#one day i'll learn to dress my kids in other styles

[adelarsims]

[angelynmoon]

Steve doesn't think anything of it at first. He's a little confused, sure, why would Eddie's fans want to know where he got his clothes, especially since they are dressed so like Eddien in their dark colors, ripped jeans and leather.

But Steve doesn't judge, learned that the hard way years ago, so instead he tells them, gives them advice on pairing outfits and colors that he'd tried to give his rag tag group of kids years ago.

Only El had listened with any interest and she'd still made the style her own during the brief week she'd worn clothes like Steve, she'd copied all if them trying to find her style.

And then, once everyone has left, when Steve lets Eddie drag him out of the concert venue, Steve forgets about the weird fans that wanted to know about his clothes.

It's not important, not really, he'll never see them again and he has much more pressing matters to focus in, like Eddie against him, kissing his neck. So, Steve forgets about them.

--

It's weeks later, when Eddie is playing a sold out concert and his eyes look out at the crowd, searching, as he always does , for that bright splash of color in the sea of screaming fans dressed in dark shades.

Eddie begins to smile as he finds it, only to have a frown form instead, that's not Steve, the shock of his color splash not being his Stevie almost makes him miss a note, but he recovers, though his band sends him a look.  He hasn't stumbled like that since the first time he saw Steve in the crowd that very first big concert, they hadn't thought Steve would be able to make it due to other obligations.

After his recovery Eddie resumes his search, trying not to let his frown deepen with each disappointing color splash not being his Steve.

He's confused, why are so many of his fans wearing pastels, only Stevie is supposed to be wearing such bright colors, it makes him easy to find, Eddie doesn't like that he hasn't found Steve in the crowd yet.

And then he finds him, Steve is standing further away than usual due to the child he has on his hip, both of them wearing heavy duty, noise canceling headphones as they bounce and clap along to the beat, smiling widely, noise protection for their kid and headache protection for Steve, one too many concussions made it difficult for Steve to tolerate Eddie's music in a concert setting. But Steve always came, refused to consider otherwise, even before they found the headphones, enduring the headache that followed the day after those first concerts.

Eddie let his smile forn as he spots his family, easily forgetting the false finds as he plays for the two people in the crowd who can't hear him, only feeling the emotions of the crowd  and the thundering beat around them.

Later, Eddie will play them to sleep, Steve resting against his back, cheek pressed to his shoulder, their child in his lap, and a tiny hand pressed on the soundboard of his guitar as he played, a softer version of what he plays for thousands of strangers. 

A lullaby that only his family hears, one that had it's soothing beginnings long ago, back when he played it for one man to quiet his nightmares of him dying in a world so unlike their own.

And Eddie doesn't dwell on the men and women that dress in pastels in a sea of darkness. There is after all, only one man in pastel that mattersn and it's the one he's taking home tonight, the one he goes home to every night.

--

Notes: I wrote the fic, don't know if I'll add to it but enjoy this fluff, inspired by my tumblr

[internetgiraffekid1673]

Another day of brainrot, another batfam character to draw. I've just fully given myself over to this Batman obsession. I've been reading the comics. I've read more comics in the past two weeks than I thought I would in my life. I have a TBR list for comics. I'll make a weekly rambling when I finish the current arc I'm on. Today, you're getting the current Robin, Damian Wayne!

Initial trace! He is cocky, he is short, he will beat you up while rocking skorts! I'm finally drawing an edgy robin in their robin suit, so he gets pants! Damian has the most complicated costume to draw by far, so there were specific elements that I was really focusing on learning for this trace. Namely, his irregularly hemmed cape, his 3 piece skirt thing, the "fins" on his gloves, and his armored boots. While I do like the armored boots, Super Sons is one of my very first comic loves, so I decided to make the red detailing more like laces than armor panels, since Damian has ridiculous high lace up boots in that comic.

Chibi time! I had a lot of fun with stylizing Damian, but he definitely didn't make it easy on me! I think it's a combination of his costume being much more complex than the other's with many more layered parts, and him being a shortstack kid, which is not the age range I usually draw. I think the biggest design detail I focused on here, is that I wanted him to have more or less the same hair as Robin from the Animated Teen Titans from 2006. Just that ridiculously spiky style that clearly took way too much hairspray. I know that Robin is technically Dick Grayson, but the creators always said they thought of him as more of a composite character who took elements from all the Robins, and Damian has always rocked a spiky hairstyle, so I felt they could share this.

Characterization pose! Damian is the kind of person that is always ready to throw hands for any reason, and he's also the kind of person that takes any kind of perceived insult way too seriously. So I drew him pouting and ready to punch someone. I decided to put him in a Gotham Academy uniform for his civvies, mostly because of the Super Sons movie, but I did consider putting him in shorts because it would be so funny to see him dressed like a regular kids who runs around and skins his knees and stuff. I also gave him his sword. I know he's trying really hard to not use it, but he's KNOWN for being the Robin with the katana. He deserves it. While I don't love this final illustration as much as I love some of the others I've done so far, I think it did come out okay. As always, the Robin text is traced.

Nightwing Edition

Red Hood Edition

Robin (Carrie Kelley) Edition

Red Robin Edition

Spoiler Edition

[ummick]

Mick Schumacher On Fashion, Le Mans and Fronting Tommy Hilfiger's New Campaign

It's a big year for sports, as the Paris Olympics near, tennis champs prep for Wimbledon, and the Euros inch closer. In the midst of it all Tommy Hilfiger is getting in on the action with the release of an International Games collection. Refashioning timeless icons for the new generation, the collection is a modern interpretation of the brand's 1996 capsule collection released to celebrate the Olympics arriving in Atlanta, reworking track-ready styles including archival varsity jackets, rugby jerseys and basketball vests in Tommy's signature red, white and blue. Speaking on the new collection, Hilfiger says: "The sporting calendar sets the cultural pulse for the year, and 2024's shaping up to be amazing. We're building on our legacy of working with pioneers in sport and reimagining timeless American icons through an archival lens." To front the campaign, the US house has turned to the global sporting stage to curate a team of athletes who embody the brand's spirit, including All-Pro NFL wide receiver Stefon Diggs, college basketball guard Deja Kelly, star of the all-Japan skateboarding association Aori Nishimura, and Formula 1 driver and current member of Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team, Mick Schumacher. Ahead of the collection drop, in the conversation below we speak to Schumacher about his first memories of Tommy Hilfiger, his personal style, and prepping for Le Mans.

Ella Joyce: "What was it like working with Tommy Hilfiger? Do you have personal memories of the brand?" Mick: "It was great! Not only is it exciting to wear Tommy and to have attended the NYFW show with all the exceptional details, but to be a part of the campaign and the bigger brand story is just incredible. A personal memory for me is when the brand worked with Ferrari back in the day, before their current partnership with the Mercedes-AMG F1 Team. My dad used to bring back so much kit and, honestly, I was just running around as the best-dressed kid in school!" EJ: "How does the campaign resonate with you?" Mick: "I really believe Tommy was able to create something that brings both sport and style to the table. I'm sporty, I love to do my workouts and be active outdoors, and to be able to do that fashionably is so important. I was so happy to be part of this campaign with other athletes, too. It was amazing to get to know them better and see how their sport and personalities impact their individual styles." EJ: "Off the track, how would you describe your personal style?" Mick: "I think the best word would be 'changeable.' I love to experiment and try new things with my style. I think you can see this across my social media, but I would probably look different if you saw me on the street two days in a row. From a classic look to a more casual or baggy streetwear look, I love the creativity that comes with personal style. It's so fun."

