#red cups at Pizza Hut

[catalisst]

Predecessor of Red Solo Cups

[mikecovers]

44. It's only a legitimate Pizza Hut if the cups are red. No open pizza bar, though.

[seat-safety-switch]

With the ever-present rush towards convenience, so many sit-in restaurants are becoming take-out-only instead. Let's be honest: none of us really want to go outside and talk to people in order to get food. Just flip that app and bingbong® yourself a drunk order of fried treats for only $25 in fees.

Pizza Hut was one of the first to abandon the pull of large square footage, throwing millions of nostalgic red plastic cups into industrial grinders in a mad rush to stop bleeding so much goddamn money all the time. Today, those cups are worth $250 on eBay, so they look pretty stupid now, don't they?

The problem with all this is, in the time of our foreparents, it was real hard to fake the existence of a restaurant. If you went to a Pizza Hut, it was a real-ass physical building. It probably had not been copy-pasted together by a bunch of Taiwanese scam artists using Google Image Search fifteen seconds before you appeared. That was more of a Taco Bell thing. Nowadays, you can't be sure. Computers treat bullshit the same as any other kind of shit, so sometimes you'll be ordering from a completely imaginary restaurant. Feels weird, doesn't it?

As with many other cases in my adult life where I figured out everyone was just faking it, I decided to try and make some quick money. Papa needed a new engine, you see, and Slant Sixes don't exactly grow on trees anymore. With just a couple wonky Excel spreadsheets and a glob of code the size of Upper Tonawanda, I was in business with Switch's Fun-Time Pizza, an entirely non-fictitious restaurant whose address happened to be at the same place as a Pizza Hut.

Folks would pay me money, and then I'd quickly pay Pizza Hut to have a pizza ready by the time the delivery guy rolled up. Nobody seemed to care that the box said the wrong thing, and soon I was collecting fat stacks of money for doing nothing at all, just like the platforms themselves. This went on for a few weeks, fattening my bank account for slaughter. Until the first complaints came in, that is.

Yes, friends: it turned out that the local Pizza Hut had hired someone who wasn't very good at washing their hands. Soon, I was handing out big-time refunds on behalf of a massive international corporation, except I was doing so out of my own ill-gotten profits. My rickety, strung-together bullshit engine made entirely out of spreadsheets and chewing gum simply could not comprehend the idea of a refund, much less one for a weak human phenomenon such as food poisoning. Soon, all the money was gone.

Have I learned something from this whole experience? Yes. The most important thing in food service is to wash your hands thoroughly before (and after!) handling the customer's meat. The second most important thing is to charge at least a hundred percent premium over your supplier, to leave room for little hiccups such as this.

That's way easier to do if you position yourself as an upscale luxury restaurant, such as Lord Switchington of Canterbury's Refined Palate Pizza Parlour For Bourgeois Assholes Only, which will be launching this weekend in the very expensive neighbourhood next to mine. Hopefully their Pizza Hut is a little bit better at keeping the bathroom soap dispenser stocked.

[biancml]

Overrides List | Part One

In this list I will share some default replacement (overrides) for those who want a realistic gameplay with more details. You can find the Part 02 Here.

Kids

bassinet

infant rug or blanket

watermelon swing

baby bottle 1, 2, 3 or 4

infant bath & rubber duck

Selfcare

razor

spa nails & nail polish

towels & brush teeth

toothbrush 1, 2, 3, 4 or eletric

Random

bridge

suitcase

fireplace

umbrellas

bills & cards

fish, rabbit & cow

ceiling 1 or 2

boxing gloves & tennis

korean magazines

cars & school buss

cleaning spray & mop

paintings, brushes, pencil & photo

Kitchen

bread plate

lots storange

sponge 1, 2, or 3

cutlery 1, 2, 3 or 4

cutting board 1 , 2 or 3

pans, dishware & red cups

Foods

food stalls

bubble tea

foods 1 or 2

coffee to go

ice cream shop

delivery bag & grocery bag

coffee bag 1 or 2 & milk bottle

pizza & pizza hut box or pizza delivery

Eletronics

remote control

phone wallpaper 1, 2 or 3

phone icons

computer games & tv movies

game consoler, ps3 controller or ps5 controller

airpods, airpodspro, podsmax or airpodsmax

Phones

iphoneX, iphone7, iphone11, iphone12, iphone12cases, flip, nokia, galaxyS20, galaxynote8 or others

[lunarriviera]

uts meta: two cops eating pizza cause they're not gay (The Drawing, part 2)

[spoilers for s2 in general and ep 17 in specific, and i really hope you've already watched it because, wow. it deserves to be seen.] this whole scene is off the chain but perhaps what's wildest about it is that this has happened once already! shen yi already gave du cheng a drawing! and now he's doing it again! either he wants a marriage proposal or to be [redacted], and honey, you're absolutely gonna get [redacted] tonight. even though you messed up dinner.

when our scene begins, beijiang's finest are about to dine in shen yi's concrete bdsm dungeon new house. but wait, shen yi's a terrible cook, you say? never fear—product placement is here!

glowing, radiant, suffused with light. in the troubled city of beijiang, pizza hut™ shines forth like a beacon of edible hope and justice. even if they do keep putting pineapple on top of it.

