#those cooking scenes were fantastic though

[alice-after-dark]

Deer Wife AU - Settling In

Inspired by @hiemaldesirae's deer sinner Vox designs (1 | 2) and his Attic-Wife Vox AU

Welp was gonna post this tomorrow but then Ran went and dropped this amazing art and I just couldn't wait.

TW for implications of eating disorders.

It has been nearly a month since Alastor had taken Vox from those sharks and brought him home and things were bizarre to say the least. Alastor hasn't asked anything of him except for him to rest and to actually eat his meals. And he is very stern about Vox finishing his meals. It is difficult, though Alastor's fantastic cooking certainly makes it easier. Unfortunately even that doesn't stop the discomfort from settling in once he has finished. He is certain he's gained weight. He tries not to think about it.

Truthfully, by the reactions of the sharks when Alastor had arrived on the scene, Vox was certain he'd fallen from the frying pan into the fire, but the red deer has been nothing but kind to him. He keeps him warm and fed and protected. When Vox woke up the first night he'd been brought there, Alastor had let him take his first proper bath in weeks and then dressed the wounds he'd received from the beating those sharks had given him for mouthing off. It was truly hard to believe that someone who treated him so tenderly was so feared. But he'd felt the fear in those other Sinners, had heard them curse in fright. They'd called him the Radio Demon.

Vox still wasn't sure what that meant, but he didn't really care.

Vox hasn't left his room since Alastor brought him there and if he was being honest, his desire to was waning rapidly. What did he possibly need anyways? Alastor provided for him, gave him everything he asked for, fed him. The worst part he supposed was the loneliness that would come in between Alastor's visits. Alastor came to him every meal time and they always spent nearly the entire evening together, but frequently during the day Vox was left to his own devices. In life, Vox had always been a social person and every moment spent without Alastor drove home the loneliness.

Before Alastor, his life had been...well...Hell. He'd been holed up in an old warehouse with several other weak Sinners, cold and afraid and hungry, until those loan sharks had raided the place, looking for some asshole who owed them money. Vox had been among those to nearly escape, until he'd been cornered and forced into a deal. Then Alastor had appeared and everything had changed.

Vox could admit he'd been more than a little skeptical during the first couple weeks. He was waiting on bated breath for the other show to drop, for Alastor to reveal some sinister intentions. But it never came. The only thing Alastor seemed to want was for him to remain safe and secure inside his room. He wanted him safe, nothing more.

The sound of the door shutting downstairs makes Vox's ears flick in excitement. Alastor! Alastor is home! He fumbles for his hairbrush. He has about an hour while Alastor cooks dinner and he wants to make sure he's presentable. Should he change? He's still in his nightgown.

That had been something to get used to. Alastor bought him many clothes, from simple turtlenecks, button-ups, and slacks to blouses, skirts, and dresses. The social norms instilled in him from his time above pushed back hard against the idea of him wearing women's clothing. At first he had stuck to the menswear, but as time went on he felt bad leaving all those nice dresses untouched. Alastor had clearly put thought into every piece and somehow seemed to know exactly what styles and colors Vox would like the most. So he'd stuffed down his father's raging in his mind and put on one of the dresses.

And he hadn't instantly caught fire. In fact, it felt...nice. He felt pretty.

He'd been so caught up in the experience that he hadn't noticed Alastor's return home until the man arrived with their dinner. Embarrassment and shame had flooded him, like a child caught doing something naughty...until Alastor told him it looked nice and Vox was all at once reminded that Alastor had been the one to buy him the dress in the first place. Of course he wouldn't think poorly of him dressing like a woman.

He decides on a simple red midi skirt and cream sweater just in time to hear Alastor ascend the stairs and the lock click open.

"Well, you certainly look lovely, darling."

Vox blushes despite himself. "Thank you."

He wants it. He wants Alastor's praise. He wants his attention.

Alastor sets their food on the table and gestures for Vox to join him and any loneliness the blue deer was feeling is gone, scattered to the wind like it was never there. Alastor is once again his entire world and Vox is satisfied with that.

[sandcobangevent]

Unforgettable

by @keirgreeneyes and @tiredmilkshake

Chapter 1

“Seriously, I can’t believe my luck. We go off, have these adventures, meet celebrities and then get to share it all with people through the podcast—and he makes the most amazing dinners after we���re all done!”

“This is Sherlock Holmes you’re talking about? The same Sherlock I introduced you to?” 

“Yes, Mike. The very same. I mean, he doesn’t cook immediately. Usually he collapses for–oh, once it seemed like 24 hours, though he might have gotten up while I was sleeping at some point.”

“And you’re saying he cooks? That’s the bit that’s surprising to me. I mean, I thought he had a thing about pasta.”

“I mean, we do have pasta every so often. But like, he made this fantastic sauce with capers the other day.”

“That’s...surprising, yeah. Well, I guess maybe he’s changed a mite.”

“What’s that mean?” 

“He didn’t used to, in uni, that’s all.”

“Well, everyone changes, don’t they?” 

“I’m not sure Sherlock Holmes does.” 

“Is that a crack about his autism?” 

“No, no, I’m not criticizing him. Just, he’s unique and always has been.”

“Yeah, unique and pretty amazing, I’d say.” 

“Agreed. You two are good for each other.”

“Some people might even say we have a rapport.” 

“He really does seem happier now, actually. So, yeah, he does seem different.” 

“Right. Well, Mariana just texted me that there’s a mess of chicken parmesan a certain unique detective and chef made that is waiting for me back at Baker Street, so I think I’ll say cheers and catch you later.” 

“Have a good night, Watson, and tell Holmes hello for me.” 

“Will do.” 

Chapter 2

“Watson, what’s that smell?”

“Why are you asking me, mate? You’re the one with the sensitive honker. Shall I go back to the flat for Archie? I wonder if he’d be an excellent sniffer dog, you know, like those dogs that work for a living? I mean, he’s no German Shepherd, wouldn’t really be much good at roughing up the bad un’s. But he does like to give things a sniff or two. And a slobber. Yeah, well, I guess he might be good at a crime scene if we needed somebody all glommed up with snot and saliva.”

“Watson—that’s utter nonsense. Crime scene dogs require keen senses and are given intensive training. Archie’s much better at what he’s good at: giving someone’s leg a good time at the park.”

“Hey—he did that one time, and no one ever lets up—”

“As I was saying, something smells different, about your person. What is it?”

“Oh, well, we were talking about making that mushroom and camembert frittata, and I happened to see a nice thing of camembert at a shop and so I thought I’d just pick it up and..”

“Well, its scent is so strong I think that even Archie would be distracted by it if he was here, much less a genuine detection dog.”

“What am I supposed to do with it, then?”

“I don’t know, but please take it out of here. Perhaps Inspector Lestrade can put it in her car.”

“Oh, no, Holmes, you’re not stinking up my squad car with that smelly old cheese.”

“Right, well, if no one wants me and my smelly old, delicious cheese around, I’ll just take us outside and let you do your detecting on your own.”

“What’s that, Watson? Wait, wait, there’s something here we’ve been missing…”

“So, do you want me to go, or should I linger here with my great smelliness messing up your investigation?”

“Wait–Stop!! Fire, fire!!”

(Screams break out, there is the sound of gunfire and breaking glass.)

Chapter 3

“Sherlock, it’s alright, mate, we caught him.” 

“Yes, well, after he’d wounded two police constables, destroyed significant amounts of evidence with that fire, and all this from a hidden place within the very crime scene that we had been investigating. And we caught him all thanks to you, by the way. Timely use of that disgustingly reeking round of cheese you had on hand to distract him while I tackled him. Good job, Watson.” 

“Well, cheers, mate. Wasn’t exactly what I was planning, but I’ll take the praise. I still can’t figure why he did come out. He had a doozy of a hiding place all set up, what with that false wall and cozy little room he’d set up for himself.” 

“That’s just it, Watson. When we entered the galleria, my immediate impression was that there was something wrong about it. The dimensions. But I didn’t follow through on my deductions. And look how much devastation has occurred.”

“Sherlock, mate, go easy on yourself. You couldn’t know he’d go all batty hearing us talk about sniffer dogs. I mean, turns out he’s phobic about pooches? You can’t predict this kind of thing. We all have our things, and there’s no reason why anyone, even you, should be able to pull a guess about something like that out of the air.” 

“No, Watson, that’s just not true. And I never ‘just pull something out of the air.’ The signs were there. The thefts had commenced after the renovation project was completed. And even the canine connection should have been apparent to me—the owner of the art gallery has a pair of identical toy poodles, and the disappearances of these priceless minature pieces never happened on days when the dogs had been on site.” 

“Toy poodles, miniature sculptures, she does really have something about tiny things, doesn’t she?” 

“It was part of her aesthetic, Watson. Along with her charitable philosophy, all the proceeds went to provide building funds for tiny houses for people without permanent dwellings. Now her gallery is in a shambles, the work of established and budding artists in this field who had been featured there, destroyed. And all because I lost sight of what I’d immediately grasped when I entered the space. But I was distracted and forgot to follow up on it, John. It’s just unbelievable. I forgot. ”

“Hey, hey, it happens to all of us, Sherlock. You may be amazing and brilliant, and often what seems like miraculous, but you’re also quite human. But whoa. I might need a moment here, I think that’s the first time you’ve ever said my given name. Wait. Sherlock? Where are you going?”

Chapter 4

“Thanks for going through this mail, John. I’ve taken care of the bills, but there’s so much of this kind of thing” (sound of papers thwacking down on a counter) “and I can’t tell if it’s just junk or if there are some legitimate inquiries in there.”

“No problem, Mariana. They’re so sneaky with their envelopes these days, those spammers. And there’s no podcast to edit right now, so I’ve nothing better to do.”

“Any change in Sherlock?” 

“No.” (Heavy sigh.) “It’s been the same since that case. He’s shut himself up in his room and won’t talk. At first he was at least playing his violin, screeching away at it all night. But now that he’s stopped that, I’m even missing that. At least I knew he was alive in there.” 

“I’m sure he’ll snap out of it, eventually. I mean, hasn’t he before?”

…

“John?”

“I wouldn’t know actually.” 

“You’ve never seen him go through this?” 

“Well, you met him at just about the same time that I did, so your guess is as good as mine.” 

“Oh, that’s right! You two are so close, I forget that sometimes. You seem to have always been together.” 

“I can tell you, it did not feel like that right away. First couple of nights in the flat with him, I was afraid I’d become a murderer myself.” 

“Then he could have come back and cracked the case!” (laughter) “He would have liked that.” 

“Yes, I expect he would, at that. If anyone could come back from the dead and solve his own murder, it would definitely be Sherlock Holmes.” 

“Well, what can we do to help him cheer up? Maybe we’ll find a nice juicy mystery in here and that will get him feeling better.” 

“Maybe. But I already sent him a few leads from the email account, and he just told me to delete them all.” 

“That sounds pretty bad.”

“I know. I’m pulling my hair out. I wish I knew what would make him feel better.” 

“What about what he does to show his appreciation for us?” 

“You mean cook him something? I couldn’t, he’s like a world class chef.” 

“No, he’s really not.” 

“What do you mean?”

“He’s been teaching himself to cook.” 

“There’s no way—wait, why do you say so?” 

“Who pays the bills around here? I’d noticed that there were certain charges happening frequently, paid to a Youtuber who runs private courses on cooking.”

“On the company card?”

“Yes, but neither of you had said anything about it, or sent me receipts.” 

