#not be dramatic but i am here with my personal chef so

[astonmartinii]

a spoonful of sugar part two | oscar piastri social media au

pairing: oscar piastri x fem chef!reader

cheffing it up all over the calendar, here we go again

PART ONE | MASTERLIST | TIP JAR | MY SMALL BUSINESS

yourusername

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yourusername: we're in JAPAN 🇯🇵 WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO !!! yeah suzuka is cool and all but more importantly - SUSHI TIME and my oh my that spread is glorious if i do say so myself

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user1: oscar babygirlism is so real

landonorris: HOW DARE YOU GUYS INVITE ME OVER FOR DINNER AND SERVE THAT

yourusername: boo fucking hoo, i've had enough of your whining buddy

landonorris: OSCAR STOP HER SHE'S BEING MEAN

oscarpiastri: i mean i would take the home-cooked meal from the professional chef but that's just me

landonorris: stop shaming me :( i can't help it :(

yourusername: okay stop being dramatic, you can comeback from your hiding place i made chicken sushi as well

landonorris: oh thank you 😊

oscarpiastri: when i came in as the YOUNGER teammate, i didn't think y/n and i would be babysitting you

landonorris: you guys love me really

user2: i think y/n might have the patience of a saint

user3: i think i would die happy if i got a sushi spread from y/n

yukitsunoda0511: personally offended i was not invited :(

yourusername: nooooooooooo yukiii :((((( - i'll bring left overs ?

yukitsunoda0511: yes please (i'm much nicer than lando)

landonorris: when will the slander end?

oscarpiastri: i'm personally offended that any time y/n is visiting ME she ends up cooking and looking after all of you :(

yourusername: i love you the most though

oscarpiastri: hehehehehehe

user4: this relationship is so precious to me actually

oscarpiastri

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oscarpiastri: over the moon to get my first podium in f1 in my rookie season. p.s. get yourself a girlfriend that gives you a candy bouquet to celebrate your podium

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user5: oscodium i know that's right

mclarenf1: we don't think that's in your meal plan, but we'll let it slide for just this once

yourusername: damn right you will 🔫🔫🔫

oscarpiastri: okay no threatening my team on a post about my podium

yourusername: i guess they're fine (FOR NOW) (the next time i see team orders it's on sight)

mclarenf1: ... does this mean no more pasta parties? :(

yourusername: get my boy his first win and pasta for life for all of you

user6: the way y/n and oscar's mum both fell into each other when oscar crossed the finish line

user7: they're so real for that

user8: y/n is REAL wag representation, i too would go FUCKING mental if my boyf got a podium i would also be spraying champagne all over the garage and crying my eyes out

yourusername: I LOVE YOU SO MUCH AND I'M SO FUCKING PROUD OF YOU

oscarpiastri: I LOVE YOU MORE, THANK YOU FOR ALWAYS SUPPORTING ME - and looking after my mum after you caused a stampede in the garage

yourusername: hold on nicole is just as crazy as me

oscarpiastri: my two favourite women EVA

user9: when you're besties with your boyf's mum >>

landonorris: congrats oscahhhhhhh - how does one procure one of these bouquets?

oscarpiastri: hands off pal 🤨

landonorris: i just want CANDY STOP ACCUSING ME OF STUFF

yourusername: oh so now you want my food ....

landonorris: why are you ganging up on me ??? I'M JUST A CHILD ???

user10: i love watching oscar and y/n ganging up on lando

logansargeant

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logansargeant: category is: thirdwheeling - the food is a definite plus

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user12: the real best trio in f1 ... sorry 2019 rookies

alexalbon: logie bear beating the unseasoned allegations... i am impressed

logansargeant: i am cultured?

yourusername: logan had no choice, he was eating what i made him

logansargeant: but i liked it!

yourusername: you did, i'm a proud mother

alexalbon: what are the chances of me and james getting some of the y/n food, we deserve it more than mclaren

yourusername: name the price...

user13: i love how oscar and y/n have collected so many drivers this season despite being the youngest

oscarpiastri: not even finished my first season and we've accumulated so many "children"

logansargeant: don't have a gf who is such a good chef if you didn't want to babysit me

yourusername: we can't help it we're mOTHER

oscarpiastri: 💅

charles_leclerc: @oscarpiastri did our post podium dinner in aus mean nothing? you're neglecting your 26 year old child

maxverstappen1: classic treatment of the eldest girl 😔

yourusername: you guys done being dramatic?

charles_leclerc: one second

charles_leclerc: YOU'RE JUST THE SAME AS EVERYONE ELSE, PICK ME UP AND DROP ME - USERS !!!!

charles_leclerc: okay done :)

oscarpiastri: ok... idk what the fuck is going on here

maxverstappen1: we want food [bangs cutlery on imaginary table]

user14: oscar going from being the shy one on the grid to wrangling charles and max is killing me

user15: him and y/n have the grid wrapped around their finger

yourusername

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yourusername: this is everything you have ever deserved

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user18: i am going to throw myself on the track and let oscar run me over and put me out of my misery

oscarpiastri: i love you so much, couldn't do it without your support

yourusername: NUH UH you're SUPER DUPER AMAZINGLY FAST and i am lucky to be here to witness you :)

oscarpiastri: okay.... but no more passing out in the garage

yourusername: i'm just a girl 🎀

oscarpiastri: my girl x

yourusername: YOUR GIRL (i've seen the tiktok edits BACK OFF)

user19: the way the other team members and teams let them have their moment was so cute

user20: zak brown pushing her to the front to be able to see him on the podium... maybe i don't hate him as much as i thought

user21: her taking ten billion photos while crying her eyes out was so cute

yourusername: they're all blurry 🧍🏻‍♂️

maxverstappen1: i guess you're the only one i'll tolerate outshining my championship win... congrats oscar!

oscarpiastri: thank you max :) also thank you to gp for giving y/n an ice pack

yourusername: gp got his name on a piece of cake

maxverstappen1: what about my cake?

yourusername: i guess i can spare another slice for you

oscarpiastri: we can give you a whole cake tomorrow if you let me win tomorrow?

maxverstappen1: nice try dude

yourusername: you haven't tried it yet

oscarpiastri: it's laced with crack (literally, DQ coming fast)

maxverstappen1: ????

yourusername: we jest

oscarpiastri: or do we?

user22: is gp another person they've collected?

oscarpiastri

liked by landonorris, logansargeant and 1,094,873 others

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oscarpiastri: no one else i'd rather celebrate with

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user23: they don't know it yet but they're actually my parents

user24: yeah, yeah oscar won a race woo BUT MAMA DROP THE RECIPE FOR THE THIRD SLIDE LOOKS LIKE IT BANGS

yourusername: i'm so unbelievably proud of you oscar, crying in the club right now

oscarpiastri: i didn't know the shower was also called the club (i can hear you crying and though i'm grateful you are this happy for me, it's getting slightly concerning)

yourusername: i just can't contain my excitement for you and it's turned into tears HAPPY TEARS

oscarpiastri: my mum can hear it from her room as well

yourusername: can't believe i'm being shamed like this

landonorris: will you cry this much for my first win

yourusername: nope, actively praying against it

landonorris: WHAT ??? OSCAR STOP HER SHE'S BEEN TOO MEAN THIS TIME

yourusername: i only want oscar to win every race from now until he retires soz buddy

oscarpiastri: idk that sounds like a good deal to me lando

landonorris: @yourusername i hope you drown in your tears

user25: well that escalated

danielricciardo: proud of you baby aussie !!! how can we get some aussie bbq in the paddock as celebration @yourusername 🤭

yourusername: someone get me a grill asap

danielricciardo: okay max it's time to stop being selfish, let oscar win another race so we can get more bbq i'm homesick

maxverstappen1: that's cute and all but FUCK THEM KIDS

yourusername: well no bbq for you then

maxverstappen1: you and oscar love me really

oscarpiastri: ???

user26: the way y/n tussles with these men kills me

user27: at this point get her a microphone and get her on that grid walk

mclarenf1

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mclarenf1: y/n delivered the pasta party she promised (admin is now in a food coma no more posts for the rest of the day)

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user28: the way we all thought this was a joke... i am now unwell

user29: dead ass the cutest thing i've ever seen

yourusername: thank you for having me besties, thank you for giving oscar a fast car and i hope you all actually make your flights in your pasta-induced naps

mclarenf1: that carbonara has me snoozing up a storm

oscarpiastri: (we nearly missed our flight)

landonorris: worth it, that pasta banged

yourusername: why thank you everyone i am blushing

yourusername: but real talk when does all this pasta translate into team orders in oscar's favour

mclarenf1: i don't think that's in my job description

landonorris: ...

oscarpiastri: well....

yourusername: you're making me look like a bad person 😭 i just want oscar to have the best possible time ever

oscarpiastri: i love you <3

landonorris: ugh... i guess that's cute

user30: i have never been more jealous ever in my life and it's over PASTA

georgerussell63: i am mobilising the GDPA against this. it's either pasta for ALL of us or NONE of us

yourusername: bring back seb you big wet wipe

georgerussell63: EXCUSE YOU!

charles_leclerc: i am an honourary italian and i am quite frankly offended i was not at least offered the left overs

oscarpiastri: but this was my special pasta party for my sprint win :(

georgerussell63: don't try and use that very cute and wholesome excuse with me mister, we have been robbed of pasta

yourusername: you queens are so dramatic i can't

user31: this sport is so unserious, they wouldn't protest over the conditions this weekend but pasta is where they draw the line 😭

yourusername

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yourusername: if you're at COTA come on down to my bbq station it's mr america (@logansargeant) approved

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user33: miss ma'am is really raising the bar for all wags at this point

user34: who else is doing up masterchef at the track

logansargeant: i can confirm it is very good

yourusername: i knew there was a reason we love you logie bear

logansargeant: the ribs were so good you should honestly get an american passport

user35: guys i went and omg IT WAS SO FUCKING GOOD + y/n was so fucking nice and said all proceeds are going to helping disadvantaged children get into karting

user36: my heart is so full i love them

maxverstappen1: slowing me down by making me have bbq i see how it is

yourusername: no one forced you to eat it buddy

maxverstappen1: well it's steak and mac and cheese ur dumb if you think i'm NOT fucking it up

yourusername: you got me there

danielricciardo: that was scrummy

charles_leclerc: petition for this to be here every week

georgerussell63: this just makes me more angry about missing out on pasta

user37: oscar is so much stronger than me cause if i had y/n i'd be asking for an absolute feast all of the time and would not stick to my meal plan

oscarpiastri: my favourite person doing her favourite thing <3

yourusername: you're my favourite thing

landonorris: keep that to yourself

yourusername: i can't love my bf now?

landonorris: that man is a child keep it PG

oscarpiastri: you made it not PG

yourusername: stop forcing your agenda on us lando

landonorris: i can't win with you people

oscarpiastri

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oscarpiastri: first season done. proud. ready to eat like a king

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user38: i don't think i've ever barked in response to a picture of food

landonorris: where's mineeeeee :((((((((

oscarpiastri: season is over mate. y/n is back to being mine and mine only, we're hibernating in aus

landonorris: selfish

yourusername: let us eat our sushi in peace this off season

user39: oscar ready to keep y/n to himself what a king

oscarpiastri: tired of sharing my gf :( i know she's the bestest ever but still i was getting separation anxiety when she was stolen to make food for george

georgerussell63: no regrets

yourusername: you were always a king, but i'm ready to treat you like royalty

oscarpiastri: right back at you, queen

yourusername: all the food WE want all off season

maxverstappen1: okay guys we can hear you

charles_leclerc: this is no way to talk about your 27 year old children honestly

landonorris: i'm calling childline actually

yourusername: feel free girl, kiss my ass cause you won't see it for months

landonorris: GASP!

oscarpiastri: that's been brewing, stop asking y/n to make you chicken dippers bro

landonorris: :(

yourusername: regardless of all the tomfoolery and the stray cats (drivers) we've picked up, i'm so proud of you oscar - here's to an even better year next year

oscarpiastri: thank you, my love. couldn't do it without you. i love you.

yourusername: i love you too osc

fin.

note: heyyy?? yeah i've kinda gone missing in action. i am working on the last two WIPs but i am so busy and my writers block is so bad i had to revisit an old fave lol. hope yall enjoy !

[selineram3421]

*has an idea and runs to get phone*

Headcanons for TD Alastor

(Theater Dramatic) Alastor X/& Reader

Are you in love with this? Because I am in love with this.

Like, look at him being dramatic and sassy. *chef's kiss* It's amped up to the max from his usual and omg yes.

If he were to say a Thomas Sanders line, it would be..

"And I'm the sassy aunt... *whisper* Who talks shit about everyone."