(all of s2 we've been subjected to such heavy-handed sponsorship as the team drinking exclusively some kind of fruity (?) tea (?); du cheng barking orders at xiaomi, his new car's shipboard computer while shen yi theatrically changes the cabin temperature; shen yi treating everyone to invisible air coffee (because no property person has ever figured out all you need to do is put some water in the cup); and jiang feng popping up like a prairie dog clutching a green box of cold medicine whenever anyone sniffles. but pizza hut has been the most egregious of all, truly the wolong nuts of uts2. if only dragon city had a pizza hut™! then shen wei wouldn't have had to wear zhu yilong's clothes.)

unfortunately, actors can't actually eat human food, plus shen yi's supposed to be a vegetarian, so here is tan jianci consuming the smallest molecule of pizza possible while pretending to enjoy it. pretty sure tjc last had a junk carb in the hu jintao administration.

after this brief token simulation of eating, shen yi and du cheng have a Serious Conversation about the late captain lei. pls note their blocking here, as it's the only time in s2 you will EVER see tan jianci looking DOWN at jin shijia, who is of course a giraffe.

then shen yi whips out this little baby, and hands it to his partner.

(let's hope our sketch artist had the foresight to spray some fixative on what looks like conté or pastel, before du cheng started smearing pizza grease all over it.) du cheng is, of course, touched. why are they drawn in red? not entirely sure, though it's a color shen yi seems to default to when he's very emotional and/or inarticulate about things.

anyway shen yi mentions that the piece needs a title and he hasn't thought of one yet, so du cheng volunteers a suggestion.

(at this point i started screencapping in chinese, reasons unclear.) du cheng offers 改变我人生的人, "the person who changed my life."

it's a dumb title for an artwork but GUESS WHAT, he's no longer talking about lei-dui. if you thought you might question this, jin shijia is going to make sure you don't, because of the sickeningly transparent infatuated look on his face. but wait, it gets worse!

确实是改变了我人生的人, shen yi responds; indeed, this person really did change my life. HE'S ALSO NOT TALKING ABOUT CAPTAIN LEI.

tjc doesn't want you to feel any confusion about that, so he deploys his patented shen yi gaze. here, you need to see this to believe it.

jianci has developed this little trick as shen yi of speaking with his eyes lowered, and then when he finally lifts them, it's like he's setting off a BOMB. he's fine-tuned this to the point where it's weaponized.

and honestly he's making it so obvious they're talking about each other i don't even know how to say it in human language. those two took these innocent respectable lines about a past case and made them indecent. they did that. all by themselves. no one made them.

at the end of the scene, though, it's this look. this one right here.

the absolutely unbearable tenderness. "yes, you did change it. you changed everything. nothing will ever be the same again, because of you." in conclusion: pls bury me with this, because i suspect it's the most in-love it's possible for a human being to look, outside of a wong kar-wai film BYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE [runs away sobbing hysterically]

[oshinohoshi]

Down the rabbit hole of Oshi no Ko collabs

As someone constantly looking at Oshi no Ko merch I shouldn't buy, I came to learn about the sheer number of OnK collaborations. So I figured why not impart such useless knowledge here.

Note that these are merely some of them and yet there are so many that I had to split this into a whopping three posts. Here is part 2. The third is to come.

Most of the below collabs featured limited edition merch and special illustrations.

Cafe Collaborations

The Animate stores had OnK events at their cafes which involved themed food, decorations, and special merch. You can see a video of one Animate cafe event here.

Other OnK cafes took place at Sweets Paradise restaurant, The Guest cafe and diner, Tower Records cafe, the Atari cafe inside Ikebukuro Parco (Parco is a chain of department stores), and cafes in Tokyo and Osaka held the Exceptional Autumn event (the name of course is taken from "lies are an exceptional form of love"). This is by no means an exhaustive list.

Brands

The funniest brand that has teamed up with OnK has to be Panasonic's personal "Solota" dishwasher. There are a few commercials including this one where Ai mentions that there are three people in her household and then has to play it off. There was also a 2 hour low fi style video of Ai sitting on her couch reading with the dishwasher in the background. Unfortunately, I can't find it which sucks because it was pretty cool [edit: updating this to say that you can download it here. Thanks for that!] There's also a Hikakin Premium cup noodle commercial.

Other tie-ins include Onkyo earbuds, Kaneyo brand baking soda with Kana of course, Sanrio, candy, food and drink brands like Meiji and Lotte chocolate, 7-11, Pizza Hut, Sushiro restaurant (the Mother's Day promo images are so cute it nearly killed me), TIRTIR cosmetics, and hair care brand Je L'aime.

It would be remiss of me not to highlight Tamanoi's Sushi no Ko seasoning powder which was advertised in the manga (why? just how much did they pay them?) during an important pep talk from Kana to Aqua no less.

Pop Up Events

There have been a bunch of other pop ups where they sold limited edition merchandise based on illustrations created for those events. I'm especially fond of Ai in the "cheer squad" design from Animate. It's the cutest damn thing. Most of the pop ups mentioned below also had exhibits.

(The bottom right photo is from this tweet).

One took place at Base Yard Tokyo, a store that sells clothes and anime/manga goods. This was at the Harajuku store and took inspiration from Harajuku fashion. Ai's hair bow is stupidly enormous. I love it so much.

The store Akihabara Gamers sold merch based on illustrations with a flower theme featuring ridiculous hats for Aqua, Kana, and Akane.

Another event was at the Atre Akihabara mall. The building was decorated with murals including an Ai mural matching the one in the anime where fans left flowers after she died. This article has images.

Tokyo Records and Red Tokyo Tower also had events. Red Tokyo Tower is a VR/AR related theme park next to Tokyo Tower. Here is a video.

Clothes

Recently the Japanese online shopping site Yumetenbo put out a line of dresses under the name "Black Devil Stars." This is the website.

I think they're really cute and Ai's devil design is one of my favorite collab designs. I'm sad that Aqua's art did not feature him in his dress but the suit is still cool. Bic Camera stores are also selling items like stands, keychains, cards, and an Ai plushie based on the same designs.

