#Natalie Shaw

[starlitangels]

Costumes

I missed my children OMG it feels so nice to have them back 1.9k words

—

"Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!" Natalie shouted. Her little feet thundered down the stairs. She had excitement in her voice but David still looked up in concern. "Look, look, look!"

She ran into view around the corner.

"Ta-daaa!" She spun in a circle.

Oh, thank God, David thought.

His six-year-old daughter was standing in a black-and-white checkered overall dress with a white shirt underneath and her red rain boots. Her hair had been pulled into a pair of pigtail braids. There was a basket on her arm.

The obvious clue of her costume was the vibrant red cape with the hood pulled up and bobby-pinned to her hairline.

His mate had, once again, outdone themself. Not that he was surprised. They loved dressing the kids up for Halloween. And them being them, always had to be Extra™ about it.

"You look so good, Natty!" David said with a small smile.

She giggled and ran at him, leaping for a hug. David caught her and hoisted her up to sit her on his hip.

"Are you excited to wear your costume to school today?"

She nodded so hard it seemed like she'd almost throw her hood off even with the bobby pins. "Uh-huh! It's gonna be so fun!" She balled her fist in the chest of David's shirt. "Guess what Gabe's going as!"

David leaned closer to her, conspiratorially (as if his mate hadn't told him months ago). "Who?" he asked quietly.

Natty giggled again. "I'll give you a hint! It goes with my costume."

David pursed his lips. "Hmm... who are you for Halloween again?"

His baby laughed. "Daaaaaddy! I'm Little Red Riding Hood!"

"Oh! Of course." He booped the end of her little nose. She squeaked through her giggling. God, she took after his mate. "So then I'm guessing Gabriel is... a loaf of bread."

She shook her head—her whole body following with the enthusiasm of the movement. "Nooooo!"

"Is your brother... a cookie?"

She shook again. "No!"

"Hmm... is he the grandmother?"

She squealed with laughter. "No!"

"Well, then, I'm stumped."

"Daaaaaddy!" Natalie protested. "It's not that hard!"

At that moment, another set of footsteps thundered down the stairs. "Rrraaawwwrrr!" Eight-year-old Gabriel tore into the room in a button-down plaid flannel and jeans. There were tufts of fake fur glued to his hands and the sides of his face, all disappearing under his shirt. He had some fake teeth in his mouth. His face had been dusted in a slight layer of paint to match the fake fur better and the end of his nose had been blackened in a triangle with some face paint.

Natalie shrieked in delight and squirmed in David's hold to put her dad between her and her brother.

"I am the Big, Bad Wolf!" Gabriel cried, trying to growl and failing through the fake plastic teeth in his mouth.

David chuckled quietly. "You will be one day," he said.

Gabriel preened. "I know! I'm excited."

"I'm gonna be even bigger!" Natalie teased.

Gabriel blew a raspberry. "No you won't! You're a girl!"

Natalie growled—more successfully than her brother if David was honest—and moved to lunge for her brother. David held her tighter to him. "Nope," he said. "You're not going to ruin your costumes before you get to school."

"Daaad! He's being mean to me!" Natalie protested.

"Gabriel. Be nice to Natalie. Natalie, no tackling your brother while you're both dressed up."

Natalie bared her teeth in a childish snarl at Gabriel. Who tried to do the same around the plastic ones in his mouth.

David's mate made it down the stairs at that point. Bits of face paint stained their fingertips where they'd been helping Gabriel. They smiled at the sight of Natalie fighting to free herself from David's hold to attack her brother. David met his mate's eyes. They smiled.

"Alright you two," David said with the quiet, firm, but loving authority of a man who'd been an alpha long before he was a father. "Let's get in the car."

Gabriel grabbed his backpack and David gave both the kids their lunchboxes after setting Natalie back on her feet. They both went running for David's mate's car—where Natalie's car seat and Gabriel's booster seat were buckled in. David and his mate put the kids in their seats and piled into the car to drive them to school.

