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serendipitee · 3 years

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prompt for @emeraldrain55 !! I hope you like it 😉

53. “Who crawls through someone’s window at 4am to go for ice cream?!” and 60. “Before you decide to murder me, let me explain…” with Reggie and Julie

You can request prompts from here to celebrate 200 followers with me ✨

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Julie had had an awful day. School had been a nightmare. Nick had asked her out for the fifth time in two weeks and she was really getting agitated with the way he continuously got creepier. The driving lesson with her dad had been a big failure (those trash cans had shown up out of nowhere) and their gig at ‘The Tower’ had been cancelled. So, she already was in a bad mood. It turned even worse, when she entered her bed room. Reggie was sitting Indian style in the middle of her bed and everything around him glittered. Including him. “What the—” Julie stopped dead in her tracks. The dark-haired boy jumped off the bed, coming closer with three quick strides and then stopped himself a safe distance away from her. He held up his hands. “Before you decide to murder me, let me explain…”

She stared at him, waiting for him to go on. When he didn’t, she raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms. “What did I tell you about staying out of my room?” “Teenagers need their privacy. It should be respected at all times to build a bond of trust,” Reggie rushed out sheepishly, obviously quoting one of her dad’s parenting guides which he kept next to his bed in case of emergencies. Like giving Carlos the talk. Julie still could die from the second-hand embarrassment that particular afternoon had brought on. “And what’s all this?” She pointed at the bed. There was glitter everywhere. And right there, in the middle lay the frame of her favorite picture with her mother. It was broken and that was the last straw. “Julie, I—” Reggie tried but she interrupted him forcefully. “Get out!” “But, I can explain,” he attempted once more. “I don’t want to hear it.” She fingered the frame. There was a crack in the wood, splinters sticking out. It had been a gift for her twelfth birthday, the last one before the diagnosis. Julie didn’t have to look up, she heard him poof out. A cloud of glitter was raised into the air, as she tugged the coverlet off the bed. Ignoring it settling down, she hugged the frame close to her chest, curling up on the mattress. The guilt nagged at the corners of her mind. Maybe she should’ve let Reggie explain, then again, she had told them often enough to stay out of her room. It wasn’t her fault, they couldn’t listen. She drifted off to sleep shortly after, her entire body and mind exhausted, wanting to forget the awful day had ever happened.

- - -

A tap against her window woke her up. The room was dark, only the moon light from outside illuminating it. Her neck felt stiff and she must’ve let go of the frame, because it wasn’t there, as she turned to look at the window. Reggie was outside, crouching on the roof, waving shyly when he realized she had woken up. Sighing, Julie put her feet into her claw slippers and opened the window. “Can I come in?” He asked, fingers nervously rubbing against each other. She stepped aside, letting him in through the window. “Do you, do you feel like going for ice cream?” His voice was soft, shoulders drawn and the guilt came back full force. Julie still didn’t know a lot about Reggie’s home life but she did know that he didn’t have it easy, especially when it came to conflict. Checking her phone, she said, “Who crawls through someone’s window at 4am to go for ice cream?” He chuckled, fingers twitching against each other. “Somebody who wants to apologize to someone they know loves ice cream.” She huffed out a laugh. The two of them had gone for ice cream before, since Reggie was the only one who didn’t mind watching her eat it while he couldn’t have any. Luke always got a little jealous and Alex was busy with finding Willie these days, so Reggie and his lactose intolerance came in handy. “At four in the morning?” She raised an eyebrow. “I couldn’t stand it any longer,” he confessed, “you being mad at me, so, the ice cream is on me.” Julie tugged her yellow sweater over her head. “Is it?” “Yeah, I mean, you can never stay mad with apology ice cream, can you?” She laughed, remembering her dad saying something along those lines after the ‘Eats and Beats’ situation. “I’m not mad at you, Reg. It’s just—I had a really bad day and you know that I don’t like you being in here without me.” He nodded solemnly. “I know, and I’m sorry, Julie, but—” He poofed out, only to return a moment later, picture frame in his hand. It was a new one. The picture was the same but there were butterflies drawn on the lilac wood and the photo mount was made out of notes. Stepping closer, Julie realized that it was a copy of ‘Wake Up’. She couldn’t help the lump in her throat as she took it from him gingerly. “Reg…,” she breathed out, blinking to keep the tears at bay. “Carlos and I were playing ghost busters and he was chasing me when we knocked it over. We are so sorry and we wanted to fix it immediately but then you got home earlier than we thought and I… I didn’t want you to yell at him, so…” “You took the blame?” Julie gaped. “That’s what big brothers do, right?” Reggie shrugged, looking at her questioningly. If she had been sure, that she wouldn’t faze through, Julie would’ve hugged him. But she had stumbled through them too often in the past few weeks, to take the chance. Instead, she sent him a brilliant smile. “You are a pretty awesome older brother,” she said. With the compliment, his entire posture changed. He ran a hand through his air. “Well, you know, just… um, trying my best…” She spotted the blush on his cheeks and laughed, pointing her finger at him. “I still want that ice cream, though.” Reggie puffed out his chest. “I can just poof there real quick and get some for you and—” “First, that’s stealing,” she reminded him, watching him deflate, “and second, I don’t mind the walk. I like hanging out with you, Reg.” The smile on his face could’ve lit up an entire room. “I like that, too.” “Then, let’s hustle, huh?” She grabbed her phone and wallet – ghosts didn’t have any money, but they seemed to keep forgetting that at the most inopportune times, so she had learnt to be prepared –, stepping up to the window. One last look back at the picture of her mom and her, Julie smiled. “Thanks, Mom,” she whispered before following her friend (and brother) to get some ice cream.

#julie and the phantoms fic #jatp fic #jatp fanfic #reggie peters #julie molina #reggie x julie #this is very platonic but i still hope you like it #my writing

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mysteryofren · 4 years

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Yes. You Are.

part 16 of So Happy Together

15: https://mysteryofren.tumblr.com/post/616739821459734528/im-in

note: AHHHHHHH its finally here ive been so excited for you all to read it!! thanks for all the support on this series, i love you guys! enjoy!

For a second it all felt like a dream. You felt an overwhelming urge to cry out of happiness. Elaine got into her dream school. All you remember is everyone jumping over to her to hug her. She did it. She worked so hard for years and she got it. You all said your congratulations, and you pulled out your camera. You handed it to Ben and asked him to take a picture of you guys. He took one so each of you had had one. For the last one your grandfather jumped in. Once it developed you handed it over to him, and he slid it in his wallet. Soon Elaine's parents came by and said their congratulations too. They could only stay a few minutes due to them living 3 hours away from town. When they left your grandfather suggested dinner. You all decided to eat at Maz’s as it was your usual hang out spot. While everyone decided who was riding with who you looked at Ben.

“If you want to go home you can. You already did enough by helping us cheer on.”

“No, i’ll go with you guys. I want to get to know you guys. You all make Matt really happy.”

That warmed your heart. You had no idea how much Matt loved you guys. You couldn't fit many people in your car. Only 4 other people could fit in, which meant one of you guys had to ride with your grandfather. Hux stepped up to ride with him. He liked him a lot. It was cute. You wish he had chosen to ride with you guys. Everyone piled in the car. Matt, Elaine, and Ben sat in the back. Phasma rode up front with you. Ben and Elaine were talking during the ride so you thought you could tell Phasma about Hux without anyone else hearing. She was his best friend so you thought she would know what to do about him.

“He kissed me tonight. Before the game.” you whispered. Everyone in the back continued to talk so you weren't sure she heard you.

“Who did?” she looked back referring to Ben.

“No, Hux. he kind of admitted to liking me and we talked about it. Before we left he just went for it.”

“Oh my stars,” you could tell she was trying not to freak out. “How was it? He's been wanting to do it again since 80s night. I can’t believe him, I'm going to bug him about it when we go home.”

“I'd say don't do it, but we're all pretty open with each other.”

“Exactly. He knows you would tell me at some point. Do you think you guys will become a thing?”

You looked in the rear view mirror at Ben who was listening to Matt talk.

“I dont know. I'll talk to you about it later when we can be alone.” she smiled at you and you continued driving, and talking about other things. You eventually got to the diner and hoped out. You saw Hux and your grandfather were already standing outside waiting for you. You ran up to them and all headed inside. Dinner was pretty uneventful. Other than your grandfather toasting Elaine nothing much happened. You tried including Ben into the conversations. You were mad at him, but you're also someone who knows what it's like to be excluded. Once you all were done your grandfather insisted on paying the bill. You told him you had to drive them back to the dorm, then you would be heading to his house. Everyone got in your car. Since you had more people you had to figure out how to fit everyone. Ben, who was the biggest, sat in front with you. Elaine solved the problem by offering to sit on Matts lap. His face was bright red the entire time. You pulled into the school parking lot and everyone in the back stepped out, and said their goodbyes. Ben stayed in his seat and looked awkwardly at you.

“Uh. My car is still at the field.” shit. You forgot about that.

“I can take you to go get it. I just gotta grab my bag from my dorm and we can go”

“Thanks. I'll walk with you.”

You both got out and walked to your dorm. Nobody was there so you figured everyone stayed together or she went to Matts dorm like she usually does. You walked in and let Ben come in behind you. You took the photo he had taken out of your pocket, and placed it in one of the drawers of your desk.

“Why did you want the picture if you're just gonna put it away like that?” he asked.

“Once I have enough I plan on putting them all over the wall over my bed.” you dug into another drawer and pulled out LED lights with some little clips on them for the pictures. “See.”

“Cute,” he walked over to look at what was on your desk while you looked for your bag. He picked up the picture frame that had a photo of you, mama, and pop pop.

“Was this your grandma?” you looked over and saw him with the photo in your hand.

“Year, that was about a year before she died. I remember after the funeral my pop pop gave it to me as a gift.” your thoughts tried to push the memories back. They hurt too much.

“Rey doesn't really talk about your family. Not even her parents.”

“Reys not a family type of person. When mama died. She didn't go to the funeral. Neither did her parents or mine. They all claimed they had plans that day. I never hated her. Our whole lives she terrorized me, but I always loved her. When she didn't go that day. That's when the hate for her, and my parents set in.” part of you was lying. You didn't hate them. Not really.

“Im sorry,” he said almost in a whisper. “I didn't know that happened.”

“I keep hoping me and her can be friends one day. I dont think its meant to happen just yet though.” you found your bag and picked it up heading for the door. He put the frame back on the desk, and walked towards you. Both of you headed back to the car. He got in the front while you opened the backseat and tossed your bag in. The drive to the field was silent. Neither of you daring to say anything. The night had been one big roller coaster for you both. He admitted a lot to you about the whole situation and you weren't sure how you felt. You still treated him with kindness which threw him off. Not only did you include him in the group all night, but you told him something personal. You pulled into the field and parked next to his car. He sat for a second not getting out.

“Rey didn't want to come tonight, because she doesn't want me hanging out with you.” you looked at him.

“I told her I wasn't leaving. I wanted to hang out with my brother and you guys.” he went on.

“Why doesn't she want us hanging out?” you questioned.

“She thinks you're a threat to our relationship.”

“Am i though?” he didn't say anything. He just looked down at his hands. You wish he would just say something. Without warning he grabbed the back of your neck and pulled you close to him. He slammed his lips against yours. You didn't know what to do. He kissed you like he was hungry for it, and you were all he craved. You wrapped your hands around his hands, and kissed him with the same passion. He leaned in closer as his tongue slid across your lips. You moved your hands up to the back of his head and ran your fingers through the thick dark locks. You stayed like this together for what felt like a lifetime. He eventually pulled away. He was breathing heavily, and his lips were red, and swollen. His hair had gotten a bit messy from you running your fingers through it.

“Yes. you are.” he said. You almost forgot what you two had been talking about, then you remembered. She considered you a threat, and he confirmed her suspicions. You stared at him, unsure of what to say.

“I was interested before. On new years when we kissed. I couldn't stop thinking about you. I stayed up late at night thinking about everything I could do with you. To you. For you. I want to give you the world.”

“Why are you doing this Ben?”

“I heard you and Phasma talking. I heard about Hux and something in me snapped. That's when I knew I had to tell you how I felt.”

“Is that why you made me take you here?”

“No, even if you hadn't I probably would’ve shown up to your grandfathers to tell you.”

“You're with Rey.” you said. Oh stars. Rey. What did you just do?

“I know, but we can just. Fuck I dont know. We can just keep it a secret for now.” was he really suggesting what you think he was?

“I'm not going to be the other woman. I won't do that to someone. Especially Rey.”

“You said it yourself you hate her. She makes your life a living hell.”

“Maybe, but I would never do that to anyone. On top of that i'm not going to be your second choice.”

“You aren't. I liked you first”

“You didn't know her.” he looked frustrated. Tears were welling up in his eyes.

“Please. I just need to have you.” he pleaded.

“You didn't even realize you wanted me until someone else did.” he stayed silent. He opened his door, and looked at you. He leaned into you again, and gently kissed you.

