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gardenoflilys · 2 months

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ILLINOISE. 🦋

A Full Run Down of the Show (From my memory) :

The show opens with Prologue (or, a Conjunction of Drones…) On stage we see Henry and Douglas sleeping peacefully until Henry eventually awakens. He gets up and walks over to a few things hanging up I believe and starts putting on his clothes, occasionally looking over at Douglas to make sure he’s still asleep (that’s just what I picked up from the moment) before finally leaving and leaving Douglas sound asleep and alone. (I also remember my sister literally getting so upset over this moment and being like “he just left him:(“ and her boyfriend having to calm her down, she was NOT having it)

We move into Three Stars (or, Concerning the UFO Sighting near Highland, Illinois.) which is Henry being haunted of the thought of Shelby, Carl, and Douglas. They had taken over and absorb his mind so much that the thought of them scares him and just makes him sick. Especially Carl and Shelby I believe. They move around him and he just stands there helplessly and it’s a chilling moment and I don’t remember the rest but I do remember that vaguely.

From there we move onto the Long Hike where each character comes up from the long journey and walks towards either center stage or right stage and just looks around in pure amazement at the journey they just did and eventually take a photo together which was so cute to me.

From there we move into Come On! Feel The Illinoise! which I must say WOW. (elijah vocals r crazy can we all agree on that???) This number was a mixture of amazement and silliness. The choreography in it is just WOW and im sure we’ve all seen a clip a couple of times. But there is some silliness!! Once they get camp set up, the dancers in the background walk around and act all silly while meeting other people in the background while Henry doesn’t say much or interact, rather just standing there and looking out. (I had to stifle back a giggle or two watching the dancers though.) There is also moments of Henry being haunted by the thought of Carl, Shelby, and Douglas (this is in my opinion and how I interpreted it.) They have lights held above their head symbolizing the ‘three stars’ (which is also made clear in Henry’s journal that they ARE the Three Stars) and approach him slowly while he just looks at them in this horror because he just can’t stop thinking about them and the thought alone haunts him. And WOW. It was definitely a little crazy

From there we move onto the storytelling bits! I believe it was either Marion, Knox, or Jeanette who picked up the journal first and held it out for the others. I think they tried Henry but he refused immediately. Just shaking his head and they moved on a moment after until eventually Morgan picks the hook up and there we start Jacksonville.

Jacksonville is described by Henry in his journal as ; a shared story about the attempts to understand a lineage, and find the lessons left by those who came before (or ; ancestry is more than DNA, it’s how we see, how we move, and how we talk to god.) He also describes Morgan as a griot & expert debater to which I think fits her PERFECTLY??? We already know a lot about this number and how it looks from their performance on The Late Show. But every-time Cass (Byron) started tapping, the crowd was CHEERING. It definitely got everyone hyped up. And I didn’t see Rachel play her role but I must say Tyrone absolutely KILLED IT!!!!!!! We love our swings 🩵

Next, Jo Daviess takes a turn in telling her story about ZOMBIES!!!! Henry describes her story as ; a shared story about the hood the founding fathers have on American imagination and also describes Jo Daviess as a historian and horror enthusiast. And let me just the say, this number brought me CHILLS. Jeannette absolutely KILLED it in her role and from the running in place from the zombies, fighting them, and I believe even crawling away from them was AMAZING and she displayed it PERFECTLY. I was in SHOCK after the number and was just like HELLOOOOO????!!!!! She did amazing and I just love her even more for it. 🩵 The number is crazy and when I heard Zombies I didn’t really like it as much and preferred Sufjan’s version but after seeing the show, I absolutely LOVE the number.

After Jo finishes her story, she tries to get Henry to tell his story, bending down in front of him and placing a hand on his shoulder, holding the book to him but he refuses just like before and Jo backs down and holds the book out to everyone before eventually Wayne takes it and decides to share his story.

Wayne shares the story of John Wayne Gacy Jr. but Henry described it as ; the damning cycle of exclusim borne of outcasts forced to sympathize with monsters to which ive stated I LOVE because it ties with the song so much. He also describes Wayne as a poet and murder balladeer. I believe Craig Salstein played Wayne and was dressed in a clown costume while Wayne traveled through the stage with the flashlight. They made the story very clear and anyone who knew about John Wayne Gacy knew what was going on. The dancers played families and kids and eventually each dancer was killed and it was definitely chilling! I expected it to be a solo dance and just told through movement from Alejandro (Wayne) but it wasn’t and it was still good I just WISH the number was longer!!! Everything happened really fast and I couldn’t fully absorb it.

