#yes i AM a STEM major taking this course because i’m obsessed with some random 30s films

[starbuck]

taking a film course my final semester just for fun and i get to write my final paper on literally ANYTHING, essentially, and i was going to do it on something insightful, but instead i am going to do it on how music is sex in The Smiling Lieutenant (1931) because i am OBSESSED with it and it makes me happier every time i watch it.

[prinxlyart]

I will say, I am hungry again and I have a few ask for your Willumity/Vinira headcannons. HOWEVER to be fair to you. This time I will restrain myself and simply ask for you to share any headcanons you want to share as of now!

You can ALWAYS ask for more Willumity.

A L W A Y S

But!! Since you’ve given me free reign to just play in this sandbox, that’s exactly what I’m gonna do

We all agree that Luz is hella ADHD. This girl will talk for HOURS about the shit she likes. If something grabs her attention, she wants to know everything about it. She doesn’t like being told to do things, but she loves being asked to do things. For example: if someone tells her she needs to do a thing her brain will immediately click into the “No” position and will refuse to budge. If someone asks her to do something, her brain clicks to “help? I can help? I can help with a thing for this person? Yes! I’ll help this person with this task because it will make them happy! Yes! I can help!” This is why acts of service resonate so strongly with her.

I don’t know what mental diversity looks like on the Boiling Isles considering how just. Horror-based everything is? But I’m 100% on that autistic Amity train. She has to do things a Certain Way or she’ll teeter on the edge of a meltdown. She refuses to touch/eat certain textures. She usually doesn’t know what the appropriate response/reaction is to a given conversation, especially with her socialite friends, which is why she just remains a cool mask of indifference. She’ll inspect every detail of anything that’s handed to her. She’s incredibly smart, but doesn’t always know how to convey what she knows and understands into words other people can understand. The only people allowed in her personal space are her siblings. Eventually that also stems to Luz and Willow, maybe more as she grows more comfortable with herself? But usually anyone getting in her space is overwhelming and alarming. Defo has a hard time regulating/processing her emotions.

I need to make an entire post dedicated to Augustus Porter because my boy deserves it, but I’ll toss some random things here. He has a signed poster from the head of the Illusionist Coven framed on his bedroom wall. He and his dad have bi-weekly after-dinner standup comedy sessions with each other (Perry has kept a secret journal of all of Gus’s best jokes he’s done over the years that he reads whenever he needs a pick-me-up).

Perry and Eda knew each other in school in passing. Their social circles overlapped but they were never hanging out in the same groups. When Gus is very little (like, maybe 3 or 4?), Perry takes him to the market to just wander around and they find Eda’s Human Collectibles Stand. She and Perry catch up, he introduces her to his son, and Eda (ever the saleswoman) pulls out some shiny human thing that Gus is immediately taken with. In between her and Perry catching up, Gus asks her a million questions about the thing he’s been given and then even more questions about other stuff at her stand. She actually finds it really fun to show off her human shit to someone so enthralled by it. She makes some stuff up here and there just to mess with him, but he’s too young to realize it’s a joke or not true, and takes everything at face value. We all know Eda likes to get a little theatrical with her sales pitches; she does the Salesperson act with everything Gus asks her about. She lets Gus take a couple items home just because he was such a riot and Perry insists he pay for something, but Eda just waves them off and tells him that this is just an investment in a lifelong customer. She had no idea how right she was because Gus defo became obsessed with human culture from that point on. He also picked up on Eda’s super theatrical sales pitches (because he thought it was funny and because he thought that’s just how you’re supposed to show human stuff to people) and began showing off his own “human collectibles museum” to his dad with the same theatrical voice. Perry plays along with this too (as a news anchor he’s got a great announcer voice) and ta-da! That’s how we get the boy we all know and love today. It’s 100% Eda’s fault, but Perry definitely encouraged it because it made his son so happy. That’s also why Gus doesn’t seem especially perturbed at meeting Eda for the first time in ep 3. Or for interjecting his new Human Knowledge in the moment she was patting Luz’s head. He’s used to having conversations with her about human junk whenever she has her stand up. Eda’s secretly relieved that one of Luz’s new friends is actually someone she kinda knows. It’s Perry’s kid, and Perry’s a good guy. His little squirt seems to be growing up to be pretty good too.

