#ALSO LIZA YOURE BOTH MIXED? DAMN

[subterra-rose]

I think my favourite joke I have with my dad is calling him "a bit of a slut" since he thinks its really funny because admittedly, Papa was, and it pisses my mum off when I call her progressive for going out with him

[angelqueen04]

Hamliza Month, Day 28

@megpeggs​ @historysalt​

Stars Piano Summary: Alexander plots a surprise for Eliza. He even has coconspirators.

The music filled the room with such richness and zeal, they could have been sitting in a grand theatre instead of just their small parlor. The musician’s hands danced over the keys, light as air. The music was laid out before her, with her brother dutifully turning the pages for her, but Alexander knew that she had no need of them. This was a piece that she knew by heart.

Alexander closed his own eyes, letting the music wash over him and sooth his many cares and stresses away. There were really only two ways for him to do that. The first was this, listening to his dearest little Angelica – who, at fifteen, reminded him often that she was not so little anymore – play with all the grace of an angel. Her piano was among her greatest joys, and had been since the day it had arrived, a gift from her aunt and namesake sent all the way from London.

The second, of course, was to lay quietly with his Eliza, his head upon her bosom as she ran her fingers through his hair and over his temples. The mere thought of that brought a smile to his lips.

When the song at last came to an end, the final note fading out into silence, Alexander opened his eyes and brought his hands up to applaud. “Brava,” he said with genuine enthusiasm. “That was absolutely beautiful, my darling girl.”

Angelica turned from the piano, a bright, winsome grin on her face. “Thank you, Papa!” she replied. “I heard from Mr. Amadeus that he is expecting a new shipment of music in one of his next shipments from Venice…” She trailed off, her expression perfectly calm, as though she had just imparted some interesting tidbit of news.

Alexander met Philip’s expressive gaze over Angelica’s shoulder, and his eldest son broke into a knowing grin, unable to hide his amusement. Alexander kept his face straight, hiding his own merriment. Philip would never be a good card player. He was never one to hide his feelings or thoughts.

“I see,” he said thoughtfully. “Well, I’m sure that is a great comfort to Mr. Amadeus. Did you not say he was most distraught that his supply of sheet music was woefully low, and he feared running out completely before winter?”

Angelica’s expression did not waver, and Alexander did not look away, though inwardly he laughed. Playing this game was rather fun, trying not to be the first one to break.

The silence stretched on for several long moments, until finally it was Philip who broke it. “Oh for goodness sake, Papa! She wants some pocket money so she can be first in line to dig through the new sheet music when it arrives!” He then turned his gaze toward Angelica, who had turned in her seat to face him, and demanded, “Was all of that really necessary? You could have just asked him!”

Angelica’s back was now to Alexander, but he could well guess that she was rolling her eyes at Philip’s impatience. He also gave his son a chiding look. If Philip hoped to make a living as a lawyer and a man of government, he would have to learn when to hold himself still, when to have patience. Goodness knows, it was a hard lesson Alexander had had to learn himself, but surely he had never been so impatient as his firstborn?

Anything else that might have been said was forgotten when the front door of the house swept open and loud, laughing voices spilled into the front hall. He turned to look through to the front hall and saw the rest of his children tumble through the front door. James and Johnny had their arms full of parcels, and were clearly eager to relieve themselves of their burden. Alex was also carrying a few packages, in addition to having William riding on his back. Eliza was the last one to enter the house, her reticule in one hand and little Liza held securely in her other arm.

“Take them into the kitchen and lay them on the table for Mrs. Georges,” Eliza was telling their sons. “And do so neatly!” she added as they began to move toward the kitchen at the back of the house. “I do not want to hear of anything dropping or being broken this time!”

As Eliza dropped her reticule on a nearby hall table and began the struggle of removing her coat without overly disturbing their youngest, an idea began to grow in Alexander’s mind. A grin spread across his face, and he turned to Angelica. “I shall make a deal with you, my dear,” he told her. “You may have your pocket money in advance, but only if you and Philip do something for me.”

She cocked her head, eyeing him curiously. “What is that?” At the same time, Philip threw his hands up, asking, “Why am I getting roped into this?” A raised eyebrow from both Angelica and Alexander himself made him surrender and go quiet.

What he wanted was simple enough, hardly any kind of real challenge, and so she accepted when he hurriedly explained. Philip, resigned to his own involvement, uttered no further reluctance on his part. That settled, Alexander stood up from his chair and left the parlor. Eliza was still struggling with her coat, as Liza was not in mood that was agreeable to cooperating with her mother. She clung to her with all the stubbornness a Hamilton and a Schuyler could exhibit.

And so young too! Alexander thought. Chuckling, he came closer and asked, “What is this, my darling? A rather large burr seems to have stuck itself to you.”

Eliza gave him a look mixed with exasperation and resignation. Leaning forward, he lightly tapped the toddler on the nose. “Hello there, poppet,” he said, and then held out his hands to her invitingly. “Come to Papa?”

Liza, just over a year old, eyed him with her mother’s dark eyes, a suspicious glint in them, and kept her firm grip upon her mother. Alexander bit back a laugh. “Come on,” he coaxed, “Papa has missed his little Betsey.”

The little girl waited several more beats before she finally deigned to permit herself to be passed from one parent to the other. All the imperiousness of a queen, this one, Alexander thought, no longer bothering to hide his smile. He held her close, covering her face in playful, sloppy kisses, which made her lapse into delighted giggles.

Freed of her youngest child’s clingy hands, Eliza at last removed her coat and hung it beside the door. Running her hands along her hair to swipe back a few stray strands, Eliza asked, “I assume supper is on schedule?”

Alexander nodded. “Mrs. Georges has everything in hand.” Just then the sound of footsteps alerted him to the return of their sons. “And it sounds as though she has already banished everyone and their greedy fingers from her domain.”

The boys then reappeared, most with sulky or disappointed expressions. Clearly, Mrs. Georges had not been inclined to indulge them with sweets so close to their meal.

Eliza soon gave everyone their marching orders to go and wash up for supper. As Philip and Angelica came out of the parlor, Philip gave his father a mischievous grin and a wink while Angelica looked positively thrilled to be taking part in Alexander’s little plan.

Alexander returned the smile before following the rest of the family upstairs, little Liza still on his hip. There was much to do and little time to accomplish it.

-----

It was becoming quite late when Eliza stepped out of the nursery some hours later, satisfied that Liza was safely asleep. The upstairs hallway was quite dim, but candlelight flickered underneath the closed door to the boys’ chamber. Taking a deep breath, she began to approach the door, intending to remind Johnny – for she had no doubt that it was dear Johnny – that it was time he put his book aside and went to bed.

“Mama?”

Eliza stopped and turned to find Philip standing at the stop of the stairs. “Yes, dear?”

He took a step forward and then gestured behind him. “Papa asked for you to come downstairs,” he told her. His gaze shifted to the door behind her and he rolled his eyes. “I’ll tell Johnny to go to bed,” Philip assured her, coming closer and moving to slip past her.

“Did your father say what he wanted?” she asked him. “And why has Angelica not come up yet?” She had not heard her eldest girl retire to her own room.

Philip stopped and glanced over his shoulder at her. Even in the darkness, Eliza could see the shiftiness of his expression. “Oh, um, she’s helping Papa with something.”

“And just what, Philip Hamilton, is your sister assisting your father with?” Eliza asked, her voice low and stern. She was not blind. She had seen the conspiratorial whispers that had been going on throughout supper between her husband and two oldest children. They had been up to something, but Eliza had not been able to discover what, having been occupied with the rest of the family’s doings.

Her eldest son was eighteen years old, considered by society a man grown, but Philip was still her son. He still snapped to attention when his mother used that sort of tone of voice. “I, uh,” he stuttered, “I really couldn’t say, Mama. I think it has to do with whatever Papa wanted you to come downstairs for.” Before she could question him further, Philip threw open the door to the large room he shared with his brothers, hurried inside, and slammed the door shut again. Behind it, she could hear him snap, “Blow out the damn candle, Johnny!”

Eliza would have scolded Philip for using such language toward his brother, but her mind was already turning toward what was happening downstairs with her husband and son. Sighing, she turned on her heel and swept down the hallway, making for the stairs.

As she descended, she saw that the front hall was still well-lit by several candles, and she could see a similar glow coming from the parlor. “Alexander?” Eliza called out as she stepped onto the landing.

“In here, dearest,” Alexander responded from the parlor. Eliza stepped into the parlor doorway and her eyes widened as she peered into the room.

The sofa, chairs, and tables had all been pushed from their normal places throughout the room to stand against the wall, leaving the center of the room completely clear. Alexander stood there in that vast empty space, facing her with a beautiful smile on his face.

“Come, my love,” he said, his voice soft as he held out his hand to her.

“Alexander?” she asked even as she walked forward to meet him. As she approached, music filled the room and Eliza’s eyes flew to the piano over by the window. There sat Angelica, her back to them both, her fingers dancing over the keys as she began to play a familiar tune.

The Allemande.[1]

“May I have this dance?” Alexander asked her, his hand still poised in front of him.

Eliza gawked at him. “You…” she trailed off, her eyes sweeping around the room. “You did this so we could dance?” she inquired.

