#which was a great idea they are full of fantastic and wonderful ideas...i like also the idea of Tenzō having been afraid to be mean

[verbenaa]

Hi, first thank you for your amazing work!! (and opening requests!) I had an idea for some fluff: after a few days travelling in the Underdark, Astarion misses the sun. To cheer him up, druid (?) Tav takes up his hands one evening and conjures (a soft) Daylight in them for him to enjoy :) enjoy the rest of your Sunday!

𝑎/𝑛: thank you so much for such an amazing request omg!!! this prompt is so fantastic, I really truly LOVED writing it! Also me and my triple earth signs LOVE druids, so I really vibed with that. This ended up being more sentimental than I originally planned, but I think it's really soft and sweet 💕 I really hope you enjoy this! Have a great rest of your Sunday too!!!

𝑝𝑎𝑖𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔: Astarion/gn!Reader, Astarion/Druid!Reader

𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑟𝑒: hurt & comfort, fluff

𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑑 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡: 1.2k

𝑤𝑎𝑟𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑠: none, really!

✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧

we grow like ivy, twisting together with vines of the deepest green

Your fingers card through silver curls, the thick waves soft as your fingertips drag through the strands with ease, the motions soothing to you both as Astarion pillows his head on your thighs. 

His weight is a comfort after the past few days combing through the best and the worst the Underdark has to offer; a seemingly endless amount of horrors against a world as dark as night, the neon effervescence of glowing mushrooms the only light by which you have travelled. 

Your magic feels so different down here. You’re just as connected to the earthen ground beneath your feet as ever, of course; but the lack of sunshine, the absence of the moon’s rays, and of a world full of green always leaves you feeling slightly off-kilter so deep below the surface. 

Taking residency in this technicolor world had been a transition for you both, but that was fine; as with the ever-changing beauty of the landscapes around you, you would grow, learn, adapt to whatever seasons this new life with Astarion may bring.

Astarion adjusts his head slightly as he absently twirls a gold piece between nimble fingers as he stares up into the endless black of the Underdark above, his form tense despite your calming ministrations.

“Just where in the bloody hells are they?” He releases the words on the breath of an overdramatic sigh, those elegant features of his that you love transforming into a childlike pout. There’s a frustration in his voice that he tries to smooth over, but you know him better than that by now to not hear it in the slight tremor in his words.

“There’s 7,000 of them, they’re bound to turn up eventually.” Such pragmatic words, though you find yourself wondering more and more with every passing day exactly when that statement would be coming true. You look down on him once more, taking in the tension in his limbs with narrowed, assessing eyes.

“What’s on your mind, Astarion?” The coin falters a bit as it moves from finger to finger, twisting up and over his knuckles. Astarion abandons the sight of the cavernous ceiling above, his crimson irises flitting to your own as he considers your words, rolling over them in his mind as you wait patiently for him to grant you a response, whatever he chooses it to be.

His throat bobs as his mouth opens and closes as he works to find his voice to speak, words faltering as they work their up the elegant column of his throat. You don’t stop the hand that brushes through his hair, letting the constant of your touch be his guiding light as he picks through the emotions weaving through his mind.

“I hate it down here. It’s dark and damp and everything smells positively wretched.” Bitterness coats the words as they fall from lips twisted into a frown. With a flick of his wrist he captures the gold coin in his palm, pocketing it with a swift motion.

Your head tilts slightly as you listen to his words, ears catching onto the way he says the word ‘dark’, spitting the word out as if it were acid on his tongue. 

“Astarion” The hand in his hair smooths down over his temple to brush against the sharp bone of his cheek instead, thumb sweeping over his soft skin as you cup his face. 

There’s a depth to the sadness that resides in his eyes, unhidden from you as you gaze into those incarnadine orbs, the reason behind this particular bit of melancholy suddenly obvious as you put his words together once more in your mind.

“The sun.” You lips part to say the words so he does not have to, a small nod deeper into the plushness of your thighs the only sign of affirmation he will give you.

“I…I just never thought I would truly miss something I barely ever had, I suppose.” He averts his eyes now, staring at the smooth leather that covers your legs instead. “I’ve lived long enough in the darkness, I don’t understand why it’s suddenly so hard to be without it now.” 

You stare down at him momentarily, his words clawing into your heart with sharp talons as your mind whirls through what you could possibly do, what you could ever say to him, when you catch onto something—an inkling of an idea that may grant you both a small reprieve from the impenetrable darkness that surrounds.

“Up.” You smile at him as you bounce your legs from where they rest underneath his head, a small nod of your chin gesturing for him to fill the space across from where you sit. Astarion complies with your request, eyes slightly narrowed as he attempts to puzzle together whatever the plan is that has filled that beautiful mind of yours. He sits close, knee to knee, as he waits for your words.

“Give me your hands.” Your words are gentle as you hold your own palms open in offering, waiting, for him to press his own into your warm hands. There’s a brief moment of hesitation, Astarion’s mind turning over the possibilities of the action, but it passes almost as quickly as it appears, fading into the air around you as he slowly lets his hands rest into your own. 

Your fingers close over his own, the warmth of your skin permeating into the chill of his as you turn his hands to face palm up, cupping them gently within your own.

You feel a familiar pull through your body, magic moving up from the ground to flow through your veins, like the greenest of ivy that carpets the ground of the world above the one you now reside. Even down here you are radiant, needing no sun or stars or moon by which to guide the power that winds its way through your soul. 

The little ball of light starts small as it burns above your hands; the glow minute as it forms in an undulating circle. It brightens, growing ever so slowly larger in time with your breathing as it hovers there in its brilliance. You channel your energy into the spell, careful to keep the power you allow to flow from you minimal so that it does not overwhelm and instead manifests only as that beautiful, beaming orb. Its warmth permeates the air around you, a literal pocket-sized star emanating little waves of heat outward onto your faces, coloring Astarion with an aura of burnished gold.

Your smile grows as you look onto it in wonder, its radiance a spot of beauty in an otherwise dark world.

“And you have the audacity to say I’m the dramatic one.” He huffs at your sentimentality despite the fondness sticking to his own words, eyes focused onto that little glowing ball of sheer luminosity emanating from both of your upturned palms, the warmth cascading over you both. 

His eyes slowly look up to find your own searching his features, the glow of the little sun that shines in your joined palms a balm on both of your weary hearts and you hope that once this moment ends and you have to carry on with reality that a little piece of the afterglow will remain in some form or another. 

“We’ll find our way, Astarion. Even if it means having to create our own light to go by.” 

#astarion x reader #astarion x you #astarion x tav #astarion x gn reader #astarion x gn!tav #astarion x gender neutral reader #astarion x f!tav #astarion x f!reader #astarion x female tav #astarion #astarion bg3 #my writing #request

[mastersoftheair]

"Masters of the Air detail: Part 2-Dave Littleton

"[...] Dave is a lifelong WWII aviation enthusiast who has worked on a lot of other films in the past. He has a passion for the B-17 that goes back to his childhood. So much so that he has built a super accurate cockpit, from scratch over 20+ years, using a lot of original parts and equipment. The rest he made by hand. He brought his cockpit to the studio, and it was wonderful for sure.

"Dave worked pre-production, hand in hand with BGI, the company that made a lot, if not most, of the B-17 props and the two full-size aircraft. He gave them the drawings, photos and answered their questions. I think he was instrumental in the success of so many aspects of MOTA.

"I was asked to come over to teach the aircrew how to look like they could pilot, navigate, drop bombs, shoot guns, radio work etc., which ended up being a lot more than that. Dave let us use his cockpit for the flight training and top turret gunner/engineer duties.

"The pilots and engineers went through initial training in Dave’s cockpit and then we would rehearse for the specific scenes.

"I thought that some of the actors might have had some sort of prior knowledge of flying from gaming or flight simulators, but this was not the case. None of them had any concept of flying which was perfectly okay. I had to sit them down in a chair and teach them the very basics of the flight controls and how they are used. Grabbing an imaginary control wheel and had their feet on imaginary rudder pedals. Making sure they used the rudders first and then aileron as you would in a heavy tail wheel aircraft.

"We then progressed into Dave’s cockpit to teach them the myriad of engine controls and their basic function. Later when we had a specific scene, we would go through the procedures whether it be takeoff, landing, engine shutdown etc. Just having them know where to look on the panel for power changes, checklist, formation flying etc. worked out well. The “kids” did a fantastic job and it shows in the episodes.

"The biggest item to try and get across to the actors was being a cohesive flight crew. Remember that the original guys had been flying together for a while and that was an important aspect of their training for the filming. There is nothing sweeter than flying with someone for a while where you get to know each other and anticipate what the other needs before he asks for it. We trained the pilot, copilot and engineer together for takeoff so the pilot would be pushing the throttles with the copilot backing him up, doing the fine tuning, and the engineer in between them doing his part too. The copilot or flight engineer reaching down for the prop controls during power changes as this would differ from one flight crew to another. Same with running the checklist as the engineer and even crew in the back are participating over the interphone. And these details made the final cut and it looked great. Okay, I may be biased…

"Dave’s cockpit was so very helpful for the training because it was on the floor and was easily accessible. The main cockpit used for filming was on a gimbal 20 feet in the air! With Dave’s cockpit, I could lean in from a side window and instruct with all three crew in place. The various directors could also come up to each side and see and direct how they wanted the scene to go. It would give them ideas on camera angles to set up.

"The other aspect of Dave’s wonderful cockpit was its authenticity and detail. He used so many original parts that it is as accurate as could possibly be. Dave wanted it used as much as possible but frankly was a bit shy about this. Not having ever been known for being shy, I really wanted it used for as many close ups as possible and pushed for this. As a result, you can see Dave’s awesome detailed handiwork in MOTA especially in the close-up scenes showing the magneto switches, electrical, primer use and so much more.

"Dave and I were basically the only two on set who had extensive knowledge of WWII aviation and B-17 information. We were constantly being asked questions and were helping lots of different departments. He and I split up the advising since there were several units filming at the same time. We were both out in the field to start mostly at Abingdon where the full size BGI aircraft were. When the volume or studio started ramping up, I stayed there training and rehearsing while Dave continued the field work. We were trying our best to keep things realistic and authentic, but we were spread really thin.

