#and it was just. there. in its original shrink wrap glory

[sunbackeddog]

I finally completed the first leg of my holy grail.... It only took three years

[stefanp1]

Usually don’t comment much about Dance Tracks but Honey Redmond's post this week reminded me of the importance of working hard and being able look back at not just the glory but the journey. I have been fortunate to have had 30 years in the music business thanks to Claussell Joaquin. Without him, I might have been stuck behind a desk at an insurance company, like I was when we met.

Where did 30 years go? In July 1993 we opened a store that turned into, 3 record labels, a merchandising company, and digital download store. It became a New York landmark for both the NY music community and collectors from around the World. Any minor business skills I may have, were cultivated over 20 years on this block dealing with everyone from the Mafia to the Hells Angels. There is fuckery everywhere, so learning to deal with masters of it was my business school. Like any 21 year old who opens a business in NYC, it was just as hard then as it is now, but we lasted a very long time because of the music we sold and the customers who bought it. Branding people go to business schools for years to try to build this, but that is like letting AI write songs, it lacks soul.

Friday afternoons were an amazing array of people from all walks of life connecting through a shared love of music and record collecting. Contrary to popular myth, the most talented folks were usually the humblest. Norman Cook or Norman Jay came and sat on those black sofas all day raising their hands when they heard something they liked. Danny Krivit always at around 9.50 pm, for his “pile”, Francois asking to pick up the needle so he could “hear that bit again”, it was fascinating to hear music the way he did and to have sold these guys and so many others, records that ended up moving dancefloors across the World.

When asking for a record the lines “Do you know who I am” or I’m a DJ do I get a discount”, were often met with the response established by Stan Hatzakis the original founder of dancetracks, “sorry mate, that is the last copy and its for Frankie Knuckles” who lived a few doors away. He often stopped in for a morning coffee and Joe and I often reciprocated when the store closed on a Friday, by going to the sound factory bar with a white label or a jam he might want to play.

To the customers who came right off work on the F train to second avenue to grab jams for their gigs, or those who just came to be turned onto a new jam, that made a shitty work week worth it. For close to 20 years that is how my weekends started. Records getting played and hands getting raised while we handed out shrink wrapped vinyl to the fiending music lovers in front of us. Anyone who played out or collected rolled by. Many of you in this group who were customers are still my close friends today. They often share messages about a record they heard or that they bought at the store or when they see a Dancetracks price sticker on a record they just picked up on Discogs. I am so grateful to everyone when they reach out, it reminds me what it was all about. Nowadays I have that same feeling when I find a record, or I am turned onto one, by somebody in a record store….forever linked and not by social media.

We had Quentin Crisp at the end of the block, Dee Pop from Bush Tetras who ran the bike messenger service in the middle of the block next to the aforementioned headquarters of the Hells Angels and Frankie Knuckles only doors away from them. When we opened there was not a drug in the world you could not buy on the block which of course brought drama, tragedy and fun.

The store had so many great staff, whose musical tastes were so influential on what went on the wall and more importantly what stayed on the wall no matter how old it was. Remember those days where your music not confined to a few hours on the front page of a website. All of these people were central to the “sound of Dancetracks” which changed with the staff. Phil Duke, Jenifa Mayanja, Kamati Pinkston, Josh Thomas, Jimmy Sky, Tyrone Francis Mickey Miguel, Tommy D Funk, Kalim Shabazz, Ramit Kreitner, June Joseph, Funmi Damian Galban and of course Jacky Sommer, all such great folks to work and listen to music with over the years. Much thanks to Augusta Quiney for such a great logo that still resonates today.

To the distributors whose stock we would hide in their warehouses so no other stores could get it, who always called us when they had something hot, you were all an extension of an ethos that was driven by great music……..never “dancefloor fillers” as they were often described by @Harry Russell, but who also knew the difference between the two.

It was a blast.

[fathertaurus]

Could you write a blurb about running into your much older ex boyfriend (maybe famous) with dave and him feeling jealous and petty? maybe he gees super quiet/weird with him there and you have to talk him down from jealous rage afterwards.

It was supposed to just be a simple outing together. Some lunch at a nice restaurant—away from the house, away from editing, where the two of you could get some fresh air, good food and a view that was a laptop or phone screen. But as you were finishing up dessert that instantly changed.

“I told you you’d like it here.” You gush, waving you finger across the table at David who was busy scraping at the last morsels of the chocolate dessert that the two of you split earlier. He could only respond with a snort and a show of his middle finger.

Rolling your eyes you grabbed at your clutch, “Okay well while you finish absorbing those crumbs through your skin I’m gonna settle the check.”

“Aht aht.” Before you could even pull out the cash to pay David (with a mouthful) was shaking his head and pulling out his wallet from his back pocket, sorting through it to find his card. Despite being well off due to your own career of acting for the past however many years David never allowed you to pay for anything. It led to lots of silly fights and arguments to the point in which you would have to sneakily find your own ways to pay, but, nevertheless, you found it endearing.

He stood from his seat and winked in your direction before darting his way through the array of tables to the front desk. Huffing a sigh you beamed brightly at him you went to close your purse but mistakenly over guessed the distance from it and your hand, knocking it over onto the ground.

“Dammit—“

Stretching down to grasp at it you were apparently beaten to the punch as another hand latched its way around the strap.

Brows furrowing together your eyes followed from the fingers of indistinctive hand all the way up its arm to the owner’s face. A face you knew all too well.

“Tom?”

Standing before you in all of his glory was your superstar ex Tom Holland of 3 and a half years—whom you hadn’t seen in 2.

The relationship was orchestrated by both of your managements after the two of you starred as love interests in an A24 film. And although it started off as a publicity stunt feelings truly did begin to blossom between the two of you—leading to said 3 and a half years when the original contact stated a year.

But as time crept forward things just slowly started to fall apart between the two of you. Between the extreme distance and opposite schedules it led to misplaced anger, which grew into unnecessary gaslighting Tom and resentment from you. The split was messy and blown even moreso out of proportion than you expected when certain details from your relationship got leaked by Tom’s team to the press and all in all, cutting off all contact from him was quite literally the least you could do.

You met David shortly after at an awards show and had instantly hit off. You were obviously hesitant to fall for anyone after your whole charade with Tom and made David extremely aware of that, so you simply started off as friends. But his crush on you from the beginning was apparent and the closer the two of you grew the easier you too fell for him. And the rest was history.

But now here you all awkwardly were.

“Hi love,” his tone and the use of the pet name urged chills all up and down your arms—the collection of them only growing more fervent as your eye line connected with his own. He had a smirk to his lips and a glint to his eyes. “Thought that was you, saw you from across the room and had to come make sure.”

The way he laughed so casually like you had been friends forever, or like he hadn’t smashed your heart and peace of mind one shard at a time twisted your stomach. You were worried that your big lunch wouldn’t stay down for much longer.

“Well..it’s me.” You simpered back hesitantly, “What..what are you doing in LA?”

Tom shuffled closer to you, his free hand now resting on the table top—blocking your view to the rest of the restaurant, only being able to see him.

“Oh I’m here filming a new movie for Netflix.”

He continued to drawn on but you could only catch so much. You were way more focused on trying to find David through what you could see over Tom, silently praying he was on his way back already.

“But enough about me,” Your eyes flickered back to Tom who was now sitting across from you in David’s seat, arms crossed over his chest looking all too comfortable, “How are you? Or I guess I should say, how are you and that YouTuber boyfriend of yours?”

If it weren’t for how inexplicably uncomfortable you were right now you probably would’ve cracked a smile at how the word ‘Youtuber’ rolled off his tongue with so much disdain. You could see it in the way his lips coiled and his nose scrunched—he was bothered, jealous even.

“We’re doing great.”

Both Tom and yourself whipped your heads to the side at the new voice, finding David stood at the end of the table. The red in his cheeks was apparent just like the darkening to his browns. Again—if the circumstances were once again different you’d probably be turned on right now.

He was staring Tom down with a look you hadn’t truly seen before; David was always, or at least more than not, collected. It truly took a lot to piss him off to the point in which he had to be physically defensive but if anyone could do it it was definitely your ex.

Before the conversation could even continue David had gently taken your hand, bringing you out of your seat and to his side.

“Thanks for asking.” His tone was clearly acidic, along with the daggers he was currently shooting at Tom who seemed to shrink a bit into the seat he had so graciously occupied. Tom’s face with filled with a series of emotions that you couldn’t exactly place but did’t care enough to anyway.

You were more concerned on how tense David’s frame was. His touch on you was gentle per usual but the rest of his body was flaring in red and flexed. Unconsciously you drew your free hand to back of his neck, drawing circles at the base of it with the tips of your fingers. He soften slightly.

Reaching down David wrapped his hand around your clutch, quite literally ripping it from Tom’s hold with a smile as bright as the one Tom himself appeared with prior to.

“Have a great evening man, don’t forget to try the chocolate mousse!” He cheered before spinning the both of you around and heading towards the exit.

“I fuck hate that guy.”

David was seething as the two of you stepped out the building. His face was a blistering red and shoulders shook with pent of adrenaline, whole body still just as tense as before if not more. Fists clenching in and out of his palms he staggered forward towards the car mumbling a slew of insults and other thoughts about Tom that were nothing close to pretty.

“Fucking smug British piece of shit, did you see the way he looked at you? The way he looked at me?! I could’ve just picked him up by his damn collar and thrown him god. And he was so fucking cocky, y’know what—I’d be a better damn Spiderman than him that’s for sure—"

Instinctively your hand found its way to one of his and clasped around it easily, knowingly. The gesture stopped him in his tracks, now glancing down in your direction and all over your figure.