EJ: "You're currently competing in the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship. How's it going? What's coming up next for you?" Mick: "Yes, we just had our first race in Qatar, a ten-hour race! It was the first time I had to be on for that amount of time while learning and experiencing that type of race, but it was an interesting run. We learned a lot as a team. One of the cars even scored points, so it proves that we're on pace and the project is moving in the right direction, especially as everyone is gearing up for Le Mans." EJ: "Do you have any pre-race rituals?" Mick: "I don't, actually. It depends on how I'm feeling in the moment. If I'm nervous or stressed, or whatever it is, I'll always try to adapt to what's happening. Maybe one day I'm nervous so I have to work on calming down, and another day I'm too calm so I have to pump myself up. It all depends on the day."

EJ: "You're photographed alongside a host of other athletes for the campaign. How do you think your generation of athletes compares to generations which have come before?" Mick: "I think we are really different to athletes from the previous generation. Of course, social media and phones have made an impact, but it's also because we're so precise about what we're doing. We have strict training and a solid laid-out plan in front of us on how to achieve our desired results. We have so much research and information which leads our way, while back in the day it was more experimental." EJ: "America and collegiate heritage heavily inspire Tommy Hilfiger. Is there a specific place which inspires you?" Mick: "The racetrack. I've always been a part of it, from doing laps in a car to just being on the track. In terms of style, I've always been interested in fashion, most likely inspired by my dad at a young age; however, my girlfriend is heavily involved in the fashion world, so it's helpful when I need to know what looks good and what doesn't. Inspiration is all around, so it depends on where I look!"

[tokuxsenshi]

Girls X Heroine "tomboy" essay

Alright I've returned to ramble about a bunch shit no one care about

today it will be about Girls x Heroine specifically about the girls who wear less girly clothing and how in a show made so cute and girly this isnt seen as a bad thing. I feel like growing up with the shows I did it was you could either be sweet girly girl and like singing dancing and flowers or you were a tomboy with an attitude and liked sports video games and fighting which kinda broke my mind alot as a kid because I hated girly clothes but still loved cute things and playing with dolls I did like stuff more aimed to boys but over the years I had changed myself to be less girly and say I hate pink and other girly stuff because I felt I needed to fit a box made by media and life experiences but clearly I grew out of that still dress the same but love my pink and cute thing again. but enough about my school day trauma lets talk about the girls

first I'll direct the attention to Fuuka (miracle tunes)

For Fuuka I choose to talk about an episode that I also feel highlights alot about what my points are here and thats

episode 8 of Miracle tunes: The road to becoming a stylish idol

In this episode Kojiro their make up artist and stylish brought the girls out to teach them about how changing your look sometimes can be a good thing and helps to learn what you like and how to show your cute side. some key moments I want to point out with it and how it fits with the tomboy talk is Fuuka says she doesnt want to shop but not because she doesnt like she just rather be working on dancing

In the store she tells Kojiro to just pick out clothes for her and he picks this and honestly as hates clothe shopping I can relate

which she doesnt like but it really feel less because its cute and more because it does doesnt look good and he tells her thats why its important to pick out her own clothes

when being called cute she never rejects the idea shes alittle surprised by it but never says she doesnt like it.

the next time she brings up what shes wearing she doesnt like it because its flashy and like yeah girl see yall from a mile away and why mai got a trucker hat this isnt about her I just dont like that hat.

but again this feel more like a moment where she just doesnt like the clothes not because their girly but that she just doesnt like them

and the last point this episode I'll bring up is the ending where she in a very cute girly outfit doesnt say she hates it or say its to girly for her

This feel like the kind of episode if it was in a sitcom I would watch as a kid it would be way more about Fuuka being forced to wear cute thing and change to fit in but its just about learning to find your style and learning to also show off your cute side.

I truly love that Fuuka was able to dress how she felt comfortable but also allowed to show she like girly things without hiding it she never rejected to the idea of having to look cute and girly to be and idol she was never mocked for how she dressed or wanting to be an idol I also truly love how her idol outfits are still just ask girly and cute as the others while still having shorts even her Miracle Tunes outfit was still just as cute with having shorts you dont have to wear a skirt and dresses to be cute

So coming back to this a few days after I wrote it I noticed Mai second costume also has shorts like Fuuka so you can even say it has nothing to do with how fuuka dressed

Now to move onto Mitsuki (magimajopures)

Mitsuki is very sporty but was never shown to be more boyish then the other girl besides how she dressed she not even a blue heroine shes yellow

she has a very positive and peppy attitude which really goes against what the norm of what usually seen of a character like her she loves flowers and nature because shes a flower witch. I wont talk about a whole epiosde again but I wanted to point out this moment from episode 9 of Magimajopures where Mistuki and here friend Nanami are talking about where Nanami gets her hair done on the way home from tennis practice like to have two sporty character be talking about hair styles is not something I feel like would be seen in the kind stuff I watched as a kid. but Nanami says she goes to a beautician and Mitsuki wants to go right at that moment Nanami says she cant go dressed the way she is not because shes not dressed feminine enough but because shes in a tack suit and thats just not proper beautician seeing attire

so Mitsuki puts on a cute dress not because she was forced to wear it but because she wanted to I mean she used magic but she wasnt upset to be in the dress so she probably wanted it

to have the sporty tomboy character deliver this message makes my smile bloom

and again it being an episode about beauty with the tomboy character that isnt about forcing them to change beautiful. I love Mitsuki and I love that shes a sporty girl but she doesnt fall under the stereotypes that a show would usally put on that character

Honoka (Kirameki Powers)

Honoka probably the closest well get to a stereotypical in GXH my girl only thought when waking up is FIGHT she loves being strong theres nothing in the show like the other two showing her having any kind of girly side shes alot more stubborn she does still care about her friends and has alot of passion in her for the stuff she likes but like also having a character who is tomboy and fine with that also good sometimes

these three were the big ones on here now just talk about a few character who are shown to dress girly but I wouldnt really say their character would be tomboy in anything else

first Saki (phantomirage)

Saki really only come into this because her heroine form has shorts and shes doesnt dress girly

but shes not really sporty or anything like that shes a fangirl espically an idol girly just like me FRFR like really in anything else she would probably be a girly girl character

Shiori (magimajopures)

Shiori like Saki is purely being brought up because she doesnt dress girly but other then that again her interest don't reflect this style she wants to be a fashion model I really like that they have a character who doesnt have the girly girl look but loves fashion again like saki I feel like she would be throw into a girly girl personality in anything else.