In terms of more regular clothing, there of course a ton of Oshi no Ko items, but the clothing lines I know of are from Uniqlo and Shimamura. The photo below is Rumi Okubo, Mem's VA, wearing a Shimamura sweater and uh... is that a neck warmer? Is that related? I have no clue.

There's also a fashion show called Tokyo Girls Collection and this year they had an event called Idol Runway Collection pairing fashion with idols. The official YT channel put out a Mem vlog style video of it. It doesn't look like the models wore the outfits featured in the illustration. It's a real missed opportunity to show off Aqua's baggy suit.

[sleepingintheflowers]

Remember going to Pizza Hut for Book-it and the hostess would be like “smoking or non-smoking?” and your parents would say “non-smoking” and you’d be seated but the smoking section was like 20 feet away so everything smelled like smoke anyway and then they’d bring out your free personal pan pizza and you Pepsi in a red plastic bumpy cup and after you ate you could go play Street Fighter in the arcade?

[queenferretofthewoods]

Picture this Is the middle of the night, the house is quiet and the only sounds is from cars far away, you got home early from home and still has energy left for your creative mind to come up with an idea, and you... actually feel like going with it And so you do, start to sketch, make a silly simple background, and got the blocking out of your idea in place, all is good and you are in the zone Since you are felling quiet good about it you decide to go for something hot to drink, 1 minute goes by and the sound of the water boiling is all you hear, 30 seconds goes by and then you hear it.... KEYS BEING JIGGLED ON THE DOOR! You think "oh they are back, well they are gonna be tired so they should be a problem", they open the door, is your roomate and other roomate with a hammer and tools You greet them and turn to you... "whats that you holdin......" *nailing noises* "hum guyssss" you say as you try to figure out what they are doing but you are cut shortly after as the first roomate goes to the kitchen and starts to make a meal for the two of them, " alright let me take my cup and i leave you two to what you got going on" you say as you safely get back to you room "That was odd but meh nothing i can do about it...." *thump followed by a scream and a yelling from other roomate* you question if you should investigate or not, you decide to not to indulge and go back to drawing but before you can do that "hammer" roomate barges in with a worring look in his face. "soooo hummm im sorry i have to bother you right now buuut, could you do me a favor?" as he shows you a cellphone screen craked and you know its not his phone cuz his is pink and this is... omg i was gone 1 minute what did they do *sighs* "you are lucky i still have one screen from last time" and so you clean your art desk and make it into the IT/Tech support desk and start working on the phone. "so hum what was that noise from before?" you ask. "hum it.. i asked (blank) to make me a sandwich whille i mounted a picture frame and when i was hanging it i slipped and (blank) just so happened to come and hum fell on him" he says just there you hear a knock on the door and there you see your roomate with a smile and a sandwich "HEY!! Got your sandwich here, oh! you reparing it??" he says and you see shock on his eyes and look at you other roomate as he already eated half the sandwich and then stops monching "did... did you put something in this?" you give him a worring look at him and then (blank) speaks "soooo i may have got a little mad about my phone and...... put her spicy powder on it" Your roomate looks at him then look at his sandwich and continues to eat it whille holding eye contact with you other roomate visibly sweating and red on the face "ah that.. was.. nothing.. you better try harder eheh..." he says with a smug on his face "soo you ate habanero seasoned sandwich bro you cant even handle pizza hut hot sause!" you say but is to late hes already in pain, and you other roomate goes for a glass of milk and in a panic spills it on him. "what are you doing??" you asked, "f-fuck i dont know, ahhhh is he going to be fine please heeelp him" And so you sigh, and mutter "why these two act as two big dumb childs and treath me as their mother"

[eva-knits12]

Pizza with Ransom Drysdale

Trigger warning: pizza, mentions of a chronic illness, the Detroit Lions, fluff

Summary: You and Ransom order a pizza.

You and Ransom are engaged and living together in this one. You two also start looking at wedding venues and start planning.

It's Sunday, and the Pats are playing on TV. The Lions are playing against the Pats. Ransom wants to watch the game, which is fine for you, because you can go into your craft room and work on your latest knitting project while listening to a podcast.

Ransom had never had the pleasure of ordering a pizza for delivery. Between his parents fighting, his dad cheating, and Linda being distant, all Ransom knew was the lavish dinners that were often prepared for him by the help.

"So, you've never ordered a pizza from the local pizza place?", you say, almost shocked.

Friday nights growing up were reserved for pizza and renting movies, and watching as a family. You often watched comedies and kid-friendly stuff, and then would play Scrabble, Sorry, Monopoly, Uno, or even Pictionary. Sundays were often reserved for TV Dinners because everyone did their own thing on that day. Your brother often had a soccer game, and you often volunteered at the local nursing home.

"No, I never had ordered a pizza. Do they have the pizza margarita that Nordstrom's has?" asks Ransom, curious about this culinary revolution.

"Oh, you're missing out. I'll order from the local place, and you'll see how good it is. I also know that you will often make it from scratch. I know you've had frozen pizza. But ordering a pizza is a whole different experience," you say.

You are having a bad day, and you need your walker today. Ransom and you were talking and snuggling in bed while you both sipped your first cups of coffee. You Google the local pizza places, and decide on a local Pizza Hut, which is now featuring a Detroit Style pizza.

"Ransom, I'm going to go take a nice, hot shower," you say, wincing.

"Oh, sweetheart, you're in pain today. You're having a bad day, rest. Let me help you," says Ransom, who places your walker in front of you, and sits next to you. He helps you up, and stands behind you, as the feeling of fainting and falling over is high right now.

