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msmercury84 · 2 years ago

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"I Double Dare You," "Leigh Sings on a Record"

A couple of months after Pat and Johnny Martin visited the Guarneres, Leigh was working at the radio station in Philadelphia. She had just completed her morning show. The station manager went into the studio to speak with her.

He told Leigh that there was an important long distance call for her from Laverne Andrews. She went to the station manager's office to take the telephone call.

Andrews surprised Leigh, telling her that the sisters' record label, Decca, wanted to make a new record from the master tapes of the Paris concert that was featured on CBS radio nationwide. Laverne said the concert was very popular and well liked by those who heard the broadcast. People had been writing to Decca to inquire if an album of the show was going to become available in stores.

The new Mrs. Guarnere was almost shocked into silence by the news. Andrews then informed her,

"They've told us that this album will probably be a big seller. Hold on to your hat, Leigh, since you performed in that show, you're getting a small percentage of the royalties from the sales.

Our manager said that you unfortunately won't get the same percentage we get. We're in favor of you getting the same amount, but legally speaking, our manager's hands are tied."

"Don't even worry about that. This is incredible news! I'm just happy to be on the recording. When will the album be available to buy? That's the first question Bill will ask." Laverne told her that the album would be released around Thanksgiving.

When Leigh was finished with work for the day, she stopped by a local market to get the ingredients for antipasto and a nice bottle of red wine. After returning home, she quickly made the batter for a few batches of pizzelles and set about making Bill's favorite cookies.

Leigh decided to make her husband's favorite meal of spaghetti with one meat ball. She used the gravy recipe from her former roommate and made the antipasto. The red wine was uncorked to allow it to breathe.

After the cooking was finished, except for the pasta, Leigh put on the red Wiggle Dress with the Sweetheart Neckline, the dress Guarnere liked the best on her.

When Bill got home, he noticed the dress,

"Baby, you look like a million bucks!" He then embraced and kissed her. Guarnere added, "Somethin' smells great. Is that ( he pronounced the word as " dat") your spaghetti gravy an' some pizzelles?" Leigh confirmed that she made the gravy and the cookies. She excitedly told him the good news about the album.

"Holy God, Sweetheart! That's wonderful news!" He gave her an extra passionate kiss.

"Think of it, you're gonna be on a record. Those things will sell like hotcakes. Gettin' even a small percentage of the money will be a super addition to our savins account. We can put it toward buyin' a house or startin' a family, whatever ya wanna do."

"I'm in favor of either idea, so whatever you decide is fine." They wound up deciding to put the money in savings for hospital expenses when they were ready to start a family.

"Honey, I gotta tell Ma an' Pop the good news. Is it OK if I call 'em before you call your folks?" Leigh said that was fine with her. Guarnere quickly dialed the telephone number for his parents' house. Augusta answered and Bill told her,

"Ma, I have some excitin' news."

"Are you and Leigh havin' a baby?"

"No, Ma, this is even bigger news than that." When he told Augusta about the record album, Leigh clearly heard her shouting,

"Oh my God, Billy! Leigh's gonna be on a record? Wait just a minute, I need to tell your pop." Mrs. Guarnere translated her son's message and Joseph replied.

"Your pop says to tell Leigh congratulations. He's very happy for her. Would ya please put her on the phone?" Bill handed the telephone to Leigh,

"Hello, Mama. I'm still shocked by the good news."

"Sweetie, you've earned it because of your talent. As soon as that record goes on sale, you bet your bottom dollar that we're buyin' it." Leigh thanked Mrs. Guarnere for her kind words. Before hanging up, Augusta told her,

"We're proud of you, Leigh, and we love you." Leigh told her mother-in-law that she loved her and her father-in-law, too. The Spencers were as happy as the Guarneres to hear about the record and Cal said that he would buy a copy as soon as the album went on sale.

After the call ended, Bill told Leigh,

"Baby, I've always been proud of ya, but this is the icin' on the cake. I'm gonna be the first one in line at the record store when it goes on sale, even if I have to wait there all night. While I'm waitin' in line, I'll tell people that the same Leigh Guarnere on the record is my wife."

"Actually, Honey, you won' t have to buy the record. Once it's made, we'll get a complimentary copy from Decca Records." Bill looked agitated for a moment and he frowned,

"Oh, hell, we ain't got a record player. I'm gonna buy a nice one an' I want ya to go wit' me to pick it out. You know what sounds good, since you're a professional singer an' a musician." Leigh agreed to go to the store with him, asking,

"Please, Bill, don't brag too much. Other people probably aren't as crazy about my singing as my sweet husband."

"I'll try to not go overboard wit' the braggin'. Sweetheart, those people in Paris gave ya a standin' ovation. That record company decided to make a record outta that broadcast. You sang in that show an' you're part o' why that show was a success." Leigh hugged him,

"I appreciate your support and your enthusiasm, Honey. It's wonderful that we'll have a recording of the night our engagement was announced.

"I wish somebody made a movie of that show. Someday our kids could see their beautiful ma on stage, an' they could see how much their ma an' pop love each other, 'course they'd already know that."

"I wish a movie of the show existed, too. That way our kids could see how handsome their pop looked in his uniform. They could see and hear what their mama did onstage, too."

"How about we return to reality and have some supper?" Bill insisted on helping her get everything served. Once they were seated he asked the blessing.

"Antipasto before the spaghetti, you're spoilin' me, Baby."

"I thought we should celebrate the good news." Guarnere got the spaghetti served and he brought the bowl of sauce to the table with some freshly grated parmesan. They enjoyed fresh garlic butter on some Italian bread Leigh made the day before.

"The first time you made this gravy for me was when we got to Aldebourne." Leigh laughed,

"That was the day I surprised you with what I didn't wear. Good thing I had the gravy simmering because we were also simmering and supper was delayed." Guarnere winked at her,

"Oh, I'll never forget how ya surprised me. You're doin' better, Baby. Bein' in an Italian family an' livin' in an Italian neighborhood is payin' off. You didn't call it sauce."

"I'm doing my best to be a good Italian wife and fit in where the neighborhood is concerned.

"Baby, you're the best wife in the neighborhood an' you're fittin' in just fine."

The next day, after Bill and Leigh were finished with work, they went downtown to shop for a record player. After listening to several models, they chose an RCA record player and radio combination with built in speakers. A salesman introduced himself and asked if he could assist them.

"I'm Bill Guarnere an' this is my wife, Leigh. We'd like to buy this record player an' radio. My wife sang as a guest in the concert wit' the Andrews Sisters that was on CBS Radio last October. Decca Records is usin' the tapes from that show to make a new record that's coming' out in November." The salesman replied,

"My wife and I really enjoyed that concert. Mrs. Guarnere, are you the same Leigh Guarnere who is on our local CBS Radio station?" She confirmed that she was the singer named Leigh who had shows on CBS Radio. Then the salesman added as he looked at Bill,

"If that's the case, you're the paratrooper who joined them onstage when the Andrews Sisters sang to you and your wife, of course she was your fiancee then. I'm definitely buying that record.

Mrs. Guarnere, if it wouldn't be too much trouble, would you please autograph my record album after I buy it?"

"I'd be happy to sign it." She gave him the telephone number of the receptionist at the radio station and asked him,

"Would you please call this number after you get the record? I'll get a message from the receptionist and I promise to come back here to sign your album."

The salesman thanked Leigh and he rang up the item on the cash register, thanking Bill for his purchase. Guarnere carried their new record player and radio in its sturdy cardboard box to their car.

"Baby, you got a fan wantin' your autograph an' the album ain't even for sale. Ya can't blame me for feelin' proud."

"It's nice that the salesman enjoyed the radio broadcast from Paris. I was surprised the he wants me to sign the album for him. I thought that he was going to ask me if I could get the Andrews Sisters to autograph the album for him."

