Anonymous asked: Okay, so, I'm a senior in college and I have zero free time to actually find fics my own damn self, so I was wondering if you had any recs for Buffy/Angel fics? (I have some issues with Buffy/Spike for personal reasons, but it's the most popular ship and wading through it is just kind of exhausting, you know? Like, no judgement, but I can't do the ship, and it takes FOREVER to find Buffy/Angel stuff.)
okay, i’m SO SO sorry this took a hundred years. like i said, i wanted to make sure to give more than just a few recs. they’re all bangel, set during various seasons. hope you like them!!
had to put it under a read more because it got longer than i thought it would
my fave overheard on campus moment of all time was the two guys who sat behind me in pop culture theory
as class was starting one of them was like “so… do you want a blowjob after this” in a rly bored voice, and then the second guy was like [pause][dejected sigh] “yes”
My freshmen year roommate was a complete fucking disaster but he would throw parties and everyone would pass out in our living room and every morning I left for class at 7am I would just get little choruses of “have fun at class, good luck” from hungover stoners and let me tell you, as someone who thrives off attention and positive reinforcement, this setup really worked for me
French Friend: well, the total cost of me going to Med school is about 406 a year -
American Friend: THOUSAND?
French Friend: Um, no. 406 Euro. It sounds a little high but it covers the cost of my textbooks, extra classes and most of my housing. How much is it for you?
1. Just because you took 7 classes in high school doesn’t mean you can manage 7 classes in college.
2. Just because you woke up at 6am everyday in high school doesn’t mean you can wake up at 6am everyday in college.
3. Just because you got straight A’s in high school doesn’t mean you’ll necessarily get straight A’s in college (and that’s okay).
4. Just because your teachers in high school said they were preparing you for college doesn’t mean you’re actually prepared for college.
5. If your advisor says it’s too much, it’s too much.
6. If Health Services says to take a day off, take a day off.
Man history majors are so great because they know all this stuff but they have The One Subject and once you find out what a given history buff’s Subject is you will never be bored again because they will tell you all about it with the enthusiasm of a child on Christmas morning
This is also more widely applicable.
For example: my roommate is a linguistics major. Her One True Subject is conlangs, and she can (and has) talked for multiple hours without slowing down. She’s gonna make a language and we’re going to run around yelling at each other in it, it’ll be fun.
- dont take 3 hr classes that only meet once a week
- sleep
- when u write an essay pick out the quotes/examples u want and write the essay around it
- email ur teachers and meet with ur advisors regularly
- quizlet
- TRIPLE CHECK YOUR ALARMS
- bring tupperware to the dining hall to smuggle out extra food
- dont wear your lanyard around your neck
- try to group your classes together in back-to-back time blocks. you wont want to go back to class once you get home
- STAY ON TOP OF YOUR HOMEWORK EVEN IF THERE ARE OPEN DUE DATES
- when walking on the sidewalk keep all the way to the right especially if your pace is slow
- yes, sometimes we can hear the music through your earbuds. we really don’t care or mind
- try not to eat a whole bunch after 10PM, especially fatty foods like pizza or lots of pop. you’ll get stomach aches in the morning
- nerd clubs are 100% okay and there are tons of students who share your interests with you, you just have to look
- take out the fucking trash
- sometimes you gotta pick: homework or sleep. pick sleep if possible. you can get an extension on homework, getting enough sleep to catch up on serious deprivation is nearly impossible.
- learn which teachers will back you up, then use this knowledge ruthlessly.
- learn which teachers give extensions, then use this knowledge ruthlessly.
- learn who, in every class you’re having trouble with, is both doing well and not a dick. learn to ask for help.
hey friendos!! so i don’t know about you but i’m at about that time in the school year where i really start to feel the stress of harder classes and the pressure to do well. it can be very difficult to work past these sorts of feelings, esp when you’re your own worst critic. here are some situations i feel happen to even the best of us, and the resources i use to sleep a bit better at night ~
“i’m so tired and i just can’t concentrate on all this work i have due”
hope this helps!!! don’t hesitate to message me if you have any questions or requests for other masterposts :~) love y’all tons, take care of yourselves <3
Wear jeans/pants that “breathe” and bring a sweater, even if it’s scorching hot out, until you know which building blasts the AC to 60 degrees F and which feels like a sauna
Backpacks with thick straps are your friend! Messenger bags are cool and all but if you’re commuting with a lot of stuff, symmetrically styled backpacks are better for your back
You are your own person and you can walk out whenever you need to or want to, so long as you’re not disrupting the class. Meaning you can go to the bathroom without permission, take a breather if you’re anxious, answer an important phone call, etc.
If you don’t like the class on the first day, if you can- DROP THAT CLASS AND TAKE ANOTHER ONE! It’ll only get worse from there!
