Chris Hemsworth messed up his kid's birthday. But he saved the day with a T. rex cake.
A step-by-step recipe guide for aspiring super-dads.
You might recognize Chris Hemsworth as the secretary in the upcoming "Ghostbusters" reboot, as the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Thor, or as the older brother of Miley Cyrus's sometimes beau, Liam.
But what you might not know is that the Australian god of thunder also has aspirations of culinary greatness and a 4-year-old daughter named India whom he dares not disappoint.
A photo posted by Elsa Pataky (@elsapatakyconfidential) on
When his sweet little girl requested a chocolate T. rex cake to celebrate her birthday, the Mighty Hemsworth knew exactly what to do: order a cake from the cake store.
But life is not without its roadblocks, even for an in-demand leading man. We can’t say for sure if Hemsworth was hindered by the famously terrible L.A. traffic on the Rainbow Bridge to Asgard, or if he just waited too long to call the local bakery, but either way, the end result revealed the same shocking, awful truth: The cake store wouldn't have time to create the requested culinary dino-concoction in time for his daughter's birthday.
"What do you mean, you can't bake me a cake for my daughter's birthday? I'm $@ing THOR." — what the ever-friendly Chris Hemsworth definitely did not say. Photo by Anthony Kwan/Getty Images.
So Hemsworth swung into action, like a huntsman in that movie where he plays the huntsman.
Lest he return to his home empty-handed, Hemsworth consulted with Odin's great wisdom and found a recipe for such a cake as his daughter did desire.
With the knowledge of the Norns in hand, he got the the necessary ingredients from a store, just like a normal person who is also a father and wishes to do right by his daughter would do.
Photo by Torsten Laursen/Getty Images.
It was not until he returned to his humble Los Angeles abode that he realized he had forgotten eggs!
(OK so this part didn't actually happen. But I'm taking some creative license just so I can share this funny picture of an exasperated Chris Hemsworth.)
Photo by Alberto Alcocer/Getty Images.
With the clock ticking down toward the anniversary of his daughter's day of birth, the heroic Hemsworth grabbed the mixing bowl and fervently whisked the ingredients together and poured the batter blend into a dinosaur-shaped dish...
Tens of minutes passed as he anxiously awaited for the sugary mixture to settle into its spongy form within the oven...
Watching a cake bake is really, really boring, so here's a lovely photo of Chris and his wife, Elsa Pataky.
Photo by Samir Hussein/Getty Images for StudioCanal.
With seconds to spare (I'm editorializing), the kitchen timer sounded out an ear-piercing ding, and Hemsworth retrieved his Tyrannosaurus creation from the oven's fiery bowels!
He named his fine dino-delicacy "La TRex al la chocolate," which is a lost Latin phrase that I assume means "Chris Hemsworth made a totally awesome dinosaur cake for his daughter 'cause he's the man."
The lesson here is clear. Next time you're feeling stressed or overwhelmed, or afraid that you might disappoint the one you love, remember: It doesn't take a magical hammer or the power of the gods to bake a dinosaur cake.
Even a god of thunder can screw up and forget a simple task that he probably should planned for ahead of time. But as long as you remember that there's always room to improvise, even if it means you get your hands dirty in the name of love (and not to forget the eggs), you'll be just fine.
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."
This article originally appeared in May.