A wisp of a smile crossed over your lips before you brought his balled fist to your mouth, pressing a kiss to his tired knuckles.

You noticed how much tension left his body the moment he could feel your skin on yours—an expression so simple to onlookers but so so sweet to him.

“Thank you.” The words trickled out at the volume of a whisper, only for him to hear, staring at him with adoration. His face softened before you, eyebrows falling and the wrinkled skin around his nose fading.

“For what?”

A giggle found its way out of the back of your throat before you shook your head and pulled him close, arms wrapping around his frame. He followed suit with his own arms, curling them round your shoulders to bring you into him.

“Nothing…everything.”

David’s eyes molded into all aglow, looking at you like you put the damn stars in the skies. But then again when didn’t he?

Pressing a chaste kiss to your lips he pulled back with a settled grin, shifting you so his arm was over your shoulder and your’s stayed tucked around his torso before you both carried off down the street once again.

“I’d totally be a better Spider-Man than him though.”

“Of course you would babe."

[rueitae]

Welcome to the Neighborhood

Allura is not dead and the story isn’t over. Fight me.

I needed to time heal after season 8. Please take this post canon fic and do with it what you will. 2200 words. Thanks you @sp4c3-0ddity for the usual. <3

Read on Ao3

~~~~~

She sees them all, every possibility in every reality, every moment that makes one branch from the other. Billions of new realities are born every tick as decisions are made in everyday life.

A yalmore turns right instead of left. Her nana chooses a different dress for her to wear on her tenth birthday. A man picks up a piece of trash instead of leaving it on the beach. Each one creates their own strand of reality.

It doesn’t hurt, all this information, at least not her head.

She aches as Earth is destroyed before Voltron is reformed, the Paladins only children. Her heart is sick watching as Lotor grows up in cold loneliness time and time again.

She reaches out to change it, to prevent her loved ones from pain. She finds herself unable to touch or affect anything.

So she observes; all at once she experiences joy for her friends and mourns for what could have been and what has been lost. She sees millions of realities where she has a family of her own, sometimes with Lance but not always. The number of children vary and if her oldest is a girl or a boy. In others she remains single but alive.

Only in the one she left behind does she become what she is.

Which is… what, exactly?

Allura isn’t sure, but it becomes harder to see the different realities through watery eyes. She sees her happy ending unfairly play over and over in different ways. It does nothing to soothe the longing in her heart.

Over time she learns each reality like the back of her hand and begins to foresee the divergent realities. Soon, she cannot tell what is the past and what is the future.

What’s the point of having all this power - of having to leave her loved ones - if she cannot do good?

Physical contact, the first since she sacrificed herself, surprises her and interrupts her concentration.

“Careful, sweetheart. Too much work this quickly will make you go mad.”

Allura turns around in the white void to greet her guest.

Of all the people she expects to visit her in the afterlife, Bob is not one of them.

Allura believes herself a reasonable person, and the last time she saw Bob he’d held her and the other Paladins captive on his game show.

She summons her bayard with a growl and wraps her whip around the surprised host, jerking him and his floating platform towards her.

“What do you want?” she seethes in his face. “Is this your doing?”

“Hey! I’m not the one who decided to go out in a blaze of glory!” he protests, raising his bound hands as high as he can. “That was all you.”

“‘Great judge of heroes’, my quiznak!” Fury fills her heart remembering Coran’s explanation - oh Coran she misses him so much already - of the supposed judge of those who would do great things. “Did you know all of this would happen? Did you know Honerva would try to destroy everything?”

Allura hasn’t seen Honerva since parting with the Paladins. To think all of this, her fate included, culminated from a desire for family.

But blood does not a family make. Allura takes that to heart above all else. Her Paladins are alive and thriving, so she can endure whatever this is for their sakes.

“Hey, I keep tabs on potential heroes! That’s my job! It’s your job to watch different realities, Ms. Lion Goddess.”

Allura lets his words sink in, a pit falling in her stomach. “What… did you call me?”

“Lion Goddess,” Bob says dryly. “Welcome to the neighborhood, by the way. Norlax and I got you a fruit basket. Which I’d love to give to you, if you’d be so kind as to let me go.”

“Can’t you just...poof out, or something?”

“In my realm? Sure. Not in your place though.”

Allura lets the blue bayard revert to its base form. The flash of anger is nearly gone, replaced with a weight in her heart she isn’t sure she wants.

Lion Goddess is what the Arusians first called her, a title she rejected. Even now she does not wish for it.

She now knows this isn’t death.

Bob hovers closer, wrapping a friendly arm around her shoulders and dropping a basket of Altean fruit in her unprepared hands.

“Thank you… Bob. It’s lovely.” Though the words fit the situation, they taste strange as they leave her mouth. The mundane exchange feels like it should take place anywhere other than in this void.

“You’ll get used to it,” Bob assures her as if reading her stunned thoughts. “Take some time to spruce up the place. You’re only limited by your imagination, your realm, your powers, your fashion. And you, kid, have plenty of it, what with bringing back Altea and managing infinite realities and all.” He rolls his eyes. “Just wait until you start getting heroes petitioning your help for their cause. There’s only one you for all realities after all.”

Everything still feels so fresh, the battle and her actions that followed. The looks on the faces of her Paladins - her family by choice - as they said goodbye brought fresh pain to her heart. So perhaps that is why she asks, “Is that why you have guests, Bob? Do you miss your loved ones too?”

Allura doesn’t know why she expects anything different when he shrugs off the personal question with a smirk. “The circumstances are a bit different, but our goals of keeping order in the universe are the same.”

“So you are lonely,” she presses. She wishes to be anywhere else - with either her father and all her loved ones who waited for her, or with those she left behind.

Bob shrugs. “It comes with the job, but there’s no rule against visitors as you can see from yours truly,” he says with a proper bow. ”Is that why you gave him a part of yourself? Do you want them to find you?”

Allura looks at her hands, pink energy glowing around them in anticipation of her will. Lance doesn’t seem to mind the marks, a constant reminder of her sacrifice even more than the statue they built. Does it make him lonely every time he saw his reflection? “I wanted to give him something, anything, after he gave me so much. Can I - is there a way for me to go home?”

“Not without tearing the fabric of space and time,” Bob says, and Allura’s hope sinks. “But hey, what else is new for the Paladins of Voltron?”

Allura doesn’t want that, nor does she want more painful goodbyes.

Only bounded by her imagination, Bob says. Perhaps she can tell them she is alright, that she is going to watch over them; ask if they are truly happy…

She finds them asleep at night in her mind’s eye, in the reality she had left. The small act of Lance, Hunk, and Pidge wearing their Altean pajamas warms her heart. Surely of all realities, here she should be able to do something. She reaches out to the life force she left, eager to leave a message with Lance.

Instead her will finds a stronger and older link. Platt dreams of sampling Hunk’s cooking, Chuchule of sunbathing, and Chulatt of exploring Kosmo’s thick fur.

Allura clasps her hands together, hopeful. “Friends, please, can you hear me?”

Plachu’s whiskers tremble and he wakes, head turning as if searching for her voice.

The others rouse slowly while they chatter, wondering if they all dreamt of their tall friend.

Success! But now...what can she say? Can she just...bring them here?

Black lightning strikes in the distance and demands her attention. Allura severs her connection with the mice in time to see Bob jump in response to the flash.

“What… why is that here?” he shrieks in an understanding that chills Allura’s spine, because she too recognizes it.

The rift entity, the thing that started Zarkon and Honerva towards their path of destruction. The thing she used to bolster her own powers…

And never removed from herself.

“It came with me,” she says in growing dread. Here where she had access to every reality...

The frequency of the flashes increases, getting closer by the tick. The edges of the white void darken as it approaches.

She turns to an awestruck Bob. “How do I stop it? I cannot let it get to the other realities!”

“I’m neutrality personified,” Bob explains as they back away from the black void. “It’s a creature born of the rift between realities; you need the same energy to oppose it.”

Power trembles at her fingertips, begging to be released. Allura grits her teeth. If this is her role now, to protect all realities and keep her family from having to fight any further, then she will do it.

Bob yelps and hovers behind her as the black lightning surges towards them, the last remaining bastion of light. Allura meets it head on, dropping Bob’s gift as the darkness halts at her outstretched arms. It twists around her body, searching for an entry point.

You used us once, let us in again, it taunts.

“Never again,” she spits, and her quintessence overwhelms it.

Not even a yalmore is capable of such otherworldly screeches. The entity from the rift between realities shrinks to its smallest form, resting in the palm of her hand and emanating a soft pink glow.

Because Allura wills it to be contained.

But Honerva proved that containing it is not a permanent solution.

Allura parts the white void as if it were a curtain. It opens to the quintessence field, the place from which it originated, where she allows the entity to drift under her magical supervision. She closes the rift with a wave of her hand.

It will never corrupt again.

Bob breathes a deep sigh of relief and slumps in his chair. “That was a close one. The realities without Voltron are a lot less traumatic.”