Kirari (Kirameki Powers)

Kirari defiantly the no where near being a tom boy even though she doesnt wear dresses and skirts her cloths are still very girly in color and style unlike the other but let me just put her on here as one the only girl character whos super girly and loves videos games and it not seen not being a girl thing

This defiently probably more a rant then an essay but uh thanks for reading all this way I stayed up way to late writing all this and it toke me so many hours because when looking into honoka I got stuck the phantomirage episode of kirapowers I just love phantomis I hope you got something out of this

bonus Honoka going fan fan for making it all the way to the end

[brooklynisher]

Here's a bunch of old sketchbook doodles I made y'all

Stick around bc this includes my first SPG drawings!! (Before I joined Tumblr)

Riveting start

I'll start off with little drawings I made of myself. And my god do you see what I'm doing with the anatomy? Do you see how tiny those joints are? That's horrific. Why did I build everyone like that? But Yugo is where I began to find my art style. Will love them forever for that. I've got to go back to simple-shaped heads one of these days and blush/eyelashes on everything

We've got some lovely Smile For Me-related doodles. First is a Flower Kid design. Second was not smile for me specifically, but Face Love (by the same devs). And the last two were my earlier attempts at making comics and scenes. Ft. lancer for some reason.

Here are a couple of abandoned OCs. Pretty boy (Basil) is supposed to be yellow. We've all had that OC whose only trait was being a hot person and that's what he was all about. Didn't develop him much in terms of character which is sad because I kinda like his design. He was created when I was doodling random designs in FireAlpaca. I'll have to show the other doodles in a different post (If you are interested).

THIS GUY I WOULD LIKE TO BRING BACK! Might be kinda basic in terms of like "Weird Core" designs but I still love him. His plot keeps changing though because his design is so strange yet so simple to the point where I could put him in just about any world I wanted to had I gotten bored of the old one. Which is silly bc he's just a depressed news anchor man.

Anyway bc of that, Basil used to be his bf, but isn't anymore. He got replaced with fat peppermint man who fun fact: was inspired by the song Brass Goggles BEFORE I even got into SPG and learned what it was about! How silly is that! Peppermint boy is technically my first SPG OC!

She was a fun one, but I abandoned her too. I think she was too influenced by Frye's character from Splatoon. She was a warrior of sorts. Sort of tribal I suppose. She spoke fast, and in her tribe's language, so many people struggled to understand her. She was very bouncy too. Jumping all over the place. If you know Frye, you'll probably notice that they're a bit too similar to each other. That's usually why I abandon my OCs. When they're too similar to another.

Critter I doodled. Not really an OC, but I still think she's cute

Don't ask me about the first guy. The girl was a mii that was born in Tomodachi Life! Her name is Lily. She is the child of Kris (Deltarune) and Hatsune Miku. She looks silly which is why I love her.

I'm Picasso. Kinda vibe with this ngl. Not sure if I could ever turn this into anything though

Here are some low-effort doodles. Enjoyed the design of the big lady more than I thought. I was practicing drawing bigger bodies at the time. Joints are still KILLING ME but it's not bad considering I had the worst anatomy method imaginable

Here are some higher-effort doodles. Aside from the abhorrent anatomy (WHY DOES THE PIG ZOMBIE HAVE TWO DIFFERENTLY SIZED SHOULDERSS????) I quite like these critters. That mermaid girl had lore too. She could control the dead of the sea. She was lowkey evil. Never turned her into anything though. Also, you can see by that guy at the bottom of the first one, that Bunny's art was starting to take an influence on me.

Lots of stuff going on over here but LOOK! MY VERY FIRST SPG FANART! IT'S OF VI POINTING AT AN APPLE AND YELLING AT IT

I was inspired by Bunny to make these monster-ish-looking people

More thingies! There's the goopy robot which I initially drew as a first attempt at drawing a robot, but then I made it black and goopy bc that's what it was giving. The star guy appears and disappears a few times. I think I wanted to keep them, but the design was very similar to LightLazer so I felt a bit weird about drawing them.

More robot shenanigans. First time drawing Rabbit and The Spine! Cannot believe that my first Spine drawing was in a dress oh my god.

More Bunny-inspired drawings and I'm REALLY kinda digging that weird tiny robot critter. Looking at it now, it's kinda like Spring in a few ways, but it's also completely different from Spring in so many other ways. The limbs are retractable. I kinda like this thing actually. I Oughtta do something with it.

These ones are more SPG-specific. You'll have to forgive me, most of these are from memory. Don't ask me why Rabbit looks like David Bowie in the first one.

And finally, some Rabbit and Spine doodles! Rabbit's doing the "Hey Andy Sweetie" meme. I could totally reattempt drawing that today actually.

Anyway, hope you had fun. I did. Ugh this is so sillyy

[blackrevell]

// WIP WHENEVER AND FOREVER

Been tagged by @ouroboros-hideout, @olath124 and @wanderingaldecaldo recently, thank you!

2D | 3D | Writing | VP

The last several days over here were quite turbulent and I suppose I gulped a bit too much of negativity, as nothing I did so far felt right or decent. That's why this journal will re-cap everything that's piled up in my project files since the previous WIP Whenever post: (x)

// Digital Art Still thinking of So Mi x Myers painting, the sneak peek of which you saw the last time. I think of it daily, I promise. Some day I will finish it.

Beyond that one, there's also a Myers' study that I'd want to complete. Been a while, but who knows.

// 3D

Modelling felt much more dynamic lately. I've said it before and I'll say it again: Blender is awesome, and I've had a blast working in it again.

For starters, I embarked on an endless highway of finally fleshing out my OC. The progress on the character herself is slow (well, at least there's no deadline and no rush). In terms of looks, she is a connoisseur of sunglasses and gathered quite a wide collection over the years. Here is one design out of the 4 planned:

Planning is not my natural forte, though, which often produces unexpected results. Had a night when I went too hard on caffeine and couldn't sleep, decided to spend the extra brain-overdrive time modelling a dress I saw on Pinterest. It's not even within my character's usual clothing style, but who's gonna stop me? Me? :pain:

What you see above is a low-poly preview, there's still lots of work to be done even in terms of mesh, much less texturing and weight painting (which is going to be a total horror).

Last, but not least — one of my frens on Discord was looking for sock garters to port for a character, so I thought I could help out a bit. Currently testing it for mesh clipping; texturing here is a "demo" solely for preview purposes.

// Writing

My friends and co-brainrotters somehow pulled me into writing, even though I've been notoriously bad with it my entire life.

At the moment, there's one ficlet in progress focused on character exploration for my OTP Nightwing (OC x Kurt). It is a wild mix of text with bits being deleted, and changed, and added, so I'll keep it under wraps for now.

The sad sack days did lure me into writing out small shards of feelings, which I have no idea how to classify. Vesna and I have a terminal disease called "Rosalind Myers and Kurt Hansen are bitter exes", and their tragic relationship just doesn't let me go:

Lies, lies, lies, how have I been blind to The knives cutting my sanity That you brought with you And I thought would only undo The enemies we could Conquer together and Share their bones and Share our hearts Too bad the taste of my blood Was your favorite hue In the palette of what I could Ever bring you

There's been a couple of other small writings that I won't dare to post (cause extra cringe)

// Virtual Photography Not much to report here, just want to say that it's been a pleasure to finally try my hand at proper VP with Kurt and his peachbutt (x).

