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umichenginabroad · 28 days

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Madrid Week 9/10: Viva Italia (part 2… part 1)

Hola a todxs!

Niko back here with week 9 of my study abroad experience. I’m a week late on this one... because last week was spring break (semana santa/holy week, the week leading up to easter)! I was a bit tied up with traveling (which I’ll get into in this blog), so I couldn’t find any time to write. The positive (or negative based on how much you like my writing 🥲) is that I’ll be posting two blogs this week about the trip to make it more digestible, since there is a lot to tell.

So, the week leading up to Spring break was filled with a little bit of scrambling to get all of my stuff done (a paper for Spanish and a presentation for my culture class, which I also think I’ll end up writing a blog about), but once Friday hit, I was free — ready to immerse myself in the true Italian experience 🤌.

The amount of culture in Italy is pretty crazy — I don’t know many other European countries with as many iconic cities as Italy, except for maybe Spain. Beautiful and historically significant places are sprinkled throughout all 301,340 square kilometers, and I think it’s safe to say that I’ve seen a lot of it. Italian fashion, history, wine, geography, and food are also iconic.

It’s also safe to say that I won’t be eating pasta or pizza again for a couple weeks now. I ate primarily carbs for every single meal, and I honestly don’t know how I didn’t end up feeling terribly weak or something like that halfway through due to the lack of protein and nutritious diversity. Quality ingredients I suppose?

Now, I’ll walk through each destination of my break in mini chapters and reflect a bit about each one.

24 hours in Lisbon

When planning out the trip, the cheapest flight that we could find routed us through Lisbon to get to Rome. Seems counter intuitive, I agree, but that’s how it worked out. For the first leg of this trip, I was traveling with one of my Madrid roommates and 3 of his friends that he knew from his hometown.

We had just under 24 hours to get a feel for the city. My conclusion: Lisbon has a wonderful energy. The buildings are beautiful and the narrow streets have a playful way of winding through the city. There are hills in every direction, cute yellow trams bustling about, and the Atlantic ocean is never too far away. I'd already been to Lisbon with my family a few years ago, but it was really nice to experience it from a more grown up perspective.

We went on a free walking tour (pro tip — free walking tours aren’t actually free. Get cash beforehand for tips so you aren’t scrambling to find an ATM when the tour ends [spoken from experience]), listened to a busker perform beautiful Bossa nova (not Portuguese, I'm aware) at an overlook of the city, ate Pastel de Nata (fire af, highly recommend), and zoomed around a little bit on Lime scooters before getting back to the airport to catch our flight to Rome. Pictures tell the better story than I could!

When in Rome

The amount of time we said “When in Rome” or “Hey, Rome wasn’t built in a day” was probably too high to shamelessly write down in this blog, but I don’t regret saying a single one. I mean hey, when in Rome, right?

If you plan on going to Rome, especially during easter, this is the best piece of advice I could give you: book things far, far in advance. I thought it would be cool to book museums and whatnot the weekend before.

Terrible idea. Everything was sold out, and I had to resort to booking expensive tours and second party resell tickets in order to see what I wanted to see. Hopefully, my bank account took the L so that no prospective Italy spring breakers have to. Book in advance from the official websites, and pay the little bit extra to skip the line!! It is worth it.

Rome has an incredible energy that is really enhanced by the history that flanks every inch of it. Anyways, what did I see that I didn't book in advance?

The Vatican Museums/St. Peter's Basilica: pretty insane how beautiful every inch of that building is. Unfortunately, because I was on a timed tour, I didn’t get to fully appreciate all of the art that was in the Museum, but I got a good long while in the Sistine Chapel, which is simply marvelous. The Creation of Adam is truly epic. Michelangelo is the goat. After this trip, I’m a big fan. Michelangelo also designed St. Peter’s Basilica, which I climbed to the top of. It’s also epicly huge and beautiful, and offers amazing views of the city.

The Colosseum: worth going inside — especially if you have a good imagination. Looking down at the arena floor, I imagined gladiators brutally fighting to the death with bloodthirsty Romans sneering and cheering them on from all sides. That happened right where I was standing. Even a peasant in the nosebleeds would have been close enough to the action and seen the killing in gruesome detail.

The Roman Forums: also a big imagination thing. Imagining standing in the center of Rome, massive white marble buildings towering above, cheering peasants on all sides, while the Roman emperor parades through the streets with golden chariots filled with riches pillaged from far away lands.

The Borghese Gallery: Probably my favorite thing in Rome. The pictures speak for themselves, some of the most impressive sculptures I’ve ever seen in my life (close tie with the David in Florence).

The Pantheon: It's crazy how old this thing was (like 2000 years), and how good of a condition it's still in. That's what happened when you transform a pagan temple into a church, I guess.

Rome itself: Rome is also filled with beautiful, free to access public Piazzas and monuments that are also worth visiting. There is a distinct vibe to each neighborhood, tons of delicious food, cool sunset spots, and good vibes both day and night.

My best recommendation for truly experiencing the epic history throughout the country? RICK STEVES! Rick Steves has audio guides for almost all the biggest tourist attractions in a ton of Italy (and the rest of Europe!) His guides are funny, help you visualize, are super informative, and most importantly, FREE! Using his guides really added to my experience, I listened to them every chance I got. Click here for his Italy guide.

On Tuesday, the friends that I came with left to see other parts of Italy I hadn't planned on visiting, while I took an extra day to explore Rome. I engaged in some Solo-traveling (my first true solo travel of the semester), and my confidence in spending time alone and building connections grew. I stayed in a hostel for two nights and ended up meeting a fellow solo traveler, who happened to be Argentinian. We formed a meaningful connection, and shared mate on Thursday morning — a custom I really missed from my time in Buenos Aires.

Fire-nze 🔥

For those of you who didn’t know (I didn’t before going to Italy) Florence is called Firenze in Italian. Not sure where that distinction came from. But I like it.

I stayed with a home friend of mine, Shea (she stayed with me in Madrid a few weeks ago) who is studying there for the semester. I spent four days in total in Florence, two of which I used to take short day trips to nearby cities.

Florence is the birthplace of the Renaissance. As a result, the museums there are pretty insane. The Uffizi has the most impressive collection of Renaissance paintings, probably in the world, with works from Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Raffael, and more. The Rick Steves tour is great for this one.

The Accademia is home to Michelangelo’s the David. More about how seeing it made me feel in the reflection section. But it’s epic.

Florence also has a pretty insanely huge church, the Duomo, and the story about how it was designed is also crazy. In conclusion, the Renaissance men are goated. They were literally good at everything, art, sculpting, engineering, architecture, you name it, they could do it. How I’m tryna be for real.

Going ta’ Bologna (I tried to make it rhyme i'm sorry)

My day spent in Bologna was one of my favorites this trip. I took a day trip there alone from Florence, a quick 1 hour train ride. Bologna has an amazing vibe. It smells fantastic everywhere (food markets, soap shops, flowers, etc. Beautiful.). It felt really local. There were a good amount of tourists, but Italians far outnumbered them, which was a different story from Florence and Rome, both of which were pretty overwhelmed (especially true in Easter week).

Bologna is also a University Town, so it was filled with young people and overall had a great energy. I spent the day just exploring, eating (I had the best lasagna of my life. Bologna is known for its food scene and it did not disappoint. Ever heard of spaghetti Bolognese? Yeah.), and did a mini pilgrimage to see a cool monastery on a big hill. Fantastic vibes overall, 100% would recommend seeing.

_________________

I would have included more pics, but I was limited by tumblr lol. I’ll discuss the rest of my trip and some big reflections I took away from it in the next post I’ll make soon! If you’re reading this after I’ve already posted all the blogs, you can find the next post here.

Ciao,

Niko Economos

Aerospace Engineering

Universidad Carlos III de Madrid

Madrid, Spain

[email protected]

#UmichEnginAbroad #IPEUC3M #NikoEconomos #IPEWinter24 #Spain

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bilvy · 2 years

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#i don’t even know i think everyone is mad at me today and i have to revise the papers i’ve written and i have an exam on monday #and i have spanish homework religion homework and biology homework due tomorrow #and i have 2 papers due on friday and then more spanish and then i have biology on monday and i’m not even including work right now #it’s just ..i feel like majorly gross i can’t #my eating disorder is getting worse because i know i can’t control everything around me which is like…great u fucking freak but it’s also #like i need to eat to survive so i eat but i don’t feel happy anymore when i eat i’m just like ? okay ? great? good?#yeah i don’t know #idk this is me saying look away if u have an eating disorder i don’t know how to tag things properly #tw ed

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conradscrime · 3 years

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Lyle Stevik John Doe (Identified in 2018)

January 08, 2021

Ugh. I love a good John/Jane Doe case.

However, I do want to just remind everyone that as interesting as these cases are, they are very sad. We need to remember that yes a person who is unidentified is very interesting because there are a lack of answers. The main one being who are they but also what happened to them?

I think when it comes to John/Jane Doe cases we need to mindful and remain extremely respectful and not so judgemental. These people at one point were someone’s children, sibling, perhaps someone’s parent, someone’s spouse. They were most likely someone’s everything at one point. And now there could be a family or friend or loved one who has no idea what happened to them, has no idea why they haven’t heard from them or seen them.

John/Jane Doe cases are probably some of my favourite to research because they are just that, interesting. But I especially think in these cases we need to be respectful because these people are no longer here to tell their story or defend themselves. And everyone no matter, deserves to have their name back.