Allura tries to imagine what life would be like if the comet had never landed on Daibazzal. She only has to look in on the right reality and the peace she could have had pains her. But… then she never meets her Paladins. In its future, Keith is never born, and Shiro passes away far earlier than is right.

She closes her mind to that reality. She doesn’t want a world where neither of them is there.

To think that small thing was responsible for the corruption of Honerva and entrapped the other Alteans.

She gasps in horror. “I never removed it from the others.” She frantically searches for the malignant entities and visions of the affected Alteans appear in the void above her. Allura tenses. There are five of them still out there. “I need to get them back into the quintessence field as soon as possible!”

“You won’t be able to trap them if they’re outside your realm,” Bob says. “I couldn’t do a thing to you Paladins until you entered my nebula. You may be able to see realities, but you can’t change them - that would defeat the purpose, wouldn’t it?”

“Then Voltron’s work is not yet complete,” she says sadly. Her friends can’t rest, not when Voltron is the only other force that can oppose these creatures.

“That thing getting into any of our realms is a bad idea,” Bob tells her, “but I don’t have to tell you what could happen if it does.”

“The corruption of all realities,” she agrees. Guilt fills her gut. She sacrificed herself to restore all realities, yet she delivered a malignant entity right where it could do the most harm. But… “If I could contain this one, I should be able to contain the other five before they find a way here on their own. It isn’t safe to leave them unaccounted for in the universe. The Paladins will need to form Voltron to bring them to me.”

Bob grins knowingly, snapping his fingers. “See, you knew the whole time.” He laces both sets of hands together and crosses a leg over his knee. “So, how are you going to bring the Paladins here?”

“Not while you are visiting,” she says sternly. “I will not have you taking them in for your quiznaking game show again.”

Bob sighs dramatically. “Too bad. I was looking forward to seeing a rematch of Shiro versus the Snick.”

She needs to contact Lance and the mice, but first, she needs to get the Paladin’s attention. They also need a way to find her. Lance is good with directions, but his methods would fail in deep space.

Her mouth tugs up slightly, but she’s unable to smile fully with longing overtaking her. There is no greater bond in the universe than between Lion and Paladin, the same bond that allowed Zarkon to chase them across galaxies.

And she was bonded to all of the Lions.

Twin pedestals rise on either side of her. She places a palm on each one, her power flowing through this realm and into the greater universe.

She reaches the Blue Lion first, and her message is instantly understood. The Lions roar in acknowledgement. After the Paladins witness the send off, Allura bids the Lions to join her.

Now she waits for the Paladins to follow, looking forward to a very happy reunion.

[omgkatsudonplease]

恭喜发财! 万事如意 😁 May I request Jiang Cheng/Nie Huai Sang? And a prompt: Still waters run deep. Thank you, and wishing you a wonderful lunar new year!

water cryptids. that’s what i’m hearing. water cryptids

In the height of summer, the Yunmeng brothers would frequently go down to the river to bathe. This was a spectacle for many of the maidens of Lotus Pier, who would hide themselves away in the trees and bushes for a glimpse of the handsome young cultivators as they strip and plunge into the waters. Such brotherly camaraderie, they’d giggle between themselves. What a shame neither of them have noticed any of us.

It was a given that Wei Wuxian would not have, though he tossed sweet nothings to all the maidens as freely as flowers. His heart has been spirited elsewhere, everyone knows. Perhaps by a maiden of another sect that he had met on a nighthunt somewhere.

But as for Jiang Cheng, well, he may be pleasing to the eye, but his fierce temper tended to scare off anyone who tried to get too close. There must be sacrifices made when one is forced to become a sect leader at such a young age, after all. 

“The birds are at it again,” Wei Wuxian says this summer afternoon, surfacing from the river with a sigh. “They get bolder and bolder each year.”

“I can hear their giggling,” agrees Jiang Cheng, the tips of his ears pink. “Perhaps we should move elsewhere.”

They clamber out and take their belongings upstream, following the river as it branches into smaller rivers, into streams, into lakes. But as they follow the course of one silver river through the gilded summer wood, Jiang Cheng suddenly pauses and looks around.

“Someone’s singing,” he breathes. 

“What a lovely voice,” agrees Wei Wuxian. “I bet the maiden singing will be just as lovely.”

But when they discover the origin of the singing, Wei Wuxian’s eyes go wide, and he steps back into the trees, leaving Jiang Cheng staring after the form of a handsome young man fanning himself by the side of a small lake, a grey robe lying scattered on the grass beside him. 

“What… who are you?” Jiang Cheng asks. The young man spins around, eyes widening at the sight of him. He immediately wraps the robe around him and slips into the water, as quiet as a breath. 

Jiang Cheng approaches the banks and picks up the fan. The waters are unerringly still. 

“Maybe we just hallucinated him,” says Wei Wuxian as they sit in one of the courtyards of Lotus Pier. The reconstruction is well under way, restoring the Jiang ancestral mansion to its former glory. Still, amid some corridors Jiang Cheng can still smell the scent of blood and ashes. 

“He seemed so real,” murmurs Jiang Cheng, staring at the fan in his hands. It appears to be hand-painted, with fantastic watery designs. There’s a low undercurrent of spiritual energy in the thin wood frame. “And this is clearly no ordinary fan. I should return it.”

“Well, good luck with that,” says Wei Wuxian, clapping him on the shoulder. Jiang Cheng rolls his eyes, as the other cultivator strides away in search of Jiang Yanli’s lotus rib soup. 

He sneaks out of Lotus Pier that night, Sandu taking him over the forests quietly and swiftly. Down below, the river is a silver ribbon flowing through the darkness, and he follows it, mentally retracing his steps until he reaches the lake once more.

Almost as if he’d wished it into existence, the young man is there again, his robe hanging on his shoulder. He shrinks back when Jiang Cheng hops off his sword, but leans forward when Jiang Cheng extends the fan to him.

“You dropped this,” Jiang Cheng says, feeling his ears heat up in spite of himself.

The young man reaches out, takes the fan. “Thank you,” he manages quietly.

“I’m Jiang Wanyin,” Jiang Cheng offers. “What’s your name? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you around Yunmeng.”

The young man covers his mouth with his fan, almost contemplative. “Huaisang,” he says after a moment. “They call me Huaisang.”

[sashagilljournalist]

Embrace Your Freezer

I think you have heard this far too many times – stranger times are afoot. Stockpiling is a particular point of aggression for me, because there is simply no point in buying far more than you need. If supply is an issue, the answer lies in simply utilising the best appliance at your disposal. Yes, I am talking about your freezer.

There is a multitude of food that behaves rather well if you plunge it into the icy-cold depths of your freezer. But, as always, the question of food safety arises. Here is a crash-course into what freezes well, how to fight the devil that is freezer-burn, and what is a freezer-flop and must be avoided at all costs.

Bread I place this at the top of my list simply because I believe that far too many people have been chucking their Hovis slices into the compost when the slightest bloom of mould appears. Bread is the king of freezer foods. If you buy your bread pre-sliced, you can chuck whatever you believe you cannot finish by the sell-by date into the freezer. If you are a better person than I am, and get those crusty loaves à la Gail’s, make sure to slice them into neat pieces before freezing. Whenever the need for toast arises, no thawing is necessary. Pop it straight into your toaster. You can’t imagine a thing better since frozen bread.

Fruit Sure, you can buy pre-frozen fruit, and there is nothing wrong in that. But if you think you have far more than you need fresh, you can freeze whatever excess you have. Most fruit freezes remarkably well. And while in some cases (I am looking at you, citrus) the texture does deteriorate, if you are using it for baking/smoothies/juicing – no one would be none the wiser. A point of note: pitted fruit does best if you remove their stones before the freeze – trying to pry it out with a knife sub-thaw is not much fun. Avoid the peach equivalent to the millennial avocado injury. Citrus, forgiving my previous dig, is OK if you are using the pulp for a recipe or smoothie – but the zest reigns supreme. Zesting a frozen wedge of citrus fruit is easy peasy. And if you happen to need the flesh of citrus without the skin, just freeze it for whenever you may want to make a casserole calling for that tablespoon of orange zest.

Herbs We are all culprit to buying a pouch of rosemary when a recipe demands it, and leaving the remainder languishing in the produce drawer. If you have far too many fresh herbs than you know what to do with, freeze them (spoiler alert). Herbs are best if frozen in some kind of fat, so what I do is portion them out in an ice-cube tray, a teaspoon per well, and top each up with a glug of olive oil. If your next pasta sauce demands 2 teaspoons of fresh rosemary – pop out two cubes straight from the tray and toss them into your pan.

Soups and stocks I am a fan of the Kallo stock cube. But there have been times (i.e. mid-risotto making) when I have had far too much ready than I need. Instead of chucking it away, freeze them in portions (I like to go for a cup per container), so you know exactly how much to thaw out the next time you need it.

Leftovers I wrote an entire article about leftovers, and it seems particularly prescient to not let whatever you have spare to go to waste. Stews and curries fare particularly well from being frozen – just make sure you portion them according to how much you need for a meal.

Vegetables The list of vegetables that do well from freezing is far longer than those that do not. Onions, garlic, hard veg (squash, root veg, peppers)… Spinach and kale, while of the leafier variety, do well if you plan to deploy them later in a cooked dish and not in a salad. Skin your tomatoes before freezing – by slitting an X at their base, boiling them for 2-3 minutes, then immediately plunging them into a bath of ice-cold water. Their skin will start to shrink back – so peel off whatever remains with languorous ease and pop them into a freezer bag or Tupperware. While most root vegetables fare well, but potatoes do not. Only waxy potatoes do relatively OK, but I advise this only if you want to use them in some sort of stock, as their texture does change. Just parboil them before freezing. As a general rule of thumb – veg with a high water content either should not be frozen (i.e. iceberg) or needs some treatment. Hardier veg is much more resilient.

