#post-posting addition is this sketch i just kept forgetting to post

[slavhew]

a candid from the office christmas party + dickey

og under cut

[rad-o-saurus]

I AM BEGGING YOU HOW DID YOU MAKE THE CHUM MASK

I'm probably not the best to ask for costume making advice but i will do my best to explain my process as comprehensibly as possible. Luckily i took pictures during it's production!

This post is kinda long but hang in there lol

Step 1: Research

Since there is no tutorial on how to make a fish head, i had to find tutorials that deal with characters with a similar face shape and and skin type for both construction and material. Any fursuit head tutorial should be watched just to get a general feel for what you're getting into though.

(Link of playlist of video tuts i used for reference)

Step 2: Planning/Sketching/Gathering

To start i recommend taking a picture of yourself and drawing the head around it to plan where to place things like eyes and jaw (if you want a movable jaw) . It's also important to measure your head/plan out how big you want the head to actually be concretely. I adapted the design as best i could while still retaining likeness. Know exactly what your head is gonna look like before you start

EX1: Sketch for look and measurements (i had many others this is just the cleanest)

I then had to decide what material I was going to use for certain parts of the cosplay. Following the tutorials i gathered essential materials like Upholstery foam, a balaclava and elastic band for the jaw but i had to improvise for more case specific parts. The hair and teeth are made out of cardboard and the eyes are just Styrofoam balls for example. I also cheaped out a little for the skin, opting to just buy gray fabric instead of the preferred minky.

I also kept a log to track my progress, schedule myself and take notes when changes need to be made so that can be useful as well

Step 3: Production

Finally it is time to make the damn fish!!

3.1:Bucket head

I used the bucket head method (which basically just consists of wrapping a piece of foam around your head gluing it and putting a top) since it was the simplest to do.

I then cut out the necessary holes and started adding the other foam to get the shape base of the head.

I then kept adding on foam in general shaped and started sculpting it. Normally fursuit makers use a fancy saw but if you have a bread knife (serated) and a pair of good scissors you should be good to go.I also painted and paper maché-d the Styrofoam eyes at this point.

(sculpting process also for tail too)

Don't forget to try it on every once and a while to make sure everything works as it's supposed too and looks how it's supposed too (also make sure you can see because I didn't and it's very hard too see in that thing)

Ex 2: Swag

3.2: Skinning and accessories

By this point I started making the teeth and the hair which was simple enough since i've used cardboard as a material before.

The real tough part for me would be to skin the thing which required that i learn how to sew.

I first had to make a pattern which required that i wrap my precious fishy boy in duck tape and then draw out the different sections of the head for them to be sewn together later. It was definitely hard to get used to but I'm thankful that I learnt how to do it because it actually helped me better understand Uv wrapping in 3D texturing !

I did the same for the tail! (Btw if you ever decide to do this please wrap your foam base in plastic wrap because removing the duck tape otherwise is difficult and can even rip off some of your foam)

When all was done and sewn in one piece wrapped it around the head, glued the hair and started painting the details like scales and mussel as well as glue on the mesh in order to hide the eye holes.

Step 4: Fuck around you funky fish!!!

If you have any additional questions about the costume feel free to ask, i will be happy to answer!

Have a Fishtastic day!

[mega-aulover]

Do you think Peeta as he overcomes the hijacking regains his natural way of being really good with people when it comes to conversation?

To be fair we know he had lots of therapy. They kept him at the Capitol for a long time, detoxifying him from the chemical warfare they levied against his body and mind. They also had a team of therapists helping him before they let him leave.

I think, Peeta had to work at getting back to who he was at the core.

Now remember that experiences change you. They change your outlook on life. So do I think he was himself, no. The same way I believe Katniss was changed by everything she went through. Her point of view on things changed. But unlike others, Katniss and Peeta chose to grow together. And one of the ways they did that was through therapy. They did therapy together as a couple and individually.

Slowly, with many lost days, I come back to life. I try to follow Dr. Aurelius’s advice, just going through the motions, amazed when one finally has meaning again. I tell him my idea about the book, and a large box of parchment sheets arrives on the next train from the Capitol. I got the idea from our family’s plant book. The place where we recorded those things you cannot trust to memory. The page begins with the person’s picture. A photo if we can find it. If not, a sketch or painting by Peeta. Then, in my most careful handwriting, come all the details it would be a crime to forget. Lady licking Prim’s cheek. My father’s laugh. Peeta’s father with the cookies. The color of Finnick’s eyes. What Cinna could do with a length of silk. Boggs reprogramming the Holo. Rue poised on her toes, arms slightly extended, like a bird about to take flight. On and on. We seal the pages with salt water and promises to live well to make their deaths count. Haymitch finally joins us, contributing twenty-three years of tributes he was forced to mentor. Additions become smaller. An old memory that surfaces. A late primrose preserved between the pages. Strange bits of happiness, like the photo of Finnick and Annie’s newborn son.

Collins, Suzanne. Mockingjay (Hunger Games Trilogy, Book 3) (pp. 328-329). Scholastic Inc.. Kindle Edition.

That there is therapy, journaling, their feelings, and cataloging the loved ones they've lost. Putting all of their emotions in the book of memories.

Therapy helped Peeta find himself, and helped him gain a balanced semblance of who he was pre-highjacking and post-highjacking.

[miraculousmarifan]

Felinette Month 2020 - Day 12: Reunion

The prompts on @felinettenovember are gold and everyone should check out what the others are doing for this month!

Theirs are also most likely on time, and this one is only 3 minutes away from being posted on the wrong day... but it’s still the right day for me!

Approximately 3100 words of absolute Lila salt. Her character is poorly enough written in the show that I had to make her villainy almost cartoonish to a certain degree.

Also before anyone takes my word for it at the silk part, just know I have the bare minimum of knowledge about the intricacies of fabric as I’m just a data analyst. I did however read a really interesting article earlier this year discussing the difference in modern and ancient forms of fabrics (it was specifically discussing cotton, if I remember correctly) and how industrialization of fabric production had drastically reduced both the initial quality of the fabric and the durability. Which they were using as an explanation of why it’s still possible to find cloth artifacts in archeology, whereas it’s suspected that the “same” fabric now wouldn’t have survived due to the poorer quality. So I willy-nilly applied this logic to silk weaving. If you are an expert in this stuff and want to pass along actual knowledge, I’d love to hear about it.

Marinette had found that going to university for fashion design was both easier and harder than it had been doing it during school. There were similarities with the existence of homework and specific class times to schedule around. Working at a smaller fashion house had been another beast entirely. Marinette had been offered a 5 year contract as the only pupil to the head designer, working both with the team of designers and working apart from them. Her ideas first needed to gain the approval from the head designer before she could put them through peer review with the team. She was required to have her designs be closer to a final product before she would get approval to proceed to peer review than the designs of many designers on the team had after multiple reviews. Marinette kept her head high, as her designs often went through fewer changes in the review stage as a result of this additional standard.

However with less than 10 designers doing all stages of the process, from researching ideas and sketching to actually assembling the final product and altering them for the models that would wear it, they were always busy. As a result, Marinette found herself more devoted to work outside of their standard hours, sketching variations on most outfits for potential changes she thought may be suggested while she sat at home.

At 25, Marinette found herself married to her career, with only two nights per week that she had set aside for her friends and her family and refused to budge on that time. This had left dating relatively untouched outside of some short high school relationships and a few first dates that never went further.

Alya never could understand why Marinette was so content on her own. She married Nino at 22 and had been happy in her marriage, but she was able to have her career and her relationship. Sometimes her journalism interfered but often she would just finish typing up any articles or notes she had while home and returned her attention to Nino. 

Marinette often didn't disconnect from her sketchpad until late in the evening and then she simply wanted to eat, relax a little, and sleep. Dating required too much effort and time during the week and she only had so much time on the weekends, especially because of the occasional work event on a Saturday night.

This Saturday was one such event, a black tie party in a ballroom, where many designers were getting together under the pretext of a party, however most realized it was an important networking event. Designers would be discussing the styles that were in currently, some boasting about what they expected the next trend to be, and many would try to woo the various models in attendance to sign on for a certain number of shoots or shows in the upcoming seasons.

Marinette knew that she had to show her best at this, as she was entering the fifth year of her contract and would need to get her options in order. She was determined to have at least one outside offer waiting at the end of her contract, so she felt more free to decide if her current company was the best fit.

She had invited Alya over before to help her solidify her outfit by reassuring her choice in dress and accessories, as well as providing suggestions with make-up choices as requested. Marinette really needed a hype woman to get her in the right mindset for dealing with pretentious models and designers for her entire evening.

The ballroom hosting this event was as decedent as Marinette had anticipated and each designer eyed the others' appearance critically. Many of the compliments bestowed on others were backhanded, in the most subtle manner possible. The more inexperienced often missed the jabs but Marinette had expected them. Her mentor had arrived shortly before her and gestured for her to join his conversation upon seeing her entrance. 

For nearly an hour, her mentor paraded her around, introducing her to each designer he personally knew and discussing with them her strengths. She was grateful for his support when he could have easily left her to flounder. The designers that had taken a liking to her brought others to meet her the moment he left her side to fetch a new drink. After dealing with their undivided attention for a while, she tried to find a polite way to excuse herself so she could breathe and let her face rest a moment.

The opportunity to slip away came when Gabriel Agreste entered, accompanied by his assistant and three others. The designers commented on his boldness to bring three young models and speculation started about which of the blond men was Gabriel's heir and if they knew the woman with them. He had brought Lila, Adrien, and Felix. She should’ve expected to see at least two of those three here. Time had allowed her to forget about their presence in this world.

Marinette murmured to the closest person that she was going to grab herself a beverage, then quietly slipped away while the designers speculated amongst themselves. She wouldn't contribute with an explanation of any person in that group, let alone bring an opportunity for her past relationships with them to come up.

She instead had snuck around, hiding amongst the various crowds filling the room to get to the hallway where the bathrooms were located. Rather than going into the bathroom, she walked around a turn in the hallway past them and stopped, leaning against the wall to take some deep breaths and think.

If Lila was here, she was definitely still employed with Gabriel and in good standing. She had cut contact with Alya and Nino after the graduation day incident so Marinette hadn't heard much about her since then. Luka didn't talk much about Juleka outside of their time together at the houseboat or in Kitty Section, but Marinette was sure he wouldn’t have let any news of her reach Marinette anyway. Mr. "High-road" Agreste was here so she would likely need to stay hidden or leave so he didn't try to be overly friendly with her. She didn't want to deal with his attempts to catch up and accusations about not staying in touch, even though he hadn't been a great friend of hers after trying to convince her to be a doormat, even if it nearly got her akumatized. Ice King Felix was a wild card. In school he had been a strange mixture of harsh and quietly supportive (primarily in dealing with Lila or Chloe). If Marinette had to deal with any of those three, he would be her preferred. He had potential to be on her side simply on the conditions that Lila still despised her and that Felix still disliked Lila or/and Adrien. Regardless, Marinette preferred if she could just make it through the night without needing to speak with any of them. Slowly she was considering going back to attempt navigating the party. Pushing herself off the wall, she took one more deep breath with her eyes shut.

And promptly fell to the floor due to the unexpected force of something ramming into her. Her head bounced off the carpeted floor and she felt like her brain was trying to restart.

“Oh, I’m sorry! I didn’t see you around the corner and ran into you. Are you alright?” The man leaned down next to her, while Marinette blinked a few times, trying to get her bearings. Then she slowly started to sit up. He spoke again, “Do you need to have your head examined? It looks like you may have bumped it and messed up your hair.”

Her hand came up and ran across the back of her head, over the hair, still blinking as her brain started running again. She turned to look at him and felt a little bit of dismay.

“Felix. I’m okay. My head is just pounding a little bit. I should really check to see what I need to do to make myself presentable again,” Marinette slowly moved towards getting up, hand reaching out to the wall. Felix took her hand and offered his other for more support. She took it without thinking, balancing herself as she stood. Then she turned her body, releasing his hands, and leaned against the wall again. “Thanks. It is Felix right?” Maybe if I play my cards right, he won’t recognize me and will think I just know from his ads.

“Yes Marinette. One and the same,” he smirked at her efforts and she groaned inside. “Did you know that you’re the hot topic in that room? Well actually you’re right behind whether Adrien or I will inherit Gabriel. As if the man is even considering retiring at this point.” Felix leaned one shoulder against the wall next to her, grinning like a cat.

“It seems that you made a splash socially, then disappeared right as Gabriel Agreste showed up. They’re speculating and Lila seems to have convinced enough of them that the two of you are friends. She’s so sure you have a surprise planned for her, even if she hasn’t figured out that you’re the same person yet. That only brought more speculation as to why you aren’t working at Gabriel. ‘Is it perhaps because she has an indecent relationship with an heir? Or is she the victim of nepotism?’ If you don’t make an appearance again soon, these rumors may live on past the evening.” His eyes had narrowed slightly as he brought up Lila and the rumors starting around her, trying to read the slightest reaction. Marinette just deflated. She had just been ready to go back before their collision and now she just wanted to curl up in a ball. With this last statement, she let out a little sound of exhaustion.

“Why did she have to be here? And how is it that even the people that are used to dealing with snakes don’t recognize her as one?” she groaned out, hands pressing her eyes. After a moment she straightened her back against the wall, breathed deeply and sighed. “Alright. We’re adults. Might as well act like it.”

“You’re going back now?” Felix stood, sounding more curious than before. Marinette had stood straight up, and was taking a step from the wall to walk back into the main hallway and looking at Felix as she replied.

“Of course I’m going to go back. I’m a professional that doesn’t lie and pretend to get places. I do the hard things and succeed--” she raised her eyebrows and smirked back at him “--Of course I need to fix my hair first, since you messed it up. Are you going to hide here longer?”

Felix faintly blushed at her expression as she told him he messed her hair up and thought about another way he could mess it up. As she slowly walked he turned to follow her. “Did you have a companion with you tonight? It’s not uncommon for designers to bring one…”

“I did not. I have been networking. Why do you ask?” Marinette slowly stepped towards the restroom door, nearly laughing at his stalling tactics.

“Would you like one when you’re finished fixing yourself up?” Marinette couldn’t believe how warm he was being with her, even with his mocking way of warning her what she was walking into. Is this really the Ice King I knew in school? 

“I guess you’ll have to wait if you want to see…” Marinette pushed into the bathroom, walking up to a mirror. Luckily my hair wasn’t too extravagant and the back is just a little messed up. With a little bit of water on her fingers and some adjustments of her bobby pins, her hair looking untouched and she was exiting the bathroom.

Felix had moved to stand against the wall near the bathroom, and straightened to join her. Marinette liked the way he was acting with her now and made a split second decision that at worst, she didn’t need to keep him around if he changed his tune. She could push him back out of her life. She reached a hand out to beckon him and he offered her an arm. Their strides matched as they walked back to the party.

Whispers started in the groups closest to the door as they saw their up-and-coming sunshine designer enter on the arm of the model known for his aloofness and cold professionalism. Felix’s face slipped back into it’s icy indifference, looking harshly at specific individuals that dared to make too inappropriate of a comment in his earshot. Marinette smiled and nodded at different individuals that she hadn’t spoken enough with at length. A small squeeze to his arm and twist of her head had the pair walking towards one of Marinette’s first choices for her next employer.