He beamed. “Clever, isn’t it?” He was clearly very proud of himself.

She continued to stare at him, at his sunny, cheerful smile, and Eliza could feel herself melting. How was it that he could still make her fall in love with him anew even after nearly twenty years of marriage? Eliza huffed a small laugh, and without further hesitation, she laid her hand in his.

They had plenty of room to move in the parlor, and they were well-practiced in their movements, having performed this dance many times over the years. Eliza always felt lighter than air whenever she danced with Alexander, and as they held each other’s gazes, she could almost feel the years falling away, and they might well have been two young people again, dancing for the first time in an assembly in the midst of an army camp.[2]

The mix of fond memories, a loving present Eliza would not exchange for any other life, and Angelica’s sublime musical skill all made for a perfect evening.

-----

[1] An 18th century dance. I found a demonstration of it on YouTube and it looked so lovely and thought it would be perfect for Alexander and Eliza’s little surprise date night, as assisted by the amazing, talented Angelica.

[2] See Day 18: First.

  This ficlet was written by request of one of my reviewers on AO3, who wanted to see something that featured Angelica Hamilton. I wasn’t all that attached to the story idea I initially had for this day, so this was slipped in instead. I felt it only fair, since little Eliza Hamilton also had a chapter featuring her (and she also insisted on making a small cameo in this one too, the adorable little tyrant), and the boys too had had their moment earlier on. Now all the only one left is Little Phil. *shifty eyes*

[toddysdiaries]

Perfect to Me - Jeff Wittek x Plus Size!Reader

((GIF IS NOT MINE))

Pairing: Jeff Wittek x Plus Size!Reader

Requested?: yes, by anon:

‘Can you do a Jeff x thicc!reader?’

Summary: Everyone is slightly surprised that Jeff is dating you and their reactions start to grate on you, leaving you feeling like you’re not good enough for Jeff.

Words: 1,607

Warnings: vlog squad being rude about the reader, angst, couple of swear words

A/N: Requests are open! NO DAVID REQUESTS, I HAVE TOO MANY (THEY WILL JUST BE DELETED). Also, of course I don’t think they would actually be like this. My masterlist, queue and taglist are all in my bio. 

You and Jeff had met at a bar, you were a bartender, and when you had asked him what you could get him, he’d asked for your phone number. You were a bit unsure whether or not he was being serious because he looked like a Greek god and you were just, well you, but he had been persistent and you’d eventually given him your number.

You had never heard of the vlog squad before meeting Jeff, so you had no idea what a big deal your boyfriend was and how many fans he had. After watching Jeff and his friends' video’s, you realised that your relationship may be a problem to Jeff’s fans who lusted over him, not just because you were dating Jeff but because you weren’t exactly a model.

What you hadn’t expected was that Jeff’s friends were surprised that Jeff was dating you. You figured that they’d be more accepting of your relationship.

“This is my girlfriend, Y/N.” Jeff introduced you with a wide smile.

“Hi.” You gave a nervous smile. “It’s nice to meet you, Jeff’s told me a lot about you!”

Everyone was silent for a few moments before Zane smiled kindly at you. “It’s so nice to meet you baby! Jeff’s told us a lot about you too!”

You got along with them all well, so it surprised you when you got to David’s once before Jeff and heard them all speaking about you.

“She’s just not the type of girl I could see him with you know.” You heard Todd say. You were about to ask who they were talking about when something stopped you, perhaps they were talking about you.

David laughed. “I know, he’s literally the hottest guy we know, and he’s with a girl like her. I don’t get it. She must be really good in bed.” You felt yourself flush darkly, they must’ve been talking about you.

You heard a few giggles, but couldn’t tell who it was, there was definitely some female giggling mixed amongst those who you already knew were there. "You shouldn't be talking about Y/N like this. Jeff likes her.” Heath pointed out after the giggles had died down. Your heart dropped, there was the confirmation that they were talking about you.

“I like her, she’s funny, and she’s really smart.” Zane defended you, and a tiny bit of warmth flooded you, at least one of Jeff’s friends liked you. But you’d heard enough, you turned around and ran back out, letting the door slam behind you.

You went back to your apartment, forgetting to tell Jeff that you had to cancel and got back into bed, crying. If Jeff’s friends didn’t even think that you were good enough for him, then their fans definitely wouldn’t and you couldn’t hide your relationship forever.

It was where Jeff found you hours later, still curled up in your duvet, with dried tear tracks down your face, the occasional hiccup still escaping you.

“Baby, what’s wrong?” Jeff climbed onto the bed behind you, hand tangling into your hair. “I thought maybe you had gotten held up, but then you still didn’t show and then you weren’t answering your phone.”

Fresh sobs escaped you. “I did go.”

Jeff frowned, eyebrows furrowing in confusion. “What do you mean? You went to David’s? Why did you leave? And why are you so upset?”

“I went there this morning, and you weren’t there yet.” You cried. “I could hear them talking about someone, and then I realised they were talking about me.” You bit down on your lip, they were Jeff’s friends, maybe he wouldn’t believe you. “They don’t like me, Jeff! They don’t think I’m good enough for you!”

Jeff froze behind you, he had sensed that his friends were a little bit off with you but presumed that they were just warming up to you. “What did they say?”

You sniffled and rubbed your face against your duvet. “That I’m not your type, you’re really hot, but you’re with me. David couldn’t understand and thought I must be good in bed for you to be with me.” You sobbed. “Heath and Zane kind of stood up for me, but they didn’t disagree that I don’t suit you physically.”

The bed shifted again, and Jeff stood up, pulling his phone from his jeans. “I can’t believe they’d say that about you! They know how much I like you!” Jeff began to type angrily on his phone, his short nails tapping on the glass.

“Jeff, don’t.” You sat up, the duvet falling around your waist. “I mean, they’re right, you’re far too good for me.”

Jeff’s gaze snapped back to you from his phone. “That’s not true, Y/N! If anything it’s the other way around! You’re a fuckin’ angel, and I’m an ex-convict!”

"Jeff, that's not true!" You frowned deeply.

He shook his head erratically. "I need to go and talk to them all, I'll be back soon."

Your heart dropped to your stomach, the last thing that you wanted to do was cause problems between Jeff and his friends. "No, don't, please. I don't want to make it worse."

"Y/N, I have to. They were talking about my girlfriend behind both of our backs and saying shitty things. That doesn't look good on me either, Y/N." Jeff argued, pulling his trainers back on. "I won't be long, and I'm not going to have an argument with them."

You frowned. "Please don't get upset with them, they didn't realise I was listening."

Jeff scoffed. "That's why I need to go and talk to them."

"Okay." You sighed. "Just don't get angry."

"I'll try not to, but they disrespected both of us." Jeff's Staten Island accent became much thicker when he was upset or angry, and you hid a small smile.

"Okay, don't be long or I'll worry about you." You relented, watching as your boyfriend walked away.

Jeff was furious, he was happier than he had been in a long time with you and you had been ready to break up with him over what they had said.

He burst into David's house and went straight into the living room, where he knew everyone would be. "What the fuck, guys?!"

Everyone turned to look at Jeff in shock. "What's wrong, Jeff?" David set his camera down.

"Would you like to tell me why my girlfriend has been crying in bed all day because of you motherfuckas?!" Jeff stood with his arms crossed over his chest, watching as his friends shared nervous glances.

"I told you all not to talk about her like that!" Heath groaned, throwing his head back.

"Well, we didn't realise that she was earwigging!" David complained.

"So, now it's Y/N's fault for turning up somewhere she was invited and hearing you all slag her off?" Jeff was getting angrier by the minute, he turned to Todd. "Would you like it if I told everyone that Olivia was no good for you, Todd? Or Kristen for you Scott? What about if I'd said that I couldn't understand why a girl like Liza would ever be interested in you David?"

Jeff laughed bitterly. "And you two." He turned to Carly and Erin. "I've spoken to you about how happy Y/N makes me, and you let them tear Y/N apart! What is wrong with you all?! Why can't you let me be happy?!"

"We're sorry." David tried weakly. "We didn't know that she was listening, not that it's an excuse. We just didn't get why you weren't dating one of the models that are obsessed with you."

"Speak for yourself!" Zane interrupted. "You guys know I love Y/N."

"Y/N is so damn beautiful, David, I can't believe you'd be that shallow," Jeff growled. "She's smart and funny, and she takes care of me. Which is more than I can say about you lot, taking the piss out of my criminal history."

"I'm sorry, man." Todd sounded sheepish. "I didn't realise you liked her that much."

"I love her." Jeff corrected, causing a few of his friends' eyes' to widen. "But that doesn't even matter, you knew she was my girlfriend and you still chose to make those comments. That's disrespectful to both her and me. I can't just overlook that."

"We're sorry, Jeff," Carly spoke quietly. "I don't know what else we can do."

Jeff shook his head. "It's not me that you should be saying sorry to. You made my girlfriend cry thinking that she wasn't good enough for me. All because she weighs a few extra pounds!"

"We'll apologise to her too," Scott added.

"I think it's best that we don't see you guys for a while," Jeff said finally. "You guys just aren't who I thought you were."