After Bill loaded the box into the trunk of their car, he kissed Leigh before opening the car door for her,

"I'm still gonna be your biggest fan, no matter how many albums are sold." Leigh had a mischievous glint in her eyes,

"That's a good thing, Honey. I plan to reward my biggest fan in the bedroom." Guarnere chuckled,

"You're somethin' else, ya little fireball. Does this mean that I have to buy all the records or will ya reward me wit'out spendin' all o' our money on records?"

"No purchase is necessary, you handsome smart ass. I'm all yours." Before he started the car and drove home, he told her,

"I like the sound o' that, Baby."

A few days after the record player was purchased, Leigh once again received a call from one of the Andrews Sisters while she was at work. Maxene Andrews told her that a concert was being planned at Madison Square Garden a few weeks before the album went on sale. Andrews asked,

"Is it possible for you to do this show with us? We're doing many of the same songs that were in the Paris concert. Since you're going to be on the album, it stands to reason that you should be in the show, too." Leigh excitedly confirmed that she would love to be in the show.

Andrews asked if Leigh would once again wear the red velvet and lace dress again. Their costume designer thought that the red dress looked perfect for the upcoming show since the Paris concert was basically being re-created. The dress was currently in storage along with the sisters' trademark uniforms.

"I'd love to wear that beautiful dress again." She was happily surprised when Maxene told her,

"Leigh, we're going all out. If your husband would agree to join us again onstage, we would like to rent a top quality tuxedo and dress shoes for him." Leigh smiled, imagining Bill's reaction to the news.

"That sounds wonderful! I think we already know Bill's answer to your question." She gave Andrews the correct sizes for the trousers, shirt and the tuxedo coat, plus Bill's shoe size, adding, "My husband will be very eager to be onstage with his favorite group." Leigh laughed,

You might hear my mother-in-law's excited response when I tell her the good news. Mama tends to get loud when she's excited or happy about something."

"We would be glad to meet with your parents, in-laws and other family members after the show is over." Before the women ended their conversation, Leigh told her,

"I'm sure everyone will be excited to meet you and your sisters. My mother-in-law and the others are big fans of you and your sisters' singing." Predictably, Bill was excited about the show and he liked the idea of wearing the tuxedo onstage.

"They're payin' good money to make me look like a sharp dressin' man. Not only do we get to sorta relive the Paris show, I get to join my beautiful wife onstage an' be there wit' my favorite group." Leigh told him the rest of the good news about the show,

"Honey, they're reserving the best seats in the house for our families, plus they are paying to send us, our parents, Teresa, your other sisters and their husbands and their kids plus my grandparents, to a very nice hotel in New York City. They're providing limousine service for all of us, too." Bill grinned,

"We're all goin' in style.

Lacey Davis, who was living in New York City, was scanning the staple publication of the entertainment industry, "Variety." An ad mentioned that the famed trio's Paris concert featuring the star of the Philadelphia CBS affiliate would soon be sold in record stores. Davis then read a paragraph about the Andrews Sisters and Leigh appearing in a concert at Madison Square Garden to kick off the release of the record.

She angrily threw the magazine into a nearby trash can. Lacey still felt that Leigh had cheated her out of the recognition and fame that should have been hers. Davis was still working on regaining her figure after giving birth to a son. The baby was adopted by a childless couple in the borough of Queens.

The night of the show, family members and friends of Leigh thoroughly enjoyed the V.I.P. treatment of staying in a nice hotel and riding to Madison Square Garden in limousines. Gina Ricci traveled with the Spencers and had a room reserved at the hotel.

It was the first time some of the Guarnere family, Leigh, her parents and her maternal grandparents visited New York City. Leigh told her grandmother, Mary Elliott,

"I thought that Philadelphia was a large city. This is overwhelming." Mary agreed that the size of the city seemed daunting. She and her husband, John were enjoying spending time with their granddaughter and Bill. Both of the Elliotts adored him. They thought of him as their grandson by marriage.

The Elliotts met Bill when they traveled to Philadelphia for his wedding to Leigh. Mary was instantly taken with his polite demeanor. John admired Bill's courage and compassion.

Guarnere's parents thanked John and Mary for the fresh beef that was delivered in a railroad car for frozen food. Mary and Augusta became friends very quickly. Despite the fact that Mrs. Guarnere was the same age as Louise Spencer, both women were alike in many ways. They loved their families and they also loved to prepare food for their families.

Since they experienced dire economic conditions when they were much younger, Augusta and Mary knew all too well about occasionally not having enough to eat. This made them determined to ensure that every visitor to their homes would never leave with an empty stomach.

The Guarneres, the Spencers, other family members and Gina Ricci took up a large section of the first row of seats closest to the stage. Everyone wore their best clothes and Bill was gently teased by his sisters for "lookin' like a high society fella" in his tuxedo.

Augusta knew in advance that Bill would go onstage with Leigh and the famous trio of sisters. She was proud and very eager to see her son in the spotlight. Prior to the show, Bill had a corsage of white Sweetheart Roses delivered to Leigh. She pinned them on the red velvet dress covered in red lace. Leigh enjoyed the message he . wrote on the card enclosed with the corsage,

"My beautiful wife will be a star tonight. Love, Bill."

The sisters and Leigh performed the same songs that would appear on the album of the Paris concert. Her grandparents were in

awe of her singing. They hadn't witnessed Leigh performing in front of a large audience and they were amazed at the way she seemed to own the stage. When Bill was asked to join the group onstage, Augusta was clearly heard as she loudly exclaimed,

"That's my son! 'atta boy, Billy!" A photographer from The New York Times took several pictures of Bill, Leigh and the Andrews Sisters. When the sisters announced,

"We're doing this next number for the newlyweds, who were married in June." Bill once again gently pulled Leigh onto his lap as the sisters sang, "In Apple Blossom Time." Augusta used her lace edged handkerchief as she wiped away tears of joy, telling her husband in his native language,

"It's so sweet and beautiful." Mr. Guarnere agreed. Bill gave Leigh a tender kiss before he left the stage. He was grinning and wiping her red lipstick from his lips with his handkerchief as he walked back to his seat.

The next song was a new number called "Strip Polka," about a burlesque performer who "stops (stripping) and always just in time." Patty Andrews usually performed a comedic routine during an instrumental part of the song.

She asked Leigh if she would try the comedic routine since her family was in the audience. Leigh happily agreed to learn the routine. During the instrumental section, the music suggested the 'bump and grind' burlesque style. At first, Leigh stood at the microphone.

As the music played, she got into the spirit of the music and put both hands on top of her head, doing a comical, exaggerated swaying of her hips. Then, she realized that the sisters were looking at her with raised eyebrows and questioning expressions on their faces.

Leigh looked embarrassed at being caught up in the music and immediately stood up straight, looking very proper as the audience laughed and applauded. Bill was smiling and applauding, loudly saying,

"Ain't nothin' my baby can't do!" The photographer from The New York Times made sure that Leigh's performance was documented on film. Once again, the audience gave her a standing ovation at the end of the concert. This was also photographed for the city's leading newspaper.

As promised, after the concert was over, the sisters signed autographs and posed for pictures taken by Leigh's extended family and friends. Augusta and Joseph posed with the sisters for a picture that would be prominently displayed in their home.

The next day, Lacey Davis saw the pictures and the reviews about the concert. She looked wistfully at the pictures of Bill wearing a tuxedo, thinking,

"He looks so damn handsome, even if he only has one leg. I'd change my mind about not liking crippled men if I could have one night with him. What the hell does he see in Leigh?" She was almost nauseated at the way the reviewer of the concert seemed to gush over her former singing partner's performance.

Bill asked the reporter to send copies of the pictures and the story in the newspaper. The news writer obliged and sent enough pictures for most of the immediate family members plus Bill and Leigh. He also sent enough copies of the paper for everyone in the family, the friends of the family, and the newlyweds.

Four months later, after regaining her figure, Davis took a job as a receptionist in a music producer's office. She planned to save her money so she could eventually move to California, specifically Hollywood.