Towards the end of the number, Wayne spirals out of control while Henry is present on stage (I believe he was present throughout the entire number or majority of it and was watching the entire thing) and once he sees Wayne start to spiral he is quick to jump into action and starts to calm him down. Becca did amazing with representing the panicked and rapid breathing that comes with panic attacks and then slowly calming down. Everything was just in sync and it was such a heartfelt moment, I wanted to CRY!!!!

Next we move onto Clark who shows his story through the Man of Metropolis which is described by Henry as ; a shared story about a Vulnerable Superman ( or ; the seductive fiction of the individual hero ), again this is another number I won’t get into too much as it was performed on the View and a majority have already seen it. But the number was definitely a crowd favorite. Brandt did amazing with the dancing and getting everyone hyped up. Each time the picnic blanket was brought out to represent the cape, everyone was laughing and when he threw his shirt out into the crowd, everyone was literally LAUGHING and CHEERING. It was AMAZING and such a beautiful number!!!!

Clark finishes his story and eventually turns to Henry and gets him to share his story and I think only Clark could have done this. They interact a lot on stage and it seems like Henry was really comfortable around Clark and definitely considered him a friend.

Act 2 starts here which is all about Henry’s story.

We start with Decatur which introduces a younger and more energetic Henry with his best friend and love, Carl. They did amazing with representing the friendship which also was most likely easy and fun for them to do considering Gaby, Ben, and Ricky are all close friends in real life. It starts with just Henry and Carl playing around. Skipping rocks across the lake, balancing on logs, looking up at the stars, and just playing around and having fun!

Eventually, Shelby comes onto stage and immediately Carl is drawn to her. It’s clear they like each other as they flirt on stage and the believe kiss once or twice or a couple of times. Very sweet moments while Henry just watches and tries to be supportive but definitely has a hint of jealousy and loss. I know and remember a moment where Henry and Carl are resting for a moment and Carl gets a little close to Henry, leaning in and it was LIKE they were going to kiss before Carl just moves away which I don’t know if it was because Shelby came on stage or because he was just teasing and messing with Henry.

My personal belief of what goes on between Henry and Carl and why they never got together or could’ve worked is because :

1). Henry stated in his journal he was always afraid to tell Carl about his feelings from him. Scared he’d freak out on him or throw fists.

2). Some people have said there could be religious trauma within the show and have said Carl is bisexual in denial and just some of this to which I could see how it works but don’t believe it’s true as much. I think Carl was just never aware of feelings or how he felt with Henry. He might’ve felt something there but never brought it up. He just was unaware of all this and such and didn’t think much into it and just brushed it off. He understood his feelings with Shelby but not with Henry because it was different. I don’t think Carl was ever homophobic or anything. He was just lost and never knew how he felt about Henry.

In Decatur I believe, Carl goes up to the set and spray paints NYC next to Chicago and taps the set. Showing they want to travel from Chicago to New York and Henry lets out this little cheer that was SO SILLY and made everyone laugh. They try to convince Shelby to come with (mainly Carl, Henry stands back and just watches.) Trying to guide her over and talk with her to which eventually Shelby gets tired of and pushes him away before storming off stage. Leaving Carl and Henry alone. Eventually though, we transfer into Chicago.

I’ll try my best to piece up Chicago in my mind from my memory. I believe it started off with Carl holding out the wheel to Henry and they start their journey, driving and talking and being silly as the dancers form a car with props and have these lights to represent headlights and everything. It was SO COOL. There is so many sweet moments throughout the number and represents more of their friendship and it’s just BEAUTIFUL. I absolutely love it. It was a great number. On the Instagram there is a clip of Chicago and that’s the main repeated Choreo that happened throughout Chicago.

Eventually, I believe they arrive in New York. This is where we meet Douglas, an artist who was trying to sell some of his art on the street. He starts to place it back in his bag while talking before him and Henry bump into each other. The art falls and scatters everywhere to the floor and Henry is quick to start helping him pick up the art. They touch hands I believe and I think it was right then and there Douglas fell in love. I’m unsure with Henry and I think he sensed the love coming from Douglas and decided to just take it and try it out. I don’t think he fell in love with Douglas right away, no, but I will explain this eventually.