Other groups had taken notice of the pair, drawing more eyes, and conversations turned to theories about their relationship. The two ignored stares and managed to strike up a pleasant conversation with a woman that could drastically improve her prospects. With the increasing curiosity of most guests, one young woman noticed and began to formulate a plan.

“Marinette! Over here! It’s me! Why didn’t you tell your best friend that you were coming?” Lila loudly exclaimed as she began prancing across the room and waving a hand wildly like a child trying to catch attention. Her dramatics went unacknowledged as Felix used his most winning smile, describing Marinette’s designs throughout their school years and then drawing attention to the dress she was currently wearing. She couldn’t help but blush that he had recognized her craftsmanship even after years apart. The woman seemed to be swept up in the warmth and friendliness he was using, as well as the atmosphere those two formed around their group. Others paid particular attention to the hand Felix had rested on her side.

Marinette had been gaining attention up to this point, however the entire party noticed the atmosphere tense as Lila appeared to trip, right as she was about to reach the designer. Felix moved behind Marinette, having her twirl in front of him to show off the patterns embroidered into her dress, and felt the liquid on his back before Lila collided with him. Felix had made note of Lila as he was gesturing to Marinette’s dress and guessed at her plan with a fair bit of accuracy. Marinette was completely dry and far enough forward to avoid being bumped by Felix when the force from Lila’s impact pushed him. The icy glare returned to his face as he turned to deal with her.

A few men from nearby moved over to help Lila, who faked a sob story about how clumsy she was, because she was just so excited to see Marinette since “our schedules have just been so busy that we haven’t gotten to see each other!” when Felix interrupted her.

“Strange that you say that. I actually remember Marinette getting a restraining order on you after graduation, when you tried to poison her food. You claimed to be allergic to shellfish and said she was trying to slip clam broth into your food. However you had the broth container in your bag, it was slipped into her food, and according to her up-to-date school medical records, she’s severely allergic to mollusks so she wouldn’t come near the container. At the time, you were supposedly diagnosed with a disorder that causes you to compulsively lie. Regardless, the courts didn’t seem to believe that a disorder like that, which was unknown to and unheard of by medical professionals, wouldn’t have been grounds to explain trying to harm her and granted the order. Do you not remember that?” Felix recited the story almost impassively, as though it was simply a reminder of what she ate for breakfast, however he gave a mock confused look with his rhetorical question. The crowd had gathered around with her fall and were well within earshot as Felix described one of the worst incidents of Marinette’s life. The pale expression she wore and the Lila’s furious expression as he described it convinced even those that would’ve been inclined to side with Lila.

With one final look of distaste, Felix turned to Marinette and reached for her hand. The onlookers were surprised at the obvious tenderness as he spoke to her, “We should get you away from here. Do you want to stay at the party and talk to some more people or would you prefer I escort you home? We can see about getting some contact information before we leave, if you’d like.”

The room was deathly silent, even Lila having the sense to wait, in case she broke the tense quiet that had formed. After a deep breath and a shaky smile directed at Felix, Marinette turned back to the woman she had been speaking with before Lila’s act and politely said, “I enjoyed our conversation and hope we have the opportunity to speak again soon. I would love to hear more about your work to more effectively create silk patterns by hand. I know you said it before but hand weaved silk really is so much nicer than the machine weaved and I’ve read that it’s much more durable. Thank you for your time this evening!”

Felix moved to her side and Marinette slipped her hand into his before stepping towards the coat room. With coat in hand, the pair swept out of the ballroom to leave behind the drama of the evening.

Suddenly the room burst into chaos and Lila was escorted to a private room to wait for Gabriel to decide how to handle this revelation. He knew he would lose the respect of his peers if he kept a young woman on staff that they all knew had tried to murder another one. The cherry on that cake would be that the would-be victim is an up-and-coming designer that nearly all were considering making an offer to. It was clear to him that Ms. Rossi would be fired. Now it’s just a matter of the other clean up that would follow. Additionally, it seemed Ms. Dupain-Cheng also had a close relationship with his son, considering the show that he was putting on since they arrived. He would have to dig into his sons’ involvements with the designer's misfortunes, as that would impact how they looked to the public. There was one other aspect that Gabriel Agreste was rather certain of, one of his son’s was smitten with a good match and if they were happily married, it would help their careers immensely.

Marinette’s night out ended with a private car pulling up to her building, a kiss placed on Felix’s cheek, and her hand slipping a piece of paper with her phone number into his jacket pocket. She was pleased to find he messaged her immediately to make sure she made it into her apartment alright.

Felix was too lovestruck to sleep that night.

[godslush]

I just remembered that peculiar page in your comic where Terra grabs Jupiter by the neck and hangs him to "Find the virus that was invading his body, and would tear him circuit by circuit to find it," destroying his mask in the process. Then I remembered your headcannon that Jupiter wears his mask because any particles entering his respiratory systems were irritating to him. And I thought to myself "Did TERRA JUST DESTROY JUPITER'S MASK TO MAKE HIM SUFFER MORE WHILE DESTROYING HIM?" Ineedanswers

Okay, it wasn't quite that mean, ahaha, though there was still cruelty to the intent. Terra's still a Grade-A Jerk at that point, even without Dark Moon there to feed pain and fear to (the whole eye thing near the end was meant to indicate that, while he didn't have enough power to give it a physical form, it was still inside him, influencing him).

In Maniax (one of the few Maniax blurbs to make it to the Wiki, so I'd worked it into the narrative), Gigamix Terra's Spark Chaser is described as not only possessing incredible accuracy, but also the ability to be honed down to an invisible thread capable of a limited mind-link and thought interference. His aim was to use it to pick through Jupiter's circuits, with full intent of frying them if he found anything that displeased him, which he assumed would be the outcome from the start.

Destroying Jupiter's mask wasn't the main goal. Burning Jupiter's face was. Terra wanted to show that he wasn't making an empty threat; kind of an "any last words?" villain gesture. The mask damage was just collateral.

Funny aside: the whole bit about the mask loss wasn't in the first draft, and I didn't actually add it until about the third pass (when I'd started doing sketches), because I had so many visually 'dead' dialogue-only panels written out that I was a loss for what to do with. Having him lose the mask gave him something to fidget with and fuss over during some of those panels, so that I wouldn't have to resort to idle talking heads. Coming up with a technical reason for him to have an aversion to losing it (by far not the only reason, but that's another story for another time) provided the additional function of giving him the off-panel speaker indicating cough (which I wanted to use more but - like Venus' blubs - I kept forgetting them until I'd already posted the pages).

Just random little background things, hahaha

[aeipathic]

📝 x each of your mdzs muses plskthx -rubs greedy hands together-

headcanon meme || not accepting || @ofwindsweptpines

wei wuxian: wei wuxian doesn’t draw for a little while after his resurrection. he just doesn’t think to; the last time he drew, they were doodles for a-yuan, amusing little caricatures of the wens that he hung up on the walls of the demon-slaughtering palace at a-yuan’s insistence. with everything that followed, it’s a hobby he just hasn’t thought about in a long time. it isn’t until he discovers, in the jingshi, the drawing of lan zhan that he did back when he were teenagers, lovingly tucked away, that he thinks to do so again. he feels terribly out of practice, but starts leaving little drawings in places lan zhan will find them: a lot of bunnies, little portraits of lan zhan himself, doodles of the two of them, an unflattering caricature of lan qiren, and maybe a couple of risqué sketches as well. just ideas of things he’d like to try out, you know.

jiang cheng: jiang cheng is in the uncomfortable position of Knowing Things about lan wangji, purely because of the months they spent together at the beginning of the sunshot campaign. while i can’t say that they grew close, you don’t travel with someone for months without picking things up about them. jiang cheng knows what order lan wangji eats his food in, what brand of tea he carries with him, how he sleeps and the slight pinch in his expression when he encounters a spider. while i don’t know if they had any true heart to hearts, i imagine there were a couple of nights where they at least shared some information about each other. now, of course, jiang cheng is angry and annoyed when he Remembers Things About Lan Wangji; he wishes he didn’t know them, and it reminds him of a time when he hadn’t yet fucked things up enough for lan wangji to hate him so.

lan xichen: though of course they learned from the same master, it was lan xichen who showed lan wangji much of the basics of playing the qin when they were children. he actively wanted to do it; it felt like a very good big brother thing to do, teaching your brother, and there was a peace to the afternoons they spent alone as children, lan xichen helping his baby brother’s small hands pick out a melody on the strings. he felt like it made wangji happy to learn, even if he didn’t say so, and he liked to think he might have a hand in anything that made wangji happy. 

wen qing: this isn’t a headcanon so much as wistful thinking but just imagine the team they would make. wen qing heals the body, lan wangji heals the spirit, but they’ll both fix you with identical Bitchy Unimpressed Stares at the fact that you fucked yourself up at all. also i just think it would be cute if they gossiped about wei ying.

(okay no, additional actually-a-headcanon: wen qing doesn’t really trust lan wangji! they were on opposite sides of the war by association, and his sect did nothing to stop the torture of wen refugees. she knows wei wuxian cares deeply about him, and while she respects his power as a culltivator, she also doesn’t live to see the depth of care he has towards wei wuxian. meeting sizhui, however, and learning how lan wangji raised him, does a lot to raise her estimation of him post-canon.)

wen ning: like with most people, wen ning feels a little awkward around lan wangji, especially with his outwardly imposing presence. but he thinks highly of him, never forgetting that lan wangji spoke up for him and his sister, and knowing (or suspecting) from fairly on the position he took up in wei wuxian’s life. the thing is though that both of them are quiet people, and i think they could just Exist Silently Together fairly comfortably. maybe there are early mornings, in the time when wen ning has accompanied sizhui back to gusu and is ghosting unobtrusively around cloud recesses, where they end up in the same space just watching the sun rise.

jiang yanli: jiang yanli suspected lan wangji’s feelings for wei wuxian before anyone except lan xichen did. i’m declaring this is canon. she is a big sister and she knows these things. she also has experience in intuiting the actual feelings of taciturn boys who are allergic to expressing their true emotions. she acknowledges to herself that it may just be wishful thinking on her part, but she is sure that lan wangji cares for wei wuxian, reads his attempts to speak up for him and look after him as what they are, and respects and appreciates him for doing so.

jin ling: the first times jin ling saw hanguang-jun when he was old enough to remember it, he wasn’t quite convinced that he was a real human. he was too perfect, and too still, like he was carved from jade. jin ling wasn’t used to people who didn’t emote; his jiujiu felt things all the time and it showed on his face, and, if anything, his shushu’s expressions when talking to young jin ling were exaggerated for his benefit. so jin ling had doubts over whether hanguang-jun had feelings. when he asked jiang cheng, his jiujiu snorted and assured him that lan wangji had feelings just like any other mortal; he just thought he was above showing them. still, jin ling never quite shed this childish belief -- until the first times he saw lan wangji and wei wuxian together, anyway.

lan sizhui: when sizhui is old enough to take lessons with the other children, he comes back to lan wangji one day, reporting what he learned, and mentions that one of the older disciples told him that if he didn’t follow the rules, then the yiling laozu would come and steal him in the night. it was the first time he’d mentioned anything of the kind to lan wangji, though he’d heard people mention the name yiling laozu in passing, always as some kind of curse. lan wangji told him very firmly that the yiling laozu had been a person, not a monster to scare children with, and that one shouldn’t believe what people say in gossip or rumor. after that sizhui was careful never to use the name, though he didn’t know what it meant to lan wangji, and always kept lan wangji’s words in mind when he heard people discussing the man.

wen zhuliu: lmao he wasn’t even a muse when you sent this but as a bonus: if they weren’t on opposite sides, they’d probably be seen as fairly similar. powerful, reserved, not loquacious, and choosing loyalty to a particular person over what other people think is right. 

[mastrechef]

Here’s the intro for the reincarnation au I meant to write yesterday. I came back to this because it woke me up at 4am yesterday and I couldn’t get back to sleep until I’d typed up a rough sketch on my phone. My brain always chooses the most unreasonable times to be helpful.

Reincarnation happens all the time, although almost no one realizes it. Reincarnated souls may get an impression here or there, a niggling feeling they can’t explain. Nothing concrete enough to make the connection.

The point of reincarnation isn’t to remember, anyway. It is simply a natural occurrence. Strong souls are born anew, given another chance at life, another chance to have hopes and dreams, to experience love and loss.

One of the strange quirks of the reincarnation cycle comes into play when magic is involved. Magic is bound to bloodlines, but once a person is born into magic, it weaves itself into their soul. Any incarnation after that life, the magic will still be there, and with it the possibility of remembrance. It’s not a guarantee, but magic strengthens the bonds between past and present, and sometimes things slip through.

Nyx learns all of this from Ramuh when he is eleven years old, just shy of twelve, and he starts truly remembering.

He’d been having strange dreams for a while, of places and people that felt achingly familiar, yet he couldn’t put his finger on when or where he might have seen them. Some days he’d wake suffused with warmth, the kind he felt when he spent time with his mother learning to cook, or like when Selena was born and he held his baby sister in his arms the first time. Other days he woke in a cold sweat feeling hollowed out and drained, every good feeling and happy memory distant and out of reach.

Those days Nyx clung to his mother and Selena and Libertus until the cold and emptiness relinquished their hold on him.

Then one day, something in him cracks.

He remembers.

Like water bursting forth from the dam that kept it at bay, his head is filled with memories, old memories, from a lifetime ago. All the things from his dreams but with the gaps filled in, good and bad, and he knows. He knows those bright eyes and warm smiles belonged to his father, who laughed so joyously and loved so freely, who healed the sick and left him in awe every time, who taught him to play chess, who treated his son like he was his entire world. His father, his king, who was betrayed by the ones he trusted most for helping his people in the way he knew best. Who was then declared a monster and murdered by those same betrayers.

The betrayers which included Nyx’s uncle. The same uncle who had spoiled him rotten and affectionately called him Little Knight. The same uncle who had helped him organize a surprise party for his father’s birthday every year, who taught him to wield a sword alongside his father, who comforted him as he cried when his nana passed.

The same uncle who killed him.

Lightning streaked across the heavens and the oceans surrounding Galahd seethed in sync with his grief and agony as Nyx Antinous Ulric, who was once Nyx Estelle Lucis Caelum, remembered.

Additional tidbits under the cut

His mother must have had a gut feeling or perhaps Ramuh whispered to her, nudging her in the right direction. When Nyx had spoken to her of his dreams, she hadn’t understood them any more than him. But how else would he end up with a name like Nyx Antinous?

Ramuh’s explanation of the reincarnation cycle leaves a few questions unanswered. If people born to magic keep it upon being reborn, why are the only magic lines the Lucis Caelums and the Fleurets? (It isn’t until he learns of the Ring of the Lucii that he begins to understand. By binding the souls of the Lucian kings, not only was Bahamut influencing the entire royal line, but he was also skewing the natural order, preventing any of them from reincarnating. More than a hundred souls that could make a difference, that could potentially put a wrench in the Astral’s plans.)