Eda scoffs at “nerdy” shit as if she hasn’t owned the Clawthorne Braincell her entire life. “She worked twice as hard” “-that just made me work harder than you!”. Eda’s extremely smart and extremely talented. She likely created the secret room of shortcuts entirely on her own. She probably studied in the school library constantly, but under the guise of causing mischief. And like. She probably did both. She was a potions track kid so she probably knew all the best ways to make stink bombs that she could leave hidden in the shelves. She hated school because she was so limited and stifled; she only wanted to learn magic and was told no at every turn. So when she learned magic on her own, yknow, without the guidance of a teacher, there’s bound to be some major fuck ups. Once she’s fine-tuned her mistakes though, she absolutely turns them into pranks. You say I’m not allowed to study multiple tracks, bumpikins?? Well how’s THIS!!! How’s THAT for focus??? (Half of her pranks were also just her showing off and desperately hoping to prove that she could learn any type of magic and couldn’t be constrained to just the one. Bump recognized this of course, but he had strict guidelines to follow and no Luz Noceda to call him out for it.)

Camila treasures her daughter more than life itself. I personally refuse to headcanon anything to do with her extended family or why she’s a single parent (too many variables and options that could be addressed in the show), but I do know that she loves Luz more than anything. It’s exhausting being a single mom, working as a nurse, and trying to be there for her ADHD daughter when the rest of the world doesn’t seem to want her. It hurts her so much to see her baby, the light of her life, her Luz, be brushed aside and written off as “the weirdo”, or bullied, or even outright hated by some people just because she’s a little different. She’s had to have some words with the school staff for how they treat her on occasion. Did you see that Principal’s death glare in the first ep?? He hates her. Camila’s there not just because she’s Luz’s parent, but also to act as a barrier between the principal and Luz. She would move Heaven and Earth for Luz, but it can be a lot when you’re the only adult around. I truly believe she wanted Luz to go to that camp to learn how to be friends with kids that didn’t already know her or her quirks. Even she sounded unsure of what they would do at that camp, but she had full faith that this would be Luz’s opportunity to make friends with other kids that could teach her to like....more mainstream stuff. So she could learn how to mimic their (hopefully, toned down) behaviors. She just wants her baby to be accepted by others.

This next one’s a doozy so hold on to your butts

Lilith is technically smart. And I mean that in a literal sense - she can read and understand the fundamentals of magic, the concepts and execution of complex spells, recite entire chapters of Boiling Isles history, you name it. Many adults in her youth called her gifted because of it. All she actually did was absorb the information and regurgitate it when asked. She thrived on the praise she received. What made her different from her sister is that she never wanted anything more than to do as she was told. Her biggest goal? Her dream job? Was to just be given orders by the Emperor. I’m sure there’s all sorts of flowery propaganda surrounding that, advertising how incredible it is to be in the Emperor’s Coven, what an honor it is to work alongside the witch that can speak to the Titan. But it’s literally just. Taking orders. And knowing you’re somehow better than everyone else because you’ve been selected to be among the elite. She never strived for anything more; she never wanted to do anything else but enforce the Emperor’s will because that was “the highest honor” a witch could have. As a result (or in conjunction rather) she lacks literally any amount of foresight. There’s only one braincell in the Clawthorne Family and her sister has it because this dumbass doesn’t think about anyone but herself. Instead of talking with Eda about what they should do when they were told there was only one spot left in the Emperor’s Coven, she walked away. Only thinking of how she could secure her victory. She didn’t ask Eda how she felt about the situation, she didn’t let Eda speak her mind about what her own desires were; Eda made it clear enough that she just wanted to be by Lilith’s side, she didn’t care what that meant. She just wanted to be with her big sister. Eda tried to reach out to her to discuss their cirumstances, but Lilith just walked away like the broody, self-centered teenager that she was and resolved to cheat her way to victory. When Eda knew this was her dream. Why would she think Eda would take away her dream???? She could’ve asked Eda to throw the duel? She could’ve asked her to fake the match? Or even fake sick? Or just not even shown up! If she didn’t show up it could’ve counted as a forfeit and Lilith would’ve earned the spot by default! But no, she had to ruin her sister’s entire life in an act of cowardice and dishonor because she’s so full of herself and didn’t read the fine print. She loves her sister, of course she does, but she’s so self-absorbed that she’s never seen Eda for who she actually is and wasted both of their lives as a result. And this is all just analysis of her character and that flashback, this isn’t even headcanons. I think if she has any amount of respect for her sister (she doesn’t), her redemption will have to go far far beyond an apology and taking on half the curse. When I say Lilith is a dumbass, this is specifically what I mean. She doesn’t think about how her actions will affect those around her. She was the Head of the Emperor’s Coven, literally one of the most powerful positions she could possibly be in on the Boiling Isles and still sacrificed Amity’s dignity and years of hard work just so she could be ensured that she could one-up her sister. She did this in front of everyone in attendance of that Witches Duel. She risked Amity’s credibility as a witch, as a Blight, and as a person just to fuel her own ego. It’s no wonder Amity was so upset; the witch she’s been idolizing her whole life didn’t think she had what it took to best a human that couldn’t do magic in a witches duel. That can fuck up your self esteem something fierce. And Lilith hardly seemed to give a shit!!!! She didn’t care that she just trashed Amity’s reputation in front of dozens of spectators!!!! I’m v bitter about Lilith as a character in case you couldn’t tell.