“And we both know how important those receipts are!” 

“Yes, I think I made myself very clear on that after you two took that client out to rollerskate sushi and came back with absolutely nothing by way of documentation.” 

“Yeah, I think I’m still paying off that outrageously expensive saki we drank out of little warmers on the harness they gave me. But it was so very good.” 

“Huh. Perhaps it’s a good thing that you lost those particular receipts.  Anyway, I asked Sherlock if he knew anything about it. He refused to tell me anything, just issued me a repayment and said I shouldn’t worry, there wouldn’t be any more charges. It was all sorted out, so I never ended up mentioning it to you. But did he tell you anything about it, John?”

“He never breathed a word about this to me.”

“I was worried it was some kind of scam he’d been caught in, that he was embarrassed to admit about.”

“Yeah, I can imagine that he would be pretty quiet about something like that. Should we be worried that he’s got some kind of gambling issue?”

“No. Not at all.” 

“So you did figure out what it was?” 

“I did.” 

“Did a little detecting of your own?” 

“Indeed.”

“How did you get it out of him?” 

“I had noticed that the charges were paid at about the same time each week.” 

“So you spied on him!?” 

“No, no, I wouldn’t want to invade his privacy.” 

“He bloody well does mine all the time. Do you know, he sat in the loo for fifteen whole minutes while I was in there, quiet as a mouse in the shower stall, while I’m shaving, clipping my toenails, taking a wee, moisturizing, have a nice little chat with myself…”

“Wait, moisturizing? John, I had no idea you had a beauty routine.” 

“It’s not a beauty routine. It’s just good for my pores. It’s self-care.” 

“That’s very wise of you, John.” 

“Oh sod off.” 

“What did Sherlock do?” 

“Well, he startled me half to death he did. I was just giving myself a little pep talk in the mirror, reminding myself that everyone starts somewhere. Einstein didn’t pop off about E=MC² first thing. He had to do a bit of maths, a bit of calculus, a bit of physics first. And I was sure to get better at this whole podcast thing as time went on.” 

“So, how did he startle you?” 

“Oh, right. He hears me saying that and comes out with ‘You’re quite right, Watson. Even Einstein was a beginner once.” Of course, then he tells me how Einstein taught himself maths and physics, earned a PhD at the age of 26 while publishing four ground breaking papers in those fields. ‘But Watson,’ he says ‘he’d failed an entrance exam once and had to struggle on, so don’t give up.’” 

“He’s just trying to help.” 

“Right, I know. And the funny thing is, it did help.” 

“Even if he scared you to death?” 

“Yeah, I think he was just there because he wanted the company. After I calmed down, I didn’t mind, actually.” 

“See, you are close.” 

“Well, if we were, wouldn’t I know how to cheer him up?” 

“You’ve got to start somewhere.” 

“Yeah, if only I knew what made him happy.” 

“Oh! That was the whole point of my story. Sherlock was teaching himself to cook. For us.” 

“Wait, so the Youtuber—”

“Correct, they were private classes on cooking.” 

“Oh, wow. Now I really want to help him out of this.” 

“Right.” 

“Okay. Well, I have heard something recently that may help.” 

“What?” 

“An old acquaintance of his said he had a thing for pasta.” 

“Like, the penne he keeps asking for?” 

“He’s been asking for penne?.”

“Yup. He texts me when he knows I’m going to shop or put an order in. Penne and tomato sauce. That’s all he’s asked for…” 

“Since that case. Okay, well. If he can learn to cook for us, I can learn to cook for him.” 

“Do you think you need to take a class to cook pasta?”

“To make the best pasta ever tasted? Yes, absolutely.” 

(Laughter) “You think you’re going to be able to make the best pasta ever?” 

“Yes, because he deserves it.” 

“Well, perhaps we can count this as a work expense, since it is meant to help him be able to get back to working again. Just–”

“I know, send you the receipts.” 

“Bingo!” 

Chapter 5

“Watson?” 

“Yes, Sherlock.” 

“What is that?” 

“That, mate, is a plate of my very special beef crumble and mushroom lasagna. I used wine to sauté those mushrooms, just like you did with that risotto you made two weeks ago–”

“And you want me to eat this?” 

“Well, I didn’t put it on your plate because I want you to throw it at me. What do you think?”

“Are you being serious, Watson?” 

“Yeah. Should I not be?” 

 “Well, I regret to inform you that I am unable to comply.” 

“You’re not hungry then?” 

“No, no, I am quite famished.” 

“Then, what is it? I thought you liked pasta?” 

“You thought I liked pasta?”

“Yeah. I also rather thought you didn’t like repeating yourself?”

“I was repeating what you said, Watson. I never said I liked pasta.” 

“Well, all you’ve been eating is that penne stuff lately, and I heard you did like it, so–” 

“Who exactly did you hear that from?”

“Stamford. Said something about you liking it back at uni.” 

“You’ve been digging into my history at university?” 

“Whoa—wait a mo’ there, that sounds way more sneaky and spy-y than what happened. We were talking about you—” 

“Oh, you were talking about me, and my eating habits when I was a student? I hope you feel enlightened now.” 

(Sounds of a chair pulling back, then cabinets being opened, water running, and a pot being settled on the hob.) 

“Sherlock… I’ve done something to upset you, haven’t I?” 

“Please, Watson, I am quite hungry, as I said. Thank you for your gesture, but I’ll be quite fine with my penne." (Sounds of a fridge door opening.) Wait, where’s the jar of tomato sauce I had in the fridge?” 

“Ummm, well, I sort of used it in the lasagna.” 

“Did you use it or not? It appears to have vanished.” 

“Yeh, it’s gone.” 

(Sounds of a chair being pulled out and Sherlock sinking back into it.)

“How about butter? I always love a bit of salt and butter on my pasta when I’m not feeling quite the thing.” 

“I suppose that will be acceptable.” 

“No, wait.” (Sounds of footsteps and a coat being grabbled.) “I’ll just pop down to Tesco and get a couple more jars of the sauce.” 

“Really, Watson, there’s no reason–”

“There really is. I wanted to make something special for you and all I did was end up ruining your dinner. It’s easy as pie to make it right. Just let me, okay?” 

“Well… I will enjoy the dish much more if there is sauce. Just the plain, however.” 

“No mushrooms? Peppers? Spicy red pepper with paprika?”

“Watson, I was feeling grateful but now you’re becoming tedious.” 

“Gotcha. Plain tomato sauce coming up.” 

(Sounds of feet running down stairs, followed by a door opening and being slammed shut in the distance.) 

(Sounds of fingers drumming on a table. A chair is pulled back, a lid removed from a pot and replaced. A long suffering sigh.)

(Sounds of a voice humming. Water starts to bubble.)

“At last!” 

(Sounds of jumping up from a chair. Pasta shakes in a box, and cardboard is torn open. The sounds of pasta being poured into a pot of water, just as a door is thrown open in the distance, slamming into a wall.)

“What is going on?!” (Mariana’s voice sounds distantly, coming up from the front hall of 221 Baker Street.) 

“Oh, sorry Mariana. Can’t talk.” (John’s voice is closer, as though he’s made it up a few stairs.)

“Is there a case?” 

“No, no, something much more important. Dinner!” 

(Sound of Mariana sighing.) “Dinner? You had me worried, John.” 

“Can’t chat, water boiling. ‘Ta.” 

(The sounds of feet clattering up the stairs sound, and then rapid breaths, a bit wheezy.) 

“Got ‘em! Here you are, mate. (A gasping breath ) Fresh from the Tesc. I believe these are from 2024. A very good vintage, if I do say so myself.” 

“Watson, you are being ridiculous. There is no particular advantage to having tomatoes packaged in this year over any other. The processing of the sauce makes it highly homogenized. One batch will taste much like any other.” 

“Yes, but if it came from last year, or the year before, it might well be off, so you’d likely not want to eat it, yes?” 

“Perhaps. But all this talking isn’t going to get me fed anytime soon.” 

“Oh, sorry, ‘course. Here we go, let me just—” (Sound of a pan clattering.)

“Please—let me. If you don’t mind. I just want to heat my sauce and eat in peace.” 

“Sure thing. Yeah. Well. Maybe I’ll just see if Mariana wants to eat some of this lasagna.” 

“Excellent idea.” 

“Well, alright then. I guess I’ll just go.” 

“Mm-hm.” 

(Sounds of Sherlock humming as John’s footsteps recede.) 

Chapter 6

“John! This is sooo delicious. Is that white wine I’m tasting?” 

“Yeah. Yup. ‘Tis. The mushrooms.” 

“Mmmm…. Thank you. This is really quite good. I wouldn’t have expected—” 

“No, guess you wouldn’t. I really put my back into it.” 

“That class really paid off.”

“Hmph. Yeah.” 

“Well, you don’t seem very happy with it. Aren’t you going to eat some?”

“I dunno. My heart’s not really in it anymore.” 

“Because Sherlock rejected it?” 

“He didn’t— It’s not that Sherlock rejected me—” 

“Whoa–whoa–whoa. I didn’t say he rejected you.” 

“The thing. The pasta. He didn’t..,well, I suppose he did reject the lasagna. But I thought he liked it!” 

“What exactly was it that Stamford said?” 

“Something like he had a thing for pasta at uni.” 

“That’s pretty vague really. There are a lot of types of pasta. Why did you think he would like this dish?”

“It’s all fancy. Like he’s been making for us. I figured he was down about the case, and not up to cooking something big. So, I thought I’d do it for him.”

“And, at any time, did you actually ask Sherlock what he wanted?”

“...” 

“I take that is a ‘no’?”

“Erm—” (Whistles.) “Correct. I did not ask him what he wanted.” 

“He’s been pretty clear. He wants tomato pasta. Penne.” 

“But this is clearly so much better.” 

“To who, John? To you?” 

“...” 

“Go talk to him.” 

“He just threw me out of the kitchen. I doubt he wants to talk to me right now.” 

“Was he angry about it?” 

“A little bit.” 

“Then all the more reason to talk. Maybe you need to apologize, maybe not. Find out.” 

(A big sigh.) 

Chapter 8

Summary:

John and Sherlock talk, and peace prevails.

Chapter Text

“Hello Watson! I’m feeling much better. Did you and Mariana enjoy the lasagna?” 

“Yeah. I’m glad to hear that. We did. And I’m sorry—” 

“What for?” 

“For...assuming you’d want the lasagna.” 

“That was odd.” 

“Are you still upset that Stamford and I talked about you?” 

“No, not really. I am a bit surprised.” 

“It was nothing bad. Honestly, I wasn’t trying to get some kind of intel about you.” 

“Well if you had been, Stamford wouldn’t be a terribly useful informant. You might try Victor next time. Or my brother. He’s well informed about most things and could detail quite a bit of my likes and dislikes from those years. Although, I’m not sure how useful any of that information would be to you, truly.” 

“No, Sherlock. I’ll not be asking Victor, or your brother. If I want to know what you were like at uni I’ll ask you.” 

“Hm. Well, I might prefer it if you do ask one of them. Not the best memories of that time.” 

“Oh. Was it…hard for you?” 

“Well, I didn’t graduate, and I had only one friend, and I never talk about it unless forced to do so. So that might tell you something.” 

“Jeez. Oof. Sorry, mate. I didn’t realize how bad it was.” 

“It was rather stressful.” 

“Oh! Is that why the pasta?” 

“Watson, that question makes no sense. There is not really a why relating to pasta. There might be a when, or a how. But why doesn’t make much sense for such a generic food stuff.” 