Meanwhile, while Henry and Douglas are interacting, the focus shifts to Carl who gets a phone call from either Shelby or the hospital and is told about Shelby’s diagnosis with cancer. Immediately, Carl wants to go home. He needs to go home. He needs to see the love of his life and help her. She needs him. He quickly goes to Henry and tells him they need to leave and starts the car. Holding his hand out to Henry. Henry stands there for a moment before walking over to the set and pointing where New York is spray painted and stomps his foot on the ground too. He wants to finish the trip. He wants to finish what he started. What they started. But Carl doesn’t side with that. He offers one more time I believe but Henry refuses again, being stubborn and I do think he probably later on regrets this.

Carl starts the car and drives away, heading back to Illinois.

We transfer into to the Workers of the Rock River Valley Region, I Have An Idea Concerning Your Predicament. This is Shelby I believe after getting her diagnosis. Being unhooked from wires while doctors and maybe her mother or father comforting her while she gets up and just has this hopeless sense like she’s already given up. Eventually she sits down in a chair and that’s when Carl comes in and we got into Casmir Pulaski Day and immediately when I heard the switch. I started to cry because that song makes me SO emotional it ruins me.

Throughout Casmir Pulsaki Day, it shows Carl’s support for Shelby. Being there with her every step of the way and desperately trying to keep her going while Shelby just pushes him away each time and it’s clear she’s already given up. She’s accepted that she has this and she doesn’t think anything can be done. Carl doesn’t give up though. He keeps and keeps trying. Doing everything for his girlfriend, the absolute love of his life. Nothing works though and eventually, Shelby passes. There’s this moment and I think when Shelby was dying, she didn’t realize she wanted to give up. No, she wanted to keep fighting but she couldn’t now. She’s torn away from Carl and once she passes, Carl spirals completely. People try to help him but ultimately he pushes them away. He doesn’t want help. He wants his girlfriend. He wants his love back but she’s gone and he can’t get her back.

We go into Prairie Fire That Wanders About and im not 100% sure what happened but I know it was something to with Carl, either driving to Seers Tower or something. I’m not 100% sure.

We go into Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out To Get Us! which is a duet between Douglas and Henry and really shows the love they have for each other. Douglas is gentle and sweet with Henry. He’s what Henry needs and wants and I believe Henry started to fall in love with Douglas. Whether it was him or the idea of him, he started to realize he loved some part of him. And he feels guilty at times because he doesn’t know if he’s taking advantage of Douglas love or not. Is he what he wants? He doesn’t know but with Douglas. He feels content and safe. He loves him. The duet shared between them is beautiful and I absolutely bawled like a baby. But diving more into the number.

I remember it starts with the two sleeping before Henry eventually wakes up, grabs his journal and starts writing while Douglas wakes up and stops him. Then the dance carries on from there. And eventually Douglas heads back to sleep. I believe (I could be wrong) either Henry sees Carl or he calls him and says some sort of goodbye message and it panics Henry and he starts having this panic attack. And Ricky does so well with representing the movement through dance and I was just wow. It was crazy. Douglas wakes up and quickly rushes over to Henry. Calming him down and breathing with him, comforting him sweetly just like Henry had done for Wayne earlier in the show. He learned through Douglas. Douglas has helped him so much and has never once given up on Henry and I love him so much for it. It’s a clear message that despite the struggles someone has, we can still love them and help them through it. Don’t give up on them. Be there for them and love them through and through.

Eventually, Seers Tower comes along and starts with a dancer I believe to be Alejandro first leading and coaxing Carl up to the top of Seers Tower. Luring him in before dropping which caused a gasp from the audience. More and more dancers come, each luring him in before eventually dropping. Carl just watches. Debating. Is this what he should do? Is this his fate? Will he finally see his love if he does this? And eventually, he jumps off. Henry comes into stage right after and stands there in horror. His best friend just did that right in front of him. Then, we go back to the beginning of the show.

We go through a Conjunction of Drones, again which shows Henry leaving and the Hike all over again.

We then go into Act 3 which starts with Chicago (Reprise) which I took as Henry explaining the story to his friends and I believe eventually they all gather around and comfort him because they realize this story is real and how tragic it is. It’s a heartfelt moment.