If I had to throw a headcanon in, I’ll toss one in that sterling and I have discussed: Lilith literally doesn’t know how to live her life as an independent adult. Sure, she knows how to like. Make herself some easy dinners? But that’s literally only because she used to make herself and Eda dinners when they were kids. Beyond that, she has no fucking idea. She can do the basic household chores any teenager knows how to do, but she’s lived in the Emperor’s Castle with the rest of the Coven since she joined. It’s kind of like living in a college dorm; food and a room is provided, there’s maybe a laundry service, she’s never had to pay taxes in her life (not that Eda does, but yknow). The only things she buys for herself (if she doesn’t make it herself) is her hair dye and books. When she first moves in to the Owl House, she has no idea how the household chores are done. She’s on House Cleaning Duty Eternally and the first......I’ll say year. Eda will wake her up by banging pots and pans over her head once every month and scream-singing about how it’s House Cleaning Day, pull out her lawn chairs and some lemonade, and she and Luz (and sometimes King) will just sit back and relax and watch the show that is Lilith trying to clean Hooty. Hooty does not like to cooperate with her (partially because Lilith is a special friend and partially because he knows how much joy it brings Eda and Luz to watch her struggle).

Oof I could go on but this is already one hell of a post huh? Sorry (not really) for dragging Lilith so hard; not a joke, tumblr made me split hers up into two bullet points because it couldn’t comprehend my ranting for so long in one bullet point. I do love sharing these with y’all though, they’re so much fun and I’m so glad you guys like my rambling. <3333

[yastaghr]

Carried Skeleton 11 - Death

Chapter Summary: Flowey plays torture with Sans to Papyrus' dismay and Chara and Azriel reach their destiny.

Warnings: Major Character Death, Torture

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17443730/chapters/58940371

Flowey grinned his most twisted grin, the tiny spark of a soul in his stem throbbing with excitement. He was absolutely thrilled. This was dangerous. This was daring. This was fun.

He stared at his canvas and licked his lips. There was Sans, bound to a chair, gagged, and showing real fear. His small, upside-down soul was summoned and hovering in front of him. Connected to it by a long line was an IV of healing magic that Flowey was especially proud of. It would replenish Sans’ health as he lost it, which meant that Flowey could hurt him for as long as he wanted to. He giggled. Yes, this was definitely going to be fun.

As he considered what he wanted to do to Sans first, Flowey let his anger wash over him. Papyrus hadn’t been paying attention to him. He was his brother, Papyrus was supposed to play with him! Not with some fish bitch, and not with the baby. He’d killed the fish and scattered her dust in the river so she would never have a proper funeral, and also so Papyrus wouldn’t suspect that she was dead. Then he captured Sans and got him set up properly for a long, long play time. If he couldn’t get Papyrus to play with him, then maybe he should try playing with the baby himself.

When the idea occurred to him, Flowey’s grin spread impossibly wider. He reached behind him and grabbed the sharpest knife on his table of torture. Seeing Sans’ face when he brought it out…

He was surprised to experience a moment of hesitation. Sans looked so scared. His baby brother looked so scared. Did he really want to… no, he couldn’t think like that. A soulless being wouldn’t worry about hurting someone. He had to do it. He brought the knife forward and prepared to cut.

Not far away, Papyrus was searching. Flowey had said that there was a suspicious monster hanging around their basement door before it blew up. Papyrus might not like the memory of the monster who owned their basement before them, but he knew that machine meant a lot to Sans. If he could find the monster who had blown up their basement then he could figure out why, and if he could figure out why then he could stop them from doing it in the next timeline, and if he could stop it then Sans would be happy. He wanted Sans to be happy.

When he found the abandoned shed in the outskirts of Waterfall, of course he decided to check it out. An abandoned looking shed would be the perfect place to hide after committing a crime! That’s what all his favorite TV shows said, anyway. So obviously he went in!

