#my brain has been fried egg for Months i am not drawing as much as i would like

[entropii]

No I haven't played Elden Ring, yes I'll make an oc about it (feat. riessene's Ethelya!)

[ronninoir]

Can I Steal You for a Second? CH6

Summary: Adrien is forced to participate in a new dating show, but becomes more excited when Ladybug says she’ll participate as her civilian self.

AKA: AU where Adrien doesn’t know Marinette, the superheroes are 22 and Gabriel is mean and ruthless but not Hawkmoth.

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Chapter 6

By the time Marinette became conscious again, it was almost noon. Tikki was the one who pulled her from her slumbers and she was very annoyed about it.

“Tiiiiiiiikiiiiiiiiii,” Marinette groaned. She peeked one eye out and then quickly sat up in bed, once she remembered where she was. She glanced around and noticed that (thankfully!) she was the only one in the room, so no one heard her say her kwami’s name. Marinette’s voice quickly shifted to a whisper, “Tikki! What are you doing? Someone could see you!”

“I’m so sorry, Marinette, but I’m really hungry. And since you’re meeting up with Chat tonight I need to start saving up my energy.” Tikki explained in a whisper. “I did wait until your roommate left though.”

“Oh, okay. Well that was good thinking.” Marinette said with a yawn. She normally stayed up late finishing varying designs but last night was a whole different kind of exhaustion. She doesn’t normally have to socialize so late into the night and the stress and tension level in the mansion tired her out as well. “Let me get dressed and I’ll find you something sweet to eat, okay?” Tikki gave her a nod and flew away into Marinette’s suitcase.

Marinette threw on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, something she would normally wear on a Sunday at home. She slipped on some flats as well, just because she wasn’t familiar with the mansion and it would make her feel more comfortable. After brushing her teeth and putting her hair in her signature pigtails, she ran downstairs in search of food.

It was only their first day in the mansion and she already could feel the dislike and animosity between the other girls. It was hanging in the air like a fog and it caused Marinette’s pace to slow as she neared the bottom of the stairs. No one seemed to be fighting. There was no yelling, no cameras and not a boy in sight. In fact, there wasn’t any sound coming from anywhere in the mansion. Marinette almost thought that everyone must still be asleep.

She didn’t encounter another human being until the kitchen. There were 3 girls sitting around the island. They weren’t talking or looking at each other and only one of them was eating.

“Good morning,” Marinette said hesitantly as she walked in the room. Her house was never this quiet or hostile. Her parents were up at 4:30 prepping things for the bakery and whenever she woke up there was always some sort of noise, either coming from the bakery, or from her mom making breakfast for her in the kitchen. She was always greeted with a “Good morning,” and either a hug or a kiss on her head.

All of the girls looked up at her, but none of them said a thing. Marinette forced a smile and said, “I’m Marinette.”

That caused one of the girls to give a cruel laugh and she responded with a, “We know.” Marinette paused a minute before remembering that of course they knew who she was, she got the first impression rose last night. All of the girls in the house know who she is. Unsure of how to continue, she decided small talk was better than no talk.

“How did you sleep?” She said, forcing a cheery voice as she headed to the fridge and began looking for something to make for lunch. She almost forgot what she was doing when she saw the fridge stocked with a large amount of food. There was virtually nothing sweet in there though, so the search for Tikki’s lunch was going to have to be conducted elsewhere. She located some ham, bread, an egg, and a block of cheese and set to work.

The girls chorused a “fine” and then didn’t speak again. Marinette pulled out a frying pan and some oil and began heating it on the stovetop. She then put the ham and cheese on top of the bread. The girls just stared at Marinette and didn’t say a word. She hardened her resolve to remain polite before she turned around with a smile and asked, “What are your names again? There was so much happening last night, I was having trouble keeping everyone straight.”

This comment seemed to be too much for one of the girls as she got up and stormed away. Another got up and followed her leaving only two. The last one, a girl with medium-length blonde hair and a kind face, sighed and smiled apologetically at Marinette. “I’m sorry it’s been a bit of transition for Gabrielle.” She pointed in the direction of where the first two girls went. “She shares a room with Lila and she hasn’t stopped making snide comments about Gabrielle.” This girl shifted uncomfortable in her seat before spitting out, “Of course, that doesn’t bother me, so can you just not tell Lila I said that?”

Marinette was very confused and almost forgot to put her egg in the pan when it was warm enough. As she cracked it with the grace of someone who has been cooking/baking since she was a child, she tried to process what the girl had said. Why would she feel as though she needed to tell Lila anything? Deciding it was better just to ask, she then turned back towards the girl, “I’m sorry, what are you talking about? Why would I tell Lila anything?”

The girl wouldn’t meet Marinette’s eyes when she said, “Well you are her best friend, we just don’t want to start any trouble. Especially with Lila.” Marinette almost dropped her spatula. Marinette, best friends with Lila of all people?! She’s disliked this girl since their interview weekend a couple months back. How could they get that idea? Soon, Marinette realized that Lila must have said something. Marinette was racking her brain, thinking of what she could have done last night to make Lila think they were friends. She came up blank.

“Did Lila tell you this?” Marinette inquired, trying not to sound too incredulous.

“Umm, yeah. She told the whole house this morning when everyone had woken up. She kept going on and on about how you two had entered the show together and hoped you’d both make it and that you both planned to be top two and have Adrien fight over the two of you.” The more this girl talked, the more Marinette got angry. Why would she say all of these things? Why would Lila lie about knowing her? Marinette took the egg, which had fried while she was thinking and slipped it on top of the bread, ham and cheese combination she had made. She plated it and walked around to the other side of the island and sat next to the girl.

“Okay, well let you be the first to know that I am not Lila’s friend. I’ve never met Lila before the interview a couple months back. Honestly, her attitude bothers me. I don’t appreciate people who manipulate others and that’s all I’ve seen Lila do since I met her. I really don’t like people who lie either, specifically about me.” She took a rather aggressive bite of her sloppily thrown together croque madame. The girl’s mouth had dropped and she stared at Marinette with wide eyes.

“She lied?” The girl asked. She sounded personally offended and all Marinette could do was nod. “Oh my. I bet she did it because you’re the front-runner.” Marinette had to remind herself to swallow before she choked.

“I’m sorry, what?”

“In the American version, the first impression rose is always one of the final four. In a lot of cases, that girl wins the whole thing. You’re the new front-runner. Everyone wants to be your friend so they can see what Adrien likes about you and imitate it.”

“So, you’re saying Lila won’t be the only one trying to get close to me?”

 “Well...” the girl draws out the vowel and bows her head to look at her feet.

“Well, what?”

