Real.

The work starts now, in the silence, where no one sees the effort but where all the results are made. I don’t need anyone to cheer me on because I know what I’m capable of. I am my own biggest motivator, and I won’t stop. There will be days when it feels like I can’t go on, but I will keep pushing forward because that’s where growth happens in the struggle, in the grind, when no one is watching. I don’t need recognition, I don’t need applause. All I need is to keep my head down and focus on what’s in front of me. The path won’t be easy, but I don’t expect it to be. I’ll face the discomfort, the exhaustion, the doubt, and still keep moving. I’ll work in the quiet, trusting that my efforts are building something solid, something that will eventually show. It’s not about proving anything to anyone else but it’s about knowing I did my best, even when no one was there to witness it. So I’ll keep working, keep pushing, keep moving forward, because I know what I’m building.

favorite stan twins characterization is that they're both equally insane. stanley just gets more air time to show it off. loosely inspired by a post i read earlier but here's some absolutely insane things both of them have done

stanley:

drugged a person and turned them into an exhibit in the mystery shack

had a vegas wedding to a prospector-themed novelty dispenser

gave mabel a grappling hook

failed to steal an animatronic badger

chewed his way out of the trunk of a car

punched at least three bald eagles

is multiply divorced, possibly even with the novelty dispenser

committed premeditated murder on a llama

faked a heart attack to get on Wheel of Fortune

took his clothes off in front of a live studio audience on Wheel of Fortune

has a rivalry with a fifth grader, a grandmother, and a man who exclusively dresses like a corn cob

stanford:

pulled a gun on a bus driver when he wouldn't let a pig on board

directly assisted in mind-controlling ronald reagan during his election in 1980

gave mabel a crossbow

got bitten by a vampire bat and subsequently began sampling human blood

owns contraband outlawed in 9000 dimensions; keeps it in an extremely flimsy plastic case

"accidentally" set a hawk on fire

has exes ranging from as normal as his old college buddy to as weird as a triangle and an alien with 7 eyes who put a metal plate in his head

wears turtlenecks because he's hiding multiple tattoos he regrets, including one themed around "all star" by smash mouth

is an Extremely wanted criminal across hundreds of dimensions; was completely kicked out of one for card counting

is, bizarrely, super into the band Eurythmics

can see shrimp colors

Needed to hear this

I just want to remind you that sometimes your life really doesn't begin until you are 26+... Romanticizing and obsessing over our youth is harmful. Growing up is beautiful. Discovering who you are and how you interact with the world is a gift. Maturing and learning what you truly want out of life and living in that purpose brings fulfillment and peace. Your life is not over in your early 20's because you haven't figured it out yet, it's just beginning.

Writing Reference: Types of Castles

As time went on, new technologies became available for attack and defense. Different types of castle were built to match them.

Motte and Bailey

Most common in: 10–11th century

Construction: wooden castle built on a mound (motte), surrounded by a fortified enclosure (bailey)

Strengths: quick and cheap to build

Weaknesses: vulnerable to attack by battering rams and fire

Concentric Defenses

Most common in: 12–15th century

Construction: central fortress, or keep, surrounded by layers of stone walls

Strengths: long lasting and very hard to break into

Weaknesses: took a long time to build; defenders could become trapped inside; vulnerable to cannon fire

Star Forts

Most common in: 16–20th century

Construction: stone or concrete

Strengths: angles deflect cannon fire, and allow defenders to fire on enemies from several sides

Weaknesses: modern high explosives

Castles were built all across the world, ranging from simple wooden enclosures to vast stone palaces.

A large number were built by feudal lords in Europe, who needed a place to keep their families and treasures safe from rivals while they were away at war.

The Crusaders depended on castles to protect their settlements in the Holy Land, where they might come under attack at any time.

With towering stone walls bristling with arrow slits, murder holes, and other defenses, castles were a formidable obstacle to any medieval invader.

At the center of the castle was the keep, a tall tower where the lord and his family made their home, and which could be defended even if the rest of the castle fell.

Around the keep were wards, open areas where the castle’s other inhabitants lived and worked, all protected by stone walls

Source ⚜ More: Parts of a Castle More References: Medieval Period

Source: beth_thefirstyear on Instagram

I have four muffin tips for making bakery style muffins at home.

Tip number one:

Rest your batter for 15 minutes in your mixing bowl after you make it. This is gonna allow the starch molecules to swell and absorb, creating the thicker batter and the thicker batter is known for doming!

Tip number two:

Fill your muffin holes with at least six to eight tablespoons of batter. That’s like a heaping half cup okay. You want them super full so they’re gonna create that dome.

Tip number three:

Kinda goes along with tip number two. You’re only gonna fill every other hole in your muffin pan. And why we do that - that’s so the muffins that are baking can spread and dome without running into their neighbors. Because when they run into their neighbors they get like square edges but we want perfect dome circles.

Tip number four:

You’re to bake your muffins at a high temperature initially. That’s gonna be 425*F for the first seven minutes. And then keep them in the oven and lower the temperature to 350*F for the remaining bake time. Starting the muffins off at a high temperature initially allows the muffins to rise rapidly and it sets the outer surface of the muffin, producing a dome shape.

There you have it. My four muffin tips for creating bakery style muffins.

horrible news: you have to practice to level up your skills because it's unrealistic to think you'll be good at everything first try

Writing Tips

Punctuating Dialogue

✧

➸ “This is a sentence.”

➸ “This is a sentence with a dialogue tag at the end,” she said.

➸ “This,” he said, “is a sentence split by a dialogue tag.”

➸ “This is a sentence,” she said. “This is a new sentence. New sentences are capitalized.”

➸ “This is a sentence followed by an action.” He stood. “They are separate sentences because he did not speak by standing.”

➸ She said, “Use a comma to introduce dialogue. The quote is capitalized when the dialogue tag is at the beginning.”

➸ “Use a comma when a dialogue tag follows a quote,” he said.

“Unless there is a question mark?” she asked.

“Or an exclamation point!” he answered. “The dialogue tag still remains uncapitalized because it’s not truly the end of the sentence.”

➸ “Periods and commas should be inside closing quotations.”

➸ “Hey!” she shouted, “Sometimes exclamation points are inside quotations.”

However, if it’s not dialogue exclamation points can also be “outside”!

➸ “Does this apply to question marks too?” he asked.

If it’s not dialogue, can question marks be “outside”? (Yes, they can.)

➸ “This applies to dashes too. Inside quotations dashes typically express—“

“Interruption” — but there are situations dashes may be outside.

➸ “You’ll notice that exclamation marks, question marks, and dashes do not have a comma after them. Ellipses don’t have a comma after them either…” she said.

➸ “My teacher said, ‘Use single quotation marks when quoting within dialogue.’”

➸ “Use paragraph breaks to indicate a new speaker,” he said.

“The readers will know it’s someone else speaking.”

➸ “If it’s the same speaker but different paragraph, keep the closing quotation off.

“This shows it’s the same character continuing to speak.”