“No, I don’t mean all pasta. I mean your pasta. I take it you ate penne a lot in uni. And you’re doing it now again?” 

“Mm. Well, I did go through a phase where the tubetti lisci was my preference, but I’ve come to feel penne is superior once again.” 

“Is this something that makes you feel better when you’re out of sorts?” 

“Ye–Perhaps. It doesn’t exactly cheer me up. It’s more that it’s dependable.” 

“Because it’s always the same?” 

“Because it’s straightforward. There’s no surprises in it. I know I like the taste, and the texture, and I know that each bite I’ll have will be 100% what I want.” 

“No squishy mushrooms. No odd little nuggets of something.” 

(An unhappy grunt.) “Do we really need to talk about those things. I just had a very satisfying dinner.” 

“Oh, I’ll stop. ‘Course. But, so when you made those dishes for Mariana and me, was that just because you thought we’d like them?”

“No. Well, I did make them because you had indicated you liked those particular meals, but I chose the ones to make you’d both talked about that were also appealing to me. It’s a lot of effort to cook something like that, I’d like to enjoy it as well.” 

“I’m quite glad about that. I would have been sad if you’d been making it just because we wanted it but you hated the thing. I misunderstood, and thought that was the way you liked to eat, but were, maybe too depressed to have energy to cook it.” 

“I haven’t had energy to do that kind of cooking. I’m not depressed about the case.” 

“You’re not? You’ve been moping about, and turning down cases. Looks like depression to me.” 

“I’m considering.” 

“Considering, if you want to continue?” 

“More considering how I can avoid that kind of issue again.” 

“Mate, ya’ can’t.” 

“Well, that’s very reassuring.” 

(A half-bitten off laugh.) “I’m sorry. I’m not saying you’re a failure. I’m saying you’re human.” 

“But I’ve never had that kind of error creep in before.” 

“Never?” 

“Well, perhaps not never…” 

“You will be tired. You will be hungry. You will be sick. You will miss something.” 

“Unlikely.” 

(Chuckling.) “Once or twice. Here or there. You’ve said I’ve helped you out now and then, what’s that if not maybe not having it all 100% in your noggin.” 

“But I have your help now. And Mariana’s.” 

“And we’re extremely human as well.” 

“Oh, I know. Watson, you do realize that you snore, don’t you? You might wish to take your naps up in your bedroom.” 

“Thanks for that. I never got complaints in the barracks.” 

“That is because everyone snores or something, and in that situation there is no real remedy, so what do you expect?”

“We’re getting off track here. This is not about my sleeping patterns.”

“But you will nap in your room?” 

“Sure, fine. Whatever. But are you feeling depressed?”

“Perhaps.” 

“Well, I’d like to help. Somehow.” 

(Sherlock takes a deep breath and releases it with a sigh.)

“You are, Watson.” 

“By making you lasagna that disgusts you so much I can’t even talk about it and making you think that I’m spying on you by chatting to your old friends?”

“Nooot really either of those things. But you are here. And you tried to do something nice. That is greatly appreciated.” 

“Glad to. On both counts.” 

“And you are dependable.” 

(A chuckle.) “Like your next bite of manky pasta?” 

“It’s not manky. You’re not gross.”

“I’m simple then? Like a tubal li-whatever you called it?” 

“Tubetti lisci. No. You’re much more like a penne. Smooth, durable, but with a bit of a nice point at each end. A little bit of texture, a little bit of bite. And you take the sauce so well.” 

“I have no idea what any of this all means. Is that good?” 

“Excellent, Watson. You may not have the complexity of something like your lasagna there, but I always know what I am getting, and I always know that I will like the next bite.” 

“Aw, thanks.” 

“And I am very glad you made the lasagna.”

“Even though it made you want to sick up?”

“It didn’t.” 

“Admit it, it did a bit.”

“A bit.” 

“But you’re still glad?”

“Well, you and Mariana enjoyed it, didn’t you?”

“Yes. We really did. Well, she did. I wasn’t really feeling it. My appetite was a bit off after making you so cranky.” 

“Are you feeling better now?” 

“I am. And I am feeling a bit more hungry.” 

“Then why don’t you heat some up. I’m thinking I may have a second helping of my pasta and it might be...nice to eat with you, too.” 

“One re-heated plate of lasagna coming up.”

“It’s nice that even though I am not feeling up to doing something for you both, I can still enjoy seeing you have something you like to eat.” 

“Is that why you did it?”

“Well, of course. I didn’t cook things you didn’t like to watch you get sick on them.” 

“No, I mean you wanted to see us like the food. And even if you didn’t make it, it still makes you happy.” 

“Why did you want to make the lasagna for me, Watson?”

“Ah. Yeah. Same reason. See you happy. Right.” 

“Right.”

“What’s good for the goose is good for the gander.” 

“Why are we talking about geese now?”

“Forget it.” 

“I’d rather not forget something else presently.” 

“Oh. Sorry, wrong turn of phrase. Suppose it might be nice to forget about the case though. Or uni.” 

“Unlikely.”

“At least you won’t forget me, or Mariana anytime soon.” 

“That is true, Watson. I find you both, rather unforgettable.” 

“Cheers. Want me to heat that up for you, too?”

“Please.” 

______

Check it out on AO3 too!

[rose-l-20]

Hello, how are you? I loved your headcanons about Night at the Museum, several of them have become canon in my mind as a fan. I don't know if you're taking requests, but could you do headcanons like you did for the other characters, but this time for Amelia Earhart? I feel like she needs more love from the fandom, and besides, she's one of my favorite characters in the franchise.

GENERAL HEADCANONS - AMELIA EARHART

Hey! I am wonderful now that my business diploma has finally ended, so I can get through the small handful of requests i have, and my own personal ideas! How are you you my love? Which headcanons did you like, I would love to know!

If you would like to request more characters, please refer to my NATM MASTERLIST for the characters, and send you requests.

SUMMARY: See request above!

WARNINGS: nothing too different from the first list I did, and again my opinions!😱 I am basing these headcanons on the movie character, not the actual Amelia Earhart as I am not 100% knowledgeable on her history and don't want to offend the dead. I genuinely found this hard even though I've seen the movie 10 billion times!.

Amelia had long hair growing up that people would compliment and gush over. One day she got sick of it, so she grabbed the closest pair of scissors and cut her hair to her collarbone.

When it comes to how she talks, Amelia went to a play with friends as a teenager, and a character spoke in this unique way. She used the voice when making jokes, then it just became her daily voice.

I don't usually like sexuality based headcanons to characters based on history (excluding Jed and Octavius😂), but as a young teen I took one look at her and went "oh that's a badass Bisexual woman".

Amelia knew from a young age that "house wife" wasn't going to happen. She knew she was worth more than that. This doesn't mean that she didn't want to experience love and the warmth of a significant other. so when meeting potential (male) partners, the first thing she would say is "If you're looking for someone to cook and clean for you, then don't waste your time sugar".

In her twenties, she saw a plane fly across the sky, and knew from the sound of the engine, that she was going to become the best pilot the world had ever seen!

Amelia had a short time of being alive from the tablet, meaning she didn't get to see how her life changed the world for women. if given the chance, I feel like she would've had a moment of emotional silence. Feeling proud of herself, proud of all the women who fought to get to this point in history.

Again, she was only alive for a night. but she, and the original exhibits got along within no time, which created the best comradery.

From a basic google search, She loved creating coinvent and stylish fashion, so I just know she altered her coat to have as many pockets as it could fit. You could say it is the retro version of Yelena Bulova from marvel's utility vest!

If she had enough time to see movies, hear music, and taste food from our era she would LOVE movies based on flying (obviously), but I also think she would love comedy.

Amelia can surprisingly handle high levels of spicy foods, with little to no reaction. If she were to try a true traditional Indian curry, she would be asking for 2nds, 3rds, and 4ths!

her music taste would 100% be female empowerment artists, with a hint of metal. basically anything that would be fantastic for a badass battle scene.

She is soooooooooooOOOOooooo stubborn, which we can see in the movie. It is her way or the highway sometimes, which she tries her hardest to not be that way but it's like second nature.

again from light research, she was a nurse at a point in her life. with this, and also how tender she was with Larry and the rest of the exhibits she gets joy from being nurturing to those around her.

---------

DONE! I am not 100% happy with these, but truly there wasn't much to go off of. I hope you're happy with them MARVELFOREVER352.

Have a good Friday and a relaxing weekend!

[legend-of-voltron-rewrite]

(This is just a few random questions I think abt when i find an author i like-)

What other media/hobbies do you indulge in? What's some of your biggest interests? (Other than voltron ofc) Is there another Fandom you'd write for? Favorite childhood show(s)?

Big question, favorite volron paladin? Favorite character in voltron? (No limitations- you could answer bii-bob-bi tbh. hes a fantastic choice)

BIGGER QUESTION!! What inspired you to write this rewrite and how do you motivate yourself to continue?

That's all! Hope you're having a lovely day! :)

Hello!

-

I'm very big into anime - I started watching them when I was eleven and never stopped. I watch other animated shows (Western), which I'll list in a later segment.

I'm also into manga, though not comics, (never really knew why, just couldn't get into it). Games, too, mainly RPGs, though I have been into FPS co-op as of late.

Don't judge me: K-Pop. I only really interact/watch content for one group, (will come up later), but I used to juggle between many groups.

As for hobbies other than writing: I'm big into art. Took classes for them and everything. Though this may have been obvious from early chapters of book one.

I've tried to get into making animatics, but I ended up stopping half-way through everytime I started. I like voice acting, though I've only ever done it once for someone I'm no longer friends with haha.

I used to be big into baking, but was never good at it. I'm much better at cooking, though mainly Asian dishes, (due to heritage and such).

My biggest interests... I'll keep it limited to five, else this segment would be much longer.

One Piece, (generic but it's popular for a reason), is a favourite of mine. The writing, world building, characters, relationships, messages, themes - I love it all. Definitely a high reccomendation.

Gravity Falls, because it's just that good? Even the weakest episode would be considered top tier if it was in another series. Dipper and Mabel's relationship is everything to me, and Stan was the uncle I always wanted. Love him.

Fullmetal Alchemist, mostly MangaHood, but the 2003 anime adaptation is great too. It's honestly of the best written works I've ever interacted with, and it makes perfect sense that it's highly rated.

SHINee, the K-Pop group I mentioned before. I'd call them standards for the industry, but then nobody would be able to share the stage with them. I'm a Shawol for life baby!

Finally, Katekyou Hitman Reborn. This was the first fandom I wrote fics for, back on my WattPad days, and I still love it to this day. I wish for the fandom to be revived so I may read the trashy fanfics I once adored and now hide my face in shame to.

Other fandoms I write for: Fairy Tail, though I haven't touched the AU I started in months. My Hero Academia, though only through my Tumblr page @my-rewrite-academia. I've been working on a Persona 5 fanfiction behind the scenes for a while, though I haven't progressed past chapter three.

I have an alt AO3 account, where I've written for MHA, Kuroko No Basket, Persona 5, SuperM, and the Banana Bus Squad (Vanoss and Friends).

My old WattPad has mostly Katekyou Hitman Reborn, and a sprinkle of Fullmetal Alchemist.

Neither of the previous two shall be linked, as I honestly just want to leave behind those fixs behind, considering I wrote them when I was thirteen and nothing made sense.

