practice saying please and thank you for the paper and prizes (everyone gets a prize for taking part). Days of the week with kanji and pneumonic story, emoji - modern kanji / kanji - ancient emoji / Japanese in our everyday lives activity (drawing symbols and pictures to represent ideas and words), kanji quiz, paint kanji and paint names (copy from bookmarks make 2 copies in case anyone loses or forgets their bookmark) to make posters they can keep or put up and to practice writing their own names in Japanese and practice writing and saying the words for days of the week / mountain, river and field. Today is? Kyou wa -- desu - learn how to ask and say what day it is. Kyou wa nan nichi desu ka? Kyou wa - youbi desu. Sayonara and arigatou gozaimasu at the end! Lesson 3: Konnichiwa! O-genki desu ka? Genki desu! Does anyone know any Japanese foods? Japanese traditional culture, food and drink, true / false game / quiz - Japanese cafe with Japanese tea and snacks. Practice greetings and Japanese names for students and teachers and learn shop customs and greetings: irasshaimase, -o Kudasai, go-chuumon wa nan desu ka? (What is your order?) anime: go-chuumon wa usagi desu ka(?) find a clip of a restaurant for example / characters saying oishii and Mazui / eating traditional and modern Japanese foods / pictures and examples of them to pass around (I would like --please) oishii / mazui (saying if your food is delicious or bad) + Learn how to ask what is this? Nan desu ka? -wa nan desu ka? Kore wa nan desu ka? --desu. Learn about Japanese food and drink, practice please and thank you, itadakimasu and gochisousama deshita before and during the cafe. Draw a picture of themselves with their favourite food (Japanese if they can!) and learn how to write the food, "desu" and "Oishii" and practice writing their name again by adding it to the picture. Head, shoulders, knees and toes! Sayonara and arigatou gozaimasu at the end! Lesson 4: Konnichiwa! O-genki desu ka - genki desu. Japanese register names / yes / greetings. Practice head, shoulders, knees and toes. Rock, paper, scissors - Japanese games. Japanese pop culture, music, dance, anime and Japanese words in our country / English words in Japan! Quick quiz- which of these words are Japanese - T/F is this word Japanese / is this word English? katakana words try to guess what they are in English! / Match them up. Learn Japanese song and dance, (Chocolate Disco) and a bit about Valentine's Day and other holidays and how they are different in Japan, differences between Japanese schools and English schools, anime quiz, watch a bit of anime - learn Daijoubu and ganbarimasu, learn Suki and Daisuki - say things you like and love! Listen to Japanese music whilst drawing - Draw a picture of you and your favourite thing or things and write I love - in Japanese and practice writing your name. Practice numbers again and learn how to say how old you are (-sai desu) Put it all together and make a little poster about yourself to share with the class: Hello, I am __ and I'm __ years old. I love ___ . Nice to meet you! Practice these in groups volunteers perform some in front of class, Practice saying please and thank you (chocolates) and learn direction words with dance (up, down, diagonal, behind, in front, left, right) during the dance activity and learn the words for chocolate, song, dance, boy and girl (and how to write "ko" in katakana, hiragana and kanji - 3 different Japanese writing systems / alphabets - with actions to remember them and word to go with each: disco / chocolate, boy / girl, here / there). Bring in Japanese books, manga and magazines to have a look at, see how they open backwards and writing is Top to bottom right to left, or left to right the same as us and spot the difference: kanji, hiragana and katakana. Sayonara and arigatou gozaimasu at the end! Lesson 5: Traditional Japanese customs and clothes: Festivals and Kimono, Japanese story telling, weather, learn a traditional Japanese story with a video and practice saying the key vocabulary from this and join in with the story (interactive), make your own stories which you can take home (game), learn some Japanese animals + animal and story sound effects activity / act out different characters in the story, making masks and quiz / learn a bit about traditional Japanese theatre vs modern anime, try wearing kimono (get a photo in kimono? learn about purikura - modern culture vs traditional culture, shrines and kimonos for different occasions). Japanese festivals & times of the year, birthdays, (omedetou), weather game and activity, make Teru Teru bouzu and wish for good weather for spring can take home or hang up at school. Sayonara and arigatou gozaimasu at the end! Lesson 6: Putting everything together / party / quiz - "party bags" to take away with some Japanese traditional and modern prizes, snacks, resources and activities to take away and enjoy. Bring in Japanese tea and snacks and wear kimono, (if can, get Yamazaki families to bring kimonos for everyone to try wearing and get a photo in if they like and festival games for everyone to try playing) - practice please and thank you, talking to Japanese people + saying "Hello, I am - nice to meet you" + "how are you" + I won! I lost! Happy! Sad! get everyone / those who would like to, to show and tell their favourite Japanese word or thing they learned about Japan, watch a short clip from a bit of Japanese anime - and do a pop quiz themed on this with teams and prizes for everyone - play rock, paper, scissors tournament, practice doing one of the songs / dance together if they liked it (ask the class before the lesson which song / dance they liked best), Make fortune tellers to practice numbers, colours, animals, weather and foods. Sayonara and arigatou gozaimasu!