#its almost done I'm just procrastinating on the lettering

[drawing-in-teyvat]

Kinich Vision Story - part 1

Characters in Natlan are so casual when it comes to death. Kinich mentioned almost in passing that he died during the war, but this series of events was TRAUMATIC.

[yzxsn]

070223

| so we meet again.

it would make sense that ayu was to go back to school at some point. yukari knew this, despite the arrangement they had amongst themselves, both personally and professionally, as far as black contracts could go.

the author chose to accept this, tending to her heartbreak in isolation as she was known to do before. this was only aided by miyako's attendance, which grew more frequent in recency, and dissipated with time just as yukari's wounds began to show signs of healing.

just because the mind forgets, however, doesn't mean the heart forgives.

somehow, the genre of yukari's books had shifted over to a romantic comedy that ended in tragedy, almost in subversion of what already existed in the market during that time period. her publisher profited, and her wallets fattened -- but it didn't matter how many books yukari found herself publishing on the topic. she still kept a calendar, counting down the days to a summer vacation when she could see ayu once again.

on the first year, she'd asked miyako -- "how is ayu doing?"

the guardian would reply, "alright, i think. she'd been pretty busy lately with homework, and i rarely get a chance to talk to her about her school work."

on the second, she'd checked in once more.

"oh, she's joined an after school club recently. i think it's mandatory these days, and i had to sign a consent form for one of the club's travel activities. yeah… i think it would take up the majority of summer?"

on the third, she tried not to ask.

it was part of her new year's resolutions, then -- yukari had assumed that ayu had mostly forgotten about her, despite the letters miyako kept passing to her on rare occasions that marked the middle and end of each year. it was strange to be licking one's wounds for so long, and by yukari's name sake, she was supposed to have a shell thick enough to withstand the greatest of tides.

so she thought nothing of it when summer rolled around. got past envisioning the red circled dates on the calendar, when she decided to look at them. thought nothing about the empty space in her bed as she shifted to take up its spot, getting used to sleeping alone once more.

she was cleaning her kitchen drawer once (under procrastination, of course. yukari hadn't changed one bit). beside her box of nutrient supplements was a small case of tea packets that ayu had preferred. yukari was of the mind to have thrown it out -- after all, it was one more memory of the missing girl that had yet to be rooted from her home. but upon realizing it hadn't expired, yet, she thought it would be best to finish it with miyako, the next time her editor was to come around.

on such a day, yukari was quick to prepare it. two cups of genmaicha, steeped at a perfect temperature. and she knew miyako would chew her out for not having a draft ready for her yet, sure -- but the time to relax could be savoured for just a little longer. yukari was certain at the time, when a knock came at the door.

"ah! coming…"

when she opened the door, she hadn't expected a familiar face to have greeted her with a yelp of astonishment. had expected miyako to have done the hounding herself, but all she found at her doorstep was a familiar puppy instead.

"s-senpai? ah, hello-- it's been a long time…"

the feeling that overtook yukari was complicated -- a mix of tenderness, adoration and longing that welled at the corners of her eyes all at once. there ayu was, once more, now different, and it was as though the world had stopped for yukari herself to appreciate the moment.

that being said, time continued to flow for the grown middle schooler, as she glanced to her phone for instructions.

"um, miyako told me to fetch your documents from you today… actually, she told me i would be interning for her for a little while this year, and that i'm supposed to be in charge of watching over you again, as i did before…"

if yukari smiled, it was in acknowledgement of that strange, twisted truth; that nothing had changed, yet everything still did. she wasn't sure whether to cry or not, to laugh or not, to find the situation amusing, or otherwise.

there were many questions, bittersweet and honest, that would've been deemed worthy by anyone else in her position to have wanted to ask.

but yukari, ever the pragmatist, decided well upon her first few words.

"welcome back, ayu. i'm so glad we got to meet again."