When Galahd figures out what’s happened, they rally around Nyx because they remember. They know of the rightful King’s betrayal, of the murder of his only son and heir. They loathe the line of Somnus Lucis Caelum, the Usurper, the Kinslayer, with the fury of a thousand burning suns. Even more so they loathe Bahamut, the Draconian, the meddlesome King of Astrals, for his manipulations and his plots, for the curse forced upon the King. And they will not forgive. They will not forget.

Additional Notes:

-Today’s writing is influenced by Breaking Benjamin. The song Torn in Two (lyrics below) seemed fitting for Nyx and I could see Feed the Wolf as a theme for Ardyn.

Is this the way it's gotta be?

Ignite the fire inside of me

Embrace the life of tragedy

A tide of war and broken dreams

I am torn in two

Hold on, hold on

We're barely alive

I am faded through

Hold on, hold on

The fallen arise

I will fight this war for you

And let the dawn of love survive

Broken, I crawl back to life

-Slightly breaking the tradition of Latin/Greek naming conventions since Estelle is technically French, but it comes from Latin originally (also makes Nyx’s name very feminine but whatever) and I was going for a “star of the night” sort of vibe and liked the sound of it.

-As in the original post, Antinous refers to the Greek Antinous who was deified after his death; remembered as a hero or a god or both; as a god was a benevolent healer and conqueror of death.

-Don’t have a concrete age for when Nyx died, though leaning towards younger. I feel like magic would manifest pretty young but more specialized skills like Ardyn’s healing would come later. So maybe Nyx was young enough that they wouldn’t know if he’d inherited it, and Somnus killed him both because of him supporting his father and to preemptively stop him from following in his father’s footsteps. Don’t know yet if I’ll have Nyx actually inherit the healing ability.

-The ‘his king’ bit worked its way in on its own, so I’m going to go with the idea that Ardyn was crowned king, but was only on the throne a short time before Somnus killed him.

-Ramuh probably tells Nyx about what happened to Ardyn and so Nyx makes it his mission to find him again. No idea yet when or where or how that reunion will take place.

[boysfile]

▸ pairing: daehwi x reader.

▸ genre: best friends to lovers au. fluff.

▸ warnings: none.

▸ word count: 1.8k

✎ — synopsis: you lost your textbook and the only person you can borrow one from was your best friend. but you got bored in class and starts doodling all over his book.

✎ — a/n: so this is my first actual? fic post on tumblr uwu. tbh i was pretty intimidated by a lot of things while writing this but i thoroughly enjoyed the process so i hope you like it!

panic. panic was the only thing you felt. you paced around your room, desperately trying to find your chemistry textbook, but to no avail. 

the first thing you thought of was to phone your best friend, who you didn’t know if it was lucky or not that he was in a different class from you.

unlucky because you can’t goof around in class.

lucky because now you can scream for his help.

after much persuasion, he agreed. on a condition that his textbook returns to him with zero alternations. which meant no ripped pages or corners, no highlighting or pencil marks, and no spilling of coffee.

you swiftly agreed to his conditions and gave him a virtual hug through your phone screen. quickly, you packed your bag, glad that the frenzied search for your chemistry textbook is over.. for now.

when you arrived at the school, daehwi was already waiting for you at your locker, arms hugging the 5 kilograms worth of paper. you walked over to him, held out your arms, and wrapped him in a big hug. thanking him for letting you borrow his textbook. 

you hurriedly rushed to your chemistry classroom as the class had already started. the professor wrote a reference page on the board and you quickly opened daehwi’s textbook to find the page. 

upon finding the passage, you took notice of how neat and clean your best friend’s book was. nothing was out of place; pencil marks and highlighted sentences. ruler-lined tables and scaled diagrams. every single thing was for the benefit of his study. 

you looked back up at the professor, he was talking about something to do with acids and alkaline. you have no interest in chemistry, only taking it as your parents have told you to. 

basically. class was boring.

so you instinctively whipped out your pencil case, grabbed your favourite pencil, and started doodling on daehwi’s book; already forgetting about the initial promise. various small images started to decorate the white spots on the page, slowly being filled with pencil sketches of unicorns, dinosaurs, flowers and even slices of cake. as you giggled at your failed drawing of a penguin, the bell rang, signalling the end of the period.

you slowly walked to the cafeteria, hoping to avoid the crowds who were pining for the last melon bun. it’s always hellish when recess starts, students and staff alike rushing to the cafe hoping to get a single muffin. 

you went to your usual table, hand still holding daehwi’s textbook. you took out your phone, wanting to call him to tell him where you were. but before you could hit dial, you felt a gentle tug on your ponytail. you turned around and there he was. smiling at you like you were the sun itself. you could feel your cheek burn crimson from the mischievous gesture, clearing your throat, you looked at daehwi. with a playful glint in your eyes before shutting them and crossing your arms.

“you shouldn’t do that to a lady you know.” upon hearing this. daehwi froze in his spot, hoping he didn’t offend you. you looked at his stance through your eyelashes, seeing how tense he was, you relaxed your expression and chuckled. daehwi took this as a sign that he was in the clear. 

“daehwi. you didn’t do anything wrong, i was just joking with you.” you sighed out, still amazed at how seemingly wonderful your acting skills were. maybe you should consider dropping chemistry and take drama instead. 

“okay good. i genuinely thought you would dislike me…” he mumbled the last part under his breath, hoping you wouldn’t catch it. but little did he know, you have perfect hearing. so you did hear everything he said and you felt your blood rushing to your face once again. 

after a short period of silence. you looked back at the book that was still in your arms, completely forgetting the reason why you had planned to phone him in the first place. so you awkwardly stood in front of daehwi and handed him the textbook. honestly speaking, this scene felt like the cliched love letter scene. except its a chemistry textbook and not a confession letter. 

seemingly lost in thought, daehwi was slightly shocked at the sudden movement from you, only to reveal his chemistry textbook in your hands. 

after seeing his reaction to your seems-like-a-love-confession-but-its-not attempt at returning his textbook, you couldn’t hold it in anymore and started laughing out loud. scaring an already frightened daehwi.

“um.. y/n..? is there something wrong? are you okay?” your laugh continues to escape from your lungs, though you wanted to hold it in. 

“no. i’m.. fine.. totally. yeah, i’m fine.” you said through your obnoxiously loud laugh.

you then looked at daehwi again, your gaze asking him why he isn’t taking his textbook back telepathically. and he understood you, so he walked closer to you and took the weight off your arms. 

you sighed in contempt, before uttering a small “finally”. after that, you both parted ways, going back to your designated classrooms. him to chemistry and you to maths. 

little did you know. after daehwi sat in his classroom, the first thing he did was open the book. 

and he was shocked. 

no it wasn't because of the amount of doodles that covered the white spots of the paper. but rather, the subject of these doodles. he looked through his use-to-be-pristine textbook and compared it to whatever it was now. nothing but clean. every white space he could find, he would see one of your pencil doodles. unicorns, ice-cream cones, rainbows, dolphins, and even penguins were sprawled out on his book. a new universe on each page. he knew you had always kept your childish side inside yourself, not willing to let it go nor show it to others. it might be weird, but he felt proud knowing you trusted him enough to doodle all over his textbook. 

he smiled to himself. he liked it. he liked how deep you were willing to let him in, how much you trusted him. he liked how your eyes sparkle looking at waffles, he liked how a slight brush of your hand against his would send his heart flying out of him, and most importantly, he loved how oblivious you were to his obvious crush on you. 

daehwi wants to tell you. he really wanted to be able to just man up and confess how he truly feels, but his brain always find ways to stop him from doing so. multiple times he was so close, but he couldn't. and he regretted it, so so much. 

now, the both of you are stuck in the same relationship of "best friends". everyone around you could see how in love both of you were. you don't show it as much, but it's pretty obvious how head over heels daehwi is for you. 

he let out a sigh, looking back at the bulk of paper in front of him. the class continues as usual, not understanding the running contradictions inside daehwi's head as he sat in his spot, flicking through the pages to study your adorable additions to his once boring book. 

class went by quickly while he was looking at your markings on the paper and he quickly packed up when the bell rang. he had the widest grin on his face and he couldn't wipe it off. not that he was complaining. 

you noticed daehwi walk out of his classroom, and naturally, you waited for him to slowly make his way towards you. you glanced at him, not wanting him to see you eyeing him. it wasn't unusual for him to be bubbly and happy, but you've never seen such a wide and genuine grin plastered on his face before. you felt a little sad, not knowing you were the reason for his smile. 

"y/n."

you slightly flinched at his voice, it was gentle but demanding at the same time. you slowly turned around in an almost cartoon way, he saw your hesitation and smiled at you, letting you know that he was not angry.

"i really wish you would tell me that you liked doodling. and its ice-cream and unicorns and rainbows too..." you casted your gaze towards the floor, slightly ashamed at your choice of subject. but daehwi wasn't mad at you, he was far from that. he was enchanted by how your heart held on to these fantasies and lively colors, unlike his which was black and white until you came into his life. 

"i'm sorry..." your voice was barely above a whisper. daehwi continued to silently gaze at you, not saying a single thing. you looked up at him, eyes glazed over with forming tears. immediately, that sent daehwi into a panic. he rushed to you, trapping you in a bear hug. 

"shh... don't cry. i don't want to see you cry. i only ever want to see you smile." daehwi whispered in your ear, sending a shiver down your spine. daehwi slightly parted from you, creating some space in between the two of you, and moved his hand up to caress your face to look into your glossy round orbs. he could see his reflection in your eyes and he saw how worried he looked. well, what can he say? he is worried. 

he cleared his throat to hopefully gain some confidence in what he was about to do. you noticed his not-so-usual actions and looked up at him, arms still wrapped around his waist, waiting for him to say something.

"y/n? can you listen to me for a moment?" you nodded your head and hummed, hoping that it would help him get whatever he wanted to say out of him. daehwi took another deep breath, threading his fingers in your hair, and opened his mouth to speak his mind.

"the little drawings you did in my textbook is still totally uncalled for." you looked at him in the eyes, pretending to be offended by his words. he gave you a look and you retreated back into your right of course, we made a deal whoops expression. 

after a couple of seconds had gone by again, daehwi continued his unfinished statement. "but i loved it, just like how i love you." he said the second part in the tiniest font and you looked at him, shocked that this kind of cheesiness came out of his mouth. at this, you felt your face heating up again as small droplets of water rolled down your cheeks. before daehwi could even open his mouth to ask what happened, you got onto your toes and pecked him on the lips. 

"i love you too, daehwi."

daehwi was visibly flushed at the sudden contact, but he recovered quickly, pulling you close once again to indulge in your hug. the both of you had completely forgotten that you were in the middle of the school cafeteria as loud cheers were heard, shocking you as they congratulated the new couple.

✎ — masterlist

[ladyadalicialove]

Me, says I will be on hiatus and probs won’t post anything cus exams and essays

Also me: procrastinating very hard

Don't mind me just salty about the new episode and what not...also I don’t want to finish my essay.

Anyway since Chat Blanc was basically fanservice that served no significant purpose to the plot of the show other than "what if" scenarios. I've decided to share some AUs to put some good wholesome content back into the fandom. 

Also I need to write these things down before I forget....

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Previous Holder is now your Babysistter AU

(I don’t have an actual name for it lmao suggestions?)

I’ve had this one in head for a couple of months now. The premise of this AU is the miraculous doesn't just come with the Kwami but a ghost/apparition of the previous holder. Unlike the kwami's they aren't what makes the suit or have any magical abilities. Rather they are just glorified babysitters, looking after and guiding the new holder the best they can. Some are some magical rules with them though:

Only the miraculous holder and thier Kwami can see them, when they are still in their civilian forms.

 They don’t disappear when the holder transform.

When other miraculous holders are transformed they can see other holder’s apparition, but when they undo the transformation they can no longer see them. 

The holders and kwamis can touch them as if they were real, but they phase through everything and everyone else.

I liked the idea of the holders prior to Marinette and Adrien being a pirate and a sailor who fell madly in love. They unfortunately died together and never had kids so when they came back as “mentors” for two lovesick teens they adopt them so quickly.

Adrien gets Captain Noir, the most ferocious and seductive pirate of the seven seas! And she absolutely adores Adrien and quickly assumes a motherly role in his life. The captain doesn’t like that he is alone in the mansion and gives every second of her attention to him. She calls him her "big kitten" and tries to ruin Gabriel's day every second she can. She also despises Nathalie but tolerates Gorilla.

Marinette gets Commander Bug, a stoic and ever so suave solider of his majesty's Royal Navy. He is very chill and helps Marinette to calm down when she starts acting up. Since he is a high ranking soldier, he often assists Marinette in creating strategies to defeat villains in both her hero and civilian life. Tbh he is a very reliable guy and very sweet. 

Honestly the two of them basically become parents to the two lovesick teens... and I imagine the story would literally be them ready to throw hands with Gabriel and Lila. Commander bug though ever so serious, meets Lila and immediately takes on the Captain Noir’s more... vulgar traits. 

Commander Bug: Hey Marinette *nudges her* Dead men tell no tales. 😎 *makes obscene gesture towards Lila*

Marinette: FOR THE LAST TIME IM NOT MURDERING LILA

Tikki: no wait maybe he has a point

Captain Noir: Ye really need to scupper that deadbeat father of yours off the side of this building. Hey Plagg, do ye think I can take custody of Adrien??

Adrien: I’m not throwing my father off the building!! He can be nice!!

Captain Noir: Oh no ye have Stockholm syndrome... maybe I can cure it with some rum?? That always helped the new sailors who were home sick! 😱

Adrien: oh my god I’m only fourteen 😦

Plagg: *laughing hysterically* at least you can drink your woes away!!! 😂🤣

And yes they both like the Couffaines mainly because they live on a boat. 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Mythical Miraculous AU:

I wrote and planned this one before it was revealed there are multiple miraculous boxes. So in this universe let’s just say that the events of feast never happened. Prior to the “episode” Fu relinquishes guardianship and loses his memories. Let’s say there is no sentimonster that caused the downfall of the monks but rather Fu causing the temple to burn down another way. How? Maybe he left a torch unsupervised and burned the place down. Why? Idk that’s just how it’s happening now.

Anyway this AU stemmed from doing so many OC drawing requests in January. And I created seven miraculous OC's whose kwamis/concept are based on the seven virtues. They are also all based on mythical creatures.

In the story I imagined that Marinette is 17 and was giving guardianship over the miracle box some time ago. One day while messing around with it, she discovers that underneath the ying and yang centre piece there was cyclinder compartment that contained a parchment. Unrolling it had printed on it six locations along with the name of the miraculous associated.

Tikki informs her of the seven miraculous that were created as backups if the the miracle box or miraculous’ were ever stolen, lost, destroyed etc. Basically the last resort. Thus they needed to be kept out of the miracle box and in the world and always ready to defend. Hence they were given to families across Europe/Asia who promised their loyalties to the miraculous cause. 

Marinette decides since it’s summer break and she isn’t busy, to find each of them and get them to help in the fight against Hawkmoth. Tikki just rolls with it.

In no particular order these are the mythical miraculous and their holders:

London, UK ~ The Unicorn and Pegasus Miraculous of Kindness and Humility: They are currently owned by 12 year old British Twins, Iris and Ivy. They come from a rich family and only recently acquired the miraculous from their father and uncle. Ivy is all about sports and is extremely athletic, Iris prefers to read and paint. Apollo is Ivy’s kwami and he is a white unicorn, and Artemis is Iris’ kwami and is a black pegasus. The miraculous are anklets. 