He wished he hadn’t. Seeing the state that Sans was in, the blood dripping off of Flowey’s knife, the expressions on their faces… it was heartbreaking and infuriating at the same time. They were brothers! Granted, Sans didn’t know that, but Flowey did! Why was he doing this? Sans was bleeding from every bone in his body. Flowey had filetted and carved into his bones to create an almost random design; almost because Papyrus recognized it as Asriel’s signature attack pattern, the one with stars raining down out of the sky.

“FLOWEY,” Papyrus said deeply. Flowey jerked and spun around, a weird expression on his face. It was like worry, confusion, slyness, and fear were all thrown into a blender, frozen with liquid nitrogen, and scattered on a plate of anger and pain. “WHAT EXACTLY DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING TO MY BROTHER?”

Flowey’s face contorted as he tried to come up with an explanation that would get Papyrus off his back, but Papyrus wasn’t having it and let it show. He wanted the truth and he wanted it now.

“Um… shit. I-” Papyrus glared at him, “You haven’t been paying attention to me! I’m your big brother! I’m the one you’re supposed to be playing with, not the baby! So, since you’re so obsessed with the smiley trashbag, I had to do something to him to get you to pay attention to me! So I did!”

Papyrus could see it in Sans’ eyes. He hadn’t known that it was Asriel doing this to him. Papyrus tried to mirror that expression, and it must have worked, because Flowey bought it. “YOU- YOU- AZZY?”

Flowey looked shocked for a moment, like he hadn’t meant to say that. Then he jumped on it and owned it. “Yes, it’s me! I’m stuck with my memories in a stupid, soulless flower and I can’t even play with my own brother, so you can imagine the kind of stress I am under. I want your attention and I want all of it! I don’t want to share you with some stupid fish! I don’t want to share you with Sans, either! I don’t want to share you with anyone!”

Papyrus gulped. Oh. So Flowey was jealous. That… sort of made sense. Azzy could get really moody if he wasn’t getting the attention he thought he deserved. This was just kind of that taken to an extreme. A really, really scary extreme. But if Flowey really was soulless like he said, that made sense.

Papyrus raised both hands and slowly stepped forward. “I SEE. UM… HOW ABOUT THIS, FLOWEY. AZZY? FLOWEY. HOW ABOUT THIS: IF YOU LET ME TAKE SANS TO THE HOSPITAL I’LL PLAY WITH YOU FOR AS LONG AS YOU WANT. I’LL DO ANYTHING YOU WANT ME TO. WE CAN EVEN,” Papyrus gulped. This was a really big concession for him, but he needed Flowey to agree to this, “WE CAN EVEN PLAY MONSTERS AND HUMANS. I KNOW YOU LIKE TO BE THE MONSTER, SO I’LL BE THE HUMAN FOR AS LONG AS YOU WANT, OKAY? JUST, PLEASE, LET ME TAKE SANS TO THE HOSPITAL. HE NEEDS HELP, AND I DON’T WANT HIM… I DON’T WANT HIM TO DUST.”

Flowey eyed him in a way that Papyrus couldn’t quite place. It lasted uncomfortably long. Then Flowey shrugged, dropped that wicked knife onto the cold, hard ground, and backed up. “Be my guest. I’m not going to let you out of my sight, though, and you’d better not tell anyone that this was me.”

“OF COURSE NOT, FLOWEY!” Papyrus said as he stepped forward, ready to start untying Sans from the chair he was bound to. “IF I DID YOU WOULDN’T GET TO PLAY WITH ME! NOW, PLEASE STAY BACK. I DON’T WANT YOU TO-”

That was when it happened. Papyrus had been trying to be careful. He’d untied the arm restraints with the utmost care and was moving to the left leg when he bumped it. It was such a little bump! It shouldn’t have done that much damage! But nobody bothered to tell that to Sans’ soul. The little bump jostled the needle connecting that weird IV thing to Sans’ soul. It lost its stability and fell out. Papyrus only had time to look up and see the panicked expression on Sans’ face before his whole body turned to dust.

Papyrus froze. He- no. That can’t have just happened. It was a joke, right? It had to be. He turned to Flowey, and his expression broke that little fantasy. Flowey looked like he was lost and in agony. This… this was real. He really had killed his little brother.

“FLOWEY,” Papyrus asked, his voice sounding as if it was coming from a long way away, “PLEASE DO YOUR WEIRD LITTLE TIMELINE THING. I CAN’T HANDLE THIS AGAIN. I’M NOT… STRONG ENOUGH. I PROMISE I’LL PLAY WITH YOU ALL YOU WANT. JUST, PLEASE, MAKE IT SO SANS IS SAFE.”