(If you've never had this culinary masterpiece, you're missing out. It's really good, and fills you up. It's also piping hot. If you do it right, the toppings are on the bottom, and the sauce is on top. The one pictured is the Jet's style, which is a local pizza chain. Does it sound strange that way? Not to me!)

Ransom stands behind you, grabbing onto your hips and helps you to the bathroom and closes the door once you're safely inside. You relieve yourself, wash your hands, and then open the door. Ransom has gathered you your clothes for the day, which today is sweats and your favorite sweatshirt. Ransom is wearing his sweats and his favorite comfy sweater, the cable knit one with tons of holes in it.

Ransom is already showered, and his cologne smells nice and comforting. You stand in the shower, and let the hot water cascade over you. You wash your hair, and then get ready to shave your legs. You open the bathroom door, and ask for Ransom.

"Ransom, can you help me shave my legs?", you ask.

Ransom is more than happy to help you with this task. Ever since your MS progressed, it has made doing some daily tasks difficult. Luckily, Ransom is there to help you out.

"Just think, we never even thought about looking at venues," says Ransom.

"I know. Look, we're taking things one day at a time right now," you say. "I know we should start planning, so maybe we can look at venues on-line today before the game starts," you say.

"Okay, but rest. You're going to need your energy for PT tomorrow," says Ransom.

Ransom pulls out his journal, and writes down something in it. He puts down "Help Louise with the wedding planning." So, Ransom makes breakfast for the both of you. Ransom's made you both blueberry pancakes and sausage for breakfast. Ransom picks you up and carries you to the kitchen.

You and Ransom just talk during breakfast, and you both have your second cup of coffee. Olga clears the table, and Ransom carries you back to the living room, bridal style. He places you on the couch, covers your lap with a blanket, and hands you your book. After a while, you fall asleep again, while Ransom reads his issue of Time.

Ransom glances over, and sees that you've fallen asleep. He lies next to you and places your head on his chest. He lovingly kisses you on the forehead, and just watches you sleep, and he falls asleep next to you.

After a few hours, you and Ransom both wake up, with your stomachs growling. Olga has made tomato soup and grilled cheese for the both of you, and you and Ransom eat every bite and talk.

You talk about what you want for the wedding, and you haven't even discussed how many guests. You were going to look at venues first, then make a decision. Your goal now was to walk down the aisle without the aid of a mobility device.

Ransom and you both Google local venues, and still haven't found the right one.

"Maybe if we go see them in person, rather than see them on Google, we'll get an idea of what they look like in person," says Ransom.

"That's a good idea, honey, then we can get an idea of how many guests we want at the wedding. I know we haven't set a date yet, but it's good that we're taking things one day at a time," you say.

Having MS often made your days difficult. Today was a bad day, and doing daily tasks was difficult. Ransom smiles at you lovingly, feeling like he had hit the jackpot and won a gold medal. He vowed to be there for you when he first started dating you, two months into your relationship. He didn't want you going through your bad days alone, and he held that word very seriously. He loved you with his whole heart, and in his eyes, you are perfect to him. He looks at you and doesn't see someone with an illness. He looks at you and just sees a person, period.

You call the local Pizza Hut and order the Detroit Style pizza. The game would be starting in a while, and Ransom hands you your book while you both wait for the pizza to arrive.

Ransom has turned on the TV, and watches the pre-game. He looks over at you and smiles.

"I love you. You are so perfect, MS and all," says Ransom. He tells you this every day, and he means every word of it.

The pizza arrives, and Ransom pays for it. It smells wonderful, and looks good.

Olga has left for the day, and you pull down two plates. You place a slice on Ransom's place and a slice on your plate. You and Ransom eat and watch the pre-game.

You and Ransom are done eating, and have some chocolate chip cookies that he baked yesterday for dessert.

You both wash your hands, and Ransom carries you bridal style to your craft room, and he places your knitting bag next to you. You pick it up, and cast on for some basic vanilla socks that you want to knit.

You put on a podcast, and work on the socks for a little bit. Ransom comes to check on you during the commercial break, and he sees that you're starting to yawn. He goes into your shared bedroom, and lays out your pajamas. You turn off the computer, and place your socks in the bag, and grab your walker, and you stand up. Ransom comes back, and picks you up, and carries you bridal style back to the bedroom. He flips on the TV and turns it to the game, and he helps you get into your pajamas.

He then carries you to the bathroom, and you relieve yourself, wash your hands, and brush your teeth.

Ransom pulls down your covers, and carries you back to bed. He deposits you into the bed, and he kisses your forehead.

"Good night, sweetheart," says Ransom. "I love you, you are perfect to me, MS and all," says Ransom.

"Good night my sweet boy. I love you, you are perfect to me," you say.

You fall asleep, and after the game, Ransom comes back to the bedroom. He puts on his pajamas, and lies next to you, and pretty soon, your both sleeping in each other's arms. He kisses you on your forehead.

[lesabreloop]

Episode 2: "The LeSabre Loop & The Talmudic Sorcerer of the Bronx"

Title: That Time I Got Fisted in the Back Seat of a Buick Lesabre While Eating Top Ramen in June

Episode 2: "The LeSabre Loop & The Sorcerer of the Bronx"

FADE IN:

INT. 1986 BUICK LESABRE - NIGHT Kaname bolts awake in the back seat, a half-eaten cup of ramen still in her lap. She groans.

KANAME (muttering) If I have to wake up in this crusty-ass car one more time…

The TALKING KOREAN CAT hops onto the dashboard, puffing on his tiny cigarette.

TALKING KOREAN CAT You will. Until you stop being stupid.

Kaname glares at him and shovels a bite of ramen into her mouth.

KANAME Okay, so what’s the deal? Why this car? Why 1986? And why does my ramen never spill?