"Dave took off a lot of time from his day job to do this project, as did I, but with the production over runs, COVID etc. he had to go back to work and sadly missed the last few months of filming. We sure missed Dave, especially out in the field, although he was always available by phone and still helped out as much as he could..." - (Taigh Ramey on Facebook)

#if y'all would prefer the huge chunk of text under a 'read more' lmk! #masters of the air #hbo war #behind the scenes #crew #david shields #austin butler #nate mann #callum turner #elliott ross #louis greatorex #anthony boyle #jonas moore #long post

[hlupdate]

W​​hat’s the secret to a great portrait? At 86 years old, David Hockney has a few ideas. A lifetime of looking has taught him to always start with the face. “I begin with the head first,” he says, matter-of-factly, from his home in France. “From there, I place everything else.”

That was his approach when, late last May, Harry Styles traveled to his light-filled studio in Normandy and stationed himself on a cane chair, ready to become the esteemed artist’s latest subject. Over two days, Hockney worked to capture the exact hues of red and yellow in Styles’s striped cardigan, the indigo of his jeans, the string of pearls at his neck—not to mention the unmistakable tousled fringe of one of the world’s biggest pop stars. For the artist, though, the goal was merely to capture the essence of the person in front of him. “I wasn’t really aware of his celebrity then,” Hockney says, with a shrug. “He was just another person who came to the studio.”

The pair struck up an instant rapport that was likely helped by Styles being a full-on fanboy. For his Vogue cover shoot in 2020, Styles wore a pair of hand-painted Bode cords that featured a talismanic illustration of Hockney by artist Aayushia Khowala. It’s also hard to imagine the wide-eyed wonder of a flamboyant Brit discovering the sunny thrills and spills of California—a theme, and sound, that has permeated the former One Direction singer’s solo albums—without Hockney as a precedent. “David Hockney has been reinventing the way we look at the world for decades,” says Styles. “It was a complete privilege to be painted by him.”

The unveiling of the portrait kicks off the second iteration of the National Portrait Gallery’s Hockney exhibition “Drawing From Life,” which first opened in February 2020, only to close weeks later due to the pandemic. With the addition of a new room of pictures charting Hockney’s creative impulses throughout lockdown, the show returns on November 2—a few months after a refurbishment of the entire museum—with Styles’s portrait as its crown jewel. “The whole world shut down, and the exhibition was still sitting there, in the dark,” recalls Sarah Howgate, the gallery’s senior curator of contemporary collections, who oversaw the exhibition in both phases. “So it’s nice to know it will have another life.”

The Styles painting may bring star wattage, but the unassuming genius of Hockney’s portraiture is still the main exhibition draw. What makes his images tick, you quickly learn, is their honesty: whether in the tension bubbling beneath the surface of his famed double portrait of Ossie Clark and Celia Birtwell, painted between 1970 and ’71, or the seated figures that populated his 2016 Royal Academy of Arts exhibition, which included the likes of his own sister, Margaret, and the late comedian Barry Humphries. Hockney’s eye for the human figure may be playful, often kaleidoscopic, sometimes fantastical—but it’s always, most importantly, frank.

Styles’s portrait will hang alongside those of writer Gregory Evans, Hockney’s printer Maurice Payne, the mayor of his local town Dozulé, his gardener, and even his chiropodist, or in Hockney’s words, “the dandy who cuts my toenails.”

One of his more recent subjects was the eminent music producer Clive Davis, who first suggested inviting Styles to swing by. “Clive told me about Harry’s new album, and JP [Hockney’s studio assistant] sent Harry a note and asked him if he’d like to come to my studio and sit for his portrait,” Hockney remembers. “He replied straight away and said, yes, he’d love to.” From there, Hockney’s process of painting Styles was instinctive. “Everybody just came to sit,” he says, breezily, before admitting: “Now I know Harry’s a celebrity, though: I’ve seen all his music videos.”

“He’s not a traditional portrait painter,” says Howgate. Hockney’s interest is not in what people do, but rather in who they are. “He’s not interested in fame. He’s interested in depicting people and their relationships.” It’s why his eye is primarily trained on his inner circle these days—but it also pays testament to his enduring curiosity that he’s still willing to open that up to a newcomer every so often. Styles seems to know how lucky he is, adding, with a tinge of disbelief: “I’m in awe of the man with enough one-liners for a lifetime.” As to what those one-liners might be? Styles and Hockney’s mutual silence on that question suggests that what happens in the studio, stays in the studio.

“David Hockney: Drawing From Life” will be at the National Portrait Gallery from November 2 to January 21, 2024.

#harry styles #articles #020823

[orbmanson7]

Mm, there's so many things I want to say about the new asides episode, mainly because it was so obviously based on the secret santa scenario from the patreon livestream a little while back...

The only thing Thomas really changed was Logan being the organizer instead of Janus and then Patton's gift to Remus. Most of the chat said he'd get Remus an octopus plushie or a slime stim toy, but I agree with the change because it works really well and rounds out the message at the end, too.

Something that the chat had also been insistent on was giving Logan a Perfect gift, and since Logan was the character hosting the stream, he kept insisting that while Virgil knows his interests, it probably wouldn't be something perfect (pretty sure we decided on a space-themed Lego set that was definitely not specifically my own idea I had put out there or anything 👀), so it was fantastic having that turned around into a fun little puzzle which not only got us some tasteful angst but also gave Logan an interesting and unique present that he would absolutely enjoy, which is exactly what we all wanted!

Again, all the other presents were more or less the same, with maybe less gore involved in Remus' present to Virgil, and with about the same responses, too, which was great! Patton genuinely enjoying his present even though it was meant to be a joke, Janus actually getting a second real present that benefits him, Roman not immediately on board with his gift because it's not extravagant but then realizing the freedom and flexibility that comes with it is its own reward... It was all wonderful.

It also, as with the last little asides episode, gives us a great idea of where everyone stands (I guess both literally in Thomas' mindspace as well as, you know, narratively).

It feels significant that Logan insists that Janus and Remus be included in their activities, but acknowledges that they are traveling there, implying the dark sides don't just hang around or anything, they come and go, which makes sense.

Virgil still vehemently hates Janus but isn't making barbs about his inclusion like he has in the past, and Roman still seems uncomfortable with his brother being around while Remus just seems delighted to be included at all. Roman still has animosity with Janus, understandably, but he's already kind of begrudgingly making his way towards acceptance with him.

Now for the more interesting details - first, Janus and Remus purposefully trying to egg on Logan's anger. Not the first time, but they seem more excited about it here rather than teasing him about it as they have before, which definitely implies confidence that it's not only prevalent but also definitely plot-relevant for the future, not that that was even a question at this point.

Next, it's interesting that Janus and Remus seem to be able to bounce off each other even with how very different they are, but the light sides are so full of discontent that there's a natural discourse with their gifts until there's a chance to explain... It shows that the light sides do not have natural trust in each other, which should be obvious but here it's on display in front of the dark sides, too. They are so clearly at odds (even if they can eventually come around) when the dark sides seem to have figured their shit out.

Also, it's nice to see Patton's gift did, in a way, emulate Virgil's gift from the first Christmas episode, as it also kind of implies Janus' acceptance in that way.

I was actually quite delighted to see that Logan's gift to Roman wasn't just the joke from the livestream, but that it showed Logan did genuinely put thought into the gift but realized he wasn't going to be able to meet the expectations of someone with a limitless imagination and instead played into that fact rather than try to war against it, using something not only practical but unconventional to someone like Roman, something he wouldn't expect but would be able to appreciate with time... And also something that technically takes the decision-making tension away from Logan and makes it Roman's problem instead, though Roman wouldn't be one to overthink and view it as a problem, so it works out extremely well. Finding balance and all that.

And then, of course, the end card scene being really adorable and sweet - that Thomas was thinking about gift-giving because he'd wanted to get something perfect for Nico, and I will agree that he did a great job, adding a tiny bit of (somewhat fresh) nostalgia and catering to Nico's interests...but then wanting to make what is usually perceived as a Big step in what is still a budding relationship, ooh boy... That's definitely some plot setup right there!

Overall, a fantastic episode, based on a lot of ideas from a wonderful livestream - I genuinely loved this. It makes me very hopeful for the season finale, whenever we do eventually get it!

#sanders sides #sanders asides #spoilers #sanders sides spoilers #orbs thought bubbles #long post #this wasnt meant to go on this long whoops

[kcrossvine-art]

Hey folks n blokes! A few days ago ya might've been one of the people who helpfully responded to my question asking which LotR recipe we should cook next, and you all had great ideas. Including a golum salmonella sushi platter. There were a few that twinkled directly into my eyes, but only one fish gets fried at a time! Thanks @vensre for the suggestion!

Today from Lord of the Rings, we will be making Bilbo Baggin's Seed Cakes

(As always you can find the cooking instructions and full ingredient list under the break-)

MY NAMES CROSS NOW LETS COOK LIKE ANIMALS

SO, “what goes in to a Seed Cake?” YOU MIGHT ASKIf you're an amer*can like me, you might have never heard of a seed cake outside of the context of bird feeders.

Salted butter

Fine sugar

Whole milk

Eggs

Almond flour

Vanilla extract

Brown sugar

Caraway/fennel seeds

Ground anise seed

Ground nutmeg

The real key ingredient here is the caraway seeds. The factor that ties all recipes together. Important note, anise seeds and anise stars are 2 separate things!

AND, “what does a Seed Cake taste like?” YOU MIGHT ASKTastes like what an old bookstore smells like.

Smells like warm licorice

But without the chemical-y aftertaste

Take a shortbread and make it denser and with less airpockets. Thats your texture.

A little bit like gingerbread but nuttier, earthier

Very rich

Beautiful crumbly brown outside, soft teddybear-brown inside

Pairs well with a glass of milk hahaha

"A wonderful blend of sweet and savoury, seed cakes make a perfect after-supper morsel."-LotR Online. Mentioned both in the books and the MMO, being served after dinner ties into their real-life origins! Before caraway seeds in cakes became popular in the victorian era, they were often candied and served as dessert because caraway seeds help with after-meal indigestion.

. used an herb grinder for the anise seeds . used light brown sugar where brown sugar called for . used blanched almond flour . if i made this again, would probably use higher quantity of nutmeg or add cinammon

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From entering the kitchen, to having this in my stomach, it took roughly 2 hours? Ish? Definitely make sure to let your 2 sticks of butter and 3 eggs sit out a bit beforehand so they reach room temp, it helps them whip together the warmer they are.

The most difficult part of this recipe was finding the seeds. Everything except the caraway/fennel and anise seed i already had, and maybe its a recent thing but since when did grocery stores start charging such an obscene amount for a regular bottle of spices? Is it not enough to have everything else infected by price-gouging, now we'll be scraping pennies for our little flavor heavens? Bleh. 