“No one wants to be your friend now. Lila told everyone that if they tried to, she was going to destroy them and get them kicked off the show. If I leave, I want Adrien to be the one that makes the decision.” She gave a little shrug and smiled guiltily at Marinette.

“Lila is a liar, she has no control over who I’m friends with and she shouldn’t be allowed to intimidate the others.” Marinette gave an affirmative nod and continued to eat her breakfast/lunch.

“That’s such a relief to hear.” She paused and gave Marinette a beaming smile. “I’m Lucie, by the way.” Lucie extends a hand to Marinette who takes it and gives it a shake. “And to answer your original question, the girl who ran off is named Gabrielle and the girl who followed after her is Zoe. They come from the same town and are good friends.” She looked at her watch and sighed. “It was nice meeting you Marinette, and I’m glad I was able to set the record straight. Good luck today, but it’s my turn for my run around the mansion.” She stood up from the island, gave Marinette a little wave, and disappeared out of a door.

Marinette was so in shock from the conversation that she almost forgot to find Tikki something to eat. Thankfully, once she located the pantry, there was a large number of cookies hidden in there. Marinette grabbed a baggie and loaded up on some so Tikki could eat her fill and have something to recharge with tonight.

Once lunch was eaten and the cookies were delivered, Marinette wandered around the house. Her official excuse was that she wanted to get a better feel for it in case she needed to make a Ladybug escape, but in reality, she just wanted to find the other girls and avoid them. She wasn’t feeling up to anymore conversations like the one with Lucie, even if that one did turn out okay. Plus, she had never been in a house this large and it was interesting to see how it was laid out and decorated for the show. It was hard to move through the hallways with all of the luggage strewn around, so Marinette tried her best not to touch anything, in case someone wanted to use it against her.

Finally, she settled onto a bench with a window that overlooked the pool, where it seems most of the girls were showing off their new Gabriel swimsuits and working on their tans. It was unseasonably warm for late August, so Marinette couldn’t blame them for soaking in what was left of the summer. Each of the girls was showing off certain parts of their personalities and trying to intimidate the other girls. Lila seemed to be the only one succeeding, as she had been given a wide birth around her by most of the girls. Marinette also saw Hanna for the first time since the rose ceremony. She looked like one of the few who were actually enjoying themselves in the pool rather than baking in the sun.

Hanna’s innocence and general joy inspired Marinette and she opened up her sketchbook and started sketching out a dress. It was a shorter dress, more for daytime wear, and was designed to be light. Marinette wanted it to flow and be free, just like Hanna was. She was almost finished with the dress when someone cleared their throat behind her. Marinette jumped and had almost forgotten that she was in a house with 21 other girls. For a minute there, she felt like she was back in her room, in her own little designing bubble.

“I really hope that has been approved,” a voice said. Marinette looked up and recognized the girl from last night that wore the fencing outfit. Today she was wearing normal clothes, but her hair looked the exact same: cut into a short bob and left to sit there around her head. She sounded very serious and sharp, like she didn’t know how to carry on a conversation. “I’d hate to be the one to turn you in.”

Marinette highly doubted that. “You’re Kagami, right?” The girl gave a nod, which allowed her black hair to have some sort of movement. Marinette wondered if she ever did fun things with her hair, but she hardly seemed like the fun type. She felt pretty sure that if it would be socially acceptable, she would do away with her hair just for the practicality of it all. “I’m Marinette.”

“I know.”

That seemed to be the common answer. Marinette sighed and decided to skip the pleasantries. “The notebook has been approved. I’m not one to break the rules.” Unless Paris is in danger, but that’s a different problem entirely.

“Good to hear.” Kagami paused as she seemed to collect words for her next statement. “Why aren’t you outside enjoying the... weather?” Her voice tapered off at the end of the question and it forced Marinette to study her further. Why was this girl so odd?

“I wasn’t feeling the pool today. I’d much rather stay inside,” Marinette mumbled, looking back down at her sketchbook and doodling a cat paw in the corner, not wanting to reveal the real reason nor make eye contact with the weird girl.

“It wouldn’t have anything to do with your supposed ‘best friend’ Lila.” Welp. There goes that plan. Marinette looked up and saw that Kagami’s eyes were not harsh, but questioning.

“You don’t believe her?” Marinette asked, not daring to believe that someone else can see through Lila’s games.

“No.” Kagami said shortly. “She didn’t seem to be your friend yesterday and you weren’t even there to say anything. It seemed like some scheme she created.”

“Oh,” Marinette replied, releasing the tension in her shoulders that she didn’t realize she was holding. “Well thanks for not believing her lies.”

“Don’t thank me, I haven’t done anything.” Kagami replied curtly. She wasn’t warming up to Marinette at all; she felt just as distant and cold as she had the beginning of the conversation. Her words and tone made Marinette uneasy and she began to study her again. She just couldn’t get a feel for this girl. Seeming to not notice Marinette’s gaze, she continued. “I may not believe Lila, but there’s something off about you. You’re too calm for this competition. You’re hiding something and I’m determined to find out what it is.” At that, Kagami gave a curt nod and walked away.

Marinette blanched. Day two and she was already getting singled out by some girl claiming to be her best friend and threatening the others, and another girl claiming to be looking to out her secret. She was going to have to be more careful around the mansion than she thought. She couldn’t afford for the word to get around that Ladybug was participating in The Bachelor. Marinette, who was suddenly sick of sitting out in public and fearful of the other girls and their prying eyes, packed up her supplies and retreated to her room to hide. Maybe Tikki could cheer her up.

                    ----------------------------------------------------

Tikki wasn’t the one who did the cheering up, but once 8 o’clock hit, being out in the open as Ladybug did wonders to lift her spirits. She arrived at the meeting spot a couple of minutes early and became suddenly very nervous about seeing Adrien/Chat. Sneaking out was easy, but knowing what to say to Adrien was very nerve-racking.

Once all of the girls had eaten dinner, they all went to some secluded spot and didn’t talk to each other. This was the perfect cover for Marinette, who traveled to her room where her roommate wasn’t. She transformed then jumped off the balcony, leaving it unlocked to make it easier to get back inside, hopefully without Mathilde noticing (or deciding to lock the unlocked window).

She sensed him before she could see him and she had trouble keeping the smile off of her face. She was giddy, even though she technically had seen him less than 24 hours before. But after a day of being ignored by everyone and in turn ignoring them, she was excited for this interaction.

She heard his boots hit the rooftop and she turned to look at him. He gave her the sweetest smile and a “Hey.”

“Hey, yourself.”

“What a lovely evening it is,” he started. She couldn’t help but giggle at how awkward he sounded. She began to walk towards the edge of the rooftop to sit, knowing he’d follow.