Jeff's friends shared a look again. "Is that really necessary?" David asked.

"Was it really necessary to make my girlfriend feel like shit?" With that Jeff left his friends, hurrying back to you.

When Jeff got back to your apartment, you had gotten out of bed and were sat on the couch waiting for him to get back and nursing a mug of hot chocolate.

"We're not going around there for a while," Jeff told you, plonking himself down next to you and wrapping his arm around your waist, careful not to knock your mug out of your hands.

"What did you do?" You asked, slightly worried.

"Nothin'!" Jeff insisted. "They're assholes."

"They're your friends!" You countered.

"But you're my girlfriend, and they can't understand that." Jeff shook his head. "You're fuckin' perfect you know."

You scoffed. "Jeff I'm not perfect."

Jeff grinned. "You perfect to me."

Jeff Tag List (if you are bolded, I can’t tag you) - @2007rh @chonisberonica   @magcon7280 @daviddorbikstan @kinley-campbell @topnerd03 @yurmom2 @thegirlalmighty01 @plainoldalexis @thots4lyf @silkandberries @merx-3 @grayberrydolan @dattttboiiii @moredobrik @vanessaworldthings @omg-lexiloveyou @miriamxworld

[pattinsonsgurl]

Stood up (D.D.)

Request: What about a David imagine, where he basically begs you for a date and he invites you to a restaurant but in the end he stands you up because he spends the whole night at Lizas. But it‘s because he thought the date is on a different day and then he tries to make it up to you but you‘re really distrustful and sad. And he‘s sad. And so on.

Warning:Angst - I almost made this too long.

David has been asking you out forever. At first you just take it as a joke since it started right after he posted his break up video with Liza. You could see the pain in his eyes when you watched it and it was heartbreaking. Especially since they still acted like a couple whenever they were around each other for a couple months after. It started out as a joke but lately David’s been more persistent.

“Hey Y/N! Damn baby you look fine as hell today. What the special occasion?”

“Zane baby! I just wanted to look all cute for you, lover boy.” you retort blowing Zane a kiss.

“Baby, I’m half believing you, you better stop!” Zane responds back laughing.

You can’t help but giggle at Zane’s drunken antics. You did dress up a little more than usual. Only because it was time to treat yourself and you deserved it after the long hours at work finally paid off for your raise. You turned around to see David watching you intently then quickly turn away as he sees that you caught him. It’s not the first time you’ve caught him looking at you. At first you felt self conscious, thinking you had something in your teeth or on your clothes. As time went on, you felt like you were being undressed with his eyes. You couldn’t help but feel a shiver run down your spine when you caught him looking at you with those brown eyes of his.

David walks and sits right down next to you on his cloud couch and smiles at you. “Hi Y/N.’

“Hi David.” you respond blushing a little. You’ve kinda got a crush on him, but you try not to show it.

“I like your dress.”

“Thanks I just bought it!’

“So that means you got your raise at work right?” David asks.

“How did you know? I don’t think I ever told you about that.” You question him.

“Oh uh Natalie told me.” He says sheepishly.

You look at him unconvinced, but you decide to let it go. Before you can start with another topic, Zane comes over on the other side of you.

“Baby, when are you going to let me take you out?” Zane slurs.

“Maybe, when you ask me sober.” You tease.

“Awwww.” Zane replies as he gets up to tease someone else.

“Would you really go out with Zane?” David asks you.

“No, he’s just really fun to tease. He doesn’t have the balls when he’s sober.”

“So you think you will finally let me take you out? Come on Y/N just one night to prove that I’m great and awesome!” David begs.

You sigh and finally agree, “Ok David, Friday night, your treat at my favorite restaurant.”

“Really?! All right cool! I promise Y/N it’ll be the best night of your life!”

Friday night rolls around and you’re getting ready for your date with David. You both decided to meet there so it made it seem like an official date and not just two friends having dinner.

You get to the restaurant and there’s a reservation in David’s name. You’re the first to arrive and you sit down order a glass of water and some breadsticks. You wait for David and as 30 minutes pass by you message him a little worried. There’s no response. You decide to call him, it gets answered immediately but he doesn’t say hello. You hear muffled sounds and voices. You try to figure out what’s going on when your hear Liza’s voice and David laughing. Your heart stops. He’s with Liza. You though that was over but apparently it’s not. You quickly hang up and tell the maitre d that you will not be staying and run out. You can’t believe he would do this to you. He’s the one who’s been after you. He persisted until you finally gave in. And he broke your heart before anything even happened. You were done with David Dobrik. And you knew exactly how to make him regret it.

David was at Liza’s that night because she called him over for help with a video for her YouTube channel. When they broke up, he still felt something for her that he didn’t know if it would ever go away. He hated how affected he was by Liza after all those months. But when he looked at you he felt like he could possibly love again. He couldn’t wait for his date with you tomorrow. David looks for his phone and realizes he had it on silent this whole time. He sees 2 messages from you and then 3 Instagram notification of your story being updated. He goes automatically to Instagram because he can’t wait to see you. . The first video is of you in the mirror taking a selfie in a very seductive red dress that dips low and a high slit on the side. His mouth goes dry. He wishes you had waited to wear that for your date. Next story is you at your favorite restaurant where you put a question mark at the empty chair across from you. David’s heart goes cold.

“Liza what’s today?”

“It’s the 3rd, why?”

“What day of the week?”

“Friday.”

David groans and looks at his phone again noticing there’s one more picture on your story. This time it’s you again taking a mirror selfie but it’s not you house. It’s Zane’s and he’s standing behind you giving you a kiss on the cheek while you have the biggest smile on your face.

“What the fuck!!” David screams as he stands up looking for his keys so he can drive to Zane’s

“David, what happened? Is everything ok?” Liza asks looking at him worriedly.

“I gotta go Liza, I’ll tell you everything later.”

David rushes over to Zane’s house. He comes up to it knocking so hard it feels like it might break. Zane’s comes to the door in a sweatshirt and boxers.

“Dude wtf? I’m busy. Can you come back later?”

“Where’s Y/N? I know she’s here.” David demands.

“She’s busy also and can’t come to the door right now.” He smirks.

David pushes his way past Zane and heads to the bedroom where he sees someone with Y/H/C also in the bed. His heart drops realizing what’s happening. But then David hears you call his name from the living room. He rushes over and sees you with your red eyes and tear-stained cheeks.

“I thought that was you in his bed just now. I thought..” He trails off.

“That I was doing what exactly what you were doing? Fucking Liza? I knew it David. I thought you were over her but I guess not.” You retort, fighting back more tears.

“Y/N, I swear it was nothing like that. I was over helping her with her video. I didn’t realize today was Friday, I thought it was Thursday. I would never blow you off for Liza. I am over her, it’s just we’re still friends.”

“Then go back to your friend David. I really don’t want to deal with you right now.”

“Please Y/N I swear. I want to take you out. I just didn’t realize that I mixed up my days.”

“Look David, right now I’m really hurt. You forgot our date by mixing up days. But the fact that you were with Liza and didn’t even care to respond back to me makes it real obvious that you were a little preoccupied. I really need you to leave before I can figure out how to deal with this. “

David looks at you defeated, not saying a word, turns around to leave. He walks past Zane and out to his Tesla. He looks at his messages that he never read from you once he gets in. The first one reading:

“I’m almost to the restaurant! I’m so excited for this date!”

Then the second one:

“Hey David, I’ve been waiting here half an hour, everything ok? You got me a little worried, let me know where you’re at.”

David sits there and then hits his head on the steering wheel feeling stupid and wishing he never agreed to go over to Liza’s.

Read part 2 here.

[hidden-behind-the-fourth-wall]

The Smile - Chapter 2/7

A Pairing: Loki x OFC

Summary of the story: She was a mutant with healing powers. Avengers were her family and she did all she could to protect them. She always tried to see the good in others. The smile. Beautiful and unique one was something she noticed in Loki and fell in love with. But not every love story ends the same way, and not every prince comes on his white horse and the story ends with a happy ending… Or maybe?

Story Warnings: Angst, a bit of violence, psychological issues like low self-esteem, depression, anxiety; swearing, eventual fluff and smut - maybe.

A/N: This is my first Loki story I have written, so I am quite excited. I planned to post it as a two-chapter story, each with around 10 000 words but assumed it was too much, so I will divide into 7 parts. I portray Loki as a bit of a dick here, so I hope you will bear with me and despite all this will enjoy reading this story, as much as I do writing it :)

If you want to be tagged to this or any other of my stories, please send me an ask <3

Words: 2851

"I have not seen her outside of work for two weeks!" Bucky said, eating one of the curry dishes she had left for the team. "We had a quick small talk when I took Wilson to the med bay, and that was it!" Everyone knew what he was truly feeling. She has always enjoyed being a part of the team. She always tried to find some free time to meet at the Stark dinner. They always saw her around the kitchen smiling or making awful jokes. But not anymore.

"She's working more than I do" Tony sighed, taking a sip from his water bottle. He looked and sighed happily not to see this one person in here. "You know... I thought she would stick more often due to the Reindeer Games..." Everyone knew about her little crush on the Prince of Asgard. And everyone also knew how her feelings were one-way. "She sent me details about the birthday party for the little bastard. She still remembered and was planning on it."