The seed cake is a new experience for me also, and many pardons if some sacred seed cake rule has been broken today. It tasted fantastic! The licorice was a strong flavor I've never experienced in this form before, it suits itself well. If you're baking for children or have a sweeter palette, the bitterness may be a bit much, but just have them dunk it in milk honestly. It did feel like there was some 'empty space' on my palette while eating- if that makes any sense? It couldve been layered with another flavor but i still can't put my finger on what that missing flavor could be.

Definitely be careful to put the eggs into the butter/sugar a little bit at a time. I got impatient the first-go, and the eggs incorporated less, and it led to a greasier cake. People seem to say that storing these and eating them the next day makes them taste better, i cannot attest as i ate both within the same day of making them. 

This recipe has earned itself a glimmering 7/10, for making my kitchen smell nice but also making me use a standmixer if i want my arms to stay attached (with 1 being food that makes one physically sick and 10 being food that gives one a lust for life again.) 

🐁 ORIGINAL RESIPPY TEXT BELOW 🐁

Ingredients:

220g salted butter

225g fine sugar

16g of milk

3 eggs

175g almond flour

2 drops vanilla extract

Pinch of brown sugar

1tbsp caraway seeds

1 1/2tbsp  ground anise seed

1/2tsp ground nutmeg

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 320F. Soften the butter and let eggs come to room temperature. 

Cream the butter by itself for around 5 minutes with a standmixer on med., until light in color. Add sugar and continue until the mixture is pale and fluffy.

In a seperate bowl beat the eggs until 'frothy'. 

Stir a small amount at a time of the eggs iinto the butter and sugar mixture, making sure each portion incorporates as you go.

Add the caraway, ground anise seed, ground nutmeg, and vanilla extract.

Gently fold in the almond flour. Careful not to overmix.

Add a tablespoon of milk, or until the batter keeps its form but drips off an upside down spoon.

Pour into a greased 9-inch round cake pan, if not available muffin/cupcake pans should also work.

Sprinkle a bit of brown sugar on top.

Bake for 40-50 minutes. Cool for 10 before serving.

#lotr #cake recipe #the hobbit #bilbo baggins

[mr-styles]

When Harry Styles Met David Hockney: An Exclusive First Look At A Special New Portrait

A legendary painter and a pop lodestar? Sparks were inevitable. David Hockney and Harry Styles share a very special sitting with Liam Hess

W​​hat’s the secret to a great portrait? At 86 years old, David Hockney has a few ideas. A lifetime of looking has taught him to always start with the face. “I begin with the head first,” he says, matter-of-factly, from his home in France. “From there, I place everything else.”

That was his approach when, late last May, Harry Styles travelled to his light-filled studio in Normandy and stationed himself on a cane chair, ready to become the esteemed artist’s latest subject. Over two days, Hockney worked to capture the exact hues of red and yellow in Styles’s striped cardigan, the indigo of his jeans, the string of pearls at his neck – not to mention the unmistakable tousled fringe of one of the world’s biggest pop stars. For the artist, though, the goal was merely to capture the essence of the person in front of him. “I wasn’t really aware of his celebrity then,” Hockney says, with a shrug. “He was just another person who came to the studio.”

The pair struck up an instant rapport that was likely helped by Styles being a full-on fanboy. For his US Vogue cover shoot in 2020, Styles wore a pair of hand-painted Bode cords that featured a talismanic illustration of Hockney by artist Aayushia Khowala. It’s also hard to imagine the wide-eyed wonder of a flamboyant Brit discovering the sunny thrills and spills of California – a theme, and sound, that has permeated the former One Direction singer’s solo albums – without Hockney as a precedent. “David Hockney has been reinventing the way we look at the world for decades,” says Styles. “It was a complete privilege to be painted by him.”

The unveiling of the portrait kicks off the second iteration of the National Portrait Gallery’s Hockney exhibition Drawing From Life, which first opened in February 2020, only to close weeks later due to the pandemic. With the addition of a new room of pictures charting Hockney’s creative impulses throughout lockdown, the show returns on 2 November – a few months after a refurbishment of the entire museum – with Styles’s portrait as its crown jewel. “The whole world shut down, and the exhibition was still sitting there, in the dark,” recalls Sarah Howgate, the gallery’s senior curator of contemporary collections, who oversaw the exhibition in both phases. “So it’s nice to know it will have another life.”

The Styles painting may bring star wattage, but the unassuming genius of Hockney’s portraiture is still the main exhibition draw. What makes his images tick, you quickly learn, is their honesty: whether in the tension bubbling beneath the surface of his famed double portrait of Ossie Clark and Celia Birtwell, painted between 1970 and ’71, or the seated figures that populated his 2016 Royal Academy of Arts exhibition, which included the likes of his own sister, Margaret, and the late comedian Barry Humphries. Hockney’s eye for the human figure may be playful, often kaleidoscopic, sometimes fantastical – but it’s always, most importantly, frank.

Styles’s portrait will hang alongside those of writer Gregory Evans, Hockney’s printer Maurice Payne, the mayor of his local town Dozulé, his gardener and even his chiropodist, or in Hockney’s words, “the dandy who cuts my toenails” .

One of his more recent subjects was the eminent music producer Clive Davis, who first suggested inviting Styles to swing by. “Clive told me about Harry’s new album, and JP [Hockney’s studio assistant] sent Harry a note and asked him if he’d like to come to my studio and sit for his portrait,” Hockney remembers. “He replied straight away and said, yes, he’d love to.” From there, Hockney’s process of painting Styles was instinctive. “Everybody just came to sit,” he says, breezily, before admitting: “Now I know Harry’s a celebrity, though: I’ve seen all his music videos.”

“He’s not a traditional portrait painter,” says Howgate. Hockney’s interest is not in what people do, but rather in who they are. “He’s not interested in fame. He’s interested in depicting people and their relationships.” It’s why his eye is primarily trained on his inner circle these days – but it also pays testament to his enduring curiosity that he’s still willing to open that up to a newcomer every so often. Styles seems to know how lucky he is, adding, with a tinge of disbelief: “I’m in awe of the man with enough one-liners for a lifetime.” As to what those one-liners might be? Styles and Hockney’s mutual silence on that question suggests that what happens in the studio, stays in the studio.

via vogue.co.uk

#harry styles #david hockney

[thestylesindependent]

W​​hat’s the secret to a great portrait? At 86 years old, David Hockney has a few ideas. A lifetime of looking has taught him to always start with the face. “I begin with the head first,” he says, matter-of-factly, from his home in France. “From there, I place everything else.”

That was his approach when, late last May, Harry Styles travelled to his light-filled studio in Normandy and stationed himself on a cane chair, ready to become the esteemed artist’s latest subject. Over two days, Hockney worked to capture the exact hues of red and yellow in Styles’s striped cardigan, the indigo of his jeans, the string of pearls at his neck – not to mention the unmistakable tousled fringe of one of the world’s biggest pop stars. For the artist, though, the goal was merely to capture the essence of the person in front of him. “I wasn’t really aware of his celebrity then,” Hockney says, with a shrug. “He was just another person who came to the studio.”

The pair struck up an instant rapport that was likely helped by Styles being a full-on fanboy. For his US Vogue cover shoot in 2020, Styles wore a pair of hand-painted Bode cords that featured a talismanic illustration of Hockney by artist Aayushia Khowala. It’s also hard to imagine the wide-eyed wonder of a flamboyant Brit discovering the sunny thrills and spills of California – a theme, and sound, that has permeated the former One Direction singer’s solo albums – without Hockney as a precedent. “David Hockney has been reinventing the way we look at the world for decades,” says Styles. “It was a complete privilege to be painted by him.”

The unveiling of the portrait kicks off the second iteration of the National Portrait Gallery’s Hockney exhibition Drawing From Life, which first opened in February 2020, only to close weeks later due to the pandemic. With the addition of a new room of pictures charting Hockney’s creative impulses throughout lockdown, the show returns on 2 November – a few months after a refurbishment of the entire museum – with Styles’s portrait as its crown jewel. “The whole world shut down, and the exhibition was still sitting there, in the dark,” recalls Sarah Howgate, the gallery’s senior curator of contemporary collections, who oversaw the exhibition in both phases. “So it’s nice to know it will have another life.”

The Styles painting may bring star wattage, but the unassuming genius of Hockney’s portraiture is still the main exhibition draw. What makes his images tick, you quickly learn, is their honesty: whether in the tension bubbling beneath the surface of his famed double portrait of Ossie Clark and Celia Birtwell, painted between 1970 and ’71, or the seated figures that populated his 2016 Royal Academy of Arts exhibition, which included the likes of his own sister, Margaret, and the late comedian Barry Humphries. Hockney’s eye for the human figure may be playful, often kaleidoscopic, sometimes fantastical – but it’s always, most importantly, frank.

Styles’s portrait will hang alongside those of writer Gregory Evans, Hockney’s printer Maurice Payne, the mayor of his local town Dozulé, his gardener and even his chiropodist, or in Hockney’s words, “the dandy who cuts my toenails” .

One of his more recent subjects was the eminent music producer Clive Davis, who first suggested inviting Styles to swing by. “Clive told me about Harry’s new album, and JP [Hockney’s studio assistant] sent Harry a note and asked him if he’d like to come to my studio and sit for his portrait,” Hockney remembers. “He replied straight away and said, yes, he’d love to.” From there, Hockney’s process of painting Styles was instinctive. “Everybody just came to sit,” he says, breezily, before admitting: “Now I know Harry’s a celebrity, though: I’ve seen all his music videos.”

“He’s not a traditional portrait painter,” says Howgate. Hockney’s interest is not in what people do, but rather in who they are. “He’s not interested in fame. He’s interested in depicting people and their relationships.” It’s why his eye is primarily trained on his inner circle these days – but it also pays testament to his enduring curiosity that he’s still willing to open that up to a newcomer every so often. Styles seems to know how lucky he is, adding, with a tinge of disbelief: “I’m in awe of the man with enough one-liners for a lifetime.” As to what those one-liners might be? Styles and Hockney’s mutual silence on that question suggests that what happens in the studio, stays in the studio.