Flowey slowly nodded through the shock. It was clear that he didn’t know that Papyrus remembered. Papyrus just hoped that, if he could keep Flowey entertained long enough, Sans would be safe.

“I can do that, cheery doormat. I promise.”

=====

Staring at your own dead body was definitely surreal. So was hearing your brother’s thoughts, especially when they were so steeped in grief. Chara focused on them, trying to pick out the thread that would let them help him.

<... It’s my fault, it’s my fault, it’s my fault->

Chara interrupted that thought right there. <Azzy, stop that. It’s no more your fault than it is mine. I told you that I was dying anyway. It was going to be old age before long. We just hurried it along a bit.> Azriel sniffed. Chara felt that, felt the tears in his fur (and wasn’t that a weird feeling), and sighed. <You’re such a needy crybaby! Come on, we have to get out of the Barrier before Mom and Dad come back. Don’t make me move these limbs myself!>

Azriel sniffed again, but Chara could tell that this one was different. This one was just Azzy trying to clean up his face. Chara smiled and felt that smile translate onto Azriel’s face. <Okay, Chara. You wanted to see the flowers in your village one last time, right?>

Chara nodded and picked up their own body. Azriel recoiled, but Chara explained, <I don’t want Mom and Dad to have to figure out what to do with it. We can put it in the flowers on the Surface, okay? I know you’ll like them. They’re golden, even more so than the buttercups. I don’t know what they’re called, though.>

Azriel headed out of their bedroom and towards the Barrier as they talked. <I know. You drew a picture with Sans, oh, twenty some years ago? He still keeps it safe from juice stains.>

Chara nodded, noting absently that walking through the Barrier felt like static and cotton balls. <Yeah, I know. I never thought he would take it so seriously. I figured he would forget about it in a few years, maybe.>

<Monsters live for a long time, Chara, so we have to remember stuff for a long time, too.> Azriel admonished, <It’s still so weird to me that humans can only live a bit over a hundred years. No wonder you changed so much physically! I just thought you were like the Whimsums. They go through so many life stages, and they look so hugely different in all of them. I never thought that you were actually aging that fast. Wowie!>

Chara shivered as they stepped out into the sun for the first time in decades. It felt so weird against Azriel’s fur. He was standing in shock, taking everything in for the first time. Chara was too busy reliving their mad escape to feel that awe, however. The only thing they could do was shield Azriel as best they could from the horrors in their mind. They didn’t want to worry or upset him. If they’d known that this whole soul absorbing thing would involve sharing thoughts, well… they might have reconsidered who they asked to absorb them. Maybe Gaster would have been a better idea after all.

<Is that your village, Chara?> Azriel’s voice interrupted their thoughts.

Chara blinked, trying to focus on what Azriel could currently see. He had to have been walking for a while, because he was approaching the clearing that their village used to be in. It looked bigger now. There were a lot more houses and buildings. It could hardly be called a village anymore. It was now a small town.

<Yes, this is it. The clearing with the flowers is over by that big tree there. At least, it used to be…> Chara said. There was now a fence and a gate around the flowers. That hadn’t been there before.

Azriel walked over and carefully opened the gate, setting Chara’s body down on the flowers and sitting next to it. Chara ran their hand through the flowers, getting Azriel’s fur covered in seeds and pollen. Maybe when they got back home Dad could have some fun trying to grow them. Of course, he wouldn’t need to if they did what they had planned to do. Chara forced his body to stand up and look around. There were some humans not too far away.

<Chara… what are you doing?> Azriel asked uneasily.

<I’m doing what Dad always said to do and being the Saviour of Monsterkind.> Chara said stubbornly. Then they stepped forward and brought Azriel and themselves into their destiny.

[tatumbutinblogform-blog]

Sample Blogs!

1. What is something vexing that you're currently wrestling with?

My first (of many) MIT dilemmas

Ah yes. MIT. The place that provides students SO MANY things to do (not just plain or boring things, things I love!). The ~things~ I’m referring to are all of the majors, minors, activities, clubs, seminars, learning communities... You get the point. Though I am still a smol, not-yet-exposed-to-the-real-MIT prefrosh, I get the sense that it’s hard not to want to do everything. MIT is amazing in that it does a phenomenal job of picking diverse, passionate, motivated students; these students avidly seek out challenges and, from what I’ve seen amongst my prefrosh kin™, are ready to do literally everything at MIT.