“Please. Just think about it.” he got out and closed the door. You watched him get into his car before pulling out. Did he really want to cheat on Rey with you? Your mind, and heart raced as you drove to your grandfathers. An hour later you eventually pulled into his driveway. You stepped into the house, and looked at the time. 12 am. You silently made your way through the house. You went into the den to see Gideon. as you pet him he perked up. You gave him a kiss on his head before heading upstairs with him trotting behind you. You went to your bed and sat down on the bed. You took your shoes off, and began changing. Once you were comfortable you took your makeup off. Gideon watched your every move, and whined. He knew something was wrong with you. You got into bed and he hopped on with you. This time instead of sitting by your legs like he usually did he sat close to your chest.

You wrapped an arm around him while he laid down, setting his head on your chest. He looked at you, and you broke down. You let the tears stream down your face. Not only did you want him, but he wanted you too. At a price. The price being Rey's feelings. You know had roles been reversed she wouldn't hesitate. You wouldn't do that. Not to her. Not to anyone. You heard your phone vibrate and you looked at it with tears blurring your view of the screen.

‘Hope you got there safe. Goodnight sweetheart.’ it was Ben. of course it was. Now that you knew how he felt he wouldn't let you forget it. You cried harder. Your whole body shook as you let it all out. Everything in you screamed to be with him, but you knew better. If you even entertained the idea, you would be the one hurt. Even if you did it and he chose you, and you only. Who's to say he won't do it to you? You wanted him. You wanted him so bad, and that kiss in the car left you wanting more. You wish things could be different. You wish he had just chosen you from the start. You thought of what he said. All the things he would do for you. Apparently one of them wasn't leaving Rey. Even if he did leave her, why did he deserve to be with you after all he did? All he's done? Ben solo was one bold bitch. You loved him all the same. He wasn't acting like the man you fell for. The man you fell for was quiet, sweet, and complex. That wasn't the Ben you kissed tonight, or maybe you fell in love with a Ben that wasn't real. Maybe you loved someone that didn't exist. Somehow you didn't care. It didn't matter. It didn't matter one bit.

Except it did. It did matter. You and him were not the only ones in the situation. If you did this you would be hurting Rey as well.the decision hurt. It hurt like hell, but you knew what needed to be done.

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iloveyouthree-thousand · 5 years

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and even if I’m gone, there’s always a place for you here

Tony leaves something precious behind for Peter.

(This is my coping mechanism)

“Oh, Peter, come on in,” Pepper said, opening the door and stepping aside to allow the teenager in.

He just nodded his thanks as he brushed past her, stopping just inside the door. He felt out of place in the small house. The last time he’d been there was under much different circumstances, and he tried to push those memories into the back of his mind.

“Can I get you something? I know you just got out of school, I’ve got some snacks in the cupboard--,” she started moving toward the kitchen, rummaging through cabinets stocked with snacks that clearly belonged to the five-year-old living in the house.

“I’m okay, Ms. Potts, thank you though,” Peter said, still standing like a statue in the front entryway, as if he was afraid to walk any further.

Pepper looked older than he remembered, and he had to keep reminding himself that he’d missed out on five whole years: five years of moments, of memories, of moving on.

“How’ve you been, Peter?”

“I, uh,” he stuttered, trying to find the right words, “I’ve been okay, I guess.”

He didn’t want to tell her that the last three weeks had been a roller-coaster of emotions, that coming here had ripped open the stitches in a wound he thought was healing.

“I miss him too,” she said, and he had to fight against the ugly sob trying to force its way out of his chest, because Pepper had enough hurt of her own without having to comfort a teenager that didn’t even really belong there.

“You, um… you said you wanted to show me something?” He hated the way his voice cracked as he tried miserably to change the subject, but to her credit, Pepper just smiled and gestured toward the stairs.

Four rooms lined the narrow hallway. The first, he assumed from the mess of toys and Avengers gadgets, was Morgan’s. The master bedroom was next door, and a small but cozy room with a perfectly-made bed sat just across the hall.

Pepper stopped in front of the last room.

“It was originally just supposed to be another guest room, but we had all this stuff that we couldn’t just… at first I thought it might be unhealthy.”

He was about to ask her what she was talking about, but the question died on his lips when he looked past the door frame.

There was a twin bed, just like the one in Morgan’s room, but this one had a familiar dark green quilt and Jurassic Park sheets. Above the headboard was a Star Wars poster that Harrison Ford had autographed, next to a periodic table of memes and a framed photo of Stephen Hawking.

A desk sat in the far corner against the window, and he recognized the AP History textbook he’d been looking for sandwiched between two R2-D2 bookends along with a few notebooks and reading assignments he’d forgotten at the compound over the years.

“When I found out I was pregnant, he wanted to get away from the city and start over after… everything. We started moving things, and we just kept finding these little things of yours all over the compound and he couldn’t...” she bit at her lip, which had started wavering, “I think it gave him hope. If we had this room all set up for you, then it was like you had to come back.”

The tears that Peter had been so valiantly holding back came pouring out with a vengeance now, and Pepper pulled his shaking body into her own.

“I wanted you to know that he never forgot about you. You meant a lot to him, to us. You were a part of this family too, and it didn’t feel right to not include you in our new home.”

They stayed like that for a minute, just holding onto each other, until the convulsing sobs melted into a dull ache.

She pulled back from him, using her thumb to wipe the watery mess from his cheeks before guiding him into the room.

“He recorded a couple things before--,” she took a breath, unable to finish the sentence but Peter understood. Her back turned to him as she reached into the closet. Above a rack of clothing--some were Peter’s, some had been stolen from Tony’s collection--was a device no bigger than a phone.

“I only watched the first few minutes,” she admitted, setting it up on the desk as Peter took a seat on the bed, “but I think you should see it. I’ll give you some space.”

Pepper brushed his hair from his face and gave him a small smile before she disappeared from the room.

“Hey, kid. Pete. Mr. Parker. Underoos. Take your pick.”

Peter had to blink his eyes a few times, because all of a sudden Tony was right in front of him. Or, at least, an incredibly realistic hologram of him was.

“You have been an excellent… how should I say… protege, if you will. Smartest kid I know, aside from Morgan of course, but she gets her brains from her mother.”

He almost had to laugh, because it was all so surreal, having Tony Stark quipping jokes in front of him as if wasn’t gone. As if Peter’s whole world hadn’t been flipped on its head.

“I can’t claim you, of course. You’re Parker through and through. Still, when I look at you, Pete, God, I just feel like I’m doing something right. Someday you’re going to blow my whole R&D department out of the water and I really hope I’m alive to see it,” Tony’s smile faltered, “But there’s a more-than-decent chance that I won’t, hence this video.”

He paused, as if debating on what he was going to say next.

“You know, I had this dream—right before this whole shit storm started—that I had a kid. It was so vivid… I really thought it was real. And the weirdest part is that, for the first time in ever, I wasn’t scared. And then I was on that donut ship headed straight into the star-studded abyss and all I could think about was how twisted it was that, after being haunted by the idea for years, I was finally ready to be a dad—and I was going to be robbed of the chance. I just kept seeing that little face from my dream, looking at me with all the trust in the world, like I could do no wrong. I've never felt that overwhelming sense of responsibility before, and I didn't think I'd ever feel it again.”

Tony laughed drily, shaking his head up at the sky and looking almost like he was holding back tears.

"And then your rebellious, teenage ass disobeyed my orders and climbed onto that god damned ship, and I had to watch as you started disappearing in my arms while your stupid little lamb face stared up at me and that beautiful and horrible feeling came flooding back. When you were gone, I felt that. I'll always remember the feeling. That was real."

He took a sharp breath and pressed his lips into a thin line. “Look, I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life, kid, and I’ve learned to live with my regrets. I have this one particular regret, though, that I’ve been losing some sleep over.”

He took another deep breath.

“Okay, here goes nothing. Serious Tony moment. If this all goes south… I need you to know that you’re my family just as much as Morgan and Pep and Rhodey and Happy are. Honestly, I don’t think I could’ve asked for a better big brother for my little girl. I hope I get to see you on the other side of this, Pete, but if not… you are everything I ever wanted to be, kid, and more. I love you, I’m obnoxiously proud of you, and I should’ve told you that more often.”

Tony gave one last wistful smile at the camera, and then the recording cut out.

Peter didn’t know how long he sat there on that bed, trying to process everything that had just played out in front of his eyes. He was still in a daze when a tuft of dark hair peeked into the room.

“Mommy asked me to give this to you,” she announced, handing him a folded up piece of fabric and jumping up onto the bed next to him.

“Daddy made them. I have one too, but it doesn’t fit me anymore.”

Peter held up the gift in his hands, revealing a red T-shirt with the words Mark I printed across the front in gold lettering. Morgan, as if to prove her point, pulled out a much smaller shirt, with Mark II printed in identical font.

“I’m Morgan,” she said.

Peter smiled, clearing his throat to try and hide how choked up he was, “I’m--,”

“Spider-Man,” she finished, grinning, “I know all about you. You like cheeseburgers, like me. And you can stick to walls and shoot webs out of your hands.”

He laughed, “All of that is true. But you can call me Peter. Spider-Man is just my pretend name.”

Morgan frowned, “Can I call you Petey?”

“Of course.”

“Good,” she declared, and then added softly, “because daddy used to call you Petey.”

Peter’s not quite sure what about that sentence sets him off--maybe the way Petey feels intimate, like something a parent would call a child--but suddenly he’s choked up again.

Morgan didn’t hesitate, she just wrapped her little arms around him.

“Come on,” she said a moment later, “Mom made cheeseburgers for dinner.”

Peter spent the evening having dinner with the Starks, and by the time he was ready to leave, he didn’t feel so out of place in the lake house anymore.

Pepper walked him to the door, and whispered, “Don’t be a stranger, okay?”

“Yea,” Morgan added, much louder, “Come back and play! I wanna see how you swing with your webs!”

“I’ll be back soon, I promise. And I’ll teach you how to swing. How does that sound?”

“Awesome!”

“Oh, you two together are going to be all kinds of trouble,” Pepper frowned, but she couldn’t hold back a laugh when Morgan giggled maniacally.

Because this, this little family they’ve created, is exactly what Tony would’ve wanted.

#endgame spoilers #endgame #spoilers #irondad #tony stark #peter parker #morgan stark #pepper potts

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thebrochtuarachs · 5 years

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The Making of Outlander: The Series Author Tara Bennett on Why She is Thankful for What Sam Heughan and Caitriona Balfe Shared

By Paulette Cohn

The countdown to season five of Outlander continues with three months left to go until the Feb. 16 premiere on STARZ. But in the interim, author Tara Bennett has a little something to help the time pass more quickly and provide you with an Outlander fix. It is her new book, The Making of Outlander: The Series: The Official Guide to Seasons Three & Four, which takes a deep dive into the making of the series, and is now available in stores and online.

“We spent a lot of time on the first one trying to frame it with new voices and different ways of telling the stories, or with people that aren’t covered by typical press for the show, and it went over well,” Bennett tells Parade.com in this exclusive interview. “Because of that, we wanted the second book to look and feel similar, as if you were making a collection on your shelf, and so we kept the format, we kept the relative design, and then we looked into spotlights and head-of-department features, so we could change it out, so you didn’t feel like you were learning the same thing but for a different year.”

The Making of Outlander: The Series is a beautifully crafted tome, and what makes it a must-have for fans of both Diana Gabaldon’s novels and for fans of the Starz TV series – as well as a great holiday gift — is the large number of photos, many that have never appeared in print or online stories.

“I did a cross check of everything that was available to the public via press versus what was made available to us for the book,” Bennett says. “We tried to put in as much new stuff as possible, otherwise, why bother buying the book? I literally made a huge Excel spreadsheet of what was given to press, and then what was given to us, and then made sure that we leaned into those things. If there was a beautiful picture that STARZ and Sony gave the regular press, it was still nice to be able to find a way to feature it, so that you could really look at it in a different way than looking at it on your tablet or your laptop.”

Bennett was also able to coax some interesting tidbits that hadn’t been in print before out of series stars Sam Heughan (Jamie Fraser) and Caitriona Balfe (Claire Fraser), like what lengths they went to for season three and four to accurately portray being parents, as neither of them are in real life.

“They both spent a lot of time trying to establish and understand that dynamic and really create that rapport with their costars,” Bennett relates. “Sam has some really great stories about the hesitancy of that, working with the little boy that plays Willie, his son, and creating that rapport. Then several of the actors also talk about watching him with the young actor and how endearing that was. I think that’s just a nice testament to both of them as actors is the level that they go to, to try to create the authenticity with Jamie and Claire.”

You’ve told us what’s the same about this book, what’s different other than the seasons?

We went into a lot more, specifically, about the production design and visual effects, how they worked in tandem, which was a lot more subtle in the first two years. Then in season three and four, you had tall ships that had to be created in visual effects, you had shooting Scotland for the United States, so for a lot of the environment, they would have to use blue screen to create Jocasta’s plantation house in season four. That doesn’t exist in Scotland.

And so, they basically had to do a lot of visual effects to that house, including an entire second floor, and the environment around it to make it look like it was truly in Wilmington. We decided to peel back a layer with that.

We did a lot about the First Nations, basically, the big immersive sets that they created and then really tried to look at some of the new cast, so that we could give them time in the sun. So, it’s people like Ed Speleers, who played Stephen Bonnet, and, of course, giving much bigger spreads to Sophie Skelton (Brianna) and Richard Rankin (Roger), because they’ve been bumped up in terms of presence, especially by season four, so they equal Sam and Caitriona now in terms of the spreads that they get in the book.