“It sure is. Especially after being cooped up in the mansion all day.” He gave a slight gasp, that forced her to turn and look at him in mid-step. When she saw nothing wrong with him, she began searching around them, thinking there was an akuma. “What? Do you see something?”

“Um, no,” his voice was about an octave higher than it normally was. That made her giggle as she sat down on the edge of the roof. He cleared his throat before continuing. “So.... does that mean that you’re still in the competition?”

She watched him sit and couldn’t help but give him a smile. “Oh, you silly Kitty. Where you worried that you had let me go?” All he could do was nod. “Well, don’t worry. I’ve made it through the first round. If you cut me, you’d know that I was Ladybug right away, I promise.”

“Does that mean that I could just cut all of the girls, you’ll reveal yourself and we could live happily ever after?” The tone of his voice was clearly joking, but Ladybug’s heart skipped a beat at the thought. It would be a lot easier, if she could just reveal herself, they quit the show, get married, and live happily ever after. Sadly, she knew that wasn’t going to happen.

“You know your Father would never let you do that!” She may not have ever met Gabriel Agreste, but from all of the stories that Chat had told her throughout the years, it was obvious that he was a man who got his way, and if he didn’t then he found a way for it to happen. He sounded terrifying, and if Adrien was going to deviate from the show’s script at all, she knew he would pay for it dearly.

“Yeah, I know. But it’s still fun to think about,” he said softly. Ladybug’s heart sighed and she gave him a slight hug and leaned her head of his shoulder.

“Tell me about your day and I’ll tell you about mine.”

“Let’s see, I was woken up at the first sign of sunlight by my ever-annoying Kwami because he demanded cheese. Then a little bit later Mini-Natalie,” Ladybug took her head off of his shoulder to give him an incredulous look. “Oh sorry! That’s the girl in charge of me during the show. She moves me around and makes me keep to my schedule. She reminds me a lot of Father’s assistant, Natalie, and since I don’t know her name I call her Mini-Natalie.”

Ladybug gave a quick snort at his crazy line of thinking before leaning her head back down and saying, “Sounds legit. Continue.”

She could feel him chuckling beneath her, but he did continue. “Anyway, she took me to some dark room where they made me decide who was getting all of the dates this week. I also had to pick what I was going to do on each of these dates from the approved list for the first 2 weeks.” He gave a sad sigh that caused Ladybug to pull away to look at him again.

“How does that bother you? Would you rather plan all of the dates yourself? Cause honestly, it sounds exhausting.”

“It’s not that.” He paused and looked around the rooftop before saying, “It’s my Father. He’s... taken more of a hands-on approach to the whole process than I thought he was going to.”

Ladybug’s first thought was, “What does that mean?” but decided not to push him. Instead she asked, “How does that make you feel?”

“Annoyed. I—I thought that even though he was making me do this stupid show in the first place that I would at least get to pick who the winner was. I could go at it with an open mind and an open heart and actually get to know the girls and pick one that I could see being my wife. But now, I have to consider my dad’s preferences and how my decision could affect the company in the future.” He sighed again and then looked Ladybug straight in the eye. “I just want to make this choice myself, without anyone else’s opinions influencing my decision.”

“You deserve that much.”

Chat smiled and gave Ladybug another hug. This hug lasted a while and Ladybug never realized how comfortable and safe and at home she felt inside his arms. She could feel his head moving and she pulled back a little to see what he was doing. He rested his forehead on hers and whispered, “Thank you for supporting me. Knowing you were at the mansion yesterday made the whole day tolerable. I couldn’t have done it without you.”

She smiled and looked up at him. “You don’t know how much your presence changed everything for me too. Especially seeing all of those girls fawning over you. It helped me stay calm knowing that my Chaton was there looking for me.” He smiled at that and pulled away.

She missed his presence but knew it was time for them to start their rounds around the city. Slowly she stood, and offered him a hand to get up as well. “Well, duty calls, and we’ve been ignoring our city for the whole weekend.”

He took her hand and stood as well, though he held on to her hand a little bit longer. “Honestly, I’m surprised it didn’t randomly burst into flames or something while we were gone.”

At that, she laughed, a good hearty laugh. “Come on, Chaton. I’ll race you to the other side of the city.”

“You’re on.”

                    ----------------------------------------------------

When they had finished their rounds, Chat had decided to be the gentleman and walk Ladybug back to the mansion. It was a wonderful feeling, walking his lady home, but it was also odd knowing that inside her current house was 21 other girls he was dating too. He stopped her on a rooftop about a block away from the mansion. She turned to look at him with those gorgeous bluebell eyes and he knew that he had to do it.

“Ladybug, can I ask you something?” Instead of answering, she turned her body fully towards him so that he had her full attention. That was one of the things he loved about her, how she was always there to listen if he needed her. “I, um, need to ask a favor of you.”

She tilted her a little to the side and she looked at him quizzically. He gulped and looked down at his hands, which were twisting nervously. He kept feeling as though he was under a microscope before remembering that there were no cameras around now. It was just him and his lady. Just the way he liked it.

“That depends on what it is, but I’ll try my best.” At that he smiled and looked back up at her. He hardened his resolve and just went for it. He leaned in and put his lips on hers and hoped she wouldn’t freak out.

Freak out is exactly what she did. She jerkily leaned back and made a noise that sounded almost like a choked scream. “What was that for?” she demanded, her tone a lot harsher than he thought it would have been.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know what to do! I’ve never kissed anyone before and I just wanted to take a chance and—” before he could continue, she cut him off.

“You’ve never kissed anyone before?”

He ducked his head, feeling the blush stain his cheeks. “No, not that I remember,” he mumbled. Him and Ladybug have kissed on two other occasions. Once during an akuma that Chat didn’t find out about until months later, and another right after they had their memories wiped, but before Ladybug’s cure was done. That one had been photographed, so he had proof, but he didn’t count those since he couldn’t remember them happening.

“Oh, that’s right,” Ladybug replied knowingly (and with a slight blush, Chat noticed). Her eyes lit up with a new-found fire though as she asked, “Wait, not even as Adrien?”

All Chat could do was shake his head.

At that, she let out a short laugh, “You, Adrien Agreste, have never kissed someone before?”

“Oh my gosh, do you have to tell the whole city?!”

“I’m speaking at a normal voice level,” She pointed out flatly.

“But it feels like you’re yelling.” He crossed his arms and gave her a pout. Normally she would laugh at his childish stance and then they could move on, but he wasn’t as lucky this time.

“So why did you decide to jump me with this kiss?” It was her turn to cross her arms and the sight made Chat feel more like cowering away than laughing.

