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spicywhenspeaking · 11 months ago

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If I'm There: Chapter Fourteen

its the halloween episode !

image source (x)

read from part one here!

summary: Noah and Natalie meet in high school and developed a relationship through their love of music and art. Falling in love, innocent and young, they think nothing can keep them apart. However, sometimes in the pursuit of your dreams the things we love the most get left behind.

taglist : @lma1986 @cookiesupplier @notingridslurkaccount @blackveilomens @thisbicc @thebadchic

It’s two weeks until Noah’s birthday party and only a few days after that, he will leave to go on tour. He was able to get his leave of absence approved by the school. The counselor gave him a huge stack of papers and workbooks that he’s expected to complete to get the credit for the rest of the semester.

When I walk into Noah's room after his meeting I see the huge pile. “Wow,” I comment. “That's a lot!”

He nods in recognition and waves it off. “I can help you with some stuff before y’all leave again and when you get back I can be your tutor.”

Noah laughs “Only if you promise to dress up like a sexy librarian.” Giggling I playfully smack his shoulder. “You pig.”

He stands and wraps his arms around me, picking me up and swinging me on the bed. “Oh hush…you like it,” he winks and settles his body on top of mine. “Don’t worry about the school stuff. It’s the last thing on my mind… right now there's only one thing I can't stop thinking about.”

He says as he places kisses all over my face and down my neck, lightly sucking on the pulse point that's now pumping faster. Noah's hands begin to roam and squeeze my breasts gently as a soft moan escapes my mouth. Before anything gets any further we hear someone barging into the house.

Nick quickly rounds the corner of the hallway and shrieks when he sees us tangled together on the bed and covers his eyes dramatically. “WOAH! sorry! But dude! We have band practice!” Nick says and Noah collapses onto me. “Bro…horrible timing.” I scootch out from under him and adjust my clothes. “I guess I should probably head into work now.” Noah rounds the bed to where I am and wraps his arms around me. “I’ll be counting down the hours until you get back.” I laugh at his ridiculous words. “It won’t be that long, you can come and pick me up at 9,” I respond leaning up to kiss him softly ignoring Nick’s fake gags of disgust and Noah flips him off for both of us.

Thankfully we weren’t interrupted by Nick later that night.

The rest of the time before the party goes by pretty fast. I try not to push it, but Noah doesn’t do any of the schoolwork in those two weeks. Before I know it, it’s Halloween and Noah is dropping me off at work before heading back to his house to get ready for the party with Nick.

Outside of the coffee shop, we spend a few minutes saying goodbye before I have to head in. “Happy birthday Noah,” I tell him in between kisses. “The happiest one now that I have you.” He responds sweetly against my lips. “I’ll see you tonight,” I say to him and then he says in his best Frankenstein voice “Until then my bride.” Laughing, I walk towards the coffee shop and wave before heading in.

Work is slow, so Maggie and I can get ready during our shifts. She’s driving me back to the party when we’re off and will crash on the couch at Noah’s if she parties as hard as she's hoping to. I’m trying not to let other people's drinking upset me, not everyone has a problem like my mom, and we are only young once.

It's 9 pm when we get the go-ahead from our manager to close up early for the night. We finish up our makeup and Maggie helps me get my hair to stand the right way. I didn’t want to get the wig so I’m doing my own take on Frankenstein’s Bride by wearing my hair in a 60’s style updo with sprayed white pieces, disheveled just enough to look like I was brought back to life with a lightening blast. Before heading to the party we swing by my house to pick up Noah’s gift. It’s a signet ring with a N on it that I saw at a vintage shop in town. I hope he likes it. After getting ready and then running by my house it's already 9:45 by the time we drive up to Noah's house. There’s already a lot of cars but we manage to find a spot that's not too far away.

The front door is unlocked and we walk right in. It's a sea of people I don’t recognize, but a lot of people are wearing masks. “Nice costume.” a random guy comments and leers at me. The music is loud and unfamiliar. Maggie tells me to go find Noah and that she’s going to the kitchen to start taking shots. I laugh and shoo her away. I check around the living room and walk through the house. I don't see Noah or any people I’ve met at the shows I’ve been to. I do notice, however, a lot of people are drinking or already drunk. Deep breaths Natalie, you’re fine. Making my way through the rest of the house I decide to check the garage.

I find Noah with Nick and more people I don’t recognize smoking weed and drinking out of red Solo cups. I notice Alex, the girl from the other band is here too, with a lit joint hanging out of her mouth.

“Looks like the girlfriend finally showed up,” Alex says with a weird edge that I can’t quite place. I notice Nick’s brows furrow slightly at her but he seems to shrug it off and nods to greet me with a smile. “How was work Nat?” he asks and at the same time, Noah yells “myyy briiiide!! She has returned!”

“It was good” I laugh in answer to Nick as Noah strides the short distance between us and pulls me close to press a firm kiss against my lips and then sweeps me up into his arms causing a surprising squeal to escape me. “I must away with my bride.” Noah jokes as he takes me through the party into his room so we can have a few minutes alone to talk. Laughing at his antics, I wrap my arms around his neck and press a kiss to his cheek leaving a red lipstick mark. I move to wipe it but he moves his head away too fast. “No way Natty, keep it there.” I continue giggling as we pass more unfamiliar voices until we reach his room. Fumbling with the door while trying to balance me in his arms he manages to finally get it open and throws me onto the bed, kicking it shut again behind him.

Sitting up and straightening out my dress I reach into the small shoulder bag I was carrying to pull out the box and card. “Happy birthday Noah.” I smile and hand them both to him as he settles down on the bed next to me. “Natty! You didn't have to get me anything.” I can tell Noah is a little stoned by the goofy way he’s talking but it’s kind of cute. “You’re already my best present.” He nuzzles his head into my neck and leaves a wet kiss. I move my hand to cup his face “And you’ll get plenty of me later, now open your gift.” His eyes sparkle with delight. “Yes ma’am” he jokes and he opens the card to read it.

Happy birthday Noah, I hope this is one of the best ones.

*Inside is several pictures printed out of Noah and Natalie. Smiling, Kissing. One of Natalie on Noah's back, both laughing.

“Baaaabe this is so fucking cute,” Noah says and leans over to kiss me. Smiling into it I tell him “There’s more, open the box.” I say to him.

Noah opens the box and sees the silver ring. “Oh wow Nat, this is awesome!” He pulls it out and puts the ring on his ring pointer finger. “N for Natalie right?” I shake my head “No, N for Noah.” He cups his hands around my face and leans to press a kiss to my lips. “N for Natalie.” Melting into the kiss I don’t have the energy to disagree.

When we emerge from his room an hour or so later, slightly disheveled, I tell him I’m going to look for Maggie to check on her. When I find her she’s stumbling down the hallway and I manage to catch her before she collapses on the ground. “Naaatyyyyy there you are!! Did you find Noah and give him your present? Oh! Looks like you gave him more than that. You have sex eyes.” Hiking her arm over my shoulder to hold her up I lead her into the nearest bathroom. “Let's just get you cleaned up.” Upon seeing the toilet, Maggie is quick to rush over and empty out the contents of her stomach. Coming up behind her, I gently pat her back in soothing circles. I’m used to this part, the sickness that follows the highs of a drunken night. Your worries for that moment are gone and you can just be loose and fun..at least that’s how some people make it look.

We stay in the bathroom for a while and I get Maggie cleaned up and help her into Noah's Mom’s room. It’s dark and quiet, the perfect place for her to crash for the night. Leading her onto the bed I lay her down and pull the trash can to the side in case she gets sick again.

I try and push my way through the wall of people that as grown. I didn’t even know Noah had this many friends. I bump into people as I navigate my way toward the kitchen, having to make my way through the dance floor that is really just the living room. Some guy bumps into me and sloshes his warm beer onto my outfit and I’m overwhelmed by the smell. “Oh- burp- sorry,” he says and I wave him off just trying to get out of the mess of strange people and smells. My eyes are scanning the crowds to try and find Noah’s familiar face. After what feels like an eternity I manage to push my way to the kitchen where I hear his laugh and sigh with relief.

Noah, Nick, Alex, and other people I met in the garage are all gathered in the kitchen drinking. I wasn’t gone with Maggie for that long, I thought, but I guess it was long enough for them to have drank a significant enough amount to get tipsy. “Baaabe you found us!” Noah slurs and he slings his arm around my shoulder. I laugh softly and lean into his warmth. “Yeah, Maggie is crashing in your Mom’s room. She had a little too much to drink.” I take his cup and take a small sip. “Jesus, you want some mixer with your tequila?” I joke as I hand him the drink back and untangle myself to grab a water bottle before retuning to his side.

“Let’s do shots!” Alex shouts from the kitchen counter that she’s perched on. One of the other guys lines up a bunch of shot glasses and pours a bottle of something in them and starts handing them out. I politely decline and I hear Alex scoff. “You can’t even let loose for Noah’s birthday? Come on Natalie..live a little.” She says and Nick starts to say something but I cut in “I’ll have plenty of time to let loose with Noah later.” I look up at Noah and wink while remaining tucked into his side while Alex rolls her eyes.