"I have a weird feeling her acting like that has a lot to do with this son of a bitch!" Clint chimed in. Well – let's just say he has still not condoned Loki for what he did to him. "And throwing him a birthday party is the last damn thing I wanna do. But" He took a long sip of the beer and smiled. "It's a good occasion to see her, right?"

"She has not put herself on the guests' list." Everyone turned to Tony with a mix of surprise and anger.

"So, she has planned all this, and she is not even coming?" Steve asked in a complete shock. He was never good with understanding women. And doing it in the 21st century was not better at all. Liz was always friendly to him. The first friend he encountered. The first person who noticed him, Steve Rogers, and not the Captain. She has become a close friend, and he did not want to see her hurt. Not after what she has done for him and for Bucky.

"Well, that can be rearranged", Natasha smirked evilly. No one asked. If Black Widow had a plan it meant that it will work. No matter the cost. And sometimes it was better not to ask.

**

There were a lot of the Avengers that she expected to see in her office, but Natasha Romanoff was not one. She frowned when she walked in with her everyday clothes on and a smirk on her lips.

"We're going shopping", she exclaimed, leaning on the wall next to the doors. Elizabeth raised her brow and sighed.

"Have fun", she answered taking another paper from the stack on her desk. The agent was taken by surprise with her witty come back, but smiled and shook her head.

"You and me. Knowing you, there is nothing in your closet fo the whole God's birthday party thing." Liza looked up and shook her head sadly.

"No need. Am not coming." She declared. The pathetic side of her still wanted to make this party happen. For the person who actually hated her. She was that sad.

"You prepared this party, so you are coming, even if I will need to drag you there with force." The Russian smiled victorious, seeing the girl sigh deeply. She shook her head in defeat and stood up, closing up the papers and taking her purse with her.

"You won't give up right?" The redhead shook her head grinning like a child of a devil itself. So Liz gave up. There was no way in hell that she would be able to make Natasha Romanoff give up on her plan.

**

She looked at herself in the mirror while Wanda was finishing her make-up and Natasha was doing the last touches with her hair. The Sokovian did an incredible job hiding all the black bags under her eyes. And despite the makeup, hair and the beautiful dark-green long dress, she did not believe a word they said, about how beautiful she looked. She did not see herself like that, and deep down, she knew that Loki would not even glance at her.

She did make the Avengers promise that none of them let him know, that it was her tjat prepared the party. She didn't want him to look at her differently only because he felt a bit grateful. She wasn't even sure if he would actually enjoy it. She made sure it was only Avengers and some of the new agents working with the team occasionally coming. Not too many people, not a big party, but enough to make him feel welcomed.

"Look at you. If Loki doesn't ask you for a dance, I declare him gay!" She couldn't help but chuckle at Maximoff, who straightened and looked at the girl happily. "I have to say you look stunning! All the work-out paid off", she bit her lip, realising what she said.

"You... You knew?" Liza asked looking at both of the women, who nodded their heads.

"Sweetheart, you really think that a team of assassins and agents would not notice one of their leaving the compound at the unholy hour? I asked Steve to leave for his jog a bit later. I felt like you did not want us to know... Not like I understand." Nat said, smiling at the girl in the softest way she could manage.

"Let's go... I don't want to be late..." She finally said, hoping to change the topic. The other two nodded letting it go. She looked at them and felt a bit jealous. Wanda was wearing a beautiful semi-long black dress, while Natasha had a long red one, that made them both look amazing.

"Smile, you have a beautiful smile", Maximoff winked at the girl and took her under her elbow, pushing her towards the elevators.

**

The party wasn't big. Just the Avengers and agents who were associated with the Avengers somehow. Not many but for her, it was still too many. She was sitting at a bar, looking around all the people who were talking, laughing and occasionally flirting. She took a sip of her diet coke and sighed deeply, hearing some people joking loudly.

"What does a girl like you do in a place like this?" She looked to the right, smiling, to see a familiar face near her. "Damn you look beautiful, doll", she couldn't help but blush at the very forward flirting from Bucky. She knew it was innocent but it was nice to hear it from a man.

"You're not looking bad either, soldier" she teased back. And that was not a joke. He looked incredibly handsome in his black suit and hair done to the back. He flashed her one of his smiles and order one more whisky. Checking her own drink before showing the waiter for another whatever you were drinking.

"Diet coke? Really?" He joked, taking a sip of his own alcohol. She smiled and nodded. "I missed you", she widened her eyes looking at him in a surprise. "We haven't really talked. I saw you at med bay but that's it... You missed all of our dinners... I know you are at the compound because there are always cookies waiting for us."

She bit her lip ashamed and looked down at her glass. She wasn't sure what to say. They all knew about the stupid feeling she had for God but it was too embarrassing for her to say it out loud. Even to Bucky.

She became good friends with him. Really quickly. He understood her, the same way she understood him. It wasn't hard to talk to him. He listened and didn't expect anything in return. But this she couldn't tell him, even though he already knew.

"I'm sorry. I had a lot of paperwork to do", she lied, having a quick glance at the long-haired demigod who was currently talking to a long-legged redhead. She bit her lip and downed her drink.

"You were always an awful liar, Liz!" She smiled sadly at his soft eyes. His metal hand landed on hers. It was thanks to the woman, that he was starting to be ok with the HYDRA addition to his body. It was thanks to her he started to accept himself. "And he is an idiot. The biggest idiot." The girl bit her lip once again and got up, but frowned when he stopped her with a hand on her wrist. "Let's dance." Her eyes widened at his statement. It wasn't a question. He just got up, downed his whisky and pulled her to the dance floor.

"I can't dance, Bucky", she panicked, clenching onto his suite, when he pulled her close. She hid her head in embarrassment at his chest and let him take control. The song was slow and smooth. His metal hand was gently gripping her waist, while the other one was on her shoulder. She swallowed hard and mimicked his movements.

"You did an amazing job, kid. If he will ever make you cry I will kill him!" She looked up and smiled softly.

"Careful Buck, if Nat would hear that she may get jealous!" He snorted amused and turned you around. It was not a secret that he and Romanoff were slowly going back to what they reportedly had in the red room. It was cute to watch them shyly approaching each other. She was happy for them, very deep down inside jealous, that she does not have what they have.

"You're still alive despite all the nights spent in my room. I think you're fine." He joked, making you giggle. This made him smile. You had a beautiful smile. The one that always reached your eyes. He hasn't seen it for a while, so it made him proud to have that effect on the woman.

"I'm happy for him", she put her cheek on his shoulder and looked in Loki's direction. She was sure he glanced at her, but she quickly acknowledged that it must have only been her imagination. He was too absorbed at the now openly flirting woman, with whom he will probably spent the night. Because who was she kidding. Loki was a handsome man, that was very open to women's attraction. "I just wished he didn't hate me", there she said it. She didn't want to pull off Barnes, not to see the disappointment or sadness in his eyes. She can handle it. After all her whole life has been a huge disappointment.

"Come on doll! He doesn't hate you" she couldn't help but snort at the answer. "He's just really... well..."

"It's ok, James" he flinched, as she only called him by his first name when she was really done with him. "I'll head back into my room."

"Its your party!" He hissed, not happy to see her leave.

"Its his party. His birthday. I was just an organiser. He doesn't even know that anyways." She pulled her hand away from him and turned around to just leave the room, when she bumped into something. The curse from a redhead has made everyone stop and look at the  scene. "Oh God, I'm so sorry!"

"You should be!" The redhead raised her voice. All her drink was all over her black dress. She looked pissed. "Damn you should watch where you're going!"

"I'm... I'm sorry, let me pay you back for cleaning it up."

"It was an accident, agent Smith!" A booming voice of Captain America came from behind. The woman squinted her eyes at the man and hissed.

"Do you know how much money I spent on that dress, doc!" She spilled the last words at the girl. She flinched and took a step back. She wasn't good with arguments. Not to mention everyone was staring at her.

"I'll pay you back, I'm sorry" the girl whispered, looking down at her shoes, when she noticed Loki approaching the scene.

"What's happening here?"

"Why dont you control your little partner, Loki? I think she's forgetting who she's talking to!" Rogers made a dangerous walk towars the agent, who must just realised that she was in presence of one and only Captain America. The demigod looked at the redheads dress and the girl, who had her head down.

"Steve, please. It's ok..." she whispered, holding him by his forearm. "It was my fault. Agent Smith has a right to be angry." He looked down and his look soften when he noticed the tears in his friend's eyes.

"From what I gathered, agent Smith was talking to Doctor Call and not you, Captain?" Loki interjected with a smirk, which made the redhead woman happily clench into his arm. It wasn't as he enjoyed the woman's company that much, but he did miss the touch of a beautiful woman for a while now. And for a midgardian she was a pretty picture to look at.

"Liz is a part of the team. She is an Avenger,  Loki!"

"An avenger?! Her!" The agent laughed looking at the fragile girl. "The only reason director Fury got eyes on her was of her petty abilities. A freak that's all she is!" The redhead then turned around and taking Loki with her, she left the room, making everyone gasp at the scene.

"I'll make sure she will pay for that" they heard Tony's voice from beside. "Her and Loki."