Eventually, we shift into a more happy setting. Douglas comes on stage and once Henry sees him, he seems different. He’s happy. I think that’s when then and there, Henry realized how much he loved Douglas. Not the idea of him or the thought of him, he just loved Douglas. As a person, as his lover. He loved him.

We go into The Tallest Man, the Broadest Shoulders which is a silly and playful number and I don’t fully remember much but it IS a fun number and kinda that stress reliever!!!

We go into the Epilogue which is just the dancers moving around and dancing on stage with the lights from my memory and that is truly all I remember.

HOPE YOU WNJOTED MY YAP SESSION AND AGAIN ONCE I HAVE THW BOOTLEG, ILL DIVE INTO MORE BUT!!!!

#illinoise #musicals #sufjan stevens #broadway #justin peck #ben cook #ben tyler cook #gaby diaz #henry illinoise #carl illinoise #shelby illinoise #douglas illinoise #ricky ubeda #yapping session #brodys silly things #i love this show #I am the no.1 illinoise fan don’t fight me on this

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gabgabwrites · 4 months

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GENERAL MASTERLISTS

(I’m aware it’s not rlly, I’ll divide them when I have more works)

key: ♡- smut ♤- angst ♢- fluff ♧- dark (sensitive topics)

released!

Damn The Race | Tommy Shelby ♡

Miss Me? | (ex!) Anakin Skywalker ♡

Like a Bat to a Scarecrow | Jonathan Crane ♡ ♧

Love and Aces | Art Donaldson part 1♡

Love on the Line | Art Donaldson part 2 of L.a.A ♡ ♤

Nightmares | Tyler Durden ♢

Twilight Teacher | [professor!vampire] Eddie Munson ♡ ♧

Deuce | Art Donaldson & Patrick Zweig ♡

Off the Racket | Patrick Zweig & Art Donaldson part 2 of Deuce ♡

Coach | Art Donaldson & Patrick Zweig ♡

Green Eyed Psycho | Patrick Bateman ♧ ♡

Bundle | Det. David Loki ♡

coming soon!

[TBD] | Tyler Durden

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writeroutoftime · 2 months

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3k/5 year blog anniversary celebration!!

Oh my goodness!! I can't believe I've been on this same blog for 5 whole years now - that is absolutely crazy!! Not only that, but there are 3,000 of you lovely people who have liked at least one of my stories and decided to stick around! From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much!! 💛🥰

(and just in case anyone was wondering, this is the first story I posted on this blog - lol 🙈)

more on that below, though.

In honor of both of these milestones, I wanted to put together a little celebration I'll be hosting over the next week! Something to say thank you for everyone who has supported me with likes, reblogs, comments, and lovely asks! Here's what we've got! And don’t worry, I’ll still be working on my requests!

(oh and here is my updated list of who I write for!)

✍️ - send me a character and a prompt(s) from this list and I'll write a fluffy or angsty drabble!

🌶️ - send me a character and a prompt(s) from this list and I'll try to write a smut drabble! (first time I'm doing this - so please go easy on me! and, of course, only 18+ please)

🥳 - shout out your favorite author or fic - this can be your own or someone else's! let's celebrate our wonderful community of writers!

✨ - ask me to share a snippet of one of my WIPs. I'll either share a few sentences or my overall vision for the story.

♠️ - let's play some games! fmk, would you rather, truth or truth, etc!

I'll be running this from today, 7/25 until next week, 7/30 - so send in as many asks as you would like! Can't wait to see what there is!!

Okay, now for my sappy post below! ⬇️

Again, it's crazy to me that it's been 5 years! I mean when I started this blog, I was about to start college and now I'm graduated and trying to start my professional career! I've been on tumblr longer than 5 years lol, but this is the longest I've held onto one blog! I know I'm not the most consistent poster, so it really means a lot that so many of you have stuck with me during this time!

I post my silly little stories as a way to have fun and practice my writing skills. I never thought that this many people would be excited about what I post! And I'm not just saying this, but every time you like, reblog, and comment - I am ecstatic!! I love being able to provide a sense of joy to people with my writing!

Anyway, if you made it here - thank you! 💕✨

And of course, I just want to tag a few of the lovely mutuals I've had along the way! Thank you all for being your wonderful selves!!

@zablife, @captainsophiestark, @sansaorgana, @runnning-outof-time, @ghostofskywalker

@zepskies, @theshelbyclan, @barbiegirlbaby - and so many more!!