David Hockney: Drawing From Life will be at the National Portrait Gallery from 2 November to 21 January 2024

#harry styles #august 2023 #david hockney

[laurasimonsdaughter]

Question question, Wizard of Oz is one of my favorite stories/series, and though it was written to be a "modern fairy tale", it's quite different from the tales you talk about here, so I was wondering about your feelings and thoughts on it

My feelings on the Wizard of Oz are a little complicated, so it's probably fair to start with saying that I've only read a Dutch translation of Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz that was probably somewhat shortened. And I've never read the other books in the series. With that said:

I like the Wizard of Oz! It has fun fantasy logic, a plucky heroine, melting witches, fantastic magic shoes, flying monkeys, a mix of 'real magic' and the power of belief, and you can kiss protective stars onto foreheads.

What I don't like, is that it keeps showing up on lists of "most beloved fairy tales", while it really isn't - in my personal opinion - a fairy tale. (Just like Peter Pan, Pinnochio and Alice in Wonderland, but I digress.) I think it's a great example of being inspired by fairy tale elements, but giving them your own spin.

The magical silver shoes, for example, are very like the kind of object you'd find in a fairy tale. They'll remind people of Cinderella's slippers and the Seven League Boots, but also of the gifts (magic nuts, protective necklace, blessed weapon) that fairy tale heroes often get. Letting them be stolen from a witch, however, and making their magic unclear at first and then having them do full teleportation, is much more fantasy than fairy tale.

Another fun twist is Dorothy melting the Wicked Witch with water. This does not come from folklore, but it's such a striking visual that it is pretty much part of American folklore by now. Which in my opinion is a testament to how good of an idea that was! Because it sounds like something that makes sense to defeat an evil witch with. There is folklore scattered about that states witches can't cross running water (like some vampires) and water as a purifying, cleansing thing is deeply routed in all kinds of traditional beliefs.

But at its core The Wonderful Wizard of Oz feels much more like a fantasy travel adventure to me, than like a fairy tale. Most fairy tale characters are archetypal, and their motivations are simple. The story focuses on what happens to them and how they act, but rarely on their inner experiences. This works well for a short tale, because you don't get bogged down in details, but usually starts to drag in a longer format. It's not strange to me that Anderson's The Snow Queen usually gets shortened in retellings, it makes it a full fairy tale instead of a fairy tale-ish saga. Nor that De Villeneuve's Beauty and the Beast only ended up in oral tradition after De Beaumont cut out half the plot. (Elaborate dream sequences are hard to remember when telling stories around the fire).

I feel like The Wonderful Wizard of Oz has far more to say than would have ever fit in a fairy tale. Not just because of the length, but also because of the kind of story it wants to tell. So I personally wouldn't call it a fairy tale, but I do think it added wonderful imagery to our fairy tale telling vocabulary ^^

Also, in my Dutch translation there was a beautiful illustration of Glinda's female guards, dressed in what I now realise must have been inspired by Canadian mounted police uniforms. Child-me thought they were the absolute best <3

#laura babbles #al-pomegranate-seeds #I don't think “old folklore” is more “real” than new folklore #if “everyone knows water melts witches” without remembering how they learned this or why this is the case that's folklore right there #tracing folklore back to its origins is a fun research project or academic endeavor #but the stories do not mind where they come from just as long as they keep getting told

[noodyl-blasstal]

Piano Man

Big thanks to @ceilingfan5 who sang "pretty lizard" to the tune of "pretty woman" this morning, it got stuck in my head, morphed into "pretty wizard" and now we're here. Enjoy below or on Ao3.

-

Kravitz is tired. Kravitz is tireder than tired. Not in body, his hands would keep skimming the keys forever and always if he doesn’t occasionally put them away, and he can’t ever resist singing along to something whether he knows the words or not. No, what Kravitz is tired of is fancy people parties and all the fancy people nonsense that comes along with it.

The pay is good enough, that’s how he knows he won’t walk out, no matter how bad it gets - someone has to keep his apartment paid for - but these parties are always full of the most obnoxious people. His mouth is dry and his back is sore and Lydia, sorry, Ms Adventurezone, because ‘we don’t use first names, darling, it’s uncouth’ has been promising him a break for the last 23 minutes, but every time he winds down she suddenly appears to ask him for just one more song. It looks like she’s on her way to derail his break for the seventh time when someone, a glorious, perfect, wonderful man in a huge elaborate hat steps into her path, blocking her from Kravitz’s view which definitely means she also can’t see him!

Kravitz mentally beams gratitude at his saviour and respectfully doesn’t notice exactly how fantastic the guy’s arse looks in those silky trousers as he finishes up the song. The man is probably just intervening by accident, Kravitz needs to reign in his impulse to romanticise. There’s no deeper plot to rescue him from Lydia’s clutches, but he definitely needs to take advantage and escape while he still can - in fact, it looks like Edward, sorry, Mr Adventurezone, is headed his way. Kravitz will commando roll under this piano to escape if it comes to it. It doesn’t. He cuts the song a few bars early, pretends not to see Edward (ha, take that!) and beelines for the bar.

“Hey Krav, you sound great!” Ren waves in greeting.

“Thanks.” He croaks slightly.

“Say no more.” She laughs as she hands over a glass of water. “I’ll be back with your tea in a tick. Have this in the meantime.” She nudges a plate his way too.

Kravitz smiles his thanks and is already shoving the lemon-y mousse topped biscuit into his mouth. He needs to start eating before he comes to these things. They always say they’ll feed him and it’s rare they bother. Praise the lady for Ren, her fancy cocktail bar for hire tends to mean they coincide at a lot of these events. They very quickly worked out that they had allies in each other and used it to their advantage whenever possible.

“Anyone sat here, handsome?” Asks a voice over his shoulder.

Kravitz prepares to turn away whichever entitled prick is trying to ruin his break, but clamps his mouth shut when he realises it’s his saviour.

“No, no one is, that’s good, that’s fine, it’s free.” Kravitz intends to pat the seat invitingly, panics, withdraws his hand, and ends up caressing it instead. Perfect. An incredibly normal gesture. Maybe the guy will just turn and leave, spare Kravitz from any other awful attempts to flirt.

The man sits down instead.

“Thank you.” Kravitz says, realising slightly too late that the guy probably doesn’t have any idea what he’s thanking him for.

“No problem, I figured you were due a break. I used to work these things before, well, you know.” He waves a hand as if whatever incomprehensible thing he’s alluding to is obvious. “She hates that she has to invite me instead of hiring me. The handle’s Taako, by the way, what’s yours?” He crosses one knee over the other and his trouser leg parts to show a length of dark skin. Kravitz wants desperately to find out exactly how high the split in the thigh goes.

“Kravitz.” Says Kravitz. Focusing on doing anything that isn’t staring intently at Taako’s thigh. Not that Taako seemed to mind, he definitely grinned when he noticed Kravitz go slack jawed. But still, he could have misinterpreted, easier to stick to small talk. “What did you use to do at these things?”

“Steal, mostly, you know, light pick pocketing here, grand theft auto there… the usual stuff.”

Kravitz’s eyes widen. Fuck. He couldn’t tell Sloane about this one, she was already keeping the list of ‘reasons Kravitz isn’t allowed to pick his own men’ and ‘being immediately attracted to possibly a mob boss’ was likely to make it into the top 3.

“I’m joking, Krav.” Taako takes a sip of his drink, swallows slowly, eyeing Kravitz as he does.

Kravitz’s stomach clenches, he likes this, he likes this a lot. Taako’s welcome to observe him as much as he wants, preferably when he’s wearing less.

“Of course. Yes. You got me!” Kravitz manages a short laugh, it’s breathier than he intended it to be.

“Good to see you, Taako!” Ren greets Taako, plonks a cup down in front of Kravitz, winks, and leaves to attend to the disorderly queue because none of these people knew how to wait their turn.

“Do you like these things?” He asks Taako, then sips gently at the tea. It’s sweet, honeyed and fiery with ginger. Ren’s good to him.

“Nope.” Taako says passionately, looks like he means it. “They’re boring as all hell, my guy. No one is any fun.”

“You seem fun, the hat’s definitely fun.” Kravitz points at the spangled monstrosity atop Taako’s head.

“I’m a wizard and a genius, obviously I’m a delight. I meant the rest of them.”

“No one else is worth it?”

“You think Lydia’s fun?”

“I thought she might be if she respects you.”

Taako snorts. “I’ll let you know if that ever happens, but I wouldn’t hold out hope… fuck, speak of the devil.”

Kravitz turns to see Lydia stomping over. By the time he turns back, Taako’s gone.

“Kravitz! There you are.” The vulgarity of first names didn’t extend to talking to ‘the help’ clearly. “You need to be very careful about overdoing your breaks, you were supposed to take 15 at 9 and it’s already half past. You wouldn’t want me to review you badly would you?” She smiles her awful poisonous smile and eyes him with undisguised glee.

Thankfully he knows this dance. There’s no point in arguing. He’s only had 5 minutes and the reason he didn’t go at 9 was because of her, but she’ll just use any rebellion against him. He just nods demurely, finishes his tea in a long gulp, and says. “Of course.”

She looks disappointed about the lack of fight in him, which is exactly what he was hoping for. He leaves without another word.

–

The first few times he thinks he might have imagined it, but Taako is definitely gravitating closer to the piano. Kravitz didn’t notice him at all before, but he’s danced by, walked past, or stopped to look on appreciatively. Kravitz smiles every time he catches his eye and Taako’s even winked back at him a few times, but he needs to do something to show he can be the fun person Taako’s nights are lacking.

Lydia doesn’t seem to notice the Thong Song instrumental he works into the rotation, Taako spits champagne through his nose and claps so hard Kravitz can hear it over the general smattering of applause when he finishes a piece. It emboldens him enough to try something, he just needs to wait for the perfect moment.

Taako finally does a walk by, flicking his gaze to Kravitz as he finishes a song and transitions into Roy Orbison.

“Pretty wizard, walkin’ right past me”

Taako pauses.

“Pretty wizard, the kind I liked to meet Pretty wizard, I don't believe you You're not the truth No one could look as good as you Mercy!”

Taako turns, wide eyed. Points to himself, innocently.

“Pretty wizard, won't you pardon me? Pretty wizard, I couldn't help but see Pretty wizard, that you look lovely as can be Are you lonely just like me? Rwar-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r”

Kravitz gives it beans with the roar, if there’s a bit, he will commit to it. Taako laughs delightedly, it’s worth it.

“Pretty wizard, stop a while Pretty wizard, talk a while Pretty wizard, give your smile to me..eeeeee Pretty wizard, hey hey hey Pretty wizard, saw you look my way Pretty wizard, say you'll stay with me 'Cause I need you, I'll treat you right Will you maybe, dance with me tonight?”