Lacey hoped to begin her career in show business as a dancer in movies. She thought that living far from newspaper coverage of Leigh's performances would be healthier for her than seething as she read a review or saw a picture of the woman she perceived as her rival.

A few days later, Grayson O'Brian heard the guard who occupied the office close to his prison cell talking excitedly with another prison guard about his favorite radio performer, Leigh Guarnere.

The guard told his friend that the CBS radio star's performance with the Andrews Sisters would be made into an upcoming record album. Gray fervently hoped that the guard wouldn't be allowed to play records in his office. O'Brian thought that he heard enough of Leigh's singing on the radio without having to hear her on a record.

As promised, Bill and Leigh were sent a complimentary copy of the upcoming album. Guarnere eagerly played the album on the new record player. He and Leigh cuddled together on the couch as they listened and reminisced about the night their engagement was announced during the broadcast. Leigh was taken aback at the way she sounded on the record.

"Honey, did I really sound like that or did they somehow enhance my voice?"

"That's exactly how ya sounded, Baby. You done the best singin' I'd ever heard that night. Leigh, you owned that stage an' that audience." She kissed him.

"Flattery will get you everywhere with me." When the audience began to applaud for Leigh and the standing ovation took place, Bill was happy to see that she had a beaming smile as she relived the event.

"That's when ya owned the stage, Baby. I'm still goddamned proud o' ya." When the records went on sale, the fans of Leigh's radio program bought several copies. Those who knew Leigh in the neighborhood asked for and received autographs on their albums.

The CBS radio station in Philadelphia sponsored a meet and greet session in a local hotel for fans of the various radio shows. Leigh signed several albums and met fans during the event that was advertised in the newspaper as "A Luncheon With Leigh."

Guarnere asked for and received a few hours off from work to attend the event with his parents. Cal and Louise Spencer took a train to Philadelphia and they were seated with Bill, Augusta and Joseph Guarnere in the audience. Teresa, Julia and Maria were unable to get time off from work and they were disappointed to miss the event.

Bill, the Guarneres and the Spencers were both happy and proud when Leigh asked them to stand up while the audience applauded for them.

She and Bill replaced Augusta's and Joseph's record player when it died of old age one month after the luncheon event sponsored by the CBS affiliate in Philadelphia. The elder Guarneres frequently played the album. Their son favored the album over other albums owned by himself and Leigh.

The release didn't make Leigh an overnight star as Bill had hoped, but the national sales provided enough money to cover hospital and living expenses for more than one baby. A small amount of the money was saved to purchase their home or possibly another house in the same neighborhood.

@belladonnange @bellewintersroe @lizziebitch33 @marycorleone @alluringmoonlightbabe @cagzzz107 @f1-and-shiz @havaneselover08 @stinkyrat09 @theretroloverofmusic @bookfansworld @breadsprinkles1q

#bill guarnere #wild bill guarnere #how-are-those-nuts-sarge #mrsalwayswrite #vintagelavenderskies #bill guarnere imagine

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thebananwithaplan · 2 years ago

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If @sugaryspeed gets this question right, she might win...

🎙️ "Setting the table got you down? Cooking meals for the whole family giving you arm cramps? Those worries are a thing of the past with this patented Dinner Blaster! Simply load up all the ingredients, take aim at the kitchen table, and you'll be the King of Home Cooking in no time! Never wonder what's for dinner again."

----------

. "I would want to win that if I were you!" I mean, imagine just shooting out a whole cake from that without having to spend so much time on the mixing, baking, and icing process!

If Pizzelle wants it, she'll have to answer this Taste Test question!

🎙️ "The process of making cheese is long and convoluted and has many many, MANY, manymanymanymanymany steps. Which of the following is used in the process of making cheese?"

The choices are:

1) Cow Tools , 2) Chezerator , 3) Bacteria, or 4) Frying Pan

#sugaryspeed #appeeling show host (dancing banana)#closed starter #sorry we don't have a candy related question yet I think :(#the disembodied voice i sign paychecks to (the announcer)

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gamegem92 · 2 years ago

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(Sugary Spire AU/The Wolf that Runs a Pizza Joint) A Rat in the Spire

Ascending the spire was rather unforgiving, especially for someone with as high of an anxiety level as Pizzelle, but it didn’t get to him yet.

It was meant to be a simple delivery, but something happened. As soon as he had went into the first door after doing a complete tutorial, he felt… off. Was it a rush of adrenaline, or a sugar spike from being in there? Maybe it was one of those occasional memory lapses that happened to him… he saw himself in them, but he was… different. And a familiar figure was there, too, but it seemed displeased whenever his memory self was near.

The last one he saw was of a fire, and he was beaten senseless… was that why he couldn’t remember a thing before he set up shop? “Last confecti should be hiding in… here!” As he opened up the box, a wrapped candy confecti followed him and the other four sweets. But where was the big gummy bear totem?

His question was promptly answered as soon as he knocked it down, and now he had to escape while the sugar rush happened! His scooter carried him across the ground quickly, but the pressure seemed to get to him… were those… CLAWS?! He was so caught up in the sight that he didn’t even notice that he was going to hit a wall… and he did.

But it didn’t matter, because he was back on his feet in no time. He got a running start and hopped back onto his scooter. He was back in- “Ow!” His foot didn’t get under the wheels, so what was- wait, since when did he have a tail? He didn’t have time to think about it, because the door was almost in sight.

He was overheating and itched everywhere…

“Al…”

Slight cracks along his skeletal structure…

“…most…”

It began to reach his face, concluding the changes.