To me these are special coffee table books. I keep mine out, so I can flip through it any time.

Yes. That’s nice. That’s why we try to make sure when we play around with the color and the brightness of the pictures that you’re really getting the best possible version of the picture on the page, so that you really get to look at details that your eyes will get a little tired from looking at on a computer.

In the first book, there was a story about Caitriona’s casting, which was something that I didn’t know before I read it there. Do you have stories like that in this book? Is there one you could share?

David Berry, who is Lord John Grey, is a character that the book readers really, really love and that TV fandom has embraced. He’s Australian, and the story that both the casting director and he tell in tandem — she in her section and he in his — is that he was really part of a wide net that they put out for the show, because there’s so many television shows being produced now that even since the first season of Outlander, it’s harder to find actors who aren’t already engaged in something. So, what they used to do was just look in England and Scotland, but now they have put it out to the world when they’re doing a new casting call for a major character.

So, David Berry has a good story about how, in a casting sense, they went to Australia and were really starting to look for Australian actors who are very good, and then about how quickly his turnaround was. He had to deal with playing that character on the fly the entire first season. He’s been intermittent in the show, so his stories have been really fun about trying to get into character, but really not being with the show very much so that’s been a challenge.

How involved were Sam and Caitriona in the second book?

I have to thank them. It’s been a benefit that I’ve been able to cover the show as a reporter and then also be able to do these books. I first started covering Outlander for print and online outlets, and so, they’ve known me. Then when I started doing interviews with them for the book, there was already a recognition factor. The really great thing is that over a span of — now they’re into production for season five, they know me even more.

As it is with all lead actors in a television show that’s over four seasons, it gets harder and harder to get them, because they’re really busy, and when they’re on breaks, they’re doing other projects. But they have always made time to say, “Yes, I’m going to talk with Tara,” and so I’m always super grateful because, at the end of the day, there is no companion book of value without the two of them. Claire and Jamie are the books, and so, I would’ve really been devastated if we hadn’t gotten them. I ended up sitting on the phone with each of them separately.

In some instances, Sam was in a car literally heading to LAX, so a good way to combat traffic is to talk to me. With Caitriona, she was on a break from shooting, and so, we talked when she was doing a little bit of other press for season four and so it ended up being really great.

I always try to approach their interviews, in particular, as they’re covered a lot by mainstream media, so I try to talk a little bit more thematic and about the work that they do to progress the characters from year to year. I think they really appreciate that kind of deeper conversation that they don’t always get when they’ve got 10-minute hits with media outlets. So, that was always my focus and they were always really gracious. I always know that they really get thoughtful and dig deep to think about those moments that mean a lot to them and how they progress the character.

Any conversations about working with Rollo or the horses?

All those animals make noise and create problems and they’re never fun, so they look like they’re happy around them, but John Bell, who plays young Ian, is the only one that really likes Rollo because he was the one that had to, basically, help train him from its youth, so that he would respond to him.

Everybody else had had enough of those animals. There are good stories about how Matt Roberts, who’s the new show runner who took over from Ron Moore, had to go around the globe to find those animals and bring them back. They would basically make a global search for multiple puppies and other animals that would fit what the readers’ expectations were, so it’s not just going to a shelter and yanking an animal, it’s this whole thing that the book explains as well, which was surprising to me.

And this coming season, they had to look for Adso, too.

Adso will be, hopefully, in book five and six if people buy this book.

Did Diana participate at all? I know she’s been busy working on the next novel in the franchise.

For the first book, Diana, obviously, was establishing the transition, and so, she did the foreword. Then she also was a cameo actor and she also wrote episode 211. So, for season three and four, because of her own book deadlines and production timing, she didn’t end up doing an episode for either season three or four, and we wanted to leave her alone. We didn’t really want to bug her unless she really had free time, which she didn’t.

So, we asked the foreword go to Matt Roberts. So, she isn’t present but she’s been super gracious in terms of doing book signings and with approval, saying she appreciated what we did with the companion for the seasons.

But the nice thing is, she announced that she’s going to be doing episode 511. She’s writing that one, so I have a hope that if this book does well, then she will be back in the next tome, which is great.

In addition to photos, there’s sketches of some of the different sets.

We were able to get some sketches from Jon Gary Steele, who is the production designer, and then we were also able to get sketches from Terry Dresbach, who was the costume designer through the middle of season four.

That was something I wanted for the first book, lawyers sometimes don’t always make that easily happen, and so, because we knew we wanted them and could get the request earlier for this book, we were able to get the sketches directly from Terry and from production design to be able to give a flavor of some of the things that they built. So, you get a general idea of mood board things, which are very important for Terry in coming up with the overall ideas of what a character looks like, especially as they progress through the eras.

Then, for Jon Gary Steele, who really uses the facilities of the warehouses in Glasgow to basically repurpose, he’s a fun part of the book. He really explains when you see a new set what it came from, why he created something so that he could easily retrofit it to something for the next year, and there’s always a sense of they are borrowing from last year to use the footprint for what they’re going to need to do for the next year. So, there’s basically a taste of everything that came before and everything that he builds going forward.

#outlander #outlander article #article #parade magazine #tara bennet #the making of outlander #sam heughan #caitriona balfe #sam x cait #samcait #sam cait #interview #magazine #magazine feature #a good read #though i can see some questionable whoopsies here and there #hahahahah

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yorit1 · 4 years

Text

Aaron’s 28th Birthday

It was midnight on the 5th of January and his mum finally allowed him to head home. She called him a couple of hours ago and asked for help. He walked to the door and saw his husband's handwriting wishing him a happy birthday and that his first gift was upstairs. Aaron ran upstairs and got to their bedroom and was excited to see what awaited him up there.

Their room was transformed to look like a hotel suite in a Parisian hotel. Their window was covered with an image of the Paris skyline including the Eiffel Tower as if they were in Paris and not in Yorkshire. On the table, there were macaroons in different colours laid out to spell happy birthday. And special chocolates that spell out Aaron. Little mugs with real hot chocolate were sitting there. Aaron absolutely loved that his husband was extra when it came to his birthdays. He also thought that a few days away would be nice.

“Bonjour,” Aaron said in the little French he knows, his french always turned on Robert even if it was broken.

"Happy birthday, husband. This is how we will be spending the next few days. You and me in Paris."

"I love it.”

Aaron kissed Robert to thank him and things got heated between them. Aaron was really enjoying his 28th birthday so far.

The next thing Aaron heard was a pair of tiny footsteps, then small knocks on the door, and then two small voices giggling.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DADDY!" Aaron heard his children yell out simultaneously.

The twins then climbed into their daddies bed and got in the middle between them. They had presents in their hands that they were excited to show their dads.

"DADDY DADDY WE MADE THESE PRESIS FOR YOU1"

"HERE is mine DADDY."

"AND CARD"

Aaron received a birthday card where happy birthday was cut up on different coloured paper and glued together. Then Daddy was written below it. Then he got a gift from Annie Grace that was a small pillow that said I love my dada. And the gift from Jacob was a picture frame with a picture of their family of five, with colourful fingerprints all around the frame. Aaron felt all this parental love swell up for his beautiful children, and knew that he was incredibly lucky to have such wonderful children.

“I love you,” Aaron said repeatedly while he gave them hugs and kisses.

“Why don't we put on one of your films and watch it together,” Robert suggested

"Yay!” the twins exclaimed and snuggled in between their dads.

Robert was hoping that that would give his mum and mother in law enough time to prepare the breakfast downstairs. Robert wanted to help but they said that since they were going to Paris for a few days they should spend as much time as possible with the twins before they left.

Robert received a text message that everything was ready downstairs. That was perfect timing as there were about 10 minutes left in the movie. Robert is so happy so far Aaron’s birthday was going exactly as he hoped, and that was what made him happiest he wanted Aaron to have the happiest of birthdays. He hoped that he liked the birthday brunch they prepared for him downstairs.

When the movie ended, Robert turned off the tv. He heard the twins complain.

“Hey we get to have fun birthday brunch with dad and daddy isn't that fun, and see granny Sara and nana Chas,” Robert said to the twins.

"YAY” the twins let out excited shrieks and excitedly got off the bed. Aaron and Robert followed them and Annie Grace took Robert’s hand and Jacob took Aaron’s so that they could go downstairs.

When Aaron arrived downstairs he saw his mum and her partner, his dad Paddy, his sisters Liv and Eve. He also saw his mother in law, his best friends Adam and Vic and their new baby boy. His uncle and his partners' Charity and Moira, and their young children were there. Debbie and her children came by for a second to say hello and left. Andy was not there. Robert’s best friend and business partner Priya was also there with her daughter Amba. Aaron was happy that it was only immediate family here at his birthday and people that he had spent a lot of time with as he did not like big celebrations where he was the center of attention. It was also a brunch more than a birthday party, so the attention was not focused solely on Aaron. The gifts were also to the side so that Aron did not have to open them during the party.

Aaron next looked at the tables that were set up with the food. He saw an assortment of different types of toasts, his favourite breakfast food. There was the classic toast, cheese toast, beans on toast with an assortment of other breakfast foods such as eggs, sausages, and vegetables, There were also sweeter toasts available such as cinnamon toast and french toast. The side table had the cake and an assortment of Sara’s special cupcakes in many different colours and flavours.

Robert took Aaron’s hand so that they can go sit at the table to begin the brunch. Everyone wished him a happy birthday as they sat down. Aaron loved all the food that was made. He got to enjoy his birthday with his favourite people and eating his favourite foods. It was nice having them all over but it was also in a way that kept within his area of comfort.

After the breakfast was eaten the cake and cupcakes and some chocolates were brought to the table.

“Speech, speech, speech,” everyone called out.

Robert tickled Aaron's side and gives him a kiss on the cheek.

“Daddy, daddy, daddy,” the twins cheered.

“Ahm, thanks to everyone for coming. Thanks, mum for making the toast, and Sara thanks for making the cupcakes and cakes. Robert thanks for everything, and Annie Grace and Jacob your beautiful gifts mean everything to me.”

“I did have some help, Robert made the macaroons and helped me with the chocolates that you had last night. The twins made these chocolates that we are having today with my supervision,” Sara said.

Aaron bent down and tickled his children and asked: “Is that right, you helped granny Sara make chocolate?”

"YES, DADDY! WE MADE CHOCOLATE. Here eat okay?” the twins said

Aaron tried some of the chocolate that they gave him.

“Mmm, this is good. You guys are mini granny Sara. Can I have more?”

The kids were ecstatic when they heard that they gave more to daddy Aaron and gave some to daddy Robert.

The candles were set and it was time for Aaron to blow the candles out on the cake. Aaron heard make a wish. In his mind, as he was blowing out the candles he was thinking of how he had everything he ever wished for and things that he never thought he would have. That he was excited that their family would have an additional person in early summer. He was truly thankful for everything he had. When the candles were out, Robert gave him a hug and another kiss on the cheek.

Aaron spent time talking to his friends while the cake was being eaten. After that friends and family slowly left, after each one wished him a happy birthday. Currently, only his immediate family was here. It allowed them to say a proper goodbye to them before they had to leave for the airport. They also wanted to show him the gifts before they left. Their mum would each stay over a night while they were away. Liv was nervous about being in charge for so long and did not want to be alone with them, especially since she has had two seizures in the last 3 months. This way Aaron and Robert knew that everyone was safe and they could enjoy their holiday.

They were now sitting on the sofa with the twins between Aaron and Robert. They wanted all the cuddles before they left for a few days. They were each sat on one of their dad’s laps.

“Presi, presi, presi.” Annie Grace said excitedly.

Liv was the first one to hand over her gifts. She made a calendar with different family photos that she took, each month had different images of their family. The second gift was a painting that she made of their family of five. Aaron absolutely adored the gift that she made him. He reached over and hugged her tightly.

“I love you,” Aaron told Liv.

“I love you too, and I love that we are all family,” Liv said

When she sat with them on the sofa one of the grandmas took a photo of the family.

Eve was excited to show Aaron the gift she made him. She has a canvas where she wrote Dr. Aaron Sugden-Dingle and a drawing of him at his desk. Aaron loved it.

”This is beautiful, did you make this yourself, ” Aaron asked his 4-year-old sister.

”Mum helped, ” Eve said.

Aaron hugged her tightly and she gave a shriek of delight.

His mum got him a new robe and towels monogrammed with a Dr before his initials. She also put together photos of them through the years and for the photos over the last half a year it said my son the fully trained psychiatrist.

”We also have everything covered while you two enjoy your holiday.”

Paddy got him a new VR set that he really wanted.

”thanks Pads.”

"I uh have to go uh but thanks for today.”

Now that it's just them and their mums and children it's time for them to say bye and head to the airport.

He hugged his children close and said to them ”you will be good for nana Chas and granny Sara?”

"Yes," they said.

“Good your dad and I will be back in a couple of days. We love you so much.”

"Love you dad love you, daddy," the twins each said as they hugged each of their dads and gave them a kiss on the cheek.

Next, they went over to liv and gave her a hug and told her they will see her in a few days.

“Be good you, and call us if you need anything. I love you,” Aaron said as he hugged Liv.

Next, he hugged Eve and his mum.

“Thanks so much, mum, I’m so lucky to have you.”

Then next came Sara. “Thanks so much for looking after the kids. And the cakes and everything.”

“Anytime love,” she said as she hugged and kissed him.