#rita's 3k/5 year celebration #azriel x reader #rhys x reader #cassian x reader #tyler owens x reader #tommy shelby x reader #john shelby x reader #jamie tartt x reader #carmy berzatto x reader #benedict bridgerton x reader #steve harrington x reader #ruhn danaan x reader #jack thompson x reader #matt murdock x reader

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miss-morgans-lover · 5 months

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James, who has flashbacks/nightmares about the cave collapse, and struggles in small spaces

Tyler, who has nightmares about his dad leaving

Shelby, who has nightmares about disappointing her parents

Koda, who has nightmares about his 'death'

Ivan, who has nightmares about being trapped and struggles struggles in small spaces

Kendall, who has flashbacks/nightmares about her childhood and struggles with academic validation (HC)

Phillip, who doesn't want to disappoint his parents

Chase, who has nightmares about actually hurting his friends when he was mind controlled

Riley, who has nightmares about not being able to win against Fury again

#power rangers dino charge #power rangers #power rangers dino super charge #kendall morgan #james navarro #tyler navarro #shelby watkins #koda (power rangers)#ivan of zandar #prince phillip of zandar #chase randall #riley griffin #tw #trauma #nightmares #flashbacks

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scarlettheknight · 3 months

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last month tyler and some of the post team did a minecraft stream where they played clouds xx and it was so fun

#tyler hazard #nottheduke #ky cooke #shelby liggett #larry matovina #jacob mcduffee #cameron hay #my art #they also did a pride stream last week

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inlovewithalotoffandoms · 4 months

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My Girl

Chase Randall x Fem!Reader

Summary: You go to the Dino Bite Cafe to find your boyfriend Chase, to ask him something. But he is still on his shift, so you start singing along to the song on the radio.

Note: Y/F/M = Your Favorite Musical.

You walked into the "Dino Bite Cafe" to wait for Chases' shift to finish. The Soundtrack of Y/F/M was playing on the Radio, and you did the most unexpected thing ever.

"Chase!" Tyler called out.

Chase groaned. "What?!"

"You're staring at Y/N." The Red Ranger teased with a smirk, to which Chase rolled his eyes and replied,

"She is my girl, I can look at her."

"Yeah, but you've been standing there for 5 minutes." Riley, the Green Ranger added.

Ms Morgan, aka Kendall, aka the Purple Ranger, walks into the kitchen, stating, "Hey, back to work."

After you finished, Chase ran to you and pulled you to the back of the cafe, smiling. Sure, Ms Morgan was gonna be pissed, but he sure as hell more wanted to be with you than doing his job.

"Hi." He grinned. You smiled at him and giggled,

"Hey. Why'd you pull me in here?"

"Maybe it's 'cause I want to kiss my girl in private," Chase states playfully.

"What if Koda comes in? He'll be traumatised." You joked.

Chase gave a look as he said, "You don't wanna kiss your boyfriend?"

"I mean, I want to, it's just-"

As you continued to ramble on, Chase decided the best way to shut you up was by kissing you. So he did. You were caught off guard by the action, but you kissed back. It was only for a few seconds before Riley walked in.

The Green Ranger just stood there. Chase turned to his friend, hand still on your waste.

"Did you need something?"

Riley shook his head as he replied, "Just a takeaway box. But I'll just leave."

"Riley, here." You gave him the box.

"Thanks." He said and walked out.

You looked at Chase and playfully pushed him as you pouted, "I told you someone would come in."

"Well, it wasn't Koda." He smirked cheekily.

"Oh, shut up." You state, acting mad at him.

The Black Ranger smiled and kissed you again, but before it could go anywhere, your phone started ringing. You took your phone out of your pocket and answered the call.

"Y/N, where are you?"

"Dad, hey. Umm, just went to see Chase."

"Did you ask him yet?"

"Dad."

"Well?"

"No, not yet."

"Ask him."

"I'm not sure if he'll wanna come."

"Just ask him. Also he can come over tonight, just no funny business."

"Okay, got it."

"Bye, sweetheart. I love you."

"Love you too, bye."

You put your phone back in your pocket.

"What was that all about?" Chase asked, curiously.

"Uh, well, my Dad wants to know if you wanna come to the Family Gathering. It's my grandma's birthday. But if you don't want to, that's fine.-" You explained in a rant.