Raising their shots in the air they all call out “Happy birthday Noah!” and Alex ends with “Congrats to the birthday boy for joining us degens in the dropout club.” They down their shots and it takes me a second to register what she just said.

“What are you talking about? Noah’s not dropping out. Right?” My eyes move to Noah’s and he is stuck staring guiltily at the floor. “What is she talking about Noah?” I ask.

“You told me you told her already man,” Nick says. “Um, why don’t we talk about this later Nat,” Noah says in a hushed whisper. I feel like the friend at the party that wasn’t invited to the sleepover after. Like the only one that doesn’t understand the inside joke.

“Noah, what is she talking about? I thought you were finishing remotely? That’s what you told me.” I tell him and he shifts uncomfortably.

“Yeah..rockstars don't have a lot of time for homework on the road…” Alex says again and I don’t know what comes over me but I’m sick of hearing this girl I don’t even know talk to me like she has any say in anything. My hand flies up, motioning Alex to stop talking. “Just shut up.” I seethe at her and I angle my head to face Noah again.

“So when were you planning on telling me? Just talked it all over with Alex and made the decision together?” I snap at him and walk out of the kitchen in search of fresh air.

Noah is stumbling after me trying to catch up. The front door slams behind him as he grabs my arm and whips me back around to him. “Natty, you’re being fucking dramatic. What the fuck was that? I get you're upset but it’s my birthday, that was fucking embarrassing.”

I rip my arm back tears falling down my face at his outburst. “Embarrassing? You know what’s embarrassing? Having some bitch I don’t even know have more insight about my boyfriend’s life than me! How long were you going to keep up the lie that you’re still in school?” I ask.

He looks way more fucked up in the moonlight, It makes my skin itch with discomfort. “I don’t know what hurts me more, the fact that you’ve been lying to me for weeks about something so stupid or that the only person who said anything was some girl who for some reason hates me,” I say and tears are spilling down my face. Noah stumbles closer, moving to wipe them but I take another step back. Everything else disappears, all I can focus on is Noah and all I can feel is a deep and heavy dread. The seedling of jealousy sprouted into an untamable beast.

“Natalie, please just let me explain,” Noah says. “I just- looking at all that work? Just for this degree that doesn’t fucking matter, It would have been a waste of time.”

“But why didn’t you tell me? All this time you knew you were just dropping out and you didn’t tell me? Was I just supposed to find out at graduation?” My voice is breaking and exasperated. “I just- I don’t know why you would keep that from me.”

“I just-” he starts. “I didn’t think you’d understand.” Noah breathes out. “You’re all about school and grades and shit and that just doesn’t matter to me. Alex dropped out and her band is thriving, because she can focus all of her time on it.”

“Yeah, and I’m sure Alex is thinking about what’s in your best interest.” I wipe the tears off my face with the back of my hand. “I can’t believe you didn’t think I’d understand Noah. I asked you to consider your possibilities.” More tears are falling and I see that his eyes are glistening slightly. “I said I supported you and you lied to me.”

“I didn’t lie..technically.” He says and I can tell he barely believes it himself.

“So what else are you not technically telling me the truth about?” The question leaves my mouth before I have time to stop it.

“That's not fair Natalie, I didn’t intentionally keep it from you to hurt you.” Noah retorts. “Do you really think I would keep things from you?”

“You did! You just did Noah! You thought I would judge you, not like your new friends who all don’t care about anything right? Natalie only cares about school and grades. Boring ol’d Natalie couldn’t possibly understand anything about your lifestyle right?” It’s a mixture of feeling like an outsider, at the party and tonight in my own relationship.

“Natty, please don’t cry.” Noah comes closer and I don’t step back when he wipes the tears from my face that have continued to fall. Even harder now that he’s comforting me. How fucked up is that the person that’s causing my tears is the only person I want to help me feel better. “I don’t want to make you cry again.”

My eyes are fixed on the ground. “I can’t help but think where I fit into all of this. your life is so different from mine, is there even room for me in it anymore.”

“Natalie, I love you. What do you even mean?” Noah says pulling my chin up to meet his eyes and I can still smell the alcohol on his breath. My own eyes are red-rimmed and clouded with tears that have refused to stop falling.

“I think I’m going to head home and we can talk in the morning when you’re sober, I’m just going to call Kyle to come and get me since Maggie is not good to drive.”

He takes a step back and something flashes across his face I don't recognize. “Not too long ago, I was the one you were calling to rescue you from him and now look at us. This isn’t what I wanted Nat. I - I didn’t want this to happen.”

“I know Noah, let’s not fight about this. It’s your birthday, you should go have fun. I’m just going to head out. The drinking and everything, It’s just too much for me. I thought I could handle it, but its just - its to much.”

I call Kyle and have a hard time holding back the emotion in my voice, he’s at a party a few minutes away and he’ll be there soon. Noah sits with me on the curb while I wait for him to pull up.

Ten minutes later Kyles whipping out of the car and over to my side. I get up to go not seeing the rage in Kyle’s eyes, not noticing he was heading straight for Noah who stood up with me.

“I knew you’d pull some stupid shit like this and now she’s calling me fucking crying because of your bullshit,” Kyle says as he’s surprises me by pushing Noah back further onto the front lawn.

“Kyle! Let’s just go, please. Come on! stop.” I’m pulling Kyle back and I guess the commotion alerted the people inside and the others are gathered out the front door. Nick runs to help create more of a separation between the two. “Nick, can you grab Maggie and bring her down? I’m going to head home.” He nods and moves to go get her. With Kyle distracted Noah uses the chance to take a swing. “Fuck you man! You don’t know anything. I love her.”

I move out of the way in time to miss any of the punches Kyle takes and watch in horror. He wipes blood from his mouth and says “Yeah, you love fucking up her life,” then he pounces. Swinging his full strength at Noah. “Shit!” I say and try to pull them apart taking an accidental elbow in the commotion of it all. Someone else pulls Noah away and Kyle and I stumble back as Nick returns with Maggie hanging off of his shoulders. “What the fuck!” Nick yells and I’m too preoccupied with my now bleeding nose. “Ow.” I mumble and Kyle turns to see my blood-drenched dress. “Oh shit, Nat. Are you okay?” he asks and I glare my eyes at him. “No, I’m not fucking okay. Get Maggie. Let’s go.” Looking up I see Noah standing next to Alex of all people, he sees my nose and deflates. “Natty-” he starts. “Just let her go,” Alex says and I can see him struggle with what to do. “I’ll call you tomorrow okay?” he says in a small voice.

“Okay,” I respond as the three of us get into the car and drive away from the scene I unintentionally created. On the drive home, I just lay my head against the cold glass as fresh hot tears stream down my face.

Once I’m home I climb up the stairs while Kyle sets Maggie up in the guest room. I shower and wash the makeup and blood from my face. Looking into the mirror I can tell I’ll probably have a black eye from the hit I took to the nose. Despite the adrenaline from the fight I’m out as soon as my head touches my pillow.

I wake up late and around 10 am I have a text from Noah asking me if I can meet him outside to talk.

Noah’s face is red and blotchy when I get to him and he takes a breath when he sees the purple bruising around my eyes. “Fuck Nat, was that me?” He asks in a weak voice.

I touch the tender skin and shrug. “A lot was going on, It could have been Kyle but it was an accident.”

“I’m sorry about last night Noah, I shouldn’t have embarrassed you like that,” I say to him and the wind picks up blowing my hair around. He’s wearing a beanie and his hair stays calm against the nape of his neck. “Why are you apologizing? I should be apologizing to you.” He says and his voice breaks. “God, I was such a drunk ass.”

“I should have waited to talk to you about it in private. Yelling at you in front of everyone was so lame.” My voice is calm and even now that we are away from the chaos of the party.

“I should have never lied to you Natalie, that was fucked up. I should have told you from the start that I planned to drop out. I can’t believe I yelled at you. Fought your brother. Again. And you ended up hurt and crying.” He’s rambling now, which is usually my thing. “I always seem to be the one hurting you lately.”

“That’s not true Noah. It was a stupid fight. It’s okay.” I try to reassure him.

He looks up at me and his eyes are glossy with tears. “Noah, what’s wrong?” I ask suddenly worried.

“Nat. I love you so much.” He says and a single tear runs down his cheek.

“I love you too,” I tell him.

“I love you, but I can’t do this.” his words break at the end and I don’t know what he’s saying.

“Can’t do what?” I ask as the world stands still.

“I can’t do this anymore. We can’t be together. I’m not good for you.” Now more tears are falling down his face and I don’t even notice my own have started falling as well.

“You’re breaking up with me?” My voice squeezes out.

“I’m sorry Nat - you’ll be better off without me.” He wipes his tears and tries to put on a brave face. “It’s for the best.”

And my heart shatters.

“I’m sorry Noah, I’m so sorry. Please don’t do this. I love you.” I move to bury my head against his chest and his breath hitches.

“We can’t Natalie. I- We just can’t. I can’t be what you need right now.” He says.

I take a deep shuttering breath and step away seeing the stains my tears left on his shirt.

“There’s nothing else I can say.” I stare at the ground. “You’ve already made up your mind.”

