Date The Strand

If you’ve ever been in love before—forget it! For The Strand is here once again to completely shake up your romantic life. The Features team asked the masthead to bare their souls, answer the hard questions, and play the fickle game of love. Many refused, but here are the responses we did get. Name: Abi Akinlade Position at The Strand: Opinions Editor One word to describe my love life is… Rollercoaster If you (blank), I will immediately reject you Diss astrology My most chaotic date/date idea is... Robbing a bank together (I have actually pitched this to someone lmfao) The good ending of my storyline would be... Riding off into the sunset (moving into a 2 bedroom loft in Manhattan) — Name: Shelley Yao Position at The Strand: Court Jester One word to describe my love life is... Labyrinthian If you (blank), I will immediately reject you Have an average daily screen time greater than 1 hour on TikTok The main thing I'm looking for in a partner is... Their cat My most chaotic date/date idea is... Infiltrating a furniture trade show at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre — Name Rion Levy Position at The Strand: Mascot Manager The bad ending of my storyline would be... Inside a volcano An ick I get is… When you look better in knit sweaters than my cat would (if she had any) My most chaotic date/date idea is... Have you heard of Hanlan’s Point? If you (blank), I will fall in love with you Write for The Strand — Name Janus Kwong Position at The Strand: Production Manager One word to describe my love life is... Simp One thing I can't live without is... Regrettably, TikTok A song that describes my love life is... “Let You Break My Heart Again,” by Laufey lol My red flag is... I WILL hyperfixate on my partner — Name Janna Abbas Position at The Strand: Co-Girlboss-in-Chief The good ending of my storyline would be... Acting on my delusions paying off :) The bad ending of my storyline would be... Acting on my delusions not paying off :( My red flag is... Don't have one—nooo babe, don't take off those rose-colored glasses, you're so sexy ahah Don't give me flowers or chocolate, I want (blank)! tear-streaked love letters confessing your undying and all-consuming love for me — Name Roensa Salija Position at The Strand: Senior Copy Editor One word to describe my love life is... A series of delusions If you (blank), I will fall in love with you Ignore me and leave me on read Don't give me flowers or chocolate, I want (blank)! Access to your streaming subscription services A song that describes my love life is... “You Belong With Me” by Taylor Swift — Name Faith Wershba Position at The Strand: Stranded Editor (blank) is my way of saying I love you! Wawawewa! My red flag is… The Canadian flag. My green flag is... The Brazilian flag. On a Friday night, you can find me... You can't. I'm hiding. —- Name Sarah Abernethy Position at The Strand: TikTok Philosophizer Don't give me flowers or chocolate, I want (blank)! Speak for yourself Features team, I want flowers. The bad ending of my storyline would be... I write a play about your life. On a Friday night, you can find me... Out dancing! Or throwing a party with a hyper-specific theme. One word to describe my love life is... Baffling. — Name Kieran Guimond Position at The Strand: Science Editor A song that describes my love life is... “I / Me / Myself” - Will Wood An ick I get is... When men are taller than me My ideal meet-cute would be... You're a customer at Caffiends, I'm behind the counter, I make you the best latte of your life and you fall in love with me My most chaotic date/date idea is... Breaking into Ramsay Wright at night and looking at brains together
Illustrations by Shelley Yao

If you’ve ever been in love before—forget it! For The Strand is here once again to completely shake up your romantic life. The Features team asked the masthead to bare their souls, answer the hard questions, and play the fickle game of love. Many refused, but here are the responses we did get.

Abi Akinlade

Position at The Strand

Opinions Editor

 

One word to describe my love life is…
Rollercoaster

If you (blank), I will immediately reject you
Diss astrology

My most chaotic date/date idea is…
Robbing a bank together (I have actually pitched this to someone lmfao)

The good ending of my storyline would be…
Riding off into the sunset (moving into a 2 bedroom loft in Manhattan)

Shelley Yao

Position at The Strand:
Court Jester 

One word to describe my love life is…
Labyrinthian

If you (blank), I will immediately reject you
Have an average daily screen time greater than 1 hour on TikTok

The main thing I’m looking for in a partner is…
Their cat

My most chaotic date/date idea is…
Infiltrating a furniture trade show at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre

Rion Levy

Position at The Strand:
Mascot Manager 

The bad ending of my storyline would be…
Inside a volcano

An ick I get is…
When you look better in knit sweaters than my cat would (if she had any)

My most chaotic date/date idea is…
Have you heard of Hanlan’s Point?