Robert came over to him and took his hand.

“Ready to go to Paris?”

“Yes.”

Aaron and Robert walked out hand in hand laughing. They sat in the taxi on the way to the airport. Robert gave Aaron a kiss and wished him a 'happy birthday husband.' Aaron and Robert, we’re excited to spend a few days in Paris.

#aaron dingle #emmerdale #robron #original child character #robert sugden #Liv Flaherty #sarah sugden #Chas Dingle #robron fanfic #robron fics #robron fanfiction #robron fic

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cottontail20 · 5 years

Text

In Happy Times, Our Love Does Grow, Chapter 11: Those Who’ve Suffered

Summary: Viv’s party proves a more emotional day than Wanda expected.

Ao3 link:https://archiveofourown.org/works/20601530/chapters/49843064

Wanda arrived home in a rather good mood, and that certainly helped with what she was planning to do with the rest of her night. She dug deep into her closet to find her long-abandoned easel, and spent a good few minutes brushing the dust off of it before setting it up properly and placing a new canvas on it. Then she gathered her brushes and paints, mixed a few colors she thought she may need, then set it all up by the easel and sat down, brush in hand.

At this point, Wanda briefly hesitated. She hadn't painted in a long time. She'd always done her best work when she was happy, and unfortunately, happiness had been in rather short supply for her since Pietro's death. But then she thought of Vision's arms around her. Thou

"Magic and Superheroes.." Wanda mused, dipping her brush into the paint. "I think I have just the thing.." --

The special gift dried just in time for Wanda to wrap it and take it to Viv's party the following afternoon. She followed the address on her invitation to a neighborhood relatively close to her own, but far nicer. Vision's House was easy to spot for a few reasons: The balloons out the front, the giggles of children from inside, and it was the smallest house on the block.

"Hello, Wanda.." Vision was already dressed for the party in his 'The Vision' make up and outfit that left very little to the imagination, but even beneath the make up, Wanda thought she saw an extra redness to his cheeks as he greeted her, and blushed slightly herself.

"Hey, Vizh.. Did Viv like the cake?"

"Yes, she loves it. Thank you again.." Vision eyed the rather large rectangular parcel in her grasp. "I hope you did not spend too much on that."

"I don't think so.." Wanda dodged a speeding child as she stepped inside, and waved politely at Natasha, who raised her wine glass in greeting.

"That's good.. Vivian, you have another guest!" Vision called.

Viv, whom had been happily chatting to Cassie and a group of other preschool aged children a short distance away, hurried over. She was covered in the same pinkish-red make up as her Father.

"Hi, Wanda. Daddy said you helped him with my cake. Thank you!"

"You're welcome.. and Happy Birthday, Miss Vivian" Wanda smiled, offering the parcel. "This is for you."

"Thank you" Viv grinned, then looked to her Father. "Can I open it now, Daddy?"

"Go ahead" Vision nodded.

Viv happily tore open the parcel, revealing a painting of a dark-haired woman, dressed all in red, with red energy surrounding her hands.

"Wow.." Viv gasped.

"I hear you like Superheroes, Miss Vivian" Wanda crouched by Viv's side. "And magic, too."

"Uh-huh."

"Well, this is the Scarlet Witch.. She's a special hero with magic powers."

"She's really cool.. can we put her up on my wall after the party, Daddy?"

"Of course.." Vision was staring at the painting, almost entranced with it. "That's a very special present, Viv. Go put it in your room so it's safe, okay?"

"Okay" Viv took the painting and rushed off.

"Wanda.." Vision looked at her, "Did you paint that yourself?"

"I did.." Wanda nodded.

"You're beautiful.. I mean.. it's b-beautiful, the painting" Vision stammered, hurrying off. "I'm doing a show for the children in a minute.. must go prepare.."

Wanda watched him fondly as he rushed off, chuckling softly. He was so very sweet.. and, she couldn't help but notice, his butt looked really..

"Cute, huh?" Nat rested her elbow on Wanda's shoulder.

"Huh?" Wanda jumped. "W-What's cute?"

"Viv, dressing up like her Daddy."

"Oh, yeah.." Wanda blushed. "Very cute."

"Were you thinking of something else?" Nat smirked.

"No.."

"Sure.." Natasha chuckled. "Come have a drink with me and the girls while the guys keep the little ones entertained.." --

Hope, Nat, and Laura were great company, but Wanda couldn't help becoming a little distracted from their conversation once Vision had started his show. When he got into character as 'The' Vision, he seemed like a real superhero. Confident, and so different from the sweet, quiet man she knew from his visits to the store.. And yet, in some ways, still completely recognizable.

Once the show was done, they cut the cake, which Viv was delighted to notice was red, the same color as her Witch. With a group of ravenous preschoolers descending on the cake, Wanda took the opportunity to sneak away for a quick trip to the bathroom. On her way back, she found herself looking around a bit. While the house was small, it was cozy rather than cramped, and definitely felt like a Home.

Photographs, mostly of Viv growing up, lined most of the walls. Some featured Vision and Viv, some also included Natasha, or Scott and Cassie. A very special few featured a blonde woman, whom Wanda guessed was Virginia. One featured baby Viv with an older couple.. aside from that one, though, Wanda couldn't help but notice that there weren't any pictures of extended family, and there didn't seem to be any family members at the party, either.

"Wanda?"

Wanda jumped at the sound of Vision's voice.

"I'm sorry.. I wasn't snooping.."

"I didn't think you were.." He looked a little strange, the surface of his make-up beginning to crack. "I was worried you might have gotten lost."

"No.. just admiring some of your photos" said Wanda. "And I.. I don't mean to pry, but.. No family coming Today?"

"My Family is here Today.. The family I've found, anyway" Vision replied. "Virginia's parents live quite a long way away.. They made the trip a lot when Vivian was a baby, but once they realized she wasn't going to be a perfect little clone of Virginia, and she liked Superheroes more than Barbie.. They haven't been quite so interested."

"That's horrible" Wanda frowned. Seeing Viv for even a few minutes was often the Highlight of her whole week. She couldn't imagine anyone not wanting to spend time with her.

"It is.. But I think she has enough people who really love her to make up for it."

"But what about.." Wanda paused and trailed off. She was probably crossing a line. None of this was any of her business.

"My parents?.. Well, I have no idea who or where they are, and not the faintest idea how to go about finding out. I was dropped off on a hospital doorstep when I was born.."

"Vizh.." Wanda's eyes widened. "I'm so sorry.."

"I've made my peace with it" Vision shrugged. "I was raised in Foster Homes until I made it to the U.S on a special exchange program for disadvantaged youth when I was in my last year of High School. I was a good student, so a few of my teachers sponsored me to stay on for College.. They were very disappointed when they found out I got a girl pregnant.. But.." He ran a finger over the frame of a picture of himself with newborn baby Viv, clearly besotted, "I don't regret a thing. Those teachers tried to teach me that love is conditional. Having my daughter showed me that it shouldn't be.."

Wanda watched him for a long moment. She wasn't sure what to say. Then..

"Vision!" called Scott's voice. "People are coming to pick up their kids!"

"Host duties are calling.." Vision smiled softly, turning to answer the call. "Feel free to keep looking at the photos.."

"Vizh.." Wanda whispered, gazing at him with wide eyes.

"Hmm?" He looked back at her.

"Why do you keep telling me this.. all this really personal stuff?"

"I don't really know.." Vision shrugged. "I just find you very easy to talk to.. Those who've suffered.. I think we understand each other."

"Yeah.." Wanda half smiled. "I suppose we do." --

A short while later, most of Viv's preschool friends had left, leaving only the Fourth of July crew behind.

"I should probably go soon too.." said Wanda. Today had turned out a little more emotionally taxing than she'd expected.

"Wait.." Vision stopped her. "I mean, if you really have to leave, by all means, go, but.. Viv is in the backyard. She asked for you.."

"Well.." Wanda managed a smile. "If the Birthday girl is asking for me, of course I have to go.." --

Wanda headed out into the yard, where Viv stood holding two blue helium-filled balloons on strings.

"Hey there, Miss Vivian.." She smiled. "Your Daddy said you were asking for me?"

"Uh-huh" She offered Wanda a balloon. "I'm sending a 'bloon up to Heaven for my brother. Do you want one for your brother, too?"

Wanda felt a lump in her throat, but took the balloon Viv offered.

"Yes.. Thank you."

They stood there together for a moment, then let the balloons go, watching them drift higher and higher until they were just tiny specks in the sky.

"I didn't have Vin long.. but I miss him."

"I understand.. I miss Pietro too."

"Wanda?" asked Viv thoughtfully.

"Yes, Viv?"

"Since Pietro was big, like you, and Vin is very little.. Do you think your brother is looking after my brother?"

Wanda smiled softly, ruffling Viv's hair. She liked that idea.

"Yes. I think he is." --

Standing inside, Vision watched them both from the window. A warm, pleasant feeling tugged at his heart. It had been such a long time since he felt it, that it was quite a while longer before he remembered that feeling was love.

#scarlet vision #ScarletVision #scarlet vision au #scarletvision au #wanda x vision #vision x wanda #Scarlet Witch #wanda maximoff #vision mcu #viv vision #Avengers #MCU #avengers au #mcu au

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guylty · 5 years

Text

[Sorry for the broken promise of posting the Flat Richie update yesterday. It was a bit of a day from hell, with mother dear playing her manipulation game because she got up on the wrong side of the bed. Talking of beds, her new bed will be delivered today, and the delivery guys have given her the wonderfully exact time window of “7am to 9pm”… She’s sitting in the empty flat, waiting. Meanwhile, I am trying to organise an extra load for the 6 boxes and 6 chairs that need to be delivered to Ireland. And I am selling stuff on eBay, a bit of a practice round for three weeks from now… Otherwise the world is well because my son unexpectedly turned up here while my daughter is still here, too. I am thoroughly enjoying having my children around me for a short while…]

But now to today’s post. We last caught Flat Richie while frolicking with California girl Kathy. Transatlantic parcels take their time, but Richie made it to Korinka last week. The following is her own report, illustrated with her own pictures.

Chapter one: Where is Flat Richie?!

Hello fellow RA fans!

So, Slovakia. We’re not a total backwater, we have internet, Air Bnbs and Starbucks, but this post-communistic country can still surprise with its laziness. Thus it happened that the first info about Flat Richie I received came from Guylty herself. See, Richie was waiting for me in my local post office, and both Kathy (who sent him a month ago from California) and Guylty knew it, but I didn’t! The post office workers just didn’t send me the yellow slip to pick him up. No idea how long he was sitting there… I finally rescued him on the 18th of July and had a chuckle when I found out from the sticker that there might be some “ass” included. Armitage ass? Anytime 😀

Chapter two: Got him!

With Richie in my hands and shivers down my spine (not kidding, I was terribly excited) I headed straight to my parent’s, where my mum was babysitting our 16 months old charmer of a son. I explained the Flat Richie concept to her, told her how it crossed the Atlantic several times already and how we’ll get to see goodies from RA fans from all over the world. I got her quite excited too! She made me open the package right then and there and translate all the messages in the log for her. She says hi to all of you and says Flat Richie is a great idea!

Chapter three: Waiting in a special place.

Richie had to wait for more of my attention, though. I had to tackle heaps of ripe apricots that started arriving from well meaning family friends exactly when I didn’t need them to. But now I have a freezer full of fruit puree for the kiddo, which is a good thing (I sent Guylty a photo of a pot of puree that kiddo inhales in about a week). Then there were some assorted shenanigans and impromptu living room picnics (see photo of some treats that were “set free”) that both the kiddo, the dog AND the ants enjoyed very much. Oh, I do love summer!

I planned to take the travelling shrine and the log to some good photo-op spots in Bratislava so you can see our lovely town, but it just didn’t work out. Instead of introducing you to our castle and an iconic bridge called the “UFO” (guess how it looks, hehe), I opted for a place that is special for me: my home office. I get there so rarely since kiddo’s birth that my Sons of Durin background picture is a veritable treat for me. I thought you wouldn’t mind if I just took a pic of Thorin 🙂

I added a stock photo of Bratislava for Guylty to post here if she chooses. Google us, though, Slovakia is beautiful. We have about a hundred historical castles ranging from ruin to perfectly habitable, a lot of mineral water springs and some truly gorgeous mountain ranges.

Chapter four: Time to pick meself some goodies!

You know, the ladies who got Flat Richie before me must be telepathic. How else would they include gifts that were so perfect for me? I’m forever an Oakenshield girl (with a dose of Mr. Thornton thrown in), so the first gift was obvious: a framed picture of Thorin that now rests in a cabinet with my favorite trinkets. I thank whomever put the cute cloud light in the box, my kiddo loves it! The last gift was easy to grab too. See, I did coloring books before they were cool… A Richard Armitage coloring book. What an idea! Here’s a pic of the coloring book with my pens ready.

Chapter five: Sail forth, Armitage in a box!

As for the gifts that I included, I will just say that there might be a tad more Thorin inside the box than there was before, hehehe. In the end, Flat Richie stayed with me for a week and by the time I’m writing this report he hopefully arrived at his next destination. May he make all of you as happy as he made me, shivers and all!