I mean that could be any Alastor headcanon, because he would say that line.

Anyways!

You are not really the drama kid (kind of), you are more the stage crew kid.

Don't get it wrong! You love the glamour! The stories! The dances! And the lights! But..not when they are on you.

Sure, you have talent. You can sing, dance, act! There's just one problem..

Stage fright. It's fucking stage fright.

You've tried once when you were younger in life but then when you stood on stage and stared at the crowd..well.. Kinda blanked and ran off stage.

Alastor is trying to help you get out of your shell, practicing his dances and pulling you into song when he can.

"I'm not sure I can do this..", you mumble, having second thoughts.

"Nonsense!", the Radio Demon pulls you close to his side, making sure you don't try to run off. "The world is a stage and a stage is a world of entertainment!"

"I feel like this won't turn out well..", you gulped nervously.

"Hm..", he tapped his chin in thought. "How about getting into character?"

"Getting into character?", you looked at him with slight confusion.

"Let's say you're a dancer!", he moved to hold your hand and pulled you to follow. "And you're learning a new routine! You can't give up, this is what you've worked hard for!"

Surprisingly, it helps.

You build up a character every time you go on stage.

Alastor owns your soul but you two are more like friends.

He's a little more honest with you but does hide things when he feels like it is a threat to you.

You help him practice his dances and even get to choreograph a few.

When you get to see him do his performance, you get so happy.

You saw his drunk dancing and were in awe.

He did that. He really did a whole number while drunk and managed to tell demons off while at it too.

"What do you mean when you say the words slay, serve, and ate?"

"It's a compliment. Trust me."

You and Rosie try to teach him some of the modern slang.

Some of it sticks but a lot of it doesn't...

At least he got "tea" right.

I might add more.. No. I will definitely add more later.

~Seline, the person.

Taglist@

@c4rved-pumpk1n @scary-noodlesblog @stolas-thebirb @naelys-the-aster @biromanticboba @lbcreations-blog @ducky-died-inside @kiraisastay @pooplyface1423 @line-viper @117s-girl @spiderlegsling @alastorsgoldie @kcsketches @lofasofabread @kotaleee @im-coolrat @superzombiewho @speckle-meow-meow @jammcookie @dilucragnvindr-my-beloved @trashbin-nie @koioli @fatherlesschild2 @mmik3yy @just-here-reading @nealeart @hudiexiaoying @crystal-multiplefandomlover @glowinggoldfish0 @tiredgamerhere @fluffy-koalala @valenfawkes @willowshadenox @aria-tempest @alastor-simp @nonetheartist @gallantys @i-3at-kidz @luxky-aish @ceafighter @xalygatorx @xangel-8 @big-brother-problems @mistpurpl3 @chewbrry @willowbrookhoot @briethekitsune @alastorthirsty @sir-aadiboii @fuzzyturtlepaws @+?

ML Alastor II🎙️ | TD🥃

[consistentlyamess]

Wild Sweetness ⎮ Prologue

[1.4K]

pairing(s): luca x fem!oc MJ

summary: MJ has just settled in after opening back up a bakery in Chicago when some unexpected news

warnings: not much so far, takes place after season 3, 18+ , MDNI, swearing, eventual smut, second chance romance, pining, slowburn, flashbacks in italics, lmk if i missed anything!!

A/N: heeelloo!! this idea has been sloshing around in my head since i watched season 2 and started working on it while waiting for season 3. comments, likes, reblogs are appriciated as always or just come chat at me! And as always 💜💜💜 TY for reading!!!!💜💜💜

Fic Masterlist I Previous Chapter I Next Chapter

‘Well, well, well, look what rhubarb season dragged in!’ 

‘Morning, MJ’ Marcus greeted with a big, bright smile.

‘Please, say, you have some coffee for me!’ 

‘Not even a ‘good morning’, damn, you must really be tired.’ 

‘I’m sorry, I stayed up reading again and drank two glasses of wine, so now I’m tired and also a little hungover because somewhere between re-opening the shop and last night I also became an old lady.’ Marcus laughed and shook his head. 

‘You’re not an old lady, but you do need to get out more.’

‘Weird, I don’t remember asking that coffee with a side of unsolicited advice.’ 

‘Careful, chef, you might not get the coffee either if you keep being a smartass.’ Marcus quipped back with a cheeky smile but also handing her the takeaway cup.

‘Oh, you’re a godsend, my friend.’ She took a sip and sank deeper into her place behind the counter for a second. ‘So, what's the agenda today?’ 

‘You said it: it’s rhubarb season. And we’re changing the menu.’ 

‘Excellent! Let me grab my jacket and we can go! Lucy’s is already on the fresh croissants.’

‘Hi Lucy!’ Marcus bellowed so she can hear him in the back.

‘Morning Brooks!’

‘Still no first name, huh?’ 

‘Told ya’, you gotta earn it!’

‘Be nice Lucy, I’ll be back in the afternoon!’ 

‘Got it, chef!’  

Marcus and Marjolaine (just MJ for him and most) have been doing this routine for almost a year now. With a changing of seasons came the changes of the menus and so they went out looking for inspiration. And that looking always started at the fresh, seasonal ingredients. Rhubarb was one of MJ’s personal favourites and she couldn’t wait to indoctrinate the young pastry chef. Managing a bakery could become a nightmare sometimes but having someone like Marcus, a soothing, calming presence was something she couldn’t have imagined her life without at this point. The first time Marcus wandered into the shop, they were barely open. Chairs were missing and wires were hanging from the walls but MJ set up a little stand outside. First he thought it was a little weird, operating on half-capacity, if that, but while he was drinking his coffee he asked her and it turned out to be quite the trick. 

‘Look, we've been at this for months now, right? Renovating, drilling, sawing, equipment coming in, equipment breaking, equipment coming in again. We tore down a fucking wall for crying out loud!’ She threw her hands, for emphasis and Marcus started to suspect that maybe this flare for the dramatic was some kind of common theme with people who were brave - or crazy, jury’s still out - to open a restaurant. 

‘Tell me about it.’ He said, reminiscing about Fak and Richie screaming at eachother. 

‘Right, and they know nothing about who I am, what we’re gonna do here, we’re just annoying and inconvenient as fuck. So, I thought, let’s just show them! The kitchen is almost up and running, I can also do some of it at home, some french press, some fresh pastry, bamm, nice neighbourhood bakery girl!’

‘Allright, I see you, nice bakery girl! That’s actually pretty fire.’ 

‘Well, why thank you! And while we’re at it, can I ask, where this inquiry is coming from.’ 

‘Oh, shit yeah, sorry! Hi, I’m Marcus, I work at The Bear, just down the block and I’m the pastry chef there.’

‘Sussing out the competition. Clever. Hi, Marcus, I’m Marjolaine. Yes, it’s a french name, no you don’t have to say all of that every single time. Some people call me Margie, some call me Margot, anything goes. And this place here’ she said, gesturing behind her like a circus presenter ‘is going to be the Wild Sweetness, bakery and breakfast place.’ 

‘Wow, that’s a lot of info in one breath chef.’ 

‘You don’t have to call me chef.’

‘I have to call you something, till I figure out my name for you.’ 

‘I just gave you like 4 options.’ 

‘Yeah, I know, but I want something original, welcome you to the hood properly.’ 

‘Yo, boss!’ 

‘One sec Tony! Duty calls Marcus but thanks for the chat, I hope I’ll see you around!’ 

‘Bet! Come check out The Bear sometime!’ 

‘Will do!’ 

And from then on it became a habit. Even after the Wild Sweetness opened properly, Marcus almost always started his day there. It took him about 3 weeks to come up with MJ. ‘The hair and the whole vibe. There’s something very MJ-ish about you. Comic book MJ, not movie MJ.’ 

She took it as a compliment and got to be known around The Bear as just that, MJ from the bakery. 

‘Do you have any ideas yet?’ she asked as they were walking to the market. Well, the first market that is. There was a whole routine now to the whole operation. Start at the Sweetness, since MJ was renting the flat above the bakery, but Marcus insisting that no, you’re absolutely not firing the coffee machine just for this, i’ll grab it on my way, check Frank’s, two streets down, he usually had one or two rare fruits or a new guy bringing homemade jam, so it was always worth a try. Also Frank was a staple of these mornings, in and of himself. Without fail, without a hitch greeting with a gravelly and grouchy ‘You kids are goin’ to be the death of me I swear, who wakes up like this, ass crack of dawn on a Saturday, unbelievable! Now, come on in, I got somethin’ to show you.’ Rough cut man with a thick Chicago accent, who was a real fiend when it came to very niche, hearty jams. After Frank they usually headed for the markets, browsing for hours, trying some things then getting some lunch. 

‘I’m not sure yet. A compote feels too on the nose. Rhubarb and strawberry, while a classic for a reason also feels played out. Something about, like. a deconstructed rhubarb crumble keeps popping up in my head but nothing else.’

‘Ouh, I like the sound of that. Have you talked to Carm about it?’ 

‘Not really, he’s been in a mood lately.’ 

‘Lately? I feel like he’s always in a mood.’ 

‘Yeah, fair enough.’ 

‘What’s been going on? He’s still in over his head?’ 

‘Yeah, I don’t know, I feel like he’s just, I don’t know, like he’s just stuck. He thinks that pushing himself harder is always the answer, you know?’ 

‘Yeah, I know people like that.’ 

‘Yeah, and you just can see that he’s not getting enough sleep, not talking to his people, meanwhile Nat is home with the baby, and I get it, failing is not an option but he just doesn’t need to throw a fit over how tape is cut, you know?’ 

MJ snorted a laugh. ‘Yeah, I get you. And yeah, if being hard on yourself worked, it would”ve worked by now, right?’

‘Fuck, yeah, exactly.’  

This morning in particular has been a little slower, a little quieter than usual. Marcus talking about Syd in a hushed tone while they walked from stand to stand, one she recognized immediately. She wasn’t going to meddle. Not in this anyway, but she felt for the young chef. A crush that was going nowhere. There was something so brave and defiant about the whole thing though. Holding those feelings, stepping back and still trying, still keeping an eye out for when maybe his number gets called. But it was also noticeable how he got a little quieter, a little more soft-spoken since his mother passed. 

‘You guys had that tiramisu on the menu a while back, right?’ MJ asked while looking for some peaches. 

‘Yeah, we did.’ 

‘Well, how about something in that direction? Maybe not mascarpone but something with heavy cream, make it light, little lemony, infuse it with rhubarb, ladyfingers soaked in strawberry liquor, something like that.’

‘Okay, throwing this out like it’s not a big deal. That sounds pretty fire actually.’ 

‘You give me too much credit, it might not work.’ 

‘Maybe, but you always set me on a good path, even if it’s not, like, perfect.’  

‘Allright, now you’re just sucking up.’ MJ said with a small laugh. 

They keep browsing and first she doesn’t even notice that Marcus gets lost in his phone for a minute.

‘Oh, shit!’ he exclaims, so suddenly startles her. 

‘What’s up?’ 

‘Yo, this is so cool! You remember that pastry chef I staged with in Copenhagen?’

‘Luca, right?’ 

‘That’s him! He’s coming to town! He’s taking a sabbatical and he’s coming here, to check out the restaurant and shit, yo, this is so cool, you guys can finally meet!’ 

‘Well, how about that.’ 

[steddietogo]

Made With Love

Part 3 of Steddie Tik Tok au: The Halloween Vlog

Read part 2 <<here

———

Robin is in a pinstriped three-piece suit, her short brown hair dyed black and slicked back, with a badly drawn moustache on her face. “Unhapphy, darphling?” She speaks around a rose stem she’s holding between her teeth.

“Oh yes,” The camera pans to Eddie lounging on an armchair. He’s ditched his usual band tee and ripped jeans combo for a tight black dress with the deepest neckline known to man, the long black fabric pooling around his feet. He raises his arm, bell sleeve flaring, and flips his straightened hair behind his shoulders with red painted nails. “Yes completely,” deep red lips curve into smile and he bats his eyes, heavily lined and dusted in smokey grey eyeshadow.

———

“Originally, we were supposed to be the Sanderson sisters for Halloween but someone—” Robin looks at something pointedly off camera, “—decided to go off and commit to a group costume with his long-distance babysitting wards without consulting us,”

“This—” Eddie strikes a pose as Robin gestures to them, “—was supposed to be a revenge costume but now we feel kinda bad because—” the camera flips around to show a pile of blankets on the couch, “Dingus is now down with the flu,” A hand emerges from its depths and flips them off.

“I think he’s going as The Thing,” Eddie says and they both snicker.