“…there!”

~~~~~~~

He made it out, but he was unconscious. By the time he came to, he could barely move from all of the exhilarating emotions. “What happened?” Almost immediately, he noticed his hands, or rather, claws. They looked more like a rat’s paws than his hands, and they had torn right through his gloves…

A thin, whiplike tail trailed behind him. As he stood up, his stance was more digitigrade, and even so, he could stand upright no problem. Maybe the tail was giving him balance? “…whoa.” Pizzelle quickly rushed over to a water source… or, at least, the closest thing he could find in this candy coated crazy place, and looked at what he saw.

That was a rat.

Staring right back at him was a rat with cream-colored fur. It was a strange sight, but just as equally terrifying. He didn’t mind them that much, but he didn’t think he would genuinely turn into one. “That can’t be right. This can’t be happening. What just happened?”

He didn’t know how to react. Maybe Rosette wanted a pet sometimes, but this is ridiculous! “Okay, stay calm…” he gripped his tail tightly. “Everything… is going… to be fine.” Almost immediately, he turned back into himself. “I’m… me? IT WORKED! I DID IT!”

All of a sudden, he immediately turned back into the rat that he saw earlier. “No! Are you serious?! …oh. I get it.” He proceeded to calm down again, and… “Yes!” There was still the instincts of the rat he saw earlier, but for now…

…he didn’t mind just being Pizzelle.

#sugary spire #pizza tower au #pizza tower #pizzelle #werewolves #or wererat in pizzelle’s case #a rat in the spire #The wolf that runs a pizza joint #Therianthrope!Pizzelle #The Noise knew how to control his rat half #But since Pizzelle forgot everything she also forgot about the second form

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the-rayman-show · 2 years ago

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Hey Pizzelle! You got an uninvited guest lurking around! You know who it is? I think he'll behave if Violence is the Question and the Answer is 'Nah, not today'.

Uninvited guest?? Who? ... Wait, you don't mean.. oh. Goodness.

#Just some guy | Pizzelle

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jokerman9540 · 2 years ago

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Meanwhile, back at The Noise’s Private Retreat.

Noise: “Whoa, ok, calm down. Heh, you might actually be me after all.”

Pizzelle shot him a glare that made him shut up

Vigilante: “Alright, simmer down you two. Now, before we start answering any questions, why don’t you introduce yerself?”

Pizzelle: “Ok, the name’s Pizzelle. And I run an ice cream parlour.”

Vigilante: “See? Now we’re cooperating. Folks call me The Vigilante, but you can call me Vigi for short.”

He smiles as he holsters his gun and lifts his hat a little

Noise: “And I’m The Noise!”

He pulled a few flashy poses consecutively, much to everyone else’s chagrin.

Vigilante: “Now as for where we are, this is Noise’s Private Retreat.”

Pizzelle: “Private’s an understatement…”

Noise: “What was that?”

Pizzelle: “Nothing!”

Vigi had to stifle a laugh, see Noise basically start to bicker with himself

Noise: “And as for who Peppino is…”

He pointed out the window

Noise: See that pizzeria over there? He runs that.”

Pizzelle: “Hey! That looks just like my ice cream parlour! Except it’s got your face on it Pizzano…”

Pizzano: “Let me see!”

He pushed past them, leaning against the window

Pizzano: “Huh, you’re right… THAT’S ALL I GET?!”

He turns to Pizzano, his face red with anger

Pizzano: “YOU GET ALL THIS!”

He waves his arms around, gesturing to the whole room

Pizzano: “And what do I get?! A STUPID TINY PIZZERIA!!!”

He began to breath heavily as he began to cool off a little

Noise: “Oh I like this guy!”

#pizza tower peppino #pizza tower au #vigilante pizza tower #pizza tower #pizzano #pizzelle #pizzelle theodore #the noise #crossover #Warioblast Tower

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miss-writes-a-lot · 3 years ago

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Jayvik kids (Disclaimer: This is just for fun. Nothing too serious.)

So, I had meant to draw designs or root through my things and find designs for these kiddos, but I got sick at the time of writing this (April 23rd), so I just made a shit ton of picrews of them and I'll just describe them to you here in this post. This is the picrew I used for them: picrew link -> https://picrew.me/image_maker/1414503

Storyline is kinda jank,. mainly because I didn't totally think this through before I wrote this, so don't be too hard on me or my characterization of Naph and Amaranthine.

Naph (he/him) and Amaranthine (she/her)

These two are a pair and cannot be separated. These are not *my* kids of course. They are the two children introduced in LoL Jayce and Viktor's respective short stories. I can't say much on how they come into this family in my au at least, but in a certain angsty au that I am working on, it pretty much falls in line with canon. Naph gains a lot of confidence from working with Viktor and being around kids just like him (orphaned, picked on, etc.) And I think he gets along fairly well with Jayce (eventually). He's intelligent, kind hearted, but can reveal a tough side of himself that others hardly ever see.

Amaranthine is a ball of sass and style, likes to mess around but can get serious when occasion calls for it. Blunt as shit and isn't afraid to tell you that you're doing a terrible job at something. Also incredibly intelligent and witty.

They are the same age (12).

Eleanor 'Nell' Vallis (she/her)

Nell was adopted at age 7 after the unexpected death of her parents left her orphaned on the streets for some time. She is meant to be a trio with her two other sisters, their powers representing the heart, body, and mind. Nell is the body but, in terms of powers, I'm still unsure on what those powers should be.

She is a kind soul, always looking for the best in others, and enjoys helping out in anyway she can. She doesn't like to think about her past and anytime death is brought up, she has a tendency to shut down or become visibly uncomfortable by the mere word.

She is 16 years old in most aus.

Reynard Rossi (she/they)

(see how I made them color coordinated.)

Reynard was found at age 15 after running away from home. She represents the mind, having the ability of telekinesis and the ability to enter one's mindscape. Despite representing the mind, they don't often think before they act and would much rather fight first, ask questions later.

They're tough, fiercely protective of the people they care about, and they are Latinx coded.

She is 17, being the oldest of the siblings.

Viola Pizzelle (she/he/they)

(technically she doesn't count but I'll explain.)

So, if you know me or Viola from my sorta dead art blog or from AO3 (MissWritesALot55), this is my oc Viola. I just started writing them into situations after watching Arcane for comfort and they just worked their way into being the Heart. As the heart, she has the ability of pathokinesis, the manipulation of emotions. She can use them offensively and can also take other's emotions (whether she means to or not)

She started out as an apprenta, working on a way to produce Hextech's own synthetic hex crystals to beat House Ferros and stop the added pollution they are producing. She's anxious about everything, constantly down on herself, and a bit pessimistic.

But she also caring and compassionate, and despite not being as intelligent, she does what she can to help out with the knowledge she does have.

They are 15 years old. The picture to the right is for a sort of Divorce Era Au I'm working on.

I have a few ideas for them, but I'll need to work on them more to execute them properly but if you're interested in them and their stories, feel free to ask and I'll answer the best I can and maybe I'll work on actually drawing them for things.

#bri talks #my writing #bri writes #arcane #original character #lol arcane #lol naph #naph #amaranthine #reynard rossi #nell vallis #viola Pizzelle #jayvik #jayvik kids #fankids #fan child

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azozzoni · 5 years ago

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Since you mentioned how italia s4 robbed us of Nico bonding with Sana and the girls (which sounds AMAZING!), perhaps if you have the time would you mind writing a little fic about it?

There was one pizzelle cookie left on the plate on the table, but Nico wasn’t thinking about cookies, glancing down at his empty coffee cup, going over the question Martino had asked the other day for the hundredth time—”Were you friends with Sana’s brother before? Why didn’t you ever tell me?”

Nico still didn’t know what to say, how to explain everything that had happened there, that it wasn’t a simple answer for either of them.

And now Luai was back, back from whatever hell he’d endured because of Nico.

Shaking away the thought, he looked up to find Sana watching him from across the table, an expression he couldn’t quite read there.

“We should all go back to Bracciano sometime,” she said, “since you couldn’t come last time.”

“Yeah,” Eva agreed enthusiastically, finishing her coffee and brushing her hair over her shoulder. “That would be so much fun.”

Beside Nico, Silvia said nothing, picking at the cookie still on her plate, mostly in crumbs by now.

“It was your one hundred day celebration,” he pointed out. He hadn’t exactly belonged there since he’d already graduated, though Martino had tried to get him to come.