Chase sighed and stated, "Y/N!" to end your rant, which it did.

"What?" You asked with a slight pout.

"Of course, I wanna come," Chase says.

You sighed, "But what about your job as the black ranger?"

"I'm sure the rest of the team can handle it. Plus, I don't want to miss this. It's your grandma's birthday. I would be a terrible boyfriend if I didn't come. And I haven't met her yet, so." Chase replied.

You smiled at Chase and gave him a quick peck on the lips.

He smiled, "When is it?"

"It's tomorrow." You answered.

"Well, good thing I'm not working tomorrow." Chase shrugged.

"I'll let my dad know you're coming. Fair warning, don't say you already ate because she will tell you to eat. She'll be upset if you don't eat." You warn. Chase chuckled and gave you that smile you fell in love with as he said,

"Noted."

"Chase, get your butt in here." Ms Morgan called out.

Chase chuckled softly, "Well, that's my cue."

You nodded your head. "Yeah, I better go home. My Dad said you can come over tonight. And please, for peat's sake, use the front door!" You giggled.

"I will, I love you." He pecks your cheek.

"Love you too." You mumbled in response.

You walked out of the storage room and went home. Chase then left the storage room only to see friends look at him strangely.

#chase randall imagine #power rangers dino charge imagines #power rangers dino charge imagine #power rangers dino charge #chase randall imagines #chase randall x reader #chase randall #tyler navarro #shelby watkins #riley griffin #Youtube

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ursifors · 9 months

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✨ someone forgot to switch accounts ✨

#shelby cough cough #this is in tyler's chat btw #it was so funny #logan speaks #tyler

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themundanemudperson · 4 months

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I've been seeing a lot of fandom events in some of my other fandoms... so I wanted to see if there's interest in a PRDC one!!!

And, for clarification, a fandom event would probably look like a week where one day is dedicated to fanart, one day is dedicated to edits, one day is dedicated to fics, one day is dedicated to songs/playlists, etc

Or it could look like a themed week, like a Halloween week, or pride week, or any other theme

Either way, I'm trying to see if there's interest for an event like this!

If you have any suggestions, pls lmk!

If there's a lot of interest in this, then I'd iron out some of the details!

#life's mundanity #prdc #power rangers dino charge #power rangers dino super charge #power rangers #tyler navarro #shelby watkins #chase randall #riley griffin #kendall morgan #fandom #fandom event

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kaylinalexanderbooks · 5 months

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Find the word

Thanks to @elsie-writes here and here!

My words: behind, yell, couch, bird, away, eyes, stretch, moon, worm

Your words: present, just, unaware always

Tagging @whatwewrotepodcast @talesofsorrowandofruin @leahnardo-da-veggie @pluppsauthor @sunset-a-story

@eccaiia @buffythevampirelover @space-writes @alinacapellabooks @rickie-the-storyteller

TSP intro

TSP tag list (ask to be +/-): @thepeculiarbird @illarian-rambling @televisionjester @finchwrites

@nebula--nix @literarynecromancy

Keep reading for:

Kelsey's first appearance

Noelle's grilled cheese opinion

Meet George

I'm using a different definition of bird

Gwen and Akash meet

This is based on a true story

Scary telepathy facts with Carla

Gwen and Akash are dating now <3

Gross Halloween Party games

Behind - from The Secret Portal Part One (Maddie POV)

I snuck up behind her before tackling her in a hug. Kelsey yelped, but laughed, giving me a semi-hug back; the best she could give from the awkward angle. “Hey, Maddie,” Kelsey greeted, taking her backpack off the chair she saved for me and moving it to the floor. She removed the pods from her ears and shook her head to knock her short, choppy hair out of her eyes, but her bangs just fell back in her face. I took the now-empty seat next to her. “Your glasses are smudged.” Kelsey removed them and rubbed them on what I hoped, for the safety of her lenses, was a cotton shirt.

Yell(ing) - from The Secret Portal Part One (Ash POV)

“Best grilled cheese sandwich?” Noelle stopped, thinking. “Sourdough, Cheddar and Muenster, sliced tomatoes, sauteed greens, sliced pear, ham, and cut into two diagonal pieces.” Silence. I peeked into her mind. “Could you by any chance make that sandwich sometime?” Noelle smiled slightly. “Sure.” “Told you Muenster was the best,” Liam said. “Which means, I win.” This ensued more overlapping yelling.