My favourite childhood show(s): Spongebob, Mr. Maker (only British kids will understand), Pokemon, and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Also Sonic Boom, though that was exclusive to my teen years than childhood. The How To Train Your Dragon shows were also a favourite of mine, including Riders and Defenders of Berk.

If movies count, then How To Train Your Dragon, Shrek, Megamind, and Scary Movie(s). Scary Movie(s) sound like a weird thing, and it was. I was in the room with my older siblings when they put it on and never bothered to leave.

-

Now the Voltron-related segment!

Favourite Paladin: Keith. I hope it's not entirely obvious in my writing, as I wish to treat every character equally, but he is my favourite. I relate to him a lot and he ticks a lot of my boxes.

Favourite character: Keith, again. Other than Keith, however, it's Coran, the Gorgeous Man. He's always so jolly despite the heartbreak he's been through, and the writers were able to balance his comedy so well.

(Apart from the Voltron Show where they were clearly running out of ideas and/or time and made him more annoying than funny.)

-

BIGGEST QUESTIONS:

"What inspired me to write this rewrite–" (first half)

I actually started writing it in 2021, where I went on a three-year break due to losing motivation and my interest dwindling, at the time anyway. I was initially inspired to write it when I grew more and more frustrated with how canon handled many things.

As with many teen shows, I began to wonder if it would be handled better had it been intended for a more mature audience. It didn't help that I read the fanfics before I watched the show, so I had a certain level of expectations that weren't quite met.

I won't blame the writers, as it's usually just two or three people higher-up who make all the decisions. I was disappointed in DreamWorks, not the team behind it who have no choice but to follow orders.

But, yeah. The turning point, what really pushed me into starting and publishing the rewrite, was when I started thinking about how I'd handle each character and each arc. How I'd write different relationships, how I'd write each theme.

From there, I decided to put my money where my mouth was, so to speak.

It was a terrible start, really. When I first started writing it, I only had a vague idea of how I'd go about it. When I came back to the rewrite, the first thing I did was create a proper plan, else it'd just end up like the show - disappointing and missing so much.

I can remember, when I started, I just wanted to write a better story, which is a terrible mindset. This idea that the only thing that mattered was being better than the show is a toxic one.

My mindset is a lot better, of course. I've grown up since then, and spite-writing is something of the past. Maybe there are things I'm displeased with in canon, but I don't allow that spite to control me.

Rather, I feel more enthused, viewing it as more like adding onto what canon missed - filling in scenes rather than being better.

So, consider this a PSA to authors who spitewrite - get out of your minds. It feels much better to write if done with good intentions rather than negative. Words come easier and it doesn't feel like a chore.

-

"–and how do you motivate yourself to continue?"

Keeping a schedule, first and foremost. It differs from person to person, but having a set schedule of every '—day' helps a lot. It urges me to write, and the pressure helps me more than debilitates.

Of course, others may disagree. For others, having a strict schedule may feel constricting and thus hinder creativity, but it's helpful to me. This idea of, 'I have to do this', 'if not now then when?', helps me a lot.

It's also my longest fic to date, so to stop now would feel like a large disservice to both me and to the people who read each new chapter.

Then there's you! I'm not kidding, either. Comments, now more than ever, are usually so rare.

I once saw a post about an author discovering a discord server where their fic, (which had very little comments), was being heavily dicussed, and people had nothing but praise for it. When they asked why they didn't comment, they said that they didn't feel the need to, or that it would be embarrassing. That they never knew what to comment, despite the praise they had for it.

The author then decided to abandon the work upon finding this out. Because we don't get anything from posting our works. All we ask for is some form of praise or acknowledgement, and comments are just that.

Even if it's [<33] or [This is good!] or even [please update], we appreciate it all. Honestly, the only time I refuse to comment, rather than simply forgetting, is when an author holds fics hostage. The whole, 'I want x-many comments or else I won't update'. At that point, I lose any respect they had.

Comments are our lifeline, yet the idea of asking for comments feels like tabboo. As if we're less for leaving even a small note of, 'comment please', feels like it's asking for too much.

So to have a repeat commenter, to have you, is everything to me! If all else fails, if I can't find the motivation, I often think about those people who subscribed, who have my fic bookmarked, who comment on each update, and I think about how there are people who get excited with each update, who want to know what's going to happen next, who want to see this fic to its end.

It may sound corny, but my biggest motivation really is my readers, and those repeat comments give me life. It helps in ways that I never realised could.

-

And that is the end of the AMA/Q&A segment!! Thank you for sending this, stay tuned for the next update, have a great day, and look both ways before crossing the road!

[aur0raaura]

Twin Princes AU

LEGEND

Part one | Part two

Buy me a Ko-Fi!

AAAAND SCENE! Wow wow! I didn't expect for what was supposed to be another doodle comic...end up with me putting a lot of effort-!

Life got in the way plenty of times- making me take quite a bit to finish this...even contemplating on just putting this on hiatus and just do something else-

...but I did it! I didn't let any discouragement, nerves and bad feelings get to me.

Now I'm sure many are wondering- HOW did this come to fruition? Simple: my friend pointed out that my next comic should focus on Kyurem's involvement in this! Many were wondering what sort of role the old dragon played after the previous comic (Family) and the art piece that accompanied it (The Giant Chasm)! So I went for a more artistic approach to this, making the artwork look like a tale at first, but then shifting to a more crude and cold atmosphere- I was going to polish these last nine pages, yet my friend would tell me that the sketchiness helps with the narrative- and honestly, she was right! Thus I tried to add some subtle sketchiness on pages 7-11 on part one! I wonder if people noticed that detail...? Anyways, time for some fun behind the scenes stuff...!

Here's the very first concept of my Original Dragon design, including his human form!

You can tell I did some adjustments in the final product, but I really wanted to make sure this dragon had characteristics of the tao trio in some way, plus-- I wished for him to have a unique sort of feel- kinda ethereal? I also gave a teeny bit of eastern dragon influence because...well...tao trio. The tail is actually inspired by a plasma engine!

It's why I gave it a bit of a swirl to it- ...kinda reminds me of ice cream- His human design...well, I wished to make sure he looked like the princes yeah-? He is their dad after all! So I made sure to reflect that- Same with his clothing as well! Ah right...I should show the design of our princes yes...?

WHOA WHOA WHOA-- those faces... Hmm... I wonder if people can start piecing together why this au is called the "Twin Princes AU" with this and what was told in this comic...? The design in itself was conceptualized by a rough idea my friend sent me a whiiiiiile back, but asked me to refine it further! Make it fancy, royal, elegant--!! You get the point. XD Though this is the finalized design i came up with as I brainstormed this comic! I hope I could convey how magical yet refined they are! As for Kyurem....oh my! What a reveal as well huh?

What a throwback....! I drew these a while back!

Well, there's certainly some familiar design choices...! And another clue to this whole puzzle- unless some of you have figured it out! Let me know through my ask box! ;D

I really didn't expect such a warm reception towards this au me and my pal cooked up last year. To think mixing concepts from our ocverse (GUARDiANverse) with pokemon could work so well...! I suppose fantastical elements mixing with another fantastical setting aint such a bad idea...! This AU has kinda expanded since it's conception... to a point of having other stories of other characters that take place in this version of the pokemon world!

Though for now, I may need a bit of a breather. 20 pages was QUITE the endeavor! Yet...that doesn't mean I wouldn't be opposed to tell more of my tale in other ways! Shoot me an ask, tell me! Who knows, I may answer with a doodle comic! For now, I'll just slowly cook my next idea! Maybe I should give the witness to these tales some spotlight...? I dunno...but honestly, feel free to shoot asks. Well, I hope you all can be patient with me in the meantime!

[sweettoothvn]

How would be like if LI and MC had slumber party? (⁠☆⁠▽⁠☆⁠)

Btw I LOVE HOW YOU DRAW AND IM VERY EXCITED FOR THE GAME (⁠≧⁠▽⁠≦⁠)

Andre: He makes a LOT of snacks and shows you all of his favorite romantic comedies, of course! You're snuggled up against him with Pepper (his pitbull), whose tail is happily thumping against the couch. He's a big night owl so if you try to stay up with him despite how tired you are, he will encourage you to sleep and not worry about him. You two compromise by letting him cuddle you while you sleep.

Casey: Of course he has the best candies! And maybe the spiciest snacks you've ever seen- some of these you've never even heard of. Effortlessly, he's able to devour the hottest of them all that would make most people vomit and cry- how is he able to do that without even cringing??? Either way, we show you all his best snacks and video games. He's really good at Mario cart so fair warning.

Chrys: She will show you all her favorite recipes she likes to cook, encouraging you to work with her so she can teach you as well. Of course, she has the freshest ingredients too. Only the best after all. She has a lot of plushies, most of them she's bought but a lot of them have been handmade by Eddie. They're all plant-themed and very squishy. You both sit on Mt. Plush and watch movies. She doesn't have a general preference so long as it makes her laugh; she doesn't like constantly sad and edgy movies. She would probably enjoy satire movies mostly.

David: Fun fact he's never been to a slumber party. He doesn't know what to do so when you suggest the idea he frantically goes on the internet and looks up what to do so he can impress you. Not that he would ever admit that he did that though. He takes it entirely too seriously and has a schedule planned out- you should probably reassure him that it's not supposed to be like that, and the point is to do whatever is most fun and spur of the moment. You two end up talking about conspiracy theories all night and he lets you pet his bunnies while eating some snacks. He rarely likes to sleep because he either struggles or has nightmares. For once he was actually able to sleep peacefully and comfortably.

Eddie: MASTER PILLOW FORT MAKER HERE. I mean he has to be with two younger siblings you know? He pampers those little guys like his life depends on it. He has so many movies on DVD; this man is a movie addict. If you have questions, he can answer them in-depth and give you behind-the-scenes info and theories about the movie's plot. He makes a crap ton of plushies in his free time- plus they're a good coping mechanism when he can't punch a hole into something. He tries his best not to talk during the movies- he gets so excited and wants to tell you all about the sets and how they were made or what sort of lines were improvised. If you're okay with him chatting during the movie he will ramble for hours- a stark contrast to the person he was when you first met. He usually hates talking.

Kieran: For a punk/goth/alt guy, you wouldn't expect the sort of stuff he pulls out. He has Hello Kitty pajamas and tons of Sanrio plushies. You're watching My Little Pony movies and he's singing along to them. It's fantastic and he tells you all of these facts about Fluttershy you'd never even heard of. If you two wanna do something spontaneous, he dyes or cuts your hair on the extreme ends, and on the lower ends, he shows you some good hairstyles you never expected you could pull off. He lets you try on his clothes- have a whole fashion show. It's a fun time and oddly wholesome considering how he flirted with you and tried to get into your pants when you first met.

Noble: He's never been A PART of slumber parties before but he has seen a few? He has an idea of what they are as he's seen his sisters host some. He asks you for guidance on what to do- if you just want to chill out, he's more than willing to do that. He bakes with you and gives you some of his secret tips and tricks- maybe you two make edibles and watch some kids' cartoons or Hannibal. He really likes those gorey shows. They make him hungry. There's a lot of cuddling and he tells you how much he loves and adores you. He might do your makeup or nails while you vent to him or share any gossip on your mind. He's a good listener. He loves your voice more than anything.