Kravitz wiggles his eyebrows alluringly. Taako laughs, not unkindly, eyes soft, the corners crinkled with mirth. Lydia’s aggressively trying to catch Kravitz’s eye but he resolutely refuses to look away from Taako.

“Pretty wizard, can we go for coffee? Pretty wizard, just you and me? Pretty wizard, I’ll even spring for the whipped cre-eeeaaam”

Taako’s laughing so hard that he’s dabbing his eyes with a handkerchief, trying desperately not to smudge his eye make up.

“Okay I see you’re dairy free, okay I guess I’ll get the coconut cream, but wait I could get you some lactaaaaaaaaaid A scone, or two, or three? I can do that for you, you’ll see! If you’ll just go out with me, Oh, oh, pretty wizard”

Kravitz plunks out the last notes and laughs at Taako lounging dramatically on the front of the piano.

“Here’s Taako’s number, handsome, cha’boy can do dairy and he’s absolutely going to need those three scones tomorrow.”

“Kravitz!” Lydia yells.

He starts playing a jazzy version of Ace of Spades.

“Kravitz! I know you can hear me. We didn’t discuss any deviations from the playlist or the lyrics.” Kravitz nods as if he’s listening to everything she’s saying, and not staring at Taako.

“If you like to eat scones, I tell you I’m your man. Plain, fruit, cherry, they’re not all the same to me. The pleasure is to spread, jam, butter, or cream instead, If a scone is what you need, the only place you should be’s, Paloma’s Bakes, (Paloma’s Bakes)”

#They go on a date and Taako has four scones and Kravitz doesn't complain or resent him for it #It's three months in before Kravitz gets a straight answer about what Taako does #Surprise! He's a super famous chef now #Taakitz #Noodyl Writes #TW alcohol mention #It's just a mention of a place that serves it but I didn't want to jumpscare anyone with the implication.

[antipolin]

Luke Thompson for The Guardian

The actor Luke Thompson, 35, was born in Southampton, grew up in France and trained at Rada. He was nominated for two awards for his first professional role in A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Shakespeare’s Globe. After 10 years in theatre, his screen breakthrough came playing Benedict Bridgerton in the Netflix hit Bridgerton, which will return soon for its third season. On stage, he recently played Willem in A Little Life, opposite James Norton, and is now making his RSC debut as Berowne in Love’s Labour’s Lost.

You recently won a WhatsOnStage award and were nominated for an Olivier for A Little Life. Was that gratifying?

It’s a lovely cherry on the cake of that experience. It’s easy to have an opinion on awards when you haven’t been nominated but actually they mean a lot. I’ve devoted a lot of time and thought to getting better at acting, so it’s incredibly meaningful to be recognised like that.

What was the audience reaction like? There were reports of fainting.

Oh god, yes, everything. There were weeks when it was mad. The craziest one was towards the end of the run. Someone was coughing very loudly during a quiet moment in the play and the show had to stop. It turned out they’d projectile vomited in the dress circle, over other people, who then started retching too, so it was like a chain reaction. I wonder sometimes how much of it is self-perpetuating. The more people come expecting graphic content, the stronger they might react. There’s definitely been an uptick in fainting incidents post-pandemic.

How was working with James Norton?

Fantastic. What I love about James is that he keeps it simple. I don’t know if it’s because of his screen experience but in theatre, the risk of repeating a show over and again is that you start to decorate it and it becomes unrecognisable. Whereas James always wanted to trim the fat and get back to the core of it.

We’re speaking during a break in rehearsals for Love’s Labour’s Lost. Is your RSC debut a big deal for you?

A really big deal. It’s a lovely time to do it as well, when there’s been a changeover of artistic directors. It feels like a fresh page. To be the first production in the big theatre is a real honour.

Director Emily Burns’s production is inspired by billionaire tech bros, right?

The play itself is very Elizabethan. We’ve tried to put it in a modern, more relatable context. It opens with a group of rich, powerful men who are very anxious about what to do with their time, what’s real, what’s honest, what’s fake. We all live in that online world now. It’s also about self-improvement and how to deal with these horrible things [points at his mobile phone].

The play includes Shakespeare’s longest speech. How do you go about learning that?

As always with Shakespeare, there are different versions swimming around but yes, it’s a mouthful. Lines in these great texts work like magic spells. You learn them, repeat them and it stirs things in you. So I mutter it to myself and see what happens. Somehow it’s easier when I’m on the move, but I have to be careful. I’ll be walking down the street and run into someone while reciting lines at full throttle. Then I’ll go quiet because it’s like being caught out.

There’s an ongoing debate about West End ticket prices. Should theatre be more accessible?

Of course. It’s not just about accessibility, it’s about the role of theatre. I sometimes worry it’s for the 0.05% of the population who go all the time but I still believe theatre has a societal function. It’s a bit like politics – you need everyone involved, from as many different backgrounds as possible. Theatre should be the opposite of an echo chamber. It’s about coming together and sharing ideas. That’s increasingly rare nowadays. We’re all stuck behind our screens, slightly uncomfortable with the idea of proper debate and exchange.

Bridgerton series three is imminent. Where do we find your character Benedict?

Things come to a head in terms of trying to work out what he actually wants. When you’re “the spare”, there’s a lack of pressure. Benedict flits around having fun, free and easy, but he’s also paralysed by choice and searching for something more meaningful. He’s quite a modern character in that way: I know a lot of people trying to build meaning in their life.

Is this series as sexy as ever?

Of course. Julia Quinn’s books are romance novels, so it would be a betrayal not to explore that. It’s a genre with its own codes. That’s what’s so delicious about the show. Sometimes it’s dismissed as unserious, but there may be some misogyny in that. People love romance. There’s not enough of it around.

What’s it like seeing your bare backside on screen?

Quite strange. We don’t often get that view of ourselves. In a way, it’s good to keep track of these things.

A disabled character joins the cast this series. Are you proud of Bridgerton’s diversity?

Hugely proud. It’s great to see everybody represented on screen. Disabled people were around in those times. It also gives the lie to the authenticity police who govern how period dramas are done. Particularly in the UK – it happens with Shakespeare productions as well – there’s a whole army of people ready to insist that it’s supposed to be like a museum piece. It’s often governed by a nostalgia for something that never even existed. Bridgerton’s not a documentary, it’s a drama. In drama, you can do whatever the fuck you want, Shakespeare wrote history plays that are completely inaccurate historically and no one gives him any shit about that. I guess partly because he’s dead. But it’s a poetic reality and Bridgerton is no different.

What’s it like learning Regency dance styles for ballroom scenes?

Great fun. I have to be careful with spoilers or I’ll get arrested, but I get a nice dancing moment this season. It’s fascinating when you understand these dances as basically like a dating app. They get people to speak, touch, be close – then literally swipe to the next row.

Luke Newton plays Colin Bridgerton. Does it ever get confusing with two Lukes playing brothers?

It’s OK because I tend to be referred to as “Lukey T” and he’s “Newts”. There’s a whole flurry of acting Lukes suddenly. Later in the RSC season, Luke Thallon is playing Hamlet. I grew up thinking I was the only Luke in the village but it’s back in fashion. We’re all roughly the same age, so there must have been a Luke moment back in the late 80s/early 90s!

What do people tend to come up and say when they recognise you?

It’s always a lovely exchange. The breadth of people who are Bridgerton fans is heartwarming. Although once someone asked: “Are you from Bridgerton?” I evaded the question a little bit, then saw her Google “Bernard Bridgerton” on her phone, which made me laugh. Who’s Bernard? Another came up with a photo of Jonny Bailey [who plays Lord Anthony Bridgerton] and said: “This is you, isn’t it?” I was like: “Well, obviously not. We play brothers, sure, but we look quite different.” The funniest was on a plane to New York recently with some of the Bridgerton lot. The air steward came up to Claudia [Jessie, who plays Eloise Bridgerton] and said: “Oh my god, you look like Eloise from Bridgerton!” She pointed at me and said: “And doesn’t he look like the brother?” The air steward said: “Oh, I wish!” So apparently I look shit in real life.

Which fellow actors do you admire?

I just saw American Fiction and the whole cast were terrific but Sterling K Brown was particularly great as the brother. It was just simple, warm, easy acting. It was also lovely to see Jeffrey Wright front and centre for a change.

What theatre have you enjoyed recently?

I loved An Enemy of the People with Matt Smith and had the best time at Sunset Boulevard. It was so fun, sexy and exciting.

How do you relax when you’re not working?

I’m a pianist. I’ve played since I was a kid and did all the grades. Sometimes acting can feel like you’re always deferring to other people and don’t have much control but piano is something entirely yours. I can sit down, play classical stuff for two or three hours, and not notice the time pass. I’d be up for including it in an acting job someday.

Do you have a dream role? It’s a terrible cliche to say you want to play Hamlet, but most actors do. And I’d love to play Iago, mainly because a casting director once told me: “You can’t play Iago because you’re too nice.” That’s such a misunderstanding of how evil works. It’d be nice to explore something a little bit more unpleasant.

#Luke Thompson #Bridgerton #Bridgerton cast #Benedict Bridgerton

[quasi-normalcy]

Best Episodes of Star Trek by season (Revised and Expanded).

TOS:

"The City on the Edge of Forever" - Still probably Trek's best time travel plot. Would have been interesting if there had been more episodes by Harlan Ellison.

"The Trouble with Tribbles" - The fact that it manages to be hilarious and have good commentary about ecology and taking animals out of their natural habitat makes it peak Star Trek.

"Day of the Dove" - Kang is a formidable antagonist, and the commentary about how hatred and violence can seem to feed on themselves and become their own justification is evergreen.

"The Slaver Weapon" - This one's maybe a bit clunkily written, but I like the novelty of adapting Larry Niven's "known space" to Star Trek

TNG:

"Where No One Has Gone Before" - This one does what Star Trek so rarely manages: to make the universe seem huge and mysterious and full of wonders

"The Measure of a Man" - Like the best science fiction, this one takes a novum (the idea of a mechanical man), traces its implications legally, socially, and philosophically, and ends up shedding new light on the human condition. Brilliant.

"The Best of Both Worlds, Part 1" - This one is just an absolute master class in tension-building and enshrines the Borg as one of the greatest villains on television. There has seldom been such a good cliffhanger.