Couch - from The Secret Portal Part One (Lexi POV)

Carla and a taller, older boy were sitting on the larger couch. The boy—or maybe young man—held what appeared to be a granola bar in his hand, out of a wrapper. A world of dragons and portals and they still have regular food? On the table in front of him sat a plate with other unwrapped granola bars set on top of it. Jeez. He wore earrings and a red beanie-like hat with a green fringed jacket over an orange crewneck. His bright blue eyes against his skin tone reminded me of Maddie. Based on the state of the room, I couldn’t help but wonder if these two lived alone.

Bird - from The Secret Portal Part Two (Ash POV)

“The rules of this exercise are simple,” said Wade from the other side of the room. “The goal is to remove the other team’s necklace. If your necklace gets taken, you cannot get it back—you are out. You can attempt to incompacitate your opponent, but the ground rules is that you can’t knock them unconscious. We don’t want any serious injuries.” “Boooo!” Jazlyn and Parker said from next to me. Wade gave them the bird from across the room. They just returned it.

Away - from The Secret Portal Part One (Gwen POV)

I realized I was staring when Akash smiled. “You’re new around here, aren’t you?” When I didn’t answer, he added, “You want me to help you down?” I nodded, and Akash wrapped his arm around me. I flinched slightly—a cute boy was touching me!—but allowed him to do so. I let go of the vent and let him fly me to the floor. I suddenly realized I had wrapped my arms around him. I quickly pushed away from him. “Thanks,” I muttered. I glanced off to the side and panic ran through me when I noticed a bed. I could feel my cheeks turning red. I just fell into a cute boy’s room! As if I wasn’t embarrassed enough.

Eyes - from The Secret Portal Part One (Ash POV)

Shelby giggled as she reached for a cookie in the center of the table. “And what happened next?” I sniggered, trying to hold my laughter in so I could tell the story. “So—” I burst out laughing. Shelby rolled her eyes, but while smiling. “So, Mr. Taylor got mad at Jasmine for not playing soft enough and?” “And—” I took a deep breath, trying to keep calm. “And Jasmine said, ‘Mr. Taylor, I wasn't even playing!’” Shelby burst into a fit of laughter as her dad walked into the dining area.

Stretch - from The Secret Portal Part One (Ash POV)

Carla fiddled with the ring hanging from the chain around her neck. “The mind can only stretch so far. If advanced telepaths did—or even do—exist, there would be no way they could function. Their minds aren’t able to communicate the information that they can comprehend. They end up lost in their own thoughts, unable to reach out to another being.” I fell silent.

Moon - from The Secret Portal Part One

“You’re right. But… tomorrow?” “Sure. It’s a—” Gwen stopped herself. “It’s a what?” “It’s a...n event. That I will mark. On my calendar. My mental calendar. In my head.” “Oh. Okay.” Akash took a deep breath. “I… just thought you were gonna say date.” Gwen felt her cheeks burn up. “Only if you want it to be.” “I would want that,” Akash said, smiling shyer than usual. “Cool.” Gwen wasn't sure if she was nervous or over the moon, but she looked around, trying to find a distraction. “Hey, look, is that Gills under that sheet?” “Yo, Gills!” Akash shouted. The person in the sheet turned. “Yes, it’s Gills.” He raised his voice again. “So lemme guess: you’re a ghost!” “No, I’m a high schooler in a sheet!” Gabriel replied. “Ah, that’s a unique costume!” “Says the person dressed as the most recognizable character in the world.” “Not this world!”

Worm - from The Secret Portal Part One

“Ooh!” Lexi gasped, pointing at a table with a bag of Skittles and cups. “Is that the Skittles game?” “Skittles game?” Robbie asked. Lexi smiled deviously. “It’s disgustingly fun.” “You use your mouth to put the Skittles in the cup,” said Parker. “Whoever has the most wins.” Robbie scrunched up his face but smiled. “Aw, that’s nasty. I love it.” “Gummy worm spit!” Maddie gasped. “Yes!” “You’re welcome,” said Tyler from the punch table. “Oh, by the way, in the center table there’s a jar of candy corn. Write down how many you think are in there. Whoever gets it closest gets the entire jar.” “Time to write down 5 million,” said Akash, floating over. “I hate candy corn.”

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