“I’m sorry, It’s for the best.” He gives me one last lingering kiss on the forehead and quickly moves to get back into his car. No longing stares and waves goodbye, he just takes off and leaves me a blubbering mess on my front yard.

crying and screaming and throwing up ....NOOOO WHYYYY

next ->

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lantur · 2 months ago

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updates,

Things are finally starting to look up! My boss came back today, and stability and the status quo have been returned to the workplace, so that helps :)

I am so happy to be DONE with my work trip to Ohio last week - traveling for work can be so stressful and exhausting. I had a three hour delay on my flight home :(( and got home at about midnight late on Friday night.

I finished listening to The Library at Mount Char, which @taylor-renee recommended an age ago. This book was definitely one of the most wild and original books I've listened to since the Locked Tomb series. I'm now on book one of the Temeraire series, with His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik, which @roseofbattles recommended. I am SO obsessed with the style, the worldbuilding, and the story overall.

I'm on season four of Insecure, and loving this show more with every season. I wish I had known about it and watched it when it first came out, from 2016-2021. It would have made me feel so much better about my dating misfortunes and bad work-related situations from 2016-2018. Even seeing things like Issa and Molly's appearance and styling would have made me feel so much better when I was in my twenties. Seeing Issa's short natural hair makes me feel more confident with my own when I don't have my wig on, and I love seeing Molly change her hair like I do with my wigs.

Two! Weeks! Until I'm in Maine with @thatisadamnfinecupofcoffee and @annespelledwithane!

I bought a seat cushion for my car. :) I'm very, very short, like under 5 feet or 1.5 meters, and that does impact my ability to see super well in my car, even with the seat adjusted. I can see SO much better with that extra 4 inches or so from the cushion.

I'm back to a routine of daily stretching, which I find tedious and un-fun but seems necessary to manage muscle tightness caused by running, lifting, and swimming. :/ It's such a cruel joke of the human body that muscles, joints, and bodies get tight and stiff from overuse/repetitive activity and underuse. It's so hard to find a sweet spot.

Westin the cat had his annual vet visit today and has received a clean bill of health. ❤️

#lanturing

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canadiannationalfox · 2 months ago

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Murder Drones Prequel fanfic - Gone Girl part 5

J thought back to before they got to the club while the beat of the house-techno made the air vibrate.

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Lexi stepped out of her walk-in closet in a black dress with a black bow on her head. She showed to J and Tessa the makeup she had done on her wrists to make fake light bruises. "Convincing?" the bubbly technician trilled as she showed off her cosmetic skills.

J winced in fright looking at it before looking to Tessa's. She squeemishly admitted, "Very much so..."

Tessa put on some glow bracelets and kandi bracelets to cover her bruises. She looked to her precious Jay-bird, stopping to stare at the borrowed black and purple tiered dress.

J ran her hands over the ringlets towards the ends of her ponytails, it felt kind of strange but good. She looked at her palm and frowned at the traces of pastel blue hair-chalk residue.

Lexi insisted happily, "Look, it's just for one night for a disguise, then you can go right back to looking professional in the morning."

N laughed as he played around with the drawstrings of a panda hoodie, "I'm a panda!"

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The blacklights of the club made Tessa's wig glow like a pink highway safety flare. She stood on the balcony overlooking the night club, watching Lexi and Tessa dance together.

N approached J, offering a glass of highlighter-yellow coolant. He observed as he looked down, "She's having fun, why are you so upset about that?"

The protective robot lady had a small hitch in her voice, "She will never get to be this happy again, N. And if she gets caught... if we get caught..." J slowly raised her hand to her throat, remembering the first time she was taken apart. She didn't care if her heart was on her sleeve with N right now, she actually was sad and she couldn't stand it.

N insisted as he lifted his hoodie hood up so he could see J better, "You should go down there and dance with her."

J scoffed in surprise, "No way, I'm already breaking dress code by showing more of my legs and having extreme-coloured hair." She then said worriedly, "And look at Tessa... she's dressed like a hooligan..." her tone softened a little, her legs swinging back and forth as she felt the tinge of love, "a very pretty hooligan, who looks like she's having the time of her life."

The snowy-haired robot boy softly insisted as he drank one of the drinks, "Would you dance if Tessa wanted you to?"

"No shit, Sherlock," J cussed at her coworker. She took the glass of coolant out of his hand and chugged quickly for some liquid courage. She fluffed up her wig a bit before hyping to herself, "Fuck it, executive override, we doing this." The robot held her skirt and walked down the stairs to the dance floor where she walked up to Tessa. J held out her hand and greeted to her punkish looking human crush, "May I have this dance, Maxxine?"

Tessa's grey-hued eyes widened, she stopped dancing and hugged J excitedly, squealing in delight as she picked the robot girl up a little, spinning her around. "Oh yes! Absolutely, Blue Jay."

J didn't mind the new pet name for this night, now losing her insecurity about her dip-dyed hair.

Lexi laughed a little at the interaction. She left the side of Tessa and J to go up to the balcony to check on N. "Hey Cutie Patootie," she greeted to N who was still rocking the little panda themed kigarumi-style hoodie.

"Oh hey Lexi! You really look like Tessa right now," N laughed observantly before looking to the dance floor, watching the usually bossy and mean J tearing up the illuminating floor beside Tessa who was doing the same.

Lexi leaned on the balcony too and giggled, "Yeah these two really needed this, huh?"

N beamed as he innocently suggested, "I think they like each other."

The brunette girl who was dressed alike how her friend normally dressed replied confidently, "Oh totally, J has it bad for Maxxine, and I'm almost sure Maxxine's crushing hard on her Jay-bird too."

Sadly... the fun wouldn't last...

To Be Continued

#murder drones #murder drones fanfic #serial designation j #ripping royals #serial designation n #tessa james elliot #murder drones gone girl #tessaj

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piastrinorris · 2 years ago

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[Kicks in your door, visibly vibrating]

HELLO MY LOVE did you really expect me to see the prompt "Being cast as the main characters in a school play and having to perform a romantic confession scene together. You're okay with it since it's your friend playing the love interest, and they (probably) don't mean it anyway. But when they start acting it out, it almost feels real. Once the scene has ended, you realize how much you wished it was" AND NOT IMMEDIATELY SEND IT IN FOR ONE MR. EDDIE MUNSON!?

Anyway that's what I'm doing, and adding in a Brennan Lee Mulligan style pleEEEEASE for good measure.

Genre: Fluff

Word count: 1590

A/N: This ended up being FAR too long for a drabble since I ended up using actual lines from the actual play and stuff, but how could I not. Anyway, I love you @denim-mixtapes and I hope I did Little Shop of Horrors justice!!!

Backstage, the buzz of excitement and gossip and last-minute stress is very loud everywhere except within your radius, where everyone quietens down. It's no secret that you and your on-and-off boyfriend had The Argument To End All Arguments a week prior, and you'd understandably been off your game, but you couldn't miss opening night. Especially not with how excited your director was at the chance to perform her new favourite off-Broadway show, Little Shop of Horrors.

An almost eldritch amount of eyes follow you to your dressing area, and you try your absolute hardest to maintain your composure the entire time. You let out a heavy sigh once you get to your dressing table, sitting in your seat and staring at your reflection as you hold your head in your hands.

Why is it all on me? you silently ask yourself. I did everything to make him happy and it still wasn't enough. You and your co-star, Eddie, had even made sure to never even kiss on stage, despite your director's anguish. You didn't want... him to get upset at seeing you kiss someone else, and Eddie was happy enough to keep to your boundaries. Plus, it was way more fun to goof around together acting as though you were in a far more exaggerated "passionate embrace" than your scripts let on.

His voice saying, "Knock knock!" behind the curtain that separates your dressing area from his takes you out of your own headspace, thankfully. You invite him in and see him all dressed up. No matter the costume department's best efforts, no wig could contain that hair, so Eddie wore it in a ponytail, with Seymour's big glasses framing his soft eyes. "Nervous?"

You gesture around you. "Actually no, the constant gossip that I know is about me is doing nothing for me, especially not on top of first-night anxiety. God, who'd feel like that?!"

Eddie laughs, putting his hand on your shoulder. "You're gonna kick their ass. And the Asshole's ass. And all that anxiety's ass. Good job this isn't a matinee, you'll be too tired from all the ass-kicking!"

You laugh, "Thanks, Eddie. You're the best." Despite being caked in makeup, a slight blush still forms across his cheeks. Eddie's been great, this whole time. Every time you've been nervous about playing Audrey, Eddie has a way of making you feel like she's an extension of you. Even if it took him a really long time to get used to you doing her voice.

Act One goes smoothly enough. You're able to spot your family in the crowd, so you have an extra anchor around to keep you going even at times when Eddie is offstage. But at one point, as you're watching from the wings, you watch as Eddie double-takes, and for a fleeting moment a look of anger appears on his face. It's not enough to break character, but enough for you as someone who's helped him through his lines a million times to notice it isn't part of the routine. You scan the crowd, and feel your stomach fall as you see it. Him. Why is he here when he was the one who broke it off?!