I hope I'm capable of learning better and better, because photography has been a tempting idea for me since I was a kid, and I have already got concepts for several photo sets to do in Cyberpunk.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Not tagging anyone in particular, my brain is not functioning today. Just wishing everyone a nice day and evening. <3

[reverie-starlight]

hello! as a dancer, i would like to kindly ask who do you think is secretly the best dancer in haikyuu?

okay okay okay

happy valentine's first of all!!

second of all, my only experience with dance was ballet when i was 3 SO idk if I'm qualified to determine the BEST??

and i'm not sure if you meant like, specific style, so I'll try to incorporate a bunch/keep it vague. also the best dancers are kinda sprinkled throughout, it's not really a straight answer, I'm sorry!! ig the ones in all caps are my opinion of the best dancers.

this was so fun to think about and write!! thank you for the request and sorry it took so long to post!!!

{Haikyuu characters that know how to dance and those who don't- HCs}

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD, I think he would be good at ballroom dancing. His parents definitely made him take lessons when he was a kid and either hated it and endured it or secretly enjoyed it and never let on. no one could figure it out. but when you're at some fancy event with him and he suddenly leads you onto the dancefloor and starts waltzing along with the other couples, you're pleasantly surprised.

SAKUSA (he is so smug about it when you get slightly flustered when he pulls you close and marvel at how good he is), Osamu (didn't mind it, but would never admit it, especially to tsumu. likes to dance with you) and Atsumu (hated it back then but loves it now that he has you for a partner at the fancier galas), KITA (the one who actually didn't hate it and wasn't afraid to admit it and ofc he's amazing at it), Oikawa (definitely dressed up for his classes), Akaashi (he is SO SMOOTH), Aran and surprisingly even to me, Kageyama. DAICHI.

he would be good, but only because before he started with volleyball, his parents needed something to keep him active and busy. he was the definition of a fidgety kid. no specific style bc obviously he eventually got into volleyball. but he's good at keeping a rhythm, definitely doesn't have two left feet. knows how to follow basic choreography, probably.

HINATA (okay he's clumsy but not when he's dancing), tanaka, NOYA, BOKUTO, kyotani (he'll never admit it tho), hanamaki (seijoh will tease him for it until they learn oikawa willingly wore a suit to his classes even if it wasn't madatory), Tendou.

has never taken a dance class but is surprisingly decent at staying on beat when you're dancing together. either in a club/party setting or just dancing in your living room, they can definitely move.

MATSUKAWA, SUNA (tho only you know it, he'd rather die than let the twins find out), Sugawara, KUROO (I WILL REST ON THIS HILL, I WANT TO DANCE WITH HIM), Yaku, SEMI. Kiyoko. Iwaizumi. (iwa and mattsun are crazy good imo).

CANNOT DANCE TO SAVE THEIR LIFE, but will try anyway bc they know it makes you laugh. will probably be sitting out at parties unless you insist everyone is too drunk to care how bad someone is at dancing.

kenma, USHIJIMA (he needs to be bad at something and that something is dancing sorry), YACHI, Asahi, Alisa, LEV, Tsukki, Yamaguchi, KUNIMI, kindaichi.

side note: hinata and oikawa definitely picked up more moves in brazil and argentina respectively. they can dance. thank you that is all.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I hope this was okay!!! Wishing you a happy valentine's day <333

[gumballavocadoharry]

Harry and River;

Showtime:

Tonight was the night of River's school play. It was a 'Hey diddle, diddle' production and River was cast as the spoon. I knew River was excited as he had been practicing all week. I was so excited for him; texting everyone I knew: Mitch, Sara, Gemma and Mom about River's opening night.

"Daddy, can rexie come too? He's excited and he wants to wear his bone tuxedo," River had that little slur to his words, as he was still learning how to punctuate them. I shook my head with slight amusement, "No baby, but I'm sure he'll be thrilled to hear all about it once you get back home." River furrowed his eyebrows in slight disappointment. But his eyes glistened again upon remembering it was almost time to get dressed.

I had secretly bought some flowers for River, like what all great performers get after their show. I was going to give it to him backstage after the play.

"We have to go, daddy!" He said, dashing up the stairs. I myself followed closely behind in putting on a dress shirt and pants. "Ready?" I yelled to River from the hallway. "Here I am!" He came out in a dress shirt and dress pants as well, jumping giddly around the house. "Oh, I can't wait rivie, I bet you're gonna be the top of your class with your acting skills,"

"Thank you daddy!" River skipped to the car.

The drive was anticipating. I was nervous that River would get stage fright or that he would mess up his lines and I didn't want him to get embarrassed on stage. But River practiced his lines, even in the backseat of the car. Once we arrived at the preschool, River was assigned to go to a certain door behind the stage to get ready.

"See you after the show daddy!" He said, rushing off. "Have fun my little nugget!" The little brunette boy ran to his teacher, who was ushering the kids towards the door. I trollied inside the auditorium, where the rest of the parents were sitting or mingling with each other. I talked to a few parents before taking a seat close to the front with my video camera.

"Hello everyone, take your seats as the show will start in just a couple minutes." The teacher announced. She ran backstage to check on the kids; giggles could be heard from behind the big bulky curtain. A smile crept up on my face hearing the little laughs of children, especially River's. "The show will now begin."

The music started and the curtain slowly rose. The cat and his fiddle were the first to take the stage, followed by the cow and the moon. And then the dish and spoon (River) were on, and that's when I started filming. "That's m'boy! The little spoon is my baby boy!" River looked adorable in his spoon costume along with his co-star who was wearing a giant plate.

Once the play ended, the curtains closed and the audience clapped. The kids and teacher took a bow. I clapped the loudest, whistling with my fingers. "I love you River!" I called, amongst the cheering crowd. I ran backstage and gave River the flowers as he was changing into his regular clothes. "You were amazing! Can I have your autograph Mr. River Styles?" He giggled, before taking the pen I lended him and signed my arm. I plopped a kiss on his cheek and gave River a big hug.

"What if I become a big actor one day and travel all over the world?!" He squealed, excitedly.

"I'll still be so proud of you! But.....take daddy with you and remember to look both ways before crossing the street, oh and hold my hand." I giggled, before smooching him with another kiss on his cheek. "Looks like you've got a number one fan River!" Ms. Dellwinger laughed. River's cheeks blushed once he noticed a girl with redish hair staring back at him smiling.

"You know her?" I asked, "Yeah, that's Hayley." River's voice drifted. I shook my head with a permanent smirk on my face before handing River off to talk to her.

"Let's go home now bud, we have dinner remember?" "Oh yeah! We're going to pizza hut!"

We ended the night with one of River's favorite meals as a celebration for a job well done on his play. And I couldn't be more proud of him.

*Sorry if this one isn't my greatest*

[applescabs]

I was tagged by my buddy @phoenixfangs so lets goooo

Are you named after anyone? I've heard this story a buncha times so I'm pretty sure my mom got my birth name from a singer. She heard it on tv and liked it a lot, back then it wasn't a very common name in my country. My names as of now are 50/50, Tom didn't come from anyone but Teddie was 100% something I picked up from Teddie p4, hahah.

When was the last time you cried? Last Sunday when I rewatched ep 11 of Bucchigiri. especially during the part where Zabu got the absolute shit beaten out of him. Finn came home right after that and doesn't understand that one of the big points of media is to reach you emotionally, so he thought it was weird that I was crying.

Do you have kids? Nah, but I'd like to some day, if fate allows it.

Do you use sarcasm a lot? Not nearly as much as I used to, because most of my friends are autistic and don't get it most of the time, so I just end up upsetting them whenever I do use it. Being sincere is much more fun anyways.

