Quest Log Update: 2015 Wrap-Up · 12:03am Jan 4th, 2016
So, this was one heck of a semester. Princess Celestia Dad sent me off to Ponyville college to study the magic of friendship educational stuff, I discovered my post-apocalyptic doppelganger, and I will soon be applying for my pansy license.
Losses:
-RIP hair. I will miss being able to use you as a scarf. I will not miss the twenty-minute wash time, nor the six-hour drying time, and I certainly won't miss shedding enough hair to knit a small sweater every time I touch a hairbrush.
All images may be clicked for larger sizes. The imgurcalypse wrecked this blog.
-The nice men that my student housing complex hired to replace the flooring apparently murdered someone in my bathroom. After being instructed to stay away all day (for what I thought was construction), I returned in the evening to find that someone had flung spots of blood across my shower, toilet, and basically every other available surface. Now, we were told that one of the men had unfortunately suffered an accident when he was cutting up the old vinyl--he had reached for his knife and grabbed the blade rather than the handle. While I admire the guy's work ethic and determination to finish the job, I would have definitely preferred if he had sought appropriate medical attention. Cleaning up blood isn't really a skill I can put on my official resume. (Plus, biohazard?)
Still not convinced this isn't a murder scene.
-This one starts off as a victory, because adults apparently get to wrap their own Christmas presents--as I discovered when my parents welcomed me home with open arms and a pile of stuff to be festively concealed. I'm not sure which is the downside: the fact that my presents now look like this, or the fact that I was totally pumped to receive a study guide.
Just kidding. I also got Crayola markers :D
-As much as I love thunderstorms, the weather here is ridiculous. If it rains for more than a day, then you can plan on kissing the sun goodbye for at least a week. Add on the seventy-degree Christmas, and I am beginning to wonder if I should have stuck with the original life plan of being a meteorologist.
-Plant ownership is more challenging than school. I didn't water my ivy enough, and the internet is telling me that the white fuzz spots on my cactus are longtailed mealybugs. Luckily, my grandmother has my back:
Victories:
+I've met some interesting new friends on the bus. Don't let this image fool you--this fellow may look like he values personal space, but once the bus stops by the student center, he will forget what the concept of "space" even is. The transit system is positively slammed between classes, which is great if you want some cuddle time with complete strangers. I didn't get a seat one afternoon, and was literally wedged between two people. I lost my balance at some point and fell forward, but wound up moving less than an inch. Really builds a sense of school spirit, when you can count on your fellow students to keep you on your feet.
+I went into Fallout 4 expecting entertainment and explosions. Instead, I found myself. I had just arrived in the town of Goodneighbor and was walking down the street when my Fimfiction username popped up outta nowhere and then abruptly vanished. There were several other non-player characters milling around, so I swung my cursor back over to them and--lo and behold--"Fahrenheit" popped up again. My Fallout name is "Farrie" (thanks for the nickname, Bookish), so I knew that this wasn't the game's attempt to throw in a clone of the player-character. I followed this post-apocalyptic version of myself out of curiosity, and she apparently sits in the state house and stares at a drug-laden coffee table all day. Not sure if this is an omen.
+Found this dragon egg-sized pine cone. I'm fairly certain this makes me the ruler of some medieval fantasy kingdom.
+I verified that my new school's library actually does have books, as well as a great view. In similar news, I won't have to worry about setting aside time to exercise, as the collection for my major is kept on the sixth floor.
And finally, Story Time:
?Behold:
So my parents gave me a selfie stick for Christmas, right? This alone was enough to throw me for a loop, because they've previously expressed distaste for the narcissism associated with this gizmo (talk about mixed messages). So after unwrapping it, I had a good laugh, thanked them, and proceeded to joke to my friends about my descension into Stereotypical White Girl Status.
But then, I discovered that the selfie stick has magical properties. After owning it for less than a day, things in the Romance Department took a pleasantly surprising turn:
My favorite contender for boyfriend [represented above by my favorite cereal] had been beating the pants off of the suitor that was actually showing interest in dating me [represented above by the sweetroll, who made a valiant attempt for relationship status but agreed that friendship was a better fit]. While I was quite happy to drop hints to Favorite Contender as to my interest, I received extremely mixed messages in response, leading me to believe that he was probably uninterested. That by itself would have been fine, but the mixed messages were overwhelmingly positive, with a couple of "we're just friends" signals scattered in between.
I wasn't named my school's 2013 Optimist of the Year for nothing, though, so I rolled up my figurative sleeves and began Active Pursuit. It ended happily.
Moral of the story: (also, pro tip for the ladies) wooing a gentleman is not actually a big deal. Just play it cool and get a selfie stick. Correlation may not be causation, but:
I hope that 2015 treated you well, and I wish you all the very best in the months to come!
I guess that's the power of selfie sticks.
It sounds like you had a number of memorable experiences. The rainy weather would be a plus in my eyes, however, though having a lot of rainy days would understandably get tiring after a point. Anyway, I also wish you all the best and I'm eager to read any future stories you decide to share with us.
"How the El Niño Stole Christmas"
~a tale written by basically everyone in 2015
Also what is that pine cone even, I was not aware those existed. You're certain you aren't about to be dragged through a fantasy plot?
This post was a joy to read, start to finish. :B
It's not exactly obvious these days, but once upon a time, I had long hair as well, and I totally agree on the benefits of it being gone. Also, no lie, also my favorite brand of cereal. I currently have some in my cabinet. I eat far too much of it. D:
Congratulations on finding a way to justify the existence of selfie sticks.
What an oblivious twit :U
3662333 Who knew, right? And yes, I was right there with you at first--the rain was just so calming and nice. But it definitely wears on you, after a bit.
3662344 A classic in the making, right there. And I knowww! Everyone at the bus stop was jealous. I haven't seen any wizards or dragons or the like, but I'll be sure to keep you posted.
3662392 Yay! I'm glad you found it enjoyable; I certainly enjoyed living through this stuff. Long hair is kind of a struggle, isn't it? On one hand, it looks nice and is fun to play with, but on the other... maintenance.
Glad to hear that you recognize Honey Bunches of Oats as the best cereal in existence. There's no such thing as too much of it.
3662470 Thank you. Now that I have achieved my destiny, I can retreat from society and live out the remainder of my days trying to find a useful purpose for this device.
3662998 Completely and utterly :P
P.S. Somebody needs to give me a plant I can't kill. I planted asters in a pot, somehow grew grass?
and somehow managed to drown and dehydrate it at the same time. Either way, it's dead. I think...
3663232
I am suitably impressed. And also quite glad you found this amusing.
This is the funniest thing I've read all year. Especially the graphs.
3664104 Ha, thanks! The graphs were especially fun to make.