Natalie filled the whole five-minute drive with rambling. Guessing what her classmates were gonna be dressed up as, expressing excitement for Trick-or-Treating, and so on. Another normal morning for the Shaw family.

When they got to the school and started getting the kids out of their seats, a familiar little voice "Rawr"ed from nearby.

Gabriel leapt from his booster seat in time to collide with Evelyn—who was dressed as Spider-Man. Asher was laughing a couple cars down the drop-off lane as he shut the back door to his mate's car. He jogged over while Gabriel and Evelyn wrestled. Gently, so they didn't mess up their costumes. Asher leaned against David's mate's car with his arms folded.

"I never want them to grow up," he said softly. "They've grown up enough. They can stop now."

David couldn't help but chuckle in quiet, bittersweet agreement. "Yeah," he agreed.

"Uncle Aaaaash!" Natalie exclaimed, barreling into Asher's legs for a hug.

"Oof! There's that strong girl!" Asher said, bending and scooping her into the air while she screamed in excitement. She kicked her legs. "How are you doing, Natty?"

"Put me down!"

Asher kissed the top of Natalie's hood and set her down. David's mate caught her hand before she could run off. They smiled at David. "I'll walk her to her classroom. Make sure Gabriel gets inside?"

"Of course."

They nodded and handed Natalie her tiny backpack and lunchbox before walking off holding her hand.

David and Asher watched the two of them go. Gabriel and Evelyn kept wrestling, like they didn't even notice.

"You ever wonder if we made the right choice?" Asher asked.

"Meaning?"

"Sending them to normal elementary school. Instead of the same school Lily, Danny, and Micah go to?" Despite Asher still being Asher, he'd improved a bit at not breaching covert in public.

"No. I don't wonder. Both of our mates thought it was important for our kids to have some normal schooling before puberty. And now that they're here, I agree with them both. I think it's done our kids a lot of good."

Asher sighed. "Just don't want to break their hearts when they go to middle school and lose all their friends."

David leveled a look at Asher that was so full of sarcasm it would have frightened a lesser wolf. "I don't think our girls could lose their friends if their friends wanted them to," David said. "Or have you not noticed we've got the most gregarious girls in the pa—family?"

Asher laughed. "Touché," he said. "And good point." Asher shoved off David's mate's car and snatched Evelyn around the waist. "Nuh-uh-uh, Ev. No pulling on Gabriel's costume."

Evelyn growled, her warm black curls shaking in the weak autumn morning sunlight.

"C'mon, my little monster. Let's get you to your classroom."

Evelyn snapped her teeth playfully at her dad, who wasn't fazed and just laughed.

Gabriel turned to David with wide eyes. The same green as David's own. "Time to go already?" he asked.

"Yeah. But today's gonna be fun. You're gonna have a good time and you'll be home before you know it." David grabbed Gabriel's backpack and lunchbox and handed them to his son. Gabriel shimmied his backpack onto his shoulders and held a hand out.

David took it and walked Gabriel to class.

Gabriel hugged David around the middle before going into his classroom. David passed a friendly wave to Gabriel's teacher before going back to the car. Asher waved to him before driving off himself.

David waited for his mate to come back. "Ash is right," David said to his mate when they returned from dropping off Natty at her classroom.

"That's rare coming from you. About what?"

"The kids are getting too big. They need to stop growing up now."

David's mate gave him a smile. "Awww. Sappy. It's sweet." They popped a kiss on his jaw and went to get in the car.

David climbed in as well. "I just don't want to miss any of this. One day they're gonna be teenagers and they're gonna hate us."

"You think so?"

"Isn't that what teenagers do?"

"I didn't. Did you?"

David thought about his dad. "... No."

His mate shrugged. "Then maybe we'll get lucky."

—

Ten Years Later...

—

"Dad! Dad! Dad! Dad! Dad!" Natalie ran down the stairs, a beaming smile on her face. Micah Collins and Danny Greer close on her heels. All three were dressed up. Natalie had on a black cloak and purple, gothic dress with fake fangs in her mouth.

David looked up from his laptop on the kitchen counter. "What is it?"