What sports do you play? None, but I would love to swim or ice skate (or, hell, do some skiing). Neither are really possible for me atm, unfortunately (do you have any idea how expensive skiing is btw. it's crazy). When I was a kid I did gymnastics and streetdance, I also played tennis briefly as a teen, but had to quit due to a lack of people in my age group playing at that club.

What’s the first thing you notice about people? I usually take note of how someone dresses and does their hair. Ever notice how dull most people's clothes are? I like seeing styles that stand out.

What’s your eye colour? Brown, it's not a particularly dark shade, but I wouldn't call it hazel (my dad has hazel eyes though).

Scary movies or happy endings? This ones a little... vague? But I guess if I had to choose... I wouldn't. I don't care about genre or what type of emotional impact it has, as long as it's coherent and entertaining in its own right. (That doesn't mean I don't care about quality btw. I literally just. watch anything and judge it for what it is.)

Any special talents? I'm a boss at packing in groceries quickly and efficiently. Not a talent that everyone possesses, I've learned (sorry Minke <3).

Where were you born? Netherlands babeyyy ✌ North-Holland to be a bit more precise. I lived next to a dyke (not that kind) so I got the real under-sea-level experience. I still live around the area but not in my hometown anymore.

What are your hobbies? Drawing, (writing?), translation and the nuances that come with it, watching movies, tv shows, animes, cartoons, playing video games, reading books, comics and manga. (and then talking about cinematography, parallels, themes, symbolism and the likes) I also collect soda cans (+ the occasional glass bottle), candy packaging, and anime figurines + other merch.

Do you have any pets? My little baby Jody (dog) who I've had since I was 7 years old! She's about to have her sweet 16 on the 23rd (that's in 2 weeks!) she's getting blind and deaf as hell but she's still lively and sweet as ever <3 And my sweet Tiger of course, who's of undetermined age (around 8/9 the vet said) and currently living with my good friend Minke and their 2 other cats (he does not like them) and dog (he is ok with her). He's not with me rn because my mom's bf is allergic, unfortunately.

How tall are you? 1 meter 59. that single centimeter haunts me. I would've also preferred an additional 10 as well.

Favourite subject in school? Art history used to my favourite in high school, and when I was in film school for a brief period I loved film history. I just love anything pertaining to the arts and it's history that involves analysing and comparing it to other time periods, really.

Dream job? I wanna be someone's househusband and make a buncha weird art on the side. Not kidding btw. But if I had to choose a more conventional dream job... it had to be something in the creative or design industry, otherwise I'll probably die of unhappiness.

tageroonie @kuwupikaa @sunflowermews @xrd @isleofair @spunktrumpetsasara and uhhh other mutuals who feel inclined to do this 👉👈

[xi218]

୨୧ goals ୨୧

Physical: working on being sober, ab workout routine, getting into bed earlier, not snacking so much, wearing the clothes you're saving for a "special occasion", trying out new looks and clothes, venturing out new styles, upgrading your basic hygiene routine, drink more water

Mental: journaling daily (or near daily..), decorating pages, keeping track of emotions both negative and positive and what triggers them. Get rid of the negative triggers and bring in more of the positive triggers.

Emotional: getting in touch with a therapist, dedicating a journal to release you emotions instead of bottling them in, interpret dreams, talking to friends when things upset me

Professional: working 1 hour more than usual, dont wake up and finish work before class

Personal: find your old hobbies (crochet), discover new ones (shirt making 👀), trying new food even if im nervous, complimenting people out loud, making an effort to hang out with friends when opportunities present themselves, limit youtube time

Finance: learn how to budget, no impulse spending, watch videos about making money with art and follow through

Important habits to have: waking up and going to bed early, using planner, having a morning and night routine but the freedom to change it/ leniency with myself if i dont stick to it

Important skills to build: how to communicate my own needs, learn what the line is between sharing and dumping (rather than choosing to bottle everything ive ever felt lol)

schedule ଘ(੭ˊᵕˋ)੭ ੈ♡‧₊˚

So you've picked your goals. Great. Now take a look at your schedule and figure out what things are taking up most of your time. Is it a long commute? Spending too much time scrolling on your phone? Waking up late? Going to bed late?

୨୧ time blocking / schedule:

☆ Mornings:

5-6am: exercise

6-7am: shower, get ready for class / library

7:30-8am: library for breakfast, get ready for the day

~class~

☆ Evenings:

get back from class, shower immediately, change into pajamas

eat dinner

finish homework

plan the next day, journal, go to bed

Assess how you spend your time and utilize it. Instead of scrolling on your phone during your free time, spend time with your loved ones (pets, kids, partner), instead of staying in one place while you're on a call, walk around to get steps in, there is always a way to implement your goals into your daily life.

Notice how I say fit your goals around your life. You don't want to be taking away important things like errands, jobs, school, being a parent just meet your goals- no. Use your time wisely. That's all. You can fit them.

On the larger goals like taking up a class/large skill, like dancing and painting. On fridays, you'll have dance class and on other days that you have free, you'll be painting a piece or reading your anticipated book, learning a language, trying out a new recipe, planning the next day, taking a spontaneous art class, etc!

Weekends.

Because I work a lot, I like to use weekends to really do deep work. Intensive study sessions. And because I deep work (work with no distractions) I don't need to study all day. I'm getting so much done in little time that I'll be done by the afternoon and I can go out and do errands, get all dressed up and have a nice day out in the city, or just have a relaxing day by doing chores, watching a nice movie and more!

3. Setting up a system so you can actually stick to those goals.

Keep a journal to keep track of what you did today. If you didn't reach a goal that day (and that's okay), ask yourself why? and how does it make you feel? Then take action on what you can do to reach it tomorrow.

i think post its in planner should be effective

Switching. We all know it’s best to not push yourself so hard. For example, don’t do intense exercise everyday. Walking and dancing throughout the day counts as exercise too, so by switching (depending on YOUR goals), you’ll have time for your other goals as well. Here is an example: on a rest day of no exercising, maybe that day is the night I have a ballet class. That is exercise as well. So instead of exercising in the very early hours of my day, I can use that time instead to do more studying OR have more time doing something else.

which means I can do one do the following: spend more time with my pet, read a few pages of my book, make a new recipe, etc.

Ex. 4am-5am - on a no-exercise day, i can study during that time instead. 6am-7am - more time to tackle my other goals.

Create a foundation. If you have an amazing day, felt very productive and accomplished, what's a habit that really helped? if you had an off day, figure out why and maybe your foundation can help.

★ That’s all!

[ennaku-sirri-da]

Uyir-kaga eluthukal ( Letters for life )

[ ID: Small sized digital fanart of Putunia Mollar, Jimothan Botch and Trencil Varnnia from Smile For Me the game. Trencil and Jimothan are close to game style while Putunia is more in the artists simplified semi realistic one. The sketch is somewhat messy and is flatly colored.

The changes to her are scruffier hair, a visible big nose, a toned down reddish-brown skin tone and the dress she wears is simply patterned like a purple petunia such as the skirt bottom having a splash of spotting.