He decided the truth was less embarrassing than what just happened. “The producers told me that I have to kiss someone this first week. Normally, the Bachelor kisses a good handful of the girls on the first night, but I was too embarrassed by the fact that I had never done that to do so. I want my first kiss to be memorable and with someone that I’m comfortable around, so I thought you would be the best choice.” He let his voice trail off, giving her the chance to respond. He was mentally kicking himself and he hoped that she would at least forgive him and they could forget this ever happened.

Instead, she walked up to him and placed her hands on his cheeks, pulling his eyes to hers. She began rubbing his temple. “Wha—What are you doing?” Her proximity and touch hadn’t bothered him earlier, but it stirred something in him this time that made him want to lean down and kiss her again.

“I’m erasing that memory. If this is going to be your first kiss it needs to be a proper one.” Before he could reply, her lips were on his and he forgot whatever he was going to say. He had imagined what it would be like to kiss Ladybug a million times, but none of those had prepared him for this. Her lips were soft, sweet, and tasted like strawberry lip gloss. He felt her melt into him and he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer to him.

Too soon, way too soon she was pulling away. She looked up at him and gave him a shy smile. “I really need to get back before they discover I’m gone.” He felt his head nod, but was still too much in shock to respond with words. “Thanks for letting me be your first kiss. I’ll see you later.” And with that she ran to the edge of the building and yo-yoed her way towards the mansion.

He managed to get himself headed back towards the hotel he was staying in before a yell of excitement escaped his lips. He felt like running and dancing and celebrating and screaming it from the rooftops and yet keeping the whole beautiful moment to himself. He was overwhelmed and excited and he knew that he was going to marry her. He just had to figure out which one she is.

He went to sleep that night with a smile on his face and even Plagg’s complaints about staying out too late couldn’t ruin his newfound happiness.

~

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[goddamnitconnor-a]

I’d mentioned something about this a little bit ago, but there’s been something on my mind for a while, now, and I want to finally write something down. This is mostly because I was asked on the sidelines if I could make a post like this-- so here goes.

I’ll put most of this under a cut so anyone not interested can just scroll by without too much fuss, but first I’d like to say what this is all about.

Anxiety. Or, rather, how to not let it consume your life. Because we all experience it, most of us on a daily basis, but I’ve seen so few people actually do the right things to stop it from escalating to a critical point or try to do anything to manage it when they’re not in a critical mode. So, the rest of this will be cut for sake of length, but please:

If you have struggles with anxiety and recognize that it’s holding you back from enjoying any part of your life to the fullest extent, give the rest of this post a look over. These are honest, tried and true methods of reducing the impact of anxiety, both the obvious and less obvious, and I promise I wouldn’t offer them as suggestions unless I knew they’d have a beneficial impact on your overall health.

I’ll say this one last thing: if you’re thinking anything along the lines of ‘none of this will work for me’ or ‘my anxiety is too bad to do anything about without medication’ or ‘I’ve tried everything before and nothing really works so why bother’, then I’m speaking directly to you: please read the rest of this post. I don’t say it often, but you are so wrong.

Firstly, before I begin spewing out suggestions, everything I talk about here I have seen take a positive effect on both myself (dealing with bipolar depression and I’m sure other shit by this point) and people with severe intellectual disabilities (autism being the primary diagnosis), whom I support and work very closely with. I’ve also taken two college courses focused entirely on managing anxiety through very different strategies (mental vs physical activities) and a handful of others on building mindfulness, confidence, and self-image. Honestly, though, I’m drawing mostly from the former experiences because there’s nothing like seeing the words in action.

These techniques will be listed here only briefly because talking about each of them at length would make this an entire book. I might go into more detail in additional posts, if enough people would like me to or I’m feeling especially talkative another day. They are listed roughly in the order of most effective or most necessary, but honestly they all work in tandem with each other, so saying one is better than the other is a little misleading.

Attitude: We’ve all got it. Some are better than others, and some are just downright-- wait. Not that kind of attitude. I’m talking about our attitude towards our own mental health. I’m sure a lot of people believe they’re just supposed to suffer as much as they do or that it’s not really so bad and changing is too much effort. Essentially, the message is saying ‘I don’t care enough about myself to make the effort for my mental health’ no matter how you say it. Point blank, that’s a pretty shitty attitude to have, and no one wants to have a shitty attitude. No one likes feeling like shit, we just kind of get used to it and grow numb to it out of self defense against our own brains. Not the best habit to pick up. But one thing is certain: if you don’t believe you can help yourself and if you don’t believe you’re worth the effort, then nothing else is going to leave much of a mark. It all starts here, friends, and it’s usually the hardest step to take.

Deep breathing: Has to be next, doesn’t it? And it’s a very easy next step after that last one. The rules are very simple: block yourself off from outside stimuli (whether this means closing your eyes or fixating on a fixed spot in the distance to focus your attention or doing whatever you need to in order to take a minute to yourself); take a deep breath in through your nose for at least five but ideally seven seconds (breathe in so your stomach expands and not just your chest-- your shoulders shouldn’t rise more than they do when you’re yawning or sighing); hold the breath for up to three seconds; release your breath through your mouth slowly (take at least three but ideally five seconds) and make sure to fully push all of the air from your lungs. Repeat at least three times and up to ten times, depending on how high your stress and anxiety are at the time. The idea of the numbers is equal parts providing a structure so that the breath is under your control and providing a distraction from any other thoughts that might intrude. If you’re focusing entirely on counting the seconds of your breath or focusing on how the breath feels going in and out of your lungs, then you’re much less likely to worry about anything else. So don’t get too hung up on the specific numbers; understand their purpose and adjust them as you need to in order to fit your current situation. Do this before you go into a full-blown panic attack. It’s much more difficult to focus on deep breathing when you’re in panic mode, but taking a few deep breaths when you feel the first signs of something coming on could lessen or negate the physical and mental strain. Remember: It takes less than three minutes, even if you do all ten breaths, and there’s no equipment or special requirements. That makes this by far the easiest thing on this list to do, and the effects it can have are fucking mind-blowing.

Diet: Okay, maybe this will be the hardest step. But it doesn’t have to be! Diet changes can be huge, cold-turkey everything bad or small, subtle changes that ease you into a better lifestyle over the course of a few months or even a year. Both are totally cool! In fact, I’ve done both. There is so much I have to say about dieting, but I’ll list out the major points. Stop counting. I don’t care what it is, just stop counting it. Right now. Because guess what: you’re not counting the right things. Things you should be looking at? Sugar content. How processed the food is. Artificial flavoring and high fructose corn syrup. Things that really aren’t that important if you’re organizing your diet to be balanced and actually healthy? Fat content. Calories. What a coincidence. Also, eat breakfast. I know it means getting out of bed a little earlier, but for all that is good in this world, eat breakfast. Snack more often (not on potato chips; try some fruit), especially in the morning when your body is trying to balance out everything from the previous night (or, you know, whenever you sleep). Fruit, vegetables, nuts, protein bars (check that sugar content!), hard-boiled eggs, cottage cheese, and yogurt are all super easy and cheap snacks to grab and most of them are portable if you’re out and about often. Lunch doesn’t need to be big, but it needs to exist on some level. Heavy lunches will weigh you down and make you tired much earlier than you would be otherwise but no lunch will sap your energy and also leave you feeling drained earlier in the day. Dinner should be focused on protein and this is usually where people actually eat their vegetables, so keep that up! If you’re going to have a lot of empty carbs (like fries, mashed potatoes, rice, etc.), you better plan on having a post-dinner workout because guess where that belly fat is coming from. If you have anything to eat before bed, make sure it’s at least an hour before and it should have as little sugar and calorie content as possible. Protein is ideal for this time of the day!