"Micah's uncle is gonna come pick us up and we're gonna take Rose Trick-or-Treating, if that's okay." Natalie pointed over her shoulder. Micah's vibrant cyan pixie cut had been sprayed white. She looked supremely out-of-character, dressed as a fairy. The glitter and the short pink-and-green dress contrasted with her claw scars from shifter wrestling.

David raised his eyebrows. "Did you ask—"

"Yes, yes. Your mate said yes, Uncle Milo and his mate said yes. Micah's parents said yes. Micah's uncle said yes," Natalie said. "Just hoping for you." She gave him an anticipatory smile.

David gave his daughter a small grin. "Then go ahead."

Natalie beamed and bounced a little in excitement. "Thanks Dad!" she rushed forward and kissed his cheek around the fake fangs in her mouth. "I've got my phone. We'll be back by ten!"

Micah and Danny both grabbed at her arms and the three of them all rushed out of the house, talking excitedly and clinging to one another. Danny tripped over his Superman cape. Natalie and Micah caught him. "Love you!" Natalie shouted over her shoulder. The front door shut behind them right as David caught a glimpse of Vincent Solaire's Porsche SUV parked on the curb.

The three climbed into the SUV. Micah in the front, Danny and Natalie with Rose in the back.

Vincent gave David a wave. David returned it before the car drove off.

David's mate appeared. "Natty and her Musketeers leave?"

"That would have been a good costume for them this year," David deadpanned. "Yeah. Vincent just picked them up."

His mate nodded. "Good thing Rose is eleven and still can Trick-or-Treat so those three can 'supervise'," his mate remarked, perching on his lap. He wrapped his arms around them and rested his forehead on their arm. Their other hand played with his hair.

Upstairs, Gabriel was yelling at Evelyn and Lily while the three played a video game together.

David felt his mate rest their cheek on his head. "Wanna go downstairs and watch a movie?"

David blinked. "Sure. Which one?"

"That one that scares Gabriel."

"Guaranteeing we get a couple hours alone, angel?" he asked, almost teasing.

"I plead the fifth," they replied, sliding off his lap.

With a low growl, David pursued his laughing mate down the stairs.

—

Tag list: @zozo-01 @pinksparkl @arialikestea @shellssstuff

[axelwassup]

@starlitangels it's been a while since I've drawn fan art but this is Gabriel (again sorry I'll try to make the rest of the pups) and I made Gabriel crying (again) and their was when he lost a hockey game and it hit him hard and Natalie came in to find him crying :')

(I also drew the little wolf that Asher got him from the Angel and David argument :D)

(I had to trace this one :'D)

Reference Drawing :D

[picturebookshelf]

Yo Gabba Gabba! Be Careful, Friend! (2010)

Story: Natalie Shaw -- Art: Karen Craig

[illustration-alcove]

Natalie Shaw’s illustrated book cover for Abdi Nazemian’s The Chandler Legacies.

[bitchtoss]

Natalie Wood photographed by Sam Shaw, 1961

[challengerblue]

Hell hath no fury like an angry, murderous girlfriend on a rescue mission.

[barkingbonzo]

Natalie Wood photographed by Sam Shaw, 1961

[larkral]

Happy Wednesday, friends! Thanks for the tags @blackberrysummerblog @hushed-chorus and @wellbelesbian!

I've been continuing to spend most of my writing time on ADA and editing/contemplating/touching up thereof. Which is not to say that I've been completely ignoring Simon's Mums AU. I am drilling deeper and deeper into that world, and it's a fascinating place to be. Enjoy some more of one of the mums' first glimpses into the WOM:

The magical government of the UK is called The Coven. (Truly, their naming choices are doing half the work of keeping their existence a secret. Anyone I told would laugh me out of town.) And conducts its business out of a comfortable suburban estate.  And it's not even a clever disguise for the home of the houses of parliament—the housekeeper, tells us that the lady of the house, Mrs. Wellbelove, and her daughter Agatha are in the solarium and will be happy to have Simon join them.  Agatha Wellbelove seems identical to every well turned out girl in Simon's class until the moment she sees him and runs over to pull him into whatever youthful misadventure she's pretending amongst the nasturtiums. At which point Nat lets out a scarcely-contained sob and I feel my heart stutter-step out of its typical tense dance.  Not since infancy has anyone ever enthusiastically approached Simon. Children shy away from him on the playground, classmates shove at him in line. Teachers pass him over for instruction, and store clerks pretend not to see him over their counters. Even Simon, usually stoic in new situations, is taken aback by Agatha's enthusiasm. He glances back at Nat, who props an encouraging smile below her teary eyes and waves him onward. 

I also wrote a very self indulgent director's commentary on the first chapter of Good at Something yesterday, so if you're of age, go ahead and read all my thoughts on this piece of smut I wrote. (And if you liked this -- more to come. I liked writing a loose meta on this chapter and will do at least one more, if not one for every chapter. I've been meaning to write a Good at Something meta for ages.)

Tags! My friends, you are nearly halfway through the week! If you have things to share, throw 'em my way. And if not, that's chill, you're still awesome. @stitchyqueer @thewholelemon @confused-bi-queer @raenestee @facewithoutheart @cutestkilla @sillyunicorn @you-remind-me-of-the-babe @basiltonbutliketheherb @ileadacharmedlife @asocialpessimist @bookish-bogwitch @aristocratic-otter @captain-aralias @petedavidsonscock @takitalks @artsyunderstudy @yeonjunenby @carryonvisinata @takenabackbytuesdays @martsonmars @nausikaaa @nightimedreamersghost @chen-chen-chen-again-chen @ionlydrinkhotwater @aroace-genderfluid-sheep​ @shrekgogurt @forabeatofadrum  @palimpsessed @fatalfangirl​ @valeffelees @imagineacoolusername @orange-peony @j-nipper-95 @whogaveyoupermission

[transpidergwen]

When will I learn to stop getting invested in expendable side characters? Never! The more important question is when will narratives stop introducing girlbosses only to kill them off bc they're too powerful and threaten the fragility of the narrative!

They!

Deserved!

Better!

[nonesuchrecords]

Happy International Women’s Day! We’re celebrating with a newly updated playlist of music performed and written by some of the women who inspire us every day, like Laurie Anderson, Julia Bullock, Rhiannon Giddens, Mary Halvorson, Emmylou Harris, Hurray for the Riff Raff, Lianne La Havas, k.d. lang, Natalie Merchant, Rachael Price, Cécile McLorin Salvant, Caroline Shaw, The Staves, Molly Tuttle, Vagabon, and others. You can hear it here.

[starlitangels]

(Like The) Fairy Tale Movies

L i s t e n. Yesterday’s video got me soft and Davey had to tell his kids about how it happened in canon. 2.1k words

—

“Angel—no, Natalie, get down—angel can this please be the last time you leave me alone with the kids?” David asked over the phone. I laughed, watching my screen as he had to move and snatch our daughter.

“I’ll be home tomorrow. I thought you said you could handle them both for a four-day business trip.”

“I can. But Asher decided to bring Evelyn over for a playdate—and Asher decided to also bring a Halloween-sized bag of candy.” The video jerked. “Gabriel, stop pulling your sister’s hair.”

“Davey, you know sugar highs aren’t actually a thing, right? Like, placebo effect maybe but the kids don’t even know what the concept is.”

“I’m well aware. But that doesn’t mean the kids don’t get overexcited when we get unexpected friendly visitors bearing candy, and you’re not here to help me rein them in,” David grumbled.

“Uncle Aaaaash!” Natalie shouted somewhere in the background.

The video call lurched again—I was gonna have to look away soon or risk getting motion sick. “Natalie Jean Shaw. You do not try to jump off the counter!” David snapped. My daughter’s maniacal giggle was all that she gave him in response. I heard him sigh heavily.

“Whaaat?” Asher’s voice asked off-screen. “C’mon buddy. Sometimes, ya gotta let her learn the hard way! She jumps off and takes a tumble and she learns not to jump off the counter anymore! Problem solved!”