Jimothan gestures to the first vowel of the Tamil alphabet written in a book that is 'A' pronounced like the 'u' in 'nun'. There are papers, pencils and a rubber scattered behind this book. Jimothan is saying," A for Annam" which means swan. Putunia is sitting in his lap and leaning forward horizontally to the open alphabet book. She says "A-A-A..." but Jim corrects her," No baby it's "Ah"..."

Jim is wearing a baniyan and blue dhoti. Behind him Trencil garlands his arms around Jim's neck, listening to it all with a neutral expression. The background is a pale gradient of green, yellow, red. End ID]

--

HAHA get it, get my pun, does anyone get my Tam pun🥸( disguise emoji with glasses and moustache indicating amusement in this context)

But yeah since Tunia has the heritage, but due to her circumstances she does not know her parents and didn't have a chance to learn her mother tongue, later on Jimothan teaches her from scratch best as he can. He isn't a teacher by job but he sure can darn try atleast for the basics. Tunia calls it's her "Tamil Tution" with "Jim-Appa"!!! He isn't a 100% serious and boring in it all the time, come on guys this is our community daughter. He does uppu-muttai with her, which is like.

You carry around someone like a 'salt bag' and keep asking how much people will pay for them, like those guys who sell things on the road. However once he gets a high bid Jim simply says she's too precious to give sorryyyyy X ) (X eyed face emote with smile ) !!

And you know, I projected here BUT I think since he did not like, grow up a Lot in Russia in my HC but was US-raised then as for his own language, Habit can speak reasonably well in casual conversation but more formal stuff and bigger words are lost on him. He can write the script from muscle memory since he was taught when young but he didn't use it much later anymore in an English world, so he cannot form many written words on his own. And he can't read very well. So yeah there's a lot of room for improvement if he'd like and I'm learning too hdjdjdh yanno.

BUT! He has an accent doesn't he? Correct me if this sounds contrived BUT for that one I reasoned that his parents were just-arrived immigrants, so he probably picked up their speech patterns ( But mostly from his mother and also his uncle who helped her raise him in the early years as her husband's brother-in-law and her own brother ). Uncle Grigory lives back in Russia though( I'll figure out a specific place) and later on he only sees him during month-long vacations. And the last thing was that Habit really did not interact well with so many people as he grows up more so that relative isolation might be a factor too. That said considering everything( it would fade) the accent probably isn't like thick, but noticeable if you listen.

Anywayyy what I wanted to say is that Habit probably tries to learn more about this stuff too either self taught or with help and I like to imagine Putunia and him bouncing off what they've learned that day with each other. Also they make each other say things in the other's language just to hear them butcher it LMAO Putunia I BET as a Certified Baby Kid just, catches Habit's face and pulls it around to make him say the sounds like stretching him for " EEEEE" SHES PUPPETING HIM 🥺 ( pleading emoji )

Fun fact: There is actually a Super Special Hatch at the back of Habit's head and if you find it, open it, and stick your grubby hands in then you can PUPPET HIM AND MAKE HIM SAY WHATEVER STUPID THING YOU WANT!!!!!!

[rejaytionships]

Question for the platonic f/os

What was the moment your knew you were friends with s/i?

@avas-wonderland

guess i'll go first! :)

frankie and i were pretty much friends from the get-go, if i'm honest!! we met through our dads when we were toddlers, and pretty immediately we started getting along. i was a pretty social kid, which helped frankie get out of their shell since they were still adjusting to their new family.

we both really enjoyed outdoor activities, so of course we had something fun to do! admittedly, i was always the better one at tag, though... don't tell them, but i used to run slower so they'd have a chance to tag me more often, haha.

even our pokemon are buddies now!! my little buddy bumper, my rampardos, is always super friendly with frankie's empoleon, bubbles!! if your pokemon get along, you're bound to do the same as trainers.

Renée? It took a while, but we got there!

I initially met them when they challenged my gym, and truly didn't think much about them. They were fun and had a stellar fashion sense, sure, but as a gym leader I tend to see a lot of challengers, so I didn't think to say anything back then.

It wasn't until they started dating Emmet that I really considered befriending them. Their style was too hard to ignore! I knew I had to be their friend at that point.

I take them with me all the time to different outings so they can help me pick out what to wear for big modelling events. I'll even help them get something custom for their own wardrobe. Win-win!

Austin and I were always friendly, but not on the railway to friendship until they became rivals with Emmet.

They were a marvelous challenger! Although, they have admitted to me that single battles are not as easy for them as double battles are. I can see why Emmet took interest in them.

Our trains tend to stay on different tracks because of the nature of my job, but I've become acquainted with their consistent presence off-hours. They join Emmet and I in our discussion about daily battles and what we've learned from them for our following battles.

Our trains did not depart toward the destination of friendship because of a specific incident. It was a slow change that happened without us noticing.

Ooh, ooh, it was the best day of my life!

I try to be nice to all of the new villains, 'cause we're all on the same side, but she was super different! Like, I didn't even think she was a villain! No costume, no cool name, just dressed as herself going by her actual name. She was sitting with Father (scary!), which was weird 'cause he usually only sat with the same three or four people at our meetings.

So of course, I went to introduce myself, and she was suuuuuuper sweet!!! Arnie seemed all nervous and everything before I sat down, but she opened up pretty quickly to me. They even called me their first friend at the meeting! Wow!!! :D

Not only were we friends that day, but super mega ultra bestest friend ever!!! I wouldn't trade her for anything in the world! Well, maybe defeating those Kids Next Door, but that'd be way more fun with her alongside me, duh!!! What's the point of being cooler than kids if you can't even have your best buddy with you?!?!?!?!?

The literal second I saw Cro, I knew she had to be my best friend!

I try to be friendly with everyone who works at Skool with me, of course, but she was one of the only people I could completely open up to! From the get-go, we had fun chit-chatting about our days and we realized we both had sooo much in common! Plus she's a total sweetheart, I knew that big grumpy bear was all warm and fuzzy when you got to know her~

We probably became official friends about a month into working together, when we ran into each other at the local all-you-can-eat.

I even thought I was into her for a while! We met while I was mid-divorce, and she was super duper understanding! Turned out that us dating was an impulse decision, we're waaay better friends, really. Regardless, we're definitely meant to be in each other's lives! I wouldn't give my Crocro up for the world!

[nightingale-bloom]

sorry that i blew up my entire fantasy world. it's still happening and i'll probably do it again when i'm done.

note: delinia is actually dead tho. felt like chains, so i'm killing it and looting the body. it was just getting too hectic bc I was piling everything i made onto it with little consideration for what already existed. rip the pantheons ig, they're not coming back even remotely similar. list of stuff that still exists:

brielle! (she was originally delinian, ik that i never said it but she was) also ethel, carrion, rialla, marjory, flora. maybe jin with a name change and quetzal with a species adjustment due to the lack of dragonborn in this new world. if I feel like it.

the fire queen/elemental rulers characters. boy they were messy back in the day, they were begging to be fixed. so i'm doing that. in a bit. alexander, my boy. he deserved so much better.

the gods. only sorta though. the pantheon as it was is dead, though Manosena (elder war) will be inspired by my previous war god raziel and his successor ajax. they come back as these colonizer self-deifying guys called iluminar. the one art post I made a few weeks ago depicted one of them, joven. one of the mcs of the book, will learn that his people are awful oppressors. his outfit ain't final, I just dressed him however for fun since I didn't have any particular uniforms or styles for iluminar at the time.

ajax! I love him too much to get rid of him. one of my previous delinian war gods. delinia's pantheon was a revolving door where gods could retire or be essentially fired by the founders, high gods that don't have the same choice as the others. but anyway he was batshit insane. drank blood, lotta chaos. you gotta have some of those sprinkled in for funsies. surprisingly sane at the meeting table and very sweet with his husband. still eats despite not needing to, a bit of a habit due to still feeling hungry three times a day. normally wears off for gods but he hasn't let it yet.

might bring the aquatica kids back. I already tried once before, but with more species-building experience, I think I could actually do it this time. rip Luca thao though, his original iteration could be coming back and he isn't.