[whoslaurapalmer]

9, 16

9) what's your writing process like?

oh boy. well. buckle in

-get idea. and i say 'get idea' as in 'i am usually reading something or thinking about a character (or thinking about anything) that makes me think one specific thing about them that then makes me go, i think that would be interesting to explore in a fanfic.' (-i desperately wish i could write shorter/cuter things but a deeply-ingrained part of my writing process since college is long consideration of 'what is the point. why is it this story that matters. what does it mean what is it saying why is it here.' i'm definitely trying to work on 'shorter/soft times/just as meaningful but quieter-meaningful?' things, though! cause that's something specific to fanfic that fanfic allows you to do, because a lot of meaning and character is already there to be played around in, like you can just write a fic that's two characters cuddling or something and call it a day and it's EXCELLENT, and that should totally be taken advantage of.) -jot down, ideas, about the idea. little notes/brief vague scenes i want to work towards/lines that are going to become 'why is it this story that matters' -might rewatch/reread something from canon, if it's been a while or i want to fact check something. -FROM THIS POINT depending on how i'm imagining the length of the fic, it's either, my vague notes are enough because the fic is relatively short and doesn't move around a lot or need to accomplish Many Things, and i can just start writing it. sometimes words happen very quickly!!!!! sometimes they do not. -when i finish it, though, is completely up in the air. there's a lot of staring at my laptop, a lot of, i don't know what word comes next and that will stall me for many more months than is strictly necessary, a lot of rewriting/reworking what i already have -- which you should not do. you should just pile words up and then edit at the end, but i am a perfectionist and not always capable of doing that!!!!! -i do procrastinate a lot. often. -setting descriptions trip me up a lot, for the record. it's hard to write them well and in a way that doesn't.......show the machinery of the work. like in a way that doesn't draw attention to the fact that you set a sentence or scene up in a way where you need to describe the setting and it's what you're about to do. describing it organically (honestly describing ANYTHING organically) is something that i still find difficult and will make me stare at my laptop for a long, long time. -oh, character playlists!!!! i like to listen to character playlists if i'm writing that character or songs i think hit the vibe of the story. or a song i just like at the time. either way i'm almost always listening to music while writing. -eventually i get it done. usually it involves specifically sitting myself down to work on the thing and getting it done. but catching myself in the mood to do it helps, too. sometimes you should be in the mood to work on something specific. forcing out words isn't always great? sometimes it is because it makes me put words down and they're honestly better than i expect. but sometimes forcing words can just stress me out.

-IF IT'S NOT THAT SHORT, it needs more than just 'vague planning' and i need a much more solid idea of what's going to happen and when and why, and so much thinking about the theme, but it also depends on how much is involved in the plot. sometimes, i really need to plan something within an inch of its life because there's just stuff i have to have figured out and i have to know in order to make it go as smoothly as possible. -like, babybea fic, that followed a very straightforward structure (the beatrice letters) and i had like just a page where i wrote down a summary of each letter and how i thought babybea got there each time, and worked from there. and i had some characterization notes for her, and where i thought vfd was. -cat burglars was relatively short, but because it was built around a mystery, i had to know every detail about what created the mystery, so i just kept rewriting the plot in terms of like 'this is point a this is point b how do i get there (and where is the character growth going to happen/what will lead to that)' and figuring out something new each time until it all clicked together. -for folding mirror, there was SO MUCH to keep track of, plot-wise and character-wise, (and i had SO many false starts for the fic as i tried to figure out the best way to discuss what i wanted) that yeah i made a plot wall to help figure out plot points, why things mattered, what was the best way to get certain things done, and the order in which the scenes would play out. -for longer ones, yeah, i do have to Sit Myself Down and make myself work on it. and the more i do that the more i am actually In The Mood to try and make things happen in the fic?? because then i get really, really excited for what i'm going to write and i really want to do it. -i still sit around and stare at my laptop, though. only slightly more productively. (-if i'm REALLY stuck i will handwrite a scene. sometimes that helps.)