Natalie giggled again. I caught a glimpse of her pigtail braids on the screen.

“I do not need her breaking her arm and the three-hour lecture from Marie about being a more careful father when she has to come heal it.”

“Just call Sam, then,” Asher said with a laugh. “He’s got Micah. He knows how these girls are.”

David pinched the bridge of his nose on my screen. “We are not having this discussion, Asher.” He turned to look at me. “Can I call you back in an hour, angel?”

“Of course. I’m just at the hotel for the rest of the night.”

He gave me a soft look. The one he reserved for only me. “Thank you.”

“I love you, Davey.”

“I love you too. So much.”

I blew him a kiss. He smiled and pretended to catch it before disconnecting the video call.

—

David flopped down width-wise across the bed. After Asher and Evelyn left and David finally got his nightmares ready to go to bed, he’d called his angel, finished their conversation, chatted a little more, and then they had to get some sleep—being several timezones ahead.

He was tired in a way that he hadn’t been since Natalie was an infant. He loved his spouse and was proud of the work that they loved so much, but he missed them terribly when they weren’t home. He enjoyed having some one-on-two time with the kids—but it could get exhausting fast. Natalie was so curious and always had questions. Gabriel was easier but damn he could get rowdy when he wanted to. Especially when Evelyn was around. Those two were a Dynamic Duo if he ever saw one.

He knew he needed to get up and shower before getting in bed, but his muscles kept saying, “One more minute,” whenever he tried to get them to respond.

Finally, he grumbled and got to his feet. His shower was quick and thorough, as usual. He threw on his pajamas and plopped back onto the bed. Considering a short nap before going back downstairs to finish the paperwork he’d been falling behind on.

He felt his eyes fluttering closed.

“Daddy?” a small voice asked from the door.

David took a deep breath and sat up.

Natalie was standing there in her smiley-face-star-patterned purple pajamas. Her comfort blanket was in one hand, the small wolf plushie she’d dubbed “Sheldon” in the other. The hand with the blanket was up under her eyes.

“What is it, baby girl?” he asked gently, holding his arms out.

She toddled into the room, stumbling on the hem of her blanket every couple steps. When she got to the tall king-sized bed, David bent down and hoisted her up into his lap.

She sniffled. There were tears in her eyes. “I... I miss them,” she said quietly.

David sighed, a melancholy smile appearing on his face. “I know, Natty. I do too.” He wiped her eyes with the opposite corner of her blanket.

A floorboard creaked, muffled slightly by being under the upstairs carpet.

“I know you’re there, Gabriel. You can come in,” David said.

Gabriel ran in, jumping as high as he could to try and get up onto the bed. He was tall for his age but still too short to make it, and bounced off the corner like a rubber band. David put Natty on one leg so he could bend and scoop up his son, putting him on the mattress next to him. “You missing them too?”

Gabriel nodded, eyes wide and staring up at him. David never quite got over looking down into his own exact eye color at his son, or his mate’s when looking at his daughter. He wondered if he ever would. Probably not.

David pulled Gabriel in close to his side, keeping Natty secure with his other arm. “It’s okay, Gabriel. I miss them too.”

Both of his kids clung to him, small fists balling in his pajama shirt.

David scooped them both up, one in each arm, and scooted across the bed until he could get under the covers with both of them. They each rested their heads on his shoulders.

“Daddy?” Natalie asked.

“Yeah, baby girl?” He gave her damp braid a gentle tug, acknowledging he was listening.

“How did you know you wanted them as your mate?” Her voice was small.

David smiled, a soft chuckle rising, unbidden, from his throat at the memories. “Because they acted a lot like you do, and you know how much I love you.”

“But I wasn’t born yet,” she protested.

“Nope. Not by a long time. But they were bright and happy and sweet and playful—and they liked teasing me. No one had teased me in a long time because I was the alpha and my friends thought they couldn’t anymore. My mate didn’t know anything about magic or wolves when we met.”