Zach: Similar to David and Noble he's never really been to one- Or well- He HAS but he was only invited because Kieran's friends' parents didn't want to seem impolite and exclude him. He would always go into the corner and draw, not interested in being there. However, when you ask him to have a slumber party, he gets flustered. He never expected to actually be asked to hang out- one on one- with you. You! He really likes you- he doesn't want to mess up. For someone who tends to lie a lot, he's honest with you and tells you he has no idea what to do, asking for you to take the lead, and he'll just follow your instructions. When you're watching movies/anime with him or you're not paying attention to him, he's secretly drawing you. Of course, if you catch him, he will be super embarrassed to show you the drawings. Don't look through his notebook unless you want to embarrass him immensely.

Bonus: Everyone at once!

Shit, that's chaotic as hell. Andre and Noble are arguing over what to cook while Chrys is making food in the kitchen with Casey. Kieran and Zach are doing karaoke way too loud while Eddie covers his ears as he's overstimulated. He made a pillow fort to hide in- David is with him and also overstimulated.

[initiumseries]

Arcane S2Ep01 Recap

Ok, WOW. First of all, talk about STAKES.

My mind is still reeling and this is something I absolutely am going to have to sit through and watch again from top to bottom (whole season), because, so good. Okay, overall thoughts:

Fantastic.

More specific: I'll cover animation, art and story.

Animation

The thing that I'm absolutely obsessed with with this show is the animation is *remarkable*. And I don't mean that lightly. It's phenomenal, and that isn't just thanks to the animators (who are beasts for sure), but whoever was story director? CRAZY. The story artists? Bro. Those SHOTS were W I L D. The shot direction is crazy, the animation is crazy, the animation direction is crazy, like they did not slip one INCH. I was reading on twitter that both seasons cost over $250 million to make and that absolutely makes sense because to make work of THIS quality? You're hiring the best of the best, and you're letting them cook. And it shows. And what I love about Arcane is it's not just big explosive fight scenes, it's in the small character moments too. The shifting of the eyes, the way characters walk, how they emote. The way Caitlin leans into Vi's hand and you feel the weight of that connection. It's incredibly beautiful work omg.

Art

The art direction on this show always goes crazy. But the backgrounds were GORGEOUS as usual, but that beginning scene, the way they *visually* showed Caitlin's grief using (charcoal? Grease pencil? Conte? 6B pencil? Idk but whatever it is, that grainy look like they actually used paper and then had animation of Vi working on top of it...the creativity in those choices?? I can't even wrap my head around that. AMAZING. The character designs are always sick. Big fan.

Story

Okay, so, Arcane's story is so tight. I was thinking I'd need to rewatch season 1 (again) to full immerse myself in season 2 and that was a lie. Picking up very literally right where we left off was an awesome choice. And I liked how they balanced the political tensions, the emotional tensions and the action with such grace. It can be tough to get the pacing of those things right and they NAILED it. It was such a natural progression to go from grieving who they lost, to arguing how to handle it, then moving forward and trying to regroup, then being attacked publicly. It all was such a really strong season opener and I was GLUED. I barely wanted to look away to post my thoughts for fear of missing something important. I like that all the characters still feel like themselves even though it's been such a long time for us, and I'm not sure if the team(s) had breaks in between each season, but it can be hard from a writing standpoint to pick up a character just the way you left them when you've had some distance, so I'm impressed (so far) with how it's all going. I'm so excited to see more.

[pokespefangirl]

(For the Pokéstar Studios AU)

Hey this is the same anon, I'm super happy that you liked the idea! Sincerely, I am extremely stoked, thank you so much!

This concept has been running through my mind nonstop ever since that ask and I have a few more ideas. Not to pressure you to add this in the fic or force these ideas on you, yet again I'm just having fun sharing these.

Anyways, Blake and Black brother-in-law moments REAL?! Whitley and White sister-in-law moments TRUE!? Ugh i'm eating up these hypothetical scenarios.

White most likely assigns Black to be Blake's bodyguard whenever he decides to go out, since he has celebrity status and all. The same thing goes for Whitley, though I see Blake accompanying her a lot too. So Black has to thirdwheel, not knowing it's Blake enacting vengeance for all those time he was the thirdwheel when it was just White, Black, and him at the BW Agency.

Also more of how I think Blake would be as an actor, though in this scenario he never received super spy training, he probably got super intense media training from White. They're both coming up with insane, genius, absolutely unhinged strategies to manipulate the media, Light Yagami monologuing typa bamboozlery. And Whitley and Black are just having a pleasant chat, side eyeing them every thirty seconds or so.

I imagine Blake's acting style to be refined, perfect, infallible that it's almost too much. Since he doesn't understand emotions, he studies, studies, studies, and studies. Writing down what his character would do, analyzing every line of dialogue, down to the body language and speech patterns etcetera. That's how he's able to nail so many different characters. AKA Christian Bale ahh acting style.

Now for Whitley, she's the opposite, she's new and unrefined, full of flaws. But full of emotion, her performances reaches out and captures. Delivering the feel needed for the scene and character.

And it really fascinates Blake, how she's so in tune with her emotions, making him kinda obsessed with her reactions...

That's it for now, I haven't even touched the surface for Blake and White's sibling dynamic but I sort of don't want this to be novel-length. Yet again, I am so happy that you accepted that ask! I really look forward to what you're cooking up, take as much time as you need!

Lil Bonus:

Blake: *trying to spook/fluster Whitley* Great job on set, your acting needs a little more work but you've got potential.

Whitley: Oh! Um, thanks...

Blake: You should learn how to be more confident, we don't want people to think you're easy to take advantage of...those rumors in Pokéwood are not to be taken lightly. *attempts to rizz* don't worry I'll-

Whitley: OH NO, w-were you a victim!?

Blake: Wh-what of course not-

White: *Bonks him on the head* Of course not! I made SURE that never happened to him, and I will DEFINITELY do the same for you!

ANON YOU ARE DRIVING ME ABSOLUTELY CRAZY W HAPPINESS W ALL OF THESE GREAT FANTASTIC Amazing Awonderf IDEAS, OFC I NEED TO ADD ALL OF THEM NOW <3 NEED TO GO TO SCHOOL SOON SO I'LL ADD MORE LATER BUT FOR NOW I WAS THINKING

Blake is studying Whitley right?!!! Almost out of a curiosity as to how she feels and experiences all these emotions?? So naturally!! Especially her beautiful eyes that get teary whenever shes thinking about something sad! He could study her all day!!

To add to that: Blake never had pets or cared for animals bcs you know... sociopath and all, but he starts seeing Whitley feeding a stray cat!! ANd EVENTUALLY (WHEN THERES SOME ANGST POINT) HE STARTS FEEDING THE LITTLE KITTEN HIMSELF just from seeing Whitley when he's walking by all alone!!

And you're so right he'd craft his image with the convoluted intelligence of Light Fucking Yagami lmaoo that's so good!!

AND UK WHITE IS THE MOST AMBITIOUS GIRL LIKE SHE'S MAKING SURE BLAKE IS TOPPING ALL THE RATINGS AWARDS WHATEVE, BUT her YOUNGER BRO ALSO ANNOYS HER SOMETIMES W HIS HEINOUS SOCIOPATHY AND SHE HAS TO DO DAMAGE CONTROL LMAOO (mostly it's him being with all sorts of ladies before being w Whitley and unintentionally breaking their hearts cus they didn't interest him for too long)

AND BLACK IS SUCH A FIERCE BODYGUARD BUT ALSO WHOLESOME!! LIKE HE WILL KILL FOR HIS BROTHER IN LAW!! BUT OFC OFC HE'LL GIVE THE FANS FREE FOOD AND GIFT BASKETS ON HIS BEHALF TOO AND HELP THE FANS GET BLAKE'S AUTOGRAPH especially he'll help anybody whose disabled bcs it's the right thing to do!! God he's so good

so yeah Whitley!! Whitley is pure!! Unfiltered!! And blake doesn't know what that's like aside from his family everybody else in Hollywood tend to be shallow and judgemental and fake!! But Whitley s not afraid to cry, to smile, to laugh, she's not afraid of what ppl think and guess what!! Blake needs that bcs he's been hiding his sociopathy all along! Bcs his career would be over if anybody revealed his diagnoses!!

Initially it started out as fun that he studied Whitley and tried to get emotions out of her!! Initially he just joked she was becoming an addiction! Just something to have!! But then things started to get real and he began to experience!!

Something big!! Something else!! Nobody had ever kept him that interested in his life!! Jumping from person to person!! Director to Director!! Everybody was fed up with him but then came in Whitley!! And this man just cannot let her go!!

And ya know Black is ready to defend his whole family!! He's outside of his work hours still doing his job cus that's what he should do!! Is Prez okay?? Where should we go next?? Lemme be with you Prez i cant risk anything happening to u not on my watch imma be the best bodyguard ever!! And Blake's just standing there like- "Bet"

ANYWAYS I SAID I DIDN'T HAVE MUCH TIME BUT I GUESS I HAD TO RESPOND HAHAHA, thank you so much this whole au and concept is honestly making my day and i can't wait to finish it!!

[benis-chillin]

Freaking out about Shadow Androids for a minute

So for those of you who don't know, I'm actually somewhat of a Shadow Simp. Like, I unironically love the character. Even like the Shadow game so long as I use a pre-completed save file. Can't get enough of him.

So, naturally, I love Shadow Androids, introduced as a concept in Sonic Heroes, but seen more properly during Shadow the Hedgehog, where they looked like this:

My boys are looking fantastic.

Anyway, they disappeared after Shadow, so I've had this running theory that they're built, at least partially, out of Shadow's DNA. The ones we saw in Heroes and Shadow were the purest, having the most Shadow DNA in them, only really having upgrades like the missiles since, as established by the Biolizard, working with that Ultimate Lifeform DNA is hard, and I don't doubt Eggman would be taking shortcuts in trying to grapple with it. The audio logs in Frontiers show that he has SOME familiarity with how DNA works, since he was able to figure out the connection with the Ancients and Chaos, so it works so far.

But of course, after Heroes, Eggman no longer has access to Shadow for new DNA samples, and a good chunk of his supply was destroyed in Shadow, so he presumably has to start cutting down on how much DNA he uses. This is what creates the yellow variant we see in Shadow's multiplayer mode, being the first "downgrade." Their Chaos energy would presumably be somewhat less refined than the original units, thus the yellow coloring, but they're otherwise on par.

However, in this headcanon, they're also the most rare, since Eggman soon had to redesign these guys to use as little of Shadow's DNA as possible, thus resulting in the metallic variants also seen in Shadow's multiplayer. I like to think their weapons give them slightly different abilities, but idk.

Ultimately, however, they fall into disuse, only being brought out on rare occasions since they take increasing amounts of resources to produce and maintain, thus why the Diamond Cutters didn't know about them during that scene in IDW.

This was the logic I used in my fanfic, "Reflections," and even said that they were entirely destroyed after the Eggman War by Shadow, since I doubted they'd ever come up again. I even have this whole storyline I wanted to do with them. Got the second part waiting in the wings and everything.

BUT THEN THIS HAPPENED

So basically, now I'm wondering if I'll have to edit Reflections and entirely scrap the new story to line up with canon, since unlike some of you FREAKS out there, I actually LIKE my stuff to line up.

But I do have to question what's up with these greyish ones. Like, are those stripes meant to be green? And judging by Shadow's fur, why do they also have black fur when they're using the mouths and eyes of the metallic variants? Even their previous appearances had them being more grey and metallic.

Ugh, whatever, I'm mainly making this post to whine about my headcanons being contradicted when, as I pointed out in my post about my Sonic fanfictions, I like that my stuff mostly lines up. I'm interested enough in what this arc is cooking up that I can give it a pass if it's good enough.