Exercise: Oh boy. All of these steps are sounding pretty hard, aren’t they? Good news! You don’t have to go to the gym. You don’t even have to go outside. And I’m not about to preach youtube workout videos and giant squishy balls to roll around on. I am about to preach yoga. I know we only ever see super attractive and skinny women perching themselves in ridiculous poses on a fucking mountaintop at sunrise with some inspirational quote plastered everywhere and that’s what we think when we hear yoga, but you know what? I’ve taken yoga courses, and the only one even half-capable of flipping herself upside down on her head was our instructor-- because she’s been doing it forever. Most people had to use blocks and bands to assist them with most of the poses. Yoga is not for the fit and bendy only; in fact, the less fit and bendy you are, the more you’ll probably benefit from the practice. A few simple stretches in the morning isn’t going to change your life, but it’s a start. There are plenty of free videos and apps around to help you get started with easy things that will make the rest of your day a little easier, and I guarantee you’ll start feeling so much better that you’ll get addicted to it. If you happen to already be a reasonably active person, then just make sure you’re getting at least 30 minutes of at least moderate activity in order to get the most benefit out of your workout. The most beneficial time to do any exercise is first thing in the morning after you wake up, but right before meals or mid-day when you might be feeling a bit of a drag are also ideal times. Anything above low-intensity exercise before you go to bed will definitely hurt your sleep cycle, but there are some yoga poses and other kinds of exercise that are actually very beneficial to relaxing and getting a better night’s sleep.

Meditation: This should be higher on the list, but again the list really isn’t a ranked thing. I’m only putting it this far down because I believe that meditation doesn’t always stick out to people as something especially helpful. That’s because meditation doesn’t show instant results and a lot of people do it very wrong, so they don’t get any results at all. Because of this, I think if the above techniques are implemented then meditation will become more attractive because some control and balance in your life will have already been established with the other things. I would recommend starting with guided meditation no matter what, if you’ve never done it before or even if you think you’ve been doing it ineffectively. Meditation is very flexible, which is one of the things I love most about it. Once you understand the real purpose of meditating and how to handle any potential distractions while you’re meditating, you can do it almost anywhere and at any time-- and you can spend five minutes with yourself or two hours. Any amount of quiet and calm for your mind will help it immensely! Also, if you’re feeling drained and are unable to do any stretches or exercises to wake yourself up, meditation can actually make you more alert and refreshed. This is especially helpful for people trying to focus on a task that needs to be accomplished but that attention span just isn’t cutting it. Meditation should center you, calm your mind, boost your focus, and clear your head of distracting thoughts and worries unrelated to the task at hand. Stress and anxiety should reduce and if you go into a deep enough trance, a sense of euphoria (similar to that infamous ‘runner’s high’) will accompany you for a while afterwards. If it’s not doing that for you, then you should probably seek out some sort of guide to help you meditate more effectively.  

Water: Just drink it. I won’t say that you can’t drink too much, because of course you can, but chances are high you aren’t drinking as much as you should be. It depends a lot on your activity levels, what you’re eating throughout the day, and your exposure to the sun or other high heat elements, but a few signs that you’re not drinking enough water are: if you get frequent headaches, especially near the top/crown of your head; if you get muscle cramps-- they can be anywhere, but leg cramps are very common and I experience stomach cramps easily when I’m dehydrated; if you’re thirsty (simple as that); if you find yourself yawning/breathing deeply excessively. Drinking water first thing in the morning will help you wake up and cold water before meals will reduce your appetite so you don’t overeat. 

There is so much more I could say about anxiety and so many other, little things that can be done to make things easier on yourself, but these are the really big ones. The ones that I guarantee, if practiced together even on a minimal level, will improve your health both physically and mentally to the extent that you’ll never believe you lived so miserably for so long without doing these simple things. Because here’s the hard news: We weren’t meant to sit in a dark room in front of a computer screen all day. We weren’t meant to play video games for 12 hours a day. We weren’t built to digest the obnoxious amount of empty carbs and overload of sugar that is basically forced in our face every time we turn around. Our bodies are meant to work and they’re meant to be maintained-- and if you feel like that statement doesn’t apply to you, you probably don’t understand your body as well as you think you do. I’m not saying I know anyone’s specific situation and of course there are always outrageous exceptions to even the most reliable of rules, but for the majority of people reading this, the only real block against you and a healthier you is just plainly you. That’s not an easy thing to accept or make peace with, but the sooner we realize that we most often are the only ones holding ourselves back, the easier it will be for us to help ourselves get better. These are just steps and suggestions. Just words on a screen. Any time they’re put into practice and any time they give anyone any sort of benefit, that victory is not mine. Don’t give me the credit. Because you’re doing all of it. And you’ve been able to all along, so I’m glad you’re finally waking up and realizing it.

[cutiecrates]

Cutie Reviews: Tokyo Treat Oct 18

As an update from my last post, I pretty much stayed up last night and browsed Blippo.com. They have tons of products and yes, there was some heartbreak in them not having a couple things I would have really liked- but I still found a variety of things worth getting and in a couple of days I will be giving it a once over before I make my purchase!

Not related to Tokyo Treat, but I thought it was worth mentioning.

“Happy Halloween to our Tokyo Treat family! We love this season as the weather is finally starting to cool down, the leaves begin to change color, and of course, the ghouls appear! To celebrate this fun season we have curated a box full of seasonal Halloween limited-time items. Our hope is that the moment you open your box you are filled with Halloween cheer! So, we hope that you absolutely love this month’s Trick or Treat Tokyo Treat box! We plan on dressing up to enjoy this holiday, and we hope that you do the same What are you planning on being this Halloween? Whether it is a creepy creature, a ghastly ghoul, or a kawaii character, be sure to have a great time!“

For this month, our Lucky Treat stars the adorable Gudetama with some Pokemon on the side, while the prizes for the months contest includes some adorable Pikachu products.