TALKING KOREAN CAT Quantum stabilization. Your consciousness resets every time you sleep outside the Lesabre. You have to figure out how to break the loop.

KANAME And what happens if I don’t?

TALKING KOREAN CAT (deathly serious) You become Keith.

Kaname freezes mid-bite, eyes wide in horror.

KANAME Oh hell no.

EXT. PIZZA HUT - NIGHT Kaname and Keith sit in a booth, a large pan pizza steaming between them. Keith, ever the tragic simp, keeps sneaking lovestruck glances at Kaname.

KEITH So, uh, I was thinking, since we’re trapped in a time loop and all, maybe we could… you know… go to prom together?

Kaname slaps a slice onto her plate with zero enthusiasm.

KANAME Keith, I would rather lick the floor of a 7-Eleven bathroom.

Keith sighs dramatically, resting his chin in his hands.

KEITH You say that now, but I know deep down, there’s a spark between us—

Before Keith can finish, the restaurant lights flicker. A cold wind howls through the Pizza Hut, making the red plastic cups tremble.

KARL (gripping his whiskey bottle) Oh, hell. He’s here.

The front door swings open, revealing MORDECAI GOLDSTEIN—a towering figure in a long black coat, yarmulke adorned with arcane symbols, and glowing blue Talmudic scrolls hovering around him. His voice is like gravel and thunder.

MORDECAI (booming) Who dares tamper with the threads of fate in my domain?

Keith shrieks and dives under the table. Kaname, still chewing her pizza, raises an eyebrow.

KANAME (sarcastic) Oh great, a time wizard. Let me guess—this is the part where you monologue?

Mordecai extends a hand, and the floating scrolls unravel, spewing forth golden Hebrew letters that crackle with energy.

MORDECAI You mock forces beyond your comprehension, girl! The Buick Lesabre is a conduit of ancient power, and you… you are an anomaly that must be corrected!

Karl stumbles to his feet, dramatically pointing at Mordecai.

KARL Not today, bagel boy!

Karl hurls his whiskey bottle, but Mordecai waves a hand and transmutes it into a gefilte fish midair. It lands with a wet slap against the table.

Kaname wipes her mouth, stands up, and cracks her knuckles.

KANAME Alright, magic rabbi. Let’s dance.

KEITH (from under the table) Please don’t kill my wife!

MORDECAI Silence, worm!

Mordecai slams his hands together, and the entire Pizza Hut warps into an ancient temple, the walls shifting into massive stone carvings covered in Hebrew inscriptions. The employees remain unfazed, one of them still assembling a salad bar in the background.

Kaname glances around, unimpressed.

KANAME Okay, that’s kinda cool.

TALKING KOREAN CAT (scoffs) Meh, I’ve seen better.

Mordecai raises his arms, and golden light pulses through the temple. The very air hums with energy as a colossal spectral golem forms behind him, its eyes burning with righteous fury.

MORDECAI You will not escape the judgment of the Elders!

KANAME (unbothered) Cool. So, do I punch you, or the golem?

KARL (grinning) Hit 'em both, kid.

Kaname stretches, rolling her shoulders.

KANAME Alright then.

She lunges forward, fist cocked back, ready to start the fight of a lifetime.

FADE TO BLACK.

[seat-safety-switch]

Although the Pizza Hut brand still occupies parts of this world, it no longer stands for what it once did. You'll be hard-pressed to locate a sundae bar, glittery sticker dispenser, or red cups made of translucent acrylic – of which I can assure you were once "bottomless." The only thing left are the disaffected, stoned teenagers taking the orders. That, and the Personal Pan Pizza: more than any other, a symbol of North American culture.

In Italy, where hard-working chefs stole the idea for the pizza from visiting space aliens, they decided that a pizza should be shared. Sure, they are often capable of being eaten solo, and the owner of the restaurant would be extremely pleased if each member of your party slammed their own pizza down before ordering a flotilla of liquor, but the way they are enjoyed best is to give a couple slices to your friend. This means you have to compromise on toppings, of course, which is a concept alien to those of us raised on lifted Powerstrokes and fuzzy VHS tapes of air show disasters.

Not so with the Personal Pan Pizza – you get what you want, and to Hell with everyone else in the dining establishment. As well, Pizza Hut gets to charge a little extra margin on each pizza, their shareholders laughing all the way to the bank. You're happy, they're happy. Maybe the guy (your stepdad?) paying the bill at the end of the night isn't happy, but he can get a Personal of his very own.

Nowadays, this humble concept of individuality is becoming abandoned in favour of collectivism. No, don't get me wrong, I'm not one of those radical psychopaths who films TikTok videos about overthrowing the government from the front seat of his pickup truck. Pretty sure all those dudes got blown up by drones a couple weeks ago, and replaced by exact body duplicates grown in a lab. What I care about is being able to get a good paint colour on a new car.

Nowadays, everyone worries about resale value. Back then, nobody freaked out about choosing the optimal toppings to keep their lease payments low on their pizza; that would have been an insane thing to say. The pizza was for their enjoyment, and it was meant to be used up. Maybe the crusts got left behind and stolen by a rat. That rat is me. What I'm trying to say is: please order your new hybrid Lexus in bright green, so that I can drive it in thirty years. Don't be so selfish.

[lifeafterthelayoff]

Part II, Day 12

Cool or weird work perks? Let me hear ‘em.

If we’re being honest, our employment is largely about money. The pay, the wages, the rate, the salary. It's certainly not everything, but without it, the job becomes a hobby.

But almost every job has that thing that you get as a benefit or perk that you don’t get everywhere else.