I'll bitch harder if it sucks, though.

[thegeminisage]

tng update time!! last night we did "the mind's eye" and "in theory."

the mind's eye: REDEMPTION FOR GEORDI??? they wrote this episode for me specifically to heal me from my geordi holodeck trauma

actually when they first said he was going to risa my heart dropped like a stone...i don't want to see him next to a woman ever again

happily, he got brainwashed <3

i will say though that there was a fantastic setup with absolutely no follow through. come with me, Brainwashing Connoisseur, on a journey. what are the three most important factors in a brainwashing story? 1. indiscriminate murder one will later feel tortured about 2. Big Scene where we break the conditioning 3. the little chairs they always put them in

this episode only managed to hit 1 out of 3. and the little chair was great! i was horrified, and also twirling my hair about it. we did also have bonus point categories "doubting sense of reality," "unknowing agent of evil," and "amnesia about the conditioning" ticked off. HOWEVER.

not only was geordi NOT allowed to murder people or even get a good attempt in, he didn't even get saved by anyone important (like data). the closest we got was him shooting o'brien in the holodeck simulation. and that was fun and made me really excited for what was to come, which was a lot of nothing. data figuring it out and then NOT rushing to be the one to intercept geordi and lovingly, as a bestie, wrestle him to the ground? letdown. why tf was it worf. why were those random klingons holding him back. what were we DOING people did they just not know how to cook up a good brainwashing in 91 or what!!! honestly

that said i did like the plot twist about the klingon guy being evil because he was genuinely so helpful in a non-suspicious way and disliked that other klingon guy that worf and i dislike. i'm always happy to be surprised like this

also i really hope worf gets his honor back someday im tiiired of people being mean to him about it :(

and geordi's little therapy session at the end was funny too. he's like haha i don't remember being tortured in a brainwashing chair at all! and deanna's like oh you're Gonna remember. and then he starts to remember and we roll credits. perfect. 10/10. could not have asked for a better ending

or beginning for that matter. it was just the middle that sucked :(

in theory: this was another episode with a very nice set-up and a lackluster payoff

firstly can we not disrespect data or tasha yar by pretending they did not fuck...it was weird, and it was in a bad season, but they DID fuck and to act like data is a virgin is ridiculous. maybe he doesn't know "dating" since they didn't date but he definitely knows how sex works cuz he had it. with tasha yar. may she rest in peace

i actually really liked this at first because data's gf seemed to get a huge kick out of all the insanely weird shit that is just constantly coming out of his mouth, which is right and just. i think they leaned a little too hard on data taking things literally and being "people stupid" in this episode, but i could have forgiven it bc she looked SO FOND every time data was being weird. i even said out loud with my mouth "this is a requirement to love him and be his gf. you have to love the dumb shit he says."

BUT THEN THEY HOOKED UP AND SHE IMMEDIATELY STARTED TRYING TO CHANGE HIM? like, telling him how to receive her gift, telling him to paint and not paint and paint again, and she's like well at least you're trying, you'll get there, BITCH HE IS PERFECT AS HE IS i would date data and i wouldn't make him change ANYTHING

also, it's so stupid. he obviously knows you're supposed to say thank you when you get a gift and i bet he's learned "please don't let me interrupt" isn't always meant to be taken literally either. dude has like two decades of experience now he wasn't activated yesterday

that said, the section where data asks everyone's opinion on whether or not he should date this lady was 10/10 except for picard's response which was sexist. my absolute favorite was riker's he was like oh buddy. you are gonna get LAID if you date this girl and then you can find out why everyone loves SEX like I DO did i mention SEX IS GREAT?? and i do kind of forgive riker for not knowing data and tasha fucked bc tasha asked him not to tell. so it was just funny the guy is such a slut (affectionate, honorific) that he's excited for data to get some too. it was very healing after that whole thing with beverly to see him happy about his buddy getting laid or whatever.

also i'm so fucking thrilled we got to see his cat again i love spot so much fr <3

my other gripe with this episode, aside from this woman dating an android and then being shocked he acted like an android, is...what even was that b plot? it had NOTHING to do with anything. normally they're at least tangentially related and i kept waiting for the gf to be secretly behind it or to get killed by it but this time it really was just some random thing. which frankly i think could have been saved for a better episode bc putting that lady through the floor was probably the goriest think trek has done up til this point. it ruled. give us a whole 45 minutes of that shit (just no morgue scenes please).

again, great setup, could've been lots of fun, mostly wound up being watchable but lackluster. bordering on disappointing :( theme of the evening.......

TONIGHT: redemption parts i & ii. i normally dont like finishing a season and starting one in the same evening but watching percy jackson put us off one so i'm gonna be a grownup about it. goodbye season 4!!!

[ballingb-a-g-s]

My 7 favorite things I read/played/watched in 2023

Honorable mention: Destiny 2

This would have been a list of 7 but I can't in good faith say that D2 was excellent this year between the subpar lightfall campaign and all the shit bungies pulled this year this is the best I can give it in good conscience

7: somethings killing the children

An excellent non superhero comic it's world building is fascinating. It's first book is basically perfect it sets up and fully explores the characters that are exclusive to that part as well as setting up and beginning to show us the wider world. All while telling a mildly horrific action story that I could not predict. Book 2 set itself up well and continued to surprise me but hasn't finished yet so il hold off on any more but somethings killing the children 30 issue (at time of writing) run is absolutely worth checking out if your tired of or just don't care for superheroes

6: invincible

Shows good too but I'm impatient so I read the comic and they were for the most part phenomenal a perfect superhero story I actually think there was to much gore at some points were it affected the quality of the art and the story loses steam towards the end you can tell Kirkman is done with it by the time you reach the time skip but it's characters are fantastic special mention to omni-man and Oliver good emotional story

5: the walking dead comic

Twd is what happens when a talented writer takes what would become an overplayed genre and just gets it. Kirkman excellently uses the end of the world to help us understand his characters while taking us on a wild adventure and unlike the tv show it stays good all the way to the ending I would never have predicted. Even though it's longer than invincible by 30 issue it holds on to its momentum all the way through and is worth a read even if you don't like the show

4:BlacKkKlansman

The review is on my letterbox go read it. But for those of you who can't be bothered to do that il summaries for you. Best live action thing I saw last year funny when it wants to be bone chilling when is has to be that final scene into the montage has to be my favorite possibly of all time phenomenal stuff now go read my actual review

3: slay the princess

Games fascinating but I can't say to much just trust me it's worth it the best new game this year if you don't need constant action to be stimulated go in blind and have fun

2:immortal hulk

When I was first getting into comics at the start of the year I was worried about iconic old characters and their extensive history but I'd heard nothing but praise for immortal hulk so I caved and tried it and it's the best thing Marvel's put out this decade. Al Ewing is a god Damned genius. I don't know why he decided to make hulk scary but I'm thankful he did because this is as close to perfect as a comic run can get. It understands the medium and how to get the most out of its basically a perfect story and Al is very cool and made a trans woman one of the major secondary characters whos identity informs character decision but is written competently and doesn't feel like corporate pandering she's the best Ewing is my number one I will read anything he writes.

1.Summit of the God's

In my review I called this a weak 5 I'd like to retract that statement I love this movie it speaks to me in a way few others have it's stunning it may very well be my favorite looking movie ever. I stand by most everything I said in that review about it's athstetic but it's story needed time to cook. I lack motivation it most things I don't have that obsession I'm not jôji I don't know what I want I more understand Fukamachi and his desire to understand how someone cane be so obsessed how they understand what they want. Once I understood the story it moved up my list to the best thing I read/played/watched this year(I didn't want to be a hipster but the French poster is so much better also I will be petty and correct anyone who calls it an anime movie it's french)

[purplesurveys]

1602

How many people have you liked this year? Zero.

How many pills do you take a day? None. If not prescribed I only take one for headaches, and even then I try not to make it a habit for every headache I ever get.

Do you have any celebrity crushes? I have the biggest one on Kim Namjoon these days. Also Song Hyekyo because sis is totally in the middle of her revenge era and I’m here for it.

If you could have one superpower, what would it be? Either time travel or space travel, if only either didn’t have the complications they pose.

Do you put ketchup on top of your French fries or on the side? Side, because I don’t like ketchup and putting it on the side would allow me to ignore it lol. No but seriously, I prefer any condiment to be on the side when eating fries.

Where did you last sleep other than your house? Our accommodation in Zambales.

Where did you get your last bruise from? It’s been a while since I got one but the last is probably from doggy playtime gone wrong. My bruises these days are almost always from those.

Is it okay to kiss people when you’re single? Well yeah, unless you’re single and kissing a taken/married person?

Ever worn something of the opposite sex's clothing? Sure. A shirt I bought last week was off the men’s section.

Do you have a secret that no one knows but you? Sure.

Last CD you blasted through your car stereo? I haven’t inserted a CD in my car in years, but the last song I listened to was most likely something from Indigo as I’ve tuned in to that album all month long.

How many email accounts do you have? I have three main ones - 1 work email, 2 personal emails.

Who is the best cook in your family? My dad is literally head chef on a cruise ship so that’s a no-brainer. Other than him, both my grandmas are fantastic cooks and have their own specialties, so it makes every visit to them exciting haha.

Which baby animal is your favorite? Puppies and elephants.

Have you ever carved a pumpkin? No, we don’t do that here.

When is the last time you went to a carnival? Oh man. Must have been a pre-pandemic fair in either my high school or university.

Do you have a favorite glass, cup, or mug? I don’t have one, I just go with whichever mug my hand reaches out for first from our mug rack.

What branch of science interests you the most? Biology. Have you ever written anything longer than 10 pages? Numerous reports and reaction papers in college. My thesis was also over 100 pages long.

Who was the last person you had a deep conversation with via text? I haven’t had deep conversations through text since my last partner.

Twitter or Tumblr? Twitter. I’m only here for surveys and the occasional fanfic if my favorite author happens to update or publish stories.

Have you ever been given a lapdance by an actual stripper? Nope.

Favorite YouTuber? Josh and Ollie of Korean Englishman. Most of the time though I watch more structured(?) channels like Watcher, Try Guys, About to Eat, Vice Asia, Asian Boss, Business Insider, etc., instead of more laidback people who talk to the camera from like their bedroom/studio.

Have you ever had a controlling boyfriend/girlfriend? To an extent. I wouldn’t say this was a main trait of theirs though.

Have you ever written a love letter to someone as a joke? No. If not an inside joke between friends, wouldn’t this be a shitty thing to do?

Do you have any gay family members? I have inklings but otherwise nobody is out.

Was your first kiss romantic? Yes, it was.

What are you most likely to go to jail for? Hurting someone who hurt my dog. < This is true, but personally it applies to anyone I would see hurting animals. When we were in Sagada’s town center buying souvenirs there was this dude who ran over a dog (I knew the dog should have been in blatant view from his car when the incident occurred) and I didn’t hesitate to scream and call him out, only stopping because my mom forcefully pulled me away from the scene. Crowds be damned - I did what I best could to the piece of shit. Anyway, right after the gigantic waste of skin drove off, I stayed long enough to check on the dog – he managed to get out unscathed and I only calmed down once I saw him scampering away.

Who was the last person to sleep over at your house? My sister’s friend.

What would you think if you found out your ex was gay? She is. The more applicable question would be what I’d think if she turned out straight, to which I’d be very surprised. She’s the biggest misandrist I know, so I’d never expect such a change.