But of course, that’s not possible. Although many wish they could quadruple major, time limitations exist, other obligations exist, you need SLEEP, and thus it’s likely not going to happen. I recently encountered one of my first dilemmas with regards to MIT (let’s just acknowledge that I’m not even there yet!) so buckle up!

Although I think I know what I plan on majoring in (course 20?!), deciding on my HASS concentration (preemptive, of course, as I am currently attempting to plan my academic journey here at MIT on FireRoad) has proven to be a challenge.

Obviously, I love math and science; but my academic interests also include non-STEM subjects like literally anything art history (actually history in general…) and Mandarin Chinese. I had the chance to explore these two subjects in high school-- taking an AP Art History course junior year (and consequently falling in love) and Mandarin Chinese sophomore through senior year. I knew I needed to continue these in college, as they really added a must-needed balance to my years in high school.

I vividly remember basically being in <3 love <3 when I saw the art pieces printed in my AP booklet during the test, mostly because the print quality was so nice! I was definitely not expecting to spend time ogling over some art pieces I studied all year during the most important test for the class, but there I was. I am still so incredibly fascinated by art history; I love learning why an artist decided to create their pieces, why the pieces were important during the time period, and omg how pretty! 

I also discovered the wonder that is learning a new language! Most students took a required foreign language during their time in high school, as did I, but I never expected to thoroughly enjoy Mandarin so much. Although I never had exposure to the language growing up (as judging from my appearance, I am most definitely caucasian and our family only speaks English. but fun fact I’m ¼ Japanese!), I definitely had a great time learning about the intricate language and culture. And at this point, I virtually only speak at the elementary-level, so there is still so much 中文 (Chinese) to learn!

So this is my first MIT dilemma-- do I want to do my HASS Concentration in the History of Architecture, Art and Design, or in Chinese Studies? Learn cool history things, or (hopefully) become bilingual? ahhhh!!!

After a lot of thinking, planning, playing around with FireRoad, I think I’ve come to the decision of choosing the art history route. I am most definitely not dead-set on it, but just to give myself some peace of mind. It came down to which one I really enjoy studying! While I love learning Mandarin, my passion for art history ultimately prevailed. But stay tuned for any changes!

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2. What happened Tuesday?

Solace in the Summertime My First Tuesday of July!

For many people, it’s usually a rarity to see the sunrise every morning (and in a perfect world, I’d be “many people”). I’m unfortunately woken up each morning by my 5:40am alarm-- I mean, I love my daily routine, but I just wish my day started a bit later. After getting everything situated, aka my breakfast, clothes, backpack, and bike loaded into the car (more on that later), I’m off to rowing practice!

Today's workout includes some hard pieces¹ on the erg², where I eventually totaled 16,000 meters rowed for the day. After stretching and foam-rolling, I did some strength training and wooo I’m done!

Just kidding! I brought my bike to ride today (thanks to mom for dropping me off this morning :D ) because the weather is wonderful in Southern California and I love the scenic route home. So, I embark on the 40 minute-ish ride-- slightly longer because my legs are dead, and hills are no joke-- and think about what I’m going to do for the rest of my day! With only 47 days (insert surprised Pikachu) until I leave for MIT, my time left to spend at home is quite limited. So many things to do!

It’s only 10:52 in the morning, but I’m hungry so I snack on some blueberries. I absolutely love blueberries!!! I wrote a sonnet on my love for blueberries once (my teacher told us to be creative, it’s just what came to mind!), so clearly, the love is real. So sweet! So pigmented!

After my blueberry escapade, I decided to read a bit. I didn’t have much time throughout the school year to read for leisure, so I’m just cherishing the time now! I just started the “A Song of Ice and Fire” series by George R.R. Martin (aka Game of Thrones in book form before it became a TV show). After reading for a while, I eat lunch, chill a bit, and write in my new planner that I got as one of my graduation gifts.

A few hours later, it’s dinner time! I make a delicious salad for dinner (I make one literally every night ~ friendly reminder to get your veggies in!) and get prepare for a meeting I have in the evening. The meeting is for a nonprofit I help run, called STEMChats, and we’re having our weekly leadership team call that will last a few hours (it’s a busy time for us!).

Sparing some minor events that occurred through the day, this is what I did on my first Tuesday in July! The day was pretty uneventful for me, mostly because I’ve done a similar routine most days of my summer so far. But I hope you enjoyed Tatum’s Tuesday!