———

Eddie is in the kitchen using Steve’s recording set up. “My darling Gomez has gone off to party, it’s just me and Steve at home now,” he sighs dramatically, “Alas, I knocked him out with cough syrup so he won’t be up for a couple hours,”

“And I found this recipe for chicken noodle soup and I, Eddie Munson who cannot cook to save my own life, am going to put it to test since Steve keeps saying ‘anyone can make it’. Were gonna find out today baby,”. Eddie’s reading off of a book as he lays out everything he would need on the counter, announcing each item as he takes them out. “I hope I’m using the right pot and Steve won’t kill me,”

———

Eddie is slow dancing to Lady Gaga with a plastic skeleton meant for decoration, his dress swishing around him as he twirls with his inanimate dance partner. During a particularly enthusiastic dip, the skeleton’s skull breaks off from the rest of the body and rolls away.

“Betty! Noooo!” Eddie cries, falling to his knees.

———

“No one told me how sweaty cooking can make you,” Eddie’s twisting his hair up in a bun, “But I’m committed to it now, I will not be bested by soup,”

“Look at this, my make up isn’t the only thing melting in the heat,” He holds up a bent looking plastic spatula to the camera. “Its totally not because I put it too close to the stove but we’re going to hide the evidence so Steve doesn’t find out,”

———

“I accidentally added too much salt, went to the Internet for help and a lot of people say that adding a potato will help fix it,” Eddie explains as he is chopping one. “There are no potatoes in this recipe, so if Steve asks, I’m gonna tell him I have no idea how they got in there,”

“Here goes nothing,” Eddie shoves both sleeves all the way up his arms before dropping all of the potato pieces in at once, making a little bit of the boiling soup splash out of the pot missing him by inches. “Oh shit, that was close. Don’t try this at home kids,”

———

“Moment of truth people,” He’s ladling soup into a bowl. “Personally, I’m just surprised this came out edible, but let’s see what the chef has to say about it,”

The clip cuts to Eddie shuffling away from the camera that’s now facing the sofa where Steve is taking a nap. Eddie kneels before him, a gentle hand on Steve’s face as he nudges him wake. Cut to a bleary-eyed Steve sitting up and waving at the camera.

“Just know that if you give me food poisoning on top of the flu, I’ll never forgive you,” he says as Eddie is handing him the bowl. “Why’re there potatoes in here?”

“No reason,” Eddie smiles back innocently at the look Steve gives him before he takes a bite, and then another. Eddie watches, nibbling in his fingernails.

“Oh shit,”

“What?”

“The potato actually makes it better,” he looks like he’s trying to sound annoyed but the smile on his face gives him away. “I’m gonna have to add potatoes to the recipe,”

“Wait. Does that mean my soup is better than yours?”

“It’s still my recipe, Munson,”

“You’re avoiding the question, Harrington,”

“…Maybe?”

Eddie throws his hands up whopping and his sleeve smacks Steve in the face.

———

“I was standing there, Morticia-less,” Robin is back and the three of them huddle in the sofa in the darkness of the living room, the only source of light is the movie no one is actually watching.

“—and she’s was wearing that Kate Bush bat dress and we were like ‘that’s close enough’ and then we completely winged a little dance and I only tripped on my own shoe once, you should be proud of me,” Robin is wearing a sash that says ‘Hideout King’ and is going a mile a minute about the party she came back from.

“And then she kissed me when they announced us as the winners, she kissed me Steve!” Robin shakes Steve and then high-fives Eddie so hard he almost falls off the couch.

———

Robin is filming Steve launching candy corn from the couch and Eddie, now in his jammies, is on the other side of the coffee table trying to catch them in his mouth. Steve’s laughter is getting increasingly hysterical and his aim is getting poorer while Eddie practically dives left and right trying catch the candy. Steve looks like he’s going to fall off the couch in stitches. The video ends as three are celebrating a complicated twist dive Eddie executed and successfully caught the candy with in mouth.

———

Caption says:

@_eddie_munson who do you think edits all the footage?

———

Comments:

user80085: who else questioning their sexuality rn?

Dustin H: RIP Betty, you will be missed 😔

Reefing Rick: Why tf don’t I have an Eddie Munson in a Morticia Addams costume cooking in my kitchen? God really has favorites huh

spring roll: So no ones going to talk about how Robin basically came out?

Gayby replying to spring roll: good for her

———

Part 4

———

A/n: it’s so funny to imagine Steve sitting in his room alone and reviewing an hour-long footage of Eddie messing around in the kitchen. And it cracks him up that every time Eddie messes something up he walks up to the camera and whispers ‘don’t tell Steve’

Steddie tag list: @deehellcat @eddiemunsonswife @missarte-beltane @grtwdsmwhr @kit-means-death

[chef-from-blu]

Meet the

BLU Cook

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

•───☾Name☽───• Ivan Blau

•───☾Pronouns☽───• He/Him and They/Them •───☾Alias☽───• Chef, Boss, or Vahn •───☾Class☽───• Cook •───☾Affiliations☽───• BLU Medic - @the-blu-medic (Friend and Confidant) BLU Scout - @blu-scout-the-cooler-scout (Thorn in his side child) BLU Nurse - @blu-nurse-needs-sleep (One of his spiritual children) BLU Sniper - @sniped-from-behind (Respected Co-worker) RED Trapper - @meet-the-trapper-tf2 (Culinary Student) Sugarplum - @russian-tooth-fairy (Enemy) Peppercorn - @peppercorn-the-therapy-cat (Kitten he spoils)

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

"I was advised to get one of zhese things, as it seems my team has been emerging on here one by one. A simple introduction vill do; I am Ivan, but I insist you call me Chef. I am zhe Executive Meal Preparations Manager at Builders League United, and I take my job VERY seriously.

Stay out of my kitchen, and ve vill get along."

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

☾•TAGS•☽

#meal-requests ~ Replies to asks #chopping-block ~ Conversations (Starters and replies!) #chef-mod-art ~ Official art by the Mod #chefs-fridge ~ Reblogged or Posted artwork done by others #chefschoice ~ General Reblogs

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

☾•RULES•☽

This is a tf2 rp blog, and I intend to stay in character as often as possible! If I need to talk out of turn, such as questions being directed at me, I will always use purple text in italics with an additional sign off of "~mod"

Additional rules and boundaries are stated below!

This blog is 18+ While I dont plan to post explicit NSFW, I myself am an adult who prefers to be in adult spaces. I wont comb through everyone who may follow or interact with me, but I might block minors if I am uncomfortable! Furthermore, suggestive asks and interactions are fine, but i do intend to stray away from pure NSFW/sexual themes!

Anyone can ask/interact! Though Chef Ivan is part of the BLU team, he prioritizes his craft over his color, so those from other teams or affiliations are welcome to interact as well! ESPECIALLY meal requests! He loves to talk about food with absolutely anyone!

Shipping & Art I dont mind shipping one bit, in artwork or roleplay!! Its possible for an official ship to develop for Chef in the future, but it would likely happen over a long set of rp, and of course would be discussed between mods via DMs! No NSFW, but go wild with any fanart; shipping, interaction, or otherwise!

Lore exists, and drama is fun The Chef has his reasons for associating with THIS crowed of people, and thus some aspects of his story may be dark or other side dramatic! Dark themes plague his past and present, and he doesn't shy away from that fact, so neither will I.

I reserve certain rights, as I am a person No one is entitled to my or Chef's replies, and thus some may be ignored. Its not out of malice, but rather simple choice or even accident! Sometimes I am not comfortable answering things for whatever reason, and that's that! Keep in mind I am a real person behind a character, not just an internet toy :)

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

[echolepzy]

hm yes i enjoy reading your opinions, nice opinions you have. i will now share my own because that’s probably how humans converse or something idk /j

ship? i’ve really only seen isafrin and sifloop, and personally i enjoy sloop but like as a weird not romantic but secret 74th option that they invented one afternoon at 11:56am. isafrin is a classic, always chefs kiss. yes very ship very nice very good will read fics of them being dramatically torn apart to the point of insanity. i just like the classic sloop “i fucking despise you wanna cuddle” dynamic. better if loop is human and isabeau is there to break up their arguments. cuz it’s funny

my favorite silly has gotta be loop. they suck i hope they die in a supernova. sif is a very very close second, and my third would deffo be bonnie. they are a child who brought a child here. i think the only reasons loop is my favorite rn is 1) loop plush THAT I GOT yippee it doesn’t arrive until next year but. i’ll have it eventually and i will treasure it. forever. i’ll be buried with it. 2) funnysillyjokespun person traumatized x32 edition

trauma has gotta be the fact that sif almost destroyed the world with his abandonment issues. like dude…. which also includes mal du pays. the embodiment of homesickness itself is here to fuck shit uppp let’s go. i also really like time loops so really just the entire time loop situation(basically the whole game) especially when there’s fics about it post-canon. those are so fun.

THE LOST COUNTRY yessss i love this thing. a lot of my headcanons revolve around a fic that i thought was really cool that dove deep into its culture (fic here https://archiveofourown.org/works/56032411 i think). some of the things i remember and liked are bonds being expressed through nicknames(im like 85% sure that sif calls them all by nicknames but changes to calling some by full names in the game but i might be delusional so). i just really liked a lot of the culture deep dive in that fic. i also imagine them being rather technologically advanced in comparison to other countries, since like all that knowledge about stars. i think it’s also possible that there were still people who could perceive colour on that island(not majority, maybe like 20% of the population). and y’know how vaugarde is fantasy france? north island is fantasy greenland. just imo

leading off of that- poteria is fantasy america(so. they use fuck as curse :]) and idk what mwudu would be. i think it would be fun though, to have the various countries be fantastical irl countries, and is also supported by evidence with ka bua being fantasy japan. so yeah this is actually canon now.

and ngl i really wanna cosplay siffrin someday- like, i can’t this halloween cuz i already have a sick asf dragon costume in the works but maybe a thing in the future. maybe i could even do winged sif to make moneys worth of the wings im using for my dragon costume. maybe i’ll do it for next ren faire one day-

(i wish i had a sibling to have the loop-siffrin dynamic with… alas, as i am a lonely child and have none. i killed them in the womb /j)

-same mutual if you couldn’t tell (guess who lol)

First of all *absorbs that fic link* I'm reading this now thank you

Secondly fuck yeah Loop plushie buddies!! I'm sharing mine with my little brother since he's the undeniable Loop kinnie but the sticker is mine and it's going on my laptop

The wiki says Vaugarde is based on France, Ka Bue is based on Japan, the Forgotten Country is based on Guadeloupe (but insertdisc5 likes seeing other interpretations too), Poteria is based on Italy (which was my headcanon before I even saw it on the wiki lol), and Mwudu isn't really based on anything (I headcanon Germany for some reason, but also not? idk it's complicated, my main Mwudu headcanon is that they have this whole deal with fire). As a creature of low intelligence who always fails geography I kinda just stick with what the wiki tells me XD Also, Ka Bue is on the other side of the world but the rest of the countries are closer together, I think that's kinda interesting to think about-

Finding parts for my cosplay is proving to be a huge pain in the ass, right now I'm just settling for "close enough" and I'll try to customize the parts when I get them- Agh the hat is probably the hardest right now ;w; I wonder if they'll let me bring a dagger to my vocational school... My friend on the bus has actual knives with her every day so I don't see why I can't have a costume dagger (a real one would be cooler but I don't think my family would trust me with it).

[mistywitcher]

oh sweet lord that last episode has rendered me deceased. i am dead. i cannot FUNCTION

what a show. and what a way to end the first season! as a hardcore insane percy jackson stan till i die, here’s my thoughts if you would like them:

FIRST OF ALL. the whole show: loved it. very little to critique in my opinion! i know not everyone is happy with everything, but personally i think it’s one of the best adaptations i’ve ever seen. it’s mostly faithful to the books, and the changes that were made i think were improvements and made a lot of sense.

rick wrote the first percy jackson book so long ago, this show felt like his way of being able to go back and change bits and edit the story to something that’s even better. that’s how i see the show!

LETS TALK CAST: it was fuckin perfection okay, i will fight anyone on this point. walker as percy has changed my fuckin life. his little emotional eyes in every single scene, showing so much depth to all of the dialogue, and giving the best vibes. the humour, the desperation, the self sacrifice. he is PERCY and i am so incredibly in love.

as for annabeth and grover, PERFECTION ALSO. leah slayed annabeth so hard, the little eye brow quirks, the way she was able to portray annabeth as extremely smart and logical, but not heartless, and certainly not cold. she brought such a warmth to the character and i am obsessed.

aryan as grover is just chefs kiss. from the satyr walk, to the one liners, to the uneasiness and resilience grover has, aryan has it down. i just loved him and I CANNOT WAIT TO SEE THE HIM FLOURISH IN THE (hopeful) NEXT SEASON!

the whole cast was amazing. i loved all the choices. it all just felt so right. from the cast, to the set, to the fights, to the cgi. i’m just in love okay.