“After we graduate,” Eva said instead. “After Greece. We should go again.” The glance she shared with the girls next confused Nico. “Maybe you and Marti can finally tell us about The Drawer.”

Sana rolled her eyes, but Silvia perked up.

“Yeah, what was that purple one?”

Nico glanced between them all, unable to stop his smile, biting down on his lip. Martino had told him about that, that they knew about The Drawer, that they’d snooped. He still remembered Marti complaining about it, saying they should put a lock on it or else get new friends.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said, looking away, but Eva’s eyes went wide as she poked his arm playfully across the table.

“You’re smiling. You can’t hide it from us.”

“Whatever is in The Drawer is in The Drawer,” he said instead, setting his elbows on the table and hoping his cheeks weren’t as red as they felt. “That’s it.”

“You’re no fun,” Eva complained, and Silvia sighed. “Do you think if we got Marti drunk, he’d tell us?”

“No,” he said simply. The last thing Martino wanted was people know about their sex life, Nico knew. He barely told Gio anything about it, and Gio was his best friend. A part of Nico was glad for it—what he and Martino had was special and no one else needed to know, especially about the things buried in that drawer that he knew Martino would hate for other people to know. It was their Drawer, and no one else’s.

Glancing at the pizzelle, Nico sighed. “Who wants the last cookie?”

“Me!” Sana and Eva said at the same time, turning to glare at each other.

“You had three already,” Sana pointed out, and Eva scoffed.

“And how many did you have?”

Sana didn’t reply and Eva shot her a triumphant look.

“So I should get it.”

“Do you really need it, though?” Sana asked, and Eva rolled her eyes.

Across the table, Nico shook his head, but he smiled anyway. He didn’t spend much time alone with the girls, always with Marti or at least one of the guys. It was different without any of them here—not any quieter but just different.

Silvia said nothing as Eva and Sana argued over the cookie, sitting back in her chair, crossing her arms over her chest.

Glancing over, Nico leaned back as well, smiling easily at her. “You don’t want it?”

Silvia met his gaze, his nod at the cookie, and she shook her head. “Too much sugar.”

“It must be hard to be healthy with Luchino,” he joked. “He eats everything he sees.”

That got a small smile out of Silvia as she shrugged. “We don’t really go out anywhere.”

Nico nodded slowly. He’d heard enough from Luca about how much he liked Silvia, how pretty she was, how soft her hair was, how much she loved her cat. He’d heard enough to know that it was more than just sex for him, no matter how much he said otherwise when the boys pressed.

“Is that working out okay?” he asked gently, watching Silvia flash him a smile, too easy.

“It’s great. It’s nice to be tied to someone.” She paused, though, as though realizing what she said. “I mean, but you and Marti are so perfect together. Relationships can be good too.”

Laughing, Nico brushed his hair away from his eyes. “I don’t know what I’d do without Marti,” he admitted, and she made a soft noise.

“Okay, fine, you take it!” Eva said loudly, shoving the cookie at Sana. “But next time, I get the last one.”

Smirking, Sana plucked the pizzelle off the plate and took a pointed bite as Eva rolled her eyes and turned to Nico instead.

“Are there any more Uni parties coming up?” she asked, and Silvia groaned.

“Oh, no!”

Shaking his head, Nico laughed. “Maybe. I know how much you love them.”

Sana rolled her eyes fondly as Silvia made a face. “What about this band Elia and Gio are doing? Are they any good?”

“Yeah, they’re not bad,” Nico said, and Sana shot him a look. It was uncanny how much disbelief she could convey in a single look.

“You don’t have to be nice,” she said. “They’re not here.”

“Sana,” Eva said with a laugh. “Nico’s always nice. That’s why he and Marti work so well together. He’s nice and Marti’s a sarcastic asshole.”

Nico laughed. “But we still love him.”

“Of course,” Eva agreed easily, tossing back her hair. “That’s why we love him.”

Nico didn’t reply as the subject shifted to upcoming exams and he sat back in his chair. He wasn’t thinking about Luai or Rami or Marti as he listened to the girls debating careers, smiling to himself and just enjoying the moment for once.

#skam italia #skamit fic #nicotino #my fic

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writer-and-artist27 · 6 years ago

Text

To Deliver a Gift

Disclaimer: I think this upcoming statement should be obvious, but considering Tumblr’s a hellsite and current problems with net neutrality, I’m saying it anyways for the sake of safety.

I don’t own anything but Tomoko. Kei belongs to @langwrites and Otoha to @owlsofstarlight.

The theme this time is from No Game No Life: Zero, being the soundtrack titled Touching Heart. Don’t worry, this fic is supposed to be more fluffy and hopeful this time, unlike the last time I used something from this movie. ;p For those of you who followed the OST Playlist on YouTube, let’s just say I had an initial idea in mind for this fic, but changed it for more positivity in the room. So there’s that.

“Hey, Kei?”

My first reincarnation buddy paused while polishing her kodachi with a cleaning cloth, whetstone nearby. She didn’t speak at first, choosing to put her sword down before giving me a curious glance. “What is it, Tomo?”

I tried not to fidget with the hem of my skirt, instead pressing my fingers together. It was a simple question. I could try to not squeak. “C-Could I ask you something?”

“Before that, Tomo?” Kei patted her left knee with a crooked smile. “Sit down next to me before your legs give out?”

I glanced down at my knees. Sure enough, they were shaking. Gosh darn it. I was working well on the voice, it just had to be something else that gave me away.

Deep breaths, dear, deep breaths. Breathe in, hold it, then breathe out.

I inhaled slowly, held it for a single second, and then walked over to sit down on my knees near Kei’s left side. Yes, I know it’s seiza, but being nervous means you do things out of habit, no matter how painful said things could be, and something that carried over from my time as Vy was the seiza position. Being Buddhist in a previous life meant learning it. The various tea ceremony lessons from Miyako-bachan simply reinforced that old lesson. “Can I ask now?”

“Yeah,” Kei said casually, pushing the whetstone away for more breathing space. Then again, of course she’d notice my tension. She was the sensor that pointed out my chakra going wonky with ninshu after all. “What’s up, Tomo?”

I exhaled the breath I was holding before inhaling once more, saying the darn thing in one quick breath. “D-Do you know what days Kuroha-san’s working at the hospital?”

My best friend huffed quietly, leaning back on her hands while looking up at the ceiling of her house. “Are you planning something, Tomo?” Kei paused before adding, “It sounds like you are. Delivery?”

Out of embarrassment at being caught, or just my own slight bit of shame at being so easy to read, heat was already flooding my face. “B-Banana bread. Was thinking of baking. Um. A-And bringing it over. Creepy Snake Man is enough to deal with already on a daily basis, and they mentioned working shifts at the hospital, so. Something sweet to help relieve stress?” There went my voice. It cracked. Again. Thankfully, the volume didn’t fluctuate to the point of it echoing in the entire house.

I could already feel Kei’s surprised stare into the side of my head before there was soft laughter.

Out of old habit and exasperation, I puffed my cheeks. “Muuuuu. Keiiiii, it’s not funny…”

Kei shook her head, still snickering into her right hand all the while. What was so funny? Did I do something? “Pfffft, sorry. Still, Tomo, you don’t have to be nervous.” I was not expecting her to reach over and pat my head with that same right hand. I was definitely missing something. “The fact that you want to deliver something would make anyone happy. Especially Otoha.”

I blinked up at her, releasing the air in my cheeks to frown. “Kei?”

“Really, Tomo.” Kei was smiling again. “I’m sure Otoha would love that.”

That’s what I’ve been telling her all this time!

I can’t help but be nervous, Hisako, okay?!

My Nobody sighed just as the last question left my lips in the outside world. “…Positive?”

Kei’s black eyes widened, blinking in surprise at me.

“I-I mean,” I ended up fumbling with my skirt, looking down at my lap while trying to pull more chakra down to my legs to prevent any metaphorical blood loss. “I-I can be pretty loud, and I know the last time I panicked, Kuroha-san looked really uncomfortable. I know I’m not the best, and I can ramble a bit too much, so—”

BONK.

I tried not to wince, looking up while rubbing my head. Did she just—

I think she did. You needed that.

Heeeeey…

“Tomo.” Kei was smiling that same crooked smile all over again while pulling her left hand back. Was I really missing something, or was I deluding myself? “I’m doubly positive,” she reaffirmed with that same smile, and I tried not to wince once her hand started ruffling my hair. “Just be you, Tomo. Without being nervous, I mean. Just be you. Otoha wouldn’t have hugged you that hard in our first meeting if she did mind being with you.”

Oh.

See?

I made eye contact with both Kei and Hisako before nodding, smile on my face too. My heart had already swelled to twice its size from the warmth of the words alone. “Alright,” was my quiet answer. There was nothing else I could say, after all, in the face of all that. It was getting harder to refute Kei, or any of my other friends or loved ones now. “I got it.”