"No please," Liz whispered and let go of Cap's arm. "It was my fault, really!" They froze seeing her tears. She never cried in front of them. She never let them see her weak. Not until one. "I'm gonna go!" And without a word left to say, she left the room, making the atmosphere change completely.

**

He looked at the naked women next to him and frowned, not able to take her words out of his head. 'FREAK'. if this is what she thought of Call than what the hell was he?

He sighed and got up. He felt dissapointed. As much as his primary needs were satisfied it was not what he expected from a fierce, mouthy woman like her. It was boring he would say.

He looked at the clock and sighed. Pathetic. It didn't even last long enough for him to truly enjoy it. He got up to leave the room for some walk to the roof, hoping to nkt see her in his bed, when he will be back.

He was halfway through when the doors of the elevator opened and a freezing woman walked in. She froze in place and looked away automatically. He frowned. It was 17th of December. It must be freezing outside for a mere human and yet here she was in her dress and heels on. Not to mention that this was not her floor.

"What are you doing here?" He asked in a low voice. She swallowed hard and took a step closer. It was just now he noticed her red, puffy from crying eyes. She took the money out of her bag and handed them to him.

"Can you please give them to Agent Smith? I... I hope that's enough for cleaning" he gasped, taken by surprise. She went outside in that weather to take money from the machine only to pay the woman back.

"I'm not a money handler" he hissed, but still accepting the cash.

"I know... I'm sorry." She sniffed quietly. He wasn't sure whether because of the weather or the crying. "By the way. Happy Birthday!" She smiled to him. But it was different than the normal one. It never met her eyes and sen thin a sad vibrations. "I hope you enjoyed the cake..."

"I told you I don't like sweets" despite the cold respond his voice seemed to be a bit nicer. But it could only be her imagination.

"Thor... Thor told me you had that one when you were kids... I'm sorry. I just wanted to make you something special." He couldn't help but think that the blush on her cheeks was quite cute and adorable.

"Why?" He took a step towards her, making her take a step away. He frowned. She wasn't afraid of him, so he could not understand why she did this.

She bit her lip and smiled sadly, turning around towards the elevators. She pressed the bottom and waited. When the doors opened she walked in and turned towards him.

"Because I wanted to see you smile. Even if it was only once." He widened his eyes but couldn't say a word as the doors closed.

This night he found himself abandoning the roof trip and waited for the party to finish. He put the money and a little letter to the redhead on his nightstand and walked to the kitchen when no one was there to be found. He found a cake and took a bit, feeling like memories were slowly coming back. It tasted almost the same as Frigga made. He smiled and took another piece, finishing what was left of the cake by himself.

MasterList

[paperclipninja]

Younger post-ep ramble 6x01

The waiting, the anticipation, the trying not to pass out every time the Younger team posted some ridiculously next-level pic or gif or clip...it was all leading to this, the season 6 premiere! The sheer joy and elation I feel from seeing new footage and new moments for these characters takes me by surprise every single time. I am perpetually thirsty for this show and there is not much I delight in more than drinking it all in as it unfolds. “Big Day” most certainly did not disappoint, it was a fast paced sensory overload and didn’t hold back in setting a whole lot in motion straight out of the gate.

What is interesting to me is that so much of this first ep had been included in the official trailer and other promos, so in a way I felt like I’d seen lots of it but also it was all new because I didn’t have the full context of any of the bits. Take the opening scene, for example - we had seen part of it in the First Look table read, part in the trailer, part in other promos, yet there I was trying not to catch on fire in those first two minutes because it was h.o.t. I am a sucker for a coming-up-behind-the-person-while-they-get-ready-in-the-mirror scenario and this season opener raised it a notch by putting Charles in a pair of boxer briefs, you know, to emphasise the morning situation (and the abs situation lbh) while giving us the dual angle of the mirror and the foreground just to make sure we could see all that was happening (noted and appreciated). My brain is still not computing Liza and Charles as an actual out-in-the-open couple so the whole ‘I know why your neck is sore’, ‘as long as you’re in [the bed] when she gets home’ (this talking in the third person thing they’ve had going on since that fountain scene in the finale = YES), chatting about the day ahead, intermittent kisses, arms wrapped around each other...I’m sorry, what were we talking about? Oh yes, very good scene, 5/5 would recommend.

I am thrilled at the way Liza just dropped the ‘love you’ so naturally, it was exactly the right way for that to happen considering how long these characters have been doing their dance. Dare I say that I loved it even more when Liza told Kelsey she loves her in the office and Kelsey said ‘aw, you didn’t even run away’. Lol. Such a great tie in and I am really feeling the Kelsey/Liza dynamic in this ep right from the get-go. From the moment they’re walking up to the office together, the support they’re showing for one another is so evident and adding Lauren into the work mix is going to be fab. Lauren may have only been in the ep for about a minute but as always she makes such an impression, me and my English degree feel seen. I cannot WAIT to see her relationship with Diana grow and also, did I miss Zommy being a thing? Is this Zaddy but flipped? 

As always Liza has her relentless belief in Kelsey, but it is so nice to see Kelsey stepping up to reassure Liza that they will make sure the company is stronger than ever and showing that she respects Liza’s relationship and is also supporting her in her new role. I really hope this continues throughout the season and I appreciate that the writers may be responding to the somewhat lopsided friendship we were seeing last season. I enjoyed both conversations about clearing desks way more than I probably should have and I am as happy as Liza that she finally has an office with an actual door that closes (p.s. here’s hoping these very specific references are alluding to future door shutting and clearing desks because I am trash and I know you’re all thinking it).  

Of course we couldn’t have Liza getting too settled before Quinn appeared to drop the bomb that Page Six are running the blind item with her age printed as 28 and that the entire Charles stepping down so there would be no more lies/celebrating Liza rally was only ever really going to be on Quinn’s terms. I was SO hoping that Quinn and Liza could become friends. I saw such potential in the finale, however I also see that this stays consistent with the ruthless business woman we were presented with, who is only in it for herself. The way Quinn says ‘let’s not make this a pity party about ageism’ with such contempt is a stark contrast to the ‘ageism is wrong’ mantra from the last time we saw the character and I actually gasped. Laura Benanti is going to play this evil turn so well that I am now officially excited to see Quinn’s true colours, I love a deliciously dodgy character (shout out to C.Sussman the real MVP). I do wonder if the whole glass cliff phenomenon we learn about during this ep is actually going to end up being Quinn’s M.O, especially after the finance meeting when she told Kelsey to enjoy making cuts before going to get on a plane *insert shrug emoji*. The justification for keeping the age thing on the DL was legit, Kelsey’s ewww at the idea of banging the boss was so in character and props to Liza being all ‘excuse you and your ewww’, but just in case we needed convincing that people would assume the 28 year old in the story was Kelsey, enter Diana. 

It had all started so well, the day that is. I really liked how Diana was supporting Kelsey as the boss when she first arrived at work and Kelsey saying she wanted to talk to Diana about hiring Lauren, a glimpse at the way these women are going to work together. But let’s put all that on hold while we recount the shattering of my heart into a million pieces. First of all, Diana’s immediate assumption that Kelsey ‘bottomed her way to the very top’ (that was brutal and I think all our jaws were with Quinn’s in hitting the floor in that moment), followed of course by Liza running after her, Diana not wanting to hear any excuses for Kelsey and the great office reveal as Liza tells a room full of colleagues, who may or may not have all started that day because who are all these people and what do they do, that she is the 28 year old associate having an affair with the publisher. It was momentarily comical until Liza turned to see Diana’s expression. My heart hurts even thinking about the scene that follows as Diana reassures Liza that it’s a story as old as time, the assistant sleeping with the boss, but as Liza continues to try and explain you can actually see Diana shutting down. Miriam Shor deserves every freaking award for the way she conveyed so much just with her eyes. 

Diana meeting with Redmond (what a treat having him in the premiere too!) absolutely epitomized how much value this show can get out of a short scene that’s well written and wonderfully acted. The entire exchange, from Redmond wanting the goss on the regime change (I love that he wasn’t even available but couldn’t pass up the opportunity to get some dirt and asking whether Kelsey’s feet touch the floor in Charles’ chair, all the LOLs), to Diana asking him to put the word out she’s looking for a new job (one of my fave lines of the ep, ‘oh Redmond, if I wanted it kept quiet I would’ve never come to you’) was an utter joy to watch. Despite the brevity, this scene captured the real feel of Younger for me, the setting, the conversation, something about it just oozed that essence that has been running through the entire series, almost like a familiarity that re-orientated me amidst all the newness I was trying to get my head around.

There was something so domestic, in the best possible way, about Enzo opening the door to Kelsey and Liza and I adore that they went to Diana’s apartment in the hope of finding her. Kelsey being warned by Zane not to lose Diana was a really surprising but lovely moment, I enjoyed their scene a lot; Kelsey admitting how hard the job is, Zane being open about trying to figure out his next move (we now know he’s not at Chicky...lol the comment about his dicky), I see the set up and it’ll be interesting to see how their relationship will play out this season. So for now Zane is being a friend to Kelsey and it was thanks to this that she and Liza were able to find Diana at Marie’s Crisis and we were blessed with the most surreal Younger experience to date, a rendition of 9 to 5 which we’d already seen prior to the ep but I will happily watch as many times as is offered. And while the Dolly tribute was an absolute treat, the part of this scene that lingered with me was prior to that, when Kelsey and Liza first find Diana and Kelsey tells her how much she respects and values her (my Kelsey love in this moment is possibly the realest it’s ever been). 