I’ve known about the Lyle Stevik John Doe case long before he was ever identified. I want to say around 2016 is when I first heard of the case and when he was identified in May of 2018 I was so happy, though his story is sad. Since being identified his family has chosen to keep his identity from the public which I do not blame them one bit especially because I believe the family assumed he was out living a life without them and had no idea he had been deceased for so long. My heart goes out to the family of Lyle Stevik John Doe.

TRIGGER WARNING: This case involves the topic of suicide and someone taking their own life. If this is triggering for some I suggest not reading this case and to stay tuned for upcoming cases I cover! I have a lot planned and there will be new posts from me every Friday (and on days where I am not so busy with work and school I will have 2 cases uploaded!)

On Friday, September 14, 2001 a man checked into a motel in Amanda Park Washington called the Quinault Inn under the name Lyle Stevik after arriving there via bus. The clerk told police that he may have been Canadian, as he spoke with what seemed to the clerk as an accent similar to a Canadian one.

When registering for his room he entered the alias Lyle Stevik, and for an address he wrote down the address of a Best Western facility in Meridian Idaho. The police ended up locating the hotel and questioning the staff, but none of them recognized photos of him.

The man was reportedly seen walking back and forth at the side of the highway near the motel, but it is uncertain whether these sightings were seen before or after he registered for his room at the motel. The man actually requested a different room after complaining about the noise outside the room was he given.

The man was found deceased in his motel room on Monday September 17, 2001. An initial report said he had stayed at the motel for two nights, but he had checked in on September 14, which meant he had stayed there for three nights. He originally only paid for one night, but then planned to stay for a few more days. He had hung himself by his belt from a bar inside the closet.

He had left a note that said “for the room” on the bedside table and left $160 in $20 bills to cover the remaining two nights of the weekend, which I think just shows what kind of person he was in life, a good person. The bills used to pay for the room looked fresh, it appeared that they had been recently taken out of an ATM machine. He had no wallet on him or credit card, so it seemed kind of strange that the bills looked so fresh, because how did he use a ATM machine if he didn’t have a card or wallet on him? There was also a note left that just said the words “suicide.” He is thought to have died on September 16. It is suspected that he may have died by suicide due to depression or because of a fatal disease, though the autopsy showed no signs of that.

The man was described to have light-skin, and by his features some report that he could of been from Native American or Hispanic ancestry. He also had black hair which was trimmed and neatly combed and green/hazel eyes. He weighed between 130-140 pounds, and was about 6 feet tall.

An investigator also claimed that there had been a piece of paper located in the trash bin that had “suicide” written on it as if the man were practicing how to spell it. Some believe he could not speak English well. I find this strange though because the clerk that gave him his room never mentioned that he could not speak english well from the research i’ve done, the clerk only said he had some sort of accent and like previously mentioned it was thought to be a Canadian accent, and I feel as though that would of been a very important detail that wouldn’t of been left out.

Police also said he had closed the blinds of the room and lined the closet with pillows. The man had no luggage with him, he only brought a toothbrush and toothpaste which were found in the room. He was wearing a gray tshirt and blue levi jeans and black timberland boots. There was also a blue long sleeve plaid button up shirt found laying on a chair in the room.

So you may be wondering where the name Lyle Stevik comes from. Some believe that he came up with this name from a character in a book written by Joyce Carol Oates. The novel was called “You Must Remember” and it was released in 1987. In the story, the main character’s father, Lyle Stevik, contemplates suicide, and attempts suicide, however doesn’t suceed. The John Doe spelled the name Stevik, but in the book the character’s name is spelled Stevick, with a C.

The local coroner’s office also said the man could of been from African-American ancestry in addition to having Hispanic and native american ancestry.

DNA analysis concluded he was at least one-quarter native american and one quarter hispanic or spanish. His teeth showed evidence of earlier treatment with braces. He had an old appendectomy scar which is when you get your appendix removed, and also a small mole on the left side of his chin. He also had attached earlobes which is a genetic characteristic. His nails were clean and trimmed as well.

The man also was not wearing a ring on his left finger, and there was no tan line there or any indication that he had ever worn a ring on that finger. They also did isotope testing on the man and found that he had travelled to various states before his death. Isotope testing in criminal investigations is basically used to find out things such as locating the country of origin for a given explosive, or to identify drug trafficking routes.

The examination also showed that he had recently lost a large amount of weight up to 40 pounds. The medical examiner estimated this weight difference after noticing that the size of his jeans were fairly large in comparison to his body. His belt also had extra holes that had been punched into it. His age was estimated to be between 20 and 30 years old, giving his estimated year of birth to be between 1971 and 1981.

Some also found it strange that this man had committed suicide only a few days after 9/11 happened. Investigator’s tried to connect the two, some people thinking maybe he had lost someone in 9/11 and could not go on without them so he decided to end his own life.

The man known as Lyle Stevik was a John Doe. They had no idea where he came from or where his family could be. He was buried in an unmarked grave at the Fern Hill Cemetery in Aberdeen, Washington, and went unidentified for almost 17 years.

Because this man had only been deceased for a short period of time before being found, examiners were able to obtain fingerprints, dental characteristics and DNA. These identifying markers were placed in international databases, including CODIS, but no matches were made. It was believed that he came from Port Angeles or Aberdeen, locations from which buses daily traveled to Amanda Park.

The man was not recognized by any of the bus drivers from those areas. There were also two men who had gone missing named Alexander Craig and Steven Needham, but both had been ruled out as possible identities of the Lyle Stevik John Doe.

In April of 2007, Lyle Stevik was listed as the profile of the month for Missing From the circle, which was a public service initiative launched by Lamar Associates, a law enforcement advisory organization based in Washington, D.C. to help solve cases of missing and unidentified Native Americans.

The case went cold. But in 2018, two genetic genealogists from the DNA Doe Project named Colleen M. Fitzpatrick and Margaret Press uploaded DNA profiles to GEDmatch to attempt to link the unidentified man to individuals living in New Mexico and Idaho. The DNA Doe Project is a non-profit organization dedicated to identifying unknown deceased persons.

And then on May 8, 2018 it was announced by the Grays Harbor Sheriff’s office that Lyle Stevik had been identified through DNA analysis and comparison with genetic relatives, performed by the DNA doe project in collaboration with Aerodyne and Full Genomes Corporation. They found a cluster of matches of relatives, perhaps even two or three generations removed, in New Mexico. Through this they were able to find members of the John Doe’s birth family.

The man was from Alameda County, California and was 25 years old at the time of this death. The Grays harbour county sheriff’s office notified the man’s family, who had believed him to be alive and had just thought he did not want to associate with them. His family had a set of his fingerprints that were taken in grade school, as part of a children’s identification program.

The sheriff’s department compared those to the fingerprints of the deceased man taken in 2001 and made a positive identification. However, we do not know the man’s actual name because his family has asked to keep it private, they do not want him to be publicly identified.

This case is oddly similar to a case that happened in 1996. A woman who went by the name Mary A. Anderson committed suicide in a hotel room in Seattle, Washington in October of 1996. However, this is known to be a fake name the woman used and they have never been able to identify her.

She reserved a room via telephone on October 9 about 90 minutes before she checked in. She arrived with two bags and paid cash for two nights. She also entered a New York address and telephone number, which investigator later determined to be false.

On Friday, October 11 her body was discovered by a hotel staff member after she failed to check out. She was found reclining in the bed, clasping a Bible to her chest with the pages opened to Psalm 23. There was a suicide note on the bedside table. She left no identification.

The Medical examiner determined she had consumed a lethal mixture of metamucil and cyanide and ruled her death a suicide. The woman was white, said to be between ages 30-50, with well groomed manicured nails and neatly combed hair. She had an IUD inserted, and appeared to have had breast surgery at some point in her life.

Police tried to identify her through fingerprint records on file with the FBI, as well as through missing persons reports filed in the US, Canada and through Interpol which is the International criminal police organization. They were unable to trace the origins of cyanide used and the medical examiner’s office said that the woman had purposely left out any way that she could be identified. I included a photo of her facial reconstruction down below along with Lyle Stevik’s.

Though I don’t really believe there’s any connection to these two cases they are eerily similar and as I mentioned earlier I think John/Jane Doe cases are especially important to cover, and especially important to be respectful of any friends or family if they ever come across this post.

It makes me extremely happy that Lyle Stevik John Doe was identified in May of 2018. His family has asked to keep his identity from the public, however after doing further research I did find some websleuths who have supposedly found a picture of Lyle Stevik in a yearbook and have released his real name. Personally, the photo to me looks extremely real and does look like him, almost exactly.

However, because his family wants to grieve in peace I will not be posting that photo or his supposed real name. I do not think that is fair to the family and I think we need to let this case rest. Lyle Stevik got his name back, his family has the closure they needed after all these years and that’s all that matters.

Thank you for taking time out of your day to read this post! I have included a photo of Lyle Stevik John Doe’s sketch but I will not be including photos of his body or the supposed yearbook photo of him as I just find that extremely disrespectful to not only him, but also his family.

Hope you enjoyed this case!