-i do try and leave room for editing bc editing is important. IDEALLY what you should do is read your writing out loud when you edit bc a lot of times that's the best way to catch clunky writing, but sometimes, you don't always have the space to read it out loud??? but i definitely try to make sure i reread it, at least, and at least once. by the end of a fic, though, like right before i post it, i usually HATE IT but i also feel like i've reread it enough that i've caught nearly everything i should have. building time into writing schedule/a deadline to like give it a couple days to sit and then edit it is also ideal because you hate it less. but i. usually do not give myself that much time. (-oh, editing also includes, for me, printing it out, ctrl+f-ing words in the document that i think i overused, and highlighting them in the printed version, and trying to cut some of them out when i go through and reread it and make other edits. typing up the edits and checking them off in the printed version is always very satisfying.) (i doodle a lot on the printed out version, too. the more doodles are on a page, the longer i worked on that scene, especially if it wasn't done by the time i printed it out.)

-i post it and try not to be to stressed about it. -personal satisfaction in a work is what matters the most. like i should be happy myself with the things i make without asking other people to confirm that it's good and worked out how i wanted it to. especially because like, in terms of publishing original fic, you don't get outside validation in the same way you do with fanfic. -BUT ANY OUTSIDE VALIDATION ISN'T GONNA MAKE ME FEEL BAD, THOUGH, YEAH???????????????? -fanfic especially is written with the thought of, someone else is going to read this, someone else needs to read this, even if i wrote it for me, and i want people to read this and talk about it because that is a KEY part of writing and sharing fanfic. -once someone has told me Yes, It's As Good As I Thought It Was, i reread it like i haven't just spent so much time stressing out over each individual word.

-A LOT OF THIS WORKS FOR ORIGINAL FIC TOO, it's still very much 'get idea, in some way. outline scene ideas/themes, vaguely. plan, if necessary, because some short ofic you can get through too without planning-planning. write??????'

16) do you reread old fics? is there a time in your writing you won't go back to?

oh, i definitely reread my old fics. it's embarrassing and terrible and i might just skim them because the embarrassment causes me Deep Physical Pain and Massive Psychic Damage, but i don't think there's a time i wouldn't go back to (as long as i have it, and like.....earlier than 2006, it's very hit or miss if i have it, but i remember a lot of it. and i'm missing my 2005-2008 poetry, cause i fucking forgot to save it) (save your stuff!!!! save it!!!!!!!!! save it!!!!!!! save everything!!!!!!!!!!) (i also just realized that i don't think i saved one fic from 2009 bc 2019!me, backing up her writing, didn't want to read it again!! 2022!me doesn't want to read it either but wishes she had it anyway, for the principle of the thing!!)

i think it's super beneficial to reread your old fics, even if they are embarrassing!!!! 1) it's part of your writing journey. we all start somewhere. and we all have really, really bad writing in our past because that's the only way you get better, by writing. like, no writer was immediately super great at writing. everyone has worked really really hard to get to where they are and are always still working to be even better and really old, really bad writing is part of this. 2) i try to remember that, like, when i read my old naruto fic, i thought it was SUCH HOT SHIT at the time. i thought it was great. i was so excited about it all the time!!!!! it meant so much to me to write it, and i loved writing it, and it's really, truly terrible writing but i loved it, at the time. 3) it's really great to see how much your writing has changed!!!!!! 4) it's ALSO really great to see like.......the kinds of themes you've carried with you. there's stuff i was writing about when i was younger that i'm still writing about, only better because of time and experience, but i think it's fascinating that a lot of the themes or topics were things i wrote about when i was younger, too. even if i did it really, really badly because i didn't know the right words to talk about those things. i think that's fun to realize. it doesn't make me feel like i've always been writing the same things, because i still haven't, it makes me feel like, there's things i've always loved thinking about and i can really get into them now and i think what i do now is something younger!me would be really happy to see.