Kei grinned again, pulling me close by the head to stage-whisper into my ear. “So, about those hospital shifts…”

The picnic basket wasn’t all that heavy on my right arm. Heck, a part of me thought that the banana bread would be heavier considering its loaf size. But with it carefully covered up in the cloth Mama gave me in a bundle placed in the basket itself, the whole load was nestled in the crook of my arm without too much weight. It certainly wasn’t a feather, but I could carry it.

Today was a day where I was supposed to put on a performance at the hospital anyways. The war was still ongoing, after all. It was really the keyboard strapped to my back that attracted attention, but ignoring it wasn’t much.

Now… Hisako hummed around the obviously fake pipe she made for herself, huffing dramatically. Where is that ANBU enby of ours…?

I glanced around as soon as the hospital doors swung open for me. A few nurses nodded happily at me, and I smiled back in common courtesy. The front desk was coming up, so where…

“Welcome to Konoha General Hospital, is there anything—”

My heart swelled up to twice its size once those brown eyes looked up from past the computer at the front desk. The same round glasses, and somewhat messy and smooth brown hair.

I found them.

“To-To?” Kuroha-san ducked their head, smiling while flapping one of their hands. “Uh. Hi. Welcome to the hospital.”

Avoiding eye contact… Kei did say Otoha didn’t like direct eye contact. I took a breath and smiled. It was still Otoha. One of my best friends, Otoha. “Hi, Kuroha-san. I hope I’m not disturbing you?”

What sounded like a small dinosaur hum echoed in the air, and it took a few seconds for me to realize it came from Otoha. Awww. “N-Not at all. I’m just taking a shift at the hospital today. Snake — I mean — Orochimaru-sensei was out doing some errands today, so I was free.”

Of course. Still keeping up cover. Otoha was a ninja too, and considering their role as Orochimaru’s lab assistant, it made sense. Even if a part of me wanted to puke at the whole “sensei” moniker, because the douche didn’t deserve that name. It still felt different though, seeing Kuroha-san fumble around the desk for something compared to the many times they came to the cafe. Even if the cover of “loyal lab assistant” still had to be maintained, there was something about Otoha’s behavior now that just proved, no matter what, we were still reincarnation buddies in the end.

Why was I so nervous in the first place? This was so easy to do, visiting the hospital and making small talk with them. I shouldn’t have been nervous. Especially around them. They felt like Kei. Warm, welcoming, reliable.

“So, To-To?” Otoha peeked at me from behind the apparently large pile of paperwork at the front desk, dinosaur roar already coming out of their throat. “What did you come here for?”

“Music!” I didn’t even know where my cheery voice had come from, but it was here, so might as well use it. It was more relaxing than me yelling into the uncaring void from anxiety, after all. At least, I hoped so. There was still so many things about Otoha I didn’t know, and was still learning, but Kei was confident enough. So maybe, if I could… “And, well…”

You can do it, dear. You can do it.

Otoha inclined her head at me, questioning noise already coming up in their throat. “To-To?”

With nothing else to say, I raised my arm to deposit the picnic basket onto the front counter, pushing it forward in a way so that it didn’t accidentally knock the call bell off. “Banana bread? For you.”

Kuroha-san’s eyes widened significantly as their jaw clenched. Their gaze snapped between me and the basket for a few seconds before finally landing on me. It was the first gesture of eye contact this entire interaction, and it still lasted the same amount of time it took for the realization to set in. A few seconds and then Otoha looked away, flapping their hands in the air once more. A soft happy trill was leaving their throat before I heard the soft, “Me?”

Awwww, Hisako cooed for me.

“For you,” I finished, because now I was smiling and it was hard to even stop. “You mentioned during some of our meetings how past me — I mean, Vy, wanted to bake you something when we met in real life back then, like the cinnamon pizzelles or banana bread, and we’ve been friends for a long while now, so…” I took a step back while pushing the basket forward for Otoha to take, shouldering the strap holding the keyboard to my back. It wouldn’t do for its weight to bring me down. Not now. I was supposed to be used to this. “I wanted to come by and visit you? Just to do that.”

The big smile was hard to miss on Otoha’s face as they rocked back and forth in their desk chair, humming something I couldn’t fully make out. If anything, the humming reminded me of happy raptors, running around if not for Otoha still being seated. Their hands were left sitting between their legs to rest on the chair as the rocking continued, and— “Sweets, sweets, sweets…!”

Awwww. Hisako said again.

Awww. I couldn’t even help the thought myself because they were humming happily. Without a care in the world, truly relaxed, a warm happy feeling. That’s what it sounded like. It didn’t take long for me to hear another happy dinosaur trill, followed by another musing of, “Sweets, sweets, sweets!” Kuroha-san wasn’t even looking at me now, having closed their eyes while rocking, and despite some weird stares from visitors behind me, the smile on my face in return was genuine. Just as big, just as genuine.

The last time I saw Otoha like this was when they had met Miyako-bachan for the first time.

I wish they could be this happy forever…

The thought was shameless and rather unreasonable, but it still came up in my head anyways.

Still, my heart beat in my chest, reminding me that reality was still a thing, and I lightly tapped the counter to get Otoha’s attention. “K-Kuroha-san?” my voice, this time, thankfully came out soft and gentle.

It took a single second for them to blink and come back down from their happy trilling, and they turned to me with a small jump. “To-To?”

Even when happy, they still used that nickname. My smile widened. “Do you want to take a break? I brought some paper plates and napkins in the basket if you want to eat now.”

Kuroha-san swayed side to side again, a la their excited rocking from earlier, just a bit more subdued. “Yes yes,” they said, voice high-pitched with happiness. “Kei-Kei here too. Can join.”

…Wait. Hisako’s smile dropped for a surprised fish-face. Kei?

Kei? Outwardly, I said, as calmly as I could, “Kei’s here, Kuroha-san?”

Otoha simply pointed a finger upwards, and I looked up only to feel my jaw slacken.

A nearby civilian intern shrieked bloody murder before keeling over.

“Hey, Tomo, Otoha!” Kei waved from the nearby open air duct shaft, smiling wryly. Apparently crouching on the ceiling with chakra wasn’t even an issue? Or was I just focusing too much on bad posture again? “Was wondering when you’d notice me!” She glanced at the fallen intern before rubbing the back of her neck. “Uh. Whoops.”

Goddammit, Kei.

Another intern was already lifting their fallen comrade in a piggyback ride, shaking their head in Kei’s direction before skulking off, fallen person in tow.

“Obvious!” Kuroha-san interrupted, voice still high-pitched. They were still pointing. “Watching whole time!”

Hisako slammed a hand to her face, shaking her head in exasperation. GODDAMMIT, KEI.

My cheeks were already flooding with heat at the revelation and I was tempted to pout, because really, could I at least be trusted to go around the village alone at least once. But it wasn’t the time to complain. My heart and mind, despite their disparities, could agree. I took a breath to steady myself instead, putting my hands on my hips. “Could you come down from there? If you wanted a bit of banana bread yourself, you could’ve asked instead of sneaking around in the air ducts, Kei.”

“Lots here!” Otoha added with a happy noise at the end of the statement. I guess the happy juice was still around. At this rate, I could see the three of us doing a comedy routine. Pft.

You could try?

Yeah, and my humor wouldn’t be limited to puns and old world jokes.

I dunno, dear, you could…

Nah. Just, nah.

My Nobody shrugged. Whatever you say.

“Oh?” Kei was smirking now, and I tried not to jolt once she jumped down from the air shaft to face us both. “But I wouldn’t be able to get a rise out of my best civilian friend now, would I?”

“I’m your only civilian friend.”

She waved it off with a hand, still smirking. “Details, details. So?” Kei shouldered the kodachi on her back, rolling her free shoulder all the while. “Are we going to hang out over sweets or not?”

I glanced at Otoha. They gave me a loud and happy dinosaur trill in response, pushing their desk chair back quick enough to where it silently skidded against the hospital tile. “On break!”

A fond sigh was already leaving my lips. These doofs. “Well. I guess that’s a yes. And I’m far too simple. Let’s go to the cafeteria?”

Kei and Otoha were sharing a warm laugh, because in the time it took for me to say that, Otoha had already pushed any paperwork and the front desk to the side to come around for a hug. The smile back on my part didn’t even hurt my cheeks anymore.

These moments were why the nervousness, I guess, was worth it in the end.