Not the 401k or health insurance, or even the personal development budget. I’m talking about the super-specific, occasionally weird things enjoyed while employed.

I’ve had a few of these in my past jobs. Some of the best ones:

- A sweet discount AND first pick of the used stock that came in the door at the indie record store where I worked in college. Made for small paychecks some weeks, though.

- Spending 8 hours each summer day at the park when I worked for the county park system, which seems like a nice perk. The park perk.

- Unlimited free ecommerce storefronts while working at Shopify. I still have two of them up and running today!

- Free, officially discarded CDs and LPs from the music library when I worked at the public radio station. (As pictured here.)

- Free fountain root beer in those red plastic cups at Pizza Hut. This one maybe seemed cooler at the time.

You probably got a cool or weird work perk at some point. What was yours?

[casspurrjoybell-32]

All It Took Was One Look - Chapter 27

*Warning Adult Content*

Aiden

Jay was spending the night so we decided to do a movie night.

That theme was junk food till we were sick and movies till our eyes hurt.

I was going to asked her about Dom and how that was going.

Maybe let it slip that that I happened to snag the hottest star quarter back of all time.

"So there is a marathon of the Secret Life of The American Teenager on. You in?" Jay asked excitedly when we were comfy in our PJ's.

"I freaking love that show," I exclaimed.

"Yay. Let's go," she exclaimed grabbing my hand dragging me down the stairs in the family room.

"What do you want to munch on?" I asked her ready to go to the kitchen and grab something.

She pursed her lips.

"Pizza," she jumped around.

"Good choice," I said gladly.

Quick, I pulled up my cell-phone and dialed pizza hut.

"What do you want on it?" I asked her.

"Oh, umm, pepperoni, sausage, gummy bears, sour patch kids and chocolate. Oh, oh, oh and hot Cheetos."

I stared at her like she's lost her mind.

Just then the pizza guy answered.

"Delivery. "What is it you want sir?"

"A large pizza," I said, catching Jay flaring her arms crazily.

I frowned over at her and mouthed

"What?"

"Say it," she ordered with a huge grin.

I covered the mouth piece with my hand.

"No, this isn't a prank call Jay, he might hang up on me and we won't get our pizza," I whispered to her and she just shrugged.

"So. Put it on speaker," she was kneeling over the back of the couch her eyes bright with mischief.

I shook my head rolling my eyes and did what she said.

"Hello?" the guy asked.

Sighing I said...

"Pepperoni and sausage... also gummy bears, sour patch kids and chocolate," I finished struggling to keep from laughing.

Jay was cupping her hands to her mouth failing to keep silent.

"Don't forget hot Cheetos," she giggled.

"Oh yes and hot Cheetos," I told him.

There was silence on the other end I was about to check if he hung up when he replied back, sounding a little uncomfortable.

"I... I d-don't think w-we can do that s-sir," he stuttered, he must be new, I thought.

'Oh, what hell might as well go with it.'

"Am I buying this?" I asked making my voice firm.

"Y-yes sir," he said.

"I thought so and you asked me what I wanted on it and that's what I have ordered, so are you going to get it for me or not?" I demanded.

The guy was making all sorts of uncomfortable noises on the other line and I was biting my lip hard.

Jay couldn't seem to take it anymore and fell off the couch with uncontrollable laughter, rolling on the floor.

"But sir we don't..."

I cut him off.

"You can't just go and ask a guy what he wants then say you don't do that. Don't you have a liquor store or something by you?" I asked him

"Well... yes," he muttered.

"Okay, then what's the problem?"

Trying to keep a straight face.

"Umm... I think I should ask my manager," he finally said.

That was it, I bust out laughing along with Jay, as we held our stomachs.

Once I could breathe again I put the phone back to my ear.

"I'm just messing you. I just want the first two," I said.

"Of course," he let out a nervous chuckle of relief.

After the phone call I collapsed by Jay.

We watched almost a whole episode before I heard the doorbell.

Hopping up I got to the door, reaching in my pocket at the same time.

The moment I opened my door I got the shock of a life time.

There stood Caleb in a red pizza hut shirt and black jeans, his brown eyes became wide as we stared at each other.

"Caleb," I whispered.

"Hey," he paused. "You ordered a pizza," he asked lifting the box up.

I nodded

"Yeah. I didn't know you were a delivery boy," I joked.

Handing him the cash I took the box he gave me a smirk with a suggestive look in his eyes.

"Yeah well... I could be your delivery boy," he said taking a step closer.

A blush spread in my cheeks.

"No. I'm okay..." I cleared my throat timidly.

Oh, man if I didn't have Liam I would have probably... no... bad Aiden.

"So are you still up for that party with me?" he asked.

I shifted nervously.

"Um... no," I said, shaking my head.

I was kind of scared to of parties.

Last time I went to a party I wasn't really in the right state of mind.

"Well the offer always stands," he shrugged. "I'll see you at school Aiden," his voice husky as he walked back to his car.

Sighing I shut the door with my foot.

Dropping the box on the table... I grabbed a piece.

"So that was Caleb at the door," I said nonchalantly.

She snapped her head towards to me.

"What, he was the delivery guy?"

I nodded taking a big bite.

"Huh?" she nibbled on the tip of her pizza. "I'll have to tease him about it later."

Chuckling I turned back to the TV.

"You know what? Jack gets on my nerves," Jay growled out of the blue.

I looked over to her.

"Why?"

"Well I mean he's just so desperate it sad, he's a good looking guy and I bet he could get anyone he wanted but he's so hung up on Grace. I mean he's living at her house for Pete sake. She has a boyfriend," she yelled the last part to the TV, while I snickered.

"But he's really in love with her," I argued receiving her crazy look.

