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wherewindysurgeswend · 4 years

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Deep heart’s core: chapter two

guess what? chapter two is ready! i actually already had it written, it just needed some polishing, which i’ve now done. enjoy!

part one can be found here.

taglist (please dm, send an ask or leave a comment to be added or removed): @tunes-on-a-typewriter @rememberedkisses

Anna was suddenly conscious of someone watching her. She turned her head and saw a young woman looking at her, smiling. Anna looked again at the young woman who had been watching her. James had fallen asleep in his mother’s arms. The woman who had been watching looked little older than Anna herself, perhaps twenty-two or twenty-three, if that. She was slim and graceful, with shining blonde hair and sparkling grey eyes. It was evident by her impeccably tailored silk dress, large diamond earrings and fine kid gloves that she belonged to a world entirely different from Anna’s own. She smiled, then turned and left.

Long after she had bid the Lynches goodnight, Anna found her herself unable to stop thinking about the unknown woman. After tossing and turning in bed for what seemed like an eternity, she got up, got dressed, and went for a walk. Now that the sun had completely sunk beneath the horizon, the air was considerably colder. An icy wind blew from the sea, and Anna pulled her thin sweater closer about her body and crossed her arms. She walked for a few minutes, and then found herself close to the door of the first-class ballroom. The door opened and someone came out, accompanied by a burst of sound – laughter, loud conversation, and music – and light. Anna looked at the person who had left and caught her breath. It was the woman she had seen before, looking even lovelier than before in her evening finery. She, too, caught a glimpse of Anna. She smiled, and to Anna, it seemed to be the loveliest thing she had ever seen. “Oh, it’s you,” she said, still smiling. Her voice was soft and measured, and yet there was laughter lurking in her eyes. Anna smiled back. “I’m Margaret Kittredge,” said the woman. She said nothing else, but it was clear by her expression that she was waiting for Anna to introduce herself. “Anna Byrne,” she said.

“Well,” said Margaret, “what are you doing around here at this hour? It’s hardly a place for a nice girl like you.” she laughed, but there was no malice in her laughter. It was as if she and Anna were the only two people in on a wonderful joke. “I needed a walk,” said Anna, and Margaret smiled sympathetically. “I know the feeling,” she said. “In fact, that’s why I left the ballroom. I knew if I stayed in there any longer I’d lose my mind.” It was now Anna’s turn to be sympathetic. “I know exactly how you feel. I hate parties.” Margaret smiled, as if in silent agreement. Then, she looked concerned. Anna’s smile faded. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

“You’re cold,” said Margaret in reply, “I can tell. You’re shivering.” She removed the luxurious mink coat she was wearing and draped it gently about Anna’s shoulders.

Doreen Kittredge was having another sleepless night. She didn’t know where her daughter was, but that wasn’t the issue. Mrs. Kittredge was sleepless for an entirely different reason. This reason had much to do with her friend, Mrs. Schuyler, but more to do with Mrs. Schuyler’s daughter, Phyllis.

Phyllis was around Margaret’s age. They had been friends as children, but they had since grown apart, which, though she would never admit it, had greatly relieved Mrs. Kittredge. Phyllis was not the type of girl she had hoped Margaret would associate with. Phyllis smoked in public. Phyllis had two broken engagements. She bleached her hair, plucked her eyebrows and used false eyelashes. And now she had been told that Phyllis would be in Paris at the same time as the Kittredges and would be returning home on the same ship as them, and would Doreen please keep an eye on her and make sure she didn’t get in too much trouble? Needless to say, Mrs. Kittredge did not want to do this. She had enough on her plate with her daughter’s upcoming wedding. Margaret’s younger brother Paul would be graduating high school that spring as well. There was simply too much for her to organize. At least that was the reason she concentrated on. Doreen felt, somehow, that her daughter was drifting further and further away from her. Perhaps she knew, somewhere deep in the part of one’s mind that always knows these things, that this couldn’t be avoided. Maybe she thought having Phyllis in the house would make it worse. Maybe she thought she could fix everything, if she could only keep Margaret away from people she didn’t approve of.