As Diana explains that the problem is she’s not a millennial, my fragile heart actually broke. I understand on the one hand that Liza revealing her age in this moment may have been too much on top of the Charles news, but the other part of me wanted and needed her to take Diana, sit her down and tell her the whole damn truth. I said it at the end of last season but at this point, Diana not knowing about Liza’s age feels cruel. I understand Liza not being able to declare her real age publicly but there’s absolutely no reason she couldn’t tell Diana. I am hoping that she will find out in the very near future because I feel like Diana Trout and Liza Miller both openly in their 40′s will be next level and I need this friendship please and thank you.

You know another friendship between people in their 40′s I love? Bob and Charles. So imagine my delight when this scene started and we have Bob’s tiny mind being blown as he discovers that the woman Charles has been speaking to him about for the past 4 years is actually Liza, ‘the yodelling mom’. So we have Bob giving Charles some real talk and the mirroring of Charles starting over to Liza way back in season 1 is duly noted, but if you look up Swoon-worthy in any dictionary you will in fact see a clip of Charles saying ‘I can’t explain it, when I’m with her I feel...free’ playing on a continuous loop. This show and these lines I swear, RIP: Me.

As I’m sure you have gathered, this ramble is not following the chronology of the episode, so I want to jump back to a scene that I have been waiting for with a ridiculous amount of excitement and that is the Maggie and Charles meeting. I cannot explain why, but my desire to see these two meet has been strong and unrelenting and the fact Charles wandered into the lounge with his shirt open and completely unaware Maggie was there was everything I didn’t know I wanted. I appreciated Maggie’s appreciation of the male form but boy she sure didn’t waste any time getting her grill on. I do love how ferociously protective of Liza Maggie is and I get that there is clearly the need to set in motion a potentially ominous foreshadowing, but truthfully, this scene felt too rushed to me. Like, what happened after Maggie said ‘no-one ever does it on purpose’? Did they sit there awkwardly in silence? Did Charles ask Maggie if she wanted to do the quiz in the newspaper when he got to that part in his cover to cover read? I wanted more but I also felt a bit disappointed that there wasn’t a little more lightness in their first meeting. I have no doubt we will see more of them interacting, so hopefully we will still get Maggie and Charles bonding and becoming friends.

Maggie’s friendship with Josh is still one I really enjoy and the conversation about getting a paternity test was a nice way to bring Josh, Maggie and Liza together, bonus points to the use of the phone assistant to create that great ‘things to do in Wililamsburg’ moment. I have to say, Josh and Clare’s conversation when she was getting him up to speed and he felt the baby kick was lovely. His joy and disbelief was palpable. I found the whole scene to be really beautiful and I am one of the people who was always a fan of Clare, I really liked her and Josh together and I still feel like they have a really great, natural chemistry. I also felt like Josh being the dad was never really a question because I simply cannot see the point in bringing back pregnant Clare if he wasn’t, but Kelsey’s ‘holy shit’ reaction was great as was the conversation that followed between him and Liza. 

I really enjoyed their banter about Liza being a baby whisperer and her reassurance that ‘I got you’, I desperately want to see this relationship as a true friendship because the potential is there. But I gotta say, I’m a bit conflicted about Josh bringing up the fact that they broke up because Liza didn’t want him to give up having a kid and suggesting that they could be together if she wasn’t with someone else. I appreciate that it is realistic that this news would make both Josh and Liza reflect on their relationship given that having a baby was a significant reason for them breaking up, but bringing it up then and the implication that if Liza was single now they could be together just sort of ruined the moment for me. And it’s nothing to do with me wanting Liza with Charles, regardless of who she ends up with or without, for me this is how trying to keep love triangles alive in tv shows starts disrupting character and story growth and progression. 

I wanted to hear Josh talk about feeling the baby kick and for Liza to tell him some funny anecdote about when she was pregnant and was kicked in the bladder and peed herself in the supermarket. I realised I was feeling a bit resentful that I got pulled from this moment of enjoying the current place their relationship is at and back into this whole ‘look what we could have been’ because it feels tiresome and stagnant, but I’m sure there are many fans who feel differently. I liked the echo of Josh’s ‘timing’ by Liza. I felt like hers had a different meaning, that timing was bigger than just their singledom and parenthood aligning. I still overall really enjoyed their interaction, and I am looking forward to seeing how this relationship moves forward this season.

Liza bringing Diana coffee was the perfect way to show that things will be ok between them (until the age reveal that is...and yes Diana, I agree re: Liza’s outfit) and I’m quite sure that necklace Diana is wearing can be seen from space. I do like it when it feels like the balance has been restored and this was only made better by the phone call from Maggie to share the new bed arrival news. I feel like Maggie might be warming up to Charles after this.

Full disclaimer: this part will contain gushing. I tell you, this end scene of the ep was just too much. The expression on Charles’ face when he opened the door to Liza, ugh GUSH, such pure delight to see her and her joy in receiving the gift that she thought was nothing more than a joke, GUSH. Seeing these two so candid and giddy is everything. How far our Liza has come, from when we first met her and she was worried she’d forgotten how to have sex to now unabashedly telling the man she’s with that she thought she’d spend her lunch time thanking him in person (there are so many dirty puns I wanna use here but I shall refrain). I love their continued openness as she acknowledges missing Charles at work and he misses being there, but the way Charles’ reciprocation of Liza’s ‘love you’ from the start of the ep is delivered, I may have actually melted. As in, I am now liquid goo. Liza’s reaction as she asks ‘did you just tell me you love me?’ is divine and while we’ve heard the ‘I’ve pretty much had feelings for you for 16 years’ in numerous promos, Charles’ ‘long enough to know’ was what led to any remnants of my heart not shattered by the Diana ordeal to explode.

Zane’s interruption is only acceptable because Liza’s ‘hello’ is so damn hilarious and I love that they are two grown ass adults who were busted making out. And while I know that we are left with a lingering sense that Charles and Zane are up to something potentially secretive/shady as Liza leaves, I am HERE for Charles and Zane working together. I love the idea of Charles and Zane vs. Liza and Kelsey. I have no idea if that is where this is going, but I do know this smells of a set up for some serious DRAH-MAH and ngl, I am in 100%.

So all in all, what a cracking start to season 6. SO much going on, I think we’re in for a wild one. 

[zukadiary]

Hustle Mates ~ Cosmos Troupe 2018

I know I'm here so often it's hardly special anymore… but this trip had the distinction of being my first VACATION in Japan in 5 years. I'd forgotten what mornings look like in this country (and as I'm now back at work for the remaining few days, I already miss them).

It also had the distinction of being Kazuki Sora's first lead. Of my standout favorites in my life thus far as a Takarazuka fan, Sora is the only one who, by some witch magic, grabbed me when she was a tiny child—before I ever set foot in a theater here, before she even got a shinko lead. After growing quite used to following her around the edges of the stage with my opera glasses and mentally cursing camera operators for not panning two inches to the left to get more than a sliver of her arm in some great dance scene, this year brought first an absolute dream role in Anita, followed by the center spotlight that I honestly wasn't convinced she'd ever get. It's been vindicating seeing her immense talents displayed so prominently, and deeply moving in ways utterly different from any of the other cyclones of emotion Takarazuka fandom has thrown upon me. A very non-Soragumi friend had a chance to see the show, and I felt nervous and wary like I was taking an acquaintance to my own child's recital (someone please tell me when I got old enough to experience THAT feeling). And much like a mom, I plan to throw out any attempt at objectivity and rave about my girl until you don't want to listen anymore.

Hustle Mates was primarily a collection of songs and dances from Soragumi history, with a few non-Takarazuka songs, MC sections, and mini skits thrown in. It's a tiny cast of 16, so if you like anyone in it you have a good chance of seeing her featured. Long-time Soragumi fans will likely find it very fun and nostalgic regardless. Sora leading a show about the history of Soragumi which contains a great number of songs with the word sora in them made it kind of sound like she was singing about herself for two hours, which greatly amused me (and apparently tickled Ishida-sensei too).

Act 1 opens with two original songs—the very upbeat Hustle Mates theme, and then more of a ballad (also with ample use of the word SORA)—followed by a selection of songs from some of the most well-known Soragumi musicals: Copacabana, Phantom, Top Hat, Singin' in the Rain, and an Elisabeth medley, which despite the general overuse of Elisabeth songs was still my favorite. Watashi Dake Ni was a group musumeyaku number, Mikaze Maira got to unleash her very impressive pipes on that last note. Saigo no Dance also started as a group otokoyaku number. Moeko entered partway through for a solo line, and I know she has the shinko Tod experience under her, but since I've never seen that, it was maybe the most surprising and powerful few seconds of Moeko I've ever witnessed. Then Sora came in to finish the song, and in some alternate universe where she's in a different class and tall enough to be a top star I'd sell both of my kidneys to see her Elisabeth every single day of the run. Sora solo Kitsch came next and was likewise flawless, so I guess I'll be satisfied with keeping my kidneys if they finally air that dang shinko in the next couple of months while Tsukigumi is playing.