Roma! she's another character from mesahearth, and I absolutely have to find something to do with her. well-read, not afraid of demons. could make her a summoner of a sort?

the glimmer, though they're now the maiza. hated their original concept almost immediately after I made it, and decided to scavenge them for their parts to make the maiza, a tribal forest people currently fighting tooth and nail for their homeland. the iluminar are absolutely false gods to them. their gods give back, but the iluminar keep for themselves. still more parts on that glimmer wreck (shapeshifting, water activated markings) that I could use later in other species/races.

all those dragons I made years ago probably shouldn't go to waste, huh? yuna's probably gonna get her knucklebones used for fortune-telling, though. don't care for her much.

and everything else I've made since the death of my first world has been pretty new, as far as I can tell. I never had a werewolf in any of my past stories, right? /s

[ayearlaterletters]

10JUL2024 - 14JUL2024

This letter will mark the first letter I am writing to you. My letters will consist of randomness, my pov, thoughts and emotions. Most importantly, from the heart so please bear with me.

I want to recap our days together, every day. Something for us to look back on and remember the little things and the good days. I'll try to remember the little things you do or say to me that made me feel good.

On July 10th We went to karaoke for less than 2 hours. I sang L-O-V-E by Nat King Cole and you sang do for love, sail away, Telephone Man, and Michael Jackson love song lol. After karaoke, we head on over to Claudia Birthday celebration at Dave and Busters. We got to see Janel and Mya, Gaby C and her daughter, Sean, and Claudia's co-workers from her other job. We threw up the 4's as a bit and you bought the photos! I loved it for the frame because it's hilarious - what were we thinking we are just goofy lol. After we ate pretzels and garlic fries and drank your alcoholic beverage we played games. I got hit smacked on my face with a basketball because I wanted to win so bad on tic tac toe basketball, which I did win! After gaming, we went to the parking lot because I needed to go home and rest. I also accidentally took the night medication instead of the day one so that's why the alcohol was hitting fast but I was still functional! That day you wore your hawaiian button up, black trousers, docs, and a jacket. I wore a mini floral dress, jean jacket, and white heels to match your style. I wanted to dress up with you because I thought you looked handsome. When you wear trousers and a button up I think you're dressed up even though you don't agree. We were kissing pressed up against your car then we hear Mya say we left 30 mins ago when we really didn't lol. we were just admiring each other looking into each others eyes. You and I took a drive to Sunset Cliffs and we were intimate until 1am. I went to work on 1 hour of sleep lol. I would do it again.

On July 11th

I took an 8-hour nap according to you lol. I know for sure I took a juicy nap. After my much-needed slumber, I texted you and you scooped me up to attend your brother's volleyball practice at the YMCA. That day I learned about slapbox and it's such a guy thing to do. Apparently, you are a champion at this boyish sport. Attending the YMCA felt very nostalgic and I learned you were a YMCA kid too which made me smile. Little things I learn about you make me feel a closer connection to you because of the little things we have in common. After rooting for Marcus, he is extremely good at serve jump, we went to baked bear in PB. I learned Marcus and you had a bowling arc. Custom bowling balls too! Next time we go bowling or anytime we go bowling, Marcus is more than welcome to join us and he said he was willing too. Also, you sitting on my itty bitty lap with all your weight and all legs on top of me was so heavy but I love feeling you on me and then I sat on your lap and you picked me up surprisingly. you're so strong. You drove me home and it was a great evening spent with you and your brother.

On July 12th mid-afternoon, we went out to get So Saap - fun fact it means " Very Delicious" in Thai. My grandma taught me the translation and I didn't tell you that day because I forgot, but I just remembered since I'm now writing this. After lunch, we took a nice drive to Balboa Park. I pointed out a vegan restaurant that offers vegan Caribbean options. That place has been on my bucket list of places to eat. You told me you went to a location nearby to play the bongos and you have a homegirl that teaches something there - not sure. Fun fact: I played bongos too in the 5th grade - very fun. I showed you my magic card trick that my mom learned from somebody she knew in prison. My mom is very impressed I remember the card trick after all these years. I wish I could show you another card trick that my cousin showed me but I forgot and I couldn't figure it out, oh well. You also showed me Yu-Gi-Oh on your mobile and I was just clicking on random buttons but yeah I never understood the game when I was younger nor will I know now haha.

After spending time together at Balboa Park, you dropped me off at home. That was the day I told my mom I'm with you seriously. Her advice: have fun, be happy, and don't argue. I'm very happy she is supportive of my choice. I couldn't wait to tell you about my conversation the next day but it was news that was much needed to tell in person rather than over a phone call or text because this is something serious to me. It's a lot for me to tell my family something serious like that because we usually don't - family dynamics.

You went out about your day with Ezra and Oscar to Red Robin to get some milkshakes and have a boy's day. Oscar wanted to cancel on ya'll because he was tired. that had me dead lol

I missed you that evening. I contributed to the playlist you shared with me and then I was knocked out from the medicine.

On July 13th

I had a good day at work, came home, and took a good nap before I would see you to have some energy. You scooped me up around 3:30 we drove to Otay ranch and got some vegan orange chicken from panda express. We made our way to Plaza Bonita to attend our showtime Long Legs and sneak in some snacks from Target. On our way there I told you the news I've been needing to express to you in person. You were so happy even though you were just joking about me not telling my family and keeping you a secret but I can tell you were genuinely happy because I sure was. We make our way to target watched a really fascinating movie that captured us both and we were definitely feeling each other that night. On our way to sunset cliffs, you said " I feel like I finally hit the jackpot" that statement alone made my heart just M E L T. I just felt so special. You also called me divine. out of your league. words and statements I don't understand or can't comprehend because I didn't know those words could apply somebody like me. i am the apple of your eye. Sunset cliffs was so beautiful that night. clear skies, Waxing Gibbous as bright reflecting off the ripples of the coast. God, you took so good care of me that night I wasn;t keeping track of how many times I came because I just came when I felt like you were getting me there. As we were driving home too we kept getting flashbacks and you said me sucking your dick was heavenly lol. i love when you're in charge of me. I can't believe you became soft after coming once. i did that lol. What a beautiful night to end with my lover. Came home, knocked out, woke up, took a shower, then went to work.

Today is July 14th

Establishing this blog has been on my mind since July 12th. I originally wanted to do PowerPoint presentation leading up to our one month officially. I have that folder on the side, I just have to scroll through messages if I want to really to go deep but I'll find a way to deliver my message to you. Today is a rest day between the both of us. we got to catch up on some things before you start your new job tomorrow and I need to do laundry, clean, and go for a walk. I'm so happy for you and I am proud of you.