How many people has your best friend had sex with? For one of them, just one. I’m not sure with the other best friend.

When was the last time you had a conversation with an ex? Two years ago.

Are you currently “appearing offline” to anybody? My Messenger is set in such a way that I look offline. It’s been in that setting for the last two? three-ish years and I have no plans to change it ever because it’s not like people look at the green dot anymore lol.

What were you for Halloween last year? I was that all-black character with a mask from Squid Game. Can’t remember the name anymore.

Do you believe that karma can come back and slap you in the face? I don’t believe it’s karma necessarily, but your decisions can definitely come back and bite you, that’s for sure. < Yeah, sounds about right.

Have you ever been to Texas? I haven’t. Not really high up on the list in terms of places in the USA I want to visit.

Do your siblings text you? My sister and I mainly communicate through Messenger. She never has load so we don’t text.

Have you ever searched for your own house on Google Earth? Sure. I’ve done the same for places I regularly go to, my old schools, boujee villages in Manila just so I can see how many houses have swimming pools LOL, etc.

Did your last kiss end up with you and the person doing anything sexual? No.

Who is your ex dating/talking to? Somebody. I’m not sure, I don’t keep touch and I’ve asked my friends not to tell me about it for the simple reason that it’s not relevant to my life anymore.

Who did you last pinky promise with? Can’t remember. I don’t do those.

Did you ever have to share a room with one of your siblings? I had to share a room with both parents and siblings until I was 10. And then for like one week in high school my sister and I shared a bedroom until we both decided we don’t like the arrangement lol.

What happened at the last party you went to? I won a minor prize in the raffle, had the best mushroom soup I’ve EVER had, and tried to convince people that I was dressed up as Winnie the Pooh (the party was Disney-themed) haha.

Have you ever completely misunderstood what somebody was saying? Yeah, at least a few times a week.

When was the last time you felt ill? What was wrong? May 2020, turned out to be a UTI. Was a bitch trying to get treatment for it considering that was Peak Peak PEAK Pandemic Era and all hospitals and clinics were prioritizing Covid cases. What a time.

Who was your first best friend? Do you still speak to that person? Angela! Yeah I literally messaged her that we should get drinks soon like 5 minutes ago.

Are you wearing anything that was given to you as a gift? I’m wearing the Koya slippers that my dad got me for Christmas. I got two pairs! The other Koya pair was given to me by Angela and I switch them everyday to make sure I’m making good use of both hahaha.

What is your least favourite song, by your favourite artist? War of Hormone makes my eyes roll all the way back to the ninth level of hell. Does it make me a hypocrite? Yes. Will I continue to dislike the song? Yup.

What color is your jewelry box? I don’t have one. I don’t have nearly enough jewelry/accessories to justify getting one.

Are you attracted to the last person you Facebook messaged? No.

What is your brother/sister’s favorite food? My sister is into sushi these days.

Do you have any ice cream in your freezer? What flavour is it? We haven’t in a while, but I can bet someone will get a tub for media noche.

In your life, who is the person that seems to understand you the most? Angela.

Are you afraid of losing the person you like right now? I don’t like anyone.

Does anyone know your Facebook password? I don’t think so.

Would you ever consider getting a piercing in your septum? I wouldn’t consider getting any piercings.

Do you enjoy being outdoors? If the weather cooperates and I like where we’re headed, yes.

Gay marriage: love is love or a horrible stand against God? The former; get religion out of the way.

How many times have you been to a zoo? Several. What’re some unspeakable subjects for you? Nothing really. I’m an open book, and if I cover a topic that could potentially invite discomfort it’s only because other people asked for it lol.

[softgrungeprophet]

okay now that i have had a night of (unrelated) insomnia here are some actual thoughts on... The Substance.

First of all, it was great, so let's just get that out there. Fantastic cinematography, a lot of really clever and attractive or evocative uses of color, framing and lighting in general. The soundtrack was also pretty killer and set good tension. The foley was occasionally kind of weird but that too is a compliment. I really enjoyed the exaggerated quality of the tv exec's metal-heeled shoes and the way that set part of the tone.

Lots of interesting extreme closeups that really leant a unique air to the film (though if you have bad misophonia some of the opening scenes are (purposefully) grotesque in their depiction of eating (consumption) and various mouth sounds)

Great costume design as well, thumbs up from me, really fantastic set design with a lot of long hallways and very strong mood and tone set via decor. Really has a strong sense of place while also feeling strangely dreamlike and surreal.

The parody aspect is apparent more subtly earlier on and gets more blatant as the movie progresses, which i personally have mixed feelings on tbh

I enjoy the way the director and camera operators exaggerated the objectification in context while also contrasting it with pretty casual nudity. like the lovingly shot closeups are really purposeful, and the long shots are so matter of fact and human and I really enjoyed that. like those are just demi moore's tits, and her belly button, and her ass, and she is human.

lots of gore and body horror obviously. LOTS of needles. thankfully light on tooth and nail horror (though there still was some) which i am grateful for because those are the two things i can't stand lol

I found the subtle parody aspect the most appealing personally, though maybe "subtle" isn't quite the right word for this like... over the top tv studio and the mass popularity of a workout show. But I liked that almost tongue in cheek but generally sincere aspect the most.

The final like, third? of the movie leans way more into like parodying schlocky gorefest horror and tbh i think if i didn't know it was a parody already that might have put me off more? As it is, the rapid increase in grotesquerie and over the top body horror/mutation didn't quite land for me, BUT.

at the same time it like... makes sense as a decision especially with the movie's focus on the way aging is treated as, itself, grotesque. So the cooking scene with imagery evocative of witches like, makes sense in this context and in the context of the movie's social commentary about the societal expectation of women, especially in contrast to Sue's youthful demurity and need to be not just perfect but agreeable.

I honestly think it might have worked better for me if it had ended with the um... how to not spoil this. the black syringe, let's say.

But like I said, a lot of the stuff in the final third is like clearly rooted in the symbolism and messaging of the movie so it makes sense and I don't think it made the movie worse or anything like that, but it just didn't quuuuiiiite work for me. like the parody became too blatant i guess? there is an aspect of sincerity in The Substance i appreciated so something about the ending just felt slightly off to me personally. but it's also such a subjective feeling.

now, the theater had the volume up a little too loud I think, so some of the parts especially near the end were very intense in a way that like, suits the film tonally etc. but that was piercing and loud enough i had to cover my ears, which i don't think i've done since i was like, 8. i would blame that on AMC more than anything else though, as the entire movie did feel a little bit louder than it needed to be for the comparatively small space, as opposed to a mixing issue, so... amc should maybe tone their surround sound down a little 😂

(i will say, i did like its continued use of uncertainty in terms of what is really happening and what isn't)

(also people who think the movie "hits you over the head with the message" are dumb. my issues with subtlety are not with theme or messages but rather with genre trappings)

Anyway I had a good time! it was gross and also engrossing, really fun and very gorey, with some really great mood, tone, visuals...

[megs-mus]

Cooking Up Something Nostalgic

The first preview of Zora Howard’s “Stew” was produced on Saturday night at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park. I was a lucky member of the audience to give my critique. 

“Stew” is a contemporary drama in the kitchen with three generations of women. A great way to kick off Women’s History Month. And feed the audience with so much feeling and drama it is impossible to look away. While the story itself is unique it leaves a lot up to the audience. But regardless the message of reflecting on family bonds and traditions. Especially looking at the new definition of the “American Family” now, this play resonates with the importance of generating good bonds with family members and what responsibilities are expected with that. 

With an incredible cast of four women of color all ranging in various ages, the play feels intimate and homely. The acting from Mama, Michele Shay, the eldest to Lil’ Mama, Sydnie Brown, the youngest leaves the audience in awe, with a standing ovation by the end of this short 90-minute play. This cast stands strong together and makes each other shine. It is a hefty material and they all carry that weight equally. There are also a few light-hearted moments as well, weaving a wonderful blend and drama and comedy. Howard does a wonderful job grounded these characters in realism to make them feel very authentic. And the actresses also do a phenomenal job keeping the flow of the scenes. One of the memorable moments in the play was Shay’s bone-chilling scream in lasting moments. It was utterly haunting to hear. The overlapping dialogue, while very realistic, tended to get muddled during the play at times where it seemed that the actors were unsure what to say next. It would have been interesting to see the rehearsal process for that to figure out how they practiced those overlapping moments. 

The set design was phenomenal and felt like I walked into my grandmother’s kitchen with set props and smell. The theatre was a thrust stage, which added to the acting skill of the women, however, there were times that entrances and action were cut off by where I was sitting. I am sure that from the front of the stage sides closer to the exit had a better view, but you lose a bit of momentum from sitting on the very edge of the stage wall. Though this did not diminish the acting or story at all, just a few missed moments that are gives and takes of a thrust style. The set itself was not a complicated structure but the detail of the props and set dressing was thorough. It would have been intriguing to see the initial layout and inspiration of the set and the time setting for creating the set. It seemed that the play was taking place in the 2000s, maybe the present day, but regardless being in the location of Mama’s house dates the set because not everything would be “upgraded” to the 21st century. Hence the landline in the house and some of the clothing choices, though most everyone was in the same attire the whole show. But there is a lot of background research and work going into the set design and to see the process would be interesting, to say the least.

The story Howard tells is a bittersweet nostalgic one. It leaves the audience feeling that maybe they should reach out to their grandmother or mother. It was a wonderful evening seeing all of the pieces come together. From the actors to the set everything felt like a perfect picture frozen in time. A moment never to be wasted or forgotten, the bond between women and family, and the support of one another. “Stew” is a fantastical blend of these ingredients to make the perfect show.

[lshark-cs]

Iron God Chapter 5 [Kolo]

The moment they walked into the kitchen, Kolo's mouth watered. Whatever was in the huge pot on the fire stove smelled fantastic. Then she noticed the person on a stool in the corner. They looked neither male nor female, or maybe they were both. Kolo stared and raised an eyebrow. "Are you a boy or a girl?"

The person scoffed. "Nobody's business."

Qila ignored the whole exchange. "Thanks for watching the stove, Rizval. It never boiled over, did it?"

"Nope." Rizval crossed their legs. "And you're welcome. It was about as riveting as watching paint dry. And hello, Azvalath. Good to have you back. The girls are like mosquitoes."

Azvalath folded his arms. "Someone needs a sympathetic pat on the head with a hammer."

"All right, I'm out of here." Rizval shoved their way past Kolo.

Kolo flinched. Then she caught herself smiling again. These people were monsters, but the way they interacted, it was like watching a family. Qila looked down at her and smiled back. "Well, it looks like the stock is ready. Let's add the main ingredients, shall we?"

Kolo nodded. She had already helped Qila prepare food a few times and she almost felt comfortable.

Azvalath stuck his head in the pantry. "These bulbs any good?"

"Are they moldy?" Qila asked.

"No," said Azvalath.

"Then yes, they are." Qila went over to stir the stock. Kolo took the whole scene in and laughed out loud. Two savage beasts in the kitchen. So mundane, so human.

"What's so funny?" Azvalath asked. He came out with a sack of pungent-smelling roots and plopped it on the counter with a thud. One bulb fell out and rolled across the tiled floor.

She pointed her finger at him. "You're a bad cook."

Azvalath scowled. "Big thing for you to say." He pulled a huge knife out of a drawer and chopped into one of the roots. Its odd-smelling juices spilled onto the cutting board.

"You're just a man," said Kolo. It was funny, really. She couldn't not chuckle.