Tofu Even if food shortage is not an issue, I am a proponent for freezing your tofu.

Baked Goods Do you know how some people have eyes much bigger than their stomachs? I bake much bigger than my stomach. Most baked goods can be frozen. Banana bread, cinnamon rolls, cookie dough – it’s all good. Just make sure to portion them accordingly for future ease. To bring them back to their former glory – a whirl in the microwave is all you need.

Butter FREEZE YOUR BUTTER. I use non-dairy butter, but the rule withstands. And, hey, if you happen to be the sort that makes your own shortcrust – pre-frozen butter is a godsend.

Yoghurt and milk Yes, I am aware that some dairy comes with a warning emblazoned on the side of it – DO NOT FREEZE. But if your intention is to use your dairy in a dish, frozen shouldn’t be a problem. Freezing yoghurt or milk (or non-dairy equivalents) changes the texture of it – no longer silky and velvet but rather (urgh!) lumpy. This resolves itself if you throw it into a biryani or a pasta sauce, but not have any intention of consuming it as you would fresh. Just try you freeze whatever you do not think you can finish as soon as you can – anything a day or so near its sell-by date is risky business.

Eggs Don’t freeze your eggs in their shells. Crack them open, beat them and portion them in containers labelled with how many eggs lie within them.

Cheese Hard cheese freezes well, soft cheese less so. If you find a bit of mould growing on your wedge of parmesan, it is completely fine (and safe!) to cut it off with a generous margin, and freeze whatever remains. Soft cheese should not be frozen at all costs – and if you find yourself in the unfortunate circumstance of finding a bit of mould on your mozzarella. Chuck it. It isn’t worth any risk.

Flours Wheat, rye, spelt, buckwheat, oat… they are the superstar of the freezer. Whenever you need any for a bit of baking, scoop it out and proceed as you would normally.

Nuts and seeds I grew up in a hot climate, so all of our nuts and seeds claimed residence in our fridge or freezer. Nuts and seeds possess a fat that can, at times, go rancid in warmer temperatures. This poses less of a problem if you buy small bags of the stuff that they sell at Tesco. But, if you are a bulk-buy fiend, pop whatever you think you will not employ in the next few months in the freezer. It will save you a lot of money, and heartache.

Cooked rice, grains and pasta Yes, you can freeze these. Rice can be tricky, but be sure to cool whatever excess you have ASAP and pop it into the freezer once it is at room temperature. Pasta can be frozen, but please, only if it is just shy of al-dente. You will need to plunge it onto some hot water to revive it, and if it is already slightly over, you will have a soggy, gloppy mess.

Meat Freezing meat can appear to be a risky endeavour but if you follow a few rules, you’re golden. Freeze it as soon as possible, portioned as you would need per meal. When freezing meat, air is the enemy. Wrap each as much as you can in plastic wrap (or leave it in the vacuum pack it came in) and a further insurance of foil or Tupperware to discourage freezer burn. When thawing (which will be discussed below) – you can either leave it in the refrigerator for a day (smaller portions) or more, or in a tub of slightly-cold water. DO NOT leave it on the countertop, DO NOT microwave it. The 3-month rule applies here for maximum quality, and while a few months shy of that should be okay, the quality of it does deteriorate significantly.

Safe-Freezing Tips

You are now a freezing aficionado. But here are a few final tips about the longevity of frozen food, and just some general freezer-related housekeeping.

How long is it good for? This depends on the food. And while there are a whole list of websites and charts demanding you follow a strict schedule, if you have frozen the food as close to fresh as you can, a lot of it will be OK. But, for the wary, here is a good guide.

How should I freeze? A rule of freezing – minimise air contact. With meat this is crucial, but otherwise, try to use freezer-safe bags or tubs with airtight lids. Label EVERYTHING – with its contents, portions, and date of cooking/freezing. Always try to freeze according to your regular portion size so you can thaw exactly the amount you need.

What should I use to freeze my food? You can buy freezer bags, and containers – but avoid freezing any glass or metal. Glass is particularly tricky as it can shatter (yes, even the freezer-safe ones). Especially if you put anything slightly liquid inside, as water can expand and create cracks your glass container.

How do I thaw my frozen food? You have a few options. You can thaw it in the refrigerator, which is the safest, but also takes a fair amount of time. To speed things up, you can leave it in a bowl of cold water on your countertop, or in the microwave on the defrost setting. Meat, however, should never be let near the microwave in the effort of food safety.

How do I prevent freezer burn? This happens over a period of long freezing, when food loses its water molecules and they rise to the surface and crystallise as ice. Small ice crystals do not pose much of a problem, as they melt fairly quickly. But once larger crystals form, this usually indicates the deterioration of whatever you have had frozen. It is usually still alright to eat this (with the exception of meat and dairy products), but just be prepared for it to be a little subtracted in its original quality.

Image Credit: Theo Crazzolara, Flickr Creative Commons

[bligyy-blog]

Fate of a Golden Rose

A young maiden must fall in love with an accursed beast.

ff.net ao3.org

Au: Beauty and the Beast

Word count: 3K+

Warnings: Explicit Language, Angst

A/N: I had to cut the prologue into two parts. Since originally it was 10,000 words all together. Part two will be uploaded later.

Special thanks to: @brownhairedbetty​, @itstenafterfour​, @juggiehasmyheart17​, @kingcoleandqueenlili​, @buggiekinsx​ for beta reading

First part of prologue

Prologue: The Curse

Snow veiled the kingdom with its frosty sheet of ice. The beginning of January arrived and it brought all of its glory to the earth, its frozen flakes.

The Prince sits on his throne, no assignments to carry out. He might as well not even been there, it made no difference.

Unexpectedly, a person appeared in the rooms entrance, awkwardly shuffling her feet and chewing her bottom lip. Jughead further slouches in his chair and groans realizing it was just a maid there to bother him. He gestures her to enter the room and she follows his order and hurries to him.

Scrambling with her feet she hesitantly curtseys. “Prince Forsythe, there’s a strange woman in the main hall.” The stout maid explains fidgeting with her hands.

“What, that’s crazy. It’s a blizzard out there, you’d have to be an inconceivable nut to be out. What does she want from us?” He gripes standing up from his chair.

“A place to stay, oh well, she’s already inside. Kevin let her in because she was frozen.” She babbles on.

“You let some stranger in!” Jughead barks with raising his arms up in defeat.

The maid felt choked up, shrinking from the fuming Prince. “I’m sorry but we had no part in it. It was all Kevin’s doing.” She speaks with a teary voice constantly shaking.

“Well then tell him to let her out. We can’t let strangers into this place, she might be a thief.”

“It won’t be easy. This is Kevin we’re talking about and he won’t easily budge.” She puts her hands up in defense, reeling back.

“Dammit then, I’ll tell him!” In a swift pace, Jughead stomps off to find Kevin. The maid collects her dress and tails behind him out of the room.

One of the entrance doors shut in an echoing thud. Tiny steps splotch against the marble floor, creating little foot shaped puddles of water. The possessor of them wore an all black cloak, obscuring her appearance entirely.

“Are you alright? There’s snow everywhere out there. How’d you even survive?” Kevin inches towards the stranger and kneels down by her side.

“I’m fine, thank you. I’m just a bit cold. May I stay here young boy?” A weak voice calls from under the cloak.

“Well you might if Fors…” Kevin starts but something in his eyes flicker. “You know what...you can stay.” He guarantees with a smile to top it off.

This might not be the brightest idea, an outsider coming in from who knows where. Kevin himself owns a big enough heart to at least welcome her in. What kind of person would let someone freeze out in the cold anyway?

“Kevin!” A shout erupts from the top of the staircase. Jughead glared down at them both as he leans on the railing. “What are you doing?”

“This woman was stuck out in the snow, she asked if she could in. I could at least grant her that one wish.”

“Do you know how dangerous it is to let some stranger in here. Where’s your common sense?” Jughead argues while climbing down the steps.

“Oh don’t worry young boy, I mean no harm.” A pair of wrinkled gray hands slowly unveil themselves from the cloak’s darkness. “See?”

The Prince wrinkles his nose at the display of her elderly hands. Finally making it to the bottom of the flight he dawdles to the unidentified individual. He carefully examines every inch of the woman but nothing felt off-putting about her. The one detail he didn't know about is, what she looked like.

“Well could you take off that cloak? I have no idea what you look like.” Kevin leers at Jughead for the impolite question. Then again it may be necessary to know what your guest looks like.

Her shaky hands reach to her hood and she clenches the fabric, making sure she has a stable grasp of it. With a slight tug the hood falls to her shoulders, snowy hair protrudes from where the hood stood.

Her lengthy nose coated with substantial warts, her face also veiled numerous pimples. Her droopy eye lids covered her steel-blue pupils, and her forehead had layers of wrinkles.

Jughead stumbles back, arms covering his face in terror of her ghastly mien. Kevin stares in shock, his jaw hung from the discovery.

“I come from the South, I came to—”

“Wait a minute, you come from the South?” Jughead questions curling the side of his lip when the words fell.

“He means...around Serpent territory. Are you a...Serpent?” Kevin struggles to speak fearing what she’ll say or if Jughead will interject.