"And he needs to move on," with that she stayed silent meaning that was the end of discussion.

"So... how are things going with 'Dom'?" I bumped her shoulder with mine and her face became flushed.

A grin spread on my face as I stared at her.

"We're fine... nosey boy," she grumbled never taking her eyes from the TV.

"Uh huh? How did he do it?" I asked.

She bit her bottom lip glancing over at me.

"Why?"

"Why ask why? Was he sweet about it?" I said, watching as she pulled her legs up to her chest curling into a ball... the TV completely forgotten.

"It was beyond sweet. Once the bell rung at the end of the day there was this random kid standing at the door asking for me. He said that Dom was waiting for me out by his car, so naturally I was curious as to why he didn't come himself. Anyway I walked down to the front and on the way there, these guys were handing me single red roses. I was super confused and every time I asked why the hell they were giving me flowers they just smiled and walked off. Once I had made it outside I had at least a dozen roses and there he was standing on the top step in front of the school with a single white rose, my favorite by the way."

Jay's Flashback

"Dom?" she said, her eyes scanning the tux he was wearing.

Did he have to be so hot.

"I know that we haven't known each other for long. And I know I'm kind of being forward here but Jeanine you are on my mind every minute of every day. I can't get you out of my head."

He walked up to her.

"And when I look at you I see all I can see is the true meaning of beauty and perfection. When I'm near you, I just want to be closer."

He stuck the white rose in the middle of the bouquet of flowers in her hands.

"You are the nicest, sweetest woman I have ever met."

He caused a blush to fill her cheeks as bit her lip to stop from crying. She couldn't believe he was saying all these things to her, it made her heart swell.

Dom reached out to cup her cheek gentle in his hand.

"Let's not forget intelligent, caring and sexy as hell."

She smiled up at him gazing into his warm brown eyes.

They seemed to capture her every time she looked into them.

"Dom," she breathed afraid of her voice shaking.

"Shh, let me finish."

That's when she noticed how nervous he really was.

"You mean a lot to me, you have no idea and I'm a little scared I'll admit that you won't accept but here it goes," he took a deep breath. "Jeanine Madelyn Walker would you be my girlfriend?"

His eyes pleading as he looked at me.

Jeanine peered up at him in shock, did she just hear that right?

Did he just ask her out?

She must have taken too long to answer because his eyes began to shift nervously.

So she put a huge smile on her face and jumped up in his arms and yelled.

"YES."

Wrapping her arms tightly around his neck as he hugged her around the waist, burying his face in the side of her neck.

"Thank you," he whispered against her skin.

End of Flashback

"Wow that was so romantic. You're lovesick..." I gushed with a wide smile and she nodded her eyes coming back from her daze.

"I know right, he does this to me. A single touch can make my skin tingle in the strangest way. I love it. He makes me feel safe," she confessed.

I threw my arms around her.

"I'm so happy you're that you're happy," I told her pressing our cheeks together.

She laughed and draped her arm around my shoulder.

From her description with the tingling sensation, it sounded just like Liam and I.

I had a strong feeling that Dom was probably her mate.

"What about you, do you have any love interests?" she asked pulling away from me to settle back into the couch.

I blushed deeply, I knew this was going to happen.

Got to fess up I guess, so I nodded slowly as she shrieked.

"Really. Who?" she exclaimed.

"Liam," I whispered quietly.

I looked up to see her jaw just about touching her chest.

I chuckled.

"No... way."

She was in shock and again I nodded.

"Yep."

"How did this happen? I thought he was straight," she said.

"Me too, until he kissed me and then asked me out," I confessed quickly and again she squealed.

"He kissed you."

I threw myself on top of her and slapped my hand over her BIG mouth.

"Shut up," I ground out in hushed tones swiftly looking towards the stairs.

"Damn," I sighed in relief when I heard no footsteps.

"Can you be any louder, Banshee."

I narrowed my eyes at her and all she did was giggle, trying to look as innocent as possible... it wasn't working.

Rolling my eyes I backed off her and settled back onto the other side of the couch.

"I'm sorry but you can't just say you got 'kissed' and expect me to be cool and calm. That's a big deal Aiden. This was your first kiss if I remember correctly."

I blushed looking away from her.

"Ooh. Was it good?" she asked wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. I bit my lip before nodding.

"Damn. Why couldn't I have be there?" she pouted and I gave her a flat look shaking my head.

"You're so weird." I told her.

"Hey. Just because I'm a fan girl doesn't mean I'm weird... jerk," she said kicking me with her foot and I chuckled.

"Of course it does."

She huffed before getting back to business.

"So you guys went on a date?" she asked.

"Yes and it was perfect."

I described to her how amazing my first date was and how it ended.

"Omg. That has to be the sweetest thing, right up there with me and Dom." She sighed with a shit eating grin.

"He really just took you out on the grass and danced with you? Man I'm about to faint from the cuteness." she squealed and I smiled.

"So do you approve?" I asked her.

I mean she was one of my best friends in the world.

I needed to know that she accepted my relationship with Liam.

I looked up at her nervously while she scrunched up her face in thought.

One second... two seconds... three seconds... four seconds...

"Hell yeah, my dude," she exclaimed her face bright with joy.

Relief swarmed in my veins, thank God.

"Really?" I couldn't help the smile to come off my face she nodded,

"Of course, he seems to be so much better than the douche psycho he was a few weeks ago. But if he hurts you I'm going to castrate him and shove all his bits and pieces down his throat."

I didn't respond I just looked at her horrified.

"You do know I'm a guy right?" I asked her slowly.

"Duh..."

"Well mentioning that isn't very pleasant to hear... at all."

she laughed.