There is also an article on Yokai, an adorable Kappa matching game, and an article on Dashi, a common stock used in a variety of Japanese cuisine.

Candy Apple DIY Kit

This is our DIY item, one I’ve had a couple of times already; kinda disappointing but at least it’s a good one. I already reviewed this so you can check that out here: https://cutiecrates.tumblr.com/post/160472604642/cutie-reviews-apple-soft-candy-diy

Takoyako Ramune

Yes, you read that right. I was praying to never see a “weird ramune“ again after the Christmas potato one.... this had me wishing for the potato. I’m sorry anyone I might have offended but I’m not a “weird drink“ type of gal >3<

So as the booklet says, this is the “Halloween Trick“ :P For anyone unfamiliar, Takoyaki are “fried octopus balls“. Basically, a ball of dough filled with a piece of octopus meat, onion, pickled vegetables, ginger, etc, then covered in delicious sauces. They’re kind of acquired to those outside of Japan, but it’s a very popular dish. 

Rating: ♥ 

Yeah... this was terrible x_x It smells really bad, but I was surprised to say the flavor tasted a lot lighter. I only took a tiny sip but that was enough for me... I ended up psyching myself out before I even managed to drink it so I sat with this thing for like 10-15 minutes. It tastes exactly like a thinned down version of the Mc Donalds sweet and sour sauce... which prior to this drink used to be my favorite from there. 

It’s probably still my favorite honestly. But if I had drank anymore, I’m not so sure about that.

Winnie The Pooh Cookies

Our first two items are these bags of adorable cookies x3 Both feature a colorful package and the adorable Winnie the Pooh characters and the phrase Happy Hunnyween, isn’t that precious~?

My favorite has always been Piglet, and my mom loves Eeyore, what about you guys?

The cookies came in 2 flavors, chocolate chip, and sweet honey. They have a very crumbly texture that kind of reminds me of softened graham cracker.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ 

I’m rating them both together since they’re essentially the same thing but with a different flavor. They taste okay in terms of a cookie quality, nothing special but they’re not bad. The sweet honey one actually doesn’t taste like honey to me, but apples, which I thought was kind of tasty. The chocolate chip ones meanwhile, have a plainer taste and the chocolate chips are hardly noticeable.

If I had to choose one over the other, I’m not sure which one I'd pick. They seem a lot alike to me. These would be good if you like cookies that aren’t super-sweet or want a softish type of snack.

Tongari Corn & Shrimp Crackers & Pumpkin Wheat Puffs

I’ll be starting with the wheat puffs (the super obscure little yellow things on the plate. I’m sorry but I didn’t realize how invisible they looked in the picture when I took it...), my least favorite of the trio.

These are the share pack snack, made by Maeda (I assume from the link on the package), each pack is 39 calories and they are pumpkin-flavored puffs of wheat. They have a solid, but crumbly, powdered texture, and each bag includes a cute Halloween inspired drawing.

Rating: ♥

These aren’t very good, they remind me a lot of an egg yolk in terms of... everything. They don’t taste like pumpkin or wheat, I dislike them a lot and a part of me feels like these would be more suitable for younger children.

Our next item is the Shrimp Crackers by Calbee, the most common shrimp cracker I‘ve seen and had, but this time they included a fun Halloween design!

Each bag is 128 calories, and on the back of the bag they include a cute drawing depicting the “making of shrimp chips“.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ 

I’m not big on seafood, so seafood-based snacks can either be a hit or miss with me. These I’ve had once or twice before, but I’m not entirely devoted to them. The more I eat the less intense the flavor is though, and they’re tolerable. I don’t dislike them. They’re a light crunch in terms of texture.

Our final item in this picture is the Tongari Corn, a very popular snack by House, which is basically the Japanese version of the American Bugles.

It’s also interesting to note that whoever writes these didn’t proof-read the “menu“ in the booklet because the information for the snack comes from last months box. The flavor is Salted Caramel, and the calorie count is 381. For the holiday there is a cute eye-mask you can cut out of the packaging too :D

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

I like these way more than Bugles, and they’re salted with a light sweetness that tastes amazing. It doesn’t remind me of a caramel though. These are extremely addictive, especially if you enjoy a nice crunchy texture. Wrong information or not, these would be a great movie snack.

Poteko & Chupa Chups Lollipop

Poteko is nothing new in a long mile for this box, but this month we get a unique flavor Pumpkin Gratin. There was three bags available, each with a kawaii Halloween design.  

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 

I like Poteko enough as is, they have a light saltiness, the crunch is really good- but I was getting tired of them! We get them fairly frequently, but these ones have a unique flavoring to them. For most part they taste like normal Poteko, but there is a light difference to them, I’m not really sure if it reminds me of pumpkin or anything.

Our next item is the popular Halloween Chupa Chups lollipop. I’ve seen these pretty frequently (they even have big skulls decorated to make you can buy them in) but I never had one before, so this will be my first time trying it :P I waited until I was writing this to do so, and I am very excited!

According to the booklet, the skull is a sweet strawberry, while the sour element is the lime-flavored brain.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 

I was really surprised. The “strawberry hard candy“ actually tastes a bit like lime, while the “sour brains“ tastes like a slightly different lime, and it’s like a hard-soft candy you can bite into it right away. It wasn’t sour at all, which on one hand is a bit lame cause I like sour candy- but at the same time, it tastes delicious~

Roll Cake & Balance Mini-Cake Bar & Caramel Pudding Kit Kat

This box is a bit repetitive this month, because once again we’re looking at a Butter Cream Roll Cake, this is probably the third or fourth one I’ve gotten... but oddly this one is much smaller than usual. Er, ignoring the fact I bit it in half prior to taking the picture... 

I’m not going to bother rating this due to having done it so many times before. But I will say that it’s a lovely little cake, very soft with a light buttery flavor. It’s a nice alternative to those much bigger snack cakes if you feel bad about eating them.

Our next item is a Mini-Cake Bar, the Kinosei Health Snack of the month :3 Packed with over 10 vitamins, calcium, iron, and magnesium! It’s a very healthy snack at only 98 calories and would be a good choice in the morning or afternoon. 

The flavor for this one is Baked Cheesecake, and I know I had something like it before- but ‘m not sure if it was the same flavor or another one. It’s been a while.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 

Cheesecake is one of my most favorite foods, so I always look forward to trying cheesecake-flavored things. However, anytime there is something like that in one of these boxes, it always has a lemonish taste. I'm not sure if they include citrus or lemon in their cheesecakes, or if that’s just how my tongue interprets it. It’s pretty good though, and the texture is soft without being a crumbly mess.