"Family" - What's interesting about this one is, it really doesn't have any science fiction trappings at all; it doesn't need them. Because, by this point, we're all so invested in the characters that we can watch an hour-long story about the captain recovering from trauma. It's also a major turning point in that we see that actions can have lasting consequences on episodic television.

"I, Borg" - Here, we establish a fascinating tension within the Borg: collectively, they're absolutely terrifying; individually, they're as innocent as any entity ever could be. Plus, we just get brilliant performances and a nice little story about not letting trauma lead you to commit evil acts.

"Face of the Enemy" - Troi was mostly ill-used, so it's really nice to see her kicking all kinds of ass here. Also, it gives us Commander Torreth, a character who is noble, virtuous, sympathetic, and heroic, but who is cast as a villain simply because politics place her in opposition to our heroes.

"All Good Things..." - Simply the perfect finale for this series.

DS9:

"Duet" - This is when you knew that Deep Space Nine was going to be a great series. Powerful performances and a great twist at the end.

"The Circle" - Really this is for the entire three-part arc of which this was the middle installment. It's a shame that they stopped focusing on Bajor later in this series, because it's so good here.

"Improbable Cause" - Garak at his most magnificent versus Odo as a great detective. Fantastic.

"Bar Association" - One really must admire an American TV series from the Clinton Administration that would favourably quote the Communist Manifesto.

"In the Cards" - One of Trek's best comedy episodes, and its embedded in such a dark story arc that it really stands out. Nog and Jake accidentally making everyone's lives a little better as they try to do something nice for Sisko.

"In the Pale Moonlight" - Easily the best 'subverting utopia' episode in DS9's run. We see that heroes do not emerge cleanly from war.

"Tacking into the Wind" - This one pays off two arcs--Klingon politics and the Cardassian/Bajoran conflict--that had been building across a decade's worth of stories, and does so brilliantly.

VOY:

"Jetrel" - This is why I have no time tor people who hate Neelix. The character is just heartbreaking here.

"The Thaw" - Probably the most surreal episode Trek has ever done, with a truly chilling (but satisfying) ending.

"Distant Origin" - This one just has a fantastic premise. What if there was a species descended from the Dinosaurs? What if there was a Dinosaur Galileo? Plus, it's so interesting to do a whole episode that's mostly told from the aliens' point of view.

"Living Witness" - This one has everything; action, social commentary, and a nifty little story about how commitment to historical truth is ultimately good for everyone. Possibly the best episode of the franchise overall, honestly.

"Bride of Chaotica!" - Neither the first nor last holodeck episode, but the holodeck episode par excellence; and such a loving tribute to 1930s sci-fi serials.

"Blink of an Eye" - Just a nifty little episode about a planet where time runs quickly. Voyager at its best is just really good sci-fi short stories.

"The Void" - A ship lost and alone, running low on supplies, and needing to make alliances in order to survive. THIS is what Voyager *should* have been like all along

ENT:

"The Andorian Incident" - Gives is one of Enterprise's best characters in Shran, and offers some much needed development for two of Star Trek oldest alie races. I also love that the Vulcans really were in the wrong here.

"The Minefield" - A tense character study for Malcolm Reed which also shows us first contact between Earth and one of Star Trek's best villains.

"The Forgotten" - One thing that Enterprise did better than any other series is how it handled death. Here, we get a nice meditation on grief, plus a deconstruction of the "Redshirt" phenomenon.

"Terra Prime" - What makes this one work so well is that the things that the yobs in Terra Prime are saying about Vulcans sound only slightly more extreme than some of the things that Archer and Trip were saying in the first season. Thus, Enterprise converts one of its worst aspects into an opportunity for growth. Still Trek's best commentary on the alt-right.

DIS:

"Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad" - In the midst of the doom and gloom of the firstvseason, it was mice to see that Trek could still pull off a comedy episode.

"Through the Valley of Shadows" - Pike learns his fate and accepts it nonetheless. Because he's a hero, dammit.

"Unification III" - One of the things that Disco going a thousand years into the future allows is for *really* long-term story arcs to be paid off; here, we find that Vulcans and Romulans have finally merged back into one culture.

"Species Ten-C" - Just a very good science fiction story about learning how to talk to aliens who aren't even remotely human.

PIC:

"The Impossible Box" - Soji's identity finally comes to a head; we get some really nice world building for the Romulans and the XBs; and Picard learns to look at the Borg in a new light.

"Penance" - This episode had what the rest of season 2 so sorely wanted: a plot. Plus, we get a delightful scene between Picard and Q and the first seeds of the magnificent Jurati/Borg Queen pairing. What's not to love?

"No Win Scenario" - This episode had what I loved best about TNG: a bunch of really smart people solving a problem by being clever. Plus, we have Shaw's heartbreaking monologue, Seven being awesome, Riker throwing an asteroid at Vadic, and a nice moment of awe and majesty with the space babies. Also, Jack's stupid mystery box plot had barely started up at this point, so that helps.

LWD:

"No Small Parts" - Where Lower Decks excels is not in expanding the universe, but in deepening it. Here, we get one of the best "not so harmless" moments ever with the return of the Pakleds, some genuinely really impressive space battle scenes, and Boimler finally getting the respect he deserves.

"wej Duj" - What's great about this episode is that it could *only* be done by Lower Decks. Again, we deepen the universe by showing inside views of the Klingon and Vulcan cultures, resolve an ongoing story arc, and get some good gags and character development in as well. And the end-credits gag is absolutely hilarious.

SNW:

"Crisis Point 2: Paradoxus" - We use a holodeck gag to get a genuinely poignant commentary on humanity's search for meaning in the face of death. Plus, I also love the secondary message: it doesn't matter if everyone else hates a piece of media, it's good if it's meaningful to *you*

"Something Borrowed, Something Green" - Backstory for Tendi, the Orions become a top-shelf Alien race, T'Lyn gets some banger lines, and we get Twin Twains

"Children of the Comet" - We get a fascinating premise, a fascinating new alien race, and more character development in one hour than Uhura got in the preceding 56 years.

"Ad Astra Per Aspera" - A nifty and timely courtroom drama that shows us the complications of civil rights cases.

PRO:

"Let Sleeping Borg Lie" - I'm glad that a new generation will grow-up being horrified/fascinated by the Borg. As it should be!

(These ones were a lot harder to pick than the worst ones)

#the original series #the next generation #deep space nine #voyager #enterprise #discovery #picard #lower decks #prodigy #strange new worlds

[wreckingtickles]

For the ask game, how about Bakugou? I know you have him in your series, but who can ever get enough of wrecking this grouchy little shit?

I have so many ideas for him, and his story will be so packed that I wonder if I'll ever finish it lol This is so hard to respond to because my desire to wreck him exceeds my ability to come up with scenarios - and I can come up with a lot of them. Better yet, he'd deserve every single minute of it.

The other great thing about him is that you can toy with his pride so much. Everything is humiliating, both being ticklish/tickled and demanding that it stop because he can't take it, it's a fantastic catch 22 for his ego. His story will definitely include him being forced to say things that he regards as humiliating. And it's also so much fun past that point, when he's forced to divest himself what little pride he has left and just beg his lungs out even when he's not being tickled into doing that.

Right, a setup. And uh, I really can't choose! I'll leave cute and mushy things aside because so many other writers have written them, and have written them well. The same pretty much goes for dares, interrogations, and punishments. (But I am not sated. Not nearly sated.)

One funny thing I noticed is that when I think about Quirks in ticklish settings, it's always about how well they could be used on Bakugo specifically. So I enjoy the idea of him criticizing everyone's Quirk and then pretty much all of Class 1-A demonstrating how wrong he is by running him through a tickling gauntlet (fun fact, I was the anon who requested @intheticklecloset's "Versatile", hope she doesn't mind the tag), at the end of which lies Shoji. And then... it's Class 1-B's turn XD

This would be too OOC, unless Shindo snapped and mind-controlled everyone lol It could even be a day that no one in UA remembers except for Shindo and Bakugo, who looks strangely exhausted and bashful the next day.

But since I also enjoy twisting canon events, the LoV insisting that he release a public statement where he declares that the hero system is broken and he has joined the villains after kidnapping him, him refusing, and then tickling him (can't leave any marks!) until he agrees to record it would be golden. Like maybe Toga starts teasing him, and he has such an explosive reaction that her sadism is piqued and she starst legit tickling him (wondering if Izuku is ticklish too). The way he was bound, his armpits would be difficult to reach, and she can't skitter her nails across his belly too well, but his ribs are very easy to target. She even takes off his shirt to make it worse.

Either at Shigaraki's orders or because Bakugo is Todoroki's classmate, Dabi joins in next. But that's not enough and they're getting bored (Toga is planning to actually go after Izuku now), so they lift his arms over his head and now his entire upper body is ready for the taking too, and they leave extracting the video to Twice's clones.

With his whole upperbody getting it, Bakugo agrees to shoot the video, but he's actually lying, he just wanted the tickling to stop, and spits at the camera, so the clones resume, going after his thighs too and taking off his shoes and socks as well to get at his feet. Twice even hints that maybe this will be the video they release, not the confession, just to mess with him.

This time they don't stop when he gives in, they continue for a while longer to make it very clear he should not have messed with them. He records the message, but then the clones resume tickling him full-force as punishment for taking so long. Heck, maybe there are even Ohmus with sensitivity-enhancing Quirks in the basement...

#mha tickle #bnha tickle #my headcanons #lee!bakugo #lee!bakugou

[co-mixed]

Fall of X (either a breakdown or a rant)

Full of spoilers 

We all know Marvel has an affinity for soft reboots. It seems things are going to change radically. But then after a big boom nothing really changes. I personally am still wondering whether Fall of X is going to be like that or if it’s about to shake up the status quo (again). 

I don’t know. I hope changes are coming because Krakoa isn’t my type of setting. But even if not much is changing, I’m still here for the ride. Because the ride is really something.

What’s up

After yet another Hellfire Gala things go awry because of a series of simultaneously executed attacks. Because the majority of Mutants are forcibly relocated from Earth (supposedly), we are left with a small group. Among them are Kamala (who is still coming to terms with even being a mutant), Emma (who is rightfully pissed but surprisingly well prepared), Nightcrawler (who is now spider-man), Firestar (playing a traitor), Shadowkat (who now kills) and some others. 

See that’s why this arc works for me. Everyone is pushed to their absolute limit, and everything they do now is dictated by revenge and despair. Say whatever you want, functional and healthy doesn’t work in fiction quite as well as the opposite.