"Sorry but I'm still going to do it," she said with a serious face and I didn't doubting her one bit.

After that, we shut off the TV and run up to my rom blasting the music... dancing like wild people till my parents came in and told us to turn it down.

All night we were laughing and she begged to do my hair in pig tails.

'Don't ask, please.'

Besides that embarrassing moment already filed away to the trash-bin in my memory.

We stuffed ourselves with junk food till we were sick and went into a food induced coma that knocked us out around four in the morning.

Down side of all this?

We had school in the morning. 

[pizzamenumalaysia]

Pizza Hut Malaysia Menu Prices Updated 2023

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[loiswolf]

Day 52 July 22 White Lake Lodge - Wawa 121km

I’m not sure why I was worried about covering the distance today. I knew it was going to be flatter. Maybe because it took all day yesterday to ride 72kms and today was 50kms further.

Anyway, it was pretty easy. There was still a beautiful view from my cabin this morning, it’s a shame I had to leave!

I was ready to go at 7:30 heading off early for my second breakfast at White River.

It was another perfect day and the clouds reflected in this lake looked stunning.

At least there was a reasonable distance to cycle before White River. I’d covered 26kms before rolling up to Robin’s Donuts. My impression of Robin’s Donuts had been somewhat skewed from the motel/Pizza Hut/gas station/Robins Donuts back in Schreiber where there had just been a few sad looking donuts in a glass cabinet. The one in White River was great. It’s like a cheap imitation of Tim Hortons. I enjoyed a toasted cheese bagel and coffee, purchased a biscuit ( scone) and donut to go, and it was only $8. It would have been twice that in Tim Hortons.

I didn’t stay long….I had another 90+kms to conquer. The kilometre ticked by pretty easily with moderate hills and a good road with a shoulder. These signs proclaimed that section of the Trans-Canada Highway as a cycle route.

Amazing how as soon as the shoulder deteriorated 50kms up the road the signs disappeared. What’s that about? The cyclist are just supposed to drop in where it starts after White River then get beamed up when the shoulder is rubbish?

I had seen signs for a Midway Lodge about 46kms from White River but wasn’t too hopeful that it would be open. I’ve cycled by several derelict motels over the past few days.

The sign looked quite new when I reached the motel and the building was ok too. They had a chain halfway across the driveway indicating that it was shut. I cycled in anyway thinking I could sit on the bench outside to have my break.

Then I noticed there were vehicles around the back so I walked around and asked Trevor for a cup of coffee. No problem! Trevor and his friend were slightly rougher company than I am used to but the coffee was good and I had someone to talk to. They were there doing renovations on the motel. It’s good to know it will be opening again soon…although not too soon considering the rate at which those two were working. Or not working!

I probably stayed a bit longer than intended but I knew I was going to make it to Wawa with plenty of time to spare. I can’t tell you why I needed to be there before 5pm today…..you’ll have to wait until tomorrow. 😁

Next photo worthy sign was this one.

I’ve been noting these gradually increasing numbers since in entered Ontario 10 days ago. I’ve covered 1000kms of Ontario. It’s a much bigger province than all the others I’ve crossed.

The wind was blowing from the side and occasionally the front for the last 30kms so I was happy to see the turnoff for Wawa even though it was at the top of a hill. I don’t know what this big bird…duck….whatever signifies but there were a couple of others on the way into town.

I’d beaten my deadline by two and a half hours. Of course! Was there ever any doubt?

The motel check in wasn’t until 3:30 so I went back to the supermarket to get supplies. There is a music festival in town tonight so I don’t think it’s going to be a quiet one!

I’ve done the above map differently, marking the places I’ve stayed with a red squiggle so you can get a better idea of where I’ve been.

[aestheticvoyage2023]

Day 118: Friday April 28, 2023 - “Pizza Night”

I fondly remember going out on Friday nights for Pizza.   Pizza Hut in Alma when I was young, was a really special night.   Main Street as I got older and we paired with a movie from the rental place next door.    Pizza is still a favorite go to, especially on Friday Nights.  And so when I asked William what he wanted for dinner and he said “Peetssa” there was no further conversation.  We were going out.

And it was the cutest thing - he really got it.  We drove to Mod Pizza and he looked up at me, and said “Mod Peetssa” about a dozen times as we got into line.  I got on his level and told him we’d have to wait in line (so hopeful that I wouldnt have to chase and eventually hold him), and he said “O.  K.” and then stood right there against the rail, like a big mature kid.    As the line moved, he moved and we stood there patiently, him just chillaxing on the rail for about 5 minutes, maybe more.  When it was our turn, I got down on his level and said “Ok William, you ready to do this?, it is our turn.” and he said “O.K” and jumped into my arms and when the pretty girl asked us our name he said “WillIam!”   I got some of his favorites, bacon, ranch, some red peppers.   I got him his very own to go box to be his plate when we got home, and also picked up a handful of the biggest door prize - parmesan cheese packets.   William also loves their very chewable ice.  What a treat.  I gave him whole cup of it for the ride home.  Go ahead and spill it - Silver don’t mind!

Back at home, I dish up his whole slice into his box with his own little dippa and he proceeded to eat it, all, like a big mature boy.   I can’t imagine eating pizza, with dippa so sophisticatedly is normal two year old behavior, but hey I was proud.  For as much as I use Pizza in replacement of awesome, and as the biggest high-five “get this man a pizza!” at work - it sure was awesome to see him devour his dinner, complete with five whole packets of parmesan cheese.  After he had waited in line so patiently, how could I say No.

Song: Drew Parker - Raised Up Right

Quote: “Listen to the silence inside the illusion of the world, and you will remember the lesson you forgot." ~Jack Kerouac