[linkispink1995]

Better as Friends (25) A new Routine

Previously

Series masterlist

Chapter warnings:language , mentions of smut and a lot of fluff , kissing

A/N:this is the last part to this series but fear not there is a prequel and a sequel to this series,I want to thank everyone who enjoyed the series. This was my first series that I'm actually proud of so like always feedback is appreciated , stay safe and enjoy (Also there is a small q&a at the bottom feel free to fill that out).

~~~~~~~~~~

February 10th 1983

Dear Y/n , I honestly don't know how to start this other then I'm sorry. I'm sorry for leaving , I'm sorry for ignoring you and treating you so wrong , but not only that but I'm sorry for being so distant towards the baby. Our baby , the baby we made with our love and I'm pretty sure on a beach towel but that's besides the point. I promise that I'll be there for you whenever or wherever you need me , I love you and hope with all the love and kindness in your heart that you can find a way to forgive me. I might not deserve it , I mean I definitely don't deserve it but if you can forgive me maybe we can start over. Raise our child together like it supposed to be , love Steve.

June 7th 1988

Dear Y/n , I love you and I'm not sure when I exactly figured it out but I do , I can't think of a particular moment I realized this it maybe its was when I heard you laugh first time or the first time and maybe I realized it again when I saw how you were with Jackson . I don't know when it was but it will be something I'll never forgot but I've been waiting for this day for a while to realize that I'm still in love you but now in this moment I know I don't want to let you or Jackson go.

Love Steve

~~~~~~~~~~~

I felt tears begin to prick in my eyes reading those words , Steve however was silent probably waiting to hear my responses. I didn't respond though , I couldn't I was speechless and I didn't know why. Maybe it was because of how long ago he wrote this or maybe it was that he had this letter or maybe it was because I realized that maybe someway somehow this is how we were supposed to get back together. I looked up at Steve before he wiped on of the fallen tears that stained my cheek before I placed my lips onto his. He pulled away saying "I love you" I responded saying "I love you too" we reconnected our lips before walking down the hall to finish what had been started before the phone call

°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•

I awoke the following morning to an empty obis of sheets 'was last night a dream , it felt like dream , it was a dream' , I then wrapped some of sheet around myself since after last night's events I was to tired to change into pajamas "good morning". I turned to see Steve exciting the bathroom with a towel hung loosely around his waist , I responded saying "good morning". He then pecked my lips before saying "as much as I hate to leave this view , I gotta go to my place and get some stuff and make sure that someone is gone" I nodded before saying "yeah I should probably get up too before he comes home" He sighed saying " god I love you but your such a procrastinator" I nodded saying "well when you get back I'll make your breakfast" he nodded before I got up and kissed his cheek again before walking to the bathroom. After my shower I exited the bathroom and walked into the bedroom to see that the bed had been made and there was a small note on the bed , I then walked towards the kitchen since I had yet to have my morning cup of coffee. I had put the creamer into the fridge when I felt a that familiar samll figure run into my legs I pulled Jackson into my arms before saying "hi my sweet pea , did you have fun at grandma's" he nodded before saying "I missed you mama" I responded saying "I'm missed you and you know what I have a surprise for you" his face lit up before I added "aunt Colleen and uncle Matt had the baby and you me and daddy can go see her today his face lit up with a smile saying "really" I nodded as he added "but I thought we were mad at him". I sighed saying "well I think daddy and I have made up now" he nodded as my mom stood there with a look of shock on her face causing Jackson to giggle before I added "hey why don't you go play so I can talk to grandma". Jackson nodded before running back to his room. As I began to take a sip out of my coffee mom spoke saying " where you safe last night " I gasped saying "mom" she shrugged saying "Y/n I love you but isn't he still with that girl ". I quickly shook my head saying "no mother they broke up" she then asked "well at least you were safe" I rolled my eyes saying "jesus my mother , that's not your business". She nodded before I changed the subject since this wasn't something I wasn't going to talk to my mother about. "How was he last night" she nodded again saying "good , he's a really good kid sweetheart I'm really proud of you". I nodded as she added " besides that did you get to talk to him at all" I nodded as mom added "really" I again nodded before she added " was this before or after he gave you that marking on your neck" I responded saying "oh no this is a-" she cut me off saying "sweetie if I didn't know what a hickey was you probably wouldn't be here" I cringed at my mothers words before saying

"whatever mom" before feeling lift me off the ground and then peck my cheek a couple dozen times. Robin rolled her eyes again before saying " well I'm gonna go , Steven will you walk me out , we need to talk " Steve then pecked my cheek before walking outside with mom.