Love, Korinka

Big thanks to Korinka for her comprehensive report. Loved all the pictures – particularly the one of that blond cutie!!! Exact opposite of the Oakenshield, but well, I bet he could break hearts, too 😉. Also, the “ass” contained in the parcel was particularly intriguing! Hope you will have fun with your chosen gifts ❤️.

And further good news, btw. I have had word that Flat Richie has arrived at the next destination already!! We’ll hear from him at the weekend, I have been told, but in the meantime, here is the latest Flat Richie World Map:

#FlatRichie Stop 15: Bratislava, Slovakia But now to today's post. We last caught Flat Richie while frolicking with California girl Kathy. Transatlantic parcels take their time, but Richie made it to Korinka last week.

#fandom love #Flat Richie #Thorin Oakenshield

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rainbow-sides · 6 years

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Anomalies: Chapter Seventeen

Summary: Anomalies is about different reactions to grief and how four brothers each respond to the death of their mother. The oldest brother, Roman, gets custody of the twins, Patton and Virgil, and the youngest brother, Logan, after their mother’s death. Virgil is also trying to navigate through a multitude of anxiety disorders, including OCD and trichotillomania, with the help of his brothers and his therapist, Dr. Picani. But meanwhile, Roman isn’t sure he can handle the responsibility of taking care of his brothers, Logan doesn’t process loss in a way most people can understand, and Patton isn’t nearly as okay as he seems…

Warnings: Death of a parent, grief, cancer mention, mention of attempted suicide, mention of severe depression and self harm, gift-giving, food, Christmas.

For a list of the content warnings for the whole story as well as more information, please see this post. Please heed the warnings and stay safe.

Word Count: 3,236

Notes: This is mostly just the Christmas chapter, with bonus Remy! <3 ~Martin

Masterpost to All Chapters

“Don we now our gay apparel, eh?” Roman called, bounding into the living room wearing a slightly ugly rainbow Christmas sweater. He laughed at Logan and Virgil’s groans, and at Patton’s delighted squeal.

“Can't we just open presents?” Logan complained. “A fashion show is not necessary.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Roman tossed a package to each of his brothers. “Actually, a fashion show is absolutely necessary. Go on, I want to see you all wearing them!”

The tearing of wrapping paper filled the room. There were sounds of delight as everyone saw their sweaters. “Are these hand-knitted?!” Patton exclaimed.

“I didn't know you could knit,” Logan said, stroking the soft material and smiling.

“My friend Kelly from work taught me and helped me,” Roman explained. “I've been working on them for months.”

“They're beautiful,” Virgil said softly. “Thank you.”

Patton had already put his sweater on and ran over to hug Roman. “Thank you, I love it!”

Roman squeezed him tightly. “Love you, Pat.”

“My turn!” Logan scrambled to hand Patton a large, heavy package.

Patton opened it and looked at it confusedly for a second before his eyes widened. He pulled out a large, blue and grey plaid quilt. “Is it a weighted blanket?” he asked.

“Yeah, it's heavier than mine because they're supposed to be twenty percent of your body weight,” Logan said. “I thought...you might like one. They're grounding.”

Patton had sat down on the ground and was wrapping the blanket around him, an expression of pure contentment on his face. “It's so cozy and warm and soft,” he sighed happily. “Virgil, come share!”

Virgil slid under the corner of the blanket. “Oh, this is a nice one,” he said. “It is really soft, you're right.” He nestled down in the blanket next to Patton, closing his eyes.

“We're not getting them out of that anytime soon,” Roman laughed. The twins looked very comfortable. “Maybe you should've saved that one for last, Lo.”

“Perhaps you're right,” Logan said. “I do have a gift for you, too, but I think it would be better if I showed you later.”

Roman tilted his head. “Some big secret?”

“Yes, exactly. Can we give Virgil our present to him instead?” Logan suggested.

“If we can distract him from the blanket for long enough,” giggled Roman. He picked up the box under the tree that had Virgil’s present that he and Logan had gotten together.

Virgil reluctantly pulled his arms out of the blanket to take the box into his lap. “It's heavier than it looks,” he observed. He carefully sliced through the tape on the package with his fingernail and took the wrapping paper off in one piece. There was a long pause where he just stared at it. “Whoa,” he breathed.

Logan and Roman exchanged a glance. “Do you think he likes it?” Roman asked.

“Hm, I'm not sure,” Logan replied.

“I think he needs to tell us what he thinks,” Roman said, reaching out to poke Virgil. “Hello? Anybody home?”

“I...I wasn't expecting…”

“If you don't want it, give it back,” Roman teased.

“No, it's mine!” Virgil retorted, hugging the box to his chest. “Oh, my god, guys!” He looked close to tears.

“You better take lots of pictures with that,” Roman instructed. “That is a good camera.”

“Yeah, I know! I haven't...I haven't been taking many pictures lately,” Virgil confessed.

“I know.” Roman reached over and put his hand over Virgil’s. “This is so you start again. Okay?”

Virgil nodded. “I will, I promise. Oh, Roman, Logan, thank you!” He blinked his tears away and smiled. “I love it.”

“It was Logan's idea,” Roman made sure he knew. “I just provided some of the funds.”

Already opening up the box, Virgil said, “Its battery needs to be charged...but I should be able to start taking pictures tonight. Oh, it's beautiful!”

“I'm glad you like it!” Logan said.

“Here, this one is for you,” Virgil told him, handing him a thin, flat box. “I...um, it's from a while ago, but I gave it some new life.”

Logan opened the side of the box to slide the picture frame out. His face didn't give much away, but his eyes sparkled as he turned the frame around so everyone could see it. Roman recognized the picture as being from a photoshoot that Virgil had made them do at the beginning of his photography class last year. He had taken them all out to a field in the middle of the night, all of the brothers and their mom, and taken pictures of them sitting together with their backs to the the camera, holding hands and gazing up at the sky. They had to sit very still, Roman remembered, because Virgil had set the shutter speed slow enough to capture the light of the stars. They shone clearly in this photo, probably having been enhanced, and thin white lines had been added between some of the stars to form the constellations.

“It's alright,” Logan said in a small voice, but it meant so much more, and Virgil understood.

“Good, I'm glad.” Virgil looked at Roman and Patton. “I hope you like it, too, ‘cause you all get photos.”

“Well, hand them over!” Roman took the package that Virgil held out and opened it. “Ahh,” he breathed as he opened it. It was a very simple photo of himself sitting on the edge of the stage at the community theater, deep in thought and not aware of the camera. The golden lighting and red curtains behind him made the picture seem more dramatic than it probably had been at the time. Roman’s shape was slightly out of focus, more the background than the subject. The silhouette of three people sitting in the audience was the foreground of the photo, and Roman recognized their shapes as being Logan, Patton, and their mother. The rest of the audience was empty. Roman didn't even remember sitting there like that. He had no idea that Virgil had taken his picture. “It's really nice, Virge. Thank you.”

Virgil gave him a thumbs up and a smile, and then passed Patton the third package. It was a smaller frame, and Patton stared at it for a long time before he showed the others. Virgil watched him carefully, pulling the blanket tighter so he could snuggle closer to his twin.

Roman didn't say anything when he saw the photo, just nodded. There was a sudden lump in his throat.

“Your first homecoming,” Logan stated.

In the photo, Patton was standing with a bright smile, holding their mother's hands as she laughed about something. He was wearing the dress he had fought the administration to be able to wear to the dance in support of their trans and nonbinary friends at school, and she was just in a t-shirt and jeans, but she looked beautiful. She had always been beautiful, even when the cancer had made her thin and weary, her hair fallen out from the chemotherapy. But this was before the cancer has touched her--or perhaps it was already there, and they just weren't aware of it yet. Her diagnosis had come just a couple months after this picture had been taken. It captured a moment of pure joy, and Patton stroked the glass of the frame lovingly and longingly. He didn't seem to have any words. After a few more seconds, he turned to bury his face in Virgil's shoulder, hugging him so tightly that Virgil coughed.

“Patty, I'm glad you like it, but I can't breathe!” he yelped.

“I love you so much,” Patton whispered, barely audible. He loosened his grip. Virgil got his arms out to hug him back.

Roman waited a minute, then said gently, “Patty, are you gonna give us your gifts or should I grab them from under the tree myself?”

“You do it,” Patton responded, muffled. He was crying a little bit, and Virgil rocked him back and forth.

“It's okay, Patty, we can wait,” Roman said, sliding closer to the twins and touching Patton’s shoulder. “Take as long as you need.”

“N-no, you get the p-presents,” Patton stumbled. “Yours is from both of us.”

Roman took the gift bag addressed to him and opened it, gasping at the beautiful notebook and pen set inside. “Oh, it's gorgeous! Oh, thank you, I'm gonna write such good words in there, you have no idea.”

Patton was smiling and wiping his eyes, sniffling a little. “Glad you like it.”

“Someday when you're rich and famous, you better not auction those away,” Virgil teased. “Unless it's for charity, I guess. ‘This is the pen that the great Roman Sanders wrote the first lines of his award-winning script with!’”

Roman laughed. “I wouldn't auction it away, don't worry.” He handed Logan the other gift bag. “What's in here, hm?”

There was an actual squeal of delight that came from Logan's mouth as he pulled the book out of the bag. “Patton, this is wonderful, it's exactly what I wanted!”

“May it bring you hours of joy from reading it,” Patton told him.

Logan was already flipping through the pages of the collection of Sherlock Holmes stories, making ecstatic remarks about each one he came to. They all listened fondly as he talked. Virgil opened his gift from Patton, putting the sweatshirt on and smelling the purple candles with a content expression.

Roman eventually managed to drag them all to the kitchen to make pancakes, which was almost a disaster because one of them burnt so badly it started smoking, and they narrowly avoided setting off the fire alarm. It turned out fine, however, and the pancakes were delicious. Christmas movies followed, starting with The Nightmare before Christmas by Virgil’s request.

Halfway through It's A Wonderful Life, the house phone rang. Roman flinched. Hardly anyone called them there.

“Are you gonna answer it?” Patton whispered. “We can pause the movie.”

“It's fine, you don't have to pause it.” Roman wriggled out from underneath the excessive amount of blankets they were cuddled under and ran to get the phone before it stopped ringing. “Sanders residence.”

“Hey, girl, merry Christmas.”

Roman bit his lip. “Rem, this isn't the best time.”

“Please?” Remy begged. “Please, you haven't answered my calls in months and I just wanna talk for a few minutes.”

“Okay, okay! Fine. Hold on.” Roman came back over to the couch. “It's Remy,” he whispered. “Don't pause the movie, I'll be back in a few minutes.” They all gave him a sympathetic look. Roman fled to his bedroom and closed the door behind him, sitting on the bed. “Yeah, Remy. I'm here.”

“Girl, oh my goodness, it's nice to hear your voice,” Remy sighed. “You okay?”

“I'm…” Roman hesitated. “Yeah, I'm okay.”

“Okay, I know you've...had a lot going on,” Remy said. “And I know you've needed to spend your time taking care of your baby bros. But...I've been kinda worried about you. All of you. Can I have any sort of an update?”

Roman clutched the phone tightly and said nothing. This was hard. Really hard. It was hard to talk to Remy after everything that had happened between them.

“Ro, honey, listen. I'm good with giving you as much space and as much time as you need, I promise. I told you that before, and I'm telling you again now. I'm waiting, for as long as it takes.”

“I know,” Roman managed. “And I love you for it. You deserve better, someone who can actually be there for you--"

“Don't you start that again,” Remy warned him.

“Sorry.”

“It's okay, girl, it's okay.” Remy paused. “How's Patton? Poor baby.”

“He's doing better,” Roman answered.

“Yeah? Oh, that's good, that's good, I've been so worried about the kid. Miss him. I see Virge sometimes when I'm helping out in the school theater, but he doesn't talk much. And how's the baby genius?” asked Remy.

“Logan's doing pretty good.”

“And how are you?” Remy said seriously. “Roman. Be honest, ‘kay?”

“Rem...if I'm honest, I'm gonna start breaking down on the phone with you,” confessed Roman, his voice shaking. “I can't talk, not really. Not yet.”

“Come see me soon,” Remy said softly. “Come see me when you can talk, really talk. I'll be here."

“I know. I know.” Roman swallowed past the lump in his throat. “Merry Christmas, Rem.”

“Yeah, girl. Merry Christmas. Love you.”

“I love you.” Roman hung up quickly before he could start crying. He closed his eyes. After a minute, he stood up and went back to the living room. He slid underneath the blankets next to Patton and grabbed his hand, fixing his eyes on the movie.

“You okay?” Patton whispered softly.

“Hardly,” replied Roman.

“Is Remy okay?”

Roman squeezed his hand. “He's fine. Shhh, talk later.”

“Promise?”

“Yeah, I promise. It's okay.” Roman smiled reassuringly at him and kept watching the movie.

Late that night, after Roman had talked to Patton a little bit about the phone call and everyone was supposed to have gone to bed, Logan came into his room.

“Hey, nerd, what's up?” Roman yawned.

“Did you forget? I have a present for you,” Logan said.

Roman eyed him suspiciously. Logan didn't seem to be carrying anything. “Okay, where is it?”

“It's not an object.”

“Okay...what is it, then? You've sufficiently piqued my curiosity.”

“Promise you won't be angry?”

“Uhhh...tell me what it is, first.” Now Roman was slightly worried.