Gabriel nodded. “Like how we can’t mention it to our cousins on their side of the family.”

“That’s right, buddy,” David agreed. “But when I met them, I knew I was going to like them. Then, the more time we spent together, the more we fell in love.”

Natty giggled. “‘Are you hungry’?” she asked, trying to drop her voice in a low imitation of his. But it sounded more like how his angel imitated his voice than his actual voice.

David heaved a heavy sigh. “Of course they told you about that,” he muttered under his breath. “Yes, that’s what I asked after I told them I loved them for the first time.” Gabriel giggled too. “I didn’t know what else to say. I’d never told anyone I was in love with them before.”

“Were you scared?”

“A little.”

“Awww! Daddy, why? Didn’t you know they loved you too?”

“I hoped so. But... sometimes it feels complicated when it comes to love.”

Natalie shook her head. “No it doesn’t. If you love somebody, you say it!”

You’ll understand what I’m talking about when you’re older, David thought, but didn’t say out loud.

Natalie squirmed out from under his arm and climbed up onto his torso. Even resting her head on his chest, she was so small that her toes didn’t even reach his knees yet. She put her chin on his sternum and looked up at him with wide eyes. “Did you ask them to marry you or did they ask you?”

David chuckled. “I asked them, sweet pea. We’d been together for... nearly four years.”

Natty wiggled on top of him. “How did you ask? Was it like the fairy tale movies?”

“It felt like it, but it wasn’t as... fancy,” David replied. “You remember the big party we have with the whole pack in December for the MoonBound solstice?”

Natty nodded fervently. “Uh-huh. I love the party!”

David reached up with his now-free arm and set a hand on her back to hold her in place before she slipped off his torso and landed on her brother. He nodded slower. “Well, it was after the party. The rest of the pack had gone home. It was just me and my mate in the house—the one we owned before this one. We were just having a quiet rest of the night before the strength of my magic started to fade again after the pack run. We were just... sitting on the couch... relaxing.”

Natty scrunched her whole face up, not having mastered just scrunching her eyebrows yet. “And you just... asked? You didn’t get down on one knee?”

David smiled and laughed softly. “Let me finish, baby girl,” he said. “I did get down on one knee. I said some mushy things about how much I loved them and wanted to spend the rest of our lives together, then I got down on one knee and asked if they’d marry me.”

Natalie gasped. “Did they say yes?!”

Gabriel scoffed. “Of course they did, stupid,” he snapped. “They wouldn’t be married now if they didn’t!”

“Gabriel, we don’t call people stupid,” David chided.

“But... Uncle Ash calls Uncle Milo stupid,” Gabriel pointed out.

“Uncle Asher needs to learn how to talk nicely to other people,” David said firmly.

“Are you going to wash his mouth out with soap?” Natalie asked.

David couldn’t stop the snort that made both his kids jump. “No, Natty. His mate might, but that’s their job, not mine.”

“Oh, okay.” She moved her head so her chin was no longer on his sternum but instead rested her ear to it. 

The three Shaws were quiet for a few minutes. Gabriel seemed to have fallen asleep.

“Daddy?” Natty asked again, quietly.

“Yeah, baby girl?”

“I’m glad you got married.”

He smiled. “Me too.” He smoothed some of her messy flyaway hairs off of her face.

“You could have been more fancy when you asked though. Like the fairy tale movies.”

“I could have. But keeping it simple felt right for us.”

Natty yawned. “Okay,” she said.

David chuckled lightly. “Get some sleep, baby girl.”

She yawned wider. “Okay.”

Within seconds, she was breathing deep on his chest. Sound asleep.

David’s small smile grew. “I love you, baby girl.”

“Love you too, Daddy,” she whispered in her sleep.

—

I crept into the house at five in the morning, waving to Sam in thanks. He waved back and drove off. He’d volunteered to come pick me up since it would be before dawn and he hadn’t wanted David to have to pack up the kids that early.

Once the door was eased shut and locked behind me, I abandoned my suitcase next to it and snuck up the stairs.