Anna and Margaret parted just before sunrise. Determined to get some sleep, Anna lay awake until the sun was so bright that she had to give up, thinking of the slim, graceful girl with her satin dress and fur coat and the laughter in her grey eyes, of the silver glow of her hair in the moonlight, of the subtle scent of her perfume. Margaret, for her part, was in a similar state, remembering the nervous tap of Anna’s fingers on whatever surface was within her reach, how she shivered in her thin sweater and cotton blouse, her enraptured silence when she looked at the sea, the way she said Margaret’s name. Margaret was named after her grandmother Kittredge, a stern old woman whom Margaret had always been afraid of. She was called Peggy most of the time, to avoid confusion, but her mother always brought out “Margaret” when she was upset with her daughter. Margaret had always hated her name, but to hear Anna say it, it was the most beautiful name in the world. When her mother said it, “Margaret” was a reminder of everything she must do, lest she disgrace the family name. It was “Margaret, don’t slouch”, “Margaret, how did your nails get so filthy?” and “Margaret, act like a lady”. But when Anna said it, it was nothing of the sort. There was as much kindness in those three syllables when Anna said them as there was disapproval when Margaret’s mother did. Margaret thought she might not even mind if Anna were to call her Peggy, as much as she loathed the nickname. As Margaret was learning, any name can be beautiful if it’s said with love.

At eleven o’clock Anna was jerked awake by a knock on the door of her cabin. She stumbled out of bed, rubbing her eyes, and opened the door. There stood Margaret Kittredge, carrying a basket. “Good morning!” Said Margaret cheerfully, “we’ve missed breakfast, but I got a busboy to give me some food.”

“Morning,” said Anna, squinting slightly in the late morning sunlight. Margaret walked into the cabin and sat down on the bed. “How…?” Asked Anna, gradually recovering from her surprise.

“Oh, you know,” said Margaret, selecting a muffin from the basket and biting into it, “a little batting my eyelashes at him, a little do-you-know-who-my-father-is…” Anna wasn’t sure she believed that. She crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at Margaret. “And then what?” Margaret sighed. “And then I slipped him a ten-dollar bill. There really isn’t any fooling you, is there?” Anna laughed and Margaret handed her a slice of toast. “So,” began Anna, “where are you on your way to?” Margaret rolled her eyes and swallowed a bite of muffin. “Paris. I’m getting married next June and my mother insists on getting the dress in Europe.” Anna felt a little sting at those words, although she wasn’t sure why. So Margaret was getting married. What was it to her? They had known each other for less than a day. And besides, what did it have to do with her? Maybe it was that Margaret didn’t seem very excited about the idea. Yes, that must be it. “Anna?” Margaret said. Anna snapped out of her reverie. “What?”

“I asked where you’re going, but, incidentally, are you all right?”

“I’m — I’m fine. Just a little tired, that’s all. I’m going to London.”

“Why London?”

“I work for the Montreal Daily News. I’m supposed to cover a story.” Margaret looked surprised.

“The Montreal Daily News? Well isn’t that quite the coincidence!”

“Why?”

“Didn’t you know? My father owns that paper!”

Anna hadn’t known that, but she supposed she ought to have made the connection. There was a large oil painting hanging in the entrance hall at the newspaper building. Anna had walked past it countless times. She had read the plaque beneath it almost as often — J. Thomas Kittredge, founder. She had even met the man once. On her second day at the paper he had dropped by to visit. Mr. McGill had introduced her as “Miss Byrne, our latest recruit” and Mr Kittredge had laughed and said “new blood, eh?” He was a tall, red-faced man with an impressive moustache and a huge cigar hanging from his lower lip. He had shaken her hand. His hands were huge and his grip was very strong, but Anna knew better than to let him know she felt it, so she had looked defiantly up at him — he was close to a foot taller than she was — and gripped his hand as hard as she could. He had laughed again and turned to Mr. McGill. “Feisty, isn’t she, Jim?” He had said. Mr McGill had looked confused. He thought of Anna as timid and anxious, certainly not feisty. With that, Mr. Kittredge had stubbed out his cigar, picked up his hat, winked at Anna and walked out, his booming laughter still ringing in her ears.

Margaret was nothing like her father, Anna thought. Or maybe she was. After all, Margaret was on the tall side (five foot eight, maybe five foot nine, in Anna’s estimation) and had her father’s steel-grey eyes. She had his sense of humour and easy way with people. Margaret’s laugh was a summer shower and her father’s was a thunderclap. And, of course, after her initial terror had subsided, Anna had found herself rather liking Mr. Kittredge. It was hard not to, and Margaret was the same way. There were no two ways about it, Anna thought: you either liked Margaret or you didn’t really know her.