Then we have a skit… I'm a bit fuzzy on exactly what went on in it, but I suspect I might be looking for sense where there was none. Setohana Mari enters dressed like a dominatrix, loudly cracking whip and all, with two other musumeyaku guards of Partial Time Prison. They do a roll call of past Soragumi characters who come out one by one and make meta jokes about themselves (discussing their offenses?) while the three guards smack them around. Sora is brought out last, as Lucheni, and gives a long speech, the punchline of which is he's on the path to reform thanks to his new life selling green juice mix in what is probably a pyramid scheme. Each performance she ad-libbed Louis and Marie Antoinette off the stage.

Moeko and Mineri who were playing Jose and Carmen in prison stick around to sing Temptation (GREAT song, I wanted a little more from these two) while the underclassmen get ready to sing Amapola a cappella conducted by Homare Seri. This was QUITE impressive, and I love it when they use Bow to give underclassmen little challenges like this. Act 1 ends with a medley of the Soragumi revue songs that got the most votes in the internet poll they ran a few months ago. They aren't listed individually in the program and I'm probably missing something, but off the top of my head I remember Millennium Challenger, Dancing For You, Funky Sunshine, Nice Guy, Phoenix Takarazuka, and Hot Eyes. Sora singing Funky Sunshine (SO—RA— POWER) was HIGHLY satisfying. They finish on Asu e no Energy, which still made me cry even though I JUST saw Citrus Breeze… but put my kid in the center of a song that always makes me cry anyway and I guess that's what you get.

Act 2 was less nostalgic and more interesting to me, probably because Sora's dance scenes multiplied significantly. They opened with a nihonmono medley, beginning with a Soran dance which I LOVED (the one from Viva Festa always gets me hyped too). Sora entered Takarazuka with a background in hip hop dance which I think always gives her movements a particular dynamic energy and a sharpness that sets her apart even from the other great Takarazuka dancers, but it stood out to me even more than usual in the Soran scene, probably in contrast to the traditional Japanese garb. I REALLY LOVED IT (even if I can imagine nichibu purists cringing). During my first two viewings of the show I was mostly overwhelmed and ecstatic that Sora had gotten a lead at all, but the last one, particularly in the Soran scene for whatever reason, it hit me HARD how much she's grown and how commanding and enthralling she is on stage.

After we spend a bit more time reliving Soragumi's very brief nihonmono history through song, there's a "rain corner" featuring a folk song that I rather like and a skit that made me feel COMPLEX THINGS. Mappu (Matsukaze Akira) plays some kind of rain god/wizard/???, in a whimsically decorated raincoat with two cute little ghosts hanging off her umbrella. Sora enters playing a guy out for a walk in the park in the rain where he meets a girl (Mineri) who lets him share her umbrella, and when the rain stops she asks him what he's doing in the park in the rain without one. BEAR WITH ME HERE: he explains he felt like coming to visit the spot where his dog Liza died, on a rainy day just like this one, after running away from their car (side note, I hope they named the dog Liza because Mineri's name is a play on Minelli?? Is it even?? There's a good ochakai question 6 days too late). He reminisces about all the tricks Liza could do, and Mineri imitates them. He shows her a picture of Liza, and surprisingly they're wearing the same dress?! It becomes evident that Mineri is actually the human form spirit of Sora's late pet, granted a few precious moments on earth by Rain Wizard Mappu to talk to her former owner, thank him, and say goodbye… she disappears with Mappu before Sora fully figures it out. HERE'S THE THING: As WTF?? as this entire concept is, Sora's acting was so damn heartbreaking I TEARED UP on the THIRD VIEWING even though I TOTALLY KNEW WHAT TO EXPECT?? I'm GENUINELY ANGRY that she took THIS SKIT and managed to MAKE ME CRY, and now I'm also praying to all the gods that this isn't her last lead, because I NEED to see her in a proper play with a proper partner. Where do I sacrifice the goats?

Next the whole team sings a song from Never Say Goodbye, leading up to Sora coming out for a solo barefoot dance, custom engineered to wound me as gravely as possible. Setohana Mari follows this up with an attempt at If I Were a Bell from Guys & Dolls, with brilliant all-in drunk acting but barely recognizable English (A for effort given the speed of the song though).

AND THEN

Okay. There's a rare special thing that I've now had the… fortune? I guess? of experiencing twice, that I hope you all get to experience someday, not because it's good or fun but just because it's An Experience. Sometimes there are secret little treats hidden in Takarazuka shows just for the foreigners. They're secret because I am pretty sure the directors have no idea what treats they are. And sometimes, through a combination of luck and the kindest friends, you make it to your first viewing with no spoilers, and a song starts playing that you recognize within half a note, and you begin having an experience so separate from every other person in the theater you feel as though you might as well be floating above the audience with all their disapproving gazes drilling into you, wondering what the heck you're doing up there when clearly the place for you is down here. The first time was when I waltzed unassuming into HOT EYES!! in an era when my feelings re: Soragumi were "I guess I have to watch them if I want to see Sora," and in my heart-pounding state of shock brought about by the first however many scenes Eye of the Tiger began to play, and out came involuntarily a VERY noticeable raspberry spit of quickly stifled laughter (before Makaze's everything shut me right the heck up).

The second was when amidst the polite applause following Secchan's Ding Dong Ding, the curtain rose on the remainder of the cast beginning a fiercely literal staging of the entirety of Bohemian Rhapsody in English. There are so many things to unpack:

Mikaze Maira, playing a literal mother, opens the number by emotionally reading a literal letter from her literal son who has literally gone off to war

The others, with Sora in the center, are playing soldiers armed with sizable rifles, portraying the horrors of war via aggressive interpretive dance

Sora's English, while certainly not flawless, was SO PASSABLE, especially when compared to a) history in general and b) specifically Can't Take My Eyes Off of You from 2 years ago, I was FULLY SHOOK

Her dancing and acting in this number were SO FRIGGIN GOOD I could DIE

The performance overall was SO PASSIONATELY ACTED and thus SO DISTRESSING that people in the audience were CRYING from BEING MOVED to the point where later in the run they BEGAN SNIFFLING BEFORE THE NUMBER EVEN STARTED

It forced me for the first time in my life to sit down and hella contemplate the lyrics to Bohemian Rhapsody, the conclusion of which was a) yeah that sure was a 500% valid interpretation of the lyrics and b) there is absolutely no way I could ever begin to explain to a Japanese person why in my culture it's a FUNNY SONG

I was EXTRA TICKLED that Kotti, who can't speak above a whisper off stage, was the one who got to run up onto a box and scream SO YOU THINK YOU CAN STONE ME AND SPIT IN MY EYE

Every viewing my body shook so hard from the effort it took to keep myself from making any sort of noise I wouldn't be surprised if everyone in my row could feel the tremors and I am honestly still tired just thinking about it

If this is cut I’m making a GoFundMe for the rights. Everyone start saving now please.

As a palate cleanser, Mineri sings a pop ballad in a gorgeous gown before the proper kuroenbi to Ai, which is a song that has a lot of nostalgic value for me personally, making it a very emotional backdrop to Sora leading an otokoyaku dance with the top star sparkles on her tailcoat and hitting that final pose with a heart-shattering bang. They reprise the two original theme songs for the parade, and that's Hustle Mates.

Additional notes from my particular viewings: I had a lucky aisle seat where Hanaki Maia, who I'm pretty obsessed with, serenaded me, and Mappu gave me a great smile and a little hand squeeze in lieu of a high five. I am completely charmed by Kotti, she's like a Great Dane that grew up and still thinks it's a lap dog—striking otokoyaku on the outside and a sweet shy earnest inside that hasn't quite caught up yet. Senshuuraku should be the day that shows up on Sky Stage eventually, but in the Partial Time Prison scene Homare Seri (playing Rhett Butler) started a really awkward slow clap with the audience in an attempt to ad lib, then had no idea where she wanted to go with it so she just gave SoraLucheni a big hug, and Moeko got flustered, decided that was enough, and cut off everyone’s laughter and applause by stepping in front of the action and saying her next line as loudly as possible.

My raku seat was close range, and after watching Sora’s perfectly calculated facial expressions, and the tiny backlit beads of sweat flying off her brow as she danced her heart out in HER SHOW, I'd sit in lava for her I love her so deeply.