“It's just, I did it without your permission--but if it's not something you want, it's easy to back out, I promise, I did a lot of legal research, and nothing is actually signed, of course.”

“Logan,” Roman said calmly. “What did you do?”

“I got you a book deal.”

“A...book deal.”

“With a publisher. A small publisher, but a legitimate one. Like I said, I did a lot of research. And you can back out of the contract at any time.”

“Okay, first of all, how?” Roman demanded. “You're fourteen!”

“I registered myself as a literary agent with a company that didn't have an age restriction, and I communicated with the publishers only via email,” Logan answered. “I, well, I got the idea from School Story, by Andrew Clements.”

“Oh, you did, did you?” Roman scoffed. “Is this legal?”

“Morally dubious, but technically legal. And the publisher wants your book, Roman. They aren't supposed to sound eager, but the way she was talking about how much promise your novel has and how much she liked your writing, and the deal she offered you...of course you should look at the contract before you sign it. I just…” Logan shifted where he stood. “Perhaps this was a bad idea.”

“Logan,” Roman said softly. “How long have you been working on this?”

“Since I finished editing the first draft three weeks ago. Well, longer than that, actually.”

“And there's a publisher who wants to publish...my novel.”

“Yes. It's a very good deal for a first novel, too, and above average royalties, and…” Logan was fiddling with his thumbs, looking rather nervous as he swayed from side to side. “But as I told you, you don't have to take it. I just got the opportunity for you.”

Roman was trying to wrap his head around this. Part of him wanted to chastise Logan for doing something like this behind his back. Another part of him just wanted to pull Logan into a big hug. “You think it's good enough to publish?” he asked.

“Not only do I think it's good enough to publish, the publisher agrees with me,” Logan said.

“My silly little novel?” Roman checked. “Are you sure you didn't accidentally send them something else?”

“I'm positive. Your novel. A publisher wants it.”

“And you did this for me.” Now Roman was getting a bit choked up, which made Logan seem even more nervous.

“Roman?”

“Come here,” Roman demanded, and he wrapped Logan in the tightest hug he could muster. “Come here.”

“So you'll take the deal?” Logan squeaked, clearly having a hard time breathing.

Roman let him go. “I'll have to look at it first, and actually talk to this publisher myself.”

“Of course!”

“And under no circumstances should you ever do something like this again. I thought we were done keeping secrets?”

Logan crossed his arms. “I thought it didn't count if it was a present?”

“Finding loopholes now, huh? You'd make a good lawyer if you weren't so set on being a medical researcher and college professor, buddy.” Roman nudged him playfully. “Okay. You're gonna show me everything tomorrow morning. But right now, we're going to bed. Night, Lo.”

“Then...you're okay with the present?” Logan checked.

Roman’s face split into a grin. “It's the most thoughtful present I've ever gotten.”

“I didn't do much,” muttered Logan. “You're the one who wrote the book, I simply made someone else see the potential.”

“And you edited it and encouraged me and had faith in me even when I didn't.” Roman poked his little brother's nose. “We make a really good team, huh?”

Logan gave him a tiny smile and backed out of the room. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Lo. Sleep well.” Roman laid down on his bed in the darkness. He reached for his cell phone and hovered his finger over Remy’s contact for a minute before putting it aside again.

He and Remy had been together for almost two years before they had parted ways. Remy was Roman’s first kiss, first love, first everything. They had a friendship based on trust, which had been hard for Remy to form at first. It had broken Roman's heart to tell him that he needed space, that he didn't have the time or the energy to maintain their relationship when it became clear that his mother wasn't going to make it, and that he was going to be responsible for his brothers.

Remy, wonderful Remy, had understood. He had told Roman he would wait for as long as it took until Roman could be with him again. They were both in the production of Singin’ in the Rain even after they had broken up, with Remy absolutely nailing the role of Cosmo even when Roman was struggling to balance rehearsals and family, and Remy had been the one to tell the cast that Roman had to quit after Roman had officially told the director. Roman was so grateful to him for that.

He had fallen apart in Remy’s arms only once, a week after the funeral. Roman had left work and found himself driving to Remy’s house. The door had opened before Roman had even knocked, and Roman let out everything that he had been holding in because he couldn't let his brothers see how much he was struggling. They had to believe he was strong, or they would have been so scared.

“I can do it, I can take care of them,” he had insisted, sobbing and barely able to stand. “I just need to...I just…”

Remy had pulled him inside and held him as he collapsed to the floor. He didn't say much, but he didn't have to. Roman only needed someone he could break down around, someone with whom it was safe to show his weakness. Remy drove him home a few hours later, long after sunset when the other three boys were all asleep. Roman didn't know exactly how long Remy had sat with him. He remembered falling asleep to Remy rubbing his back, and the next morning, there was a text saying that Remy’s ma had picked him up and brought him back home.

Roman hadn't replied. Virgil was the only one who talked to Remy much after that, since he occasionally drove him home from school. Resolving to at least text Remy tomorrow, Roman closed his eyes.

Hope you enjoyed! It’s been a while since I posted, I was just having a hard time finding the time to post over the past couple weeks because I’ve been so busy doing adult stuff. <3 ~Martin

My general taglist

@a-lexicon-of-words @am-i-heaven-or-am-i-hell @sassy-in-glasses @iamsilentwolf @theshipqueenarrives @alurea-actually @haikyuupaladin @my-happy-little-bean @faithfulcat111 @iris-sanders-athena @riverblujay @faacethefacts @sushipug43 @decaffeinatedpersonnel @finger-gunsss @wicked-universe @escapingslowly @greeneggsandham1998 @blue-fluffy-dragon @fuzzypurplecloud @anuninspiredpoet @justanotherpurplebutterfly @insultme-notmyfandoms @your-username-is-unavailable @candiukas-deactivated20180808 @spectacled-renegade @ocotopushugs @runawaysketch97 @unikornavenger @generously-sweet-asexual @icecoldparadise @nerdygeekyscience @starjames-pma @jamiecambrera @lunareclipse-13 @shesavampirequeen @theboywhodaredtofangirl @ihateitwhenyourejustvague @k9cat @wilford-woofstache @generalfandomfabulousness @echomist13 @a-whole-lot-of-screaming @ninjago2020 @danielscupoftea @the-fandoms-are-takin-over @melorabarton @alextheodd @the-better-bard @aidenneedstogetalife @vulnerablevirgil @trust-me-i-just-get-weirder @romanssippycup @journalanxiety @shadowsoul357 @dr-gloom @heck-im-lost @otaku-marijane @starryfirefliesbloggo @lienlovesshadowhunters @dontaskmyfandomidontknoweither @everyday-emo-stuff @bi-shy-and-ready-to-die @interesyvrany @bestestwaffle @today-only-happens-once @5-second-cookies @vigilantvirgil @evilmuffin @ajdraws0430 @youreverydayinternethobo

Anomalies taglist

@i-will-physically-fight-you @alextheodd @a-lexicon-of-words @cinderlunarcyborg @justamassivenerd @quietdeerfan @haikyuupaladin @anonymous-at-midnight @toriwithacamera @k9cat @anuninspiredpoet @afilhadehades-blog @logicallyanxious-morallyromantic @akiraaria @drunken-ghost @hanramz-the-fander @callboxkat @blubblubfish @spectacled-renegade @fillyourteacup @im-a-bin-child @keys117 @brikcsandbones @jadekitten1 @too-queer-for-the-binary @arandomkoalainaustralia @cinnnamonrollpatton @infinityonthot @romanssippycup @kirsten-the-freak @ab-artist @super-magical-wizard @illiani @angels-are-beautiful @dailylogandoodle @merlybird500 @imherefortheheckofit @moonfang03

#anomalies #ts sides fic #remy sanders #virgil sanders #roman sanders #patton sanders #logan sanders #my writing

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furniturerentalsindubai · 3 years

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Graduation Decorations

During the last 18 years, it’s likely that a few dozen people helped you raise your kid — and you may want to invite all of them to the graduation Decorations party. Just remember that the party is first and foremost for your child, who may want to invite all of his friends. Come up with a maximum number of people to invite, and allocate at least half of those spaces to your grad. My parents actually hosted two small graduation parties for me — one for family and one for my close friends.

Send an invitation that captures hearts Now that you have your guest list squared away, choose a graduation party invitation that’s fun, memorable and includes lots of photos from your kid’s high school career. Feeling sentimental? Throw in a few photos from nursery school and elementary school, too. Just double check that your senior is okay with that! When I received the graduation party invitation of a girl I babysat for years ago — and saw a photo of her at three, I couldn’t help but feel both weepy and proud! And I RSVP-ed right away.

Deck out your Graduation Decorations party space with thematic decorations If you’re throwing a party in your home or backyard, make sure to jazz up the setting with graduation-themed decorations. My mom got creative by stringing wire along our backyard and attaching light bulbs with notes that said, “Wishing Rachel a bright future!” At a friend’s party, the hosts offered guests diploma-like napkins — white and rolled up with a bow. Minimize the speeches As a parent of a high school grad, you may want to share dozens of memories and anecdotes, beginning from the day your kid was born. But, in my opinion, it’s best to minimize the speeches. Your kid may not want you to take a half hour to go down memory lane with all of his friends there. Keep your speech short and sweet, making it clear how proud you are of your grad, without, publically, letting out all of your tears.

Send your guests home with goodies Gift your guests with fun graduation mementos that leave everyone feeling excited about the future. Oh the Place You’ll Go by Dr. Seuss is one amazing book that everyone can enjoy — regardless of their age. At my party, we handed out graduation-cap shaped peanut butter cookies — my favorite! They were lovely to admire, but hard to resist eating.

If you're celebrating someone special's graduation this year, you’ve probably already been racking your brain planning that impending graduation party. But we’re here to tell you, there’s no need to dread it. In fact, the party prep can actually be fun with these adorable (and seriously doable) graduation-themed decorations and treats.

Picture Wreath Of course, you’ll want to display your grad’s senior pics. Attach a few of your favorites to a pre-made wreath form. Then add a little glitter or ribbon, and voila! Done. Guests will have no doubt they’re in the right place when they see this masterpiece on the front door.

Party Set-ups

Fern Event Rentals provides comfortable chairs for your guests and especially for the kids. They will definitely enjoy the comfort and ambiance at your party.

Entertainment

Let’s add more fun to your party with activities that kids and even adults would love. Face painter, balloon twister, arts and craft tables, bouncy castles and a lot more in store for you.

Balloon Decoration

Balloons can be one of the most inexpensive and simple decoration for any party, weddings or holiday celebration. So you might be looking for a creative and unique way to set them up, Big Thumb team can help you

Photobooth Frame

For every occasion, pictures are the most important and a themed photobooth frame will make it more memorable.

Theme Ideas for An Upcoming Graduation Party!! - VenueLook Blog Another graduating year is at an end, which means that it's the time for a new class of graduates to walk across the stage, to receive their diploma and throw their cap into the air happily. It can be

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kurtwarren54 · 5 years

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Family Beach Portraits for the Holidays

This past month my parents came out to visit us for about 10 days. They live on the East Coast so it’s always VERY special to have them spend time with us, my sister’s family, and most importantly all the little grandkids. I mentioned to my Dad that I would love to organize some family photos when they were in town since it’s not often we are all together and he instantly said he was excited. My dear friend Felicia who shoots all of our special family moments came to meet us in Laguna Beach at sunset. It’s great because my sister, husband, and their 2 kids know Felicia as well so there is a nice comfort level there.

I joked with my Sister before the shoot that I had to plan all the kids outfits because her kids are older and independent and love to dress themselves. I figured if it was left up to them, they might show up in a Spiderman hoodie which is normally adorable but I wanted to try to curate the photos a bit so thankfully she indulged me and let me dress them. Well, I should say thankfully Jacob and Xander (my nephews) let me dress them! (these are the sweaters they wore) Everyone pretty much wore blues or neutrals. This way we would blend together without being super matchy matchy and blend in well with the beach scenery.

This golden hour was spend playing in the sand and following the kids around. I just love seeing Otis with his cousins. They all love to play together and I could just cry (happy tears) watching them hold hands on the sand together. Was particularly special getting these photos of all the grandkids and my parents. The last photo of Otis and my parents and his big smile!!! But seriously, who is having more fun? My Dad or Otis? I can’t even decide what photo of frame because I love them all. Also, how much do you love the photo of Lola jumping up to kiss Otis. HEART MELT.

HOW TO TAKE GREAT BEACH FAMILY PORTRAITS

LEAVE YOUR SHOES IN THE CAR

I know you matched your outfit perfectly with your shoes, but trust me, leave your shoes in your car. Don’t risk getting them wet in the water. My whole families shoes got soaked. Except for Blake, Otis and I because we weren’t wearing any.

BEAT THE CROWDS, TAKE PHOTOS ON A WEEKDAY

I know it might not be possible to take photos on a weekday depending on your families work schedules, but if you can, PLEASE schedule your photoshoot on a weekend. When we took our photos, we went on a Saturday not thinking how crowded it would be. There was literally at least 5 other (probably more) photoshoots going on at the same beach we were at. Basically everyone was taking their family portraits for their holiday cards this weekend. If a weekday isn’t an option, try for a Sunday night. Hopefully everyone will be prepping for the new week and not on the beach for a photoshoot.