#true crime #crime #solved #johndoe #john doe #identified #2001

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lampstudies · 4 years

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Hello everyone!! When I post this it'll be September 7th, aka my leaving cert results day. I've written my predictions in advance and then when I get my results I shall fill them in here. For those who don't know, the Irish grade system works with H standing for higher level and O standing for ordinary level. I did higher level in every subject except for maths. Your best six subjects are converted into points and you need to get a certain amount of points to get a place in college. H1 is the best grade which is 90% - 100%, H2 is 80% - 90% and so on. Our grades this year were predicted by our teachers and then standardised by the government, I never sat my exams.

English

My prediction: H3/H4

In the first year of my leaving cert, fifth year, I got mostly H4s but then this year, in sixth year, I got mostly H3s and occasionally H2s but I got a H4 in my mock. When I took my English mock, I was so so overwhelmed and stressed and barely even convinced myself to go and sit the exam so I know that if I was more relaxed I could've done so much better. I'm really really hoping I'll get the H3. I'm fairly confident that my teacher will predict me a H3 as she is very fair and a great teacher but it might be downgraded by the department in order to fit grade boundaries. I'm really hoping I'll get a H3, that would be absolutely absolutely amazing.

My result: H4

I’m just slightly disappointed with this result and when appeals happen next week I’ll probably appeal it anyway just to chance my luck but I’m not disappointed enough to actually put the effort in and resit the exam. It’s not as if it’s completely uncalled for because I did get H4s in English a lot last year. The rest of the results I was overjoyed with.

Irish

My prediction: H3

We didn't do many small class tests in Irish but in my mock and at Christmas and summer I got a H3 so I think that I genuinely deserve the H3. The thing is though my Irish class is so good like most of them are H1/H2/H3 standard so downgrading may impact my result. I'm not the best at orals either but I think if I sat the exam I could've scraped the H3. I would be disappointed with anything below a H3 simply because I always got H3s and I don't think I ever got a H4 or lower.

My result: H3

Delighted with that, I think that’s exactly what I deserved. Kinda made me laugh that technically I’m better in Irish than my native language.

Maths

My prediction: O2/O3

I did higher level maths up until the start of sixth year and then I dropped to ordinary level maths. I was passing higher level maths but I just didn't think the effort was worth it because it was causing other subjects to decline. In my mock I got an O3 and I got an O3 at Christmas and then O1s and O2s in my class tests. I don't really care what I get in this subject but I would be shocked if it was anything lower than an O3.

My result: O1

Since I wasn’t counting maths I didn’t think I’d care but I got an O1 which I was actually absolutely delighted with. I probably could have passed higher level but I wasn’t bothered to put the effort in.

German

My prediction: H1/H2

I care about this grade more than I care about any other grade. I really want a H1 and I think I deserve it. I got a H2 in my mock and in general H1s or H2s and the rare H3 in tests. I'm fairly good at orals but I didn't get the chance to sit an oral for my mock exam because school closed due to the pandemic. I think my teacher will predict me a H1 but my concern is that my grade will be downgraded during the standardisation process.

My result: H1

SO DELIGHTED I CAN’T EVEN BEGIN TO EXPRESS!! I’ll be studying German and Spanish in university so this result really mattered to me. I wanted to get the H1, felt I would’ve gotten it in the exam if I sat it and I felt that I more than deserved it. I GOT A H1 YAY

Business

My prediction: H1/H2

I really want the H1 but I want it slightly less than I want the H1 in German. I got a H3 (79%) in my mock so I just missed out on the H2 and I also never got to receive my mock because the schools closed so I never got to see if there were any mistakes marking my paper. I got H1s/H2s/H3s in tests and my teacher said I should aim for a H1, so I think my teacher will predict me a H1 but once again I'm worried that I will be downgraded during the standardisation process. I really really want the H1 though.

My result: H1

So happy with this as well!! Business is not the easiest subject to get a H1 in generally but I’m so thrilled I managed to do it as my teacher told me in March I should work towards a H1.

Biology

My prediction: H3/H4

Biology could end up going any way I'm really really not too sure how it's going to go. I got a H4 in the mock and my summer exam last year and in general I got either low H4s or low H2s in Biology. I'm expecting a H4 but I'd be so delighted if I got the H3. We didn't do a lot of class tests unfortunately and my teacher has said that what students get in their summer test (in my case a H4) is usually what they get in the leaving cert but I really didn't study much for that test and I'm really really hoping I get the H3.

My result: H3

Expected the H4 but delighted I managed to scrape the H3. Know some people very disappointed with their biology results though.

Home Ec:

My prediction: H3/H4

My grades for home ec were a bit all over the place. Our mocks were harshly corrected and I got a H5, which I was absolutely devestated with. Got H1s and H2s in a lot of class tests with the occasional lower grade and H3s mostly at summer and Christmas. I think I deserve the H3 but with getting the H5 in my mock, I don't know if my teacher will be generous enough to give me the H3. They shouldn't be taking the mocks that highly into account though so I'm hoping I can scrape the H3.

My result: H2

I can’t express how shocked I am with the result. The only possible explanation for this is that I did really well in my project part of my home ec.

Overall Predictions:

Optimistic: 2x H1s, 4x H3s, 1x O2

Realistic: 2 x H2s, 1x H3, 3x H4s, 1x O3

Result: 2X H1s, 1 H2, 2xH3,1 H4, 1x O1

Reflection:

Absolutely over the moon and I am so so excited to fingers crossed get my offer to study German and Spanish on Friday. Been neglecting German over the summer so I’m going to try start working on it again from next week, I deserve this week stress free. Absolutely delighted delighted with what I got.

#results #leaving cert #jay talks

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loptgangandi · 4 years

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so! literally no one asked, but these last 3 weeks have been a hell of a ride let me TELL YOU

so happy mun-day now you get to hear all about it!! (with pictures, I’m not a monster)

here’s the cliffnotes version:

december week 1: simultaneously moved back into a place and took classes then moved out of that place while taking classes and planning a 2-day overland trip from sweden to madrid. took said trip.

december week 2: attended the unfccc climate conference COP25 in madrid, got kicked out for protesting in solidarity with indigenous ppl & kids, got let back into COP the next day & proceeded to go to more panels and also protests. no i did not see greta thunberg but she was there. I did not see harrison ford either. I did shake al gore’s hand tho.

december week 3: week #1 with my mom’s new twin one-eyed cyclops kitties (yes both of them), spent the week frantically writing 2400 words of nonsense that hopefully resolved themselves into two coherent enough papers to snag me a nice grade then took a 36-hour trip up to london to see my sister perform at her bitchin new job.

elaboration under the cut.

Hell Week (or) Why You Sometimes Should Fly to Climate Conferences

So, after the nonsense with The Roommate From Hell (reddit rant here), I moved out of my room at her place and back into the dorms (where I still had a lease through the end of December). That required a fair bit of effort, but I moved things bit by bit over the course of about a week, and it was manageable.

But I had to be out of the dorms and have the place clean by the time I left for the climate conference, which in itself was a whole lot of coordination. Wednesday the 4th of December was probably among the worst, most frustrating days I have ever had, and I desperately hope I never have to deal with that level of fuck this fuck you fuck me fuck everything for a very, very long time. Somehow -- by some miraculous act of the gods -- I pulled it out, and managed to get my stuff into my friend’s basement, my plants into another friend’s apartment, my bags packed, my room clean as a whistle, my self moved into my hostel, and to every damn class that week. My interrail tickets came the day I planned to leave -- it was a tight fit -- and I managed to book trains and busses from Uppsala to Madrid with half an hour to spare, and get on the first train (Uppsala to Stockholm) in good time.

The next 48 hours went like this:

Stockholm -> Copenhagen (by train): uneventful, but Copenhagen train station on a Friday night is a little dicey, especially when you’re dragging around a 45 lb suitcase and another 15 lbs on your back

Copenhagen -> Hamburg (by overnight FlixBus): Uneventful, and I was sitting by a window with no one sitting next to me, so I was able to doze a bit on the trip.

Hamburg -> Basel (by high-speed rail): This one I should have booked. The website said that a reservation was recommended, and I understand why. If I’d had a quiet cabin -- or even just a consistent seat for the whole 7-hour journey -- I’d have been able to get a decent night’s sleep. Instead, I kept having to move to give people their reserved seats, and didn’t get more than an hour of uninterrupted sleep.

Basil -> Olten (train): this one was a mistake

Olten -> Brienz (train): where the fuck am I

Brienz -> Lausanne (train): oh right yes that’s the direction I want to go yes good get on that one

Lausanne -> Geneva (train): oh thank fuck, I 100% know where I am and am back on track. Sunglasses & 30 hours without sleep is a Look.

Geneva: Spend 3 hours with my mom, put a week’s worth of clothes into a considerably smaller suitcase, eat dinner. meet mom’s new kittens, Saga and Luna

Geneva -> Lyon (bus): Get confused about which bus to get on, get told off by the bus driver we were trying to convince to let us on his bus, realized mom had been trying to put me on the wrong bus. Get on the right bus. Go to Lyon with bus driver who speaks no French or English, only Spanish.

Lyon -> Barcelona (night bus): Hell. Just. Absolute Hell Bus. Wanted To Die all night. Assigned to aisle seat just before the very back next to a very, very tall man who was quite polite but had no room for his legs. Behind us were two men, one of whom was loudly chewing gum until he took off his shoes and fell asleep, the other of whom snored like a gd bulldozer. Aisle seat and wailing baby a few rows down meant that my chances of sleeping comfortably were 0. I did manage to doze off a bit, but only because I was so strung out from not sleeping the night before. Eventually made it to Barcelona alive and lent my phone to the very nice lady with the wailing baby (plus like 5 other family members, none of whom had cell service).