Gabriel’s room was the closest to the stairs. I poked my head in to see if he was sleeping.

His bed was empty, the sheets rumpled. Wolfy McFloof—the larger wolf plushie Asher had given him when Natty was born—was jammed haphazardly between the bedside table and the bed itself.

My heart started pounding louder. I took a step and a half across and up the hall to Natalie’s room.

Her bed was the same. But her small comfort blanket and Sheldon were also missing.

A pit formed in my stomach and I ran to my and Davey’s room, ready to throw open the door and see it empty. To see my family snatched in the middle of the night while I was gone. By whom, I had no idea.

I grabbed the knob and shoved the door open.

A large, misshapen lump sat in the middle of the bed, covers draped over it.

On quiet feet, I slipped over.

The anxiety eased away when I saw David’s face. Gabriel tucked under one of his arms—and Natalie lying on his chest with a small smile on her face. Sheldon and her blanket in each hand. I sighed with relief and sagged down, kneeling beside the bed.

Davey heard me. One of his lush green eyes peeked open.

He gave me a soft, lovestruck smile. The same one he only ever gave me.

“Welcome home, angel.”

—

Tag list: @zozo-01 @arialikestea @mainhoesstuff  @darlin-collins (I’m adding you tentatively because this is David even though you didn’t specifically request the Pups AU. If you don’t wanna be tagged in this kinda stuff, you can let me know if you’d like)

[phantomtrader19]

Les Mis London October 29th!

Yesterday I saw Les Mis in London my first time seeing the full show in the west end!

My cast was:

Jon Robyns, David Thaxton, Natalie Chua (u/s), Bryony Duncan (u/s), Robert Tripolino, Lulu-Mae Pears, Gerard Carey, Josefina Gabrielle, Jordan Shaw

Jon was really good for 99% of the show but he did seem a little vocally tired but really nothing that took away from his really touching portrayal. David as Javert was everything I hoped for his voice - STUNNING acting - INSANE, a Javert that genuinely intimidated me. I believe it was Natalie’s second ever show as Fantine she is 1st cover and her acting was particularly good in the really intense moments still a little room to improve vocally but again it was only her second show as Fantine. Bryony who is 1st cover as Eponine was the highlight of the show for me, her voice was so strong and her acting was fantastic, Eponine’s death I was a MESS! Robert as Marius was pretty standard nothing really stood out for me, he cracked a little at the start of a heart full of love but in Emoty chairs he was really good I again was sobbing. Lulu-Mae was a really good actress very nuanced, she did struggle a little on the higher notes sometimes but it is only a month into her run so there’s definitely time for her to improve! I’ve seen Gerard and Josefina as the Thenardiers I always find them very amusing I do love them! Jordan as Enjolras for the most part I enjoyed he had a fab energy about him vocally not my favourite but overall a really strong performance! Standouts in the ensemble we’re Adam Robert Lewis he was my first Phantom (not really over the fact he’s no longer in the show) although I am dying to see his Javert he is vocally one of the best performers I’ve heard!

[illustration-alcove]

Natalie Shaw's illustrated book cover for James Ramos's The Wrong Kind of Weird.

[lyricthecat-12]

Y aquí traigo otra tanda de homenajes a artistas de los cómics esta vez de 3 artistas especialmente olvidados por la comunidad

Scott Shaw

Primera participación: Sonic Miniseries 0#

Última participación: Sonic Super Special 6#

Total de aportaciones: 7

También conocido como el primer artista en la historia de archie sonic así como el segundo en la historia de Sonic en los cómics en general (siendo el primero Francis Mao como escritor y dibujante del comic promocional del primer juego sacado en otoño de 1991 asi como el diseñador de las primeras portadas de los juegos en América)

Dibujando tanto la portada como los interiores del primer número, asi como los siguientes, de la miniserie original publicada entre noviembre de 1992 a febrero de 1993. Pero aparte de eso cabe destacar que Scott es un artista muy reconocido fuera de la franquicia habiendo trabajado para editoriales como marvel y DC y estuvo involucrado en los cómics de otras series conocidas como los simpson, el oso yohi, teen titans, los looney toons y sherk ademas de tambien haber trabajado ampliamente en el mundo de la animación principalmente con series de hanna barnera ,incluso se hizo con un premio por su trabajo en 1980 en la comic-con de San Diego