The final item in this picture is a huge bag of delicious caramel pudding flavored kit-kats ♥ featured a super-cute Halloween design and “hand talk“ written on each package. Each pack is 63 calories.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 

These taste AMAZING; definitely a must-try kit-kat out of every flavor made so far. They have a very strong scent and taste, and taste like creamy white chocolate (which for the record I don’t like too much) and caramel~

Sanrio Halloween Papiro

Our next item is this adorable box of chocolate rolls. Each is filled with chocolate cream, and there is a light almond flavor to them. The entire box calorie cost is 366, and each is individually wrapped in a bigger bag- I was very impressed by the fanciness.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 

The outside doesn’t really taste like much, and what little I do taste of it kind of bleh. I’m not sure how to describe it, I guess it tastes like almond a little? The cream inside is about the same but lacks the bleh aspects, it’s also very soft an fluffy like a mousse.

Halloween Umaibo & Mochitaro Salt Rice Puffs

These are our final 2 items of the box, the Umaibo is an oldie but it’s my most favorite thing ever! Like in the Kawaii Box I recently reviewed, it’s Corn Potage flavored, which is the BEST Umaibo. Repetitive or not I would never turn down one of these!

Although now that I looked at it, I’m thinking maybe corn is a popular flavor in Japan around Halloween? Which would explain there was so much of it in this box, and the chosen Umaibo from the Kawaii Box. I feel a bit bad over saying it was a “missed opportunity“ now.

Anyway I don’t think it’s necessary to rate it considering I’ve praised it a million times by now.

The other item however, we have also had a few times; but the flavor always seems to be a bit different. It’s a rice puff, I’m not sure of the brand who makes these due to the vague packaging, but the images are always really cute to look at x3

Rating: ♥ ♥

Usually the flavor is pretty strong with these and they taste great, and I love rice; but this flavor actually kind of sucks. No offense anybody who likes these or its makers, but to me this only tasted like peanuts- and I HATE peanuts. I wasn’t surprised when I finished the bag and found at the very bottom 2 of them.

♥ Cutie Ranking ♥

Content - 3 out of 5. I liked how everything tasted -minus the drink and one food item- but 6 of the 14 items were repetitive. Yes, they were yummy, and if in the case of the Umaibo it shouldn’t be a big deal; but I really like getting to try new things and flavors, and that’s what I pay for. Even the DIY was a repeat and there’s a ton I’ve yet to experience, I wish they would throw in more detailed ones again like they did before.

Theme - 4 out of 5. 10 of the 14 items are decorated for the holiday, as is the booklet as usual. In a way I get the sense of the Holiday from the box.

Total Rank: 7 out of 10. I really liked the included items we got x3 everything was in great condition, no bumps or bruises, but I really wish there had been some more unique items in the box. Like out of everything here, only 3 things really stood out as unique to me. I feel like a few of the premium and classic box items should have been switched too, but that’s just me. 

♥ Cutie’s Scale of Yummy ♥

1. Corn Umaibo - I’m biased but we all know that by now. I also just really like it’s fun packaging.

2. Tongari Corn - Now that I tried these I know why the Japanese love these so much! 

3. Caramel Pudding Kit Kat - I like Kit Kats anyway, but I don’t always eat them. But these I could see reaching for pretty frequently :P thank goodness we got such a big bag! I Recommend these.

4. Chupa Chups Lollipop - I was really surprised because it wasn’t really what I thought it would be, but I loved it!

5. Mini-Cake Bar - I love lemon flavors, sour or sweet. 

6. Sweet Honey Cookies - I’m not very big on honey actually, but I did like the apple taste they had. 

7. Butter Cream Roll Cake - Speaking of cream :P A very soft and gentle tasting cake. 

8. Papiro - I don’t like the outside very much but I’m obsessed with the soft cream on the inside~

9. Poteko - Nothing too special, but it was nice to see them in another flavor. 

10. Shrimp Crackers - Like I said, these could be a hit or miss in my opinion. Sometimes I like them and other times I get a bit grossed out by them. 

11. Chocolate Chip Cookies - They didn’t have much taste. 

12. Mochitaro Salt Rice Puffs - I hate peanuts, this wasn’t pleasant. But the texture is really good. 

13. Pumpkin Wheat Puffs - Just no.

14. Takoyaki Ramune - I actually psyched myself up so much that I cried a little (when I wasn’t nervous laughing) before trying this. I regret it entirely and had to shove a bunch of a nearby snack in my mouth to get rid of the flavor.

Well, that will be doing it for another review :3 this ended up being my midnight snack so I’m going to be brushing my teeth and going to bed now. I’m hoping to get the next review, October’s Doki Doki Crate up during the weekend, then I’ll be starting up the November boxes~!

Remember to open boxes of cuteness every day!

[ratmonologue]

You know the drill, all tHE ASKS

Why

Spotify, SoundCloud, or Pandora? I don’t actually use any of them

is your room messy or clean? Room is okay, but desk looks like a war zone

what color are your eyes? brown

do you like your name? why? Yeah? It’s fairly unique but it’s spelled how it sounds, which is nice. And I’m used to it so

what is your relationship status? in a polyamorous relationship with about a dozen fictional characters

describe your personality in 3 words or less um…. obsessive, spontaneous, triestobeagoodfriendbutidkhowconsistentlyisucceed (that counts as one word right?)

what color hair do you have? brown

what kind of car do you drive? color? 20 years old and don’t have a driver’s licence eyyyy

where do you shop? At stores? Mostly of the grocery variety

how would you describe your style? Pretty casual I guess. Jeans and tanktops/t-shirts, dark colors, boots, army jacket

favorite social media account Does the OT count as social media? If so that

what size bed do you have? Sad little twin-sized mattress with very broken innersprings (yay college apartments)

any siblings? one younger sister

if you can live anywhere in the world where would it be? why? I’m honestly loving Edinburgh so staying here for the time being would be great

favorite snapchat filter? don’t have snapchat, so don’t know

favorite makeup brand(s) whatever’s cheap and doesn’t smudge

how many times a week do you shower? Usually every other day, so, like, 3-4. If it’s hot out then closer to 5-6

favorite tv show? FIREFLY. With additional special mentions to Blackadder, M*A*S*H, and Merlin

shoe size? US size? UK size? European size? CAN YOU TELL I’VE HAD A CONFUSING TIME SHOE SHOPPING OVER HERE??? (US 8, Euro 39, UK a Mystery)

how tall are you? 5′5″

sandals or sneakers? COMBAT BOOTS (but converse are second place so sneakers)

do you go to the gym? pfffft no

describe your dream date A ride in the Millennium Falcon with Han Solo would be pretty cool

how much money do you have in your wallet at the moment? *checks* around £55

what color socks are you wearing? not wearing socks

how many pillows do you sleep with? two

do you have a job? what do you do? college student who really does need to start thinking about an actual job, seeing as how they’re graduating in a few months

how many friends do you have? I think that number really depends on where you draw the what-defines-a-friend line but, um, a decent enough number I guess? I do need more irl friends over here though

whats the worst thing you have ever done? Some high school friends and I were kinda shitty to this one girl in our group, so maybe that. Idk, I’ve done a lot of small-ish terrible things but nothing super dramatic so it’s hard to pick one as the /worst/

whats your favorite candle scent? IKEA had this one green-apple-scented candle that to this day I wish I would have bought.