Sovana - Tuscany, Italy ~ The Ogre Miraculous of Charity: Currently owned by Raphael, a 21 year old Italian guy studying Archaeology. He lives out in the Italian countryside with his parents and many siblings, he has a big family who owns a huge block of farmland. He is super kind and very charitable and received his miraculous from his Nonna. Orc is Raphael’s kwami and he is a selfish little bastard but he is huggable. The miraculous is a belt buckle.

Nice, Paris ~ The Pooka Miraculous of Diligence: Currently owned by Colette, a 25 year old French girl who is busy teaching six year olds, she doesn’t have any family as she was orphaned as an infant. She has always had her miraculous as she was left at the orphanage with it. She was unfortunately never adopted out, but she is extremely motivated individual with big dreams. Cinna is Colette’s kwami, she is quite lazy and often called Cinna-bun. The miraculous is a hair clip.

Kazan, Russia ~ The Phoenix Miraculous of Chastity/Abstinence: Currently owned by Orion, a flamboyant and arrogant 30 year old. He is extremely beautiful and a very proud man, and most would think he is a bit of a f*ckboi but nope. He is just saving himself for the right person. His father gifted him the miraculous when he was 15. Newborn is Orion’s kwami, and she is little b*tch and very stuck up. The miraculous is an armband.

Nazareth, Israel ~ The Griffin Miraculous of Patience: Currently owned by Nevaeh, a 16 year old revolutionist and active feminist. She has big ideas and big dreams that she hopes with enough dedication and patience she can achieve. Unlike the others, she received the miraculous from her dying neighbour, who was an old man in his nineties who had no children. Nevaeh may not be an intended holder but she is a brilliant one! Constance is Navaeh’s kwami, she is extremely wise and a soft speaker. The miraculous is a thumb ring. 

Seoul, Korea ~ The Sea Serpent Miraculous of Temperance: Currently owned by 19 year old aspiring pop singer Levi. Levi is extremely shy and laid back, he tends to be soft-spoken and polite.Often he dreams of being an Idol but his shy personality isn’t doing him any favours. His older brother was originally the miraculous holder but instead of accepting any potential responsibility he dumped it onto him. It was originally gifted to his brother by their mother. Sai is Levi’s kwami, he is extremely skittish and is just riddled with anxiety over the belief of the world ending. He is a bit of a conspiracy theorist. The miraculous is a fin pendant necklace.

Of course Marinette in three months convinces them all to go to Paris and stay there until the defeat of Hawkmoth. 

During her travels and time with them, she unravels the mysterious of these seven miraculous and their history. What are their abilities? Why do they specifically correlate with the seven virtues? How powerful are they? 

Ivy and Iris stemming from a rich family, rent out a lovely penthouse for the seven of them in Paris. Colette decides to be the legal guardian of the minors since she actually is French. Orion decides he is gonna be a dick. The rest are there for a good time and to kick a buterrfly's butt. And thus ensue chaos, pranks, romance and a whole lotta arguing. 

I can only imagine all the kwami’s and Marinette sitting, drinking green tea while watching these seven holders become absolute hooligans.

I already drew up concept art of them but they are not good sketches so yeah maybe I will show you guys another time.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Idk why I think this but I just figured everyone would hate AUs like this so I don’t bother posting these ideas especially if they are not fleshed out. I have so many but these are my most promising ones. 

The previous holder AU is one of my favourites because I had Captain Noir and Commander Bug’s story in my head forever. I love me some pirates. I know their whole miraculous story, like how they fell in love and why she became a pirate etc. The part where they become ghost mentors is a fairly new addition, been rolling it around for a month now and it is 100% caused by the shitty parenting via la agreste.  

The mythical miraculous one is extremely fun for me, but it was one of those AUs were I believed no one would like it so....yeah enjoy it?

If you wanna know more about each one send me an ask or send names suggestions!!

[mademoisellesarcasme]

so I just saw @catefrankie post about a dream she had and was reminded of a very vivid dream I had Wednesday-to-Thursday night (and if I snapped you the story you can ignore this, or read more for additional details I glossed over):

I found myself in a room, in charge of adjuncting some introductory English class. Classes were on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but there was a Wednesday Home Economics component about which I knew approximately nothing other than it was in my description. I had two very pushy aides/TAs who kept insisting that previous people in charge of this class didn’t bother with the Home Ec portion, but I felt rather duty-bound to know what was going on, and they insistently assured me that they had it under control, I should worry about the lecture parts. I was supposed to have a syllabus made, but I’d done zero work for it -- I think I had been thrown this gig while I was still working full-time in some other way, and hadn’t had the ability to multitask reasonably. 

So there I was, standing in some ... room ... that was less lecture hall and more “vaguely rectangular-shaped space with people standing around the sides of it like one of those whirly rides at carnivals,” surrounded by freshmen in college, who I affectionally refer to as “large high schoolers.” There were a few grownups taking this class, too, but they were oddities.

On the spot, I introduced myself to the class, gave them zero of my credentials because my credentials IRL definitely do not actually qualify me to teach an English class at the university level (I have a BArch in Architecture with a second major in Classics with Greek Emphasis, and I am currently an elementary school librarian), and apologised profusely for not having the syllabus up on Blackboard yet. I promised them that it would be up by Thursday (today was Tuesday), and came up with the sketch of it on the spot. They proceeded to complain at every mention of their having to do work for this class.

“It will have your reading list on it” “UUUGH” “You will have three tests this semester” “UUUUUUUGGGGHHH TESTS” “This is a college course, get over yourselves. You’ll also have two papers.” “BOOOOOOOOO PAPERS!!!!!” [here I raised my voice to be heard over the booing] “One will be creative, the other will be research-based.” [there were actually no boos after this comment; they all shut up and seemed to think this was reasonable] “Grammar and punctuation will count in your tests and papers” [cue collective groaning again, cue me raising my voice again] “so please let me know in your intake forms if English is not your first language” “what if we’re dyslexic?” “or if you’re dyslexic or have other major issues with the English language, so I can be lenient in my grading on your essays”

about here, time was up and they were all beginning to stand up and walk out the door -- I had the distinct impression of having stalled to fill time earlier in class, but since I was on a roll I was regretting that -- as I called “Don’t forget the syllabus will be on Blackboard on Thursday, we will not have the home ec component tomorrow but we will have it next week, I will see you again on Thursday, don’t forget your books!”

I then went home to dream- @coruscanttojerusalem and complained at him extensively: “They were so mean! I miss my kiddos!! also what the fuck am I going to assign for this class???” and he patted me on the shoulder and agreed to help me out with assignments.

it was so weird.

[veryfineday]

Saturday 23 April 1825

6 5/60

10 3/4

.. [Anne’s period] 

From 7 3/4 to 10 10/60 wrote the few last lines of the 1st end, the whole of the 2nd a great deal under the seal, all very small and close, and crossed the 1st page of my letter (began on wednesday part written on Thursday and finished this morning) to ‘madame madame Barlow, Quai Voltaire no.15, Paris’, all which read over, wafered, and directed, and gave for George to take to the post-office –

I have had no time to make extracts but it is very affectionate  say she will perhaps ssee me again before the all off[er]ed two years are expired write as if having no wish but to make her my wife §§  yet say she knows ‘the hard necessity of circumstance that clings around me now’ bid her do what is best for her own interest and for Janes §  for her sake I can forget to be selfish nay more than this abhor thought bid her ‘not sacrifice a certain good for the upncertain prospect of making happy one whose affections she had gained forever but whose hopes of happiness had waked not from their sleep of years till roused by you to live and tremble once again’ § – all this brought on by my saying I had been taken by surprise altogether tho I ought not to have been by the reappearance of her ‘old beau’ that is Mr William Bell §  said I had not the same feeling of repugnance towards him as Mr Hancock between whom to again use her aunts words il nya pas de choix  in point of gentility Mrs H[ancock] nothing beyond her bright grates in bread street but bade her not atten[d] to me but make other inquiries  said I did not mean to reflect on her taste she had seen Mr H[ancock] ‘in ignorance and at Place Vendome two reasons taken conjointly quite enough to excuse the whole thing’ –

she would not ruin me in postage – if her letters cost no more than now and she write regularly every fortnight of her life, they would only cost 47 shillings and 8 d.pence a year  a sum far greater than which I should save by the habits of economy her regard had taught me – why did she not marK the little volumes?  § Rousseaus Nouvelle Heloise  she herself was the only one to whom I would give  did she think I could now make such presents to others perhaps she would soon become what she was pleased to call ‘more rational’ without much effort  ‘you have taught me much untaught before and surely I must strangely learn that hardest science  to forget [wh]ere I can associate another with those sentiments which you have chastened and refined  there is a little sacred record in my memory that would star t up into life against me’ were I to give these too interesting volume to any other than herself – had before all this bidden her not tell me any more of her being an injury to my future prospects etc. etc. §  they we were good enough to content me I wanted nothing more than I was likely to have ‘save that most difficult to gain of all possesions a heart in unison with my own’ –

§ alluding to madame G-[Galvani] ‘They are who thinK but little or tomorrow or of yesterday – are they the happier? I doubt it much – Then are, too, who have no faith in worlds to come; who have no stay for thought to rest upon, and, with whom, it would ‘destroy their paradise’ – when ‘we go hence, and are no more seen, who ever much remembers us, save that lonely one within whose heart our shrine was raised?’ 

ThanKs for her present of the Environs of Paris – I should con it over and plan some litt[l]e excursions for us  concluded my letter with bidding her tell me everything and ‘remember it is the gentle beam of affection not the meridian blaze of intellect that makes happy the heart of your affectionately attached AL’ –

vide last wednesday page 285. no observation made on mrs. B-’s[Barlow’s] letter because I had not time – 3 pp.pages long ends, and a great deal under the seal, all very small and close – § very very affectionate ‘a diversity of objects and scenery saved you from the intense misery I have suffered’ and she goes on to describe feelings much more intense than I had ever dreampt of her experiencing for me it ended in her being ill and having a great deal of fever for which Mrs Guantlet made her take calomel etc. § ‘I became so ill I had so much fever that I composed letters in my brain to your uncle telling him that your return alone could save my child from being an orphan’ – ‘so thin am I that my rings are laid aside I kept losing them every moment’ – about the going to Edmonto[n] etc. she says ‘I know not how to express all my obligation none but yourself could have acted as you describe the invention and decision was unique and the desc[r]iption capital’ –

§ Mr William Bell her ‘old beau’ had called and sat two hours with her making it evident he would offer if he thought he had the smallest chance of being accepted § ‘when I saw him..... I asked myself is that the man who caused much a sensation in our families how altered how changed in every respect’ – ‘would that I had but one day more of your dear societyelf in this ssalon I have so many things unsaid which perhaps we may never meet with op[p]ortunity to express but to tell you truly I must have many days of your society to induce me to undergo the agonized feelings I endured the days which followed your departure I thought I was near my end not that I fear death but on my childs account not that I love you less  but that I feel satisfied you would be decidedly better provided for without the burden of my acquaintance which can only prove disadvantageous and imprudent in being encouraged I must stop op my pen for I know non [not] what my light head would scribble on to say the best thing I could do with this sheet would be to consign it to the flame my next I trust will be more rational god bless and prese[r]ve you you know all I would say adieu CMB’ thus ends the third page –

Her aunt writes that mr. de Lancey speaKs highly of me – Jane has got the SKetch booK with ‘which is extremely well bound – I never saw Jane so delighted with anything’ § – of madame G-Galvani ‘I do not Know anyone who only thinKs of the present so much as our friend – all her actions, even in respect to economy, portray the same character’.... my letter sent off from London on the monday reached mrs. B-Barlow the Thursday following (the 14th April) – and was charged 24 sols – written on my very thin French paper and wafered –

 §§ in my answer when on the subject  vide line 12 from the bottom of the last page slightly alluded to our connection none could possibly understand it but herself  said I still sighed § after happiness gone by with a sigh more deep and long than she might think ‘in the midst of occupation when the strong voice of duty and necessity call on our attention the mind may be diverted for a while but tis the hour of rest when we retire into ourselves tis then when wh fancy brings to mind what absence takes away and thought of happiness gone by disorders all the heart’ said my own room was perhaps the worst place in which to calculate my loss – in an earlier part of my letter had hoped that at all rates she would not be disappointed in me as a friend §  would have nothing to regret but my misfortune (this hard necessity of circumstance that brings around me now) nothing to reproach but my loving her too well  this would be my only fault towards her which I hoped she would forgive ‘and even its very faultiness may wear away with time for time may come when my regard maybe your own without another voice to claim it maybe your own as well from duty as from inclination §§ – in another part speaking of my regard for her calling for no sacri fice on my part my prospect were good enough  [?] and alluding to her thinking of Janes interest  ‘even pride forbids that all the sacrifice should be on one side’ meaning hers § adding ‘if you were as ssingle as I am  I should expect the same sacrifices from you I would in such a case make myself’ - 

Breakfast at 10 1/4 – came upstairs at 11 1/4 – had just written the part of my journal of today on the last page when (at 12 1/2) Cordingley said Dr. Kenny and mr. Sunderland were come (to my aunt) went down – went into the drawing room, where they were with my aunt, for 10 minutes – then waited their going, and followed them into the front stable – spoke to them for a minute or 2 – Dr. K-[Kenny] thinKs my aunt in a very weaK, suffering state – a very delicate subject to deal with – this catching – convulsive motion of the diaphragm which has come on so much within these last few days, the worst symptom – I see he thinKs her constitution much broKen –

she had a warm bath last night, and is to have one again tonight about 98º Fahrenheit – after coming up to bed last night, went down to see how Cordingley had ordered the bath – found the tub 3/2 to two thirds full of water at 170º - staid 25 minutes till Cordingley had put in cold water that reduced it to about 100, or a few degrees more – my aunt too was sitting by the lower Kitchen fire waiting all this time – very bad management – and the tub placed just under the oat bread racK

staid talKing to my uncle and aunt, and did not come upstairs till 1 3/4 – then wrote the whole of the last page which tooK me till 3 – from 3 1/4 to 5 1/4 wrote 3 pp.[pages] and the ends (tolerably close) to mrs. N-[Norcliffe] to go tomor[row] – easy chit-chat, in answer to mrs. N-’s[Norcliffe’s] letter on wednesday 3 pp.[pages] (quite full) the ends, and a good deal under the seal –

a very Kind letter – I had no time to make any observation on it on wednesday – anxious to Know that M-[Mariana] did not visit colonel BerKeley – ‘why introduce her to him at all – old as Jam, I would not be introduced to him’... § a man whose character is so despicable and well Known, that it did not want the addition of his treacherous conduct to miss Foote, to make him as I believe he is, most generally despised .... it is not the 1st trait of treachery to a female’... together with what I copied from M-’s[Mariana’s] letter in my last to mrs. N-[Norcliffe] and the remainder I have copied in this, conclude the L-s[Lawtons] did not visit him, but left mrs. N-[Norcliffe] to form her own conclusions –

§ on her 1st page mrs. N-[Norcliffe] writes ‘you and I suit very well; and, should I live and have my health next year, at this time, should much enjoy a sejour of a month in our capital (London) with you’ – answer after mentioning my uncle and aunt’s health, and saying Dr. Kenny had been here this morning to see the latter – ‘should they be well enough for me to leave them, next year, and this time, nothing would delight me so much, as a month with you in that 1st of cities, London – at all rates, I hope and trust, no flaw in your own health wil be the preventative’ –

Have asKed mrs. N-[Norcliffe] if she Knows anything of mrs. Middleton, daughter of sir William Grace, wife of Mr. Middleton of IlKley – mother of mr. Peter m-[Middleton] of StocKhill-parK who married Miss [Stourton] – wrote the above of this page read over and folded and directed my letter to mrs. N-[Norcliffe], and had just done at 6 –

Great deal of rain last night – rained from the time of my getting up, more or less, till about 3 p.m. – about 8 a.m. sent John Booth to desire nothing to be done at the foot path – no stones to be led, for fear of cutting Thomas Pearson’s field – Dinner at 6 1/2 – Did nothing in the evening – Fair this evening (vide the 4th line above)  Barometer 3 1/4 degree below changeable Fahrenheit 44º at 9 p.m. at which hour came up to bed – Reading volume 1 Rousseau’s confession and looKing at the map of England and that of France, for about an hour – E [2 dots inside] O [1 dot inside] – my cousin came just before getting into bed

[198wolf]

Home Vegetable Gardening - Planning Could Mean Everything

I am a planner. My preparation is to the point where it drives my family crazy. I want to write down everything and stick to a listing to get tasks done. I guess in the back of my head if I don't write it down I'll forget it, whatever it could be, and never finish whatever I was supposed to finish. 