That’s why I already love this event. 

Nostalgic vibes

It started for me with Mutant First Strike. An attack on a small town is staged by Orchis to look like an act of mutant aggression. We see a Krakoan relief team at work and it’s quite enjoyable. Because the whole thing reminds me of the classic X-men motto - protecting those who fear and hate them. It’s an idea that Krakoa stepped away from and for me, it never felt true to the core idea of the series. 

And then, narratively, the story pushes you back to the good old Civil War days and Stamford. 

Naturally, you see propaganda at work, Orchis and comrades spinning the events to present a twisted image of what had happened. It’s vivid and very actual. But that’s when I felt that the classic X-men aren’t really that far gone. 

Reliving past experiences

The event sure has many great storylines. Like yet again Jean dies (or so, again, we think). This leads us to a story by Louise Simonson which kinda works as a stunning epilogue for the character. Jean goes back to pivotal events in her life and wonders what could she have done differently. A what-if style story that Simonson gets very right because come on, mutant legend here. The issue with time-displaced Jean stuck with me more than the rest. Maybe it’s because I genuinely enjoy AUs, or maybe it’s because Jean is still very much a plot device and her young version isn’t. She also makes a pretty sick old-school Magneto.

The other arcs are about Phoenix and Maddie. The former is as big and bad as ever, the latter just reminds you how lousy some characters have it. Maddie really deserves better (but that’d be boring).

Jean though… she comes to terms with all she’s ever done and accepts it. I mean… if there’s a perfect moment to let her die for good, this is it. But what are the chances… 

Origins

I love an origin story, the last one I got with Escapade (loved it!), but now it’s Ms. Marvel. Let’s skip the story of why she has to be a mutant and get to the interesting stuff. Kamala is all about her identity. Her hobbies, her family, her friends and teams, being inhuman, hero, etc. But as soon as she awakes on Krakoa, she embraces another identity. And see, I love how she almost immediately puts on an X-men uniform. (Unlike Disney’s Kamala who just throws away mutation as another label! What’s wrong with ya girl???) 

Anyway, before she gets to snap on the X-belt, she has a fantastic exchange with Emma. Because let’s be fair, no one schools teens better than Emma. When Emma continuously tells Kamala that she has to be really careful because being a mutant on Krakoa and being a PR stunt for a thriving nation is one thing, but living what they’ve been living before is completely different. and now with Orchis getting the upper hand, it’s straight up terrifying. Of course, Kamala doesn’t listen, she actually rushes into it because she wants to stand with her fellow mutants and that’s amazing (regardless of her mutant power never having been activated). Which is another thing well approached. It’s not even about power, but it’s about who you are.

Multi-layered, right? From Hellfire Gala we spin into the story co-written by Sabir Pirzada and Iman Vellani. It’s a character story with a ton of self searching and it’s definitely something that hasn’t been as common for mutants lately. More of them deserve their own arcs away from teams. I don’t know how well Marvel’s gonna do with separating Ms. Marvel from the X-men but so far she has enough on her plate. Plus, the character’s pretty popular so… who knows. 

This was definitely one of my favorite runs in this event. 

Weddings (and still no funerals) 

But let’s get back to Emma. If life on 616 is a chess board, Emma is a queen. You always expect her to be two steps ahead of everyone and she’s been very very smug. But after the gala she, while still reasonably prepared, is devastated. She believes the cuckoos are dead, her teammates are scattered, and she is pissed at everyone. Plus, she doesn’t know it but Kate’s killing humans now. Things are pretty bad. 

She teams up with Tony, things for him suck too with Feilong taking over his company and tech. In the process, comics threw in giant iron-man-looking sentinels which is something I’d love to see in the MCU. So Emma and Tony accidentally come across each other while fighting an iron sentinel, and end up in sewers plotting revenge on Feilong. 

That’s what leads to their “wedding”. No, they aren’t actually married, and Emma didn’t even use her real identity. But you know what… you know what? Emma and Tony have always had good chemistry and despite this being an almost business relationship, it really should be more. I mean if anyone could be a power couple… they’d be like ‘Roro and T’Challa but without the crown. And we could use a power couple. Not like Scott and Jean who are pretty much just a couple and not like Emma and Scott, the living proof that behind every mediocre man, there’s a great woman. 

So yeah I’m rooting for them. Give me a fake relationship romance in the middle of my superhero story. Note - all the fun parts happen in Invincible Iron Man, not in any of the X-Men titles. 

Where the hell is Storm?

I already mentioned that Krakoa was attacked but so was Arakko. And this is where I have some room for a negative rant. I don’t particularly enjoy this sci-fantasy setting. It gave Storm and Sunspot a couple of good stories mostly showcasing their power and smarts. But really, I think they both should be on Earth. Arakko mutants are really random, their dynamic is very fantasy-like, they have no thought-out place in any story so they’re stuck between being an interstellar problem and something four or five mutants from Earth have to deal with. Neither really works. Not for me anyway, and this is my breakdown. 

The amazing Spider… crawler 

Kurt’s never been bitten by a radioactive spider but yet there he is, wearing Peter Parker’s backup suit, and getting into a complicated ship with Silver Sable. The fun part is he’s doing whatever (or whoever) a spider would do. All the elements of a classic spider story assist Kurt in trying to reimagine himself and atone for the little murder rampage. But of course, being a mutant and pretty much banned from Earth, how well do we think this is gonna go? I love this run because it’s a fun mix and again, character-centric. Plus, it has romance or at least strong character chemistry. And to make things more interesting a distressed delirious Mystique is running around. Meanwhile, in another book, Destiny is falling apart because she believes Mystique is dead. 

Let them people go

Actually, this is one of two other arcs I don’t particularly get. One focuses on the misplaced mutants on a piece of Krakoa with Mother Righteous, Hope, and Exodus with religious euphoria turned up to a 100. Does Krakoa sound more and more like a cult? Yeah, it does. 

And then Realm of X is Saturnyne again. I was tired of her after X of Swords. So I read it for continuity but I don’t really feel like talking about any of it. Skip. 

Everyone gets an arc

Iceman gets a solo arc. He’s dead and preserved by his inhuman boyfriend. The concept is certainly interesting and I’m excited to know what’s happening next. Because if there is poetry in it, I’d like to see where it leads. 

I love when mutants mingle with the rest of the world as much as possible. That’s probably why I was pretty happy to see Unity Squad back in action. It’d be absurd for the rest of the heroes to just ignore mutant issues like they often do. So only fair that they try and rebuild at least some of the trust. Can’t be easy with heavy propaganda but will definitely open up possibilities for creating good stories.

Here we go again

I definitely have to mention murderous Shadowkat. All her recent development culminates in that. And it’s pretty damn realistic. On one side, who can blame her? On the other, kill no human and all that. 

But to me, that’s what Krakoa was always about. Not peaceful coexistence (which may not even be possible) but a utopia that eventually leaves you hollow and angry. Which brings to mind parallels with Jasmine’s world peace from Angel s4. 

Also, this again reminds us how cultish Krakoa is (was?).

Kate’s actions though, like Emma’s are rooted in despair. Both are convinced that the desert-dwelling portion of non-combatant mutants is dead forever. That feels sorta like Age of X-man, in my opinion, unfairly hated for no good reason by many fans. I genuinely enjoyed that arc. But remember how Blindfold kept saying that this is forever and Scott was convinced she meant that everyone else is forever gone. Yep, same thing. (Except it’s with the Five alive and well so resurrection is still present. And still bugs me a lot.) 

I’m still not fully caught up on what’s up with everyone. For instance, I haven’t been keeping tabs on Rogue and Gambit, mostly because first their Excalibur stint bored me and then they lost the spark they had when they weren’t married. I might still change my mind but I’m not holding my breath.

I might not like everything that’s going on but there are arcs and runs I enjoyed immensely and that’s more than enough reason for me to keep coming back to X-runs. 

All that writing and I still forgot Children of the Vault. What's even up with them? Idk but looks interesting.

#x men #xmen #marvel #marvel characters #marvel comics #mutants #long reads #comics #comic books #krakoa #fall of x #jean grey #emma frost #kurt wagner #kate pryde #iron man

[ravenwitch45]

the helluva boss episode exes and oohs just came out. what do you think?

I enjoyed it quite a lot, the characters were great, and the revelations explained a lot which I always like. Of course spoilers but that's in the tags, either way let's get more in depth on my thoughts.

First the whole, Moxxie is from a mob family thing, I was a little surprised but ultimately it explains a lot about him, how he is quite refined yet knows weapons well, he was forced into it which ties into his occasional reluctance to kill, like with Martha. Which... oh lord do we get a good reason why it didn't feel right to him, won't say it here but oh my...

Second we got a lot of M&M stuff this episode, which is cool, they both care about eachother so much, it's so cute.

Also full on flashbacks backstory, which means, Baby Moxxie! Oh he's so cute. Now I want to see Baby Millie so badly. Also we get to see his parents.

His Dad Crimson, which... egh, he's an asshole but not too surprised to be honest, all the boys got bad dads it seems. I won't go too in depth though on him though. Moxxie deserved better.

We also get to see his mom, who was actually a good parent, thank lucifer, one of the good parents didn't di-

DAMNNIT! Well moving on...

Millie kicked some fucking ASS! Seriously her parents could not be more wrong about her. I loved this honestly.

Honestly, a fun, chaotic, and grand ride, another episode I love truly! Now am I forgetting somethi- Oh Right!

Chaz! I loved this lanky bastard! He was spunky and fun, a bit of an ass but hey not surprising. I love his design, being all dark teals and greens was a great shakeup from the usual reds and the whole bone theme was awesome.

Also apparently he's an ex of both Moxxie AND Millie. I expected it with Moxxie but not with Millie that's for sure. Kinda wish we learned how their relationship was but not too upset. Still wonder how they met.

I would say I can't wait til we see him again but it seems he got killed off (sigh) well theres always fanfiction, this guys livin in my AU but over all, this was a great episode, I loved it, still thinking about it and man did it give me ideas for stuff, keep up the good work Helluva Crew, Season 2 has been fantastic so far.

#ask reply #helluva boss #helluva boss spoilers #helluva boss s2 ep3 #blitzo #I just realized I had nothing to say about his role wow things change #helluva moxxie #helluva millie #helluva crimson #helluva chaz #I am hoping for a fake out but not holding my breath

[bomberqueen17]

stressy

so today we got up, and i drank some coffee and made some plans for the day, because huzzah, no work today due to driving bans still in effect also the parking lot at work has not and cannot be plowed. 