August 12th

Steve's p.o.v

I awoke as the sunshine began to pour into Y/n's bedroom window , I yawned before Y/n snuggled into my side I kissed the top of her head before trying to soak a few more minutes of sleep. A few minutes later I felt a kiss on my cheek and voice say "good morning" I opened my eyes before pecking Y/n's lips before saying "good morning". We then continued to lay there in silence soaking up our last minutes together before we'd have to wake Jackson up since todaywould be his firstdsy of kindergarten , a few minutes of laying there watching the sunrise through the blinds before Y/n spoke saying. "He has to get up soon" I nodded saying "I know but he could just stay here with us" she sighed saying "Steve I wish he could stay but -" I cut her off by pecking her lips before saying "Y/n I'm kidding , I want him to go and have a good time". She nodded before rolling over to view her alarm clock causing her to say "I should probably get out of this bed now" I responded saying "I'll miss you baby " to which she responded "I like when you call me that" I then started to kiss the back of her hand and start to work my way towards her neck only to pull away before getting to her sweet spot to say. "You know there are other names too if you don't really love that one" she then gasped as my lips ghosted her collar bone before I added "like babe , and honey or pumpkin" my lips finally made it to where I knew she had wanted them causing her to gasp before I could continue there was a knock at the bedroom door causing Y/n to pull away and walk towards the door. As she opened the door to reveal Jackson on the other side whoa seemed surprise to see her there since he said "can we go now" she sighed saying "no sweet pea not yet , how about we go and have breakfast" he nodded as the two left for the kitchen.

Y/n p.o.v

I entered the kitchen with Jackson in tow , the excitement could be felt in the air with a small mixture of sadness since my sweet baby boy who I could once carry in my arms was now going to kindergarten. Jackson had been waiting for this since the beginning of summer , he'd probably been counting down these days. On the other hand I was a mess and each day it would get worse , I thought I'd never stop crying after buying his backpack. It would get better , and then I see his school clothes that he had on his dresser since May. Steve however was doing really well and was acting like nothing was going to change and maybe he was right maybe the only thing that was changing except my baby was going to kindergarten.

After breakfast Jackson quickly ran to his bedroom to get dressed , before practically nagging Steve and I to get dressed cause he wanted to go early. After Steve and I got dressed Jackson then dragged us out of the house , the entire car ride Jackson was talking a mile a minute about all the things he was excited to learn but I not Steve was silent almost as if he wasn't really there. I pulled into the school parking lot before looking into the backseat to see Jackson grinning like the Cheshire cat , we exited the car before waling to the school. I was honestly nervous since he did seem so excited but I was afraid that the second he got up to the classroom he wouldn't want to leave my side since Jackson had always been close to me especially in new situations. To my surprise when we got to the classroom he didn't put or cry he just walked away from us , not even a goodbye kiss or an I'll miss you hug. Jackson just walked in the classroom no problem. As Steve and I began to walk back to the car I spoke saying "are you okay" he shrugged before I added "Steve honey what's-" he didn't responded he just fell in my arms saying "he didn't say goodbye he just walked away from us , he's done with us pretty soon he'll be driving and he'll-" I cut him off saying "he's play Steve will see him in seven hours okay" he frowned saying. "How about we pick him up at ten instead of two" I shook my head saying "no he's gonna stay the whole time okay and will pick him up and go out for ice cream afterwards how does that sound". He nodded saying "fine" I responded saying "and we can't worry okay he'll be fine , at least he didn't have a meltdown like someone I know". Steve huffed saying "mom told said we were going to the park that was not the park" I rubbed his shoulder as Steve continued his rant about how he didn't have a kicking screaming fit on the first day of kindergarten (he did) as we got into the car I couldn't help but think about how long it had been since I was in a classroom