Barcelona -> Madrid (train): Absolutely gorgeous train ride through the Spanish countryside that I really did want to stay awake to enjoy. Managed to do so until we got to an elevation where it was just thick, dense fog and I let myself fall asleep.

Madrid: I arrived at my hostel groggy, dazed, and in pain from two bad nights in a row. I considered a nap, but also considered that I’d need to wake up early the next morning and would need to fall asleep. Opted to try to set up my COP25 blog instead. Failed due to aforementioned grogginess. Walked to the corner to get some food and tried to pay for it with Swedish kronor, which didn’t work. Apologized, explained to the amused man that it had been a long weekend, paid him in Euros instead. Used the hostel’s dry sauna (!!!!), took a shower, and went to bed.

COP25 - The Old White Fuckening

So, listen, I’m not going to go into detail about COP. If you want to read about how much of a tonedeaf clusterfuck the negotiations were (as opposed to the really interesting, inspiring stuff happening in the side sessions), BBC has some good articles.

If you want to listen to some of the press conferences and plenaries, here they are. I especially recommend the ones by the Women’s Earth and Climate Caucus, Fridays for Future, and as many of the Indigenous Peoples’ statements as you can (most of them are in Spanish and/or Portuguese. Because the COP was supposed to be held in Chile, many of the registered Indigenous participants were from Amazonas because it was supposed to not be far to travel).

If you want to listen to some of the side events, the webcasts have been recorded here. Click the link, and then click “Join the event.” I again recommend the ones by Indigenous groups (if you can understand them -- we all had translation headphones in the sessions, but I don’t speak Spanish, so I can’t really go back and revisit them). Also, this "feminist attempt at connecting the dots” on “climate crisis, corporate power, and climate finance” and this one session from a Nigerian NGO and the government about One Health and the connection between climate change, disease, and other health risks -- and how badass Nigeria is at tackling them.

On the subject of tonedeafness, some absolute bullshit went down on Wednesday, December 11th.

Here is the article on BBC, but it’s a bit incomplete.

Here’s what happened.

COP25 2: The Old White Fuckeninger (Starring Military Police!)

So on Wednesday, December 11th, Greta Thunberg -- environmental wunderkind with truly glorious bitchface -- sat on a panel before a hall full of condescending adults in which she demanded accountability and immediate action from national leaders.

At the end of her speech, the delegation of Fridays for Future -- Greta’s own youth movement, which has become a global phenomenon -- stormed the stage. Representatives of Fridays for Future admitted that they knew what they were doing was against the rules, and they were ready to face the consequences: having their admission badges taken away (being “debadged”), and not being blacklisted from future UNFCCC events.

Neither of these things happened. Instead, UNFCCC praised the young activists, and let them keep their badges.

A few hours later, another activist group in attendance -- not an Indigenous one, a point that was raised by a young Native American man during the Fridays for Future press conference -- staged a sit-in outside the main hall where a large plenary meeting was scheduled. Said meeting was full of gimmicks, including a live call to the International Space Station so an astronaut could talk about the view of climate change from space.

I was going to attend the plenary. I joined the protest instead.

Admittedly, the decision was partly made for me by security. After pushing, shoving, and jostling the (mostly adult, heavily Indigenous, mostly PoC, heavily female, heavily Queer) protesters, as well as violently snatching their badges off their lanyards, security started herding them -- as well as anyone in proximity -- out into the open docking area outside the hall. One woman nearby, who hadn’t meant to join the protest and who had just been filming, tried to duck out of the group and got sternly told by a security guard “No. Keep going forward. No turning back.” A similar thing had happened to me -- I hadn’t made up my mind about joining the protest, because I didn’t have all the information -- but security made the decision, and in the end, I’ll always prefer to be with the people facing the police rather than those they’re protecting.

It was... furious. It was emotional. The leaders of the protest had us form a circle and turn our backs on security and the door. WoC -- many of whom were Indigenous -- led not just standard protest chants, but songs. Renewal songs, fight songs. The common theme was the intersection of environmental justice and femininity, queerness and suffering under colonization, anti-capitalism, anti-exploitation, and a call for colonizers to repay the colonized for all of the loss and damage already caused by climate change (climate reparations).

Eventually, UNFCCC made a decision. They decided to close the door on us. Security “escorted” us to the docking bay entrance, and the military police took over. Fortunately, none of them started anything. Obviously, none of the protesters did either. We made it back to the venue entrance eventually, but only those with journalist/media badges were allowed back in; the rest of us were not. Even people with Observer badges (like mine) who hadn’t been part of the protest weren’t being allowed in. But some people who were panelists, delegates, etc. came out to stand in solidarity with us.

Once it became clear that no more joint actions would be taking place, I went home, and waited to see whether the negotiators would be able to talk UNFCCC into letting us back in.

They did. Can you imagine the headlines? “UNFCCC Kicks Out Protesters, Bars Civil Society Observers From Climate Talks.”

Talk about going down like a lead balloon.

Which is about what the conference in general did. I was able to go back and get some more stuff out of it... including another big protest, this time led by Fridays for Future and sanctioned. It was so, so good. Many of the people from Wednesdays protest were also there, and while spirits weren’t exactly high, the emotions being expressed were more along the lines of determination and tenacity than fire and fury. Both are valid, and both have their place, and it was nice to have a balance -- especially at the end of the week, when we were all flat-out exhausted.

The Aftermath

And then I just didn’t stop moving. Saturday and Sunday I spent exploring Madrid and staying out late, Monday I flew back to Geneva from Madrid (because absolutely fuck Spanish busses and also absolutely FUCK FRANCE’s weeks-long general strike that I’m sure was for something very important. I’m sure. Because France never strikes over trivial things).

Tuesday-Friday was a takehome exam that I swear to god was more labor-intensive than my actual undergrad thesis, and Saturday-Sunday I flew to London to visit my sister at her new job as an actor in Shrek’s Adventure. Mom was supposed to go with me, but she has a slipped disk and sent me up alone. Which was nice -- my sister and I almost never hang out just the two of us. But that’s another thing I’ve been dealing with -- quite a bit of extra Stuff To Do that Mom Can’t Do because Back Hurty and there have been days when she literally could not move.

But now I am here! I still have work to do, and it’s holidays so there’s Holiday Stuff happening, but I’m hoping to get back to writing here in the next few days.

And if you’ve read all of this, you’re fucking incredible and I love u and here are some one-eyed black babie kitty gremlins for ur viewing pleasure.

<-Saga | Luna ->

They’ve got little bare patches on their tummies because bbies gotta be spayed

They got this tower two days ago and have learned to share, but the learning curve was steep

Saga doesn’t like cuddles but she likes pats and being in the vicinity of humans

Saga says hello

Pictured: Luna in my arms, Saga in Proximity

Luna stole my Spot!! >:C

If Saga steals something and then tells u to answer a riddle to get it back pls let me know. she does that sometimes. it’s very naughty.

#ooc tag #long post #if u read thru to the end there's kitties :3 #or you can just look at the kitties #it's not like I'll know #anywhere that's where I've been #I have literally Not Fucking Stopped for like a month

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jmjafrx · 4 years

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Slavery and Genocide Have No Edges

I shared the following set of materials at the Walter Rodney Symposium at Johns Hopkins University last Friday. I am trying to work through something impossible–what it means to be Diaspora and witness to uprising, what it means to be Diaspora and witness to the calculated extermination of a people. A black spot on a map. A warehouse full of supplies, full of life, in the midst of compounded death. The screams of bones so loud multiple excavations and a generation later the bones still speak.

Next week in #BlackWorldSeminar we are reading Tiffany Lethabo King’s devastating (in the best, most important ways) text The Black Shoals: Offshore Formations of Black and Native Studies and her words (“slavery and genocide have no edges”) echoes a refrain along my spine.

There is line to be drawn from histories of Africa, histories of slavery and diaspora, and the opening of new possibilities for charting the world to come. The shoal offers something to all of us, Black and Native for certain, but for those of us in the Caribbean, where the water has so many meanings and so much power to remember histories of enslavement and washes away memories in the wake of empire, the shoal may be a node on this new world map that can bring us closer to freedom. This was the line I tried to draw to Rodney–not just a celebration of his life and work, but an acknowledgement that he was already mapping these ties, across the Caribbean, between the United States and the Caribbean, between both and the Global South–and he did it through history.

In other words, these borders mean nothing. And everything.

Current Set: Global Groundings – Walter Rodney Symposium, Johns Hopkins University, 2020 (Available at that link through March 1, 2020)

PHOTO: Puerto Rico is seen on July 24, in top image, and in darkness on September 24. (Twitter: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)

“Human catastrophe leaves a mark, a black spot in time and space. On 20 September 2017, when Hurricane María made landfall on the island, the site of Christopher Columbus’s second so-called discovery and the birthplace of the New World, it swept bridges off their supports, tore leaves off the trees in the rainforest, drove wildlife into migration or into hiding. The electrical grid, already a battered, colonial infrastructure, fell to pieces, as did the water and sewage systems and other public services. San Juan, the capital, el santo, the herald of Spanish empire, bowed and flailed in Guabancex’s onslaught until, finally, darkness reigned.2

“But blackness in the blackened spaces hit hardest by Hurricane María disappeared in the aftermath. In Carolina and Loíza, towns in the constellation near San Juan, that some one-fifth to three-quarters of the population (respectively) described itself as of African descent went without mention in the aftermath of the storm. In Poncé, which did not restore electricity to all its residents until August 2018—328 days after the storm—between 10 and 20 percent described themselves as black.3 Indigenous spaces suffered similar disappearances. Utuado, which for generations claimed indigenous patrimony on the island and is the home of Caguana Indigenous Ceremonial Park, barely rated a mention in mainstream news generated by the storm. Nor does Utuado, a region where even before the storm running water and electricity were privileges not rights, appear in the satellite image. “Memory,” poet Natasha Trethaway writes, “dulls the lash / for the master, sharpens it for the slave.”4 And few cared to remember that the chronic dispossession faced by black and indigenous spaces on the island would leave them most vulnerable and most in need after the storm.