If you (blank), I will fall in love with you
Write for The Strand

Janus Kwong

Position at The Strand:
Production Manager

One word to describe my love life is…
Simp

One thing I can’t live without is…
Regrettably, TikTok

A song that describes my love life is…
“Let You Break My Heart Again,” by Laufey lol

My red flag is…
I WILL hyperfixate on my partner

Janna Abbas

Position at The Strand:
Co-Girlboss-in-Chief

The good ending of my storyline would be…
Acting on my delusions paying off :)

The bad ending of my storyline would be…
Acting on my delusions not paying off :(

My red flag is…
Don’t have one—nooo babe, don’t take off those rose-colored glasses, you’re so sexy ahah

Don’t give me flowers or chocolate, I want (blank)!
tear-streaked love letters confessing your undying and all-consuming love for me

Roensa Salija

Position at The Strand:
Senior Copy Editor

One word to describe my love life is…
A series of delusions

 

If you (blank), I will fall in love with you
Ignore me and leave me on read

 

Don’t give me flowers or chocolate, I want (blank)!
Access to your streaming subscription services

 

 

A song that describes my love life is…
“You Belong With Me” by Taylor Swift

Faith Wershba

Position at The Strand:
Stranded Editor

(blank) is my way of saying I love you!
Wawawewa!

My red flag is…
The Canadian flag.

My green flag is…
The Brazilian flag.

On a Friday night, you can find me…
You can’t. I’m hiding.

Sarah Abernethy

Position at The Strand:
TikTok Philosophizer 

Don’t give me flowers or chocolate, I want (blank)!
Speak for yourself Features team, I want flowers.

The bad ending of my storyline would be…
I write a play about your life.

On a Friday night, you can find me…
Out dancing! Or throwing a party with a hyper-specific theme. 

One word to describe my love life is…
Baffling.

Kieran Guimond

Position at The Strand:
Science Editor

A song that describes my love life is…
“I / Me / Myself” – Will Wood

An ick I get is…
When men are taller than me

My ideal meet-cute would be…
You’re a customer at Caffiends, I’m behind the counter, I make you the best latte of your life and you fall in love with me

My most chaotic date/date idea is…
Breaking into Ramsay Wright at night and looking at brains together <3

Kelsey Phung

Position at The Strand:
Photo Editor

(blank) is my way of saying I love you!
Send you random thing I find interesting

A song that describes my love life is…
“Hello” by TREASURE

My green flag is…
You can cook

The good ending of my storyline would be…
We could still say hello comfortably

Eugene Kim

Position at The Strand:
Associate Features Editor

(blank) is my way of saying I love you!
Putting your name into the Love % Calculator on girlsgogames.com

The good ending of my storyline would be…
Fed up with my tomfoolery, you convince me to adopt healthy habits and a diurnal lifestyle. I finally have the time and energy to commit to you. We take pictures of pigeons and buy CDs together.

My ideal meet-cute would be…
I tried to think of one but couldn’t because I can’t imagine a single scenario where I’m not embarrassing myself in front of someone I just met.

The bad ending of my storyline would be…
An anvil falls on my head as I’m headed to our date and I shatter into a million tiny pieces. Thinking I stood you up, you leave the restaurant heartbroken. You text me that we’re done for but I provide no reply. When you do find out about my demise, it’s too late.

Ishika Rishi

Position at The Strand:
Town Scribe 

If you (blank), I will fall in love with you
Have a bubbling, raging, passionate hatred for bananas

The main thing I’m looking for in a partner is…
A shared hatred for bananas

Don’t give me flowers or chocolate, I want (blank)!
Bananas (for my evil agenda)

An ick I get is…
I think I’ve made it pretty obvious

Sam Rosati Martin

Position at The Strand:
Gossip Enjoyer

One word to describe my love life is…
Bewitched/bothered/bewildered

A song that describes my love life is…
She-wolf…

Don’t give me flowers or chocolate, I want (blank)!
A mysterious locked box that emits a low and ominous humming noise, and is opened in  my moment of greatest peril or doubt

The bad ending of my storyline would be…
A big bird picks me up and flies into the distance with me and not you :(

Chelsey Wang

Position at The Strand:
Associate Illustration Editor

My red flag is…
Too hansome

The main thing I’m looking for in a partner is…
Capybara

My most chaotic date/date idea is…
Us getting trapped on the 14th floor of Robarts

If you (blank), I will immediately reject you
Don’t give me cow socks