LUKE AT THE END HAD ME BAWLING. the tears in his eyes, the way he begged percy to join the cause, the hurt when he sees annabeth. FUCK ME I NEED A MOMENT OKAY.

the parallels that are being set up throughout the show for luke and percy are wonderful, i cannot wait to see how it continues. i thought it was just so cohesive and the characters feel so real.

i love how they have set it up for the next season! it’s like it’s ready to go, it’s RIGHT THERE and i want it it so bad so LETS GET MANIFESTING FOR ALL 5 SEASONS FRIENDS ITS TIME!!!

and i have to mention my love of percy/annabeth or percabeth. it’s not the whole point of the story i know, but it is something that is very special to me. i love my little sea boy and clever girlie together, and this show has set them up so beautifully. it’s given them time to have a friendship, to build trust, but also the little looks they give eachother, the pining that we can see will eventually build. IT MAKES MY FUCKIN HEART SING OKAY walker and leah slayed too hard on that front. they understood the assignment.

i could go on about this show and percy jackson in general forever. but i shall end this here because i feel like i need to go cry for a few hours lol.

in conclusion, and this will sound dramatic but i mean every word of this. this show fucking saved me right now. percy jackson is so incredibly important to me, it’s my biggest special interest, it’s shaped me for a decade, it’s my comfort, it’s my everything. i’m currently dealing with a tumour in my head at 22, and my mental health and life is crumbling around me, but this show and percy jackson and rick riordan has kept me here for the last 7 weeks and previously years before that. i owe my life to rick riordan. i will never be able to express my love for this enough.

okay okay, i’m done. see you later once i’ve rewatched the series 4374 times and have memorised every fucking word.

[lonelylonelyghost]

Decline (2023) is a pretty cool little thing

So, I just stumbled upon this short Cdrama today and ended up watching it in one go. It was actually much better than I expected!

Basically, smart and free-spirited Su Cheng Xi (in white) crosses path with no-nonsense Sui Han Bai (in black) while investigating a strange disappearance of a theatrical troupe, and the fun starts from here.

Hidden identities, the mysteries of the past, treasure maps, murders and bromance - literally, what more could you possibly want??

It's a 20 episodes drama, 10 minute each. Viki combined it into 7 longer ones, which is much better to digest, at least for me.

************************************************************************

The first thing that I noticed was - unexpectedly really good cinematography! I am generally quite lenient towards the technical side of shows, but I still have eyes, and those eyes were pleasantly surprised today. The chase scene at the very beginning was beautifully shot. Do you see the colors? Chef's kiss!

************************************************************************

Second great thing is characters.

Su Cheng Xi - a wandering detective, mischievous and seemingly carefree, but also very sharp and with the hidden agenda:

Sui Han Bai - an uptight and serious constable of Dayong City, follow-the-rules kinda guy... Or so it seems. But more on that later. For now - behold the visage:

When those two meet for the first time, they literally have a battle in slow motion, dramatic song and flower petals in the air. Sure, that's totally normal thing for anyone to do, what are you even talking about.

There are also two female characters present, but they don't feel like being there just to appease the censorship overlords. It's hard for me to say anything about them without spoilers, but the dynamic between them and the boys is interesting.

Yue Xiao Qiao, an assassin from Qianji Pavillion:

Zuo Han Qin, Dayong City Lord's daughter:

This is Zhao Yin, a servant of Su Cheng Xi, he's there and he's nice:

************************************************************************

Third thing is the plot and pacing. This is a crime-solving drama, so there is an (unusually high) number of dead bodies to identify and secrets to uncover. The cases are not overly complicated, but at the same time quite interesting. I managed to guess some of the twists, but was also surprised by others.

Because of the shorter run-time there are no unnecessary fillers, something is always happening to someone. Sometimes several events are going right after another or even simultaneously, and you're sitting here like wtf. But in a good way, you know?

(Skulls are awesome, and frankly there should be more of them in every drama).

And at the same time the pace doesn't feel overly rushed. We have time to witness some dramatic flashbacks, tender scenes and some funny moments sprinkled in between.

Also-also, and this is a slight spoiler, but I know that a lot of people are pissed about generally crappy endings in cdramas, so I'm happy to announce that Decline has a good one! Like, wow, what a rare thing this is. Though not every mystery is solved, so there's a potential for season 2, but at least you won't be left feeling like you've been slapped in the face with a rotten fish afterwards.

************************************************************************

Forth thing (and this is my personal opinion), this drama is definitely a love story between Sui Han Bai and Su Cheng Xi. They obviously don't say anything out loud, and regard each other as "best friends" (this "xiong di qing" aka "brotherly love" excuse has been cracking me up since Guardian), but come on. Like, you literally have several tropes that are common in het romance dramas! And the lengths that they go in order to protect each other? Simply insane.

************************************************************************

Speaking of protectiveness, Sui Han Bai. This guy surprised me the most in terms of his disposition. Based on the initial impression, his dynamic with Su Cheng Xi (playful vs strict), and his archetype that we've all seen in previous dramas, you'd think that you know what kind of character this constable is going to be, right? Well... I don't want to spoil anything, but there was a moment in ep.3 where I was like: "Holy shit, he could just do that?" So I'm just going to put this picture here, and leave it up to you to guess the context:

This was a scene where I was like, I love this guy. Devotion, combined with ruthlessness. Delicious.

************************************************************************

Overall, I really liked it! Adding this little gem to my collection of mystery-solving boys. The history books will write that they were really good friends.

This has been your friendly ghost from Abyss, with some recommendations on how to distract yourself from the horrors of existing（*＾-＾*）

[xtruss]

Sicily Sold Homes For One Euro. This Is What Happened Next.

For more than a decade, Sicily has been trying to revive its villages by selling Vacant Houses. Writer Lisa Abend heads to the largest Island in the Mediterranean to see how life has changed.

— By Lisa Abend | April 30, 2024

Mussomeli is roughly 60 miles from Palermo. Photo by Julia Nimke

Like any small town that isn’t yours, Sambuca di Sicilia, located about an hour’s drive south of the Sicilian capital, Palermo, feels a little intimidating at first. Stroll its perimeter on a late afternoon in winter, when the sun sets the buildings alight, and eyes follow you. Order the town’s signature minni di virgini—breast-shaped cakes filled with cream, chocolate chips, and squash jam—and a hush silences the chatter in the local bakery. It’s not unfriendly, this exaggerated alertness, but it does make you, the visitor, feel a bit self-conscious.

By the time I walk into a small restaurant that first evening seeking dinner, my self-consciousness has reached an uncomfortable peak. The restaurant’s only other guests, a middle-aged couple, fall quiet as I make my way to a table. After the waiter and I stumble through my order, impeded by his poor English and my worse Italian, I pull out a book to hide my awkwardness while I wait for the food. But when the first course arrives—a heap of ocher-tinted pasta topped with crimson shrimp and shards of pistachios—I am so clearly delighted by the dish that the waiter then decides we are friends. He introduces himself by name, Giovanni, and when two women with their children enter the restaurant, he seats them next to me and introduces them as well. “La famiglia,” he says—his own, and that of the chef, who, stepping out from the kitchen to kiss his wife, also comes over to greet me.

Two hours later, I walk out into the night air, aloft on a wave of bonhomie and sturdy Sicilian wine. Oh yes, I think to myself. I could live here.

I’m not the only person to arrive at that revelation. In fact, I had come to Sicily to investigate a program that has attracted thousands with the same notion. A program that allows people, although they may not have the financial wherewithal to go full-bore Tuscan-villa-with-frescoed-ceilings-and-private-vineyard, to nevertheless live a different version of the dream. A program that promises them a house for a single euro.

About the size of New Hampshire, Sicily has 4.8 million residents. Photos by Julia Nimke

Since the 19th century, large numbers of villagers in the poorer parts of Italy have migrated to more prosperous regions and countries. The migration continues; in some places, populations have shrunk so dramatically that there are no longer enough patients to keep the local doctor in business, or enough children to fill the school. Young people who moved away to study or work didn’t want to return, and when their parents died, the family homes stood empty, sometimes for decades. Around 2010, the village of Salemi in western Sicily was one of the first towns to come up with an idea: What if you could fill them again by offering the properties for sale at a ridiculously low price?

I wasn’t in the market for a house, one euro or otherwise. But I wanted to know if the program worked. Though the rumors I’d heard about driving in Sicily gave me pause—highways that suddenly turn into rutted cow paths; drivers whose chosen passing method involves achieving the closest possible proximity to the fender of the car in front of them—I decided to set out in a rental car through villages in various stages of implementing the initiative. Were once-sepulchral towns reinvigorated by newcomers eager to put down roots? Were the new residents integrating into small-town life, or was an influx of new blood bringing unintended side effects? And did a town that drew enough newcomers lose the qualities that had attracted said newcomers in the first place?

From left: The population of Sambuca di Sicilia has declined because of a low birth rate, but the town gained media attention after The Sopranos actress Lorraine Bracco bought a home there; The Valley of the Temples has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997. Photos by Julia Nimke

The morning after my dinner in Sambuca di Sicilia, I leave my home base to see my first one-euro house. Before that, I stop in the Valley of the Temples. Located in a national park, the valley preserves the remains of a Greek colony founded in the 6th century B.C.E. on land inhabited by the indigenous Sicani. A couple of millennia later, the original temples to Hercules and Hera survive, but so does evidence of Carthaginian rampage and Roman reconstruction. Those peoples would in time be followed by Vandals from northern Europe and Muslims from Africa, to say nothing of the French and Spanish. Standing there, looking at the gold-colored columns of once-grand temples set against the sparkling sea and flowering almond trees, time seemed to bend. Outsiders, I realize, have been making their homes here for a long time.

They’ve also been leaving. When I arrive in Cammarata, a steep jumble of a village whose mountains are dusted with snow, I can feel an absence. In the winter sunshine, it’s beautiful, but it’s also empty. In the 15 minutes I spend standing in front of a very sleepy-looking town hall, where I’ve arranged to meet architect Martina Giracello, not one person passes by.

The members of StreetTo want to rejuvenate Cammarata. Photo by Julia Nimke

Finally, Giracello arrives, her corkscrew curls bobbing, and explains the silence. “People here wanted to live in larger, more modern apartments,” she says. Many moved to neighboring San Giovanni Gemini, about half a mile away, where the gentler topography allows for larger buildings and better conveniences. Now, Giracello tells me, “the one real estate agency in the area doesn’t even handle houses in the historic center.”

Like other young people from the region, Giracello and her boyfriend, Gianluca, moved away for university and to start their professional careers. But as they approached the end of their 20s, they returned to Cammarata, yearning for a quieter life. They also wanted, however, some kind of cultural scene, and neighbors their own age. “We studied other towns with one-euro programs, saw that for a lot of buyers, once they are there, the house is just a vacation home, and they don’t have a relation to the people there,” she tells me. “We wanted to do something different. We wanted to create a community.”

“As We Slowly Make Our Way Up Cammarata’s Steep Streets, The Silence Gives Way To The Sound Of Hammers And Saws. ‘Hear That?’ Giracello Asks. ‘It’s Working.’”

They banded together with other professionals to form a volunteer association called StreetTo, which convinces the owners of abandoned properties to sell, then helps foreigners find their houses and navigate the inspections, paperwork, and renovations that follow. And, in the hopes of forging community, they also organize exhibitions, concerts, and gatherings for townspeople old and new. Driven by their desire to revive the Cammarata they love, StreetTo’s members offer these services free of charge. (“At the moment, it is a project geared toward foreigners, but what we want is to also bring Cammarata’s citizens back, just as Gianluca and I have come back,” Giracello says.)

It’s not pure altruism, though. Their town gets something in the way of revitalization. As we slowly make our way up Cammarata’s steep streets, the silence gives way to the sound of hammers and saws. “Hear that?” Giracello asks. “It’s working.”

Panting from the climb, we reach the first property, where Giracello introduces me to the reality of what one euro buys you: not much. The home, more vertically challenged shed than house, has what real estate ads might call “significant structural issues” and what I might call “a massive hole in the roof.”

For an extravagance like a ceiling, Giracello says, you’ll need to spend a bit more. We press on to another house. Pushing open the heavy wooden door, she mentions its price—just over $10,000. The tall, narrow home is built, like many older Sicilian dwellings, with a single room per floor, its stairwell is carpeted in debris, and the battered sink and laminate countertops make it look like the kitchen was outfitted sometime around World War II. But the floor is adorned with beautiful geometric tiles, and a view of the valley spills through the windows. “We try to find houses in not really good condition,” Giracello says. “Because the purpose of the project is to help the town get better.”