“At the same time, somatic blackness and nonwhiteness saturated screens and devices as images of Puerto Ricans suffering under palm trees appeared on televisions and computers, spread by mainstream media. Blackness appeared in other ways as well, somewhere underneath the biopolitical and ocular. Tapping into a lexicon of Caribbean women, children, and men as both childlike and bestial, President Donald Trump derisively threw paper towels at relief workers on his visit to the island, treating them in the words of one observer, “like dogs.”6 On the island itself, the federal and local police-military-surveillance apparatus that preoccupied itself with the war on drugs justified harassment of black islanders, shifted after the storm. Police wasted no time implementing and enforcing a curfew, including breaking up gathering spaces of dance and play—the kind that inevitably erupt when there is one working generator in a neighborhood and the night is long, hot, and dark. And in breaking news about the storm’s impact, social media queries circulated desperately and especially among Puerto Ricans in the United States searching for incommunicado kin; blackness appeared in the loss and mourning of a diaspora for its people—for those lost beneath the sea…”

(Passage via Johnson, “Xroads Praxis: Black Diasporic Technologies for Remaking the New World” sx:archipelagos https://buff.ly/36Laf1m)

“Puerto Rico’s governor fired the US territory’s emergency management director and two high-ranking officials after viral footage of disaster relief aid sitting unused in a warehouse provoked angry residents to break into the facility and begin distributing it to people in need themselves.” Ricardo Arduengo / AFP via Getty Images

“After Delgado’s footage went viral on Saturday, he said on Twitter that Facebook had suspended his page “due to complaints.” — “On Sunday afternoon, Facebook reinstated the page, which has more than 180,000 followers.” Screenshot/ El Leon Fiscalizador

“Having obtained the contracts for the warehouses, the head of the national guard told Begnaud that Puerto Rico’s emergency management agency had been paying another state agency to rent these spaces for about three years.” Ricardo Arduengo / AFP via Getty Images

(Quotes via Sacks, “People In Puerto Rico Are Demanding Answers After A Warehouse Full Of Unused Emergency Supplies Was Discovered” https://buff.ly/2UoPB51)

“The records of the slaveowners are far more clear. The giant chemical complex, which Formosa is calling the Sunshine Project, is to be built on several former plantations, including Acadia, whose long series of white owners is traceable through land use records, and Buena Vista, where the number of hogs that Benjamin Winchester and his wife, Carmelite Constant Winchester, raised in the 1840s was carefully documented (between 600 and 700).” Sharon Lavigne, center, the director of RISE St. James, sits with her brother, Milton Cayette Jr., at Louisiana’s Department of Environmental Quality’s public hearing on whether to approve the 15 air permits for Taiwanese company Formosa Plastics in Vacherie, La., on July 9, 2019. Photo: Julie Dermansky

(Quotes from Lerner, “New Chemical Complex Would Displace Suspected Slave Burial Ground in Louisiana’s “Cancer Alley”” https://buff.ly/37GDUu5)

“When construction on the Bonnet Carré Spillway began in 1929, the Army Corps of Engineers demolished Montz to make room for the flood plain. Homes, churches, and the two former plantation cemeteries were plowed under. These churches—Good Hope Baptist Church in Norco and Providence Baptist Church in Montz—were relocated during spillway construction, and remain open today. As for the cemeteries, residents of Montz and Norco informed project administrators and non-local workers of the cemeteries and their locations during construction. One former USACE employee recounts that the USACE had purchased a small plot of land, the site of a present day playground, to re-inter the deceased. This was never done, and there is no government record of provisions for the cemeteries during construction.” Aerial view of Bonnet Carré Spillway flowing into Lake Ponchartrain, courtesy of The Historic New Orleans Collection, gift of Dode Platou, 1976.6.1

(Quotes from Robin McDowell, “SACRED GROUND: UNEARTHING BURIED HISTORY AT THE BONNET CARRÉ SPILLWAY” AntiGravity Mag https://buff.ly/2vEupxr)

Read the post: https://ift.tt/2OmXrbe

#http://dh.jmjafrx.com/2020/02/02/slavery-and-genocide-have-no-edges/; DH Research #Atlantic New Orl

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keepingupwithabi · 4 years

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Feeling Like I Got This, Sort Of

Well, you’re probably wondering what the photo above has to do with anything and so maybe I should start off by explaining. I have this app on my phone called Co-Star. In a brief overview, the app essentially generates your astrological chart based on the exact time, date, and place of your birth and provides you with daily horoscopes (you can also link up with your friends who also have the app and compare daily charts). A cool feature I have enabled is an option to receive a “daily digest”.

The above screenshot is actually today’s “daily digest” I received about an hour ago now. Not to seem weird of anything, but it made me really happy and almost a little humbled.

You see, I’ve been working really hard to get to a place mentally again where I feel on top of my academics. I faced a little setback several months ago now that altered my view on a lot of things and changed who I am now as well as who I want to be going forward.

When I proposed my idea for this experimental blog, I did not think anything truly would come of it- I felt that it would just be another assignment. However, I feel as though this is therapeutic in the sense that I am showing myself that it is possible to get back on track (as I said before, I kind of fell off the life wagon so to speak).

Anyways, now for what you have all been dying to read about: my weekend!

As I mentioned in my last blog post, my boyfriend came up and spent the weekend with me. I also worked Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night (not fun, very slow/not good tips). I had a great weekend and to make it all better, we had a snow day on Tuesday. I mostly spent it hanging out with my roomies watching movies and drinking cocoa.

Now I know you’re probably really worried and wondering if I got my homework done. Well folks, I did! I am proud to announce that I, Abigail Davis, actually got quite a lot of homework done! I started it all on Monday after my boyfriend left and boy, I am SO glad I did that. That allowed me to kind of relax on Tuesday during the snow storm.

Looking back, I am glad I am starting to manage myself and my time better. As I mentioned earlier in this blog, I kind of lost view of what is important to me. It’s taken a lot of perseverance and coffee but I am finally back to feeling like I got this, sort of.

With that said, I’ll give you a sneak peek of my schedule for the next few days.

For the rest of today (Wednesday):

Relax, do homework, watch Hulu.

4:00-9:00pm: Work.

9:15-10:00pm: Respond to peer’s blogs.

10:00pm: Bed.

Thursday:

9:30am: Wake up.

11:00am-12:15pm: History class (hopefully, my professor has graded our exams from last week).

2:00-3:15pm: PCJ.

5:00-6:15pm: Spanish (my Spanish project on Day of the Dead is due)

I also need to print off my second draft of this HUGE report I am working on for PCJ.

Somewhere between Wednesday afternoon and Thursday, I need to do homework for my other class online- Medieval Literature.

Friday (I know I’ll blog about it, but here’s a preview):

9:00am: Wake up.

10:00am-12:30pm: Work study.

4:00-10:pm Work.

For my work study, my main job has to do with my editorial duties for the UMPI paper, UTimes. I am currently in the process of planning a fundraiser for the club, so that’s what I’m going to be working on.

I will be fitting homework into the daytime on Friday, as I have another blog for this class due as well as more responses to peer blogs.

So there’s a sneak peek, folks.

I think I should also probably address my subtle over-use of the phrase “folks”. As a waitress, we are sort of urged not to use gender specific pronouns just out of respect because we don’t always know. I have been a waitress for four years now and work at two restaurants (one down at home when I’m there and one in Presque Isle while I’m in school). At this point, the phrase has become a habit. My friends and family laugh at me, but whatever.

Thanks for tuning in today peeps (trying something different, you like?) and keeping up with me.

Wish me luck on this weeks schedule,

Abi

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inkofamethyst · 4 years

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November 29, 2019

Happy Black Friday!

I’m about to get back into the groove of schoolwork (I have a major lab report due in less than a week as well as a practical for my anatomy lab on monday... plus some minor spanish homework and some notes to copy down for anatomy to prepare for the final), I have just a few things to mention.

1. My DnD-friend taught me how to play magic on Friday before I left campus!! It’s super fun and a lot like Elder Scrolls: Legends but with some fresh new rules and it’s not difficult to pick up at all. I’ve gotta get back into ES:L (I was really good at it for a while) so I can beef up my strategy jazz. Apparently my friend is fairly defensive, and that just means that I’ve gotta get pretty offensive so we don’t have a stalemate that lasts for an hour or so.