First order of business was to shovel out the driveway though, so I ate half a granola bar and girded myself in snow gear and out we went. We own a small snowblower, which has a mouth that can take up to about twelve inches of snow. Given that the total for our area was around 49″, that wasn’t gonna work. But what we could do, was use the snow shovels and a garden spade to shovel out a patch, and then chop the snow drifts into that patch and run the snowblower over that patch again and again, to take the snow and fling it up over the very high snowbanks.

So we did that, Dude and I, for an hour and some change. And at the end of it, we had busted the huge drift that was blocking us off from the street.

So we came inside and had toast for breakfast, and congratulated ourselves. and then I set to work on cleaning the house. Farmsister and her family are staying here on the night of the 1st, and the guest bedroom is full of my clothes and the living room is full of all the debris I never unpacked from various trips back and forth and back and forth to the cabin.

First thing I did was fasten some adhesive hooks to the wall where my coat rack fell down last year; I’ve been keeping my coats in a pile on the floor ever since because if I put them into the closet I lose them forever. That was a great start, but then I... think the stress of the last couple of days weeks months really caught up, and i spent the next several hours wandering fretfully in circles. I did get a lot of tidying done but in tiny intervals, cycling among tasks in little microbursts of activity that, while productive, were not in any way organized.

I did make a hearty lunch-- we have no milk in the house, so when I made box mac n cheese I had to use sour cream-- and we had a few lil smokies sausages left, so what I did was that I browned an onion for a very long time in butter, then threw the lil smokies in, chopped, and then deglazed the pan with some pasta water, and stirred in the sour cream to that and then added the cheese powder and then the cooked macaroni and voila, gourmet, bone apple teeth. We needed something substantial after all that shoveling.

Dude caught on that I was stressed, and asked what he could clean. i asked him to clean off the bathroom counter. He spent two hours on this, which is fantastic-- removed every item, considered it, and threw it out if it wasn’t still good, and put it back if it was still good. Now that counter is presentable. The floor is not, but he did the tub last week, so it’s almost like grown people live in this house.

I found my long-lost kindle, which had slipped into a drawer in the sewing desk in the living room. i also de-silted the sewing desk, so I could set up my new electric spinning wheel there. Am very excited about that. Also excited because my mother gave me an enormous bag of beautifully prepared wool from Battenkill Fibers, a gorgeous silky longwool of some kind, pin-drafted, just off-white, suitable for dyeing.

I wanted to write. I’m so so so close to an update for Awakening. And I’m not like. *far* off from an update for Golden Towers. I want to finish both by the end of the year, know I won’t manage it, but at least I might finish the first one. I have so many ideas; I put a bunch of little things into the Wanksmas round, and some will wind up being in the main continuity and some will not. I wrote neither smut nor really to any of the prompts, but I did manage drabbles, and really it’s just nice to be involved in something.

(One thing I wrote, I left on anon by adding it to the anonymous collection. Wonder if anyone will guess which one it was!)

Anyway, we hiked over to Dude’s mom’s house again, where she had prepared christmas dinner for just us. A twelve-pound ham, split three ways! but there was nothing to be done, no room for the whole thing in the freezer. We couldn’t get Dude’s aunt there, due to the driving bans; she’s not quite spry enough anymore to walk that last tenth of a mile in the deep snow, and her oven isn’t working well enough to have her host it (Dude’s mom could probably make the walk and we could’ve picked her up, but it wasn’t worth the logistical hassle and, to be fair, it is rather a difficult walk.)

oh i forgot to finish this entry. Well, I’ll post it this morning. We had a lovely dinner of Too Much Ham and some very decadent potatoes and of course the variant on greenbean casserole that his family eats. And we helped her clear some snow from shrubberies in her front yard, and had intended to help clear her driveway but her neighbors had already done so. No plows have been by so there’s not much point doing more.

I’m terribly sore now from shoveling and moving boxes to clean the house. I’m glad I did as much as I did heavy lifting-wise yesterday. Now it’s morning and I’ve awoken before 5 to discover that yeah I’ve mildly fucked up my back, so that’s awesome. But I have had many healing cat snuggles and also like a handful of ibuprofen so I have some hopes of the situation resolving itself.

I can confirm that about four more inches of snow fell overnight but it looks to be fluffy so we’ll be fine.

#about the author #real life #blizzard of '22

[yukidragon]

Is there any picture of Alice’s family? It would be cool to see them or doodle an idea what they look like :0

Sadly, I haven't been able to draw for a while now due to health reasons, and it might be a while longer before I can again. (Don't worry, it's nothing serious.) A friend of mine offered to draw the oldest three King girls for me though, which is super sweet of her.

I have made picrews of some of the family members to serve as a general idea to work from when I do eventually draw them. It's what I did before drawing Alice's concept sheet too. I find picrews to a good place to consider character appearance in broad strokes.

I'll share some of those picrews with you all if you're curious about my current general ideas. Remember, their designs (and some of their names) aren't completely set in stone yet, as I still need to draw them when I can. This just helps me better get a picture in my mind of what they look like.

As a heads up, each individual picrew can be pretty limited in its options. Sometimes skin tone, eye color, hair type, etc. just won't match with the look I'm going for. These are just the picrews that come closest to what I have in mind right now.

First up is Mama King, who I'm considering naming Lycoris or Lily.

Picrew

Soft, sweet, cuddly, short of stature but big of heart, Mama King absolutely loves her family more than anything else in the world. There's nothing she won't do to protect them and what they love.

Mama King is not only a great mother, but she's also fantastic at growing plants and has won many awards over the years. This is what led to a pretty good business online selling flowers that have been made into charming jewelry and other forms of art by her creative and loving spouse.

The family home has a decent sized plot of land to allow Mama to grow as many plants as she likes. Her gardens are truly a sight to behold, and her one of a kind flowers are to die for.

As you might have guessed, Alice has gotten a few features from her mom, such as her height, curly hair, and her wonderfully soft and cuddly hugs. The coloration, however, was something she inherited from her Papa.

Picrew

I'm still trying to decide on Papa King's name, but I've got a pretty solid idea of what he looks like. Tall, slender, and pale, this proud papa stands out in a crowd, though sometimes under some shade with sunscreen and shades on if it's someplace out in the sunlight. Sadly, being albino means you're more prone to sunburns, and his eyes are more sensitive than most. The picrew can't really give what I have in mind justice, but their eyes are a mixture of pale blue and red due to the lack of pigment.

Papa King is a sensitive soul who loves creating stylish trinkets and jewelry. He struggles with conflict, so their wife is his knight in shining armor much of the time, and that's one of the reasons why they fell in love with her. He also loves their wonderful children, as well as all the cats and dogs the family own. Though quite the homebody, his life is very full with such a busy house and their creative projects, as well as running the business he owns with their wife.

The oldest child of the King family probably doesn't really need an introduction. I mean, I drew Alice and mentioned her on this tumblr plenty of times before. Still, it feels sad to leave her out, so here's a picrew of her and Jack holding hands and dressed for a date.

Picrew

Why yes I'm shameless about my OTP. Welcome to my blog. I hope you enjoy the sweet vanilla and spice.

Eventually I'll make a post with the picrews that I used to help me make Alice's concept sheet, but that's for another time. Now onto the next child in this big, happy family.

Picrew

The second oldest was named Barbara Anne, but you'd be forgiven for not knowing that, as everyone calls her Barbie, with her siblings sometimes just calling her Bar. (Alice was the one who first started using that particular nickname when they were very little and it just stuck around.)

Barbie is practically the opposite of her sweet and doting parents. She's a prickly, snarky, and sarcastic misanthrope who prefers animals and 2D characters to humans. Her personality and large stature are usually enough to ward people off. She's taken after her dad with her height and her mom with having a larger frame. Though she's a nerdy otaku, if she hits you, it's going to hurt.

Barbie isn't shy to let people know to back off and leave her alone, quick to deliver barbs and tease others mercilessly if they don't buzz off. Still, like any true tsundere, get past her prickly exterior and there's a softer side that's full of genuine love and affection waiting underneath. The only people she cares about currently are her family and the few friends she made online... and eventually a suitor who is going to need to be a good boy and heel at her command if he wants a chance of making puppies with her.

The most striking thing about Barbie is her eyes. She has central heterochromia, which means both of her eyes are a mixture of brown and blue, not unlike how Papa King's are a mixture of red and blue. She practically lives in t-shirts and sweatpants, which often are themed around anime and games she likes, or offensive snark. Her hair is always a mess, and she keeps it cropped short most of the time so that she doesn't have to bother with it.

Barbie is good with computers and isn't above a little hacking or trolling. Though she's moved out of the King house, she's doing just fine in her own apartment, making money by scamming crypto scammers and the like, among other more legitimate and actually legal jobs.

Don't tell anyone about her secret double life as a streamer with a cutesy anime waifu virtual avatar. She'll make your life hell if you do.

Picrew

Next up is Coraline. I already made a post talking about her and showing off a few of her picrews, so I'll just lightly touch on what I have in mind for her design. She's average height (making her a little taller than big sis Alice), with brown eyes, looks very sickly, and while most of her very curly hair is brown, it lacks some pigment in places. She still lives at home due to her health, and every morning Mama braids her hair up nice and neat, only for it to eventually come increasingly undone and messy by the end of the day. She favors comfortable clothes like sweaters and sweatpants.

The most signature piece of Coraline's look is her pendant. I've actually mentioned the pendant before in a previous post... or at least Alice's version of the pendant and the fact that each King child got one when they were born.

Mama King proposed to Papa with a bouquet of blue roses that she grew specially for them . Blue roses are said to be an impossible flower naturally, very rare, and growing them was her way of showing that she loved him enough to do the impossible for them. Papa preserved each one of the flowers in resin and whenever they're expecting a child, he crafts one into a custom necklace for the child, which is engraved with the baby's name and the date of their birth after they're born.

As an aside, if one of the kids ever wanted to change their name for whatever reason, Papa would be more than happy to alter the inscription to their new name.

The rest of the kids are vague as of the moment, but I know there are at least 4 more of them. They'll be fleshed out eventually over time, along with the pets and any other details about this happy family.

I hope you liked what I've got to share with you so far about the King family, and thanks for showing interest in them. I'm always happy to know that people enjoy my OCs. 💖

@channydraws @earthgirlaesthetic @sai-of-the-7-stars @cheriihoney @illary-kore @okamiliqueur

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