SHOW UP ON TIME

Make sure you google Sunset times before you schedule your shoot and be mindful if you are in a cove and might lose the sun sooner. To be on the safe side, we showed up 1 hour before Sunset. Nothing is worse than losing the light when you get your whole family out the door to take photos.

DRESS APPROPRIATELY

Hey, maybe your vibe is a princess dress on the beach. Do you. Live it up. But remember that as the sun goes down, it usually ends up getting colder. This is why I opted for sweaters and long sleeves for everyone (my dad chose his own adventure and doesn’t easily get cold) to make sure no one would get chilly in the middle of photos.

PICK A COLOR FAMILY FOR YOUR FAMILY

I talked about this in my post sharing tips and tricks for Pumpkin patch photos. It’s great for the colors to seamless blend together when it comes to your outfits in family photos. It’s also nice when things match but aren’t too perfect. I decided to go with a blue and neutral palette since it would blend really well with the Ocean and sky. What is also nice is that I knew all the boy would have blue or gray jeans in their closets all ready so it would be very easy to match those colors to the pants they already had. I sent Blake to Old Navy to find all 3 of the cousins tops that would blend together. The last thing you want is everyone wearing neutrals and one person showing up in a bright red sweater. Not the cutest to have 1 person really sticking out color wise. Trust me, blend those colors baby and keep it simple by picking one main color and balancing it with other neutrals.

BRING A CAMERA SAVY FRIEND OR PHOTOGRAPHER WITH YOU

Not everyone has the luxury of hiring a photographer for their family photos. But that doesn’t mean you can’t get the most beautiful memories and equally amazing photos. If you know you want to do someone, ask a close friend to join you for some sunset photos. Pay them in wine, beer, restaurant gift cards to make it worth their time? Do what you have to do to get someone there that is dedicated to snapping shots of you. The trouble with asking someone on the fly is you never know what you will get. Also not for nothing, my iphoneXS max takes the most epic photos so even having a close friend that is great with their iphone can capture such a sweet memory for your family.

GO WITH THE FLOW

As always, family photos are sometimes so seamless and easy and other times lots of tears can be shed… adults included. HA! Manage your expectations with kids, bring some snacks to keep them happy, and never underestimate throwing a song on your smart phone as a mood lifter!!

Kim’s outfit // sweater: aritzia / jeans: jbrand

Otis’ outfit // top: old navy / jeans: h&m kids / hat: h&m kids

Cousin’s outfits // sweaters from old navy

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from Wellness https://www.eatsleepwear.com/2019/11/21/family-beach-portraits-for-the-holidays/ via http://www.rssmix.com/

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elizabethcariasa · 5 years

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Family Beach Portraits for the Holidays

HOW TO TAKE GREAT BEACH FAMILY PORTRAITS

LEAVE YOUR SHOES IN THE CAR

BEAT THE CROWDS, TAKE PHOTOS ON A WEEKDAY

SHOW UP ON TIME

DRESS APPROPRIATELY

PICK A COLOR FAMILY FOR YOUR FAMILY

BRING A CAMERA SAVY FRIEND OR PHOTOGRAPHER WITH YOU

GO WITH THE FLOW

Kim’s outfit // sweater: aritzia / jeans: jbrand

Otis’ outfit // top: old navy / jeans: h&m kids / hat: h&m kids

Cousin’s outfits // sweaters from old navy

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The post Family Beach Portraits for the Holidays appeared first on eat.sleep.wear. - Fashion & Lifestyle Blog by Kimberly Lapides.

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artificialqueens · 7 years

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Something New- Chapter 4 (Trixya) - Julie

AN: Chapter 4 includes Brian questioning his gayness and Pat! Thanks for reading! - Julie

“That’s new”, Kim said, pointing to Brian’s nails, as he set down his bag. He had completely forgotten about them and his left hand tingled at the thought of Katya touching it carefully. He made a fist.

“Keira wanted to paint my nails”, he explained.

“She did a very…ambivalent job”, Kim said, “or how come your right hand looks like it was just dipped in a jar of nail polish?”

“Katya did the other one”, Brian fumbled with his sleeve.

“Was that your neighbour?”, Kim asked clearly surprised and Brian nodded.

“The weird one?”, Kim followed up d Brian nodded again.

“Yesterday you told me that she scares you and now you’re letting her paint your nails?”

Brian shrugged, “Keira likes her. And she’s actually kinda nice, we had breakfast together this morning.”

Kim raised his eyebrows, “You had breakfast with your weird neighbour?”

“She isn’t that weird”, Brian mumbled and Kim huffed. They drank their coffee in silence.

“On another note”, Kim changed the subject after a while, “when can I come visit you guys? I wanna see Keira.”

“I wanted to do some decorating today, but maybe tomorrow after work?”, Brian suggested and Kim nodded.

“Keira’s going to be super excited to see you”, he said.

“Yeah me too”, Kim laughed, “maybe she and the weird neighbour will paint my nails too. I mean it sure is a look.”

“Her name is Katya and she isn’t weird”, Brian repeated. Kim looked at him curiously.

“If you weren’t like super gay I’d think you have a crush on her”, he grinned and Brian could feel his face flush involuntarily.

“Fuck off!”

“Oh my god do you?”, Kim screeched loudly.

“Shh!”, Brian made even though the store was empty, “No I do not. I’ve slept with a woman once and I really don’t need to repeat that.”

“Didn’t you say she’s trans?”, Kim said, “maybe she’s got a dick.”

“Oh my god Kim!”, Brian said aghast, “I’m not that shallow. Also I have no idea if she has a dick. Also I’m pretty sure that’s offensive.”

Kim just shrugged and they were interrupted by the bell that signalled the arrival of a new customer.

Keira was sitting by the kitchen table, colouring something, while Brian stood on the couch hanging a framed photograph of Keira and himself that he had taken on their last vacation. It was one of his favourites because they weren’t posing in it. It was a snapshot his mother had taken and the two of them looked incredibly happy in it. He didn’t have the best relationship with his parents but he didn’t want to deny Keira her grandparents when he already had to deny her a mother. And while he and his parents did have their differences, they loved Keira a lot and spoiled her rotten. And they took nice photos so hey, Brian thought.

Even though he had hung several photos and a few paintings already, the wall over the couch was still looking a bit empty. And while Keira’s drawings looked great on the fridge, Brian’s perfectionists heart wasn’t quite ready to hang them on an actual wall.

He had to think of Katya and how she had offered to show him some of her paintings. He could imagine her so well, covered in paint, her hair behind her ears, tongue between her teeth, drawing something on a canvas.

Kim’s words echoed in his head. No, Brian thought. 24 was definitely to late to have a sexual identity crisis.

Still he couldn’t banish Katya from his mind and he stared at the naked wall. It couldn’t hurt to at least look at her paintings he thought and climbed off the couch.

“All for decorating purposes”, he said to himself and turned to Keira, who was still colouring. Her tongue was between her teeth, just like Katya’s had been when she had painted his nails.

“Sweetie is it okay when I leave you alone for 10 minutes?”, he asked and she nodded absently, fully concentrating on her work. Brian looked at his nails. It was about time she learned to colour within the lines.

God, I hope I don’t seem desperate, he thought when he was standing at Katya’s door. He knocked carefully.

“One sec!”, he heard Katya call from within and few moments later she opened the door.

“Oh, it’s you!”, she said surprised and smiled at him, her perfect teeth showing, “Come in”, she said and opened the door more so he could pass through.

He almost didn’t recognize her flat. There was no clutter lying around and it smelled like citrus. The smell of smoke still lingered in the air but it wasn’t as strong by far.

“You tidied”, he said surprised and she laughed.

“My mum’s coming”, she explained, “and I like to do the unexpected.”

“Is this a bad time?”, he asked, “I can come back later.”

“Oh bullshit, she’s always late. How can I help you?”

“Uhm you were telling me about your paintings this morning? I was decorating the living room and something’s missing so I just thought I’d have a look”, he explained.

Katya’s eyes lit up.

“Of course!”, she beamed, “I didn’t think you were actually interested!” She took him by the hand and led him into a room he hadn’t been to before. He found himself standing in the familiar mess, between bottles of paint and various brushes. Canvases were stacked into a shelf and an easel stood in the middle of the room. A half finished painting was positioned on it. It didn’t really show anything but Katya had worked with rainbow colours.

“I was inspired by our nails”, she explained and looked at Brian’s hand. “Oh!”, she said surprised, “You’re still wearing the nail-polish?”

“Yeah, why is that so surprising?”, he asked.

“No it’s just – most straight guys would take it off.” Brian started to laugh at that.

“Why is that funny?”, Katya asked confused.

“You think I’m straight?”, he laughed and Katya looked at him.

“You aren’t?”

“I’m really gay”, Brian grinned and now Katya started to laugh as well.

“Oh I thought because of Keira and…sorry for assuming.”

“It’s fine, I get it”, Brian said.

“And here I am, texting all my friends about my hot straight neighbour”, Katya winked at him and Brian could feel his face flushing red. He coughed.

“So what are you looking for?” Brian’s eyes widened.

“Excuse me?”

“Colour, size?”

“What?!”, Brian asked, clearly confused.

“I’m talking about the paintings”, Katya explained and chuckled, “Why, what were you thinking about?”

Brian’s face felt hot, he was sure he looked like a tomato.

“Uhm”, he stuttered, “Do you have anything with pink in it?”

“By God, you really are gay!”, Katya laughed and walked over to the shelf. She bent over and Brian couldn’t help but too look at her ass. He swallowed.

“Here we go”, he heard Katya say and the blonde woman turned around, holding a medium sized canvas. It was very abstract, Brian could see that she used big brushes and bold strokes to paint it. It was a whirlwind of different shades of pink. It looked almost unsettling and yet oddly calming. Wild and yet comforting. It was amazing.

“Katya, this is really good!”, he gasped and the woman smiled, her cheeks turning red.

“Thank you”, she said, “you can have it if you like.”

“Are you sure?”, Brian asked and she nodded.

“How much?”

“Oh, just take it! See it as some sort of welcoming present”, she offered.

“I can’t just accept that!”, Brian said, “How much do you normally take?”

“No, really it’s fine. I don’t want any money from you. It’s a gift.”

“Then let me at least invite you to dinner”, he offered and Katya smiled.

“If you insist.”

“It’s the least I can do”, Brian laughed and took the painting from Katya to get a better look.

“This is really beautiful”, he sighed, “Thank you.” All of the sudden he was so aware of Katya standing in front of him. She wasn’t wearing heels and he was a lot taller than her. She was standing so close.

“You’re welcome”, she said quietly.

A loud knock on the door made them jerk up and Katya ran out of the room to open it. Brian followed slowly watched as Katya hugged a small woman with short white hair who had to be her mother.

“Hello, sweetheart”, the woman said to Katya when they ended the hug. Then she spotted Brian who was awkwardly holding the painting.

“Oh, a visitor!”, she exclaimed and turned to Katya, “Am I interrupting something? Should I come back later?”

“Mum”, Katya said rolling her eyes and Brian thought it was weird seeing her like this, like a daughter.

“I’m Brian, Katya’s neighbour”, he explained and extended a hand. Katya’s mother shook it.

“Brian, huh? That’s a very nice name.” He could see how Katya grabbed her mothers arm.

“I’m Pat”, she said, letting go of his hand, “It’s nice to meet you. Are you the one with the daughter? Katya told me about you two. She sounds delightful! What was her name?”

“Keira”, he answered and he tried not to smirk. Somehow the thought of Katya telling her mother about him made him happy.

“Are you having coffee with us?”, Pat asked and Brian shook his head.

“Keira’s downstairs and I have to get back to her. But it was nice meeting you! And thanks again for the painting”, he said to Katya. He thought about hugging her goodbye, suddenly thinking of how she had kissed his cheek this morning, but he decided against it.

When the door fell shut behind him he could hear Katya and her mother laugh about something and that sound made him happy.

“I’m gay”, he reminded himself.

#trixya #trixie mattel #katya zamolodchikova #single dad trixie #trans!katya #fluff #au #rpdr fanfiction #m/f au #trans character #something new #julie

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emilyemcnabb · 7 years

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Leigh and Nick’s Winter Wedding at Prospect House

Leigh and Nick knew they wanted to get married somewhere unique in Dripping Springs, Texas, and Prospect House checked all their boxes. They also included tons of personal details including having a close friend design all the paper goods, Leigh’s cousin giving a “toast and blessing,” and her stepsister officiating the ceremony. Getting married right after Thanksgiving, they didn’t necessarily want the wedding to be Christmasy but they decided to include a few touches, such as the mistletoe on the dinner plates. Wild Sky Events captured the spirit of this fun couple in the planning and design of their wedding, and these gorgeous pics snapped by Lisa Woods Photography are certain to inspire more brides to embrace the idea of a holiday wedding!

What made the wedding special and unique?

We knew wanted to get married in Dripping Springs. Ages before we got engaged I went to lunch with an old friend who let me know she had opened a wedding venue out in Dripping off Fitzhugh Rd. The next time we drove out to his parents’ house I asked if we could go see the venue. At the time it was under construction, and we weren’t even engaged yet. I immediately fell in love with Prospect House because it’s so beautiful and unique but also the personal connection we had that our friends owned it and it is just a couple miles down the road from his parents’ house. I cannot imagine getting married anywhere else.