2. My DnD-friend and I (along with my puzzle-friend who’ll be coming back for the holidays and probably also someone else) are planning to do a miniature Percy Jackson-themed DnD campaign. She came up with the idea but I think I’ll be DMing (since, you know, she isn’t really on good terms with our normal DM right now, considering all that’s happened). I really love PJO and Rick, especially since they were my first-ever fandom and Percabeth will always be my OTP. I’ve gotta read through the Dungeon Master’s guide a few times and, you know, come up with a questline and NPCs and dates to gather and such (maybe at my house?), but that should be okay. I’ll improve on my improv skills, that’s for sure (”Yes, and--” anyone?).

3. The OJ Simpson case is getting really spicy. My sister and I just watched two episodes (the one about the jury then the one about the tapes) and they were wack. I feel so bad for Marsha and Mr. Kardashian. Furman can choke. Cochran can stay but he’s on thin, and I mean paper-thin, ice. And I think that just about sums it all up.

4. Stampy is making videos again! It’s really really nice to hear his voice being so happy and gleeful again. I definitely missed it. Of course, with finals coming up, I don’t expect to be able to watch him all that much, but winter break will also be coming up and I’ll have all the time in the world then. Of course, after applying for summer stuff, opening my Poshmark, reading a book or two, playing Dungeons and Dragons, and fully designing a cosplay.

Today I’d like to take a throwback and be thankful for the Percy Jackson fandom. It was my gateway series into YA and also opened up my interest in history and ancient cultures. It was such a formative series for me and I don’t think I’ll ever forget it. I must’ve read the first series six or seven times through in elementary school, reading the Titan’s Curse at least another four times more. I’ve still got the hardcovers on my bookshelf and that where they shall stay. They introduced me to online friends and helped me deepen my friendship with my best friend in middle school. We even opened a fandom instagram account together. It lasted a few years and fell to the wayside during the early days of high school, but that doesn’t matter to me much at all. Anyway Rick was a great storyteller and that’s what counts. He’s the one who inspired me to start writing, I think. Writing novels and series and the like.

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mirios-eyes-are-beautiful · 5 years

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aa So I just woke up to this?

I’m just.. speechless? I can’t believe this actually happened, so thank you all for the last few months, for every like, reblog and comment. It’s been such a pleasure to interact with you and scream about Mirio and The Big Three<3 I hope 2019 won’t bring us too many tears (spoiler: it will.) and we can all laugh about their shenanigans again (spoiler: we won’t.). This blog came alive with crazy good fanart, hilarious memes and sweet headcanons, sprinkled with my neverending affection towards Mirio, so kudos go out to the amazing artists and writers that create the content we love<3 Thank you for over 1k followers and I hope to see the family of mirihoes grow in the progressing year! I’ve received a lot of questions for my milestone special and I only picked out a few, but if you want more of these, let me know! Now let’s dive right into the Q&A!

Heey~ I’m a huge Bnha fan and I love this blog, keep up the great work!! \(^-^)/ I’d love to know how old you are, if that’s not too personal of a question?

Not at all! I’m actually 20 y/o and my Birthday is in June, also my zodiac is Gemini👭

What do you do for a living?

I’m a university student in my second year! I’m majoring in Linguistics and my minor is English Literature and Culture. Though before, I did a year of Environmental Sciences, but it just wasn’t my cup of tea so I quit🤷‍♀️ I’m also part timing at a boutique.

Hello! I check your blog everyday and I can’t with all your reactions, they’re almost always the same as mine:D Which state (USA) are you from and what languages do you speak?

Lol, do I really sound American?:D I’m actually from Germany, so German is my mother tongue! Other than that, I consider myself pretty fluent in English (your assumption of me being a native speaker flatters me so much, you have no idea) and I guess my French is decent. I can order food and ask for directions in Spanish (ayyyy) and studied Hindi for two semesters at Uni. Also I’m currently learning Japanese for my degree in Linguistics.

Do you have a favorite anime show? Other than My hero academia of course!

My all time favorite anime is definitely Arslan Senki! Besides that, I also love Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, Assassination Classroom, Durarara, Hunter x Hunter and pretty much every existing sports anime (Haikyuu, Kuroko no Basuke, Daiya no Ace, Free!, Yowapedal, Yuri on Ice, Prince of Tennis,.. although Haikyuu is my favorite) I enjoy most genres as long as the plot and characters appeal to me.

Do you read any manga? (also LOVE YOUR BLOG!!<3)

Yeah! I really love manga and I’ve read tons of shoujo when I was younger (I bingeread every night in middle school tbh) Nowadays though, not so much anymore.. It’s not that I came to hate it, I just don’t have as much time unfortunately-.-’ I do read the new Bnha and Haikyuu chapters on a weekly basis, but I can’t manage more than that. I also read yaoi/shounen-ai manga and doujinshi from time to time, but it’s not as much of an obsession as it was a few years ago. However, I own a couple of manga series (Bnha, Haikyuu, Arslan Senki), which I love to reread in my free time😊

hey, we share a love for mirio, so do you maybe have a few anime recommendations, or any good anime you’re watching now?

uhuhuhu birds of a feather flock together;))) Of course I can dish out some recommendations, but I’ll start with what I’m watching atm. I started rewatching Daiya no Ace not so long ago (due to the announcement of Season 4) so I sometimes watch a few episodes of that when I find the time. Also, and this is a recommendation as well, there’s this new track and field anime called Kaze ga Tsuyoku Fuiteiru (Run with the Wind) coming out every Friday and it’s hilarious. If you like sports anime, you should definitely give it a go! The last anime I’m rewatching right now is Sukitte Ii na yo (Say I love you), cause I’ve been in a shoujo mood lately and after several years I still can’t deal with the cuteness of this show. Now for recs.. this is hard, since everyone has a different taste in series, but other than the shows I’ve named in the “Favorite anime” question, I’d recommend Wotakoi (Wotaku ga Koi no Muzukashii). It’s a very sweet anime about the love stories of otakus, so if you like a good laugh and lots of fluff, this show is for you (11eps). Same goes for Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun (12eps + 6 short specials). Shounen-wise I enjoyed for example Noragami, Bleach, Katekyo Hitman Reborn and Magi. Shoujo-wise I can always rewatch Toradora, Kimi ni Todoke and Itazura na Kiss. Sorry for rambling, there are just too many!😅

What pronouns do you use? And what’s you sexual orientation? If the latter question is too personal, just ignore it(/ω＼)

No worries! I use she/her pronouns and I’m pan, slightly favoring men. Probably due to the fact that I’ve only had hetero relationships so far. Though, I really don’t care about my partner’s gender🤷‍♀️

hi, i’ve been going through a rough time lately and your reblogs and memes never fail to make my day. how so you stay positive when things are going downhill? (sorry for the weird ask..)

Your question isn’t weird at all! I’m sorry to hear that you don’t feel well lately and I’m glad my posts are able to cheer you up a bit<3 I, for my part, am a very optimistic person and always try to concentrate on the positive things in my life, but I cannot deny that due to my personal problems I’ve spent many nights sleepless as well. Unfortunately, there’s no recipe for happiness, but here are some things you should always keep in mind should you feel down: Don’t surround yourself with toxic people. Don’t let them in your life and if they already are, either ignore them or cut them off. The latter won’t always work, since the world of adulthood is a cruel place, but try to develop a thick skin and don’t let them abuse the power over you that they don’t actually have. Try to talk with people. I can tell from experience that talking about your problems will almost always make you feel better, or at least lighter afterwards. Think positive. There’s never only black and white, so even if everything seems hopeless or bland, you should never cease to search for the good aspects. An example from me: Uni fucks me up real bad atm. I have six exams and one term paper to write this semester and I’m seriously afraid of failing. I’ve always had insane expectations of myself, because when I was a toddler, my parents found out that I was highly talented and that has been a as much of a curse as it is a blessing throughout my entire life. Whenever something gets too much for me and I end up in a slump, I think about how grateful I am to have so many wonderful friends. I think of all the things I plan to do with the money I earn, such as travelling, buying manga, movies, clothes,.. and even if that might not seem like a trivial matter for some people, I think of all the amazing anime coming out this year: Ice Adolescence, One Punch Man Season 2, Attack on Titan Season 3, Fruits Basket remake, Bnha Season 4, Haikyuu Season 4, Daiya no Ace Season 3.. Why am I naming these? Because they keep me going. They give me something to look forward to. They make me realize that I’m extremely grateful to be alive, because I get to experience these works. I get to discuss my favorite shows with people, who share my interests! I get to scream about Mirio’s bara arms with you guys! If that isn’t something to be cheerful about, I don’t know what is<3

And since I don’t want to end this on a solemn note, here’s a personal favorite of mine:

On a scale from 1-10, how much do you love Mirio?^^

1.000.000 (A million, you get it? wink wonk) Thanks for sticking around! Hope this gave you a little insight on who I am and I’d love to spend 2019 with you as well<3

#we reached 1k i can't believe #have this monster of a post #also this was a lot of fun #milestone!!#sei spills #sei in private

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jordanas-diary · 5 years

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Week 1 of University - Yeet

So I think I was absolutely yeeted by the university system this week. Being back was fantastic, I felt intellectually challenged again, I got to see my friends that I couldn’t catch up with over summer and just ... learning again had my mood hella good.

Monday was a good day, I only had two classes and a lot of time to catch up with everyone. Being back in the science lectures also had me feeling great, and so did my Latin American culture paper. On Tuesday I finally got to start the Spanish component of my Arts degree which made me happy also. Just seeing people, hanging out and talking a whole lot of shit made my mood lift compared to over the summer.