Flashback

It was a rainy cold Thursday , I was sitting in Ms. Stone history class watch the rain drops tap the window . I probably should've been listening to her speech on the second world war , my perfect view of the first spring rainstorm after the snow had melted was disturbed by feeling someone tap on my shoulder. I knew exactly who it was , it was the person who sat in front of me since the beginning of the year , Steve Harrington. We had been best friends since Mrs. Andrew's third grade class after he poured paint in my snow shoes and I returned the favor by placing a rubber spider in his bookbag but that was over now. Are small rivalry had turned into a really good friendship and if I was being honest I couldn't help but want more my thoughts were interrupted by Steve saying "do you have a pencil" I sighed before handing him the one I was using "thanks" he said before I realized that was my only pencil. I sighed knowing that Ms. Stone was extremely stick about pencils I knew that because of Steve constantly asking for one. I hesitated before raing my hand before she spoke saying "yes Y/n you had a question"

I swallowed the lump in my throat given that I was never one for public speaking "I don't have a pencil and I was wondering if I could borrow one"

I felt as if every eye was on me "Ahh Y/n I thought to expect more from a grade A student" she said while walking towards my desk I was ready to hear what an idiot I was when all of the sudden someone interrupted "actually Ms. Stone , Y/n let me borrow her pencil I didn't realize it was her only one" it took me a moment whose voice it was , I though I was dreaming but I couldn't have been no mater how boring Ms. Stone's class was I never feel asleep, but my eyes had not deceived me it was Steve , Ms. Stone sighed and looked at me again saying "you knew you only had one pencil so you gave it to your fellow classmate" I nodded "ahh I see well Y/n , Steve since you both like pencils so much why don't you come in to detention on tomorrow and sharpen some for me" Ms. Stone snarled before placing the pencil on my desk and walking back to the board before Steve turned around to mouth the words "sorry"

After class I made my way to my locker before Steve caught up with me saying "listen Y/n I'm really sorry about that-" I cut him off saying. "It's fine" Steve then added "well hey listen what are you doing tomorrow" I responded saying. "Sharpening pencils with you" he rolled his eyes saying "I mean afterwards , do you maybe get something to eat" I nodded saying "yeah sure Benny's with the group sounds like fun". He shook his head saying "actually Y/n I was thinking that maybe you and I could just go" I stood there shocked as he added "like a date". My jaw must've hit the ground when he said that , before I could respond he added "you know what I'm sorry we don't-" I cut him off saying "no that would be nice yeah we can go after detention" he nodded saying "yeah that's great um yeah" I nodded before feeling the courage to kiss his cheek causing Steve to turn bright pink I then quickly walked away before heading to my next class.

Flashback over

After picking Jackson up from school the three of us had lunch at Benny's as Steve and I sat listening to Jackson entire day I couldn't help but think that maybe we weren't better as friends maybe we were better together ....

The end

Here's the Q&A , I'd love some feedback

Taglist @disneyprincessbuffyannesummers @queenofthehairharrington @charmed-asylum

(Let me know if you'd like to be added to either or both the sequel and prequel taglist)

[duanecbrooks]