StreetTo has helped negotiate the sale of 18 houses so far, but contract negotiations and renovations are still in progress, and none of the buyers have been able to move into their homes yet. But Giracello is confident it won’t be long before her village swells with new life. She pulls out her phone to show me a video.

“When a German nurse and her husband bought a place, a local couple were so happy to see new people that they held a dinner for them, and invited us,” she says. “Even though the Germans didn’t speak Italian and the Italians didn’t speak German, now they are all friends.” She pauses. “We are all friends.”

Today a church and monastery, Santa Caterina d’Alessandria was home to nuns from 1311 to 2014. Photo by Julia Nimke

My next stop is Mussomeli, located nearly in the center of the island. Unlike many Sicilian towns, which drape themselves seductively across a ridge, Mussomeli is all about the vertical. On the morning I approach, the craggy volcanic outcroppings that rise from the valley below have trapped pools of mist, making the town appear to be floating on clouds. It feels like entering Middle Earth.

The illusion doesn’t last: With a population of nearly 11,000 people, Mussomeli is large enough to support a Carrefour supermarket and even a mini traffic jam. But as I push on to the town’s core, the fantasy returns. Mussomeli’s heart holds ancient churches, tiny squares where kids play ball, and views from its tangled streets of that mystical valley and a hilltop with the ruins of a 14th-century castle.

Streets so tangled, in fact, that I get lost, and ask for directions in a dark, tiny bakery selling nothing but focaccia. I pay for an oily square, and ask the elderly man behind the counter what he thinks about the foreigners moving to town. “There aren’t so many here now,” he says. “But in summer they buy a lot of focaccia.”

Seems a fair trade. Mussomeli doesn’t cater to tourism, but between its services and charm, more than 200 inexpensive homes have been bought by foreigners in the past few years. Australian Danny McCubbin owns one of them. Ready for a quieter life after 17 years of working in London for the chef Jamie Oliver, McCubbin was recruited by producers late in 2019 for a television show that planned to follow people on their one-euro adventures in Mussomeli. The pandemic intervened and the show was never finished, but McCubbin had found his purpose. By the end of 2020, he had decided to move permanently to Mussomeli and turn his home into a community kitchen to help people with inadequate access to food.

From left: The Good Kitchen rescues surplus food from supermarkets to provide for people in need; Australian Danny McCubbin moved to Mussomeli in 2020. Photos by Julia Nimke

After I make several wrong turns, I find McCubbin, clearing dishes from a long, communal table. He’d just served lunch to local residents and Ukrainian children welcomed by the town after fleeing the war. These days, the Good Kitchen also supplies weekly meals for the elderly and has taught some of Mussomeli’s youth to cook. A clutch of older men use the space as an afternoon hangout, and there’s also a free Sunday afternoon lunch. (The only requirement for those with means is that they bring something to share.) Not long ago, Mussomeli’s mayor told McCubbin that he had planted a seed, and that more in Mussomeli were now thinking about social projects. “My whole way of living is so simple and joyful now,” McCubbin says. “I don’t know where else I could have done this.”

Rubia Andrade Daniels has also adjusted her expectations. One of the earliest buyers in Mussomeli, she fell in love with a vibe that reminds her of the Brazil where she was born and spent her childhood, but that also seems open to the kind of diversity she’s found in California, where she has lived for the past 30 years. “For the first few days, I couldn’t figure out why people here were being so nice to me,” she says with a laugh. “Then I realized they’re like that to everyone.”

Andrade Daniels, who works for a renewable energy company, loved the town so much she purchased three one-euro houses on her first visit in 2019. Four years later, her enthusiasm remains undimmed, but her timetable has shifted: The kitchen in the house where she plans on living part time once she retires wasn’t finished until August 2023, and progress on the other two—an art gallery and a wellness center—has been pushed to an undetermined future, in part due to the pandemic and the delays in its wake. “You can’t have American expectations,” she says. “Here, things take the time they take.”

I Think About That Pace each day when I return to my base in Sambuca di Sicilia. There, too, there’s been such demand for the listed houses that one euro is no longer the final sale cost but rather the opening bid in an auction that could see prices rise into the thousands. Even then, the campaign was so popular that the municipality launched a second round in 2021, with an increase in the starting price—to two euros.

Margherita Licata, who has been summering in Sambuca since childhood and eventually settled here full time about 20 years ago, says that “99 percent” of Sambucans welcome the newcomers. The other 1 percent? “They worry they have been invaded by Americans,” says Licata, who works for a real estate agency in town. “If Sambuca one day has a thousand outsiders living here, of course it will change our lives. But it will maybe mean the young [people] can find a job and not go somewhere else. If we want that change, we must accept other changes too.”

Of course, it’s possible that Sambuca could become transfigured by take-out coffee joints and big-box stores and other supposed comforts that the town’s new residents like. Already, some Americans have complained about the local teenagers who cruise the streets on their motorbikes at night. And imported class divisions are also emerging: Among the more free-spirited DIYers who have purchased homes, rumors circulate that some of the wealthier buyers want to build an exclusive, members-only swimming pool.

From left: Margherita Licata has lived in Sambuca for roughly 20 years; Pasticceria Enrico Pendola is one of few bakeries in the small town. Photos by Julia Nimke

But for now, there’s little evidence of a non-Sicilian presence in Sambuca, and it remains difficult to find anyone who speaks English. What I did find was an archaeology museum where, after I inquired if it was open, a woman rushed out, turned on the lights, and marched me at breakneck speed through the antiquities on display while barking descriptions of them at me in Italian. I also found a market that popped up alongside the traffic circle where the fishmonger told me how to cook the sardines I bought from the back of his van, as well as a café whose arancini made me finally understand why anyone would want to eat fried balls of rice, and where the elderly man who glared at me as I drank my breakfast cappuccino turned out not to be annoyed with the foreigner invading his morning sanctuary, but just waiting for the opportunity to ask me if I knew his cousins in New Jersey.

I’d arrived in Sicily wondering if the one-euro initiative would ruin the towns that adopted it, replacing their traditional culture with more consumerist ones and destroying their lifestyle and easy sociability. And when that turned out not to be the case, I also wondered if it wasn’t simply a matter of time: Perhaps the pandemic had slowed an already slower way of doing business, and the reckoning would still surely come.

But as I sat again in that same restaurant from the first night, it seemed to me that Sicily would be just fine. Maybe the slower pace was not a flaw that would eventually be overcome, but instead a feature that would ensure Sicily remains alluringly and unequivocally itself. After all, I thought, as I remembered the

Valley of the Temples, different peoples have been arriving on these shores for millennia. They may leave an imprint; they may shape the culture. But it’s clear that a distinctively Sicilian spirit still dominates.

From left: Mussomeli is one of the most popular towns in Sicily for one-euro home programs; Sambuca di Sicilia was a prominent trading hub centuries ago. Photos by Julia Nimke

And so, just before my departure from the island, I went to visit Margherita Licata again, but this time for reasons slightly more personal. Because I had seen enough one-euro homes to know that my powers of imagination were no match for their state of decrepitude, we skipped right to a “premium” home. As soon as she pushed open the doors to the arched courtyard, I was entranced. The rooms were rundown and furnished with old-fashioned chandeliers and faded wallpaper. But they were also large and bright, with intact walls and floors covered with gorgeous patterned tiles. Downstairs, there was an attached space that would make a perfect rental apartment. Upstairs, two rooftop terraces offered views of the town center in one direction, and a lake in the other.

“Fifty thousand euros,” Licata told me with a wink. “But that’s just what the owner’s asking.”

The money in my bank account had not magically grown during my time in Sicily. But my imagination must have. Because in that moment, it all seemed possible.

— Lisa Abend is a Journalist based in Madrid and the Author of The Sorcerer’s Apprentices: A Season in the Kitchen at Ferran Adrià's elBulli. She is also a Contributing Writer at AFAR and Correspondent for Time magazine.

[theinyshlobster]

feed them silence by lee mandelo [review]

read from september 13th - september 14th

read for sapphic september !!!!!!

review:

minor spoilers!

oh this was super interesting and not what i was expecting at all!

seeing as this is a novella i’m not gonna have…. too many thoughts honestly.

i really enjoyed reading a book about academia and neuroscience research!!!! i’ve pondered going into that field quite a bit, either in neuroscience or research, so seeing them mashed together was a little bonus point from me. sean writing her emotions into academic speak…. chefs kiss. “academia is devoid of emotion” YUP!!! YUP!!!!!!!

also side note but i love the fact the female mc is named sean. idk i love the idea of ungendering names. fuck it names shouldn’t have a gender. also sean is COOL for a woman. we as a society need to name more women sean methinks.

speaking of sean…. whoo she was a doozy protagonist! i mean im reading this for sapphic septemberand its prompt was “disaster sapphics”, so i wanted to see how the sapphics were disasters and…… oh it defo fit that prompt! sean is somehow so incredibly unlikeable and an awful person, yet simultaneously incredibly empathetic. i love a protagonist who is awful and everyone calls them out on their shit, but honestly an awful protagonist can only go so far when the reader wants to gouge the protag’s eyes out. but this book teeters the balance of empathy yet disgust towards sean. god she sucks.

the actual plot itself felt a tad… anticlimactic. idk i expected more…. Horror. this did not feel like horror to me…. defo seems to be more so speculative fiction & thriller rather than scifi horror… but that’s just me. and the whole story itself felt…. idk. boring isn’t the right word. but although i could see the descent into madness, what i was reading wasn’t matching the emotional response sean was producing if you know what i mean. like it made sense… but it also seemed like homegirl was being a bit dramatic. yeah that’s the point but as someone who will sit thru movies going “this shit is dumb why didn’t they do xyz”…. i kinda was just sitting here at times being like “…..why is this bitch going from 0-100 over that”. like her responses were disproportionate even for someone going through what she was. it didn’t make sense logically based on what was explained. and then the climax built up instantly fizzled out… i was just kinda sat there getting excited and then the plot flatlined. 

i really think this book described isolation incredibly well, and anything even adjacent to psychology or neuroscience will get my little brain buzzing with excitement. i won’t say this book was a flop because it wasn’t! but i wasn’t itching to read this book because the plot was good, or i was intrigued. i was waiting for something batshit to happen… and then it didn’t… and then because it’s a novella i might as well finish it.

apologies if this review makes no sense (like my reviews ever do psh) homie is on day 5 of cymbalta 😀 i have slept 16 hours every day i am fried. 

anyways don’t read this book if animal cruelty upsets you 👍

[neptoons1998]

First meeting

Tag Gang: @mal-urameshi @pantherheart @somethingcleaverandwhitty

Summary: Shuri finds a new playmate.

Shuri is used to being forgotten. Maybe that was a tad dramatic but with her father being the literal king and her old brother next to the throne. Her feelings and dreams weren't on top priority; no matter what her mother would say about them. She will always be sideline, no matter how much she pushes against traditions. But there was one place that she could forget about her status as the spare, the young princess waited until her tutor gave one final yawn. 

Perfect, it was her time to escape. The princess slipped away from her tutor, now she could go to her special place. 

The special place was located between two mountains in between the mountains was the waterfall that spilled water. This was the place that Shuri liked going to. She doubted her stupid brother knew anything about this place, she bet even her parents didn’t know anything about it too! Just a Shuri was going to enjoy her solitude, she was confused when she heard laughter. Her cuoristy getting the better of her crept closer to the waterfall. There stood a girl around Shuri’s age, as she poorly tried to twirl her stick like the Dora’s do. 

"Who are you?" Shuri shouted out startling the young girl, “And why are you in my spot?”

 The girl frowns as she turns her head to Shuri, still holding her stick. The young girl sucked her teeth, causing Shuri to be angry. How dare she not answered her questions!

“Hey I’m talking to you,” Shuri yelled again. The small girl’s quirked up one of her eyebrows. Shuri gritted her teeth, “For someone so small. You’re acting very uppity.”

“I’m not small,” The girl answered back. “Mama said I’m the perfect size.”

“Well then answered my questions,” Shuri said. Riri gave a ‘humph’ as if she was going to talk to someone who was so bossy and rude. 

"And why should I listen to you?" Riri asked crossing her arms. Shuri puffed out her chest showing how regal she could be. Just like her mother had taught her, "Because I am the princess.”

The girl looked at her. The pair fell into silicene before Riri laugh so hard that a few birds flew away. That’s not the reaction I wanted, Shuri thought as she felt her face becoming hot. The girl was supposed to back off and bow to her. She wasn’t supposed to be laughing at her. If T’Challa was here would join in.