Before she could reply Jughead marches to the woman, his view never escaping her being. He strides around her to see the back of her cloak.

“Dear god...” Jughead stammers inspecting the two snaked emblem. “You are one...you’re a filthy Serpent!” Jughead booms making the old woman look over her shoulder in caution.

“Master please, calm down.” Kevin puts his hands out gesturing for him to quiet down.

“Why should I be calm when there's a damn Serpent asking for shelter!” Jughead argues, with his temper out of control. “These people have already taken enough from me!”

“Oh dear, I feared this would happen.” She confesses and her hands disappear into her cloak. A blazing yellow rose appears, her two hands carefully wrap around the stem. “Here take this, I treasure this rose with my whole life. I feel as if you people are worthy enough to be its owners, take care of it my dear.”

Kevin places his hand over his heart and mouths an ‘aww’. The speech moves him and he reaches his arm out to take the token of gratitude.

A hand harshly grips his arm, stopping his reach. Kevin scrolled his eyes up to see Jughead seething. His handle on Kevin’s arm tightened making him wince in pain.

“I’m not letting one of the people who took my father away from me in here.” Jughead growls through his clasped teeth. Kevin felt his arm shake rapidly from Jughead’s hand. This place was his sanctuary of solitude, and he’d be damned before letting a Serpent take that away from him.

“Jughead!” A voice beckons from the staircase, heavy footsteps came after, hitting each step in a consistent rhythm.

“Oh boy.” Jughead mumbles, realizing this problem is getting bigger.

“What’s going on here?” Archie reaches the floor and proceeds to the group. He actually didn't expect some strange woman to appear inside the kingdom. Guests don’t really consider leaving their homes when there’s snow piled up in every direction.

“It’s none of your concern, Archibald.” Jughead grumbles before folding his arms into his chest.

“Who's this woman?” Archie questions pointing his finger in her direction.

Jughead arches a brow and looks down at the woman. “Some Serpent, and she was about to leave before you interrupted.” Still curious of her whereabouts, he couldn’t find the time to care anymore and brushes the thoughts off.

Kevin’s face turns sentimental from the lack of concern. “Forsythe please, she may di—”  

“Actually...I agree with him.” She interjects raising her hand up for him to stop. “I must go.”

The woman whirls around and starts her walk to the door. Closing her hand on the doorknob, she peers over her shoulder, her gaze glued on the Prince.

“But I must warn you, you must not be deceived by appearances. For I believe beauty is within.” With a firm tug of the knob the frosty winter air welcomes itself inside, blowing the woman’s frail hair back, she winces to see through all the snow blowing into her eyes.

The door closes back and the stranger’s finally gone.

“What has gotten into you, Forsythe? That woman will freeze to death now.” Kevin pleads rubbing his forehead. Whirling in his mind, possibilities of what could happen to that elderly woman. Sweat beads start to form from the dread.

A knock emits from the main doors. The three stare at the entrance, motionless from the startling sound.

“Is it that lady again?” Archie chokes.

“Oh the the cold was probably too much to bear for her.” Kevin hustles to the doors, not acknowledging the glare Jughead now gave him.

Kevin grips both door handles, and using his strength he heaves both doors inward for the elderly woman to return.

“We’re so sorry fo—” Kevin stumbles back from the entrance, using his hands to help him crawl back away from the figure that stood before him. “Dear god…”

“What the hell is this.” Jughead fumbles back on his feet, finding it hard to balance on his two feet.

A slender pale female stood tall in front of them. Her blonde hair moves gracefully in the air—like it was its own being. She wears a giant bright ruby colored gown. Her sleeves flow down her arm to her wrists, as she holds a thin wand in one hand and the yellow rose she offered earlier. She rises from the ground and enters.

“Prince Forsythe, it is clear to me that your heart is colder than I thought. The only thing that can save you now…” She lifts up the wand in her hand. “Is a curse.”

“Now wait a second, you can’t expect us to let in a stranger. He had the right to dismiss that woman.” Archie responses inching closer to the figure.

“Archie you’re not helping. She was an elderly and she was cold, no decent human would say no to that.” Kevin argues lifting himself off the floor. “I’m sure we can fix this.”

“I’m sorry but it’s too late for an apology.” She moves the wand to the direction where Jughead is standing. Archie races in front of the Prince to guard him, stretching his arms out wide.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Archie bellows at the enchantress.

“What I need to do.” A tiny pink spark leaves her wand and floats towards the duo. It flies over Archie’s head and lands on Jughead’s hair, and sinks inside.

“What did you do?” Jughead starts running his fingers through his hair, his fingers search for the accursed particle.

“You’ll see.” She responds with her steel-blue eyes staring down on the confused Prince. “And when you do, heed my words.”

The yellow rose now floats in the hand she held it in. “You must find someone you truly love and you must earn their love in return.” She lifts the rose higher. “Before the last petal of this beautiful rose falls, this curse shall be broken.”

“What curse? What do you mean?” Kevin begs for the answer. The enchantress closes her eyes and continues, ignoring Kevin’s earnest questions.

“This must happen before your 20th birthday or you’ll remain a beast forever.” The warning shakes them all, especially Jughead. His eyes widen in horror and his mouth hangs.

“What the hell do you mean!” He shouts, now desperate.

“I’m sorry it had to be this way, but this is how it must be.” Jughead felt a sting of pain in the fingers of his hands. He examines one hand, and the color from his face drains.

His fingernails start lengthening into sharp claws. In panic he hides his hands in his coat pockets.

“What’s wrong Jug?” Archie asks panicking just as much as Jughead is.

“I need to go to my room.” He spits and turns, dashing to the staircase. Jughead ran at a speed Archie had never witnessed before.

“Will we be put under this curse?” Kevin questions, his eyes constantly moving from The Enchantress to the running Prince. The pressure from this problem causes Kevin’s stomach to swirl in pain. For once he had no clue what actions to take, he’s terrified.

She only nods for her answer. That makes him feel worse.

A group of servants start to crowd the top of the staircase, varies faces of horror plastered on some of them. A floating mystery woman would scare anyone, but even more so when she threatened them with a curse.

“Well what’s happening to the Prince?” Kevin adds.

“It’s best you’ll see for yourselves.” The enchantress answers a frown showing on her face. Archie bolts up the steps from the news, the information sent a horrible shiver up his spine.

The third floor stood peculiarly deserted, not a single soul appeared to be on it. No person stood there except one, a furry beast.

“Jughead?” Archie calls keeping the volume of his low. He leaves the staircase and focuses on the ground floor.

“Whoa.” Tiny pieces of Jughead’s pristine coat and black breeches laid on the floor sloppily. The closer to the Prince’s room the more pieces shown. “What is this?” Dumbstruck, he starts to pace chewing on his thumb’s nail, wondering what he should do next.

“Archie!” Veronica’s shout makes him faintly jump. She declines the staircase above him, holding her dress up to help her walk.

He places his finger on his mouth. “Keep it down.” He whispers.

“What’s going on? I was told something’s happening.” She states walking up to him.

Archie shrugs still inspecting the pieces of fabric. “Something’s going on with Jug.” He kneels down and lightly takes a piece off the floor. What could’ve happened to him?

“What do you mean by that? Be more specific.”

“I’ll explain later, just follow me.” He waves for her to get behind him and she follows his command.

They creep down the abandoned hall, determination led each step to find out what happened to their Prince.

“Why are tiny pieces of his clothes everywhere? What really happened Archie?” Veronica couldn’t stop her curiosity from showing and Archie finally lets up.

“Ok ok...so I don’t actually know what happened.”

“What!” Veronica barks, struggling to keep her voice down. “But you said—”

“Just hear me out Ronnie.” He starts rubbing the back of his neck, hoping it’ll help relax himself. He never felt this amount of pressure in his entire short life. Nothing made sense, the old lady, the flying lady, and now Jughead.

“I’m listening.”

“So there might be...a curse on Jughead.” Archie already knew the chuckles Veronica held back at that claim. It sounded ridiculous. “Then he ran away from us when…”

Unaware, they make it to their destination. Claw marks littered the wooden door, some long and deep others only meager.

“I didn’t know we let animals in here.” Veronica’s quip didn’t help at all.

Archie gestures her to go to the other side of the doorway. She falters for a moment, for once losing confidence in herself. She hastens to the opposite side of him, standing guard of the door.

Archie moves himself in front of the door. The markings all over strangely intimidated him. He elevates his hand to knock.

“Jughead, you there?”

No response.

Archie could feel his heart pump against his chest at a much faster rate. Not even Jughead’s bitter ‘What is it?’ came from behind. Just silence.

Horrible silence.

“Why don’t we get someone else to help? He obviously won’t open the door for you.”

“Well this is more serious than usual. There might be some rabid animal in there with him.” Archie mutters pushing his fingers through his short hair strands. “No way these marks came out of nowhere.”

“Then let's call more people to help.” Veronica scolds him. Archie reaches for the doorknob and turns it, pushing the door open it stops abruptly.

“Something’s blocking it.” He grunts still finding it difficult to push whatever's behind the door back.

“What, that’s crazy. You’re probably the strongest person in this whole place.”

He releases the knob, however letting the door remain slightly open. “Ronnie, I’m not strong enough to open this door.”

“Well, can you peek through the door enough to see anything?”

“Um sure.” He gets closer to the crack and pushes his eye towards the room darkness. Covering his other eye to see better.

“Anything yet?” Veronica inquires cocking both eyebrows up.

“It’s completely dark...but I’m trying.” Archie leans in as close as he can. Still nothing.

