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My 11-month male cat lets my foster kittens nurse on him.

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college tips

ya girl is graduating in a couple of weeks so i wanted to dish out some last minute advice extracting every bit of wisdom possible from my last brain cell for those of y’all going to college soon 

general stuff

you don’t really understand how gross communal bathrooms are until you’ve been in one. they might say they’re cleaned regularly, but they’re not. get shower flip flops (the plastic ones) and use them so you don’t get some weird foot fungus

when selecting a dorm room (if you can), always take into account the fact that the elevator is probably going to break at some point. and also that it will probably smell pretty bad most of the time. 

get a nice backpack. one that’s big and roomy, that can hold a lot of stuff and fits comfortably on your back. sometimes when your dorm is far from the rest of your classes, you’re not going to go back to your room until late, so it’s best to just carry everything around with you all day and you don’t want to break your back doing so. 

keep an emergency stash of stuff in your backpack at all times. you never know what will happen during the day and you don’t want to have to go back to your room to get it. my emergency pack consisted of stationery stuff (pen, pencil, highlighter in case i left my pencil bag at home), medicine like advil and pepto bismol, feminine hygiene products, a phone charger, eyeglass cleaning wipes, and vaseline. always keep a second phone charger in your bag, even if it’s one of those cheap dinky ones. you NEVER want to be without a phone charger. 

whenever i was in the cafeteria, i used the coffee cups to load up on cereal or fruit in case i got hungry and wanted a snack during class. professors generally don’t care whether you eat or not in class. just do it quietly. 

never, ever, ever run out of snacks in your dorm room. you never know when you’ll get hungry at night and want something to eat, and you do not want to put in the effort to leave and get food, OR spend money for grubhub. 

hydroflasks are heavy and expensive. don’t get one. get something cheaper and easier to lug around campus, and if you’re into iced tea or coffee, get something you can put that in too. 

bring an umbrella and comfortable rain boots. rain coats will not do jack, i tell you, when you’re getting soaked. just get an umbrella

if you’re from the southern US or from california, trust me on this: get a winter jacket. a good winter jacket. you never know when the next cold snap will be in the fall or winter and you don’t want to be walking around campus freezing your ass off. 

set your clothes out the night before. this will save you a couple minutes of sleep when you have to wake up and go to class, plus checking the weather before you head out is always helpful.

emergen-c is a vitamin c supplement that you can put in your water and drink. if you feel a bit drowsy or sick, you will feel better after drinking this. tip from a doctor i shadowed

academic stuff

sometimes sitting in the front isn’t helpful at all. maybe you’re someone who wants to fidget or doodle without distracting people, maybe you’re just uncomfortable sitting close to the professor if they’re one of those types who goes around calling on people, or maybe you want to sit near friends who can clarify things as the class drags on. that is ok. do what works for you. but sometimes people talk pretty loudly in the back and in that case you have to move. just move. it doesn’t matter if you seem rude, just move because you have to focus. 

ask questions. you are probably not the only person with that question in the room. i know some profs can make it feel awkward to ask because they can act elitist, but it’s your right to learn in that class. you paid to be there. you’re paying them to be there 

if you email a professor and they don’t reply within five days, email them again. don’t feel like you’re bothering them. they’re probably just busy and forgot to reply. 

office hours aren’t always necessary. some people love office hours because they’re good at hanging out with people and talking to them, and they can basically have the professor teach the material again. some people, like me, want to learn what’s going on before going, or even without going. most of the time you might not even need it. the one time i would always recommend you go is figuring out what you did wrong on a test if you don’t already know what you did. 

don’t study in your room. i’m actually serious about this, don’t study in your room. study somewhere outside your room, whether it’s in a dorm communal space or the library, a coffee shop, or whatever. separate your schoolwork from your place of rest, and keep them separate. once work and rest time begin to blur together, you’ll start having a much worse time in school. 

if you get a drop on a test, don’t slack off for the first one just because you have a drop. study for each one like it’s the last one you’ll take. you never know when you might get sick or have some emergency 

social stuff

if you’re not into clubs or parties, just don’t bother. they’re loud and a lot of people get drunk and throw up on the floor so. don’t even 

join a club because you actually care about it, not for the brownie points. don’t get roped into doing a bunch of stuff you hate

you won’t find your best friends in the first semester of college unless you have impeccable luck. if you’re like the rest of us, you have to be patient for them to fall into your life. when you do find them, you’ll know. 