3 favorite boy names That’s so hard to narrow down and now all I can think of are fictional characters that I like. Um… *throws darts at mental dartboard* Sam, Nathan, Adrian. Although those might be pretty heavily influenced by the fact that I’ve met awesome people with all of those names so. For fictional characters, Kaz Brekker is a fantastic name, as is Han Solo, as is Ronan Lynch, and…. I should stop. There are so many names that I like though

3 favorite girl names Same problem as above. *throws more mental darts* Sierra, Lyra, Clare

favorite actor? I’m currently in watch-everything-that-Diego-Luna-has-ever-been-in mode. More long-term favorites are Harrison Ford and Richard Armitage

favorite actress? Catherine Tate is pretty fantabulous.

who is your celebrity crush? I like how the question asks for “crush,” singular

favorite movie? Raiders of the Lost Ark and Jurassic Park

do you read a lot? whats your favorite book? Not as much as I used to. Favorites (yes, plural) include The Book Thief, Six of Crows, Illuminae, Inkspell, The Dream Thieves, Half Moon Investigations, and so many more…..

money or brains? For me or in others? Either way, both is always nice xD

do you have a nickname? what is it? Well the OT crew knows me as Clary so. My camp counselor name was Coconut

how many times have you been to the hospital? I’ve been to the ER once or twice, but I don’t think I’ve ever stayed overnight in a hospital

top 10 favorite songs How dare you. Okay, um…. *tries to pick from a variety of bands and not just my 1-2 faves* Save Yourself, I’ll Hold Them Back (MCR), Daze (Poets of the Fall), When Everything Comes to an End (Plan Three), Brush it Off (Plan Three), Boulevard of Broken Dreams (Green Day), Morning Tide (PotF), Subrosa (Plan Three), What About Now (Daughtry), Ambulance (MCR), Rogue (PotF)…. that’s ten…. that didn’t even come CLOSE to covering them all (and so much for a variety of bands, heh)

do you take any medications daily? nope

what is your skin type? (oily, dry, etc) Pretty normal? Maybe slightly on the oily side

what is your biggest fear? jellyfish and plane crashes

how many kids do you want? ZERO, ZIP, ZILCH, NADA, NONE, KEINE, NUL. NO THANK YOU.

whats your go to hair style? Well seeing as how my hair’s kinda too short to do much with it, either down or in a partial ponytail

what type of house do you live in? (big, small, etc) grimy old student apartment woohoo

who is your role model? Nina Zenik

what was the last compliment you received? I have no idea

what was the last text you sent? “Honestly though I can’t say I’d mind if he actually did invade my hotel room. He’s one of the few people that could get away with it ;D” …..I’m not sure whether the context would make this better or worse

how old were you when you found out santa wasn’t real? 8, maybe? There was never a dramatic earth-shattering reveal; understanding was kinda gradual

what is your dream car? a spaceship

opinion on smoking? it’s disgusting why would you ever

do you go to college? yes

what is your dream job? underwater archaeologist by day, bestselling novelist by night. space pirate is also an option.

would you rather live in rural areas or the suburbs? Can I just say smack-dab in the city center? Is that not an option? Because that’s where I am now and I’m loving it.

do you take shampoo and conditioner bottles from hotels? No but the last hotels I was in provided instant tea/coffee/hot chocolate packets and I stole all the hot chocolate packets

do you have freckles? no

do you smile for pictures? usually

how many pictures do you have on your phone? 1248. I need to delete a bunch.

have you ever peed in the woods? Yes, many times. I’ve also peed in the desert many times.

do you still watch cartoons? Yes, although different ones than from when I was a kid

do you prefer chicken nuggets from Wendy’s or McDonalds? Neither, honestly

Favorite dipping sauce? There’s this one place in San Francisco whose french fries are, like, award-winning and they have a zillion dipping sauces, one of which is a lemon saffron aioli and it is heavenly.

what do you wear to bed? a t-shirt and sometimes pants, if it’s cold enough

have you ever won a spelling bee? no but I think I was in the top ten?

what are your hobbies? wasting time, reading, watching movies/tv shows, writing and drawing when I have the motivation

can you draw? Kind of?

do you play an instrument? Clarinet for 11 years, plus saxophone, mediocre piano, and mediocre guitar

what was the last concert you saw? Poets of the Fall. I died. Many times over.

tea or coffee? neither honestly, though tea if I absolutely had to pick

Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts? Don’t really care

do you want to get married? If I somehow find a way to make fictional characters come to life, sure

what is your crush’s first and last initial? S.B.

are you going to change your last name when you get married? Unless I marry someone with an impossibly cool last name, no

what color looks best on you? probably black. purple and olive green look good too

do you miss anyone right now? The SOAR Squad

do you sleep with your door open or closed? Considering I share an apartment with five other students, closed, always

do you believe in ghosts? not really, no

what is your biggest pet peeve? When people are unwilling to look facts in the eye

last person you called? Maybe my mom?

favorite ice cream flavor? COOKIE DOUGH

regular oreos or golden oreos? Does golden mean no chocolate? If so then regular, why would you take away chocolate

chocolate or rainbow sprinkles? always chocolate

what shirt are you wearing? a purple one that for once isn’t fandom related

what is your phone background? Sir Gwaine in sunglasses

are you outgoing or shy? It honestly depends. I think I’ve gotten a lot better at pretending to be outgoing

do you like it when people play with your hair? Depends who that person is

do you like your neighbors? I’m gonna interpret this as apartment-mates and while I don’t really know them too well yeah they seem pretty alright

do you wash your face? at night? in the morning? Whenever I shower

have you ever been high? Only on sugar and sleep deprivation

have you ever been drunk? Yes, but not enough to black out or give me a hangover

last thing you ate? Cheesy bacon-ey mushroom-ey salsa-ey scrambled eggs

favorite lyrics right now “And now assassination is just the only waaaaayyyyyy…..” by the cowboys in Dr. Horrible

summer or winter? Winter if there’s snow, but summer’s great too. idk

day or night? Night

dark, milk, or white chocolate? All of the above?

favorite month? October has the best weather

what is your zodiac sign? go away

who was the last person you cried in front of? My friend Josh (some of you might know him as medieval dude 1.0) because I went to see Rogue One with him