I am a major advocate for expanding education of home vegetable gardening through reading posts on the topic, purchasing books or getting them out of the community library, listening to podcasts and all that great stuff. With all that information in hand there's however one book, 1 piece of paper, your PDA or iPhone, or whatever you use to do so, that is much more important than all of these and this is your garden plan.

 I believe it's imperative and necessary to maintain a garden program. This can allow you to keep it organized, understand what's planted where, which crops did well in one place so that you know what to do the next season and much more. In case you have been keeping current on your home vegetable gardening education then you are aware of the significance of plant rotation. 

Your garden plan written on your gardening journal can allow you to keep track of what you planted this year so that you don't plant the exact ones the next year. Your backyard journal will also help you when you write down the seeds you've bought, who you bought them from and how well they did. 

If they did good, which most do, then you can write that in. How you organize your ideas is all up to you. You can set it into diary/journal form with a date then an entrance near that date, you can draw images, you may keep it like a target oriented system in which you write down what you're attempting to reach for the upcoming period and then write in if it was a success or failure, etc.

The approach is entirely up to you but a very critical part of home vegetable gardening. Now, what can you use as a diary? Again this is completely your decision. I use a binder with loose leaf paper in it so that I can add to it as time goes by. When I come across something that I believe is important and will help others I will post it on my own blog or blog.

A lot of folks love the digital age and through the assistance of the blackberry's, iPhones, PDAs and other devices they are able to keep their home vegetable gardening journals like that. You may be saying to yourself that you've been home vegetable gardening for several years and have never kept a diary and that you've been very successful at it. 

While all that is true, because my dad an avid home vegetable gardener himself, keeping a journal will make you that much more successful. Your journal will provide you the capability to keep track of things that worked, that did not work, which crops did better in which place and much more. Over time, if you do not write this information down, then you may forget.

Your home vegetable gardening journal will provide you the capability to plan a successful harvest for an upcoming growing season. If you set the time and effort in to keep this diary, you and your family members can reap the benefits for years to come. 

Landscape Designs - Home And Garden Ideas

Landscape designs could be planned out in a number of different ways, and there's no wrong or right way to design your own. It is all about your dreams of the perfect view. You don't need to become a professional landscape designer to find the perfect look. 

Go ahead have a chance and be as creative as you wish with your design, incorporating many ideas to the finished product. With a little planning and plenty of creativity your dreams of a gorgeous landscape can be accomplished. The 1 thing that you would like to remember is to be certain you lay out the design of your landscape prior to breaking ground. 

To save yourself more undesirable work it would be best to draw the design out on paper . Doing this will save time and frustration by ripping out and minding your landscaping ideas. Don't be concerned if you are not an artist, a rough sketch will work. When you're planning your new front or garden the major thing that you would like to do is make certain all the plants, shrubs, or trees you're thinking about utilizing compliment each other. 

You would not want your newly assembled landscape to resemble a major selection of mismatched creations. You also wouldn't need to lower the value of your house when you're finished. The point is to add value to your house, and make it more inviting to your customers. 

An important element to great landscape designs is finding something which grabs everyone's attention, which will become the focal point in your design. You might want something that's extraordinary or maybe something easy, but finally eye catching. A few good examples are an arbor or big planter. A significant part of your landscape is functionality and accessibility. 

Remember your intent for the distance as you're designing that new look. If you're somebody who utilizes that specific area regularly for family gatherings, then you may wish to keep the space open and comfortable for your visitors. If the space you're creating is employed for a peaceful getaway, then your design should comprise less space with more calming features like plants and flowers. 

Another terrific way to bring peacefulness and focus to your area is to include water gardens or ponds. If you're wishing to put in one of those magnificent eye catchers, you need to shop around and get the best thought and products that match your circumstance. 

There are various resources written on this topic, and also lots of professionals and places to help you chose the best product for your design. Bear in mind that there may be more maintenance for this, depending on how you proceed with this. There are a number of other excellent places to find even more great ideas. Browsing in a magazine, books, or on the internet are excellent places to begin. 

You can also look at other landscaped designs that will assist you come up with that perfect design you're trying to find. You might want to take pictures of different designs throughout your community and integrate your favourite looks into a magnificent design. Speak with your neighbors if they have something in their yard that you envy. 

If you're thinking about designing and building the landscape yourself remember to leave yourself time for creativity. You will undoubtedly consider things to add when you're partly through the project. By taking the extra time you may make your house into a place which you may enjoy, and show with additional pride knowing that you made it yourself. The last thing you need to think when you're finished is that you just wish you could have added something else. 

[uterusclub]

The very moment we discovered Moulin Rouge was being made into a stage production, we KNEW we had to see it! Unfortunately, the debut occurred in Boston, which well, was expensive to fly to, but we were also, unsure of the ‘reviews’ for the show. It was decided, thereafter that whence it went to Broadway in NYC, we would make the trek. Thus, our adventure begins . . .

Our kick-off to NYC was not without it’s complications. My parents, fortunately, informed us that ‘work’ was being done on the blue line and therefore, offered a ride to an open station with which to catch the ‘el to the blue, then orange line (damn you Southwest for being so damn far). Rousing at 2:30 a.m. was fairly delirious due to Christmas Eve-ed sleep but we rallied as best we could and eventually arrived at Midway Airport with approximately 1/2 hour until boarding. It is at this point; we thanked the transportation Gods or rather, ourselves, for being pre-check TSA members as we quite literally waltzed through security in a matter of minutes. Booyah! Chicago to New York travel time is not terrible – approximately 2 hours. We amused ourselves by using the on-flight, Wi-Fi entertainment to watch Crazy Rich Asians, which was good enough to pass the time.

Off the plane and on our way to public transportation, I left all the work to Sharon who had watched a video about catching buses from the airport to travel into the city. First step, get a ticket to catch a bus to a connecting bus/train. Next – get on appropriate bus to take us to . . . oh wait – is this the correct bus? Yep, immediate confusion. Sharon’s phone kept re-routing which caused her ultimate reaction to be ‘let’s just go one more stop’ as we could see our pinpoint on a map begin to divert from our destination. Long story short, we got off in, who knows where, and caught an Uber already housing a very nice couple who bid us well in our travels once they departed.

We were dropped off at our first, essential stop – a gift and luggage store in Times Square to relieve ourselves of our burdensome baggage. Sketch-tastic to say the least but the concern grew less worrisome as we noticed a multitude of said shops along the streets of Times Square. Luggage-free, we headed to our first endeavor: Madame Tussauds Wax Museum! There was quite a line outside but surprisingly, it moved along quickly and we entered without a hitch (thanks Groupon). Naturally, we grabbed a bunch of awesome pictures – despite the fact that I was unfamiliar with a good portion of the figures we observed. It was delightful surprise to see a commemoration of Cats since we’d seen the production recently (refer to previous blog), however the best part of the entire exhibit was most definitely the Phantom of the Opera shtick where you could pretend you were singing as Christine and also stand/sit on a fake chandelier! Let me not forget the mirror maze as well which, at one point, I lost Sharon and careened into glass with my phone on several occasions.

Following our wax museum adventure, we walked next door to the conveniently situated Ripley’s exhibit (again, thanks Groupon). Now I’ve never, personally been a huge fan of these since I don’t care to reach much but I guess this is a Sharon nostalgia thing. In any case, it was pseudo interesting. We took a few pictures and Sharon disappointingly found a Zoltare machine that provided no physical fortune. There was a cool, trippy, tunnel in the middle of the exhibit, which was cool for a minute but nothing to write home about (irony). Towards the end of our walk through, it became pretty apparently that we were both STARVING. We had made reservations at a little French restaurant down the street; however, we were a bit early but proceeded there anyway.

Le Rivage was our first food stop for our trip! I did minimal research on this place but based on location, reviews, and the fact that they did a show pre-fix meal option, was pretty much sold. We were both pleasantly surprised that the restaurant appeared casual and ‘classic’ – if that makes sense. This place was definitely not ‘hopping’ and had a more ‘old-school’ feel to it that we both dig. Upon being seated at our table, I noticed a can-can picture in an adjoining seating area and made my way over there to grab some pictures. We pre-faced our meals with mimosas and indulged in a French Onion Soup Burger and Boeuf Bourguignon – both DELICIOUS! Swooning in culinary satisfaction, it was now time to get MORE physical uncomfortable. Up to this point, I have failed to mention our ingenious plan on packing our Moulin Rouge-designated outfits in our purses. A much-debated discussion, it made much more sense to dress sensibly for the plane ride and then change into said outfits right before the show – especially since mine involved a tulle skirt and corset! Post-meal, we both took turns walking downstairs to the restroom to change. I’m not sure how Sharon’s transition went but it was quite the production getting in a corset and tulle shirt in a tiny, bathroom stall. Once I excited the stall and begin adding my accessories at the sink, an older lady entered and quite literally gawked at me. She complimented me and just continued to stare before mentioning that she’d heard the producer of the movie Moulin Rouge raved that the stage production was ‘spectacular.’ Transition complete, I headed upstairs to rejoin Sharon and was met with silenced stares all around the dining room. Quite honestly, I did NOT think the outfit was THAT unusual. It probably didn’t help that I was filming the entire area for the duration of the stare-down. Almost felt like I should have choreographed something as part of my exit! Next time.

Get-ups secured, we were now set and ready for Moulin Rouge situated just about a block or two down the street. It was about an hour til show time but upon arriving at the Al Hirschfield Theatre, there was already a line down the block. For the next 40ish minutes, we stood in line with beaming hot sun and bellowing scalpers antagonizing our wills to live. At one point, I peered into the restaurant we stood outside of and saw a girl conveniently dressed in what I’d consider Moulin Rouge attire. She would eventually be seated nearby us like some groupie conspiracy. Once inside the theatre, complete chaos ensued. Sharon immediately went to grab some very expensive sippy-cupped drinks while I perused the gift-shop area – convinced I would pay anything for something Moulin Rouge-inspired. But a $100 hoodie was not in my budget. So I opted for a magnet. When we finally entered the seating area, our minds and eyes were BLOWN! The stage was BEYOND gorgeous! I was most impressed and grateful that everyone was allowed to take as much video and pictures as they liked – although that eventually became annoying when we attempted to take a selfie with no one in the background (impossible)! We received MANY compliments on our outfits and ended up sitting towards some like-minded Moulin Rouge fans who raved about it being their favorite movie. As the minutes neared show time, performers began slowly slinking about the stage in scantily clad outfits – staring Legolasy at the audience.

Once the show was underway, it was magic – but with some drawbacks. Sharon and I would later have a full-blown, extended conversation about the show but to summarize our feelings on it, it could have been better or perhaps, different. As purists, we honestly just wanted a replication of the movie on stage. This, was not as such. The main story line was there, sure, but the adaptation felt a bit forced – almost TOO much freedom was taken with it, I fear. To be more specific and assuming you’re familiar with the movie, the original does throw-backs to a few contemporary songs. This show took that concept and multiplied it by a thousand ie there were a lot MORE snippets of a lot more RECENT songs which, again, I feel lost any sense of integrity. Every time a throw-back clip was initiated, audience members laughed in recognition, which to me, makes a mockery of the movie. Sharon internally lost her shit when Satine began singing Katy Perry’s ‘Firework’ and I couldn’t agree more. I wont knock it and say there weren’t SOME good additions – for instance, Christian singing Gnarls Barkley’s ‘Crazy’ but all in all, it didn’t work for either of us and I’m fairly sure we were the only ones in the theatre feeling that way.

With a slightest defeatist attitude, we made our way back to the gift and luggage store to re-burden ourselves with our belongings. It was at this point, Sharon realized one of the wheels on her luggage bag was defective and not moving. Scraping her back down the street, she ultimately began carrying her entire case in her arms like a massive, dumb baby. While we were, fortunately, not going too far, the walk, still in our uncomfortable outsides, felt long. We eventually arrived at our next stop: Bibble & Sip which is an ADORABLE coffee/tea/pastry shop that is Alpaca themed! With the combination of luggage frustration and scrunchiness, Sharon remained in the distance while I got in line to grab some goods to go. I opted for a Good Luck Hazelnut Alpaca dessert and Black and White Mouse cake which were, oh my god, AMAZING!!

Our desserts weren’t consumed until we arrived at our Airbnb which again, was trekked to under blistering heat, faulty luggage and air-constricting clothing. But we made it! Sharon had found this joint situated at 50th and 3rd Avenue in East Manhattan. The ‘renter’ was a Japanese man who, based off of the amount of signage and locks on things, appeared to be a bit OCD but it tolerable. We had a bed and couch, ability to access a/c and well, minimal tv capabilities. All in all, not a bad set-up and for the price and location, no complaints! After arriving, we changed and ‘regrouped’ for a minute before deciding NOT to venture out for a late-night, rooftop silent-disco we had acquired tickets for. Instead, we decided to slum it for the remainder of the evening – and by ‘slumming,’ I mean grabbing drinks and getting some dinner.

During the course of our very, extensive research, one of us had come across a place called Ophelia Lounge that was conveniently located a few blocks from our Airbnb. We headed there for a celebratory, evening drink and were very impressed with the elevated view, delicious cocktails and unpretentious hospitality! We had only wished it had been later in the evening for an even more spectacular, night view. Following our drinks, we attempted to pre-order our food for pick-up but the restaurant we called was busy so we walked over to Hide-Chan for ramen that I’d read wonderful things about. The restaurant was confusingly situated next to another Asian restaurant that we accidentally venture into first. We then headed next door to the ascending stairway at which time, the hostess informed us they didn’t do ‘take away’ requests. Huh. Odd. We then asked if the adjoining restaurant was there was well but couldn’t exactly make out the response but upon going next door, the men was most definitely, NOT ramen. We then decided it was in our best interest to hike back UP the stairs and just eat there and I’m very glad we did. This was the first time I’d ever seen/ordered garlic butter edameme and it was AMAZING! This was also the first time I’d been asked about the firmness level and shape of my noodles. In any case, food was STELLAR. My only complaint would be the SUPER boisterous, young Asian men seated next to us who were having the time of their LIVES! Ramen in bellies, we headed home and passed the eff out. Day one = complete!