Wednesday is when the mood went downwards ... and fast. I went to the doctors because my ear was killing me, and guess what the doctor said?! No diving for at least a month, and if I want to be safe, potentially 6 months. This is not what we’re here for. But to go to the doctors, I had to miss my first lab for my biology paper, and it was a lab on sponges!! Ya girl had a bad start to the day, and the end of the week.

On Thursday, my timetable is an actual mess because I have 4 classes in a row all over the campus with only 10 minutes between each class. To make matters worse, I’m actually meant to have 5 classes on a Thursday but due to me having 2 classes on at the same time, I have to miss one of them. 3 classes I have in a row are all taught by the same lecturer who knows me fairly well, and during the second class, I have to take time out for myself to have a cry because I just ... was overthinking the whole clash and it just really hit me.

Today (Friday) wasn’t much better as because now a lot of what happened over the summer holidays has come rushing back, and the whole situation with my ex ... really isn’t great. I mean we’re still friends, but I don’t know what to do and how to navigate a few situations he’s put me in, even though he literally lives in Iceland. His friends have been incredibly helpful and I’m thankful for them, but yeah there are things behind the scenes that they don’t need to know about that are happening but anyways. Something that did make my day was the fact that we had a few species of Cnidaria in our lab. My faves by far were jellyfish and anemones, especially because there were wandering sea anemones and they are just the most amazing sea creature like I literally can’t. We have not cried today, and I hope not to cry for the rest of the day and then the weekend. I will succeed.

Anyways, I will make more of an effort to take pictures next week and will be back to update you all again. Next week is definitely more stressful as tutorials start as well, meaning I will have 15 (16 including the clash) classes next week and work. Lol rest in piece me. Can’t promise I won’t cry.

Many loves Jordana xx

#studyblr #university student #new zealand #spanish #political science #marine biology #university #student life #university life #stress #but like not #my dudes #so much drama in my life i literally can't #someone help lol #anyways #yeet y'all later

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rjwrites22 · 5 years

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On Failure

A continuation of my previous post (the reblog).

“Story Time”:

I've always been told that I'm really smart, and I believed it to the point that if I did badly at school I felt like a complete failure as a person. I actually taught myself to read when I was like 3 or 4, and someone compared me to a calculator at one point, so I think I was perfectly within my rights to believe them.

In first grade, my mom tried to get the school to let me skip right to third grade, but they wouldn't let me, as they said I'd be "eaten alive" socially. I've never been good with people, so I don't think that would have mattered much.

Up until fourth grade, I did really well in school. I can't remember why, but that year, I started forgetting to turn in my homework, so my grades started dropping. The forgetfulness continued, and procrastination joined in at some point.

In high school, my sophomore year, I failed at least the second semester of Spanish 2, if not both semesters. I dropped the class the next year, even though that severely narrowed my list of options for colleges.

Junior year, I failed both semesters of English 3, since we had to do research papers both semesters and I've always hated them, so I didn't end up doing either one. Did summer school for that class, and the research paper I had to do in order to graduate I wrote over spring break my senior year.

I also failed second semester of U.S. History junior year, but I don't know why that happened, just that I had to retake the class.

My mom threatened to kick me out of the house when I turned 18 if I didn't graduate when I was supposed to. With her, doing well isn't something to be praised for. It's an EXPECTATION, at least when it comes to me.

I almost didn't graduate, by the way, but not because of anything academic. My school requires a certain amount of PE credits to graduate, 3.5 years' worth (but people in sports could get out of the class for the semester the sport was in), and I've never been all that good athletically. The final exam for second semester was running 3/4 of a mile in a certain amount of time (and they claimed to grade on effort, not skill! Hypocrites). I needed a certain grade on my final to pass the class (I think it was a 41, but I'm not quite sure), and I got two percent more than that (I think it was 43, again not sure). So I literally passed high school by TWO PERCENT on my fucking PE final. I hated that class for the most part, and I think that it's completely reasonable for me to do so.

College time now. First semester of my first year was hell, in more ways than one. My seasonal depression was the worst I can really remember it ever being, likely due to the added stress of both college AND the political clusterfuck that was the end of 2016.

In Calculus, the professor has a policy that if you don't have at least a 60% after the second chapter test, which is effectively the midterm, you get dropped from the class. After the second test, I got dropped, and I felt like a complete failure. I've always done well in math, so this was a real hit to my self esteem.

I also failed psychology, but that was because petty much all our assignments were online, so I forgot to do them.

Band, I got a D in. Why? Because the professor gave writing assignments, and I HATE those, so I didn't do them. I also forgot to do them, but that's not really the point.

Got a shockingly good grade in English (B), and chemistry was good too.

Second semester wasn't too much better. Failed English, because I got the due date for the research paper wrong by two days. Failed chemistry, because I missed a couple days and didn't have time to catch up before the test.

First semester my second year was worse, grade-wise. Retook psychology, failed once again for the same reason as before. Retook calculus, and I passed it with a D. I needed a C or above to move on to calc 2, so that sucked.

I was supposed to take economics, but financial aid was a bitch and it was an online class so when I couldn't get the book I was screwed. After I got the book, which I had to buy loose-leaf and thus couldn't return, I found out that I'd been dropped from the class. That damn book cost me like $200, so I was pretty ticked off by that.

Second semester that year was great, like REALLY great, so no real comment on that here since this is about failure.

First semester this year - my third year. It didn't go as well as I'd hoped.

Over the summer, I got a job. Third shift at a factory in town, 10:30pm to 6:30 am. I continued the job through the end of August, but then I had to quit for my own well-being. My classes were pretty much all day on Tuesday and Thursday, with nothing on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I would get off work, go home, shower, then go right to school. Classes almost straight through from 10:35 to 4:50, no lunch break or anything, then I'd go home, catch a few hours of sleep, and go to work again. I had a nervous breakdown in physics one Thursday, when I literally COULDN'T EVEN THINK. Physics was my last class of the day, so I was almost dead by the time it started, so... Yeah. It wasn't great. Quit my job a week after the breakdown.

I got a D in physics, or maybe a VERY low C. I blame the fact that I probably didn't absorb all that much for the first few weeks, since I was basically a fucking zombie during that class.

Took economics again, this time an actual class. I thought it would be a time-filler, something I'd do because I needed the credit from it. It was actually a lot of fun, though. Got a B.

Calculus, I have no idea how well I did, even though the final was a week ago so the grade is definitely online for me to see. I'm too scared to look at it, since I didn't do too well on the tests.

Actually, I had a dream about my calc grade this morning. I'd gone online and checked, and my final grade for the class was like a 46%. That was just a dream, thank god, though it did nothing to help my fear of what my grade might be.

I'll check the grade at some point, might remark on it here if I remember to.

tl;dr: RJ fails at shit but keeps going because I'm a stubborn bitch.

Moral of the story? If you fail, you can move on from it. If you fail the same thing multiple times and keep going at it, then you're just as stubborn as I am - though I certainly hope you're better off mentally than I am - and I commend you for your persistence.

Keep on keeping on, people.

#rj talks #long post #failure #school #tw swearing #tw caps #tw mental illness

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oflopez-blog1 · 6 years

Photo

counselor olympics → task 002

total questions answered: 150

1. if they were a candle, what scent would they be?

strawberry & candy cane !

2. what female celebrity do they wish was their sister?

1000% lauren jauregui

3. what male celebrity do they wish was their brother?

ooooooooo probably jordan fisher

4. how old do they think they’ll be when they get married?

she hopes around 25 / 26 but she won’t be upset if it takes longer

5. how many countries have they been to?

only the one she currently lives in !

6. what would they name their daughter if they had one?

either sofia or isabella / bella

7. what would they name their son if they had one?

diego !!

8. what was their favorite tv show as a child?

she was only really allowed to watch one show & she picked Spongebob

9. what language, besides their native language, would they like to be fluent in?

her native language is spanish but she’s also very fluent in english

10. would they ever change their name? if so, to what?

she really loves her name because it’s also her grandmother’s name. I honestly don’t think she’d change it

11. what was the last compliment they got?

“you look so good in yellow”

12. what is their favorite flavor of tea?

CHERRY & ALMOND !

13. how did they find out that santa and the easter bunny weren’t real?

she never really had the chance to believe in them in the first place ? val never celebrated easter & her mom gave her money to buy things for herself during christmas

14. what is their hogwarts house? (recommended: take pottermore quiz)

hufflepuff !!

15. what tarot card are they?

the sun card

16. are they more of a marvel or dc fan?

neither ! she never got the chance to watch them

17. who is their favorite superhero?

probably wonder woman

18. everyone has a song that deeply reminds them of their childhood. what is theirs?

skyscraper by demi lovato

19. what are the meanings of their first, middle, and last name?

valeria = “to be strong”

rae = ?? ( I couldn’t find the meaning )

lopez = “son of lope”

20. have they ever stolen a street sign before?

nooooooo never

21. what is their biggest pet peeve?

people touching her / walking slow in front of her

22. if they were a month, what month would they be?

I think she’d be the month of May

23. what is their least favorite movie?

friday the 13th

24. what five movies would they bring with them if they were stuck on a deserted island?

a basket of lil snacks

paper + pencils

her anxiety pills

bathing suit

fire starter kit

25. out of all of the late night talk show hosts, who is their favorite?

she doesn’t know any of them !