I’d rather be the butt of the joke than make these people unhappy. And to see them laugh and smile without worrying about blood in the future, like this, right now — I would do anything for that.

“Oh, you two ninja, c’mon. We can laugh about my obliviousness over some food. I’ll cut the bread for you.”

“Yay!”

“Already looking forward to it.”

For now, in the times of war and Creepy Snake Guy reigning in the shadows, I’d take what peace I could get.

#silent feathers #hoshino tomoko #keisuke gekko #otoha kuroki #writing #long post #trying to improve #writing otoha i mean #early new years present?

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pizzano-the-paisano-and-pizzelle · 1 year ago

Note

well pizzelle, back then when you were once the noise if you well remember that at least and pizzano was peppino which I'm guessing he sadly doesn't remember. You use to prank peppino a lot back then. how do you feel now that he's acting like your past self?

"In other words, despite being… whatever the heck I was back then, he seems to be just as tolerable… at best, at... least…"

[OOC: Sorry this ask took too long to answer! Really had to put effort into these new backgrounds & foregrounds, as well as my schoolwork and my questioning as to whether I can switch back to drawing for my other blogs sometime later (I'll still come back here if I do, though, don't worry!). However, I did save one of the sets for the sake of featuring it into one of my next asks, so stay tuned for that! Oh and another thing, if you've sent me an ask or said anything in general in dms or replies, I only answer them in text. If you want me to answer them in pictures, you have to wait until the ask box is open again. Sorry!]

12. Bonds

<- Previous Next -> Pro1ogue

#pizzano the paisano and pizzelle #pizzelle #sugary spire pizzelle #pizzano #sugary spire pizzano #pizzelle answers a question #sugary spire #pizza tower #anonymous #anon #zellezano #before the sugar and spice

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corellian-smuggler · 7 years ago

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HOW HAVE WE NEVER ASKED PERSONAL QUESTIONS BEFORE get ready babe. Favorite type of soda (or whatever it is they call it in your neck of the woods)? What do you eat for breakfast? Are you a sky-high heels or a sensible shoes lady? What's your aesthetic? How many blankets do you sleep with? Favorite kind of flower? Something you remember your grandma making for you when you were little? What's your battery level on your phone? When you go on a trip, how organized is your packing and suitcase?

EEEEEEEEEEE @organanation you are amazing. I’m sorry I didn’t answer last night but I may have gotten drunker more quickly and to a greater degree than I had anticipated lmao. Favorite soda (we call it soda here and I physically cringe when people from elsewhere refer to anything other than Coca-Cola as “coke” like THAT’S NOT COKE THAT’S MOUNTAIN DEW WHO ARE YOU?!?!). I??? Don’t think I have a favorite soda???? I enjoy soda when I drink it but I don’t drink it often. Every now and then though I’ll get a craving for Dr Pepper or Sprite or Root Beer or Coke and I’ll drink it and love it but I don’t know if I have a go-to. The one soda I don’t like though is grape soda. For breakfast I usually eat a banana lol I’m boring. I am a sensible shoes person unless I’m going to a club or something in which case I’ll wear heels. I wish I wore heels more often in my daily life because I am only 4’11” and get mistaken for a 17-year-old FREQUENTLY but alas heels are not comfortable and also I feel like I look stupid/like I’m trying to hard when I wear them. My aesthetic???? I have no idea lol. I prefer to dress in black or neutral colors (because in my head they are sophisticated/slimming) and I’m obsessed with Star Wars and Lord of the Rings and I’m basically allergic to the sun and I love to travel and especially I love European architecture and culture and history so if you tried to like make an aesthetic moodboard for me it would be like pictures of Princess Leia and the Eiffel Tower and adorable dogs and coffee cups and misty Irish landscapes maybe????? Does “huge nerd” count as an aesthetic? Unclear hahaI sleep with one blanket in the summer and like three blankets in the winter lol. My ideal sleeping environment is a cool/almost chilly room and VERY warm cozy blankets. Favorite kind of flower: ummmmmmmmmmmm. Gonna say peonies. I’ve also never been given flowers and SCREW THAT I’m gonna buy some flowers for myself I think.My grandmother used to make me spaghetti all the time and also pizzelles (Italian cookies) and I still think of her when I make them 💚 Smelling pasta sauce always makes me think of her kitchen and her voice and I miss her very much. My phone is at 4% because I am a mess apparently lol. Aaaaand when I go away my packing and suitcase are extremely organized. I make a list of what to pack and then neatly fold all my clothes and keep all like-items together, but then as soon as I get wherever I’m going my suitcase is a mess because of me digging around in it to get stuff out :)Thank you for the questions :’) I’m sure you’re just tickled to read all this useless information hahaha. But in all honesty your questions are the literal BEST and I’m always amazed because I always want to ask fun and thoughtful questions and then I just draw a blank but you are a literal fount of delightful and charming questions and whenever you pop up in my inbox I’m 😍😭💜🤗

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arcticdementor · 7 years ago

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Job vs. Career

This is a bit of a meandering longpost, that I could have made even longer.

There'a sort of class/culture-specific attitude that comes to mind with a number of discussions I encounter, which I think of as "job" versus "career." Note that this is this is less a strict dichotomy than a spectrum.

My parents have only ever had jobs. By which I mean, their work was never much about "fulfilment," "purpose," "making the world a better place," or any other such thing. It wasn't a huge part of their identity, or their "mission in life." No, it's the miserable labor you have to do, and suffer through, in order to put a roof over everyone's head, put food on the table, put clothes on everyone's backs, and not be a lazy, worthless parasite mooching off others. In traditional Christian terms, that work is part of the negative consequences of the Fall; "by the sweat of thy brow" and all that. A necessary evil — emphasis on "necessary," and one whose share in which one should not shirk.

But most other people I know, outside my family, seem to take a different view, the "career" view. At the extreme, a "do what you love, the money will follow" sort of view. And from what else I see, most of American culture, especially today, is very much more toward the "career" end than my family.

I mean, one of the first questions upon being introduced to someone — one I find a bit awkward to answer — is "what do you do?" By which, of course, is meant "what do you get paid to do?"

There are almost certainly a number of factors that go into this (and I could go on about them at length), but one of the big ones is Max Weber's "Protestant work ethic" — by which I mean Weber's original formulation, in which "Protestants" (more accurately, those parts of Europe which proved most amenable to Protestantism, and especially Calvinism) took the "rational monastic virtues" of Catholic monasticism, wherein

the fact that the man who, par excellence, lived a rational life in the religious sense was, and remained, alone the monk. Thus asceticism, the more strongly it gripped an individual, simply served to drive him farther away from everyday life, because the holiest task was definitely to surpass all worldly morality.

and removed it from the monastic setting into worldly deeds; so that, instead of a "divine calling" necessitating separation from worldly matters in a priestly/monkish direction, one could be "called by God" to be a farmer, a tailor, a potter, a smith, and so on. That your work could be a vocation — from Latin vocātiō, literally "a summons, a calling."

And in line with "what do you do (for money)" being such a fundamental question in American culture, it forms a very large part of people's identity and self-identification. And it need not be so. Some define identity first and foremost by kinship ties (as I've seen with some Alaska Natives). Or by one's position embedded in a network of social relations that makes up a community. Someone's son, someone's sister, someone's husband, mother of three children. Or by not just membership in a religion, but participation in a particular congregation.

You can be the man who makes pretty knives as a hobby and gifts them to friends, and who most years has some smoked salmon to share come the fall. The woman who gives homemade snickerdoodles, pizzelle, and spritz cookies to the parents of her childrens' friends, or to coworkers, most holiday seasons. The man who usually has a witty, if sardonic, quip in most situations. Or a groan-worthy pun. The old man who tells entertaining tales of his childhood adventures with friends, who are all referred to exclusively by distinctive nicknames like “Square Barrel.” The woman who volunteers to help the librarian at a small, public "alternative" high school set up a resource corner for help with college searching and applying after the experience of shepherding three sons through the college application process. The dude you ask to take heavy objects down from high shelves for you because he's a solidly-built 6'8". The woman who liked a birthday cake her teenage grandsons made and decorated for her so much she saved a piece in a tupperware container on a shelf, where it sat until she had to move into assisted living well over a decade later. The fellow who you turn to whenever you need something proofread for grammar, punctuation, spelling, and capitalization, and who writes "beautifully crafted sentences." The man who makes custom Christmas cards with his own artwork digitally "painted" in GIMP for his parents to use for the usual mailing to friends and relatives each year. The guy who quotes a lesser known ancient Chinese philosopher in relation to something in an anime he recently watched, in between talking about recent scientific or technological developments.