Eddie high-fives the tech crew as he runs off from the end of Act One, and finds you pacing up and down. He knows immediately. "Hey. I saw him, too. But you know what? C'mere, look at me," he takes your hand and holds it high, just beneath your faces so he knows you're focusing on him. "We're not gonna let that jackass ruin opening night, you know why?" You shake your head. "Because he's Y/N's problem. And tonight, you're Audrey. And I'm Seymour. And the night doesn't end until we get ultimately tragically devoured by a big, foam-y plant puppet. Right?" he asks with a grin as you laugh. You nod and he kisses your knuckles. "That's my Audrey!"

Thankfully, you'd rehearsed your part as Audrey so much that you could afford a little less effort into concentrating on lines, as you know them in your sleep, and a little more into making sure you don't look in his direction again. You get through the first number of the act just fine. Eddie runs offstage for a second, just as the script says.

The script mentions donning a leather jacket, which obviously Eddie usually has on him. But his is a hand-me-down about two sizes too big, that's always looked boxy on him. The costume department have apparently decided to give Seymour one that fits. And it fits Eddie... Real nice.

Eddie asks, "What do you think?" and in the moment, something makes you forget that you're on stage. Forgetting anything about stage direction, you keep staring, mouth opening and closing like a goldfish. Eddie continues, "You... don't like it?" and you're brought back into the moment. Thankfully, you're supposed to be overwhelmed in character anyway, so stammering and running away is actually expected of you, at least.

Eddie, in place, throws the jacket off as per his character, and moves to join yours. Usually, in this instance, you're directed to look in one specific direction, away from Eddie, as he monologues behind you. But the direction you need to be looking in... You just can't.

Eddie knows, though, and instead of following the direction, he turns your face to look at him, holding your jaw softly as he says, "Just don't cry, please. Oh, look what I did. I only bought it to impress you. That's all I ever meant to do."

Maintaining eye contact, you continue, "I don't know what's come over me. I guess I've been a little under the weather."

His thumb strokes your cheek, "It's Orin, isn't it?" He says 'Orin' with a lot more venom than usual. As though he's alluding to someone else in this case... "You've been down in the dumps ever since his mysterious disappearance. You miss him, don't you?"

Catching on, you deliver the next line as though talking about a certain someone. "Miss him? I never felt so relieved as when they told me he vanished. It was like a miracle. Not to mention all the money I've saved on Epsom salts and ace bandages." Not so much the second, but saying the first line with a certain intention empowers you.

"Then what's the matter?" Eddie asks, cocking his head.

"I feel... Guilty, I guess." The words ringing true feel like a cruel irony. "I mean, if he met with foul play or some terrible accident of some kind, then it's partly my fault, you see. Because secretly... I wished it." You falter a little at the end. You certainly had been wondering whether your relationship was going anywhere weeks prior to your breakup.

Eddie keeps you in the scene, readjusting his grip on you and looking deep into your eyes. "Audrey, you shouldn't waste one more minute worrying about that creep. There's a lotta guys would give anything to go out with you. Nice guys." The way he delivers those lines in particular is like nothing you've ever heard from rehearsal. You could easily kid yourself into thinking he's saying them about you...

"I don't deserve a nice guy, Seymour," saying the character's name aloud once again reminds you that these are someone else's words, and actions, with intentions completely separate from your own life.

That all flies out of the window when Eddie's hold on you tightens as he says, "That's. Not. True."

Knowing that where you're both currently sat is so far off-book, you wonder how much longer until your director starts pulling you back to your intended spots herself. You take the initiative to walk across the stage, again reminding yourself that this is all just a play, and anything else is pure coincidence.

You carry on your performance just fine, but something seems different about how Eddie's performing. If the song didn't constantly refer to the character's name, you're so sure you could replace it with the name Eddie and the song would ring just as true. Every moment you're not singing, you're thinking. Every time you and... Him would have an argument, Eddie would be sympathetic to a point. He'd respect your boundaries, but made no attempt at respecting him in the slightest. He was fine with you going into theater, until he saw you and Eddie interacting for the first time, and then he really wasn't.

You feel stupid for not realising sooner. It wasn't ever a jealousy of anyone getting to perform with you, or he'd have voiced it sooner. He didn't want you getting too close to Eddie, because then you'd realise what love is meant to feel like. It's meant to feel just like this.

As the song comes to an end, you decide to pull an Eddie and go far from the way you've been practicing this scene in particular - by doing exactly what the script says. Eddie gets ready to wrap his arms around you in a big motion, but you grab his hands before it's too late and pull them towards you, letting go to wrap your arms around his neck as you kiss him. His arms rest around your waist as applause fills your ears. You stay like it until the actor playing Mushnik interrupts you, as per the direction, though it does genuinely make the two of you jump.

The next time you're able to scan the crowd, you notice an empty seat that's better off that way.

#eddie munson imagine #eddie munson x reader #eddie stranger things imagine #eddie munson #eddie munson fluff #eddie munson fic #eddie munson fanfic #stranger things imagine #stranger things x reader #eddie stranger things #*myfics

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cherrykindness · 4 years ago

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wild tweets |

pairing: Harry Styles x Actress!Reader

summary: as newlyweds, you and harry read thirsty comments for buzzfeed.

warning: it's thirsty tweets, so below there is adult humor 😳

"It's a bright, sunny morning in Los Angeles, and there's nothing I want more than to be on BuzzFeed and read wild tweets alongside my husband."

"Thirsty tweets, babe." Harry corrected, laughing out loud with the producers behind the cameras.

"Thirsty Tweets." You said quickly, putting your hand over your mouth to stifle a giggle. "I'm terrible at that, I'm sorry. Can we start over?"

"Let's take a break for one to two minutes. You've given us a great introduction, Y/N."

You shook your head, smiling shyly before turning to Harry, who was already watching you with that easy smile at the corner of his lips. You liked how his hand remained firmly on yours, making those circular movements with the thumb that always served as a natural medice for your anxiety.

"You look so fucking beautiful."

The pleated dress with flounce sleeves fit you like a glove. You had made peace with the various shades of white since the wedding and knew that Harry liked to see you in that color too.

"Thank you, you're not too bad either, Styles."

You intimately suspected that Harry would always seem far beyond that "not bad" that came out as a euphemism from your mouth. He wore nothing but a pair of bell-bottom pants in a strong shade of blue and a soft vest printed with fluffy little sheep on a striped American collared shirt - in your opinion, no one could look better in farm animal clothing than Harry Styles and Princess Diana with her red "Black Sheep" sweater in the 1980s. In contrast, you knew your husband well enough to know that he was arrogant and knew exactly how hot he looked - you also made your thoughts clear enough when you kept him backstage beyond ten minutes in a rather heated kissing session.

"Are you anxious?" you asked curiously, remaining with downcast eyes fixed on the strokes that remained assiduous on your warm skin. "To read about how the whole internet dreams of fucking my wife?! Of course." Harry joked, leaning over to leave a small one on your cheek. "We agree on that, don't we? Although I'm a little nervous, I'm really interested to know all the crazy things they say about you. Everyone knows you're mine at the end of the day, that's enough."

At the end of the break, you and Harry made a silent agreement that you should be the first to pick up one of the scattered papers in the red pot. There were quite a significant amount of tweets, and as much as you were used to reading rather sordid things about your husband on the Internet, the excitement was there as if you were wading into uncharted territory.

"I would be a good girl all year round if Santa guaranteed me a threesome with Harry and Y/N Styles on Christmas Eve." You laughed, Harry staring at the camera with an expression close to the meme of the surprised Pikachu. "You guys are incredibly nasty, I love it."

"If that was the first one, I'm really worried about the next ones." Harry commented with a little corner smile, picking the next tweet out of the bucket. "I have an entire folder on Pinterest dedicated to Harry Styles' hands, and let me tell you why: those hands are art, and art needs to be recognized."

"What- Guys, you promised you wouldn't post my anonymous tweets here." You quipped with false reproach, laughing at your own stupid joke while everyone else in the studio did the same. "But I can't blame her, honestly." Shaking your shoulders, you opened another piece of paper. "Harry Styles finally confessed that he wrote Watermelon Sugar for Y/N!!!! Are you guys imagining the same thing as me?!!!!!! 🥵🍆💦"

"Exhausted emoji, eggplant emoji, and water emoji?" Harry frowned, staring at the tweet you held up. "I imagine you're in need of a vacation somewhere refreshing and you're craving a fruit that everyone eats like it's really a vegetable."

"That reminded me of that story-" You laughed, hiding your face on the table as Harry continued to offer a poker face to the camera, struggling not to keep up with you laughter. "I'm sorry, lovie, I have to share this with the rest of the world." You stated, wiping a few tears from the corner of your eyes. "Harry always wears those fancy suits to concerts, right?! Right! Turns out he looks really hot in some, like his ass molds perfectly into those tight pants and everything. I was home that night because I wasn't feeling well enough to face the big crowds, but I was still following everything on twitter. It was a concert in London, not so far from where we lived at the time, so it was obvious that he would come home after it was over. I follow some portals that do really fast updates of pictures, videos, etc; everything that happened at Harry's concert was on my timeline in a matter of seconds. When one of these profiles uploaded a picture of him with his back to the camera in a heavily accentuated black and white suit, I quickly sent him the image along with a peach emoji and then wrote "looks good tonight". He didn't reply to me until a few hours later, of course, but I obviously didn't expect a "ready for a Fifth Avenue peach salad for dinner?" and numerous cutlery emojis."

