As it is Thanksgiving (which is a completely artificial holiday, but I'm ignoring that bit) and MintlyMusings has written a post which I felt necessitated a version of my own, I shall have to wax more than a little sentimental. Furthermore, I will receive my first degree (an Associate's in English) in a few short months, so thank yous are certainly in order.
Parents: Thank you for enabling me to acquire my first degree at 17. Thank you for supporting me in everything I choose to pursue, no matter how evanescent my interest. Thank you for always economizing and saving and ensuring that we maintain a comfortable lifestyle, even though this year is the most difficult, with my graduation and 18th birthday and my sister's 16th birthday. Thank you for trying your hardest to deal with my willful ways.
Flaaffy: Thank you for being such a placid and insouciant sister. Thank you for accommodating my inexplicable personality and perplexing idiosyncrasies. Thank you for having an adorable squishy mochi face and for being so easily bribed by anime.
Older Sibling: Thank you for your (sometimes misguided but always well-intentioned) expressions of affection. Thank you for taking time to visit despite the fact that you're working overtime. Thank you for taking us shopping when no one else has the time.
Olivia: Where do I even start with you? Thank you for 8 years of friendship. Thank you for being the most adorably grumpy panda to ever exist ever. Thank you for being the only person other than my parents to argue with me, no matter how superficially civil we are while squabbling. Thank you for bemoaning the trying nature of art with me, whether it be smudged charcoal, dried paint, or streaky Copics. You're much more capable than you give yourself credit for, and your practicality will definitely benefit you in the future. BioShock is much more tiresome (and totally terrifying) without your running commentary of "What are you doing?! Go the other way!!!", and it goes without saying that chains of unwatched video links are practically a tradition. Thank you, most of all, however, for introducing me to Pokemon and Tokyo Mew Mew all those years ago, for that is possibly the most life-changing event that has ever occurred in my (admittedly short) life. You truly deserve 60% of the credit for my choice of career.
Heather: Thank you, too, for 8 years of friendship. Thank you for being the most amiable and easygoing elf in existence (well, you don't have the pointy ears yet). Thank you for being tactful and just a kind person in general. Thank you for artfully steering conversations away from the topic of college applications last month lest they be engulfed in a veritable tidal wave of vexation. THANK YOU FOR YOUR CATS. They're so round and fluffy and lovable (despite Pippin's drooling and Merry's spite). Thank you for all the fan fiction and Free and Hetalia and games. Thank you for Night Vale. You're possibly the most even-tempered person I have ever encountered (and retro and glamorous oh my god I love your heels) and I think you have an absolutely wonderful life ahead of you!
Cami: Thank you, miss Kabocha no Kami, for being my cosplay partner in crime, and thank you for suggesting the Fanime visit that literally changed both of our lives. Despite the fact that you identify as an optimist, your pessimistic side is truly remarkable (and manages to perpetuate the myth that I am, indeed, an optimistic person). It is genuinely remarkable how similar our opinions are, and I love being able to discuss religion and politics with you. Thank you for all of the marvelous games- Ni No Kuni, Juniper's Knot, and Analogue- and thank you for the constant Skype sessions during school nights despite their tendency to continue into the wee hours of the morning. Thank you for Brave Story and Villains by Necessity and Dragonology. Thank you for poetry discussions at two in the morning and extended panegyrics on the virtues of pumpkin pie. And thank you once again for cosplay, for it has deeply affected my life and my future objectives. You are an extraordinary person, and I think you'll change the world with your writing.
(Also, congratulations on Sarah Lawrence!)
“Po flickered. "Thank you?" it repeated. "What is that?"
Liesl thought. "It means, you were wonderful," she said. "It means, I couldn't have done it without you.”
― Lauren Oliver, Liesl & Po
- ― Welcome to Night Vale