In the room complete darkness filled it. Normally the room’s curtains would be open. Jughead probably closed them for some reason.

“Well if you—”

“Wait I think I saw something move.” Archie interjects almost leaping up, in both fright and happiness.

“Really. Tell me more.” Veronica moseys in closer to Archie, wanting to see what’s going on.

“I can’t see it well.”

“Is it the animal? Is it Jughead?” Veronica’s interest almost reaches its peak.

Still no sound came from the room. Veronica and Archie overlook that fact and stay focused on what’s inside.

“I told you I can’t make it out.” Archie states exhausted by his impatient companion. “But I’m telling you Ronnie. I see something.”

“We can’t do anything if you can’t see it though.” Veronica turns her back and flails her hands up in defeat.

“But I see something and…” Archie swears. “It’s big...like not even me big but huge.”

“How can you tell if you can’t see it right?”

“I’m telling you there’s something in there.”

“Arch—”

“And no way in hell it’s Jughead.” Archie can almost make out what it is by leaning in closer.

“Arch—”

“Wait Ronnie, I think I can see more.” Archie cheerful exclaims hoping she’ll be just as excited.

“Archie!” Veronica hisses still keeping her back to him. She never liked it when people stopped her from talking.

“I think it’s moving again, and I think it’s—.”

“Archie just listen!” Veronica spins around and shoots him a scowl. “If it isn’t harming Jughead and you can’t see it clearly. We can’t do anything.”

“But Jughead said he went to his room. He should be in there.” Archie begs for Veronica to believe him pulling away from the crack. He places his eye back against crack. “I think the thing’s gone now. I can’t see it anymore.”

“Well you know what, nothing today makes sense. He’s probably somewhere else brooding.” Veronica grabs his hand and leads him back to the staircase they entered from. “Let’s head back to Kevin, Archie.” They walk down the stairs, hand in hand.

They leave the door cracked open slightly. An eye emerges from behind the room’s gloom, looking through the crack. It’s blue-green pupil searches the floor, but no one's there.

The enchantress still stays at the entrance, waiting for Archie. Archie pushes through the crowding servants in the staircase leading Veronica to the woman.

When they make it through Veronica has a clear view of the woman and she almost faints.

“What is that?” Veronica whispers feeling weak in the knees.

Archie shrugs. “I already said Ronnie, no idea.” He makes sure to carefully pay attention Veronica doesn’t tumble down the steps, she’s still terrified of the floating woman, and can trip from not paying to which step she’s on.

“Is he there? What happened to him?” Kevin interrogates Archie and cocks an eyebrow up seeing him hold Veronica's hand.

“We didn’t see anything in his room.” Archie states but he felt deep down there was something in there. “We thought he got attacked by some animal. Since there were pieces of his clothes all over the floor and his door was all scratched up.”

“And you didn’t tell anyone about this!” Kevin shouts at him, disappointed in his decision. “There are no animals in this kingdom except for some cats. So there’s no way any cat could attack anyone like that. Some one go upstairs and help him!” Kevin commands a servant to go and some hurry to the staircase.

“That won’t be necessary, if you don’t seem him now than later definitely.” The rose in the enchantress’s hand vanishes, leaving tiny white particles in it’s place to descend. “I must go.”

“Wait but—” Kevin still tries to speak with the enchantress.

She ascends in the air, her body now glowing of white. “I wish you all luck and hope this curse doesn’t last forever.”

“Can you just wait a—” Kevin felt a sweat drop trickle down his temple. He didn't want to know what happens next. He switches his view to the scared group of servants, shaking in a huddled group, refusing to leave the scene.

“Farewell.” Her figure gets even brighter. Everyone in the room shields their eyes, the blinding light burns too much. The enchantress then implodes, with that her white glow moves throughout the whole kingdom. Nothing left untouched by the enchantress’s glow.

Nothing left untouched by the curse.

[kellbellsparkles]

Should’ve been sleeping, but got fixated on writing a one shot prompt of my AU where Matt is the Black Paladin since Shiro was never saved from the Galra and a series of bittersweet events ensues. lol. I hope you all enjoy it. :) 

Lance stared emptily at the occupied healing pod before him. He knew he screwed up; he screwed up big time. Inside was Takashi Shirogane, the very man, hero, and brother that everyone had been combing the galaxy and Galran fleets for the past two years including the year he had been reported missing on Earth. He had been broken and twisted by the Galra, hidden away by Matt Holt and the resistance force that saved him in a secret research facility in hopes of restoring him to the way everyone remembered. The night he made the discovery, he recollected the dreaded fights against the Galra’s champion and the moment everyone thought he had been shot down with great horror. After being confronted by Matt, he took a deep breath and understood how and why Matt made the saddening decision to keep it all to himself.

Months went by with no new results. Lance’s guilt devoured his heart as he watched the other paladins hold onto hope that they’d locate and rescue Shiro one day. He especially felt terrible as he watched Keith, his self-declared rival, the hot-headed mullet samurai, the one he’d come to develop bonding moments with, stay up in the training room and pump himself up for another mission, another possible lead to his only known family’s whereabouts. On every bad day, Keith would come to him and say, “If not for your stupid smile, I don't think I could've made it out here.”

One day, the paladins were tasked with going to a supermarket for additional supplies and first aid for their fight against the Galra. A pink squid-like creature at a single stand promoting a miracle elixir caught Lance’s eye. According to them, the elixir could restore memories, cure illnesses, and heal any injury. From the price on the poster and that there was no proof of the works of the single vial his immediate thought was to walk away. However, he then thought if there were any chances of getting Shiro back, shouldn't he seize them the moment they appeared?

He put down everything he had on the elixir and brought it to Matt that night. He was skeptical like Lance, but they agreed that they had to follow up with whatever shot there was. Carefully, Matt dipped the vial and poured the elixir into Shiro’s mouth. Immediately, it had an effect on him. Their faces rose to the gleeful heavens, believing the miracle elixir to be working, but quickly came crashing down as Shiro let out a loud, gurgly cry and collapsed, suffering from violent seizures. As Matt scrambled to stabilize him, Lance froze and trembled in terror over what he'd possibly done. Suddenly, Shiro’s body let out a great violet wave of quintessence that engulfed the entire facility and shut everything down. Matt swallowed hard and rang for Allura to bring the castle down. Until then, he did everything he could physically to preserve Shiro’s life. As it became fainter on his finger tips, he dove into his chest and mouth harder.

Lance pressed his hand against the healing pod. A week had passed since that traumatic time. If Shiro never emerged from his medical slumber, then Keith would never forgive him. If not for Hunk restraining him, he'd be dead himself for sure. He wished he was as forgiving as Pidge; at first, she scolded Matt for keeping her in the dark when she could've helped, but after losing him once, she couldn't stay angry. Lance leaned his forehead against the glass and began to cry.

“Shiro,” he sobbed. “I'm so sorry. You gotta wake up…. For Keith….”

Whoooosh

Suddenly, there was nothing for him to lean on. He fell face first into Shiro’s chest as his body slumped onto his bottom, sliding against the wall. Lance shuffled to his knees and gasped upon seeing Shiro stirring.

“Oh my god,” he said shakily, bringing his hands to his cheeks. “Shiro?”

At last, the former champion opened his eyes. They were no longer resembled his captor Haggar’s; they returned to their shimmering bronze glory. He hazily stared into Lance’s eyes, fixating him curiously.  Lance clenched his knees to keep himself from hyperventilating. He didn't know what could happen at that very moment: if he'd be fighting for his life or simply shoved out of confusion and fright, so he remained still. He evened his breathing and kept his focus on Shiro. Shiro sat silently, unmoving, his dilated eyes never leaving Lance’s line of sight, not even for a second.

“I heard a ding!”

Coran’s voice echoed cheerfully throughout the infirmary. The calm broken, Shiro let out a yelp and clenched to Lance’s chest tightly. Lance shivered tensely, the sudden contact knocking the air out of his lungs.

“Wait,” he heard Matt say. “Give him space.”

Lance looked over his shoulder and saw everyone staring confusedly at them. Then, he felt Shiro jerking him closer, burying his face deeper into his jacket.

“H-Hey,” Lance stuttered. “It's okay. No one’s going to hurt you.”

Shiro kept still and began to soak Lance’s jacket. At that moment, Lance was struck with a vision of being in the same position with his younger siblings. He'd pat and stroke their heads tenderly for as long as they needed to smile again. Slowly, he brought his right hand and placed it gently on Shiro’s head. The touch alone helped ease his shoulders and relax his hold on Lance. As he brushed his hand through his hair, instinctively, he placed his free hand on Shiro’s back. He felt his breathing slow and return to its original tempo.

“Lance,” Coran said. “Try talking to him.”

Lance leaned his head closer to Shiro’s.

“Hey Shiro,” he said soothingly. “Do you know who you are?”

Shiro raised his head, staring blankly, but directly at Lance.

“Do you know your name?” Lance asked.

Shiro continued to stare, pursing his lips and raising his brows as though he were in deep thought, his eyes bulging as if he was encased in a trance.

“Oh dear,” Lance frowned. He shifted himself and Shiro towards Matt. “Do you know who that is?”

Shiro thrust himself into Lance’s chest again.

“Oh no,” Hunk said sorrowfully. “The elixir made him lose his memory.”

Then, muffled sounds emerged from Shiro’s throat.

“Hey,” Lance said gently. “What's the matter?” He reaches his left hand under Shiro’s chin and lifts his head. “You can tell me.”

Shiro spoke, but what emerged from his mouth was garbled and jumbled. Lance was struck with another vision; a vision of holding his baby siblings for the first time.