Harry rolled his eyes comically, indulging in laughter as did everyone else who occupied the backstage area.

"I'm against the eroticization of emojis." He said between uncompensated breaths, shaking his head negatively. "Let's go to the next ones, please, I'm already feeling exposed enough here."

"I like your old-fashioned spirit, baby." You assured him with a smile, laying on the sturdy shoulder hidden under the fluffy fabric.

Harry chuckled low, leaving a little kiss on the top of your head before selecting the next paper. The fans would die when that video aired, everyone was sure. You two easily forgot the cameras when you were side by side, and the public display of affection had never been a problem.

"My life mission is to look at someone the way Harry looks at Y/N and be reciprocated the way Y/N looks at Harry, then I could die happy." Harry read. "That was very good and healthy, thank you!" He smiled. "But don't settle for death in that case, please. Just make sure to keep that person around forever."

"Awn, we got so sweet now." You made a pout. "Thank you for sending us something so cute! I really hope you find the right person soon." Sending a kiss to the camera, you moved on to the next tweet. "I wouldn't want to get a golden ticket to visit Willy Wonka's factory, I would like to get a golden ticket to actively participate in Y/N and Harry Styles' Honeymoon.

"That was creative, so I will disregard the fact that you removed my last name from my wife's name." Harry joked.

"I will always be an Y/L/N." You flashed the tongue. "We had a great Honeymoon, but I know you guys already know all about it because there are pictures all over the internet of outings that I don't even remember existed."

"Even though we chose a rather reserved city, many paparazzi still managed to photograph some of our nights there." Harry agreed. "There was one particular day when we opted to have dinner at a restaurant near the beach. Y/N had found it even before the trip, it was pretty laid back and we could spend the evening at karaoke. I don't really remember what happened, but we woke up the next day with a terrible hangover, still wearing the clothes from the dinner and with several headlines saying that I was cheating on my wife in the middle of our Honeymoon with a blue-haired italian girl."

"That wig made me sexy, man." You blinked, laughing as you remembered the situation. "It's a shame the paparazzi only got low quality images, but I swear I looked really amazing that night. Italy, I miss you."

"We're coming to the end and I haven't had to ask production for a glass of water yet, thank you to whoever selected these tweets." Harry raised his thumb to the camera, smiling before turning his gaze back to the small paper he had chosen. "Y/N could literally punch me in the face and I would just bow down and thank them for it." He laughed. "She has heavy hands, so I would rethink that choice."

"It takes strong hands to be a superheroine." You blinked gracefully, referring to your works as a Marvel actress. "I move around a lot during the night, so I'll take this lovely opportunity to say that twitter can dismiss all the malicious theories about Harry always show up with a new bruise all over his body."

"Please stop making indecent assumptions while Y/N is aggressive with me at night only unconsciously, her father has access to social media."

You laughed, clearing your throat before reading the next obscenity aloud.

"I would sell all my possessions to have Y/N sitting on my lap for ten seconds."

"Oh my God." Harry laughed out loud, throwing his head back. "I should have said that in our wedding vows."

You shook your head, laughing low as you set the tweet aside.

"That was pretty funny and cheeky, I approve."

"Okay, looks like we finally got to the last one." Harry announced, waving the paper in the air dramatically before opening it. "Harry could literally crush me with those boots while fuc- I need that glass of water." He said dumbfounded, hiding his face between his hands after throwing the tweet over his shoulder. You laughed out loud next to the organizers, and meanwhile Harry leaned his head on your bust, staring at you still with wide eyes. "Please promise that we will be careful with our future children on the internet."

#harry styles imagine #imagine1d #imagine harry styles #harry x reader #harry styles x reader #harry imagine

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zambomarti · 3 years ago

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So, volume 3 of Tales Through Time came out (if you don't want spoilers mute the hashtag) and ...

Joe and Nicky had a fight!

And this post comes to mind: https://wickedpact.tumblr.com/post/636959737051758592/greg-answering-have-joe-and-nicky-ever-been)

Story: the team kills a serial killer (disguising it as a suicide) who had killed 24 queer kids but for Nicky that's not enough and he decides to kill everyone he thinks is responsible for the death of those children.

Nicky and his one soft spot for kids

(headcanon moment: maybe because when he was a child no one protected him ... )

Joe ... doesn't agree because he needs to go look at beautiful things for a while and "No matter his intent, I won’t watch as the world turns his honor, his bravery, his compassion into something ugly".

JOE, MY POOR HEART😭😭😭! Joe knows the love of his life so well and he knows this isn't him because Nicky has a kind heart and wants him back to enjoy the magic of the world with him!

It was their living this immortal life TOGETHER that didn't make them bitter like Andy and Booker!

Break: every time Joe appears I can't help but think of Dustin Hoffam in Hook😂

Definitely he didn't need a wig at Versailles in the 17th-18th century.

And then there's poor Andy and Booker in the middle of this passive aggressive war. Andy really wants to beat them up and Booker probably wants to go back to hanging himself.

WTF Joe and Nicky! The Paris commune lasted 2 months! What the fuck did you guys do!

Booker on the other hand acts like a brother and accompanies Nicky but doesn't stop reminding him "phone your husband so you make everyone happy, especially me!"

Small dedication to the contrast between Nicky and Booker.

Booker: "I'm more flexible on oaths, myself. He's old-fashioned" LMAO Booker, you're a fucking desarter! And the audacity of the latter in suggesting that Nicky should lie to Joe!

In conclusion: I'm not a fan of this art style but the story is introspective, has interesting themes such as the team's family relationship, justice/vindication, and the risk of going down a dark path for the strong desire to accomplish a mission.

I am convinced that at the end of the night Nicky called Joe and then went back to him! ❤❤❤

#the old guard #tog comic #tales through time spoilers #tales through time #joe x nicky #I love that there is this moment of conflict between Joe and Nicky #poor andy and booker XD #joe #nicky #andy #booker #yusuf al kaysani #nicolò di genova #andromache of scythia #sebastien le livre

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halfway-happyyy · 4 years ago

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She’s My Kind Of Girl

AN: this started as an idea of the lovely @bskarsgardlove92‘s and i kind of just rolled with it! i hope you enjoy, and as always, feedback is welcomed and appreciated!

synopsis: Alex dresses in drag to attend a costume party with his girl, as one half of Swedish superband, ABBA! Absolute fluff ensues!

“Though you may hail from a long and distinguished line of inexplicably talented thespians, I know you well enough by now to recognize when you're not telling me something.”

Alexander passed a serviette over the front of his mouth and swallowed back a bite of salmon, cocking an eyebrow in amusement. “I beg your pardon?”

She sipped deeply from her glass of chilled wine, and cocked her head to the side, eyeing him. “Don’t play coy with me, Alex. You were on the line with Eija when I came into the kitchen. That glint in your eyes says so much and then nothing at all in equal measure.”

“One could almost say that you know me too well, kid.”

"Almost," She grinned around the delicate rim of her glass. “Now spill it, Skarsgård.”

Alexander leaned back against the oak chair, dangling a long arm over the back of it. “Dad’s seventieth birthday is next month. Eija’s hosting a party back home for him, and she wants us to be there.”

She thought fondly of Alexander’s father often; he had been one of the first faces of his family that she’d had the privilege of meeting when her and Alexander had started taking things a little more seriously. Where her own father figure had been virtually non-existent most of the time, she was blessed to have such a wonderful father-in-law in Stellan. He was such an integral part of their lives that the thought of not returning home to Sweden to celebrate him was almost too much to bear.

“I’ll look into flights tomorrow morning. What kind of get together is it? I would imagine knowing Eija as I do, that she's got something wonderful up her sleeve?”

Alexander's lips curved up into a devilish smirk and he cocked his head to the side.

“She's hosting a costume party.”

There it was…

“God, I can only imagine the ideas that beautiful mind of yours has already dreamed up.”

Alexander tipped the rest of his wine into his mouth, his blue eyes glittering mischievously in the low light from the dining room lamp. “Hm, you know how much dad loves ABBA…”

It was the precise tone of his voice that she reckoned prepared her for what was coming next. “Oh boy,” She giggled under her breath.

“Well, I propose that we go as Björn and Agnetha.”

She mulled the thought of it over in her head, and then an idea swam into her mind's eye that caused a smirk similar to her other half's to tug the edges of her lips skyward. “I'll do it on one condition, my love.”

His eyebrow lifted in intrigue. “I'm all ears.”

“I will do it if I can be the Björn to your Agnetha.”

His laughter- utterly loud and booming, filled every square space of their home with a warm and joyous sound. When it subsided, he leveled his gaze with hers and she noticed immediately, the blush that had risen to the apples his cheeks. After a moment, he nodded his head finitely. “You've got yourself a deal, kid.”

She glanced at the watch face beneath the bell sleeve of her silver, sequined blouse, and sighed heavily. “C'mon dancing queen, we haven’t got all night…” Alexander emerged from the bathroom door a moment later, a blonde, perfectly styled wig fell below the cups of a filled-out bra.

“I must say,” He reached toward her to tousle the brunette wig atop of her head, a smirk in place on his features. “Silver and forest green sequins do wonders for you, kid. Or should I say- Björn.”