You get the idea.

But, at least from where I sit, these sorts of alternatives seem to be weakening and fading. (Again, I could go on at length about various factors that look to be contributing to this.) Which pushes people back toward identifying even more strongly with their vocation. And what are the primary alternatives on offer for "who you are" if not your job? increasingly, being a "fan," whether of a sports team, a TV show, a tech company. "Brand loyalty" and passive consumption habits.

It's one of the few things I'll give a "jobs guarantee" over a "basic income/negative tax"; as I look at it, most Americans identify too much with their "career" to handle the long-term loss of such well, particularly given the alternatives they'll most likely turn to for identity-formation.

#career #job #work #protestant work ethic #max weber #sweat of thy brow #identity #american culture #what do you do?#identity formation #community #five relations #expressive individualism #consumption habits as identity #brand loyalty #right-wing anti-capitalism

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wordsaremything · 8 years ago

Text

Come To Mamma– Part 2

Summary: Two more snapshots of Maria Stark’s relationship with her son.

1360 words.

The Long Island sun streamed in through the open curtains into the kitchen as Maria cooked. Sunday afternoons were always spent in the kitchen, and at the moment is smelled like absolute heaven as well. Tomato sauce boiled away on the stove while Maria whisked together a sugary batter for pizzelles. Ana and Edwin usually had run of the house, but today the kitchen was hers. The radio in the corner played upbeat jazz music, and as Maria crossed the room she hummed and danced to the beat. She wasn’t paying much attention as she did so until an arm looped around her waist. She gasped in surprise and suddenly she was chest to chest with her husband. “Excuse me, sir, I am busy,” she laughed softly. Howard hummed. “Take a break with me,” he replied. “I’ll answer that question with your usual answer,” she said and detached herself from him, “No.” Groaning softly, Howard spun to follow her across to the stove. Maria laughed again as she pulled the lid of her sauce pot. She breathed in the strong scene to tomatoes and Italian spices and decided it was nearly ready. “Don’t like tasting your own medicine, huh?” “No, I thought you loved me.” Maria barked a laugh as she stirred her sauce. “Don’t you dare pull that on me, Howard Stark,” she said. She felt Howard approach her from behind, still groaning in annoyance as he buried his nose in her hair while she cooked. She reached back and gently patted his cheek by some way of comfort, but most of her focus was on her own task. Then she heard sniffles. Her head snapped up, and Howard immediately stepped away. Their nine-year-old was standing in the doorway of the kitchen, tear-tracks drying on his face. Maria all but dropped her spoon. “Tony, what happened?”

He had been playing outside, right near the kitchen so Maria could keep an eye on him, but she hadn’t heard him come in. He sniffled again and showed his hands– he had skinned the pads bloody. No wonder he was crying! “I told you to be careful on that bike,” Howard commented. Maria sighed and waved Tony forward. “Vieni, mimmo.” Come here, baby. He did, going over to Maria and holding his arms out. She picked him right up with no difficulty and set him on the counter beside the sink. Howard said something about getting antiseptic and left the room, but she just shook her head and studied Tony’s scrapes. They would heal up fine. “We don’t need any of that fancy stuff,” she murmured, “Just makes it sting. Good thing you were wearing trousers and didn’t scrape up your knees too, huh?”

Tony nodded. “I ripped them though,” he mumbled.

“That’s the least of our worries,” Maria replied with a little smile. She wet down a cloth with warm water and gently cleaned up his hands, apologizing softly whenever he hissed in pain. It didn’t take long though, and she put the cloth aside. “There, that wasn’t so bad, huh?” she said. He shook his head but still pouted. She tilted her head. “Does it hurt?” He nodded that time. “What about here?” she asked and gently poked his side. Tony giggled quietly. “Does it hurt here?” “No…” “What about here?” She poked him in the other side, and then again, causing him to smile and laugh in earnest. She smiled too, tickling him until he nearly fell off the counter and into her skirt. “Stop it!” Maria reached up and wiped at his cheeks with her thumbs. “Do you feel better now?” she asked softly. He smiled back and nodded. “I hate that bicycle,” she added, just to make him laugh again. “I think I need my training wheels back.”

Maria was putting in new flowers around the house when she heard a knock at the door. That was odd– usually, people didn’t come to the Starks’ unless they had planned something. Maria wiped her wet hands on her skirt before going over to pull the front door open.

Two men in black suits greeted her, and a third’s head could be seen behind them, which took her by even more surprise. “Mrs. Stark?” said the one on the left. “Yes?” she replied apprehensively. The two men parted so she could see the third, who held her dejected-looking teenage son by the upper arm. For a moment she was concerned –who thought it was okay to touch him like that?– but then the man who spoke presented her with a badge and a letter. FBI. Cease and desist. Maria sighed and put on her most polite smile. “Thank you for bringing him home, gentlemen,” she said, “I’ll take it from here.” “Ma'am, we would appreciate it if–” “I said I’ll take it from here,” she interrupted her smile still intact. She saw Tony crack a smile, but he quickly schooled his expression as she waved him forward. He pulled his arm free and headed into the house. “Have a lovely night,” she added pleasantly before closing the door. Then, she rounded on Tony and held up the letter, silently demanding an explanation. “Okay, I’m sorry!” he declared, holding his hands up in surrender. “You hacked the Pentagon, Anthony?” she demanded, “Really? Did you think you wouldn’t get caught?” “No–” “You brought the FBI to our house! Oh, you are in so much trouble, imagine if your father had been home, you’re lucky he’s in California–” “They told me I couldn’t!” he interrupted sharply. Maria stopped cold. Tony never interrupted her. But with the look on his face, she assumed there was more to this than his just being an idiot kid. She took a breath and crossed her arms. “Alright. Who did?” “The other 12th graders,” he replied, now looking sheepish, rubbing his arm, “They said I… bought my way in. That I wasn’t actually smart enough.” Immediately all her anger was forgotten. Tony was much younger than the others in his grade, considering how advanced he was. She could only imagine how tough it was for a fifteen-year-old to fit in with a bunch of eighteen-year-olds, and leave it to her kid to go above and beyond in trying to prove himself. He hacked the Pentagon on a dare. She sighed softly. “Tony, look at me.” He did, raising his eyes to hers. Tony got his dad’s eyes, but everything about that expression was Maria. “When will you learn not to listen to other people?” “Probably never.” She shook her head. “The only other person you should ever listen to is your mamma,” she said, which earned a crooked little smile, “There will always be someone trying to bring you down, Tony. You’re a very, very special boy. And one day you will be a very strong man. Other kids… don’t understand. They just want what you have, what you’re working for.” Tony, of course, had heard this all before. If Maria didn’t tell him how special he was every day, either her day was incomplete or she was dead. And she would keep saying it until he believed her. She walked over to him and pushed hair from his forehead; brunette curls that were so much like hers. “You can do anything you put your mind to. Just, don’t put yourself in federal prison, do you hear me?” Tony smiled at her, nodding. “So, I’m not in trouble?” “Oh, you’re definitely in trouble,” Maria told him with a serene smile, “You’ll do nothing but go to school and come home for a week. But… I guess I won’t tell your dad.” He sighed and nodded again in resignation. “Good boy. You can go now.” He stepped away, heading for his bedroom, but then Maria cleared her throat. He paused, sighed, then hurried over and gave her a hug. No teenage boy would be caught dead hugging his mother, but she and Tony had always been different. She squeezed him back and kissed his head (which continually got harder to do as he grew). “What do you say?” “I love you, mamma.” “I love you too.”

#tony stark #maria stark #marvel #marvel fanfiction #iron man

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