Gabby and Hodie: You're Number One     You may recall that, in a past article, I laid out what are my all-time favorite literary creations. You my also recall that I said that the books that I picked as my all-time etc. are those once and for all categorically and for all time. Well, what's happened is, upon further reflection--and upon my dear, warm, sweet,loving cousin Emily's words to me (surely I don't have to tell you what they were) further coming to fruition--I've come to realize my real and true all-time favorite literary offering. And it's a tie between the women's-beach-volleyball sex boat Gabrielle Reece's ("with" Karen Karbo) life-lessons guide My Foot Is Too Big For The Glass Slipper: A Guide to the Less-Than-Perfect Life and the Today-show's-Fourth-Hour gal Hoda Kotb's ("with" Jane Lorenzini) personal/professional memoir Hoda: How I Survived War Zones, Bad Hair, Cancer, and Kathie Lee.               Allow me to say here that in coming to said realization, I had to dump quite a lot of weight. At first I thought that the former television-morning-show host Rene Syler's ("with" Karen Moline) parenting guide Good-Enough Mother: The Perfectly Imperfect Book of Parenting deserved to make the aforementioned list. However, further pondering has caused me to realize that, as humorous and as charming as Syler's tome is, in the final analysis it has to do with the doings of children and with the raising of children--and as much as I love kids and love reading/seeing what it is kids have to say, an entire book centering on them is simply not my aesthetic. For a while I sincerely believed that How to Lose Everything In Politics (Except Massachusetts), the then-journalist Kristi Witker's inside-the-1972-McGovern-presidential-try memoir, merited making the cut. Yet in time I remembered that, ever since 1976, when Carter won the White House and kicked Ford and all those other Nixon-era Republican third-raters out on their asses, my consistent interest in politics has majorly decreased--indeed, in the main I've come to sympathize with what the master TV interviewer Dick Cavett once told the 1960s/1970s far-left activist Jerry Rubin: "Politics bores the ass off me." Thus I've arrived at the conclusion that Witker's book, while it's chock-full of lively wit and penetrating insight, when all is said and done involves an area, namely politics, that on the whole has long stopped being my thing.                       OK. Now I'll go into why Reece's and Kotb's tomes have seized my heart.             .The front and back covers of both books are damned enticing. Both the front and the back covers of Reece's tome picture her with her intensely attractive offspring, both times sporting an insanely appealing bathing suit and both times showing off an insanely appealing pair of bare feet (The back cover of Reece's book clearly shows that she has an equally alluring stepdaughter). The front cover of Kotb's tome displays her dressed in a quite stylish blue pullover blouse and adorned in the kind of slacks that fully exhibit what her Today cohort Kathie Lee called her "long Egyptian legs and toes." (The fact that Kotb is wearing red toenail polish slightly takes away from her dazzling visual appeal, but only slightly) And on both the front and back covers there are the sort of endorsements that easily pull you in. On the back cover of Reece's tome the former television Friend Courteney Cox is quoted as asserting: "I read My Foot Is Too Big For The Glass Slipper in one sitting...Everyone who is married--or thinking about getting married--should read this." On the front cover of Kotb's book there are words from People Magazine ("Bubbly and engaging, just like its author") and from the greatly-lauded novelist Adriana Trigiani ("This book is a manual for overcoming obstacles and living life with passion and purpose...Hoda is the working girl's Cleopatra. She rules!").               .The prose of both tomes is colorful and lively. Both Reece's and Kotb's books feature the kind of writing that, upon seeing it, immediately rivet your eyes to the page. Upon seeing any page, its wording has you absolutely hooked, positively pleased to be in the company of such charming, sprightly gals, gals who obviously love life and do not hesitate to embrace it entirely. And, again, that feeling comes no matter what page of theirs you're on (Kathie Lee in her super-bestselling compilation of essays Just When I Thought I'd Dropped My Last Egg at one point said: "I love my new co-host Hoda Kotb. She is an absolute doll and so much fun to work with." The writing style of Hoda causes you to fervently agree with KLG's every syllable).               .Both women in their tomes have greatly witty and greatly incisive things to say. In both Glass Slipper and Hoda there's sparkling humor and eye-opening observations, whether Reece in her book is discoursing on how cathartic it can be for a parent to swear ("[A] little bit of cussing does wonders. The later in the day it is, or the earlier in the morning, the more important this is for your sanity, and to help you feel less like an underpaid servant and more like the sassy teenager that is still lurking somewhere inside your bill-paying, car seat-purchasing, sleep-deprived self") or her regular almost-all-women's exercise class ("Sometimes someone comes up to me after class and wants to pay me, or otherwise do something lavish to show her gratitude. I tell her, she's already doing it, by inspiring me with her commitment...When my women show up, day in, day out, with their great attitudes and their great energy, they don't realize that that's their gift to me") or her parenting style ("[Excessively spending time with electronic pleasures] messes with your head, and I don't want it for my kids...So I say no. A lot. And tell me I don't feel like a shit mom when little Brody, who's been cooperative all day, has a meltdown in the afternoon and sobs miserably, 'I. Just. Want. My. Electronics'") or whether it's Kotb in her tome telling of her lifelong struggle to establish her own identity (I will always be asked [as this one "older black woman" did while Kotb was in a phone booth making a call during her early days as a television journalist, taking Kotb's face in both hands and looking into her eyes] 'What is you?' And while I'll proudly explain I'm Egyptian...again, the answer in my head will always be: I'm just me") or acknowledging her refreshingly non-high-minded, purely self-serving motivation for going into and staying in TV news ("Procrastinating to me is simply a way to create a time crunch...After I phone in a takeout food order, I'll stay at work as long as possible, then race home to my apartment to meet up with the delivery guy...[T]elevision news is the perfect career for me. I need to know that my work day has a start and a fight to the finish. I'm competitive, persistent, and not afraid to risk being the hero or the goat when airtime hits") or the near-overwhelming thrill she felt when the Today show's Fourth Hour hosted the always-and-forever-bootylicious Queen Bey ("When Beyonce walked into the room, [Kathie Lee and I] were blown away by her beauty and her presence. She's about 5 feet 7, but her red heels added several inches. She wore a gorgeous short dress, designed in her favorite color, red. She was a knockout. Her frame is sexy and solid and she carries herself with confidence around every curve...Her words were laced with a touch of Texas twang (Beyonce was born and raised in Houston). As her people began touching up her hair and makeup, all I could think was, There's absolutely nothing wrong with her! Bring that stuff over here!"). After reading these books, you effortlessly feel invigorated because you spent quality time with two insightful, funny, considerably observant ladies who have, to quote a line from the classic 1960s song, "looked at life from both sides now" and are bright enough and centered enough to retain the lessons such observing has taught them.             Also: Both Reece and Kotb conclude their tomes in grand style. The former closes by assuring her readers that should they choose to assume the role of "queens" of their household, "[y]ou will live interestingly ever after." And she ends her "Acknowledgements" section by lauding her hubby, the professional surfer Laird Hamilton: "I cherish the gift of knowing you, your love, and your partnership. Oh, and when our girls [their daughters] are difficult, I do blame you for those traits." The latter, for her part, ends her book with a forward that itself finishes with her naming her "special wooden box" inside of which is the "letter that lists the three most important traits in my man" and assures us readers that "there's a chance it will end up accidentally buried by books, an over-sized tote bag, a plaque, or other random crap." Kotb's own "Acknowledgements" portion winds up with a fond shout-out to her "co-author," Jane Lorenzini, "the most brilliant writer I have ever known...Your dad was right. It has been an adventure...Your name should be bigger on the [front] cover. Oh, well...next book."           During the 1980s, it was Barbra Streisand who famously crooned, concerning creativity:                                                     "The art of making art                                                     is putting it together, bit by bit,                                                      Beat by beat, part by part,                                                        Sheet by sheet, chart by chart,                                                              Track by track, bit by bit,                                                          Reel by reel, pout by pout,                                                      Stack by stack, snit by snit,                                                          Meal by meal, shout by shout,                                                              Deal by deal, spat by spat,                                                          Spiel by spiel, doubt by doubt.                                                      And that is the state of the art."           To read the books of Gabrielle Reece and Hoda Kotb is to bring about enormous gratitude that said authors--and their ghostwriters--took the time and the trouble to put them together, employing every "bit," "beat," "part," "sheet," "chart," "track," "bit," "reel," "pout," "stack," "snit," "meal," "shout," "deal," "spat," "spiel," and "doubt" so that "the state of their art" would make them such eminently satisfying reading experiences.