“Oh hush,” She giggled. “I can hardly imagine the outfit you’ve conjured up for this evening." They gazed at each other in silence for a moment before she gestured to her vanity. "Shall I do your makeup?”

Alexander shifted from foot to foot. “If you wouldn't mind,” He murmured.

She stood on tiptoes to twirl strands of blonde hair around her finger. “It would be an honour, Agnetha.”

She followed Alexander to the vanity next to their bay window and turned on the lamp so that it illuminated his face perfectly. Pulling up a photo of Agnetha on her phone for reference, she set to work. “She sometimes likes to wear bold colours on her eyes, so that’s the look we’re going for this evening.” She started the process by moisturizing and priming his face, opting out of a foundation, and using a tinted moisturizer instead. “Alright, close your eyes for me, my love.” He did as he was told, and she allowed herself a moment to admire how breathtaking he truly was. After a couple of seconds of searching, she found a palette that was made up of different shades of purple and applied a muted lavender hue over both of his lids. Wanting to go a little darker, she blended a violet shade into his creases and stood back to admire her handiwork. Nearly done, she decided to go dramatic on the eyeliner, but when she reached for her favourite tube of mascara, Alexander faltered.

“I don’t need… falsies?”

She blanched. “Alex, I don’t know if you’ve ever noticed, but your natural eyelashes are beautiful,” She took his face in her hands and gently turned it to the side, gesturing to his left eye. “Look how long and healthy they are. I think I have some cheap lashes lying around somewhere if you really want them, but I think a few coats of mascara will do wonderfully.”

He reached up to press his lips to the underside of her jaw, shaking his head. “No, I trust you.”

She kissed the tip of his nose and got back to work. “You’ve done magnificent so far. I’m just about finished…” She glanced around for her mauve pink lipstick, held a hand beneath his chin and applied the colour to his lips. “Alright, rub your lips together for me please.” She watched him do as she asked. “Now pat them together, as if you were smacking them.” She waited. “Alright, for the finishing touch,” She reached for her bottle of setting spray, told him to close his eyes, and let the mist settle over his face. “You my love, are finished and ready for the evening.

He leaned forward to inspect her handiwork closely, and a large smile grew on his face. “You’ve done a wonderful job, kid.”

She nodded towards the washroom door. “Go on then, Chiquitita. The party awaits.”

“You and your ABBA puns, huh?” Alexander smirked, before closing the door behind him.

“Oh, you ain’t seen nothing yet. Just wait until your brothers get a hold of us.” She snickered. While she waited for Alexander to wrap up, she began lacing up the white platform boots she had found weeks ago. They added an extra four inches to her height, and she fought back a giggle as she sipped the last remnants of her pre-game cocktail.

Ten minutes elapsed, and she began to feel the familiar tug of inebriation deep in her belly. Suddenly, Alexander cleared his throat. “I’m coming out. Are you ready?”

“I’ve literally never been more ready in my life.” She deadpanned.

Alexander emerged from the washroom, and all she could do was gape at his figure as he stood poised in the doorway. Lord knows where, but he had managed to find a hot pink jumpsuit with a silver-sequined trim around the neckline and a heart-shaped cutout that showed off his adorable, trim bellybutton perfectly. He donned glossy, white boots on his feet that only added to his seemingly immense height. “Well, what do you think?” He asked, dubiously.

She swallowed hard. “I have lots of feelings about it actually… but our car is here, and your father awaits.” She held her arm out for him to take. “Shall we go, my beautiful Agnetha?”

Alexander accepted her arm gratefully and bent down to press a kiss to her cheek. “Lead the way, Björn.”

“What are your brothers going as?” She asked, as they slid into the backseat of the sedan.

“Uh, I think Bill and his family said that they were going as Disney characters. Gustaf and Valter are going as Top Gun’s Maverick and Goose, respectively,” He paused so that they could share a laugh at that. “And I’m not sure yet what Sam and his family are doing.”

She scratched contemptuously at the back of her head. “I hate this wig already.”

Alexander snorted into his drink. “But it looks so good on you… the way it kind of frames your face in that ‘the 70’s called and they want their hair back’ kind of way…”

She rolled her eyes. “It’s the heart-shaped bellybutton window for me.”

Alexander guffawed loudly. “Oh really? We're playing that game? Well then, it’s the extra four or five inches that you’re wearing but you still don’t reach past my sternum, for me.”

They rounded the corner to Stellan’s street, and laughter bubbled up out of her mouth like a song. “It’s the fact that you look better than most women I know, for me.” This sent Alexander into such a frenzy that she paid the driver herself. “Alright, Agnetha, I have a dream and it involves you exiting this vehicle tonight,” She nudged his back to get him out of the open car door. “Let's go, girlfriend.” They ambled up the pathway hand-in-hand and stood giggling in front of Stellan’s door. Roaring laughter and bits and pieces of broken Swedish and English conversation could be heard from inside as her finger hovered above the doorbell. “You ready?”

Alexander nodded, finitely. “Go on then,”

She rang the bell and waited for what felt like years, before the door flung open and Eija greeted them in a demure, feline costume. Her face was disbelieving at first, but then her painted-on whiskers twitched; she cracked and laughter roared from her belly in happy waves. When she could speak again, she shook her head gleefully. “Come in, come in you two. What an honour to have one half of the world’s greatest band with us!” She ushered them into Stellan’s lively home, the scent of a freshly-cooked feast hung tantalizing in the air, and made her mouth water hungrily. “Just wait until papa sees you!” She clapped her hands merrily, pulling them into the adjacent living room.

Their entrance caused mass hysteria; pure laugher on a level that was hard to fathom. Gustaf approached them first, a pair of sunglasses sat perched atop his head, and he was sporting a mustache. Clad in a pair of army-green coveralls, the badge on his chest simply read, ‘Gus.’ “I have to say that when Alex first told me what the two of you were planning, this was not what I had in mind…” He scratched absentmindedly at the bridge of his nose, his smile wry. “But you two absolutely knocked it out of the park. Well done, brother.” He belly laughed, and wrapped an arm around Alex’s shoulders, and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “I can’t wait until dad sees you.”

Valter appeared before them next, clad in the exact same costume as Gustaf accept that his badge read, ‘Maverick’, and he had on over his blue eyes, a pair of mirrored Rayban aviators. “Mamma Mia, Agnetha! Such lovely bosoms you have!”

A hand appeared out of the abyss and sneaked its way toward Alexander’s ample breasts, but the younger Skarsgård's plan was foiled before he could get there with Alexander slapping it away just in the nick of time. “Touch them and die, Valter.” He beamed, devilishly.

Valter's grin was sheepish. “My apologies Agnetha- Björn.”

She tossed a wink his way. “Turns out she can take care of herself just fine.”

“Alright, alright, where are they?” Stellan’s achingly familiar voice- unmistakable anywhere, boomed throughout the room. When he caught sight of them, he stood stock-still and tilted his head back, his rolling laughter loud and genuine. It caused pleasant goosebumps to rise in waves over her arms, and she couldn’t help but laugh along with him. “This is it,” He announced. “I couldn’t dare to ask for another thing after this. My eldest boy and his love coming in drag as Agnetha and Björn? This is seventy, folks!” He closed the distance between them to wrap them both in a crushing bear hug. When he pulled away, his eyes were glittering brightly beneath the low light of the many lamps scattered around the living room. “How unbelievably wonderful it is to see you both here.” He kissed both of their cheeks over again, his smile wide and utterly contagious. “On a totally unrelated note- that you and Björn here have similar situations happening… ehm, up top, is really quite miraculous, isn’t it?”

Alexander rolled his azure eyes, laughing loudly at that. “Happy birthday, dad.”

“And what a wonderful birthday it turned out to be. Come, come. We have much to discuss.”

The night carried on in much the same fashion; drinks were had (and spilt), laughter was shared, pictures were taken- and all the while, she just felt unimaginably blessed to be a part of it all. Closer towards the evening’s finish, she felt Alexander’s hand tighten around her own, and she knew then, without a shadow of a doubt that this was her family. This was where she belonged.

#literal ICONS #who doesn't love little ABBA??#alexander skarsgard #alexander skarsgard x reader #alexander skarsgard imagine #alexander skarsgard oneshot #alexander skarsgard drabble #drabble #writing #fluff #alex sstuff

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lucasteiler · 5 years ago

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I'm no good at goodbyes

Sometimes you feel happy in a place surrounded by friends and family yet something is missing. You start to feel the need for a change. At first, you don’t know exactly what you want then it slowly starts to appear and you can’t remove from your head anymore.

I have already packed my life in bags and boxes. Weird. But in a good way, I guess. I can fit my whole life in a car. Only few hours left in Budapest and I am going to make the most out of it. 20th of August is when the whole country is celebrating, so I am going to do the same thing. One last dinner with my best friend, one last walk on our favourite route, saying ‘hi’ to our favourite spots for the last time. In two days, I am going to do the same thing in the Netherlands. Same things in a different setting, with different people.