“Stop that I’m serious!” Shuri demanded causing the small girl to laugh even harder.

Riri wiped a tear that spilled from her face, “ Stop you’re going to break my kidney or something.”

Shuri stomped closer to the girl, “I am the princess!”

Riri rolled her eyes before picking up her stick that fell into the water, “And I’m American.”

Shuri growled, “You have to respect me.”

“Says who?” Riri questioned, “Because the only person I do that is my mama.”

“You listen to everything your mama says,” Shuri commented. Her whole mood was soured by the fact some village girl didn’t care to respect Shuri and her title. Do I even have a title besides being the spare?

“Yeah,” Riri answered, “Don’t you?”

Shuri sighed as she gives up. She’ll sneak back to the palace before her tutor wakes up. She was too humiliated to keep talking to this girl. 

“Whatever.” Shuri started the trudge home. Maybe I plead to the chef to give me extra dessert tonight. 

Riri with a confused sketch on her face as she swirled her staff, “Hey where are you going?”

“Home.”

“Not the palace?” Riri questioned as she followed the girl. Shuri groaned, “I would call the palace my home yes?”

“I don’t know, you tell me,” Riri answered back. 

“You’re very annoying, village girl,” Shuri said hoping that would string to the small girl. Riri rolled her eyes once again, “Yeah well you’re very bossy and rude, princess.”

“I am not!” Shuri said, “I’ve been told I am a delight.”

“They got to be lying, “ Riri giggled as she continued following Shuri. The princess was confused about why she was following her. Did she want to know if she really lived in the palace?

“Why are you following me?” Shuri asked. The pair were at the palace’s doors. Riri looked up at her, “Why do you think I’m following you?”

“Because you are.”

“No, I’m not,” Riri commented. Before Shuri could question the girl again Okoye, the new fifth in command, pushed the doors open.

“Princess,” Okoye bowed before she turns her attention to her daughter. 

“Riri,” Okoye greeted as Riri raced up to her mama. Riri pulled away from her mother and turn her attention back to Shuri.

“So you were telling the truth,” Riri commented. Now it was Shuri’s turn to roll her eyes. 

“I have no reason to lie,” Shuri commented. Riri laughed at the royal’s comment, “Well that explains a lot really.”

“How?” 

“You need a friend. No wonder why you were so bossy to me, “ Riri commented, “So how about it?” The small girl lifted her hand to Shuri. Riri could feel her mom wanting to yell at her, but Okoye wanted to see how this would be played out. 

What could be the harm in having this small girl be her friend? Before Shuri could think about the consequence she shook Riri’s hand, “Friends.”

[fizzigigsimmer]

🌟Writer Appreciation🌟

When you get this show of our five of your favorite fics and five fics you like from other writers then send this to at least one other person.

To whoever sent these to me, thank you and I hope some goodness is finding its way to you today ❤️ So here we go all in one post.

My five favorites of my own fic:

1. The Wish Your Heart Makes: Alpha/Omega verse fic featuring teen omega Billy , pre-Hawkins traveling to the year 2002 and getting a glimpse of married life with Steve. I just love the domesticity of this verse and giving Billy the love and family he deserves.

2. To B, With Love: Alpha/Omega period romance where Steve is a society belle and Billy is a cowboy. I wanted to write a steamy western romance novel about cowboy!Billy and his fancy mail order bride, so I did. No regrets.

3. She lays me down, soft and sweet. Crack fic treated seriously. Steve gets turned into a girl and has the most dramatic bi-sexual awakening. I can't explain this fic, other than it started out as a joke and just grew into something wonderful. I love it.

4. Blinding baby, like city lights. BDSM-Au where everyone is either a dom or a sub. I have such a weakness for bratty sub Billy and the fandom definitely needs more of him.

5. All The Kings Men. BDSM-Au with some Alpha/Omega thrown in cause why not. An epic fantasy where Billy is a siren of royal blood, abandoned in the land of his enemies. Steve is a prince of that land. Billy's not about to let two armies and a centuries old war stand between him and his sub though. This fic is honestly just everything I love about fantasy cooked up in a pot but I love it.

And now for the best part!!!!! Five fics that I absolutely loved reading or am reading and thirsting for updates. Although honestly this list could be soooo much longer. But here we go in no particular order.

1. The Long Night by Nox_Wicked - I am FERAL for this story.

In September of 1986, a plane transporting several inmates from Hawkins Penitentiary crashes into the west Canadian Wilderness. It only lets one of them go.

2. The Mean Dom Steve Multiverse by @shieldofiron - I couldn't just pick one so sue me!

Mean Dom Steve short Drabbles and one shots. Enjoy your mean Dom!Steve!

3. what a wicked game you played (to make me feel this way) by @brawlites - Alpha/Alpha Harringrove and it's so goooood.

Billy knew Steve Harrington would ruin him. Steve knew Billy Hargrove was nothing but trouble. They never expected it to end up like this.

4. Only One Bed by @robthegoodfellow - this fic is so chef kiss. Gender fluid Billy. Polly relationship negotiations. One of the best oc's in existence. Chrissy!!!

After high school, Eddie works at the Hideout. And then moves into the ratty apartment above the bar. And then Billy moves in with him. And then they start hooking up. And then they scheme to set each other up with the person they think the other really wants.

5. definitely better than being dead by @dragonflylady77 - what I said about loving giving Billy family and all the good things he deserves? This fic just hit the spot for me this summer. Such a tender piece.

When Billy comes to, everything hurts. He keeps his eyes closed, even though the space around him feels dark, and slowly takes a tally of where it hurts: hands, sides, chest, back, feet too… He listens to the noises in the room and the regular beeping of a machine close by tells him he’s in a hospital.

[ashortdropandasuddenstop]

Wow, 1000 followers?! It's hard to believe how far we've come on this journey together, isn't it? As I sit here and reflect, my heart is overflowing with gratitude and appreciation for each and every one of you who has followed me along the way. I feel so incredibly blessed and lucky to have picked up such a wonderful community of people who share in my passions and interests.

Although I may not be able to personally converse with every single one of you as much as I would like to, please know that I see you all there and your support has not gone unnoticed. Every single like and comment means the world to me and I am so grateful for the connection we have built.

I have to give a special shoutout to my fellow RPers here. You all are some of my absolute favorite people and best friends. The way we are able to escape into these different worlds together is truly a gift and I cherish every moment we spend together. You all are my support system in so many ways and I am honored to call you my friends.

As we continue on this journey, I know that there will be ups and downs and twists and turns. But I hope that we can all stay connected and support each other through it all. I couldn't imagine this journey without each and every one of you and I hope we never lose sight of the bond we have created. Thank you for being a part of my life and for making this journey so special.

@notabirdnotaplane  - to my best friend in the world, you are my sunshine in the morning and the moonlight at night before bed.  I love you more and more with each passing day.  I don't know however I ever lived without knowing you before.  Clark and James are -chefs kiss-  and they live rent free in my brain 24/7!

@manyimaginativemuses  - We've been friends for.. gawd, since I about made this blog!   You've stuck with me through thick and thin and Norristat has become iconic because of you.  Your passion for our ship and the dedication you put into backstory and long standing storylines still leave me in awe. I love you and thank you for sticking by me :)

@hom3land3r   -  What can I say.  James will have me drop everything to reply to your posts.  I hear Homie in every word, ever reaction you post. You light up my dashboard with your presence and I swear if James had a tail it would be wagging when you reply.

@slicinggazelle / @schwartzkatz  - I’ve known you almost as long as I’ve known Carson! If I was to say James has a best friend outside of his adopted brother Theo, it would be Gazelle, followed only by Felicia. Thank you for being my support both IC and OOC , and for playing with me this long! 

@wolfsmuses   -  Thank you so much for giving James the time of day,  D and James well.. They are like a precious old married couple and have a chemistry even Left hand has to notice.  I get super excited for each post.

@killmebutneverinsultme​ - Pirate! My only Sparrow that has stood the test of time! You gave me Sparrington. My OTP. Everything I wanted for James and a bag of chips! I cherish you for this but also for being a real friend when things seemed rocky and dramatic for a bit ,and I can’t thank you enough for sticking with me!

@captainofthepearl - My dear Captain Barbossa, your pet Commodore does so treasure your attention when you are around!  Your animations and Sims Comics make me so happy to see. I want to ask you for a million more , and yammer your ear off all day about my Deckhand Admiral and the Captain but alas!

@phoenixduelist    -  What can I say?  Your character is anything but a mary sue. She's got such deph and personality, shes brutual fury and beautiful grace all in a nutshell as a testiment to the talent of her wonderful creator and I adore you for sticking with me through all my boughts of non-reply.

@tretramonti  -  One of my oldest besties on here! I love you dearly and cherish our Throuple of Norrielric. These three just are precious cinnamon rolls who deserve all the love and sex they can handle. Thank you for always coming back when you do go and I will always follow you forever!

@izzyeffinhands   -   While real life has a tendency to keep us from chatting too often. You above all understand where I'm coming from with a character that lives to fight, and enjoys a good bout of pain. I hope we get to more threads going soon too!

@toodamnloyal / @foxsocunningandfree  -  Shay, where would James be without his little brother?   And in a way, it’s the same for me and our friendship! You’re also one of my oldest friends on here and I thank you so so much for coming back to Theo’s name after your hiatus! I missed you when you were gone. And  @leerofthevinegaroons  - Though we don’t talk as much I’m never letting go of you either!

 @itismissswann   - Sweet Lizzy! My only Norribeth that’s still kicking strong and I want all the sappy, angsty, happy, loving threads with the most canon ship to ever canon!! Thank you for being that Lizzy for me!

@legends-and-savages  - thank you so so soooo much for being my Annie/Starlight. I love her already and can't wait for all these hijinks. James will fall in love with her, I just know it.  You are such a versatile writer and I want a million more threads with you in the future!

@ofmythsandfables - Sweet beautiful Lois has captured Norrington's attention and while I know you lead a hectic life , I do so love your excitement when James gets to reply to you, and I love conversing with you about these two.

@vyrulent   - Oh love,  You’re my Chloe, my Simone, my Lydia.. But so much more. You are such a  lovely, sweet, understanding soul who’s been with me so long I can’t even recall not being friends. I adore you and think we should definitely talk more often!

@itslordnow   - I certainly miss you but totally understand the hectic school/life work balance you’re dealing with and hope to play with you again some time, you are one of the best!

@sixba  -  Thank you thank you thank you for giving this real life FC character a chance. James absolutely loves his lion son and even if we never finish one thread, I will start 100 more with you because this duo is adorable together! You’re definitely a friend that’s stayed with me for years and even if it takes us a while to reply, we aren’t any less excited to play with you!

@cecaelianseawitch​ - We’ve only just met, but already I adore you and your ability to both capture Ursula’s voice and tone but also your ability to adapt to storylines thrown at you ( sorry for that! ) You’re a wonder and I can’t wait to have James do bad things for your sea witch hehehe

@count-v-dracula​ - James misses his master and I my friend.  I know your life is hectic right now, but I will always follow you . So if and when the day comes of your return.. I will be here!

@pyramiscmuses​   -   Your characters always make me happy, even if we aren’t playing together. I love seeing you on my dash and hope we can touch base soon for more threads!

Other RPers that deserve to be mentioned but we haven’t played in a long time: 

@firstlove-thesea  , @sonofirishseas , @sorceressmaralane , @pueraeternuspan , @rumpotdeckhand, @scottishoctopus , @omen-promised @teachthekraken ,   @countlessrealities , @winters-club​

If I have forgotten anyone, I’m sorry, but these are the people that actually reply to me and/or have been with me the longest.