Qila came over and gave back the bulb Azvalath had dropped. "Did you really think he was anything else?"

"Children are inclined to make monsters out of things as small as mice." Azvalath smacked the knife's handle.

Kolo folded her arms. "I'm not a child."

"Well, how old are you?" Azvalath asked.

Kolo shrugged. "I don't know. How old are you?"

"About twenty five centuries." Azvalath said it like it was nothing major.

Kolo's jaw dropped. "Centuries?"

Qila was quick to interject. "All of those given the chance of becoming a Ferash Therall are distant descendants of the Iron God. You and Azvalath both have a little bit of his blood in you. Same with the others. It gives you a long life and your incredible gifts."

Kolo looked at her hand and bent her fingers a little. "He's our father?"

"More like your many-times-great grandfather. He has many descendants in our world. Most of them don't live longer than anyone else or develop powers. Sometimes, though, they come out special," said Qila.

"Special?" Azvalath shoved aside his chopped-up roots. "That's one way to put it." He ran back to the pantry. Kolo heard something fall in there and got startled.

"What about you?" Kolo asked. "Master?"

"I'm also kin to the Iron God," said Qila. "But in a different way."

Azvalath came out with a sack of dried mushrooms. "His kin by choice, right?" He grinned at Qila. Qila scowled at him. Kolo thought about asking what he meant but decided not to.

"Kolo, could you go in there and get us some peas?" Qila asked.

"And pine nuts," Azvalath added.

Qila squinted at him. "Pine nuts?"

Azvalath shrugged. "Why not?"

"This is going to be one strange soup," said Qila. "Sure, get some pine nuts."

Kolo went to the pantry. Azvalath followed her. She looked at him and scowled. "I can get it myself."

"The pine nuts are on the top shelf," said Azvalath with a smirk.

"So what?" Kolo shrugged. She looked up and saw the only sack on the top shelf. Then, with her mind, she picked it up and dropped it, aiming for Azvalath's foot.

He caught it at the last second. "Right," he said. "That's something you can do."

Kolo wanted to break him all over again, but she knew that would probably upset Master Qila. She didn't want to know what that looked like. Kolo grabbed a bag of dried peas and strutted back out.

Qila smirked. "You're proud of that little stunt, aren't you?"

"Mm-hm." Kolo handed her the peas. "Is that not allowed?"

"No, it is." Qila went over and dumped some peas into the pot. The broth sizzled a little. She stirred them in, and steam erupted. "I'm actually quite happy that you seem to be getting more comfortable here."

Kolo looked at her feet. "I'm not sure about that."

"Why not?" said Azvalath.

She cocked her head and looked at him up and down.

Azvalath seemed to understand. "I know it was a horrifying experience, and really, I'm sorry we had to put you through it. Believe me when I say this was all for the best, though." He cracked his knuckles. "You could have ended up somewhere far worse than here."

Kolo wondered what that was supposed to mean. "Where would that be?"

Qila added the mushrooms and pine nuts. A sharp and woodsy aroma filled the kitchen. "We're not the only Ferash Therall. In fact, we're a tiny fraction of them."

"Where are the others, then?" Kolo asked.

"Crawling all around the world. Usually in pairs or small groups." Qila combed her fingers through her gray hair. "We're considered mavericks by most."

"Because they've all got sticks up their back ends." Azvalath rammed the knife through one last bulb with a crunch.

"We're less of fundamentalists than most Ferash Therall," Qila clarified.

Kolo wound her necklace around her fingers. "And that makes you better?"

"Better or worse." Qila turned to Azvalath. "Azvalath, could you get us some water to wash up?"

Azvalath rolled his eyes. "Don't phrase it like a question if it's an order." He grabbed a bucket off the wall and left.

Kolo chuckled.

"He has such an attitude." Qila scraped the chopped-up bulbs into a bowl and added them to the pot. "Not that I blame him. I find me annoying too, but I can't ever walk away from myself, can I?"

For once, Kolo wasn't mad at herself for the smile that wormed its way across her face.

Qila stirred the soup. "Let's give this a while to brew. In the meantime, I think it's time you met someone."

Kolo looked up. "Who?"

"Master Xigon," said Qila. "I was going to go see him anyway. Come along, then."

Kolo followed Qila out. They walked down the hall in awkward silence. Kolo let her eyes light up. Their red glow illuminated the dark walls. They passed a few heavy-looking doors. Qila rapped her fist on one as they walked by. "You're needed in the kitchen again, Rizval!"

Someone groaned on the other side. Kolo smirked.

Finally, they stopped at a door with a symbol carved into it. Three inverted triangles inscribed within each other. Qila knocked. "Xigon, I've brought someone to meet you."

The voice on the other side of the door was calm and steady. "Come in."

As they entered, a tingling sensation crawled up the back of Kolo's neck. If he hadn't been sitting, she knew he would have towered over them both. He sat cross-legged on the floor. In front of him was a burning oil lantern. Its warm orange light illuminated his face and glinted off his goggles. He looked up at Qila. "Is Azvalath all right?"

"As good as he can be in this situation," said Qila.

Xigon ran a hand over his sleek black hair. Then he turned his gaze to Kolo. The instant their eyes met a shudder ripped through her. Though he looked much younger than Qila, she sensed his power and understood immediately why he, too, was called Master.

"Hello, little wonder." Xigon beckoned her closer. "Kolo, is it?"

"Yes," she said. The tremor was audible in her voice. She averted her eyes. "What are you doing? It feels strange."

"Learning," said Xigon. "About you."

"He can sense and manipulate the processes of life," Qila explained. "All with his eyes."

Kolo grabbed Qila's sleeve.

"I assure you you're quite safe with me, Kolo," said Xigon, unperturbed. "Is there anything you would like to know?"

Kolo thought about Azvalath's question earlier. "How old am I?"

Xigon didn't miss a beat. "Two hundred and thirty-seven years."

Kolo's jaw dropped. She glanced at Qila and saw that even she looked surprised.

"You stopped aging in early adulthood," Xigon continued. "Though your growth, both physical and mental, was stunted by sickness and hunger. Do you ever remember being sick?"

"No," said Kolo. At least, she didn't think so. "I do remember being hungry, though."

"There's a lot you've shut away in your struggle to survive," said Xigon. He pointed to his head. "A lot up here. But it's already starting to come back."

"It is?" Kolo asked.

"Of course," said Xigon. "Obviously. You aren't trying to kill me right now. You're starting to understand that maybe we aren't your enemies after all."

Kolo tapped her foot. "Could I really have ended up somewhere worse?"

Xigon picked his lantern up and held it in front of his face. It swung gently back and forth on his fingers. "Absolutely," he said. "And I have no doubt they'll be coming for us soon. Once the world knows you're here, it's only a matter of time."

"You really think they would dare to attack us here?" Qila scoffed. "Kolo might be important in ways we don't realize yet, but there's no way anyone would..."

Kolo clutched her necklace.

Xigon noticed her grab it. "Tell me, Kolo, where did you get that necklace?"

Kolo shrugged. "I don't know. It keeps ghosts away."

"I'm sure it does," said Xigon. "Lightningfisher teeth are supposed to be lucky. It may have done far more for you than you realize."

Kolo rubbed the smooth fang between her fingertips. Maybe he was right. She could be somewhere far worse at this very moment. Confused and dead were two very different things. She knew which one she preferred. Xigon snuffed the lantern out and set it down. "And yes, Qila, I did fix my crutches." He grabbed them off the floor and started to pick himself up.

"Did you sleep, though?" Qila asked.

Xigon stood up, and indeed, he towered over them. "None of your business." He made his way toward the door and yanked it open. There was a sound like stampeding horses as Channei and a huge, muscular woman ran down the stairs.

"Hey, look!" The brutish girl pointed past Xigon. "It's Kolo! Oh, hello Master Xigon. We, um, wanted to say hello to Kolo. Rizval said she was in the kitchen."

"No running in the hall, Lalek." Xigon said it without any noticeable anger. "You wouldn't want to break something again, would you?"

Kolo peeked her head out around Xigon. "Hel...hello" she stammered.

Channei clapped her hands in excitement. "Look at you! You're up and at it again."

Kolo took a step back.

"My only question is, why hang out with the Masters? They're boring," said Channei.

Xigon and Qila looked at each other. Then he looked down at Channei. "Really? I like to think I'm quite fascinating. By all means, though, give Kolo some more interesting company."

"Come on, then!" Lalek tugged Kolo's arm and nearly yanked her shoulder from the socket.

Kolo stumbled forward and shook her arm free. "All right, I'll come! I'd like to have two arms, though."

"Sorry, sorry!" Lalek backed away.

"How dare you almost break the new friend?" Channei elbowed Lalek. "For shame! Let's go upstairs."

Channei ran up the stairs. Lalek followed. After a second, Kolo followed as well. She didn't know why, but she didn't feel as afraid as she ought to be. 

[susandsnell]

hey love, have u seen the new gotg/do u plan to? totally understandable if u can't look at crisp rat on the big screen again/if ur disneymarvelled out. also! what's ur favorite art house horror annnnnnnd ur favorite werewolf movie? hope ur day/night is going well!

!!! this was so sweet to wake up to this morning!

I have seen GOTG 3 and I was really pleased with how it turned out (for the most part, lol, but that I enjoyed an MCU movie as much as I did in 2023 is in and of itself a testament to Gunn's skill with wringing emotion from the popcorn pics and creative graveyard that is Disney right now). Peter Quill means enough to me as a character that I'm able to separate him somewhat from Pratt in my head, thankfully (as he made like...borderline homophobic comments in press for the film, to nobody's surprise). Really liked how well my girls Nebula and Mantis were done, and I was actually pleasantly surprised by a lot of Gamora's storyline given how much needed to be salvaged from IW-Endgame. Loved the gradual reveal that Rocket has been the emotional core of these movies all along, especially in those backstory scenes that let Gunn really show off his horror background. (Come on, that wailing mimicry/face stuff had to be a Silence of the Lambs reference! In an MCU movie? Fab.) It was a wonderfully emotional sendoff to a trilogy that has saved and helped me in so many ways, and I think the most meaningful choice of all is the shift to contemporary music symbolizing letting go of one's past and nostalgia and moving forward - an important character moment for the Guardians, sure, but also almost a jab at how modern Disney is riding on nostalgia and refusing to evolve. (May be a bit of a stretch, but considering the delightfully hammy High Evolutionary feeling like a continual jab at Disney management and Gunn's probably rightful anger at how the company's treated him, who knows?) I'm 90% disneymarvelled out, but once in a while, there'll be a fantastic work of animation from them or a pleasant surprise that'll play exception to the rule.

My favourite arthouse horror is very difficult to pick! (To say nothing of how it's kind of a hard distinction to pin down - people argue Ari Aster's works and Black Swan and The VVitch qualify, and I adore all of these, but don't quite see them as arthouse?) I'm going to go with Suspiria for now, with honourable mentions to Ganja & Hess, Possession, and The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (I know this one's kind of a cheat because it's more revengey/crime drama than horror, but honestly how graphic it gets and the denouement arguably push it into horror for me). I have a big soft spot for Let The Right One In as well.

Werewolf movies are even harder because I don't often go in for them! An American Werewolf in London is a classic though, and the makeup effects are unforgettable. Other than that, flaws and all, Ginger Snaps and The Company of Wolves are both delights in their own ways.

My week has unforch been pretty wretched so far, but this ask more than brightened it up! <3 Hope you have a great time of day as well, and thank you so much for sending this!