All the memories appear like small movies and pictures in a kaleidoscope, so I am going to list a few of them from the past one year just to keep it for the future:

Moving in and cleaning for 2 days and rewarding ourselves with frozen pizza and red wine

First nigh out when we found a wig and stayed up until 6 and froze to death on the first day sleeping at our new place

Going to the cinema only to watch Disney and Pixar movies

Random night outs

The seemingly impossible mission to find an iron

Halloween Party -note to ourselves: never wear facepaint when going out-

When we had no heating for 3 days in November

Flour Style Wok Bar

Shopping sprees

Going to Vienna for the long weekend

Birthday party with my best friends

Attempting to cook and bake

Crying over stupid boys together

Watching endless amount of series while eating popcorn

Sometimes we worked out and went to Margaret Island for a run

NYE Party at our place with the girls

Went to Italy

Postponing cleaning non-stop so our place ended up extra-dirty and we almost threw up while cleaning

Loud music all the time, sorry neighbours

Speaking of, super handsome neighbour on the 2nd floor

Joking about buying the doors/windows only when we see a sign “for sale”

Eating all the time, literally all the time

Spent 5 days in Mallorca

Parties in Instant- realising after the 20th times that they always play the same music

Szimpla? Aha

Singing on the street, yes our voice is horrible

Had a blast at Sziget Festival (slightly died after it but that’s ok)

Went to Croatia with family in July

Cleaning while listening to traditional Persian songs

Crazy obsession with scented candles

Raising many spiders in our flat

Naming random objects with funny names and creating our own special vocabulary

And many, many more..

I hope the next year will be as good and eventful as the previous one!

#goodbye #hungary #budapest #moving #blog

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lantur · 3 years ago

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notes for today,

I've had a busy but amazing weekend!!

Derek and I went to a local wig studio yesterday :) and I got to try on a bunch of styles!! I normally buy my wigs online and have for years. Fit, look, and comfort are extremely hit or miss - and mostly miss - when buying online. The owner of the wig studio is an absolute expert on fit and comfort for wig wearing. She helped me with longstanding issues I've had around wig fit and wig comfort. I also got an absolutely beautiful wig that will be arriving on Wednesday :) I'm excited about it!

I'm so happy that Derek wanted to come too. He was so supportive and interested in helping me find different styles. :) We went out to our favorite place for ice cream afterwards and it was lovely!

A new wig I ordered online arrived yesterday afternoon, and I got to wear it for the first time last night and out today. I loved it too! It really makes a difference to have new wigs that I actually, enthusiastically like - it makes me feel confident and happy about the way I look, which is rare.

Derek's parents came over for dinner last night. That was good but tiring, and tbh I would have preferred the evening on my own to rest and relax, but we hadn't seen them in a while.

I had a lovely run this morning, fueled by my favorite iced watermelon mint green tea :) I'm in a solid routine of treadmill running, and that is working way better than road running for me. I'm able to go for longer distances with zero muscle tightness. Then I got to meet up with @poorlifedecisionsemily for lunch and tea!! It was so amazing. I feel very, very spoiled and lucky with the amount of friends I've gotten to spend time with lately.

For a long time, the only friends I've been in touch here were Derek's friends and family, because my old friend group kind of dissolved due to the pandemic. It means the world to me to be able to connect with and spend time with my own friends. It's really special.

I have a memory clinic day tomorrow :/ and then I hope I can finally get some time to write again!

#lanturing #I hope everyone's had a lovely weekend!

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freawaru2020 · 7 years ago

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Hi! Thanks to my mum, I've been obsessed with Austen since I was a child and I recently saw North And South and now I'm desperately looking for more period dramas/romances Got anymore recommendations?

OH BOY have I got a list for you!!! *cracks knuckles*

Long list is long. I got really carried away. I’m so sorry.

Books

Bleak House - Charles Dickens: Being Dickens, it’s a lot more dense and dark than Jane Austen, but quite good. Really interesting commentary on the legal system at the time, with very interesting characters, one tragic romance, and one very satisfactory one. I have linked a truly excellent reading of it.

Little Dorrit - Charles Dickens: The story is about a family whose father is in debtor’s prison, the trials, tribulations, and eventual romance of Amy Dorrit (the titular Little Dorrit) and Arthur Clennam. Of course, there’s the full complement of twists, turns, characters, and subplots necessary for any Dickensian novel.

Our Mutual Friend - Dickens: This one’s got it all. Murder, mystery, romance, mistaken identities, false accusations, society expectations, and finally, a reasonably happy ending. The river Thames is almost as much a character as the people!

The Chronicles of Barsetshire (The Warden, Barchester Towers, Doctor Thorne, Framley Parsonage, The Small House at Allington, and The Last Chronicle of Barset) - Anthony Trollope: These books are something of a combination of Dickens and Austen. Very involved like Dickens, but much lighter in tone, generally. It is about the families who live in and around the fictitious Barchester, primarily the Grantleys, the Hardings, the Proudies, Thornes, and the Stanhopes. There are very satisfying romances just about all of them (though I found The Small House at Allington less satisfactory than some of the others). (Regarding the audiobooks, some of the readings are better than others :/) Fairly religion heavy (doesn’t beat you over the head with theology or anything), simply because so many of the main characters are either in the church, or around the church.

The Belton Estate - Anthony Trollope: I really liked this one, but it’s not to everyone’s tastes, for sure, mostly because the main female character is kind of annoying at times.

Wives and Daughters - Elizabeth Gaskell: If you love North and South, you’re probably already familiar, but just in case! Centres around Molly Gibson, her father, the doctor of Hollingford, her stepmother, and her step sister Cynthia, as well as the local squire and his two sons.

Cranford - Elizabeth Gaskell: Cranford tells the stories of various persons living in the fictitious small town of Cranford as told by Mary Smith, who used to live in Cranford, and now frequently visits it. There’s not a very strong over-arching plot, but each of the stories is still connected, both by the persons concerned, and by the locality.

Middlemarch - George Eliot: This one is kind of like the Chronicles of Barsetshire, but with some mystery and such. (Really, in a similar vein to the others recommended above.) (There IS a BBC production version of it, but I haven’t seen it, so have no idea if it’s any good. Ruffus Sewell is in it though, so that’s probably a good sign!)

The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins: I love, love, LOVED this one. It’s mystery, suspense, and romance, and is told all through letters and diary entries of the various characters.

The Scarlet Pimpernel and it’s sequels are also delightful, if you haven’t read those. They take place in England and France during the French Revolution, where a daring English gentleman and his band snatch aristocrats from the jaws of the guillotine itself.

And then ALL the Georgette Heyer. Georgette Heyer is basically Jane Austen lite. They’re SUPER easy reads, all of them, so they’re ideal if you need some period fluff to break up some of the much, much heavier books recommended above.

My favourites are the following (not necessarily in order) (You will also discover that my favourites include nearly the whole body of Heyer’s Georgian/Regency work…):

Cotillion - Kitty Charring is an heiress - upon condition that she marry one of her guardian’s nephews. Her first choice, Jack Westruther fails to make an appearance, so she talks Freddy Standen into entering into a fake engagement so that she can see London (and avenge herself on Mr. Westruther). You know the trope. You know how this ends.

The Grand Sophie - Charles Rivenhall’s life is orderly, respectable, rigid. He’s towing his family out of debt, his fiance is everything that is respectable and decorous. Everything is going according to plan until his cousin, the dashing Sophia Stanton-Lacy sweeps in and turns EVERYTHING upside-down.

Powder and Patch - Cleone Charteris would be more than happy to marry Philip Jettan…if only he would bother bringing himself more into the mode. Instead, he won’t wear a wig, or powder, or dress in the first style of fashion. So she (and his father) send him away to acquire polish, which he does. But when he comes back, everything they professed to want him to be, they discover that perhaps they were mistaken.

These Old Shades (Book 1 of the Alastair-Audly series) - Justin Alastair, the Duke of Avon, is known to his cronies as Satanas for a reason. Both for his uncanny awareness of all the things happening in society, and for his devilish lifestyle, which includes a longstanding feud with the Comte de Saint-Vire. When the fire-haired “Leon” stumbles into his life one dark night in Paris, the key to his revenge is his.

Devil’s Cub (Book 2 of the Alastair-Audly series) - Lord Dominic Alastair, the Marquis of Vidal is every bit as bad as his father, the Duke of Avon, and Mary Challoner has no intention of letting him run away with her sister Sophie. Her intervention does NOT go as she planned…Lots of characters from These Old Shades make appearances!

Regency Buck (Book 3 of the Alastair-Audly series) - Miss Judith Taverner and her brother Peregrine are traveling to London to obtain the permission of their (presumably) elderly guardian, the Earl of Worth, to set up house in the metropolis. Julian Audley is not at ALL what they expected, but he may end up being just who they needed…Beau Brummell makes an appearance, as do a number of members of the royal family.

An Infamous Army (Book 4of the Alastair-Audly series): This is basically the War and Peace of regency romances. Julian’s brother Charles Audley is one of the primary characters, but plenty of the other characters from the series also are important players in the events leading up to (and during) the Battle of Waterloo.

Arabella - Arabella Tallent is the daughter of a Yorkshire clergyman, and is on her way to London for her first season when her carriage breaks down near the hunting lodge of the fabulously wealthy Nonpareil Robert Beaumaris. When she overhears him assuming that she’s throwing herself at his head for the sake of his fortune, her pride leads her to make a series of rash declarations which change the entire course of her visit.