you also might not find a significant other in college. you might not even want a significant other. all of this is ok. you might see everyone dating but remember you’re living your best life right now and it doesn’t matter in the long run

do what you need to do for you, not other people. in college you have the freedom to do what you want with friends, but if you need to get stuff done or you’re just not in the mindset or physical health to hang out, say no. you need to live your life for you 

i hope even one piece of advice here will help you. if you have any other specific questions, please feel free to ask or drop into my inbox :)))

never beating the sugar baby allegations :/

U know what my favorite detail is? Sevika eventually got rid of her 'collar'. (there should be some analysis here, like she finally became herself, but forgive me, thoughts leave my head when I see Sevika)

Be free, my lesbian queen with undercut.

+ And Jinx, by the way, literally and figuratively took off Sevika's collar. Or in other words: Sevika finding herself in the company of women, Jinx and Ishi, and felt freedom and safety. (I don't mean anything romantic!!!)

Xaden’s POV part 2 🫶🏼🫶🏼❗️❗️❗️

how to live life like a ghibli film

1. go out in nature more. every studio ghibli film has some aspect of nature intertwined with the storyline. sometimes its hard to get the energy to go outside, but just going out on your deck or opening the window in your room or taking a walk around the block is enough. if you feel like it, go for a hike! go into the woods and look at every flower, and every tree. look at the mushrooms and streams and notice the beauty of them. look at nature like you’ve never seen it before. wake up at 4 and watch the sunset. put plants around your room. realize how beautiful the world is around you. appreciate it. 

2. get a hobby! this step is certainly easier said than done, but its so worth it. struggling with mental illness makes it especially hard to get a hobby, but its very important that you don’t spend the majority of your time on social media. Start small. If you want to start drawing get a coloring book and fill in a picture with beautiful markers! If you want to write find a random prompt online, give yourself 30 minutes and see what you can come up with. Want to try baking? Start with an easy recipe, like chocolate chip cookies, and share them with your family or friends, or just yourself! Try out a bunch of hobbies, and see what you like best. Maybe you like making jewelry or writing poems or creating digital collages or making video edits or decorating your room or riding a bike or sewing or reading. The possibilities are endless, and getting a hobby you enjoy is very important, and fun.

3. start appreciating small things and noticing details. I don’t know how to explain this step, but in studio Ghibli films, small things always stick out. There are beautiful tiny details that make the story so much more magnificent. small details make the studio Ghibli films what they are. maybe on your way to school/work the sky was a really pretty color. Or the tea you made in the morning was perfectly steeped. appreciate small details of life that you don’t normally notice.

4. appreciate food. Pay attention to your food. If you can, try and make/bake your own food! But if you can’t, just be mindful of your food. Try not to eat while you’re on your phone. Dedicate times to just eating. Appreciating the food in front of you. Make yourself the ponyo drink with milk and honey, or ponyo ramen! Make yourself your own blend of tea like the Baron!

5. be kind and help others. Being kind doesn’t have to be a grand gesture, it can be smiling and waving at a baby in a café, or helping your mom finish the dishes, or paying for a friend’s coffee. Small gestures not only put good out into the world, but they also make you feel better. When you can, help others. Try volunteering at an animal shelter, or babysit for your aunt without charging her, or just listen to your friend when they’re going through something and be there for them. In every Ghibli film, the main character is always helping others, and being kind. Try to be like kiki, when she returned the pacifier to the mother who forgot it, or like chizuru from the cat returns, who risks her life to save a cat. Kindness comes in all shapes and forms, so just try your best to do what you can!

6. be your most authentic self. Stay true to who you are. dress how you’d like. Cut your hair like you’ve always wanted to. Stay confident and true to yourself. We all feel insecure sometimes, but we need to remind ourselves that we are great. Don’t try and force yourself to be someone you aren’t. Kiki felt insecure in her abilities as a witch, but she stayed true to herself, and believed in herself, and it paid off. Love and appreciate yourself, just the way you are.

7. (not really a tip but a fun suggestion) start collecting something! This is just an extra step that I wanted to include because I think its nice. But start a collection of things that interest you. It could be anything! Candles, stamps, teacups, antique figurines, 19th century photos, lip balms, books, key chains, flowers, hats. The choices are endless.

this is exactly what being a girl feels like

there is something so crazy and powerful about having art of your oc that was made by anyone other than yourself. like oh my god you actually exist outside of my own brain that's WILD