Sam Maxwell

Primera participación: Sonic Super Special 1#

Última participación: Sonic the Hedgehog 87#

Total de aportaciones: 12

Sam no es precisamente de mis artistas favoritos del cómic y también se que tampoco lo es para la mayoría de la comunidad y del cual devo decir que no encontré absolutamente NADA fuera de su trabajo en sonic, nisiquiera una foto o avatar de su persona, pero que hoy destacó por que tenía la intención de decir lo siguiente

"Que no por que el estilo de un artista diste de lo que estas acostumbrado o no se asemeja a de los juegos quiere decir que sea automáticamente malo"

"Y solo por que el trabajo de un artista en una ocasión en específico fuera particularmente criticable o deficiente no quiere decir que obligatoriamente sea un mal dibujante"

Eso es algo que muchos en fandom tienen que comprender ya que es el motivo por el que comencé a hacer estas publicaciones era precisamente dejar ver el buen trabajo que hicieron muchos artistas que no solo suelen ser ignorados sino también infravalorados y/o criticados, como en el caso de Steve Butler o James fry entre otros, debido a que sus estilos "distaban" mucho de los diseños originales de los juegos en un punto en específico de su contribución

Haciendo comentarios como que hacían ver tontos a los personajes, de que era demasiado "Anime" o incluso en el caso de butler le llegaron a acusar de "sexualizar" a los personajes y demás comentarios despectivos y huecos, sino te gusta cierto estilo de arte en un cómic de sonic está bien pero eso no significa que este sea malo ni mucho menos que el artista en cuestiones sea malo cosa que creo que se entenderá mejor con el siguiente

Ron Lim

Primera participación: Sonic the Hedgehog 85#

Última participación: Sonic the Hedgehog 159#

Total de aportaciones: 37

Otro artista muy reconocido dentro del mundo de los cómics el cual a trabajado para las editoriales Marvel y DC participando en series como capitán América, venom, spiderman, avengers ect..en donde su arte suele ser destacado de forma muy positiva

Y si bien, no negare que su trabajo en sonic no es de los mejores, tampoco creo que sea suficiente para tacharlo de ser el peor artista de la serie como vi que muchos hacen y más por que también tuvo momentos bastante destacable en donde su arte resaltaba de forma positiva

Por que al final estamos hablando de artistas profesionales quienes son capaces de ofrecer trabajos desde decentes a buenos si se les da la oportunidad de adaptarse a la estética de la serie

Y pues nada una vez dicho lo que tenía que decir me gustaría hacer la siguiente pregunta

De todos los artistas que e mostrado, cuales son vuestros favoritos? O como los clasificarais en base a vuestra opinión? En mi caso mi top personal aproximadamente quedaría así:

Patrick Spaziante

Tracy Yardley

Steve Butler

Ben Bates

Diana Skelly

Tyson Hesse

Art Mawhinney/ Dawn Best

Ryan Jampole

Jennifer Hernández

Adam Bryce Thomas

Jay Axer

Jamal Peppers

James Fry

Renae de Liz

Manny Galan

Lamar Wells

Frank Strom

Scott Shaw

Evan Stanley

Jonathan Gray

Brent McCarthy

Rafaela Knight

Matt Herms

Nelson Ortega

Dan Schoening

Ron Lim

Tristan "T-Rex" Jones

Edwin Huang

Greg Horn

David Hutchison

Jerry Gaylord

Tania del Río

Sam Maxwell

Diamond Rose Studies

Bonus:

Por último, también hice algunos collages de otros artistas actuales por mucho más reconocidos en la comunidad pero que decidí hacer ya que estaba a la tarea, verlo como un pequeño extra aparte 🤗

[bitchtoss]

Natalie Wood photographed by Sam Shaw, 1961