The next morning, we roused fairly early with plans of walking to Central Park, which was about 30 minutes away. After heading out, we grabbed coffee at a Dunkin Donuts and made our away to Central Park Zoo to see their red pandas and penguin feeding. The zoo, while quaint, was comfortable and their employees, very helpful. While in line for our tickets, Sharon inquired if there were any bats and were told yes! Making our rounds once inside, we up the bats first which was nothing short of a glassed, dark room with flittering figures. At one point, I asked Sharon to use her phone flashlight to see if the bats were hanging on the ceiling and sure enough, they were! Walking clock-wise, we hit up the red pandas next but sadly, saw nothing. We continued on our way to came across the seals that were super adorable and rambunctious. We then circled back to the red pandas and were pointed out one, hidden and barely moving, shrouded in foliage. Our last stop off was the children’s petting zoo, which contained guess what – an Alpaca – and some sheep’s that were cool. Sharon was offended the Alpaca walked away from her after supplying some food.

After our fill of animals, we now headed through Central Park in order to see Belvedere Castle. On the way, Sharon bought a hot dog from a vendor who attempted to up-charge her. She was offended with both the hot dog and the altercation. Once we reached the castle, we were both pretty underwhelmed. The joint was swarming with people and it was a clusterfuck attempting to ascend the narrow, winding staircase to get to the view-top. Continuing on our way through the park, we were now headed towards Astro West Fine Minerals, Fossils and Meteorites shop, however finding an exit out of the park became problematic. We kept walking, soaked in our own, hot juices, for what felt like forever. On several occasions I suggested scaling the walls in order to reach actual ‘street.’ And of course, once we asked where an exit was, it was a few feet ahead of us.

Making our way to the streets, we eventually found Astro West Fine Minerals, Fossils and Meteorites, which, our sole purpose was to split a geode for a souvenir. I had called the shop a few days prior to inquire if they had an ‘abundant’ available since I’d read complaints about them being out of stock. When we arrived, there were maybe 15 available – all ugly blobs situated inside a marked barrel. I selected one based off solely based on its symmetry and we watched the machine in action that was really just a glorified saw. Once split, the attendant showed us the inside which he described as a ‘light blue.’ I’d describe it as a bunch of bullshit, personally. Definitely NOT worth $25. But I guess you win some, you lose some.

Next on the agenda was Grand Central Station. Arriving in style via Uber, we immediately made our way upstairs to the Campbell Bar, which is allegedly haunted. Our bartender was pretty awesome and gave us some free shots. The decor was outstanding. To keep on schedule, we then headed back downstairs to find the Jacque Torres Chocolate shop on ground level. On our way, I caught an amazing ceiling in my peripheral view and followed it to an outstanding, horoscopial view! We then continued on our original journey, found the chocolate shop and nibbled on some free samples before grabbing another Uber for our next venture!

Remember Stomp? Yes, I know, it’s definitely been a minute. I haven’t thought or heard of it in a very long time but it is most definitely alive and kicking! I should know. We bought tickets. I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect with this show – not that I wasn’t familiar with the basis for the show – but the longevity of its existence made me a bit leery. When we arrived, we were told no photos or videos were allowed. Ok, fine. We took our seats at the far, back end of the theatre but were eventually upgraded for ‘good behavior’ to the second row! Once the show began, I was in COMPLETE awe. I think that a good portion of the show, I was imagining myself a part of it – like, I actually started considering trying to audition for it! I was blown away by the talent and attitudes of all the performers. Everyone appeared to be having such a good time with each other but also as solo performers. Talk about an inspiration! Next time you’re in NYC, definitely make a point to see the show!

Just around the corner from Stomp was our highly anticipated dinner reservation at Beetle House! Which reminds me, I dressed for the occasion – ie I bought and wore green, light-up suspenders for a good portion of the day. In any case, we were far too early upon arrival and as such, loitered outside the restaurant a bit. Eventually we were let in and seated. The restaurant was cool, yes, but very tiny and a bit understated for what I had anticipated. We had both seen video clips promoted the restaurant that entailed costumed performers. We saw none of this, which sure, it was still relatively ‘early’ but nonetheless, the emo-inspired work staff didn’t really convey much of a Burton feel to me. Our meal option was a pre-fix appetizer and main course that we were both pretty underwhelmed with. We did order some cocktails, which apparently all come with dry ice for major points for smokey drinks! All in all, disappointed. I’d go back – but only for the drinks.

Following our dissatisfied meal, we then took a transit-commute from hell in hopes of reaching Brooklyn. After being given opposing directions from pedestrians and Sharon’s wonky, ever-changing GPS assistance, we eventually ended up at a witch store and then eventually at Urban Jungle  – a thrift store. Again, unimpressed with this underwhelming Ragstock wanna-be, we continued onto Brooklyn Cider House. This place, well, seemingly pleasant, left us wanting in terms of customer service AND cider. Our waiter was less than helpful with recommendations and most of the drink options appeared to be ‘dry.’ As our spirits continued to dwindle, we then headed to the bookend for the evening – Theatre XIV for burlesque! And if you haven’t yet caught the trend, we were again, far too early to be admitted so we walked down the street to a bar called the Johnson for some $6 ‘Painkillers’ ie. frozen, pina colorado concoction. Four drinks later and claw-machine defeated, we were buzzed back to a state of satisfaction. Making our way back to the theatre, we entered and marveled at the Fifty Shaded Wonderland surrounding us.

Adorned to the nines, this show, Queen of Hearts, was eccentric, to say the least! I have NEVER seen such a mind-boggling burlesque show in my LIFE! There were obvious, classically trained dancers involved, not to mention, MANY male performers. Dancing, singing, hooping – there was no end to the extravagances our eyes beheld. Speaking of, we spent a good portion of the show staring at the couple seated in front of us which entailed a very uncomfortably, molesty dude who we could only assume, was sloppy rich. We discussed trying to corner his companion in the bathroom to find out what the deal was but we were both far too lazy. Sharon bought me an expensive, gingery cocktail that was god-awful. We followed up the rest of the night’s consumption with canned ciders from which we both got pretty blitzed! While we awaited our Uber, we saw the aforementioned creepoid with his girl being photographed by police officers. We can only begin to wonder whatever came of them but I’d be very confident picking him out of a lineup. For the duration of our Uber ride home and still beaming from booze, we spent the entire ride arguing over the virtual trivia game situated in the backseat area. Sharon doesn’t recall giving me bad/wrong answers and/or giving me crap for being incorrect but it was boisterous and most likely, very annoying, fun.

Ah, good o’ hungover Monday. Yikes! With a slightly rough-start to the morning, we took our time getting ride in order to avoid the hectic, rush-hour commuter traffic. After pre-GPSing our route, we successfully public transited to Supermoon Bakehouse for some blueberry and Pomegranate croissants! Sharon was mind-blown by this place – simply based on not only the aesthetic peel of their goods but also, the deliciousness! High recommendations for this joint – although, I’d suggest taking your food items to go since the tables and chairs were that of children.

Continuing our route, we now headed towards what would appear to be Chinatown for a confusing stop-off at a gorgeous, Jewish Temple museum called Eldridge Street. I’d literally come across this place during research and noted that Mondays were their pay-what-you-can. Being non-religious and certainly non-Jewish, my interest was all about the glorified ambience and were were NOT disappointed. There was a calm, safe, feel to the temple. Definitely one of the more beautiful things I’d high recommend when visiting NYC.

Next on the roster? Catacombs! Oh but wait, this isn’t what it sounds like, unfortunately. The description was giving us Catacombs by Candlelight, which we both assumed, would somehow involve ghosts. This was not as such. We were met with quasi-interesting, New York history involving politicians and rich families that were memorialized in the underground passageways. The highlight of the tour was the Australian couple we spoke with briefly about koalas – duh. I’m sure under different circumstances (not tired, hung-over, bored, hot, wanting ghost stories), one would find this tour highly interesting (my mother) but ‘twas not as such. The tour even ran a bit over-time so we bounced early to catch an Uber to our lunch at Thai Villa.

I researched this restaurant and loved it solely based on its gorgeousness. Unfortunately, we caught this place during the boisterous, lunch rush and weren’t entirely able to enjoy any sense of calm. We could barely speak due to the deafening sound – including the pretentious, vapid couple next to us. I did not enjoy my pai thai but was also suffering from post-laxative discomfort, to be fair. We ate as quickly as possible and headed out towards the next item of our agenda: Rose Wine Mansion.

Once again, with reservations at 2pm and us far too early, we killed a minute or two buying an I Love New York, pink onesie for Bear (yeah, yeah, he loves it) from a souvenir shop before standing restlessly in line for admittance.

When we were finally hustled in, accompanied by an ear-drum throbbing, security alarm, we took an elevator to the entrance of the exhibit. As we were basically the first people in ‘line,’ we got first dibs on every single room. We also didn’t care too much about the ‘interactive elements’ of most rooms, which killed a lot of time. We pressed on fairly quickly as we are want to do, indulging in our favorite, Cleopatra-endorsed red wine, Banfi Rosa Regale. Case in point, we drank some last night (8/2/2019) as you can buy it at Binny’s (SO good)! Other than that and taking a bunch of free photo-booth pictures post-exhibit, it was a quick in and out for us.

Making our way down the street, we stopped off at the free Houdini Museum situated, strangely, inside a high-rise building. The ‘museum’ was quite small, though we were told it was the second largest in the world. We took a once-around stroll while some magic nerds exchanged card tricks in the center of the room. Disinterest in tact, we caught another Uber with a delightful, Asian man who almost got pulled over for running a light but played off his foreignness to get out of it and eventually showed me his uncompleted dragon tattoo. He dropped us off near Enchantments – an occult store we’ve previously ordered, personalized candles. The store was awesome – cute, black kitties sleeping and hilarious, witchy employees who seems very down to earth. We requested personalized, carved candles and hung out for the duration of their creation. Once obtained, we headed over to one of the many bars on our roster for the afternoon: Mother of Pearl. Hawaiian-themed, this joint, wasn’t, again, open when we arrived so we pre-drank at a hookah lounge down the street. Once we re-attempted Mother of Pearl, was ordered their well-known ‘Shark attack’ drinks which I found unimpressive. I also can’t recall what type of alcohol they entailed but definitely, not my jam. Our bartender though, was pretty awesome.

The evening continued with an Uber back to where we had been for the Rose Mansion for two more bars: The Magic House Rooftop Bar & Lounge and The Fleur Room. Now the Magic House Rooftop Bar & Lounge sounded and looked very impressed from the videos I’d watched. There’s rotating carousal seats, mini-golf and an awesome view. But in all reality, the in-person was not up to snuff. All the carousal seats were ‘reserved,’ the ‘mini golf’ consisted of maybe four rounds revolving around sexified animal statues and the drinks were, well, at least mine, expensive and just terrible. Waste of time and money – not to mention all the effort to actually get UP to the joint! Security is completely elaborate and unnecessary – I felt like the goddamn FBI was running the entire thing! Not a fan. Next up – The Fleur Room. To be fair, we were both kind of at our wit’s end at this point in time. Once we made our way up to the bar, again, beautiful, poshy views and the decor was GORGEOUS but after looking at the drink menu, I just couldn’t do it. I was super over the expensive, elaborate drinks that sounded and inevitably, tasted like garbage. Maybe I’m not sophisticated enough to get the appear or maybe these places are just trying too hard. Either way, we refused to spend more money on drinks we’d end up hating and just took our necessary pictures and videos to supply to ya’ll.

As our final stop-off and NOT on our original agenda (we cut a bunch of stuff), Sharon researched a pizza joint nearby our Airbnb for an easy, chill dinner at the home front. She came across Patsy’s Pizzeria. I called in a large, garlic and cheese pizza for pick-up during which time; a lovely Jamaican woman named Diana who complimented my tattoos and pants accosted me. This woman kept on talking about her brother being a dance choreographer and professional in Milwaukee and eventually tried to network us. I gave minimal interesting and effort in the exchange on account of exhaustion and hunger. Eventually, pizza was on hand and we made it back home to consume said pizza that was actually pretty decent.

Our final day in NYC was quite a doozy. We woke up fairly early and again, killed time to avoid the rush hour, commute traffic. Luggage in tow, we caught some pre-GPS-ed public transit to NYC’s Magic Jewelry to get aura photographs. After once again, standing in line, waiting for the place to open, a little crowd began to form behind us. Eventually, one snap and a brief explanation later, we were done! Side note: Sharon is now obsessed with purchasing the equipment to start her own business. We then walked over to the nearby Ghostbusters Fire Station that became a clusterfuck due to the gapping tour crowd and the fact that the firehouse is ACTIVE. We stood and waited for a truck to pull into it before snapping a few pictures and heading immediately away.

After once again, catching pre-GPS-ed public transit, we now headed towards of lunch-stop: Cafe Colette. This place got awesome reviews and also had beautiful pictures of the inside. When we arrived, the staff obligingly took our luggage from us for storage. I was once again, underwhelmed by the atmosphere, however, the food was definitely on point! Sharon apparently ate some orgasmic chicken sandwich while I consumed some delicious, fish tacos. We were both quite satisfied. Trudging along with our luggage we continued on our way to the Williamsburg Hotel for their Hightea Teapot cocktails we’d seen advertised videos for. When we arrived at the bar, our bartender, Angelo, advised that it was not available during weekdays. After a polite plea by Sharon, he agreed to make us a cocktail anyway which we shared and was MOST delicious! With time to kill and dessert on my brain, I suggested we find a place for dessert. Sharon quickly googled a nearby French pastry shop by the name of Caprices by Sophie. We shared a delightful, chocolate éclair before ultimately deciding that we should forgo any additional, scheduled plans and head straight to the airport.

One very long Uber ride later, we were at LaGuardia several hours early for our flight. Once we again, fast-tracked through security via Pre-check TSA and began to get settled, Sharon noticed our flight had been canceled! And queue confusion and anxiety. Never have I had this happen to me before. As we had already checked into our flight, I was unable to attempt a reschedule on my phone. We ended up lining up at the Southwest desk in order to speak with an attendant. Throughout the chaos, we realized there was an earlier flight boarding for Chicago. With attempts and determining if the flight was booked, Sharon called Southwest and was told, they could not advise as such. We were, safe-net, booked into a later flight that would eventually connect in St. Louis with an arrival in Chicago at midnight; however, we were still hoping to hope on this flight about to leave. Eventually, amidst the chaos and confusion and annoying and anxiety, we were allowed onto the earlier flight home which, with it’s own delays; brought us home at approximately the same time we were originally scheduled to arrival. The hellish commute involved sitting on the runway for takeoff for god knows how long and my discomfort with a very antsy, obnoxious, Alabamian seated next to me. Despite the very, very long commute, the dadness grabbed us at the Montrose blue-line, accompanied with Bear whose distress meowing ironically comforted me. When we reached our wonderful, sweet, home, we showered to rid ourselves of the New York stink, downed some food and barely absorbed some background television.

