Jan 7th, 2026

Gothic lit references: part two! These are probably more subtle. And while he isn’t named for a page or two, this handsome lad who recognizes Utterson is Watson, yet another Sherlock-reference character again designed by @happistar, my resident Sherlock expert~

Is it historically accurate to serve pot pies as an appetizer in a place like this? Well, based on my research, it seems like the upper class consumed plenty of meat pies, usually in large, grandiose form with a lot of panache. Though I couldn’t find evidence that these were necessarily served in the smaller appetizer form I depict here. But I really wanted the teeny nod to Sweeney Todd. (hah, bars!) Especially because I made some pot pies myself last year to cater to a showing of the musical. It was fun to try something new, but also omg I made like 150? Ish? Mini pies and that took a WHILE. T’was fun though, and the performance was equally amazing! They had a really neat barber chair contraption that let Sweeney Todd pull a lever to send the victims down a hidden slide, it was super cool to see in action.