[thegeminisage]

oh IT'S fucking star trek update time. last night we watched "improbable cause" and "the die is cast" and MWAH CHEFS KISS WHAT AN EVENING.

improbable cause:

GOING INTO THIS. i knew odo got tortured by garak. so as you can imagine i was quite beside myself because i like both of them so much. but whatever direction i was expecting that to go this was not it

firstly i love the idea that julian and garak get into these heated literature conversations and julian values it so much he has to have obrien replace garak when he's gone. i don't think obrien did a very good job...considering all the racketball julian has doggedly put in while keiko was away he should have stepped up!!

secondly please don't say caesar. it was a good setup for garak's dramatic irony later though.

delavian chocolate gift and giftback. girl what on earth was that. GAY PEOPLE.

from garak and odo's first scene together i was like damn...they're both so good at picking up on tiny cues and analyzing people...they're both so smart...this is crazy...i had no idea. side bar i love that in that scene odo was like if kira wanted you dead you would fucking be dead. so true. support your woman

cry wolf story. "never tell the same lie twice." AAAGHGHGHGH IT'S ALL TRUE ESPECIALLY THE LIES

THE FACT THAT. ODO PUT TOGETHER GARAK BOMBING HIS OWN SHOP. like i NEVER would have figured that out he is SO smart. AND him knowing for sure garak had no idea why the romulans were trying to kill him!! god garak and odo really are unstoppable force immovable object. it's like L and light except better. i can't believe i didn't see the potential of trapping them in a room together until now

the parallel of garak insisting on going with odo and then odo insisting going with garak...except the first time it turned out to be nothing and the second time they both regretted it

odo's shot at the romulan uniforms lol. he didn't like those 80s shoulderpads

odo's SHADY dealings with that cardassian...odo has such a checkered history considering his circumstances. also, the next person who mentions that cardassian neck thing i am going to jump thru my computer and kill them in real life

i cant believe also that tain was gonna kill his fucking housekeeper...justice for housekeepers. also, justice for garak, who looked like he hade that promise at gunpoint but alsmot died trying to keep it

GARAK TELLING JULIAN TO EAT THE ROD. really really really funny. i kind of wish there HAD been a rod back there specifically so we COULD see julian eat it.

ODO AND GARAK PSYCHOANALYZING EACH OTHER NO HOLDS BARRED TOTAL BEATDOWN

hi good morning hello hi. hello. they were playing verbal chess. defensive and offensive moves. odo is at a slight disadvantage here because he's incredibly frank and garak has 100 layers minimum to everything he's ever said but their skills at reading one another are perfectly parallel and their hesitation to rip each other apart is 0. there was bloodshed. it was delicious

AND YOU KNOW WHAT. MAYBE THIS EPISODE WAS A LITTLE BIT ABOUT KIRA

"is there one person just one in this whole universe that you care for" and if a telepath had been in the room the name KIRA would have been shouted in flashing lights and all capital letters at 100db. it was on his face. you could SEE IT

and i MAINTAIN that if garak saw them speak even two words to each other about something besides work he would figure it out instantly. he's just not around kira that much because of how forcefully she projects her incredibly intimidating disapproval.

the bit about the racial slur for the romulans. firstly, it WAS smart, secondly, it was also funny, because right before tain pointed it out i was like damn that's a slur

garak already smiling when odo is trying to talk him out of rejoining the order. most terrifying way ever to end an episode when i know he's getting tortured later

the die is cast:

and in literally the FIRST SCENE after the switch what is garak doing? panicking. tain is like, yeah i'm gonna kill that housekeeper you love and garak immediately wants to protest and then he immediately freaks out about wanting to protest. i can't believe you can see it all on his face under all that makeup...

sisko LITERALLY choosing to disobey orders to go get One Guy. picard would have let his ass die. and it means so much to me because 1. he got a message and wryly told kira to disregard it 2. if he AHDN'T been there odo and garak would have died. like, he got there in JUST the nick of time 3. him stopping obrien from knocking out the traitor but warning that guy "i'd stay away from o'brien if i was you" lmaooo 4. "we're gonna get singed at that range" "not as singed as they're gonna get, ENGAGE" nobody has ever served like sisko serves. he's so FUCKING cool, dude, i can't get over how great he is

the torture scenes were just like the psychoanalyzing scenes except this time there was actual violence involved, even though they never touched each other. "the only common enemy we share is tain the difference is you don't know it" caesarcore unfortunately. garak trying to wiggle out of it and then realizing this is the price of admission if he wants back in. knowing odo is hiding something because it's what HE would do and they are BASICALLY THE SAME GUY. odo's sarcasm ("oh nooo mister garak pleeease don't torture me have mercy 🙄") turning to annoyance to fear to RAGE. AUGHGHGHG

like, it's exactly like that one scene in atla where zuko is talking to iroh in prison but the bars are only visible around zuko's face. odo is spitting such venom at garak that HE IS ALSO BEING TORTURED. garak didn't realize until tain talked about killing his housekeeper that he didn't have the stomach for it anymore but odo knew from the very beginning. odo never asked garak to make it stop GARAK BEGGED ODO TO MAKE IT STOP. LIKE ARE YOU KIDDING ME

"tell me something anything lie if you have to but say it PLEASE" like ARE. YOU. KIDDING ME

only odo could walk into a torture chamber and have the torturer begging for it to stop and only garak could start torturing someone and then beg them to break. SAME GUY. it was PERFECT. whatever way i imagined this was bad and wrong and less stellar than what they actually did, which was FUCKING insane

and then after all that the secret just being a personal one. not useful at all. "i hope it was worth it" and odo slides into the bucket and garak puts his head in his fucking hands. MWAH

AND THEN LATER. SAYING ODO NEVER BROKE. and it's kind of a lie but it's also kind of true because odo didn't break FIRST. garak did. you could imagine odo broke because garak begged him or because he couldn't take anymore but in every sense that matters he outlasted his torturer.

garak almost dying to save the world's worst guy <3 like he really promised that housekeeper. he definitely deserved the black eye odo gave him in the sense that he deserved some pain back but in another way didn't deserve the compassion behind it because anyone else in odo's position would be tempted to let him die. so much for "odo doesn't have feelings" ie garak's earlier hypothesis. like the way in the shuttle he says later you know i get it i too want to go home (and unsaid: but i can't stomach the people who live there and what they do and what they stand for even though i miss them horribly). THEY ARE THE SAME GUY. i loved their little last-minute goodbye int he shuttle and then sisko's unexpected rescue. WOW what a sequence!

the changelings would take odo in a heartbeat and STILL he says no because he loves the people he's surrounded himself with :( <3 ESPECIALLY KIRAAA

loved the plot twist of the romulan changeling btw. "no changeling has ever harmed another" i really really really hope odo is the first. ik it would make him sad but it would make ME so happy

and then. of course. the final scene. tng would never do this. tng would have them rescued, they'd nod at one another, the credits would roll. but the mirror scene...

like, i expected garak to look at himself, you know? like damn who am i what have i become i was miserable when i went back and i'm miserable here

BUT IN THE REFLECTION WAS ODO. SAME GUY

the sheer amount of nerve it took not to show odo's face for this...to have odo a blurred silhouetted refection and to keep the camera on garak...nobody's pussy pops like ds9's does.

AND ODO JUST. 1. INVITES HIM TO REBUILD 2. INVITES HIM TO BREAKFAST???

CONSTABLE I THOUGHT YOU DIDN'T EAT I DON'T

HE DOESN'T EAT. BUT HE WANTS TO GET BREAKFAST.

these two men literally saw each other break and realized they're the same guy and now they're gonna get BREAKFAST. i'm gonna kerm

i was forseeing odo hating garak for the rest of the series. lifelong enemies. etcetc. i was NOT predicting garak breaking first and odo forgiving him because he understands and then they start a fucking BRUNCH CLUB??? where they don't talk about kira

10/10 episodes and experiences. like, hit me with that holodeck shit next time, who cares. i am fucking invincible.

TONIGHT: voy's "faces" and ds9's "explorers," though i sadly realized just a little while ago that the source i used for my airdates for this spreadsheet was not good...possibly we have been watching them ever so slightly out of order for some time...i'll have to check the true extent of the damage later tonight.

[ephemeralgalaxies]

Shadow and Bone s2 spoilers

also some Six of Crows spoilers, so if you've watched s2 but still don't wanna know anything more yet about the crows than what the show has already given us, beware cause this will involve (probable) future spoilers

(once again, Wylan edition (and a lil jesper. but mostly wylan). but this time it's about the soundtrack that plays during a certain scene in episode 4 iykyk) (most of my meta posts will probably be about him. he's a cool character. and he's me but that's beside the point) (me as in ND with tics, sass, and way to much random fact info than is for his own good but sometimes actually proves very useful but not in the way you'd expect. usually in a quite disturbing and confuzzling way)

last warning for spoilers under the cut bc I am absolutely picking apart as many frames as I can

OK OK YES THIS IS ABOUT THE KISS SCENE BUT SPECIFICALLY THE MUSIC THAT PLAYS BEFORE/DURING. Bear with me here, this is gonna be quite the trainwreck as I am running on adrenaline from sleep deprivation and also like two oreos.

To start off, the song for this scene is The Night We Met composed by Joseph Trapanese (spotify link).

Alright, first, the way this song just blends so nicely from the scene with Pekka Rollins in the cemetery to this one just *chef's kiss* (ofc we get quite the gap in soundtrack between the end of that scene and once this song starts playing, but they still arch together pretty well) In fact, I almost thought they were the same, or at least same motif (it tries to be a major key song with lots of accidentals/minor-falls/glissandos to make it more angsty dramatic). Which, shouldn't mean that much from a distance... but oh boi does it make my mind stir.

That song (labeled by Netflix CC as "dramatic music" lmao) surfaces when Pekka Rollins and his crew are scouring the Black Veil Cemetery in search of his son, Alby Rollins. Ofc, he finds him safe and well just as the police(?) take Rollins under arrest for the murders he's just admitted to (holy shit, Kaz works fast). Like, with the beginning of The Night We Met, these are the same songs in different fonts. Which,,, may not be on purpose but is absolutely brilliant anyways bc of how much Alby and his father mirror Wylan and his father (if that mirror had shattered into a web design and had been left to collect dust and mold for decades).

(summary context just in case we do have some ppl reading this that don't know about Wylan's family and want to: his father is Jan Van Eck, a very wealthy merchant from Ketterdam. Like, Pekka Rollins "rules" the Barrel, but Van Eck (and capitalist co) run the country. But he's a shit person and an even more shit father, disowning Wylan on the basis of him not being able to read and therefore "useless as an heir" so,,, Wylan ran away ofc)

So right before this very emotional scene for Wylan, we get Pekka Rollins, absolute dumpster fire trash of a man, be a good father. aND EVEN HAVING THE MUSIC DO A HARSH FADE FROM WHEN ROLLINS NON LONGER CAN SEE HIS SON TO WYLAN ASKING JESPER WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE FREE?

im screaming so much it was perfect

So with that in context, we lead into the scene in Wylan's workshop. It's quiet now, hopeful even. You're already forgetting about abandoned sons and desperate fathers. The world is "full of possibilities." There's no music anymore, just the fizzling and clanging (Wylan, wtf do u have clanging in your workshop???). And the silence stays as Jesper talks about what he'd like to do now that he can roam the Barrel free again. How he'd like to do that... with Wylan.

But Wylan's acting weird. He should be in his element here; laid out, an open book. But he's hiding. No literally, he ducks under the table. And even after he's explained that he's feeling strange bc he was so sure Jesper wouldn't want anything more with him, there's silence. It's only when Jesper starts to back away, when he seems hurt by the idea that Wylan doesn't think Jesper would like him, that the music picks up. And I love this so much because throughout this entire scene, Wylan is interacting with the music. As if he can hear it. Jesper floats along it, fitting everything so perfect within pauses, but Wylan actually feels it. Like each little violin arco pull or harp chord is another thought in his head.

So here: the music starts. Just gentle harp for now (I think that's a harp. Or something of the variety. I'm gonna be so embarrased if it's just like an acoustic guitar or smth). And Jesper backs up, hurt, and Wylan realizes oh shit wait this actually means something to him, I've just hurt him, I have to fix this. I need to clarify. Let him know it's not like I wanted to leave, but "better to cut my losses." (and my god I love Jack Wolfe's little "I... huuuuuh" that he gives like I love it so much it's so awkward and accurate like Wylan has so much he wants to say but can't figure out how to actually get it out right).

And we keep with this pattern, just gentle (almost melancholic) harp chords of one two three four pause... one two three four pause... BUT IT'S A SORT OF ARPEGIO. BC once Jesper says "my reputation isn't entirely unfounded," the camera pans back to Wylan for the next set of notes that reach a little higher, a little different, little more noticeable. And with this frame, we get a nod and a small smile (not reaching his eyes, ofc, Wylan seems to smile as a signal a lot more than in genuine) -- this feels like confirmation to him. He's correct, his assumptions from that night are valid. Someone like Jesper wouldn't want anything more (from someone like him).

Then we stay on Jesper again, how he likes "the gamble of Barrel life" (sobbing for Wylan thinking that Jesper won't like him anymore when he finds out that Wylan isn't "Barrel life" (not really, he thinks. Not like the rest of them). We even get the more overt and dramatic lil "yeah there you go, ofc, I get that" hand motion with another nod and smile before he avoids Jesper's gaze (and the camera) again by walking off to the end of the table. He's put more distance despite being more accessible now; they're not looking across from each other anymore. Jesper has to move to keep engaging.