If you can, take a class outside your major; it’s a good break from your expected studies.
You are in charge of your schedule. Your adviser and guidance counselor is there to ‘advise and guide’ but if you don’t like certain classes and you can substitute for others, that’s your choice.
Consequently, if you are changing anything drastic in your plan, talk with your adviser and instructors.
Pay attention to your credit hours and grades. Never leave this to the last week of school, you will be sorry and stressed beyond belief!
Unless it’s a lab book or otherwise specified, go to the class for a week or sobefore buying an expensive textbook. Some classes, while having it on their required list, do not actually use the textbook a whole lot and you might find some of it scanned online. Rent if you can or buy used online (schools actually don’t give discounts). Use your best judgement on what you think you need.
Tell the people who go up to you selling or advertising things you are not interested in that you are in a rush to class and don’t have time to listen to them. It’s less rude and they’ll leave you alone.
The smaller the class, the better it is to have some sort of acquaintanceship with a couple classmates. They might save your ass if you are absent one day or need to study. And talking with them makes the time go by faster without it being so insufferable.
You don’t need to join a club or sport, but internships are cool and useful!
If you can afford it, take a day off once or twice each semester if you’re too exhausted. Just be aware of what you missed and if it was worth missing!
Your health is the most important, this goes for mental health too!! Note: College-age/upper teens is when mental disorders like depression and anxiety are most commonly diagnosed. Most schools have therapy services, especially during exam time. Look into it if you need to!
Communicate with your professor if you are having trouble with something. Anything.
Eat and stay hydrated. Bring a water bottle and snack to class.
All-nighters will happen but never go over 36 hours without sleep.
It’s going to be hard and there will be times you might think about giving up. This WILL happen. You just have to make sure what you’re doing isn’t making you absolutely miserable and/or there is something rewarding and positive to look forward to at the end!
I did none of this and it bit me in the ass every time so this is EXCELLENT ADVICE.
ADDITIONAL ADVICE
Don’t let a mental health day turn into a mental health week because you will be so screwed.
Pay attention to the syllabus and do not lose it. A lot of professors put all of the assignment due dates in there and ONLY in there.
If your school has blackboard or moodle etc. CHECK IT. a lot of professors will only post certain info there and not talk about it in class
Check your student email account weekly. A lot of it will be unimportant junk but sometimes it’s the only way professors will communicate.
Check your student email multiple times DAILY.
THANK YOU. I’m so glad i have resources like this queued up in my ‘college’ tag bc honestly i was so stressed before
Advice from someone who really fucked up their freshman year:
READINGS ARE NOT OPTIONAL.
I REPEAT. READINGS. ARE. NOT. OPTIONAL.
Put them in your schedule, read BEFORE class. And summarise it. For bonus points, come up with some questions about the text and go introduce yourself to your professor either after class or during office hours, and ask them about it. This will make them much more likely to remember you in a positive light (and possibly bump your grade up if you hit a hard patch.)
Your library will have a copy of your textbook. If you cannot afford to rent it, you can go to the library and borrow it from the front desk for a few hours whenever you need it. It is there for you, okay?
SO DO YOUR READINGS.
I cannot push this enough: burnout is a thing. It is brutal and it will take you out at the knees. If you’re mentally exhausted, really do try to take some time off, even if it’s just a day to yourself.
Coffee will get you far. Caffeine overdose is a thing and it will fuck you right the hell up, so KNOW THY LIMITS.
Every once in a while I remember that, during the last round of workshopping people’s writing in my fiction class, I got into a fight with my teacher and the rest of the class about whether or not motive mattered in writing. This one story was about this guy who was a serial killer and his girlfriend who…evidently knew he was a serial killer for months if not years and did nothing and the last scene was her murdering him with poison in his food. (There were a lot of really heavy rape-y abusive overtones and I was kind of like…sweetheart, have you considered therapy rather than exorcising your issues onto all of us.) And I made what I thought was the totally valid remark of “Well, it’s not clear what makes her snap and murder him; like, she’s known for a while, generally people don’t just suddenly DECIDE to kill their significant other who they’ve shown no violent inclinations toward in the past without some sort of prompting, and like you don’t need to get into the motive much in the story but maybe hint at it? Because murder?”
And the whole class basically sat around talking about how motive doesn’t matter and it’s fine that she just kills him for no apparent reason and how in writing it’s fine if there’s no motive because the characters do what they need to for the writer’s plot to work and I was just like “Wow, that’s right, this is why I fight with most of you about writing so much, it’s because in order for a plot to function, motives need to…like…exist.”
Like, if your character goes to get a smoothie, it matters if they’re getting it because they’ve had a bad day and smoothies are a fave, or because they’re on a health kick and they’d rather have a milkshake, or because they’re meeting someone there, or whatever. It changes the character’s backstory and behavior. Am I crazy?