Rebecca, one of my best friends, created the drawings and all the invitations, stationery, menus, programs, and a special map for the room drops. Everyone thought I paid gazillions of dollars to hire a calligrapher. She did such an amazing job.

At the rehearsal dinner we created a “how well do you know the bride and groom” word find that was a big hit and a lot of fun. It was super intimate and that’s where we had all the speeches. We didn’t do any speeches at the wedding but my dad gave a toast. I liked only doing speeches at the rehearsal, much more personal.

At the rehearsal dinner my father-in-law even performed “Going to the Chapel of Love” but they changed the words to “going to the prospect house.” Everyone had a copy of the lyrics and they surprised us! My father-in-law is also a BIG beer brewer and created an amazing beer for us, we still have the tap. We called it “Sam’s Very Special Beer for Very Special People”

My stepsister married us, and did such an amazing job creating a ceremony that represented us. It wasn’t corny but super personal, hilarious, and gave everyone a glimpse into who we are as a couple. It was one of the best moments of my year telling my stepmother that I was going to ask her daughter to marry us. She was so touched and it was such a special way to bring so many families together. I’ve had several people ask me, “who was the person who married you and can I have her information?” because they want her to marry them!

Tell us about the gown and where/how you found it!

I bought it at Houston Bridal Gallery; it’s Essence of Australia. I wanted something to match the antique family heirloom veil I wore as my “something old.” I was determined to spend as little as possible on the dress, but I ended up splurging (a little). My best friend took me shopping with my mom and a couple other friends. She couldn’t be there on my wedding day (she had a baby the following day) so it was so special she was there to pick out the dress with me. After patiently letting me go to the discount places, I said I’d be okay with 5-6 of them. She insisted we go to one more place and try on just one more dress and that was the one!

What were some touches added to make the wedding personal?

My cousin (who I’ve always been super close to) always said the blessing growing up. We’re not religious, but she wrote us a special “toast and blessings” for the wedding that was so special. She’s a great artist and wrote it down for us to frame. One of my favorite keepsakes from the wedding.

I loved our guest “poster.” Even though we didn’t get married outside where we wanted it was a great way to really remember and picture everyone being there.

We had a friend who is a great bartender make a special signature cocktail that was delicious!

We got married the week right after Thanksgiving. I didn’t want it to be “Christmas” but we added a few fun touches. My favorite was the mistletoe sprig on all the plates!

I loved the little wine decanters we used on the bottles, we gave them away as favors to a few special people.

Surprise First Look: I was devastated because it rained and that meant we had to do a “first look.” I had wanted it to be old-fashioned. But we had to, so instead we did a “surprise” first look. Nick didn’t know but I did. I came up behind him and poked him. I wanted him to have some awesome reaction for pictures, but I think he was just so stunned he didn’t know how to react. The pictures turned out so-so of the moment itself, but I’ll never forget how hard my heart was beating! It was even better to do it that way because I still got my “surprise” and it calmed our nerves to see each other beforehand. We got some great photos too!

My girlfriends and I rented an awesome house in Zilker Park to get ready, and had a bridal luncheon there that Friday. It was such a great way to get everyone together, almost like a second bachelorette party. It was the hub for the weekend and everyone stayed there. So much more personal than a hotel.

What was the most memorable part of the day?

When I went to put Nick’s ring on, and saw that he was wearing the watch I had bought him as a wedding gift. I wasn’t sure he had opened it, and I was terrified it wouldn’t fit. It was such a special surprise to see him wearing it in that moment.

Tell us how you met and became engaged.

We worked together at a software company. I was in sales and he was my account manager. I always thought he was handsome, and had so much respect for him and trusted him. Since we worked together I kind of just didn’t look at him that way. We started hanging out more and more, going to lunch and so on. Then one really rough day we went for drinks after work and he basically moved in the next day. He proposed on a trip to NYC to visit my sister for Thanksgiving. We had been walking all day and he insisted we walk all the way from SOHO to the Hudson River because “he felt claustrophobic.” I was honestly kind of annoyed because we had walked 13 miles that day, but I didn’t make a fuss. Thank God I didn’t! When we got to the water, he asked if we could sit, which didn’t even seem funny to me because we were so exhausted. Then he popped the question. He was so nervous he was holding the ring so tight and I had to pry it out of his hands!

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Leigh & Nick from MoonLit Weddings on Vimeo.

Planning and Design: Wild Sky Events // Photography: Lisa Woods Photography // Invitations and Day of Stationery Rebecca Ewing // Florals: Exquisite Petals // Venue: Prospect House // Gown: Essence of Australia // Salon: Houston Bridal Gallery // // Makeup: Lavish Beauty // Cake: Sweet Treats Bakery // Catering: Royal Fig Catering // Videography: Moonlit Weddings // Ceremony Music: Terra Vista Strings // DJ: DJ Gatsby

planning & design @wildskyevents // photography@lisajilly // floral @exquisitepetals // invitations and day of stationery @rdewing // venue @prospecthousetx

gown @essenseofaustralia // salon @houstonbridalgallery // catering @royalfigcatering // makeup @lavishbeautyatx // videography@moonlit_weddings // ceremony music @terravistastrings // dj @gatsbydj // wedding cake @sweettreetsbakery // lighting @ilios_lighting // bride @leighbird

The post Leigh and Nick’s Winter Wedding at Prospect House appeared first on Grey Likes Weddings | Wedding Fashion & Inspiration | Best Wedding Blog.

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kevinmoyer · 7 years

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Romantic Barn Wedding with Vintage Details :: Erin & Ryan

Photography by Alixann Loosle

High school sweethearts Erin & Ryan are such a special reminder of what it’s like to be young and in love! After their solemn religious ceremony with just 30 guests, they celebrated with 250 family and friends in romantic vintage style! Even the parts that didn’t go according to plan turned out just fine in the end… Erin told us that they were were planning on having a first look, but weren’t able to because her dress was only just ready in time for the ceremony! (Phew, right?) And be sure to check out their full budget breakdown right here!

The Ceremony

Why did you choose this location for your ceremony? We picked the Provo City Center Temple for religious reasons. This Temple has a unique story. The original building was a tabernacle built in 1898 by the early settlers of Provo and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The tabernacle was used for many concerts, civic, and religious meetings and was very loved by the people in the area. In December of 2010, a fire destroyed everything but the outer brick walls of the tabernacle. The decision was made to preserve the outer walls of the building and convert it into a beautiful LDS Temple. The interior is beautiful and has a motif of Columbine flowers, stained glass windows, and is a peaceful place.

Did you include any traditions in your ceremony? I come from a religious family, so getting married in an LDS temple is a tradition itself. My parents were married in the Salt Lake City temple and my husband’s parents were married in the Payson temple, as were many of my other living and deceased family members.

What was your favorite thing about your wedding ceremony? Right before our wedding ceremony my husband and I had the opportunity to sit together alone in the Celestial room inside the temple. It was incredibly beautiful and peaceful. Just having that moment alone to speak and ponder the events of that day was a very special moment for my husband and I. It was really our last moment alone before the busy events of our wedding day begun.

Is there anything else that you’d like to share about your wedding ceremony? Another one of the really special parts of the ceremony are the mirrors in the sealing room. They are placed on opposite walls, directly facing each other. These mirrors reflect back and forth imagines into each other which gives the illusion of this stretch into eternity. During the ceremony, my husband and I kneeled across from each other and were able to see the mirrors and get a visual representation of the eternal commitments that we were making to each other.

Please tell us some more about the beautiful dress! While searching for a wedding dress, I had a really hard time finding something that fit my personality and really wowed me. I didn’t just want to wear any other dress on my wedding day. I had reached out to a local wedding dress designer, Natalie Wynn, and was able to get a custom-made dress. Since everything traditional that I had tried on hadn’t really given me that special feeling you hope for, we decided to go with a more non-traditional design with the colored floral embroidery.

The Reception

Why did you choose this location for your reception? I feel like the best way to describe why we choose White Shanty for our reception are the images from our reception. There are so many beautiful yet simple elements to the venue that make it absolutely breathtaking and picture perfect. It is unlike any other reception venue in Utah and from the first time I visited it – I knew that it would make the perfect backdrop to the wedding I had been envisioning.

How would you describe your reception? The flow of the reception was a very important component to me. Because it is supposed to be a very social event, I tried to set up the reception in a way that would encourage a very social atmosphere. In the center of the venue, we had a large banquet table where all of our food was. Surrounding that table were smaller wooden dining tables that had floral garlands running down the center of them. They were set up in a way that made the reception feel very intimate. It was an open house style reception so there weren’t any seating assignments. One of the other fun details of the reception was the photo booth we had right outside the big barn doors. It provided a place for people to gather and capture the day with the people they loved. I would describe it as very open, light, warm, and social.

Are there any DIY details you’d like to tell us about? My husband and I did a lot of DIY projects for our reception. A few of my favorites were the balloon arches, the wood frame for the thank you gifts, the hand-dyed food cloths, and all of the wood boards used to display our photos.

Erin also told us “flowers have always been a love of mine, I should have probably become a florist (if you love it, there’s still plenty of time, Erin! :)). When it came to my wedding day I knew that one of the most important details were going to be the flowers. Soil and Stem who I worked with for my wedding is beyond talented and created something that was beyond my wildest expectations.”

What was your wedding menu? My inspiration for the wedding menu was French charcuterie platters, so we had an assortment of artisan breads, cheeses, and meats which were all sourced from an authentic Parisian bakery near our home. We also provided gluten-free options of each food as well. In addition to the platters, we had salads, vegetables, fruits, as well as homemade jams and hummus.

What type of cake or dessert did you serve? My mother and a few of our family and friends helped by making an assortment of Bundt cakes. They were all decorated differently and spaced thought the banquet table. We had a lot of fun picking out unique Bundt cake pans and cakestands prior to the wedding!

Did you have a signature cocktail? We didn’t serve any alcohol at the reception, but we did have a special peach lemonade that my husband and I had fallen in love with years before at a local restaurant. While we were dating, we had always said that we were going to serve that peach lemonade at our wedding, so it was a fun little detail to include that had special meaning for us.

What inspired you when you were planning your wedding? I wanted our reception to be an extension of our love story. The details were incredibly important to me and I spent a lot of time trying to create a visual representation of the love and feeling I have for Ryan. I knew that I wanted everything to feel very natural, and as though it was effortless (even though hours of planning and work had gone into each detail!) Even though most of my design was inspired by nature, I wanted to have a couple of big impact moments, which is why I incorporated the balloon arches. I have been incredibly inspired by Jihan Zencirl of Geronimo Balloons and all of the amazing work that she showcases on her Instagram, and I wanted to bring a little bit of that into my special day. Even though I took a lot of inspiration from elsewhere, I still wanted every element of the day to be uniquely my own, from the flowers to the cake and especially the dress. For me, planning an event isn’t just about how it looks, but about how it makes you feel. Great design can transport you and that was really what I was trying to accomplish while planning my wedding. After dreaming about this day for the past six years, every little detail really came together in a perfect way.

What was your favorite moment or part of the reception? I really enjoyed my reception. It was such a cool experience to be surrounded by friends and family to celebrate our wedding. I loved getting to interact with our guests. We got to share stories and reminisce with so many people who each have a special place in our life. I can honestly say that the people who attended our reception made it what it was.

There is something about this picture I absolutely love! Even on your wedding day, you can’t escape your mom just wanting to try tying your bow one more time to make you look extra lovely!

What advice do you have for other couples in the midst of planning a wedding? At the end of the day the most important this is that you are married. Wedding don’t always go to plan so it is important to remember that regardless of what happens you are starting a life with the person you love and that is bigger than any other thing that happens that day.

What was the best advice you received as a bride? To try and take a minute to enjoy the day, because it would all go by in a flash. I really took that to heart and tried to take a minute whenever I could to really breath in all of the details and try to take a mental picture of the special moments from that day.

Did you include any traditions in your wedding? Considering this question now, I wish I would have tried to incorporate some more traditions into our reception! One thing I loved that we did do was use was my great-great-grandmother’s cake knife, which has a beautiful abalone pearl handle.

Please tell us about any other funny details or moments from your reception. One of the classic ‘something will go wrong’ moments happened shortly after we left – my cousin accidentally dropped the wedding cake while trying to transport it back to our home! Luckily for me, I had a wonderful photographer who captured it beautifully, so even though I won’t get to eat it for our first wedding anniversary, I still have photos of it – and the memory of that first bite!

What was your first dance song? Father/daughter or mother/son dance? We decided to do our first dance and the father/daughter and mother/son dances together, to a single song. For the first half of the song, I danced with my father while he danced with his mother and then they handed us off to each other to end the song. Our first dance song (and this is going to sound really funny but I promise there is a story behind it) was Nina Simone’s cover of Mr. Bojangles. While it is would certainly not be considered a very traditional or even romantic first dance song, I heard it for the first time while having tea in London with my sister and mother and it stuck with me. I made a joke that I would dance to it at my wedding and stubbornly decided to follow through. Thankfully my husband has a good sense of humor!

If you had it to do over again, is there anything you would do differently? Yes and no. Looking back there are a lot of little details that I missed or that weren’t as perfectly executed as I had wished, but I try not to focus on all of the things that could have been different and remember that on that day it was the most perfect wedding I could have ever imagined.

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The post Romantic Barn Wedding with Vintage Details :: Erin & Ryan appeared first on Snippet & Ink.

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