And he doesn't at first. He lets his eyes follow Wylan, but then drops them again shortly as he thinks on it all. He's losing Wylan here, he knows it. He needs to change this pattern up before Wylan disappears into that quite chord progression entirely. "I may very well have left you first..." Wylan looks up again, smiles and nods, still tinkering away. He's trying to engage the conversation but only as little as possible. He wants this over with, he's got his confirmation. It's all up to Jesper now.

AND OH BOI DOES JESPER TAKE THAT CHANCE.

He starts walking towards him. "But that..."

Wylan stills, looks back at him, shakes his head and looks back down. Like for a moment it was maybe maybe maybe then pushing that hope back down bc that can't be what this is.

"...was before I got to know you." THE "what wtf hold on" ON WYLAN'S FACE IM SCREAMING. THE HARP IS STILL ALONE, HE'S STILL NOT TRUSTING IT. HE'S LISTENING BUT WON'T DARE ENGAGE YET. HE NEEDS MORE.

"I can't make you any promises." VIOLIN!!!!

"Or predict what might happen between us" VIOLINNNN!!!

"But I can tell you that..." quieter violin as Jesper hesitates

Wylan realizing oh shit oh shit oh shit right along with that muddled lower violin arco note mixed with the harp chord. It's not clean like the others. The harp is catching up to the violin.

"I'd like to find out." Another weird chord (forgive me im tired and can't tell if it's an accidental or just a deviation entirely into another key but it sounds like a different key for a sec) with the harp and a beat of silence. Then the violin follows it...

AND WYLAN SMIRKS. LIKE I SWEAR TO GOD THIS WHOLE POST STARTED BC WHEN I FIRST WATCHED THIS SCENE ALL I COULD THINK OF WAS HOW IT LOOKED LIKE WYLAN REACTS TO THAT VIOLIN NOTE AFTER JESPER SAYS HE WANTS TO TRY SOMETHING MORE WITH HIM. He hides his face from Jesper, and it hits him with the arco note. The guy he likes actually likes him back. This incredible, cool, gunslinger that has his back and doesn't care or judge him for his quirks also actually likes him. more than friendship, more than sex, there's another shared thing here. Wylan can be more. But the harp here slows down, a ritardando only it actually feels the effects of bc the violin has already done its job. Jesper is worried now, he's said what he said and all he can do is hand control over to Wylan.

and then ofc my favorite "hey bro pls respond" like after that arco note that seems to be just for Wylan, like it's his own lil secret realization music, Jesper sits in silence (literally, there's only ambient background, no more actual notes) and when Wylan realizes he hasn't actually responded, that Jesper also needs confirmation, dear god he's gonna give it to him.

But the music doesn't start up again once Wylan begins to walk (run. Like he's sprinting into this kiss) to Jesper, it starts again when Jesper realizes what Wylan's doing. That he's responding. And he's responding very positively.

Now the violin is confident, steady, forceful. There's no more of that careful sliding on the bow, this is borderline staccato. And it's joining the harp. THEY'RE PLAYING TOGETHER NOW!!! THEY'VE CAUGHT UP!!!!!!! Like they've literally caught up, the two characters and instruments melting together in a new melody of the same key but with energy and passion and giddy joy. IT'S LIKE FIREWORKS, LIKE A GUNSHOT.

Then the roaring ocean, violin switching from a long-short combo to straight 16th notes fast and ready and dear god I love it. There's still that whisper of the more hesitant violin in the background, but the faster one is taking control of the piece now. It knows what it wants, has a clear direction. And saints, if that doesn't perfectly mirror Wylan in this scene. This music piece is a beautiful conversation not just between the two characters (and respective separate instruments) but also with that haunting past Wylan carries with his confidence. He knows his worth, knows he's useful. He just can't think that others would recognize this as well. A violin is not a gentle instrument (I'm sorry, but there's a reason I chose the cello). It's higher pitches are harsher, sharper. It can be beautiful, yes, but it can never have that subtlety of a cello or viola (at least lower strings of a viola). The violin is the 1st chair, the main melody carrier, the gem of the orchestra. Sure you need the others, but everyone knows the violin. Wylan knows his worth to a sharp, unsubtle point. But he hangs back like a 2nd violin position -- letting someone else take the reigns until he finally has the space (the safety) of exploding (hehe) into sound. He trusts Jesper now. Wylan's gonna play with the force of his bombs now.

At least until Jesper learns about his history. Which, I think might be another reason why we still have that 2nd violin position sound even at the end. He's encouraged, but he knows there's something he's still gotta hide. And it won't be pretty when it all spills out.

TLDR: the music nerd obsesses over the fictional music nerd way more than anyone asked for (which is at all. no one asked for this. why do I keep doing music-based metas. because I love them and can't sleep until I do them that's why). Wylan is a violin apparently but he can't decide whether he's playing along with the cellos/violas or if he's taking the reigns and filling that conductor's right-hand man spot (is it the right side? hold on. wait shit no it's the conductor's left side. whatever. that 1st chair violin thing that's really special but idc bc Im a cellist and my director switches our section arrangements all the time to play with sound). Also apparently Jesper is a harp which does kinda make sense considering it's a pizzicato sound and Jesper is very ticky ticky like most of the soundtrack songs he's in the scenes of have some kind of ticking. so,,,,,,,

[kitkatt0430]

Since I rambled about last weeks episode as I watched it, I'm gonna do that again with this week's episode. So spoilers for The Flash S09E03 - Rogues of War beneath the cut. I'm depending on Hartley Rathaway to make things interesting again, so let's find out if he pulls through for me.

Opens with Fiddler and Boomerang having fun with a break in. I do enjoy their banter. Murmur, though... so creepy. (Yeah, I did see spoilers first so I know who is in the creepy mask.)

Barry and Iris taking cooking lessons in France. I do love that. And does this mean Iris is no longer a lethal chef? Since it took them 40 times in Flashtime... probably not.

But Iris really does not seem thrilled when Barry mentions she'll be pregnant soon. So seems like Ep 1's reveal of Iris' dislike of knowing so much about how her future is meant to happen hasn't been entirely dealt with. I'm not thrilled with this arc tbh. Like... I want to be glad they're finally addressing Iris feeling like she doesn't really have any real agency in her own life. But the time to address that was passed seasons ago. So doing it now feels forced.

oh lovely the app crashed, lets reboot that and hope I can skip forward to the right point.

Khione continues to make me think of Layla from Sky High, what with her interest in nature. And whatever is up with her is more interesting than the ongoing Chester/Allegra stuff.

Ooooh they name dropped the Cosmic Treadmill. I do love the Cosmic Treadmill. And after exposition and flashbacks and more exposition... yay there's Hartley!!!

STAR Labs for safe keeping. *snicker* Iris do you even hear yourself?

Hartley with his grin as he convinces Barry that they should steal shit together is hilarious. Like, he has to be having so much fun with this. Especially since they need more Rogues to pull it off.

Is Khione the official blocker of Chester/Allegra? Please say yes.

I don't remember Jaco right now (am I spelling his name right???) so I'm gonna have to look him up later.

Hartley pissing off Blaine makes me smile. Especially since he dislikes Hartley so much after last episode that Blaine makes a point of saying he isn't taking orders from Hartley. Oh how terrible, Hartley forced you to do the right thing and then pointed out getting drunk won't help. (Like... to some degree, I do get that there may be another source of his resentment of Hartley. If Blaine knows the story about Roderick and how Hartley waited five years to get him back then he may resent Hartley for getting his boyfriend back while Hartley destroyed the one thing that might bring back Frost. Of course, the biggest difference is that Hartley never tried to sacrifice anyone else's life to save Roderick. And, well... Roderick was never actually dead. Paused the show to write this so let's get back to it now.)

Goldface being dramatic and I do love that about him. And it amuses me that his on again, off again with Amunet is off again. And Carver. *cackling with laughter here* "Book club will remain a safe space." Lies apparently. *snicker* Hartley has to be wondering what kind of supervillain Goldface even is at this point. Also judging Barry so hard for his criminal contacts.

Oh... Jaco was in the episode where Iris got to be the Flash. I vaguely remember him now.

The bickering Rogues and Hartley once again asserting he's the smartest person in the room. Oh my arrogant Pied Piper. I do enjoy seeing him be so confident in his brilliance. :D Goldface and Blaine not getting along just makes me like Goldface more. And I already enjoy his character so much this episode.

What even is the point of the Chester/Allegra scene shoehorned in here?

Anyway, more Rogues banter. And Hartley is such a little shit. He's having so much fun pushing people's buttons and of course the Rogues being assholes to each other turns into them united against Barry so that they'll finally work together... which I think was Hartley's plan from the moment he started pushing buttons. He is a chess master who played against Eobard Thawne, after all.

Iris worrying about putting her career on hold to be a mom is pretty understandable. And I think it'd help if maybe she realized that she'll have more than just Barry to lean on when it comes to making time for herself once Nora comes. Joe and Cecile may wind up moving away, but Team Flash will still be there. And theoretically they're a found family.

I'm proud of Chester, making the Wayne Enterprises connection.

Oh, now Khione is enabling the Chester/Allegra. Bad Khione. Stop that.

Barry apologizing to the Rogues is actually kinda sweet. As funny as Goldface figuring out that Barry's the Flash on the spot, it's so much funnier that Jaco is just like 'yeah they got the same Jitter's order, it's obvious'. Had to pause the episode again, that's just hilarious. I may not have remembered Jaco before, but he is certainly memorable now. Barry, Barry, Barry... what is even the point of pretending to have a secret identity at this point?

So I'm kinda expecting Blaine to have betrayed them based on the listening device that showed up earlier. But it is fun to see all four Rogues working together with Barry.

Oh there's the betrayal. Mark Blaine. Asshole. I hate his stupid jacket. It looks terrible.

I do like that Hartley's first instinct is to tell Barry he's on the way to help. Of course, there are three more bad guy Rogues to stop Barry's Rogues from helping him.

De-powered Barry vs Blaine was definitely not gonna go Barry's way, but the Rogues vs Rogues was fun to watch. And Hartley canonically knows ASL!!!!!! Yes!

Jaco and Fiddler stopping mid fight to flirt. I adore them. That was unexpected and so cute.

Goldface naming the Red Death from Edgar Allen Poe. :D

Ooooh, likes like Hartley isn't the only Rogue sticking around. Goldface and Jaco will be helping out more this season too. Doesn't seem like they'll be in the next episode though, but I guess I'll know for sure when I check out the trailer for episode four.

Ryan has been missing for how long? And Team Flash is only finding out now? Why are these super hero teams so bad at reaching out to each other for help?

Fiddler is my fav bad Rogue now. Between flirting with Jaco and calling Blaine 'abs' mockingly, she's fun. And Blaine finding out that maybe he's in over his head now is exactly what he deserves.

Now for post episode thoughts.

Khione still doesn't seem to have a purpose. If she's supposed to be the right hero at the right time, then it may be a slog to get there. But right now, Caitlin would be a much more useful character than Khione is. So while Khione is sweet, that's all she seems to have going for her at the moment.

Chester/Allegra feel even more like a romantic plot tumor when there's Fiddler/Jaco's instant chemistry there to compare it to. Or last week's flirting with Hartley/Roderick.

Murmur trying to recruit Hartley was unexpected, but interesting in what it says about the respect Hartley must have commanded before he retired to run the club with Roderick. Especially since Goldface recognized Hartley once he identified himself as the Pied Piper. I'm not sure what to do with that yet, but it'll wind up expanded on in fanfic form eventually. I do like it's continuation on the last episode's themes about change, though. Hartley, when offered the chance to join the bad guys, turns the opportunity down because that's not who he chooses to be anymore. Compared to Blaine who presumably sought out Red Death's side because he cares more about his grief than what Frost would actually want. Much as I don't like Blaine, the narrative foil set up between him and Hartley is actually kinda interesting.

However. Does not look like we're getting more Hartley next week based on the trailer for episode 4, but maybe we'll learn how Ryan became the Red Death and if she's even our universe's Ryan? It'd be interesting if this is how the multiverse were to be reintroduced to the show. Probably not, but it's a thought.

Since ep3 was a more lighthearted episode, I'm expecting ep4 and ep5 (since they seem to be a two parter based on the naming) to be much darker. Which the teaser trailer seems to back up.

Despite the lack of Hartley, I think I'll tune in anyway next week. I mean, he might show up? And even if he doesn't, I don't want to miss out on important plot points for later. For now anyway. This season does seem better than what I saw of S8, but honestly it's a low bar to clear and my faith in the show runners/writers is pretty much gone.

(I'm still rooting for anyone to stab Mark Blaine in a dark alleyway. Because I'm afraid they're gonna give him yet another redemption arc. Undeservedly. Though it'd be great if he did not get a redemption arc and then Hartley gets to curbstomp him.)