“I think he lost more than his memory,” Matt said fearfully.

Everyone looked upon the poor man sadly as he continued to babble. Lance’s stomach churned and quivered; Shiro may not have died, but he had become regressed because of his risky judgement. Before he could drown in his regret, Shiro wrapped his arms around Lance’s neck and nuzzled into his right shoulder. Right away, he held him there in his lap; it was all he could do for him.

“Hmm,” Coran pondered. “I think I know what's happening here.”

Lance’s ears flickered, his head snapping up at Coran.

“You do?” he said.

“Whatever was in that elixir,” Coran began. “It caused a chain reaction with the druid magic pumped into him and sent his nervous system into a frenzy. His brain couldn't handle the chaos, so it showed itself out. And now, since you're the first person he's seen since waking, Lance, you've become his guardian, his protector, or more intimately put, his mother.”

“His mother??” Lance exclaimed. “What??”

“He can't be THAT handicapped!” Pidge cried. “Can he?”

“Isn't that asking too much of Lance?” Hunk questioned, concerned.

“If this is what's become of your missing comrade,” Coran said. “Then this is how it must be. We can pitch in once he's grown used to us.”

“Coran,” Allura chimed. “Are you sure this is wise? He could still be a potential threat.”

“What are you saying, Allura?” Lance said, aghast. “Look at him. Would a potential threat act this scared and helpless?”

“If the Galra had something up their sleeve,” Matt said. “They would've revealed it the moment we put him in the pod.”

“It would've been Sendak all over again,” Hunk added. “But it's not.”

“I know you're concerned, Allura,” Pidge said. “But we can't just abandon him after we spent so long looking for him.”

“And fighting,” Lance whispered sadly to himself.

Allura staggered from the pleading eyes shoving against her. She took a deep breath.

“If the plan is to keep him under twenty-four-seven surveillance,” she said. “Then I have no objections.”

Suddenly, Shiro clenched his legs together and whimpered.

“Shiro?” Lance said worryingly, rubbing his right hand up his spine. “What's wrong?”

Shiro tapped his feet on the floor in response. The desperate rhythm signaled Lance to the problem right away.

“Oh,” he said. “Shoot.” He brought his hands to Shiro’s. “Up we go. Come on.”

Steadily and hurriedly, he taught him to follow his lead and stand on his two feet. Shiro’s knees quaked horribly; he whined and squinted his eyes shut.

“It's gonna be okay,” Lance told him tenderly. “We can make it. Just follow me.”

“Uh oh,” Hunk gasped suddenly.

“Not good,” Pidge said, panicked.

Lance turned his head towards the sudden commotion. His face turned white when he laid his eyes on Keith for the first time since Shiro was admitted into the healing pod. He breathed heavily, his eyes widening greatly, his pupils shrinking.

“Shiro…..”

He took a few steps forward.

“Shiro.”

He hastened his steps, evolving into a sprint.

“Shiro!!”

Hunk leapt in front of him, preparing to grab him, but Keith quickly eluded him having developed sharper reflexes during his solitude. At last, he was here; he wasn't going to let anything stand in between him and Shiro ever again. He stretched out his right arm and made contact with Shiro’s right shoulder.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!”

Shiro screamed and wailed deafening cries. Pidge, Allura, Hunk, and Coran all covered their ears. Keith flinched, nearly falling backward. Shiro collapsed onto the ground, but Lance swooped under him to break his fall. As Shiro tearfully embraced Lance once more, he glared back at his attacker, even bearing his teeth.

Keith tottered, the arm that triggered the outburst receiving the worst of it. He closed his eyes briefly, thinking that he passed out from an excessive training session and was now experiencing lucid nightmares, but when he opened them again, Shiro’s eyes remained the same: frightened, enraged, and blank. Tears began to well in Keith’s eyes.

“Keith,” Lance said heavily.

Keith turned his back and fled from the infirmary. Hunk took it upon himself to chase after him.

“Keith, wait!” he called out. “I can explain! Let's talk about this!”

When both men were out of sight, Shiro lowered his head and sobbed beyond control. A large puddle formed underneath his legs. Lance held him and rocked him through it.

“Shhshhhh” he whispered. “It's okay.”

Promptly, Coran tossed towels and a fresh set of Altean admiral clothes over Lance’s head.

“I don't know how Altean attire compares to human attire,” he said. “But that was the largest uniform I could find.”

While holding Shiro with his right arm, Lance used his left arm to lay out the outfit. Gold and silver buttons and badges illuminated the sky blue suit. The snow white, rubbery, elastic dress pants sparkled so brightly, they rivaled the sun in blinding power.

“Thanks,” Lance said, shielding his eyes. “But I think Shiro needs to wear something more comfortable. In the meanwhile….”

Casually, he swept the noble suit over to the puddle Shiro made.

“Thanks, Coran,” he said with a silly smile.

Everyone blinked in shock over Lance’s sudden action.

“NOOOOOOO!!” Coran shrieked. “You just tinkled on Admiral Starlit Twinkle!! Albeit figuratively, BUT ALSO LITERALLY!! I'm so sorry, Admiral!! You were so good to me appreciating my flamboyant personality, and here I am disrespecting your memory by allowing this to happen!!”

Allura, Pidge, and Matt resisted as best they could, but ultimately, they each let out a laugh. Lance chuckled along as he swaddled Shiro in the towels.

“I'm sure it'll wash out,” Lance said.

Once wrapped in the warm, soft fabric, Shiro ceased his cries. He quickly slipped into the world of slumber once more, snug against Lance’s chest.

“Whew, Lance sighed. “What a day he's had, huh?”

Allura smiled warmly.

“I must say,” she said. “He looks very peaceful.”

“Yeah,” Matt said softly. “For the first time since the whole mess began with Kerberos.”

Lance cradled Shiro closer to him. Tragedy may have fell, but perhaps there was a looming joy waiting to be unveiled. The Galra no longer had a hold on him; he was Lance’s to nurture and witness a new adventure being born.

[scriptfeature]

ScriptX Weekly Update

Hey guys, and welcome back to the weekly update. We have plenty that happened this week, so let’s get to it. 

Announcements

@scriptmedic has released her first e-book over on her new website. Go get the e-book at http://www.scriptmedicblog.com/free-ebook

@scriptlgbt is looking for a polyamory mod, a gay male mod, and a mod specializing in LGBT+ history. Please contact them via message if you can help.

@scriptsocialwork is looking for a mod to help with asks relating to adoption and the foster system. See her announcement here

@scriptsoldier and @scriptshrink have both recently started Patreons. If you can donate, it would be much appreciated. Check out their Patreons: shrink and soldier.

The ScriptX family is also looking for mods for a blog about writing characters in the publishing industry, particularly from contributors with Big 5 / Big 6 experience. This blog will not be for editing reader’s work, nor for helping them get published. Please send an ask to @scriptpublishingindustry if you can help.

Featured Posts

Is There a Doctor in the House?

The actor dramatically collapses as the foe removes the dagger. The curtains close. And they don’t open. The audience starts talking. What’s going on? The director walks out on stage. “Excuse me, but we have an emergency backstage. If there is a doctor in the audience tonight, your assistance would be appreciated.” Dr. Rusty Krust sighs and sinks down into his seat. He didn’t come here to work.  ( @scriptmedic )

Drop-Out Dog

Becoming a service dog takes a lot of training. The few that make it have many obstacles to overcome, but for those who don’t there can be a variety of reasons. @scriptservicedogs answers this ask with a few ideas for why your protagonist’s dog didn’t pass the class.

I'm Rich! I'm Wealthy!

Your character has found the ultimate treasure and now they’re rich! Or are they? I mean, that treasure is SUPER old. So what do they have to do instead? @scriptaccountant has the answer for you.

German Terms of Endearment

Cute nicknames! Who doesn’t love them? (Probably a lot of people but not your character). So how can your character’s german friend refer to those close to them? @scriptgerman has a list that can help.

Ghost Towns of the East

Japan, Land of the Rising Sun and anime. When the sun goes down though, that’s when the ghosts come out from their resting places. The Chorus of @scriptmyth has some spooky stories that may just inspire your next paranormal piece.

Fine Dining for the Familiar Folk

Fine dining: for most of us, this doesn’t happen often. The closest we may get is a steakhouse, but nothing too fancy. So how do meals work in upscale restaurants? @scriptfoodie has this one covered.

You Are What You Eat

No, this is not another post from foodie, although those posts are delicious reads. No, this is the Super Mysterious Assistant of @scriptlgbt giving guidance to a writer whose fictional society has not yet discovered a way to produce the transitional hormones people need. This answer suggests some ways to present your characters as masculine or feminine as needed even when medical treatment isn’t available.

The Wrath of The Library Gods

Your character has found the one book they need for their quest. They gaze upon its ancient glory and marvel at the pages, yellowed by time. Now just go get it out to their secret base so they can examine it more closely. How are they going to do that without it being destroyed by literally everything including the sun? @scriptlibrarian can help your characters avoid the library god’s wrath, though it may pain them to do so.

Cracked Breakdown and Takedown

Sometimes you read an article, and it’s bad. Other times you read an article and you feel physical pain because of just how wrong it is. (Mild exaggeration there) But you read all the way through, because you know what? You know your stuff. You know the article is wrong. You know that the article is going to do a significant amount of damage because of how many people are going to read the article. So what do you do? You do like @scriptshrink and show why it’s wrong.

Quotes

gangster voice "You got some real nice inaccurate writing over here. Shame if something were to...happen to it." - @scriptshrink

“is a puzzle wrapped in an enigma shrouded in mystery that wants bacon” -Aunt Scripty ( @scriptmedic )

“MOOSEBEAR”- ( @scriptgerman )

Ask Boxes

@scriptmedic and @scriptshrink both have overflowing ask boxes, though they are still open. Please check their tags pages (medic, shrink) before asking as your question may have already been answered.