26. what are three things they are afraid of?

confronting her mother

snakes

super deep water

27. what was the first concert they went to?

she’s never been to one

28. is there a nickname that only their family calls them?

val !

29. what side of the bed do they sleep on?

she has a small bed so she sleeps in the middle

30. what is their favorite comfort food?

definitely bread pudding

31. what award shows do they watch?

her mother used to watch the grammy’s and val would listen in so probably the grammy’s

32. do they have any weird body skills (example: being double jointed)?

she can do that flower thing with her tongue

33. if they drink coffee, what is their coffee order?

she love macchiatos

34. what social media platforms do they have?

all of them but she uses instagram the most

35. are they a cat or dog person?

dogs 10000000000%

36. if they were a supernatural creature, what would they be?

either an elf or a nymph

37. what show are they currently watching on netflix/hulu?

mainly bob’s burgers & the hollow

38. what is their favorite disney movie?

lilo & stitch all the way

39. do they wear any perfume or cologne?

she wears a pretty citrus-y body mist

40. what genres of music do they listen to?

mostly pop + acoustic

41. have they ever seen the bee movie?

42. what are their favorite memes?

you died memes

43. what celebrities do they share a birthday with?

brendon urie, saoirse ronan & jennifer morrison

44. what is their moon (zodiac) sign?

cancer

45. which of the seven cardinal sins do they embody the most?

of the 7, she’s probably most like envy because she didn’t experience a childhood worth being happy about & she gets envious of people who did

46. do they watch sports on television? if so what ones?

even if she was allowed to, I don’t think she’d watch sports tbh

47. what do they put on their typical sandwich?

tomatoes, ham and mustard

48. what was the name of their first significant other?

his name was dwight

49. do they care if people think badly of them?

it depends on the day tbh but for the most part, she doesn’t care

50. what was the last thing that made them cry?

one of the kids told her she was least fun of all the counselors because she was so quiet

51. are they an iphone or samsung user?

iphone ( rose gold with this case )

52. what type of computer do they use (example: apple)?

a mac computer

53. what is one of their nervous habits?

bites the side of her tongue

54. out of all reality shows, which one would they have a chance winning?

big brother

55. would they ever go bungee jumping or skydiving?

n O omg she’d be way too scared

56. what do they call their grandparents?

abuela + abuelo

57. what do they do when they can’t sleep?

read or scroll through social media or use her ouija board

58. what time do they normally go to bed?

usually around 10pm

59. if they have instagram, what was the last picture that they posted?

this captioned with “lunch is my favourite time of day”

60. if they have twittter, what was the last thing that they tweeted?

“does anyone know where I left my sunscreen?? or can I please borrow someones”

61. who is their otp?

kara + luther from detroit become human

62. do they like sweet, salty, or sour?

sour !!

63. did they play any sports in the past?

she tried to get involved + play soccer but it didn’t end up working out

64. what is their favorite cheesy pick up line?

did the sun come out or did you just smile at me?

65. what tv show or movie is their guilty pleasure?

she loves to watch Nailed It

66. if they were a fruit, what fruit would they be?

honeydew

67. do they sing in the shower?

YES ! she performs

68. what is their favorite type of chips?

sweet chili heat doritos

69. do they drink juice? if so, what is their favorite kind?

she l o v e s fruit punch

70. what is more important to them: power, money, friends, family, love, or fame?

friends + love

71. what does their handwriting look like?

72. do they have reoccurring dreams? if not, what is their most memorable dream?

she doesn’t usually remember her dreams but one that she has never been able to forget is she was sitting at the dinner table during dinner and her father walked in and they had dinner as a family and then a big tornado came and he sacrificed himself for her and he kept saying how much he loved her. she woke up crying

73. if they were a taste, what would it be?

salted caramel

74. what is one random fun fact about them?

she doesn’t have good memory

75. what is their lucky number?

12 and 34

76. do they have any pets?

no but she really wants to adopt one

77. do they believe in the paranormal or the supernatural?

YES!!!! she does

78. have they ever had any paranormal experiences?

yes, she’s surprisingly had a lot??

79. can they sing or dance?

she’s a great dancer

80. who is the first person they call/text when something exciting happens?

usually theo

81. what is their social media handle?

littlelopez

82. what swear word do they use/like the most?

“shit”

83. what is their ideal first date?

sitting on the beach, watching the sunset + having a nice picnic

84. if they were a type of weather, what would they be?

stormy

85. what is their least favorite holiday?

valentine’s day

86. what is the first thing that they do in the morning?

put on her slippers

87. who is their ultimate celebrity crush?

JESSE WILLIAMS

88. do they usually pay with cash or card?

with cash unless she absolutely has to use her card

89. what was the last thing that they bought?

a new pair of sunglasses

90. are they a good or bad driver?

she’s a decent driver. not the best but not the worst

91. if they could meet one person (from history or currently alive), who would it be?

probably marilyn monroe

92. have they ever gotten into a physical fight?

yes but she didn’t fight back

93. do they prefer pepsi or coke?

she doesn’t like either

94. do they prefer the city or the suburbs?

suburbs 1000000%

95. do they have any special or odd talents?

she........ can eyebrow dance

96. when they were little, what did they want to be when they grew up?

she knew she wanted to help people so either a social worker or a therapist

97. do they have any favorite smells?

she loves the smell of cookies, caramel, vanilla, lavender + green tea

98. if they could visit any place in the world, where would they go?

either italy or france

99. do they wear jewelry?

yes. her father’s old necklace, she never takes it off

100. who is the last person they talked to on the phone?

her grandpa. he wanted to check up on her

101. do they prefer ‘would you rather’ or ‘truth or dare’?

would you rather. truth or dare just makes her ... nervous

102. what has been their favorite halloween costume yet?

when she dressed up as Belle ( from beauty and the beast )

103. do they like horror movies?

she HA T E S them

104. what is their typical breakfast like?

cereal and toast with honey on it

105. are they a netflix or hulu person?

netflix. she probably doesn’t even know what hulu is lMAO

106. do they like to gossip?

not at all. she stays as far away from it as possible

107. if they were a song, what one would they be?

hold on just a little while longer ( idk who originally sings it )

108. what was their best subject in school?

math!!

109. what was their worst subject in school?

she wasn’t very good at gym, mainly due to shyness

110. have they ever met anyone famous?

not yet but she wants to

111. who was their childhood hero?

her grandma :)

112. were any tv shows or movies that they weren’t allowed to watch as a child?

anything horror or that had sexual innuendos or gore

113. what is the strangest thing they have ever eaten?

celery, peanut butter + raisins

114. do they prefer friends or family?

friends, for sure

115. how do they feel about pineapple on pizza?

she doesn’t like pizza so she doesn’t really care for it

116. do they put the milk or cereal in the bowl first?

milk first & then cereal

117. how do they think dogs would wear pants?

option #2. she thinks it would be too hard for dogs to walk if pants were on all 4 of their legs

118. do they believe in luck or fate?

she definitely does

119. do they use emojis when they text?

y e s, all the time

120. who was their favorite character on friends?

she never got the chance to watch it :(

121. what character on friends are they most like?

probably phoebe

122. would they rather read the books or watch the movies?

read the books 10000%

123. what is their favorite time of day?

evening

124. did they watch the teletubbies as a child? if so, who was their favorite?

as a young kiddo, yes. her favourite was laa-laa

125. do they check the rating (like a rotten tomatoes rating) of a movie before they go and see one?

it doesn’t cross her mind to, especially if she’s excited about the movie

126. do they have any favorite old hollywood movie stars?

umMmM , not really tbh?

127. if they had to live in any other decade, which would they choose?

1950s for sure

128. if they could only listen to five music albums for the rest of their life, which ones would they choose?

confident > demi lovato

red > taylor swift

+ > ed sheeran

you > dodie clark

get weird > little mix

129. do they believe in heaven/hell or reincarnation?

she believes in reincarnation

130. do they like chewing gum?

she does indeed

131. do they like to go see musicals or plays?

though she has never seen them, she would love to see both of them

132. were they apart of any clubs or teams in high school or college?

she was in a book club for a lot of high school and also the soccer team but she quit shortly after being accepted into the team

133. what was their high school superlative?

math surprisingly

134. are they good at cooking or baking?

she’s super good at baking & decent at cooking

135. could they beat bobby flay?

probably not tbh she’s more of a baker than a cooker

136. do they watch actual television? if so, what channels do they watch?

only cartoons tbh

137. have they ever seen rupaul’s drag race?

no :( she definitely wouldn’t have been allowed to

138. do they prefer pink or yellow lemonade?

definitely pink > yellow

139. could they lip sync for their life?

if she was really passionate about it, Y E S. she would SLAY the house down

140. is their room messy or clean?

clean AF

141. if they were a body part, which one would they be?

hands; she likes hand holding

142. if they were an emotion, what would they be?

anxiety

143. if they were a planet, which one would they be?

pluto :)

144. how would they describe their clothing style?

cute & simple

145. do they shower in the morning or at night?

usually at night. but if she forgot the night before, than she will in the morning

146. do they order regular fries, onion rings, sweet potato fries, or tater tots?

T A T E R T O T S

147. do they normally wear socks?

yes, she likes wearing mismatched socks

148. do they fear natural disasters?

not really, no !

149. can they ice/roller skate?

she likes to ice skate even though she isn’t very good

150. are they good at video games?

surprisingly .. yes !!

#stillwater:task3

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