earnedmagic

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used to be people would say things like "avast" or "hither and yon". nowadays folks mostly say stuff like "ethernet cable"

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i spent a lot of time in elementary schools this year, and i get so pissy when adults start whinging about “kids these days just don’t ____ anymore 😢” here are some observations on current kid culture that make me feel some kind of hope:

children still have a proclivity for repetitive tasks that confuse adults with their “lack of purpose” such as:

grinding sidewalk chalk into powder

digging holes

mixing mud into highly specific consistencies

breaking bricks into smaller pieces of brick

handclap games are still a thing! the lyrics to “lemonade / crunchy ice” have evolved a little, but they still do it and adults still get handwringy about violence in children’s rhymes

ditto tetherball. and freeze tag. and groundies. and “the floor is lava”. and heads-up 7up. and yes, kids still get into extremely dumb semantic arguments about the intricacies of foursquare rules.

there isn’t any drama on earth that can hold a candle to those in 1st grade girls’ pretend games. seriously convoluted family trees, skullduggery, witch covens, mermaids shoving other mermaids’ boyfriends into the sea, kidnapping, little brothers being made to be the butler, terribly mischievous babies…

they make friendship bracelets, and cootie catchers, and pester the one student who remembers how to tie off gimp endlessly.

they still try to get hapless adults to spell “icup”, and to get trapped in whatever the goofy inappropriate gotcha of the day is.

and to my eternal chagrin, “the cheese touch” is still a thing that wreaks havoc across grade levels and social strata. jeff kinney, it’s on sight…

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cleaning-out-the-fridge fried rice: earlier this week i made a pesto-analogous sauce from cilantro, peanuts, lime juice, and fish sauce, so this is that with pineapple, tofu, arugula grown on our balcony, and chili crisp peanuts.

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The Swordmaker and his Meteorite Child.

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Spotted Salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum), family Ambystomatidae, NE United States

photograph by Steven David Johnson

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one of the teachers I work with says “guys, i need you to demonstrate pre-frontal cortex development” when her students are acting up, and it’s very funny and effective (some students look very serious, others concentrate like they’re trying to shoot lasers from their heads) but i also find myself wanting to say it to adults on the internet frequently

[earnedmagic]

mawwiage. twu wuv, even.

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coconut water, cucumber juice, lemon soda, iced green tea, aloe vera juice, pineapple juice, watermelon juice, citrus-infused water, sparkling yuzu soda, hibiscus iced tea, rose sherbet, lavender lemonade, chamomile iced tea, elderflower cordial, jasmine iced tea, ginger-lime cooler, orange blossom spritz, grapefruit tonic, lemongrass iced tea, calamansi juice, iced chai, tamarind cooler, mango lassi, saffron-infused milk, mint julep, iced matcha, honeydew agua fresca, passionfruit iced tea, strawberry basil cooler, lychee lemonade, peach shrub

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one of the teachers at work turns on a low-fi bluey studying mix for concentration when the kids have independent work time 🥺

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A robust clubhook squid (Onykia robusta) washed up at Dutch Harbour, Alaska, USA.

This approximately 10ft long specimen was photographed and then safely relocated back to the ocean, still alive.

by Andrew Bleiman

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got wifed up this weekend ✨

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Stewpot: Tales from a Fantasy Tavern by Takuma Okada.

Earlier in 2024 I had the pleasure of contributing to the Evil Hat publication of the tabletop role-playing game Stewpot, including the cover and an assortment of interior illustrations.

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IN MEMORY, WHICH DOESN'T LAST.

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Longlegs (2024) Directed by Osgood Perkins

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A collection of quotes concerning the character of Longlegs, and how Cage's performance and appearance was developed. I think the first one is the most interesting because it shows that gender non-conformity was in fact a part of the process for Longlegs. Important parts have been highlighted.

Tagging people who I've seen talking about the coding of Longlegs:

@jelliclepaw @steveyockey @shaynabobayna @scarymovies @itsrainingaga1n @rorykillmore @silliestiestgoob @gayiconwaluigi @pyr0cue @mmanyhandss

[earnedmagic]

The Sea Foam Dragon

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doodles from a little vacation