A “piece” is basically rowing lingo for the workout. Most are either by time or distance (meters).

We <3 erging! Ergs are the indoor rowing machines used for on-land workouts and such (most rowers don’t actually like them because hard workouts = pain).

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3. What is your current obsession?

Jeopardy! Joy An Evening Tradition 

If you ask me to hang out any given day between 7pm to 7:30pm, chances are I’ll say no. I’ve been watching the fast-paced classic trivia show Jeopardy! for over 11 years with the company of my mom. Though I didn’t get many answers right in my early years, I now get enough correct clues each night to tally ‘em up (sorry for the unintentional flex). So, when I hear the ever-so-memorable theme song each night when the clock strikes 7, I instantly grab my small chalkboard, chalk, and a nice glass of water because it’s time for some Jeopardy!. 

Now, I’m not sure you’d call it an obsession. For me, it’s a hobby. Surprising yourself by remembering very niche details on events, names, and just utterly random topics? Count me in! Now I know at MIT we had (have? idk?) a ~celebrity~ in our midst: Lily Chin, Jeopardy! College Champion. I remember watching the tournament a few years back, greatly looking up to the contestants who just knew so much! I never ever thought that I’d be going to the same institution, let alone writing this blog. Maybe one day I’ll be on Jeopardy! (currently waiting for the next college student try-out!!!) and I’ll fulfill my life-long dream! Or maybe I won’t! But I’ll still continue to watch the show and reminisce on all the great memories watching it with family (but show no remorse for all the missed opportunities for hangouts with friends. sorry y’all <3) (let’s play a game called “how many times can you mention ‘Jeopardy!’ in one blog post”!)

[nothinglastsonline]

it begins

Do you flush the toilet with your hand or your foot? My hand. Public restrooms don’t freak me out at all. I was never taught to be super cautious of them other than not to put my stuff on the floors. Tbh they’re probably cleaner than your home bathroom with how often they’re cleaned. So on New Year’s Eve this year my friends were playing this “Are You Normal” board game and they lost it at my friend for saying she didn’t cover the toilet seat with toilet paper in a public bathroom. I never have either. Man, what a way to start a new survey blog.

What’s your Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (Ex: ENTP)? INFJ. I get either that or INFP on tests, but I think INFJ fits a bit better.

Do you read any blogs and if so, which ones? No. Now that I think of it I never really have followed blogs obsessively. Some Livejournal communities and shit on Xanga yeah, and of course some websites that are now dead.

Where do you typically buy your clothes? Old Navy, Bluenotes, H&M, random places.

On a scale of one to ten, how healthy do you eat? LOL

What do you think is the most valuable college major? Ughhhh I hate this thing I see online (and overall in culture) lately of people being total zealots about ~*~*~STEM~*~*~ and arguing that doing literally any other degree is useless. The majority of people I know who went to university just have jobs based on the fact that they have a degree, not based on what it was. Tbh if I had a kid I’d be encouraging them to go into a trade. Even like, gender studies, which I hate a lot of the shit they teach, I recognize that majoring in that would be useful if you want to work for a women’s shelter, certain charities, in social work, etc. Don’t get me started on university. I can tell you it’s hilarious being on the other side now listening to 16/17 year olds talk about university, how they think it really matters which one you go to and what you get accepted for and stuff, when you know being on the other side that most of them will probably end up switching majors anyway.

Which books should I read this summer? I want to head The Handmaid’s Tale since somehow I managed to go through Canadian high school and university without reading it, but I feel like that’s really not a summer read.

Would you rather have curvy legs or skinny legs? Curvy.

Do you believe in ghosts and if so, have you ever seen one? I want to believe, but I’ve never seen one.

What’s your favorite game show? Family Feud and Celebrity Name Game. I miss the early 00s when there were a million game shows on TV.

How many times a day do you use the restroom? Uhh... like 3-5, I guess?

How much fruit do you eat on a given day? An ok amount, mostly because I like juice a lot.

What was the last thing that made you cringe? The “Communications Team” in the movie The Circle.

What’s your favorite ‘80s movie? Cliche, but either The Princess Bride or Breakfast Club. Oh shit, actually, Amadeus. I forgot that was an 80s movie. And A Christmas Story.

What time did you go to bed last night? 3 am because I’m in a really strange period of my life where all my classes are online and my work is freelance and I can’t really get a job because I have one lined up for August so I’d have to find something May-July inclusive which ain’t gonna happen.

Do you have your own car? No, I have access to my dad’s old car but I hate driving.

Do you own a romper? No.