It’s crazy to think about how fast-paced Chicago is and yet, New York feels even faster! Or perhaps it’s the abundance of things and people and the distance between places that makes it feel so much more arduous. It could also have to do with our inclinations of packing in as much funness as possible into every single trip. Regardless, Chicago was most definitely missed. We were a part of you, New York, New York, but you can keep your hot, street garbage.

Where the Streets Have Hot Garbage The very moment we discovered Moulin Rouge was being made into a stage production, we KNEW we had to see it!

[dpencilpusher]

Best of the Year 2016

Another year, another super late Best of the year list Here's the posts for 2013, 2014, and 2015, so you can see the stuff I liked with respect to what came out in those years. As usual, I'm no pro reviewer and this list is far from being all inclusive so if there was something cool you liked you can sound off in the comments below.

Movies Deadpool Captain America: Civil War Kubo & the 2 Strings The Big Short Arrival Queen Of Katwe Moana Star Wars: Rouge One Zootopia Hidden Figures

Arrival is the best out of this list and very good space-themed sci-fi seems to be clinching that spot pretty frequently. Civil War was the most exciting and has heaped plenty of coal into the hypetrain for Spiderman: Homecoming and Black Panther.

TV Stranger Things Designated Survivor Billions Luke Cage Atlanta Black Mirror Westworld The Good Place

Despite sci-fi & fantasy being my favorite genre, Designated Survivor and Billions kept me hooked more than Stranger Things and Westworld did (I'm surprised myself). Falling short on sitcoms/comedies yet again; honestly, I don't understand.

Music

Albums Coloring Book - Chance the Rapper Junk - M83 The Human Condition - Jon Bellion Leo Rising - Karmin Stillness In Wonderland - Little Simz We Got It From Here... Thank You 4 Your Service - A Tribe Called Quest /W:/2016ALBUM/ - Deadmau5 Telefone - Noname Rare - PJ

Singles Kill 'em with Kindness - Selena Gomez Can't Stop The Feeling - Justin Timberlake Never Forget You - Zara Larsson & MNEK No Money - Galantis 24K Magic - Bruno Mars This Is What You Came For - Calvin Harris ft. Rihanna False Prophets - J. Cole Want You - Yemi Alade Make Me Like You - Gwen Stefani Mama Said - Lukas Graham Borders - M.I.A. Cheap Thrills - Sia Pree Me - Burna Boy Ultralight Beam - Kanye West ft. Chance the Rapper, Kirk Franklin, Kelly Price, The Dream All these are usual suspects. Ultralight Beam isn't an official single, but too good to leave out.

Tech Microsoft Surface Studio Electric Skateboards (Boosted Boards, ZBoard, InBoard M1, etc.) Nike HyperAdapt 1.0 Tesla Solar Roof Roli BLOCKS The Tesla Solar Roof hopefully becomes the standard in home-building in the nearest future; and just like 2015's presentation of the Powerwall (which has since been updated), this made me so emosh. The Surface Studio is gorgeous and the idea of an all-in-one + on-screen drawing tablet is brilliant and is apt for it's name, also fits in line with the Surface Pro; unfortunately many reviews have been disappointed with the drawing/writing experience which is surprising since they don't have the same gripes with drawing & writing on the Surface Pro. Electric skateboards are 2016's "hoverboards" (shudders) and in keeping up with Back To The Future, there's self-lacing sneakers from Nike. The Roli Blocks are like a mobile electronic music studio and can replace a MIDI controller + computer with them and an iPhone/iPad.

Apps Pokémon GO (Android, iOS) Quartz News (iOS, Android) Houseparty (iOS, Android) Tribe (iOS, Android) Read Scripture (Android, iOS) Figma (web) Affinity Designer (Mac, Windows) Adobe Experience Design (Mac, Windows) SketchBook Motion (iPad)

Pokémon GO was a phenomenon! It got people to go out side and is one of the best online-offline integrations since Foursquare & Gowalla in 2009. It's sorta sad that the enthusiasm as waned. Quartz did something unique by giving news in an Instant Messaging format. I've tried many RBT (Read Bible Through) programs and Read Scripture is the one that’s gonna get me through; it's got illustrations and video commentary from The Bible Project that bring to fore the whole narrative. I crossed out Tribe because they’ve since pivoted from augmented messaging (linked) to being just like Houseparty. Then the Sketch competitors came out in full force and with Windows versions!

Games I Am Setsuna (PS4, PS Vita, Switch, PC) Final Fantasy XV (PS4, XBox One) Fire Emblem Fates (3DS) Epistory (Win, Mac, Linux) Uncharted 4 (PS4) Overwatch (PS4, Xbox One, PC) Adventures of Mana (Android, iOS, PS Vita) Firewatch (PS4, PC, XBox One) Ratchet & Clank (PS4)

While SquareEnix veered significantly form traditional JRPG gameplay with FF XV they used Setsuna to hold on to those roots; it's refreshing to see turn-based JRPG present day. I don't like online multiplayer or FPS but Overwatch is amazing; the art style, characters and colorfulness AND the gameplay are totally fun. I was beginning to think we'd never see another triple-A platformer but then came Ratchet & Clank.

Football Oghenekaro Etebo Alex Iwobi

Give it up for the Naija boys

Cars Tesla Model S (2016) Honda Civic (2016) Chevy Volt (2016)

The Model S is here again for the simple reason that the grill (or lack thereof) looks way better. That plus the Autopilot and stupendously fast P100D. While the Civic is a pretty basic car, the styling of this one makes it look fancier, plus it's got great reviews. And though I'm not fond of American cars, the Volt has been a welcome addition to the Hybrid/EV wave, with this 2nd gen looking sleeker than the first. Can't wait till all my fave cars are all electric. Spoiler Alert: Tesla Model 3 will be my fav car of 2018.

[yoshizawaaamiki-blog]

headcanon meme

“♡ + birthday, + collection, + alcohol” - @riotingvines

(ooc: i did not intend for this to get this long but i ended up word vomiting for the alcohol headcanon so here it is in a separate post??? cos i really need to format it and put it under a “read more” jiaodncaond but im really having fun with this headcanon meme though omg)

birthday Somewhat answered here, but here’s a little more.

Miki always liked spending her birthday in the company of family and friends. She wasn’t the type to throw a big birthday bash, but she enjoyed doing something special as much as the next person does—going to get a good meal, going to karaoke, seeing a movie or a concert. The day after her birthday was always reserved for self-reflection on the year that has passed and the year that is to come. She is a firm believer of “new year new me”, and strives to do something differently every year. For her 23rd birthday, she told herself that within the year, she would move to Tokyo. She had achieved that, and now that she is approaching her 24th, it was time to make a new goal. Maybe, just maybe, she would work to open her heart up more to other people.

collection

Miki had never been good with words, so she did the next best thing she could, which was to draw everything and anything that came to mind. A chest filled with sketchbooks sits under her bed, filled with visual journal entries dating back to her middle school days. If she ever let you take a peek into these sketchbooks, you’d essentially have seen into her mind and her memories. She keeps an extremely close watch on them.

“Today I went to the park with Reina and Koji,” a sketch of the duck pond. “I got my first pair of earrings today,” a sketch of her own ear. “This is Shimoda-sensei,” a sketch of a bespectacled man standing in front of a blackboard. And another of him smiling and waving. A ragged edge remained where the next page was supposed to be. The sketch that originally was there was one that she did while staring out to the track and field court from the art room window. Shimoda-sensei liked jogging after school, and while she kept her distance from the gaggle of girls that always gathered around the track to “support” him, she still watched. On graduation day she had, on impulse, tore the page out from her sketchbook and handed it to him after the ceremony without having the guts to actually say anything. He accepted it graciously, with the gentle smile that was always on his features. “I’m excited to see how far you’d go,” he had said. She grew wings in that instant, willing them to carry her as far as they could.

By the time she returned to visit campus a year later, he had gone.

New faces filled the sketchbooks after that. College friends, family she misses, Tokyo skylines. A half burned sketchbook sits amongst the rest of the intact ones, yet to be thrown out. If you were to ever take a look in there, you’d see the sharp profile of a young man’s face—smiling, laughing, focused, asleep… Whether she chooses to reveal her sketchbooks to a person is heavily dependent on how much she trusts them. It’s her soul she’d be baring, after all.

alcohol

The first time Miki had a proper beer to herself was in 3rd year of high school, a couple of weeks before graduation, sitting on the rooftop of an apartment complex with the group of friends that she had grown up with since they were little kids running around their parents’ shops along the shopping street. It was a classic manga moment; she could hardly believe how much art imitated life in that moment. Sunset. Laughter. Anxieties about the future. Eventual tears and hugs and confessions. She saw two versions of everyone—the 5 year-old, with the bowl cuts or the pigtails, and the 18 year-old, trying to act cool while showing obvious signs of being fucking terrified of what’s to come. The polished off 32 cans between the 6 of them that evening, and would have fallen asleep on the rooftop if not for the spring shower that began to fall. They ran, screaming and laughing and crying back to their shopping street homes. Miki was reprimanded by her parents for drinking underage outside, of course, but it was worth it. At 18, her relationship with alcohol was a friendship.

At 20, she discovered a new relationship with alcohol. She ventured into her first house parties, her first proper college goukon, and that’s where she met him. Him with the unreadable smile and cheekbones and clothes that resembled a New York streetwear catalogue. He was everything right and wrong at once. He was a wino, above all that, and introduced her to all kinds of varieties of wines and grapes and she could hardly remember any of them because immediately after their trips to wine bars they’d end up at his apartment in a tangle of limbs and she’d forget for a moment her own name. He carved his existence into her like he carved his soul into his architectural designs. But there’s always a fine line between happy tipsy and emotional storms. The tipping began the night after she walked in on him straddling her friend from the fashion design department. There was an increase in the number of wine bottles scattered around the apartment in the weeks that followed. None were for her, though. He had gone through all of them and tipped over into the storm, but she wanted to pull him back to safer shores. He tore through her like a maelstrom through a wooden raft. She left with splinters in her heart. He left school the next week. She never heard from him again. At 20, her relationship with alcohol was a bitter love. 

Now, at 23, she had fine tuned her relationship with alcohol, with different kinds of alcohol. Beer was for reunions and friends—it still represented friendship, the evening on the rooftop. But wine, wine she had tamed. A month after he disappeared from her life, she was in the student studio late at night, trying to work out the centrepiece for her showcase, but nothing looked right to her. She tried it. He had always had a glass in hand whenever he worked on his prototypes or blueprints. She never wanted to turn into him; but perhaps at this point a part of her still wanted to feel close to him. Love was never quite logical or fair. She poured herself a hefty glass of merlot and went back to work. It paced her. It unblocked her thoughts. It pushed her ideas along, and by the end of her third glass, her cheeks were flushed and her feet were slightly unsteady but her massive centrepiece was complete. Wine became her muse when all else failed. She understood him better now, she reckoned, and every time she hit a block in her creative works she’d down a glass or two, never more than three, because she had seen what it did to him. Whiskey was the newest addition to her alcohol cabinet, first introduced to her by a mature, seasoned bartender in Ginza. She had asked for something strong--it had been a long week, moving in from Kyoto--and he slid a minimalistic glass across the counter to her. Inside sat a pool of beautiful golden liquor around a huge block of ice, carved to resemble a diamond, reflecting the chandelier light in the most dazzling ways. She fell in love. Whiskey became her drink, on her own in Tokyo, without any attachments or weight. It was her go-to nightcap and drink for her solo time. It went well with a cigarette or two at the end of the day. Smoky, but smooth. Beautiful, but packs a punch. It’s also not everyone’s cup of tea. She found her poison. At 23, her relationship with alcohol was a complex, but somewhat whole.

[theucbdoorguys]

From One Door to Another and More

My #ByeChelsea salute

OK, so I know I’m late. Like really late with this tribute…but it’s because it’s emotional. And for someone who’s spent such little time there in the last couple of years, I’m surprised by just how emotional this is making me. But, I’ve got some shit to say about that dirty dark magical basement that was crucial for my comedy uprising. That helped me find a new group of crazies that I never would have otherwise. And while UCB still remains, and I tend to spend more days at the East Village location, the move will definitely have an impact on the culture of UCB. There will be good, and bad, and everything in between. I’m excited for the future, and honored to have been apart of it’s Chelsea days. A place is just a place, except for when it’s more.

I grew up here, in NYC. So it means that I never had to move here to follow a dream. Also, that I was very familiar with the struggles of the people who did move here to follow their dreams. And for a long time I feared that I couldn’t compete — so I went into a career that would be much more stable — hospitality. Of course, when I realized that stability doesn’t trump misery I left my corporate job with perks and benefits to find myself…which I did. But I still wasn’t sure how I could get back into performing again without starting from some basic acting 101 class or something. I graduated from the Fame school — I was a little beyond that. Luckily for me, I surround myself with smart people, like my friend Adriane who was looking into comedy schools and things for her own benefit. She suggested I look into classes with the Upright Citizens Brigade. I knew of the theater that resided in a Chelsea basement. I knew that there were free shows on Wednesday nights that were called hump night. And Adriane and I had even gone to see a show or two together — they were cheap, so they were accessible. I didn’t know that they offered classes. I looked into it.

I was interested in both the improv and sketch programs and I was trying to figure out which one would be better to take first, when fate intervened. By fate, I mean a drunk night out that lead to a stumble in front of my building and a landing on my already damaged knees. Hmmm…probably better to let myself heal before committing to improv. So, in January of 2012, I signed up for sketch 101 with Melinda Taub that was due to start the day after the Superbowl — which is not a thing that I would usually be able to keep track of because I don’t care about sports, least of all, football. But, because I woke up the day before the Superbowl with the inability to swallow my own saliva, I remember it well. I wound up hospitalized for 3–4 days. I missed my first day in class. And I was so bummed.

I think it had a strange impact on the rest of my UCB training center life, but maybe I’m just crazy. Most importantly, however, was that I discovered this group of misfits that had been missing from my life. I had taken several other writing courses over the last few years, but none of them really made me feel like I’d found my place. I tried chick lit, travel writing, general fiction, but not until that first class (that I made it to — so technically the 2nd class) did I understand what it felt like to be with your people. I found a friend in a girl named Janet, who went on to be on a house sketch team, and wrote and starred in a show that got a run at Chelsea, with her friend Lindsay. Slowly, I was finding my path.

Once I felt physically able I signed up for my first Improv class, which ended up being taught by a man who was the middle school or elementary school boyfriend of a good friend of mine. I loved it. I was thrilled to be performing again and continued to make more and more connections, but most of those early class shows don’t get you onto the famed Chelsea stage. But, in order to fulfill my class requirements and just because I’d now become obsessed with it — I was often going to see shows at Chelsea. I would spend time on those internet bulletin boards, to see how I could become more and more involved. I continued to take classes and soon stumbled into an oddball (redundant, I know) group of folks who wanted to put sketches up at Liquid Courage — an open mic of sorts that was late on a Friday night. So, the first time I performed on that sub-earth stage was in a truly awful and very racist sketch that is very hard for me to even think about now. My fellow actor and I have since commiserated in our participation. And while I hope that the video of the sketch never surfaces, I did still feel a thrill from being on that stage. I remember feeling so cool to be able to have access to that green room and to be able to interact with whichever house team was hosting it then. It was both a high and low point in my UCB Chelsea life…but mostly low.