I miss you always. you leave such an everlasting impression on me.

angel numbers today: 11:11, 4:44, 5:55

[unkajosh]

We were talking about food, weren't we?

I could tell you about places I've eaten. I'm not wealthy at all, but I've still had some fairly amazing food in a place or two.

But the thing is, I'm a restaurant guy. I work in a pizza place right now; we're a chain, and while our food is pretty darned good, that's not what I'm going to talk about, either. Exactly.

Because I don't have children. I have the kids who work for us. And I take care of them. (Okay, not all of them. The white supremacist that I fired, not so much.)

So when the kids have been good, and time allows, I feed them something special, something they can't just get off the menu-- but something that I can make with only the ingredients that I have on hand.

Let's look at a typical example.

I start with a crust. What kind of crust? I'll use any of them; our signature crust is a Detroit-style deep dish, which has a fluffier crust (lower-protein flour, closer to AP Flour than the bread flour that pizza dough normally uses), but I'm a past master at hand-tossed dough, and we have a very tasty thin, cracker crust as well. (The key to hand-tossed dough is to not use the dough press they provide, nor the docker they provide, but hand-toss it as God intended. But it's a skill that takes a while to master, so we have the press for the sake of new hires.)

Imagine the one you like best.

I don't just start there, though. There really ought to be veggies. My kids need to eat their veggies! But the default technique is fresh raw chopped veggies put on the pizza; they don't really cook very much due to their high internal water content (and actually make the top of the pizza cook less; pizzas with a lot of toppings, but especially wet toppings like tomatoes or pineapple require significantly more cooking.)

So let's improve things. Because of our deep-dish dough, we have no shortage of well-seasoned iron pans for the dough. In this, we add a mix of chopped green peppers (I'd prefer red or yellow, but I have to stick with what's available), chopped red onions, chopped tomatoes and sliced mushrooms. We're going to pour a little bit of garlic butter over this veggie medley and run the pan through our oven on the medium-cooking rack. (We have a conveyor-driven impingement oven, and that's it. It's very good for what it does, but it makes an awkward sauté device. But one learns to adapt.) This will nicely "grill" the veggies with the butter; the mushrooms will add some nice umami.

So, back to that pizza crust. We're putting tomato sauce on; it's not the only choice, but it's the most popular. But it needs something more, doesn't it? Over the layer of pizza sauce (uncooked; it's ground tomatoes, some water, and a seasoning mix of salt and herbs and no doubt other things) I add a drizzle of our ranch dressing.

Do NOT underestimate our ranch. The seasonings in it are pretty standard, but we start with extra-heavy mayo and buttermilk, the kind of thing that you can't buy in local stores. We have to special-order this stuff, and we make it ourselves every single day, like the sauce, like the dough.

You don't get the same quality with frozen dough shipped to stores and thawed, and you cannot convince me otherwise. Our dough isn't complicated at all, but fresh, hand-made dough is so much better than the alternatives.

Next, we must add cheese. Our cheese? No, not like those chains that buy frozen, pre-shredded boxes of cheese, each particle coated in cellulose to stop it from sticking. Ours? We take logs of mozzarella and a shredder, every day, after carefully assembling the cleaned blades and making sure that the machine will not commit awful mechanical suicide (the torque on literally every engine in the shop is insane) we push 'em through and carefully gather the shreds. We call this stuff "White gold," and it isn't cheap.

But I'm fond of cheese blends; I'll mix in other cheese that we have on hand-- cheddar, Romano, perhaps feta, sometimes even the provolone slices that we still use for our weird sandwich/calzone hybrid things. I'd add more, but, again, using what we have so we don't risk the wrath of corporate. Distribute evenly by hand, don't leave thin spots, for who wants those?

Those veggies are done now, caramelized and tasty, and they go on top of the cheese. Some of my kids don't eat meat; they're mostly set now, but others insist on further animal proteins. I often put grilled chicken on here, and maybe the addition of some nice, smokey bacon. I have to be careful with bacon, though-- it's tasty, but it tends to overwhelm subtler flavors. Still, it blends very nicely with the chicken indeed.

Okay, in the oven. I have a lot of stuff on this pizza; it will need a higher temperature and time to cook, but that's OK-- unlike most other places, our oven has three decks and four different chains, three different cooking temperatures and four different cooking times. Thickness of the pizza crust is an important detail here, so I make the necessary adjustments.

The pizza cooks; the cheese melts, and I used a lot of heat, so it becomes golden-brown, despite the cooking vegetables, the meats, all piled on top of each other, juices from the meats and veggies soaking into the flavor sponges that mushrooms are and transforming them while, in turn, adding that subtle vegetable umami to the blend. The grilled onions become sweeter and more tender; the peppers, likewise, the bitterness of green peppers becoming a subtle note in the symphony rather than a dominant aftertaste.

Okay, I cooked it. Are we ready to eat yet?

NO!

No, no, we have more work to do! A light dusting of garlic salt-- the garlic another flavor note, the salt light enough to bring out the flavors rather than becoming a flavor itself. (Alas, we have no fresh or roasted garlic! But one adapts.) Now we add the final touches-- perhaps some garlic butter around the crust, if it's hand-tossed, but otherwise, over to another station (once we've cut it with huge curved knives like scimitars fitted with an additional grip-point that would make them far too unbalanced to use as weapons using orthodox techniques) and NOW we add a little more mayo-- it doesn't take much; it's just a foundation for the real last step. Fresh, chopped lettuce and tomato. I'd add fresh spinach if we had it, but alas, it went bad too quickly, so corporate dropped it. Am I making a salad on top of the pizza? It may look like it, and I suppose I am, but the crisp, fresh taste of the lettuce, the acid of the tomatoes, these perform a wonderful contrast the the heaviness of pizza dough, cheese and meat, and one needs contrast in these matters.

Now, now we eat it. Carefully, though-- if it's thin crust, it MUST be cut in squares, or it won't be strong enough to support the toppings. If it's hand-tossed, consider the New York Fold as an approach to eating. Our deep dish can handle this as long as you manage to not spill the toppings everywhere when you bite into it.

If I used the deep dish, your lower jaw and tongue will encounter the crisp, fried outer layer of the dough first; your upper jaw, in turn, goes through a layer of fresh, crisp veggies, to the complex blend of flavors in the toppings, mixed together in the alchemy that is cooking, the hot cheese underneath still a bit melty, spreading over your mouth, the tomato sauce enhanced by the tangy richness of the ranch. You eat a slice. Perhaps two, if you are truly hungry.

And that will be enough. We're going to be hauling around fifty-pound bags of flour and fifty-pound boxes of mozzarella logs and hundred-pound buckets of freshly-mixed dough and stacks of pizza pans still rather warm from the oven and stacks of deep-dish dough and, later, cutting boards that are squares three feet on a side.

But this will give you the strength to go on. It fills your stomach in every regard, and-- hey, were you adding hot sauce to yours? That's fine. That's fine. I don't use it, but some people like the endorphin rush, and who am I to deny them?

But you got this pizza because you were good. Enjoy it.

And grab a slice quickly. Myles is coming back from his run, and he'll boggard the whole thing if we let him.