Do you still speak to your ex’s parents? No. Not because I don’t want to, just because I never see them.

Who was the last person who drew you a picture? My little cousin?

When someone takes your picture, do you smile with your mouth open or closed? I prefer the way I look with my mouth closed, and that’s what I do if I take my own picture, but if someone else is taking my picture I usually open mouth smile because I can’t help it.

Do you floss? When there’s something stuck between my teeth.

What’s your favorite breakfast cereal? Rice Krispies.

How do you usually get your exercise? Lol. When I worked downtown, I walked a lot. Now... not so much. Pool will be open in a month so swimming after that.

What’s your favorite ice cream flavor? Chocolate chip cookie dough.

Why did you break up with your last significant other? Hah.

Are any of your siblings married? Nope.

What does your phone case look like, if you have one? A blueish rubbery sleeve.

What’s something about you that the opposite sex finds attractive? ???????? ??? ???? ??? ?

What do you usually put in your omelets? I don’t like omelets. I don’t like anything where you can taste the egg period.

Have you ever tried to go vegetarian and if so, how long did you last? No. I’d actually like to, theoretically. At least cutting my meat intake back to poultry only. But practically... I mean, I don’t eat a ton of meat other than chicken/turkey anyway, maybe beef once or twice a week, but it would be tough. I’ve tried to give up pork, because I love pigs. Since my dad was having gallbladder issues I pretty much almost have, since we didn’t have it in the house. I actually ate bacon for the first time in ages the Thursday before Easter and I felt physically sick afterwards.

What kind of exotic animal do you think you could keep as a pet? I don’t know. Do pigs count as “exotic”? Because I love pigs so much, and I don’t expect one to stay unrealistically small, I love the big fat potbelly ones and full-sized farm pigs. I love elephants too.

What’s your favorite type of dog? Bedlington terrier.

What’s something you can draw really well? I’m okay at drawing horses.

What’s your favorite fast food joint? A&W or McDicks, assuming pizza places don’t count in this category.

Did you ever eat leaves when you were a kid? ...no?

What’s the largest body of water near your hometown? Lake Ontario, I suppose.

Do you have any flags in your house? Yes.

Are there any “keep off the grass” signs where you live? I’m sure somewhere.

Have you ever walked on the grass with such a sign? Yeah.

Do you like kiwis? No. Strawberry-kiwi stuff is okay.

Are you double-jointed? Nope.

At school, which area of science did you prefer, biology, chemistry or physics? Chemistry was the only one I took into the senior grades. I considered becoming a pharmacist, which I kind of wish I’d done now.

Which did you prefer between geography and history? History! I never really liked geography.

Have you ever had a main part in a play? Yup. I was Lucy in a Charlie Brown Christmas in Grade 7.

Are there any musical instruments in the room you’re in? No.

Can you name a difference between RNA and DNA? I don’t really know the difference.

Do you know anyone who owns a farm? Not super closely. I’ve met Esther the Wonder Pig’s dads. :o)

Have you ever driven a tractor? No.

Does the smell of the countryside bother you? No, I kind of like it. I rode horses as a kid so I got used to the manure smell.

Who sits behind you in English? I don’t remember the last English class I had, lol. That autobiography class, maybe? And it’s university, so everyone changed seats all the time.

When will your next kiss be? ????

What song are you listening to? I am not.

How late do you normally stay up on weekdays? Oh jeez, my sleep schedule is so messed up now that I don’t have anything to do in the mornings.

Has a friendship ended recently that you wish hadn’t? Not recently.

What did you do Saturday? Today’s Saturday. I’m supposed to go see Guardians of the Galaxy tonight.

Do you like your music loud or at a reasonable level? Reasonable level, unless it’s live.

When do you prefer to take a shower, in the morning or night? Night.

What’s the next vacation you’re going on? I’m going to Boston in two weeks. I’ve never been before. I haven’t been to much of the States, just New York, Florida, California, and briefly New Jersey when we had a transfer at Newark airport. We’re supposed to go through Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and New York, so it should be interesting.

Can you watch scary movies? Yeah I don’t get scared by them, but they don’t really interest me either, so I don’t see many of them. I feel like I could get into really campy, genre horror, like the type this guy I know produces. I should look into it I guess.

How do you like your eggs? Wasn’t this asked previously?

Do you want any piercings? No. I’ve never had anything pierced. I went to school with mostly Italians (Catholic School) and all the girls had their ears pierced as babies because I guess it’s a cultural thing of some sort, and I got made fun of for not having my ears pierced in elementary school. Eh.