[marklipinski]

 If you missed our last Facebook LIVE live video, here it is!  Please feel free to leave a question or comment.  All are answered.  xoxom

Here are the links to the subjects we spoke about in this episode:

Not Kid(ney)-ing Around

As my search for a life-saving kidney continues, I find that I am now .2 points from having to start dialysis.  In my research, I have most likely decided on hooking myself up, through the stomach, each day and trying to maintain some kind of life from home.  Those who have been in end stage kidney failure tell me that I may actually feel better than I have been (and it’s been pretty grim on some days) and a friend who shall remain nameless [Marie Bostwick] pointed out that I am the biggest homebody in the universe . . . and it’s not like I ever go anywhere anyway. LOL

So I’m still on steroids so sporting a coffin neck is one thing, but now my chipmunk cheeks eclipse my coffin neck!  Shroud cheeks?    So, while I may look like this:

I feel like this:

MR. ELECTRIC CONTINUES ON HIS BOOK TOUR

Mr. Electric’s book, Who Broke the Vase? finally launched and is available in bookstores (local and big box, like Barnes and Noble, etc.)  and other booksellers (even Wal-Mart, etc) around the country!  If you would like an autographed copy of his book (personalized to you or yours) order yours here:  http://bit.ly/2nI6Rj6

       Who Broke the Vase? Quilt

The Who Broke the Vase? quilt is finally finished and beautifully quilted by my buddy Janice Jamison. The kit will be available for pre-orders by the end of this week (I’m just waiting for a final [brand new] back ordered fabric to be shipped)!  I’ll post here and on Facebook as soon as the quilt is listed in the Pickle Road Studios online store.  Because I’m not a brick and mortar shop, I’m  limiting the number of kit sales, so first come first served.

Up next, patterns for lots of different Who Broke the Vase? projects . . .

and

Mr. Electric;s newest book (published in October 2017), Who Am I?

LEARNING

Book Binding

I took a bookbinding class with Linda Lum DeBono  at the Printmaking Center of NJ located in Branchburg, New Joisey.

  At the Printmaking Center of New Jersey with quilter/author/fabric designer, Linda Lum DeBono.

The printmaking design and class studio…

Bookbinding II class at the Printmaking Center of New Jersey

Samples of the books I produced in the class…

Our teacher, Dave DiMarchi of 9 in Hand Press.

Linda Lum DeBono binding her book

L

Printmaking

Quilters Jill Edwards, Brad Pitt, and Meg Cox in the Printmaking on Fabric class at the New Hope- Solebury Community School in wonderful New Hope, Pennsyltucky.   This class is also taught by 9 in Hand Press owner, Dave DiMarchi.

The New Hope Solebury High School where our classes take place.

Some of the supplies we use in class

Take Our Poll

Our first attempt at printing on paper

My Ugly Angel experiment on paper and baby wipes…

My planned layout of cardboard cutouts that I was to print onto fabric

I dropped the damned apple onto the orange, then the time for clean up began.  Still not finished, but you get the drift.

Jill Edwards and Meg Cox giving their projects the side-eye.

MONDO BAG

Cover of the Quiltsmart Mondo Bag pattern!

A sample of the Mondo Bag I bogarted from Liza Lucy’s studio…

An inside view (it’s super roomy)

Here, Quiltsmart owner, Maddie (whom I love love love), gives a tutorial on how to make your own Mondo Bag using her Quiltsmart pattern!

Visit the Glorious Color website to get your complete kit to make your own version of the Mondo Bag

CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR COMPLETE KIT

eats

MARK’S OLIVE OIL COOKIE RECIPE

What you need . . .

4 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 tablespoon baking powder

3/4 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon lemon oil

1 teaspoon orange oil

1 teaspoon almond oil

1/2 cup half and half or whole milk

2 eggs

1 cup confectioners’ sugar

1 teaspoon meringue powder

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon flavored oil such as orange, lemon, almond, or anise, etc. (optional)

colored jimmies, colored non-perils, or coarse sanding sugar (optional)

warm milk or water

Directions . . .

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

You can mix this by hand but I use my KitchenAid mixer using the dough attachment. In the mixing bowl, mix flour, baking powder, cinnamon and sugar and mix it well.  Next, add olive oil, half and half, the flavored oils, and eggs. Turn on the mixer to a medium setting and mix the ingredients together until the dough forms into a ball and away from the sides of the mixing bowl.

Grab small pieces of dough and roll them into 1″ balls and place them on a parchment paper covered cookie sheet, about an inch apart. They’ll puff up just a tiny bit during baking. Before putting them into the oven flatten their tops a little by gently pressing the top of each ball with the bottom of a drinking glass – just a little. Bake for 9 -10 minutes.

To Make Icing: Blend vanilla, flavored oil (optional), meringue powder, and enough warm milk to the confectioner’s sugar to form a smooth icing.

Dip the cookies into the icing and dry the cookies on a wire cake rack or directly on waxed paper. While the icing is still wet sprinkle them with colored non-perils, jimmies, or coarse sanding sugar.

HOMEMAKERS COUNTRY QUILTERS

Website: www.homemakerscountryquilters.org

ON MY WAY HOME

My visit with Mother Therese of Jesus

This is the cloister.  It’s huge.  On the bottom left side of the photo, beyond the trees is the terra cotta roofed mausoleum where the nuns are buried.

Some of the Carmelites in the cloister ages ago. I am told that there are only 4 cloistered nuns in the compound, the youngest in her 70’s.

Guess who?  Kinda creepy to me, but many cultures take photos of their deceased loved ones.

The tomb

The Grille

The Turn

One of the most amazing windows inside the shrine.  Each piece was made in Germany and sent to the United States for this building.

The Walmart Fat Quarter and now 3rd degree relic

Kidney Mary and Bonnie on the day we visited the National Centre for Padre Pio in Barto, Pennsylvania, where I created a 3rd degree relic brown fat quarter.

This is the wildest book about “Incorruptibles”!  I bought it, read it, then gave it away at some point. Just adding it in case you’re interested or think I’m cra cra . . . or both.  You can also Google “Incorruptibles” fo,r more information

The Incorruptibles: A Study of the Incorruption of the Bodies of Various Catholic Saints and Beati

SPEAKING OF MIRACLES

Here’s a part of a note I received from North Carolina quilter, Jane Lemley, dated August 18, 2015:

‘. . . Also, wondering if you ended up with my wooden pen that you used to sign 3 issues of your magazine after the meeting.  My friend, Clare, borrowed my pen for you to use.  It wouldn’t matter except that it was my Mom’s and she has passed away.  If not, no worries…maybe it’s on it’s way back to her!

Thanks again for your wonderful program!  May Slow Stitching stay with us always.

Sincerely, Jane Lemley”

JANE!  I FOUND YOUR PEN in my PROJECTOR CASE!!!  

PLEASE CALL ME at (908)876-1208

IF YOU KNOW JANE, PLEASE LET HER KNOW! 

Look what else I found in that darn case!  LOL  No kidding…

I’m going to sew my SUPER FLY on (or else culturally appropriate Mrs. Roper)

CAPE MAY QUILT & FIBER ARTS SHOW

Historic Cold Spring Village Quilt and Fiber Arts Show

June 24th and 25th.

Historic Cold Spring Village; 720 Route 9; Cape May, NJ

I’ll be speaking there both days.  Mr. Electric will be at the Historic Cold Spring Village Country Store with copies of his book and book readings for the kiddies!

Visit the Historic Cold Spring Village website here: https://hcsv.org/

Both days will feature demonstrations and vendors of quilting, textiles, knitting, crocheting, basket weaving, broom making, wool dyeing, sheep shearing and more! On Saturday, visitors may vote for their favorite quilts in the Welcome Center at the Viewer’s Choice Quilt Show, and on Sunday continue to enjoy the display and see the winners.  A rare wedding quilt, c. 1714, handmade by Cape May Countian Sarah Spicer, will be on display in the Welcome Center for its annual appearance. The quilt was restored in 2012 through a grant from the Cape May County Culture and Heritage Commission. Regional vendors are attending with quilting and sewing fabrics, yarn, baskets, supplies, and equipment to help inspire the creation of an heirloom project.

NEW BOOKS

Zen Doodle Calm

It’s out in October!

SENT

Thanks for the laugh, Kathy.

I found out that The Jolly Taxpayer Hotel which was built in 1906 was taken down 7-8 years ago and is now the Jameson House, an office and condo tower that was built in 2011.

Before and after

Before

After

Oh, and it was never a gay bar LOL

CALL YOUR SHOP

Tell your local shopkeeper that the Auriful’s  BEST SELLING THREAD COLLECTION, THE BASICS COLLECTION, is on sale at Checker.  Have you shop order a few.  If you don’t have one, buy one.  You will not regret it.

Yes, I sell them in my online store, but I would love it if you supported (or at least tried to support) your local brick and mortar quilt shop!  xoxom

  CATALOGS & MAGAZINES

Uppercase Magazine

The newest Uppercase issue has arrived!  Get yours here 

Spoonflower Catalog

A catalog? Ask for one here 

Take Our Poll

Sew News

I love this magazine!  There is always something I’m interested in (and I don’t sew clothing nor do I consider myself a “sewist”).  Find out about Sew News here 

      SHOWS

Mary Schaefer

This is the Gwen Marston book I referenced this week.

`

Catch the show, The Mary Schafer Collection: A Legacy of Quilt History at the Mercer Museum

in Doylestown, Pennsylvania until August 13.

https://www.mercermuseum.org

SPEAK YOUR WORDS, OWN YOUR TRUTH

and PUSH BACK AGAINST INJUSTICE and BULLYING

FACEBOOK LIVE with Mark Lipinski and Mr. Electric, May 21, 2017  If you missed our last Facebook LIVE live video, here it is!  Please feel free to leave a question or comment.