@scriptkink will be re-opening the ask box at the end of the week.

New Family

@scriptsailor has recently launched as an offshoot of @scriptsoldier. Go check them out and maybe send in an ask

@scriptchemist also has added mod J, a synthetic chemist. Go check out the update here.

Alright, that’s all for this week. Until next time this is your host signing off. 

-Splat

EDIT: I originally had the wrong link for the “Drop-Out Dog” post. That has been fixed. I also was wrong about one ask box. My apologies. I will be more thorough in editing next week. 

[unwritrecipes]

Pan-Roasted Mushroom and Spinach Slab Pie

Happy 3.14 or 3/14, Thursday March 14th, aka Pi Day! Finally got it right, math whiz that I am (not)! Last week I claimed it was 3.12 until my very wise son and his girlfriend gently pointed out to me that pi is 3.14 which probably explains why I am writing this now and not involved in a career that involves higher math of some sort! LOL! But in any case, it’s an awesome day to celebrate with the eating of pie. C’mon we’ll take any excuse we can get, right?

Now, generally when I think about pie, I’m deep in dessert mode (and often it’s a la mode, ha ha) but today, in the spirit of the number pi, which I vaguely remember has something to do with infinity, I want you to expand your mind and embrace the savory possibilities of pie too. Yup, that’s right. Pie, in all its glory, as the main course. And now take it one step further and instead of the traditional round pie, make it rectangular. Uncharted territories, I know. Scared? Don’t be. Because this Pan-Roasted Mushroom and Spinach Slab Pie is not only positively delicious but far, far easier to make and a really fun weekend project. Let’s hear it for Pi(e) Day!!

Of late I have been addicted to the making of slab pies, ever since laying my pie-crimping hands on Pie Squared by Cathy Barrow. I blogged about it last week for my Famous Fridays post with this Easy-As-Pie-Apple Slab Pie and gave you copious notes (I’m still tired from the typing) about how to prepare the slab pie crust, so instead of redoing the whole tutorial here, just click on the link and you’ll see photos that walk you through the crust-making process. Got it?

Ok, let’s move on to the filling, which despite the fact that it is loaded with mushrooms is not goopy or liquidy at all (if you’ve ever made quiche and found that the filling cooked up a little watery, you know what I mean) and this is due to two important techniques: pan-roasting at a high heat and cooking the mushrooms in two batches, so as not to overcrowd the pan. Yes, it takes a little bit longer but it gives you mushrooms that are firm and almost caramelized which adds a ton of texture and flavor to the filling.

And speaking of caramelized, we’ve got to give a shout out to the onions which don’t get a mention in the title but are a vital part of what makes this filling so special. Taking the time to caramelize them is so totally worth it!

And let’s not forget about the spinach (you could also sub in kale—that’s what the original recipe calls for) which you just stir into the hot onions to allow to wilt a bit and adds the right balance of bitterness and leafy greenness to the sautéed veggies and richness of the eggy, custardy filling and cheese.

Assembling is a breeze. Simply position the top crust over the filling, crimp, slash a few steam vents in the crust, brush with an egg wash and bake.

You’re gonna be so proud when you pull this baby from the oven! Golden brown, flaky gorgeousness!

It’s like a quiche on steroids! A complete meal in a pan.

Serve it with a crisp, green salad and you’ve hit dinner perfection! And while you’re at it, how about one of these pies or tarts for dessert?

God, I love Pi Day!!

Pan-Roasted Mushroom and Spinach Slab Pie

Makes 12-15 servings

It is helpful to have a food processor for this. It is also helpful to have a bench scraper and a baking stone but not absolutely necessary.

Prep Time for Crust:  Prep Time for Filling:  30 minutes (much of this is hands free); Assembly Time:  Bake Time:  50 minutes-1 hour

Ingredients

For the Crust

2 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons unbleached, all-purpose flour (325 grams), plus extra for shaping and rolling out dough

16 tablespoons (225 grams) unsalted butter, cubed and frozen for 20 minutes

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 cup (120ml) ice water

For the Filling

1/4 cup (60ml) olive oil, divided

1 pound mushrooms, any kind (I used half regular button, half baby Bella) sliced not too thinly and divided in half

Kosher salt

Red pepper flakes

2 tablespoons dry sherry

2 large onions, sliced in half and then into half moon slices

Fresh thyme leaves from a few sprigs of thyme

5 cups fresh baby spinach, chopped

1 cup whole milk

2 large eggs plus 1 egg white (you’ll use the yolk later for the egg wash)

Black pepper

4 ounces Swiss or Gruyere, grated (about 1 cup)

For the Assembly

1 egg yolk

1 teaspoon water

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

The Recipe

1. To make the crust: place the flour, butter and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal steel blade and pulse for 15 times until the butter is in small, pea-like pieces and coated with the flour. Pour in all of the ice water and pulse until the mixture almost forms a ball. You still want it to be a bit shaggy. If you over mix it, it’ll be tough. If you don’t have a food processor, you can mix the dough by hand. If so, freeze the sticks of butter and then grate them using the largest holds on the box grater right into the flour mixture. Working quickly, use your hands to combine the ingredients until the grated butter pieces are coated in flour. Pour in the water and and use your hands to sort of toss and fold the dough together into a shaggy cohesive ball.

2. Take 2 large pieces of plastic wrap and lay them criss-crossed on the counter so that they form a large “X”. Take a little bit of flour and scatter it in the center. Turn the dough out right into the center of the X, scraping the food processor clean and fold the plastic wrap over the shaggy ball and any stray crumbs. You want to avoid touching the dough with your hands as that warms the fats and cuts down on the pastry’s flakiness. Use a bench scraper or a firm spatula to push the dough into a 6 by 4-inch block that will look like a compact piece of dough not a crumbly block but you will still see pieces of butter throughout. (It helps if you use a ruler to measure—will make the rolling out later a snap). Now use a rolling pin to gently press across the surface of the dough to remove any bubbles. Flip the dough over and repeat on the other side. Place in the fridge to rest for at least 4 hours and preferably overnight.

3. Before you are ready to roll out the dough, set up your rolling surface—it can be a board or your clean counter as long as it’s cold. Use painter’s or masking tape to make an 11x15-inch rectangle. Remove the dough for about 10 minutes before you roll out—you don’t want it to get too warm. Generously dust the rolling surface with flour. Remove the plastic wrap and cut the dough into 2 pieces, one a little larger than the other—this will be the top crust.

4. Working quickly, smack the dough 3 times with the rolling pin. Now flip it over and do the same to the other side. This helps to compress the fats. Now flour your rolling pin and roll out the dough from the center outward, angling to the sides, working to fill the shaped space. Every so often slide the bench scraper underneath the dough to keep it from sticking to the board and turning the dough to get it to fill the space evenly. If it shrinks back when you roll it, don’t pull it—just be patient and keep rolling—it will fill the space eventually. Once it’s rolled to size, gently fold it over in half and carefully place it in the 1/4 sheet pan. Gently press the dough into the corners using the sides of your hand, not your fingers which might poke holes. Place the pan into the fridge while you roll out the top crust.

5. Roll out the top crust using the same technique, but only to about 10x14-inches. Place a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet and sprinkle with flour. Transfer the dough to the sheet and refrigerate as well.

6. To make the filling: Pour 1 1/2 tablespoons of the oil into a large, wide skillet and heat over high heat until the oil shimmers. Add half of the mushrooms and move them into a single layer. Sprinkle with a pinch or two of salt and red pepper flakes and let the mushrooms cook for several minutes, somewhere between 6-9 minutes, without moving them, until you can easily lift one with out sticking. They will sizzle and snap so be prepared. Then turn all of them quickly so that the other side can get browned and let cook another few minutes. Transfer to a bowl and repeat the entire process with the rest of the mushrooms, beginning with the heating of another 1 1/2 tablespoons of oil.

7. When all of the mushrooms have been transferred out of the skillet, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil and lower the heat to medium. Stir in the onion and thyme let cook for about 15 minutes, until the onions are beginning to caramelize and turn golden. If they are browning too quickly, turn down the heat. Stir in the chopped spinach and remove from the heat.

8. If you have one, place a baking stone on the center rack of the oven. If not, use an inverted rimmed baking sheet. Turn the oven to 400ºF and let preheat with the baking stone.

9. Remove the bottom crust from the fridge and scatter the mushrooms across the bottom as evenly as possible. Top with the onion mixture, pushing it around so that it is evenly dispersed.

10. In a separate bowl, whisk the milk, eggs, egg white, and a pinch or two of salt and pepper together. Pour it over the vegetables and scatter the cheese evenly across the whole thing. Remove the top crust from the fridge and position on top. Tuck the bottom crust edge over the top crust and crimp. Use a sharp knife to make a few venting slashes in the top crust. Whisk the egg yolk and water together in a small bowl and brush across the surface of the pie using a pastry brush. Sprinkle on some kosher salt. Place the pie in the fridge for 20 minutes.

11. Bake for about 45-50 minutes, until the top is golden brown and a knife inserted into the center of the pie comes out clean. Let cool for about 10 minutes before cutting., then use a sharp knife to cut squares and serve immediately. Pie reheats well too. Store leftovers covered in the fridge and reheat in a low oven for about 15 minutes.

Enjoy!

Note: Recipe adapted from Pie Squared by Cathy Barrow. I subbed spinach in for the kale and used more and different variety of mushrooms.