I continued my UCB education, taking repeat teachers — sometimes accidentally, and other times purposefully. As we approached my first Del Close Marathon, I was bummed that I couldn’t really go see anything because I had work. I felt so ashamed when I walked into day 1 of my Improv 201 class with Ari Voukydis. I knew that this was an important weekend that I missed. I wanted to bad to be apart of this world, and I felt like a dope for not making this holy weekend in the community my priority. What I quickly found out was that I was not alone. Ari surveyed the room and no one had participated. He definitely let us have it. Explained to us what we missed out on and I felt awful — although he did excuse those of us who had work. And I loved the tough love so I signed up to take another one of his classes — which I’m now very grateful for as he moved out to California shortly after that class.

I signed up to become an intern and submitted my application at a good time. There was a change in who was overseeing the interns. I had become friends with a classmate from my sketch 201 class who was friends with the overseer. My timing was pretty open, and within only a few weeks I was offered an internship slot at Chelsea during the coveted Tuesday night spot. Also known in the UCB community as Harold night. It’s the night that the house teams perform. Chuck was our manager, Steve was in the box office, and David and Sky were my fellow interns. I think that Rachael was our bartender, but it could have been John. Aside from the fact that I had a guaranteed front row viewing of all of the Harold shows — which enhanced my learning of this craft, I also had direct access to all of these more seasoned performers. I got to meet many of the people I admired and watched perform. Some of them were nicer than others, but either way I got to make those judgements from a firsthand experience, and now I get to watch a bunch of them on TV, and in the movies which is pretty damn cool!

As the newbie, I was given toilet duty, but I actually became very proud of my bathroom cleaning skills and when the call came to move me onto a different night, a few months down the line, I kept my toilet brush with me. Look, if I was going to be the one cleaning the bathrooms, then I could be assured that they were actually clean. When Claire asked if I wouldn’t mind switching nights I was sad to leave my Tuesday friends — and that important Harold spot. But, I had the most flexible schedule and they needed someone with some seniority to fill the role, since the two other interns were brand new. So, I felt excited to lead this team to greatness. I also got to work more with Daisy who was often the manager for Thursday nights.

The new boys Nick and Sebastian were such fun! And Thursday nights were cool because I got to see all of these spanks — which gave me inspiration for my own scripted shows. Moving to Thursday nights also meant dealing with a whole new crowd of people. Tuesday nights are precious because they’re mostly crowds of UCB students. The public isn’t generally coming to see these shows, so you have people who typically know what the routine is. Where they’re supposed to go, how to buy tickets and show tickets, where the bar is and the bathroom and that everything was all cash all the time. Either way, it was pretty easy to deal with compared to some of the other crowds — Fridays and Saturdays are probably the hardest. But Thursdays were where the many friends and colleagues and family members and weird date nights would show up. We also had to deal with cage match, so in addition to the scripted shows we had the improv battle that could bring out either more community folks or more randoms depending on who was battling that week. I’ll never forget how much I loathed the supporters of the one indie team that kept winning week after week after week. We really had to flex our stuff and dole out the rules of the theater to the unknowing. The three of us interns laughed about how there should be a guide to going to the Chelsea theater. And so, I started this tumblr blog, with the first post outlining the rules of the road. 

The blog then became something of a tribute to the many hard-working people that make the theater run on a daily basis. As with any job in customer service, some people were more grateful than others, except that all we got paid with was class credits and the ability to bask in the glory that was this little hole under a Gristedes. I, personally, was already on an extension of my internship. Most people fulfill about a 6-month commitment, and back then you would be offered an extension — which included an additional class credit, if you were lucky. We were seriously vying for the chance to mop those floors and clean those toilets! But, as that extension came to an end, I was told they wouldn’t be extending me any further.

At first I was sad, but then the world worked in this way that made my departure rather beautiful. It also helped to give me a sort of peace with myself when I pulled away from the community a little. Because I really went out (of the internship, anyway) with a BANG!

While I missed the first DCM that I should have attended, I learned my lesson for DCM 2013 — which actually turned out to be a pretty big deal, for me and for the marathon in general. This was the 15th festival, and the UCB heads decided to film it all for a documentary which I can now hear my laughter through, called Thank you, Del. Because my last intern shift was so close to DCM, I was asked to commit to a shift or two of volunteer work during the marathon. I told my supervisor, Claire, that I was willing and able to work wherever, whenever. I was then asked if I would be interested in working (LIKE PAID MONEY) in line control. The theater had recently started adding line control shifts to some of the more popular evenings to help keep our neighbors happy. Naturally, I wanted to remain involved in this community and so I jumped at the chance. Despite not really knowing what it was that I was going to be doing — there were a couple who managed the wand before me. Jon Monje and Nancy Melchert were the original line control team and look at them now! Like, they seriously run shit now!

My last intern shift was truly the kickoff to DCM15. The final cagematch show before DCM had an insane audience that included some of the comedy legends that had come through these and other smaller theaters before this one while they were just starting out themselves. And since it was my final night as an intern, I was ready to get my party on. Like many before and after did, we headed over to McManus — the legendary bar where comedians and cops sit side by side and drink Irish whiskey together whether they know it or not. So, that night, I got to party with some of these super funny folks, like Seth Morris and Horatio Sanz, and it was the perfect way to kick off this crazy weekend. I was taken aback by watching everyone reuniting with one another over hugs and “Happy DCM” wishes. People who lived outside of NYC (mostly in LA) were back for this magic weekend worship of improv.

Before your first DCM shift you’re to pick up your badge. These days we’re a little better organized and we have a much bigger training center, so if you’re a performer or staff you go there to pick up your stuff. But back then we all went to Chelsea. And as I walked up to the theater the energy was palpable. There was a hug line of folks waiting to buy their passes and another huge line of people who bought them and were waiting to get into the theater to see the Press Conference. When I initially saw this on the schedule, I thought it was a joke. Imagine my surprise as I went downstairs to get my pass for my first DCM shift at FIT, and Amy Poehler was digging around the closet when she turned around and said hi and asked how I was doing?! ME! I don’t remember what I said — if I said anything at all. But I realized she may never know me, but I’m now like a 10-times removed cousin. I sweat for this theater she created, and she seemed to, in that very brief moment, care about that.

I also managed to sign up for a workshop with Billy Merrit earlier in the day, which was perfect, as he used to host Hump Night way back when I was still in college and it was the first show that I ever saw at UCB — and it was only months after they had even settled into this new Chelsea space. I was learning stealthy improv moves from an improv master and this wouldn’t be the last time — not even for the weekend.

My first night wasn’t really spent at Chelsea, but it was OK because I got to work there on Saturday and Sunday night. Plus, our shows ended pretty early and so we were able to head on over to the party space! I remember feeling so cool when Seth Morris remembered meeting me at McManus the night before! Then I got to watch as my friend Lauren geeked out over Nick Kroll and even said so to his face. He was very nice about it. I suppose he was probably in similar shoes only a few years earlier.

When I reported to my Chelsea shift on Saturday, I was subject to my first Matt Besser tongue-lashing. Little did I know this was rather commonplace and so I needn’t be as stunned as I was. As I was just having my fellow volunteers checking on the line he came by and screamed at me:

“Hey, you work for me?”

“What?”

“Do you work for me?”

“Yes.”

“You’ve gotta make sure the line is under control! We can’t have people all over the sidewalk!”

“Yes, that’s what they’re doing right” —

Then Daisy swung the door open and became my immediate hero:

“Matt! I’ve got it! Get inside!”

Phew. Don’t worry, I went on to redeem myself the next day in his class when I gave the right answer to some improv question. I’m sure he still had no idea who or why I was, and probably never will. Which is fine.

That night, I was kind of working double duty between the inside and outside of the theater. There were many volunteers who were less familiar with the space, so, I would often be recruited to help manage the inside. Which meant I did get to catch some glimpses of this marathon’s mainstage performances. The one from that night that will forever stay with me, however, was a show that was something that it was never meant to be — but soon I would learn that’s pretty normal for a late night DCM bit show. I was upstairs when this show marched it’s way over to this famed theater. I had just walked down the line as I watched this group coming toward us, that was being lead by Shannon O’Neill. There were several improvisers I knew, some other interns, and some people donning the well-known Sleep No More masks — their theater was walking distance from ours. Some people with noisemakers of different sorts and Shannon then pulled some people who were in the line to join her band of euphoria as they made their way down the stairs into the theater.

Shannon was scheduled to put on a vine show — which was summarized as a show that would just have 6-second bits — like the Vine app. Shannon, however, had been at the party space and was offered some Molly for the first time, which she accepted. Well the vine show went out the window, and instead she was onstage with a full crowd of others and she turned it into the most insane but beautiful love-fest where she went around and talked about the people surrounding her and praised all of their talents. She began to cry at one point, and it was so exactly the kind of thing that would happen at DCM, and then they went out dancing. I was happy to stay a little later than I was scheduled to so that I could help out with this place that I’d fallen madly and deeply in love with.

Before the weekend began I was one of a few people who were asked to help with ASSSSCAT which would be held at Chelsea for the last time during DCM until this past year…which now makes a lot of sense that it came back. I knew it was a big deal and felt honored to be helping out during these shows. The manager was asked to have an intern handle the microphone for the shows — which basically meant sitting near the front so that they could be handed out to the UCB4 and whomever else needed them for the interview portion of the first show. My colleague Sebastian was originally called to this duty, but he was nervous and said that I could do it. So I did. And I very timidly hung out at the front of the stage and handed mics out as needed before getting reprimanded by Amy to sit down — which I was initially scared to do as we interns weren’t generally allowed to sit down, but I could see how I was in the way standing. So, I’d managed to weasel my way into a front row seat for ASSSSCAT! Getting to watch the creators of this place create their art right in front of my eyes.

The guest monologist was another reason why I’ve been delayed in my writing. Louis CK was the surprise guest of the night. And, at the time, I felt very lucky to be in his presence. I had been a fan of his stand up for a while and I couldn’t believe I was so close to him in this moment. But, of course, a few years later I would hear in the circles of female comics what a disgusting monster he actually was. However, the show was not about him, nor was this whole experience, and so I won’t allow him to taint my memory!

After this final show and our clean up, we got to join in at the party space, and then when that was closed we continued the party over at McManus. Those left at this point didn’t have early flights back to LA or “regular” jobs to get to, or just still had some adrenaline left in them. I remember hanging out with Chuck, who was drunk enough to tell me that I had done a great job and would surely get hired by UCB. And if you know Chuck, at all, then you know that a sincere moment from him is something of a rarity. I felt satisfied with the weekend, and when they finally kicked us out of the bar, the sun was out and I was ready for a cab home and a long sleep. 

What a way to finish an internship.I went on to work in the line control department, which meant that I continued to have my Chelsea fun, but as the cold weather began to creep in, I began to wonder if my brittle bones could handle it. When the temperatures dropped, I asked Gia about possibilities of indoor work, and while she didn’t have any box office shifts open, she suggested getting trained to be a fill-in. While I was initially scheduled to train at Chelsea, I was told last minute that it wouldn’t be a good night to do it there, so I could do the Beast instead and then train at Chelsea another time. 

I never did get to train at Chelsea, for whatever reason and so I never worked at the theater again. And I slowly went to fewer and fewer shows there. I’ve popped into DCM shows here and there, but not often. I’ve worked DCM every year since and while it usually means that I don’t get to see as many shows as I might like to, I still have the fun of seeing the people and sharing in that energy and helping to make the festival what it is. And that’s really what it’s all about, as it was said many times during the final moments of Chelsea’s life. UCB is not made by its space, but its people, and those same people will still be at this new theater on 42nd street…they’ll just have a little more space to breathe.

I have so many wonderful memories of UCB Chelsea, that include schmoozing with my idols, shooting the shit with my colleagues and fellow comedy dreamers. Bits and bits and more bits. SOOOO much laughter. I remember being there the Tuesday night after Sandy had hit NYC. Chelsea was gonna open up the doors for those who were around and needed a place that had power and heat and beverages. It was my regular night to work, and I live in Manhattan so I could get there — my father actually still had his car, so he was able to drive me down. It was surreal going past 34th street to see the traffic lights and many buildings without power. The performers who could make it did and since it was just an open house of sorts we were just there to help keep things clean. Justin McManus was our bartender for the evening and brought some real booze to help us all stay warm. Of course he did so dressed as a penguin…because why not?

While my own journey with UCB in general is sort of uncertain, I do get to remain apart of the family — even if it’s mostly on the east side, for now. Chelsea, however, is over. When I received the email about the end of the road for this theater, I signed up for both shows right away. I wanted to submit some bits, but I never got around to it — plus, I figured those more seasoned than I would want their final moments on the stage a little more. I was gifted with an entry to the first show and as I saw the theater fill with mostly familiar faces, I felt very lucky to be there. And as soon as the show began I knew it was something truly special. My former teacher was now the Artistic Director of the theater, my fellow interns and co-workers had continued to move up in this weird space and we were all there for the same reason. Love.

After leaving the theater — significantly later than they had planned, many of us were jumping into other lines to have our pictures taken inside the iconic window on 26th Street. 

Many people hopped back in line as they had tickets to the late show as well. I got to see some other friends in that line. A group of us lingered for a bit and then decided we would head to McManus. We made it about 3 blocks before we heard that they has stopped checking the list, and were just opening up to whomever was in the know. Half of us decided we wanted to head back and be there for those final moments and we were. It was an insane show and as I was flanked by comedians who’ve worked their asses of to get their own TV shows, but still come back to their humble roots — for a last celebratory hurrah, I knew this was the way to say goodbye.

When I exited the theater for the second time that night, I told Big Rich that it was just for a moment — to get some air. But I knew I wouldn’t be back. I got to watch the performers celebrate their love of the theater on stage. I had chatted with Alex, the CEO of UCB, about his thoughts and feelings on the whole thing. I caught Chuck enjoying himself from the safety of the tech booth. I got to watch Shannon tear up about her sentiments attached to the theater but reassure us all that it’s the people that make UCB strange. I also got to comfort my friend Nancy who’d changed her life in this basement, as she watched the revelry onstage. Then upstairs I ate cheeseburgers that were purchased by performers to feed their drunk friends and fellow UCB fans as we all watched some of the original UCB kids who’d helped turn Chelsea into what it became — a place that COULD move to such a big theater on 42nd Street — play in the window before they planned how they would paint it all black before the final move out today. 

I thought about going back downstairs. There was still more working…and drinking to be done. But not by me. I didn’t want to intrude. I was there for more than I’d expected I would be and that was enough for me. I may have never made it on those stages as an official performer, but I’ve played on that stage. I’ve made friends in those hallways. I’ve shared drinks and drugs with famous folks. And I have laughed to the point of tears. I will miss Chelsea, but I’m so excited to see what this ragtag bunch of kids does with the Hell’s Kitchen theater.

#ByeChelsea