Frederica - Respectable but poor, Frederica Merriville seeks the patronage of distant relation Lord Alverstoke in hopes that he will present her ravishing younger sister Charis to fashionable London society. He does, and they are both determined that that should be the extent of his involvement in their affairs. However, what with all the misadventures that Frederica, Charis, and their three brothers fall into, Lord Alverstoke becomes far more invested than he ever meant to be.

The Nonesuch - Miss Ancilla Trent considers herself on the shelf, due both to her age, and her occupation as the chaperone of the spoiled but lovely Tiffany Wield. Sir Waldo Hawkridge is, despite being the Nonesuch, blessed with wealth and good looks, a confirmed bachelor. Throw in outings to picturesque spots, spoilt heiresses, runaways, and balls, and you’ve got yourself a rollicking romance.

The Corinthian - Penelope Creed is running away to avoid marrying her fish-like cousin. Sir Richard Wyndham, a noted Corinthian, is about to make a loveless offer of marriage to the respectable daughter of a debt-ridden but noble family. Coming home slightly drunk, he encounters Pen climbing out of her window in the dead of night, dressed as a boy, and determined to set out for her childhood home - and promised husband, . Her neck-cloth and hair will never do, so he takes her in hand, and ends up embroiled in the adventure of a lifetime.

The Talisman Ring - murder, mystery, romance, smuggling, and a stolen ring are all ingredients in this absolutely delightful romp.

Other good ones include Venitia, Faro’s Daughter, Charity Girl, The Unknown Ajax, The Quiet Gentleman, Bath Tangle, Lady of Quality, The Foundling, and The Masqueraders.(Really, what this boils down to is that I’d recommend all of them, except perhaps Friday’s Child.)

Movies/TV Shows

Bleak House (2005) - Charles Dickens: Has an AMAZING cast, including Gillian Anderson, Carey Mulligan, Burn Gorman, Louise Brealey, and a ton of others.

Little Dorrit (2008): Matthew Macfayden and Claire Foy are the main characters.

Our Mutual Friend (1998) - Paul McGann, Steven Mackintosh, Keeley Hawes, and Anna Friel are some of the primary characters

The Barchester Chronicles (1982) - a young Alan Rickman makes an appearance!

Doctor Thorne (2016) - Beautiful costumes, great cast! Tom Hollander is Doctor Thorne!

Wives and Daughters (1999) - Really terrific cast, as I’m sure you’re starting to notice, lots of overlap in those BBC pieces…

Great Expectations (2012) - there are a LOT of good versions of Great Expectations, but this one is probably my fav. This is, of course, the Bonham Carter/Fiennes version. Holliday Grainger is Estella.

Jane Eyre (2011) - Wasikowska/Fassbender

Lark Rise to Candleford (2008-2011)

Cranford (2007) SO many good actors in this one, including Judi Dench, Imelda Staunton, Tom Hiddleston, Michael Gambon, and quite a few others.

I hope you like at least some of them, and would be delighted to hear if you end up loving any of them (or if you find others in a similar vein that you would recommend in return)!!

#Books #historical fiction #Charles Dickens #Elizabeth Gaskell #Anthony Trollope #George Eliot #Georgette Heyer #BBC Dramas #long post is long #Life after Austen #Librivox

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rndyounghowze · 5 years ago

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Triple Threat Workshop Goes Down Home with Bright Star at the Landis Theatre in Vineland, NJ

By Ricky and Dana Young-Howze

Very rarely do I see a show that's as crisp as a summer apple and as cool as clear spring water but I got it last night with Bright Star at the Landis Theatre. This musical with music, book and story by banjo legend Steve Martin and Edie Brickell was directed by John T. Stephan and Caitlin Geisser and really is a must see.

Follow a country ballad based on heartbreak and woe as you hear the story of April Lindley, a magazine editor in the 40's who is serious and makes writers shake in their boots. But then one day a new writer comes across her desk and she just can't place why he intrigues her. What follows is her journey through the past to weave a story of love, loss, betrayal, and reunion. Bring your tissues because if you haven't had a good cry in a while you're about due for an appointment with this tear jerker.

So when the lights come up you see a bare stage with actors surrounding the stage adorned with a desolate set and props. You can even see the bare walls of the stage in the back. The desolate staging is just as desolate as the play. I don't know how to say it better but it looks like a dramatic grenade went off in the beginning and everyone on there is just human shrapnel.

Now they say too many cooks spoil the soup but direction by Caitlin Geisser and John T. Stephen seem to have a synergy going with this one. They also say that a director that casts themself in a play has just been cast by an idiot director but I actually enjoyed Geisser's performance. Stephan's choreography is always on pointe but I feel like the ambitious staging got in the way of the choreography with scenes getting too crowded to make the picture "print" in my head. Dana was begging for just one moment of emptiness on stage and I agree that a the loss of about six ensemble members in emotionally gripping scenes would not have been horrible.

We're only being tougher on them because we love them and they always give a polished and professional performance. They are always so close to perfect it kills me. All in all they crafted a show together that really...what's the word...soothed me. I've seen too many shows with big orchestras, huge special effects, and the works. This was like a glass of cool water.

Okay a few notes from this show that only a Southern boy from TN can give. Please imagine me saying this in my former southern accent. Thank you for not including a live orchestra. I'm a banjo snob and would have been critiquing clawhammer technique more than the show. The cast made a valiant attempt at a southern accent and while it did "drop" me into the setting of the show I would have forgiven them for dropping it sometimes in order to sing clearly. Also I've been all over North Carolina and never met a snazzier group of people or cleaner set. It needs more dirt and soot to make it authentic. Y'all wuz purtier den the purtiest peach that ever wuz grown.

Okay there were so many good actors in this show I had to add an extra to each of my categories!

April Lindley (played by Alice Murphy) had the hardest job. She had to carry the plot in two different time periods and be effectively two different people in each time period while still letting the audience know they were the same person.

It was hard to find anything to say about Jimmy Ray Dobbs (played by Andrew Jarema) because I've seen him many times before and he always delivers a solid performance. I was desperately trying not to say something like "he's good but that's Andrew for you" but we'll there I said it. A great performance from a great actor and he does look a little bit like Rich Curcio's son so now I'll never be able to get that out of my head.

Billy Cane (played by Dakota Mullins) seemed a bit stiff at first and I didn't know if it was opening night energy or a character choice. By the time he had gotten to the Southern Journal he had loosened up a bit and I could really get into his performance.

I have one thing to say about Margo Crawford (played by Alexa St. Clair) and that is more stage time please! She was so funny and clean in her performance. I couldn't ask for more from a Broadway Starlet!

Like I said I had three supporting standouts. There were just so many to choose from.

Darryl Ames (played by Dylan Glick) made me guffaw so much! I never saw a character more happy to be the bearer of bad news and Glick delivers it in style.

Dana had to actually point out that the dry speaking buttoned up assistant to the mayor was actually one of our favorites Jason Smith. I honestly couldn't recognize him and his acting was so good I still swear it wasn't him. Kudos Jason for blending in so well...if it was really you.

Shannon Sheridan who played Momma Murphy was really a favorite of Dana's. She had such a quick and smooth delivery and I could tell that she had some serious acting chops.

And of course here are my background shoutouts.

Whenever I'm watching a play in Cumberland County I kinda just look around and see what John Rattacasa is doing. He's kind of like a lucky charm in actor form. And then there's nothing like catching him belting in the moment. He really brings the noise!

A big shout-out to my favorite twins Amanda Ellis and Julianna Giordano! Glad to see them cutting a rug in style!

I have to give a nod to music direction by Shannon Sheridan for getting our cast to deliver one rip snorter of a time. Makes me wish I had my banjo or a set of spoons handy to scrub one off with them like we were on Grandpa's back porch.

Also costume design by Sheridan was right out of a Norman Rockwell painting. I could have wished for a little dirt or fatiguing on stuff that was supposed to be dirty but that's just me being picky.

I swear that set design by Martin Geisser recreated the skeletal clapboard ruins you see all over the trainline from DC to Winston-Salem. I was a little worried when I saw the main rolling set piece wobble as it was moved. It may not look good sometimes but extra bracing for the safety of the actors can never be skimped on. Otherwise this was one of the greater sets I've seen.

There was a lot of intricate sound in this show so sound design by Stephen Seserko was really appreciated. The best sound design is the one you notice without noticing and I think he hovered really closely to that mark. Good job!

Well I'm kinda tired of saying that John Rattacasa is the best wig and makeup man in New Jersey. I'm tired of saying it but it doesn't look like he's going to stop anytime soon. So I still have to. If there's a set of Rattacasa locks on those heads they're the best in South Jersey.

All in all this little show was a delight to my old southern ears. And what I love about a Cumberland County show is that they keep everything just as down home as this play. When I get here there's always someone to hug me and Dana's neck and if they held an ice cream social out back after every show I wouldn't be surprised. When Dana and I are in Cumberland we feel like we're amongst family but that family is giving you a killer professional show that rivals Philly or the rest of Jersey. That's just the Cumberland way. This show runs twice more. Get on out there and meet your new family!

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