There was a knock on the door and Anna got up to answer it. When she opened the door, she found Kathleen Lynch leaning against the doorframe. “Morning,” she said, “I’ve been looking all over for you. Mother’s been worried sick since you didn’t show up at breakfast.”

“I overslept. Won’t you come in?” Kathleen stepped into the cabin and saw Margaret sitting on the bed. “Who’s this?” She asked bluntly, jerking her head towards Margaret.

“That’s my friend Margaret.” Margaret waved enthusiastically at Kathleen. “Pleased to meet you,” said Kathleen dryly. Margaret seemed a little put off by Kathleen’s attitude. Frankly, Anna was too. Kathleen could have been friendlier. “Well, I suppose I’d better be going,” said Margaret, “mother will be expecting me.” She picked up her basket and left.

“What was that about?” Anna asked, a little irritably, once Margaret was out of earshot.

“What was what about?” Kathleen retorted.

“Oh, please. Don’t play innocent. What do you mean by being so rude to her?”

“I don’t think I was rude.” Anna raised her eyebrows in disbelief.

“Oh, you don’t? Well I’d advise you to be more careful with your tone, then. You scared her off!”

“I’d advise you to choose your friends better,” Kathleen shot back.

“What the hell do you mean by that?” Anna snapped, her voice rising in frustration.

“I mean girls like that are all the same. They get bored with their high-society friends so they slum it with girls like us.”

“That’s some judgement to make about someone you’ve known for thirty seconds!”

“You don’t have to listen to me. It’s your funeral.” Anna rolled her eyes.

“Aren’t you getting a little too upset over this?”

“Maybe I am. I’m just trying to warn you.” Anna sighed.

“I don’t want to fight with you, Kathleen. This whole thing is ridiculous.”

“I know. I’m sorry. I guess mom got to me with her worrying. She thought something had happened to you, but you were just sitting in here with that girl. I was upset because I was worried over nothing.” Anna softened.

“That’s O.K. Let’s go find your mom so she knows I’m all right.”

They found Florence in the second-class lounge. As soon as she spotted them she got up and ran towards them. “Where have you been?” She asked Anna, “I’ve been so worried! Is everything all right?” Anna was still a little too disoriented to answer. “Everything’s fine, mom,” Kathleen broke in, “she just overslept, that’s all.”

“Oh, thank goodness. Have you had breakfast?” Anna nodded.

“Good. I was afraid you had missed it. Well, did you two have any plans for today?”

“I have to write to my mother,” Anna said, “I know she’ll be anxious to hear from me, so I figured I would start writing a long letter now and mail it as soon as I get to London.” Julia nodded approvingly. “What about you, Kath?”

“Oh, you know, the usual. I think I’ll commit a few crimes while we’re in international waters. Might as well do it now, while I can’t be arrested.”

“I know you’re kidding and it’s never any use telling you this anyway, but won’t you please try to stay out of trouble for once?” Kathleen pretended to be shocked.

“How can you say such a thing? Tell me, dear mother, when have I ever been anything but a model of good behaviour? How can you be so cruel as to cast aspersions on your own daughter’s character?” Florence just laughed.

“Well, if you must get up to no good, at least try not to get caught.”

“No promises,” Kathleen shouted over her shoulder, already on her way out of the room.

#deep heart's core #writeblr #my writing #anna byrne #margaret kittredge #kathleen lynch #(no larry in this chapter sorry eliza)

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lucky-katebishop · 4 years

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8 Underrated Comedy Mysteries

So weird comedy tv shows are kind of my niche, and I realized I’ve seen a few comedy shows that revolve around mysteries and an intriguing plot line, so I wanted to make a list to share them in case you haven’t heard of them! Not all of them are mysteries, like Miracle Workers, but it does have a plot that puts you on edge and every episode does end with a cliffhanger, so I’m adding it!

1. Santa Clarita Diet

I’ve already talked about this show on one of my previous posts, but that’s because I love this show so much and is actually the one that inspired this post! Santa Clarita Diet is about a woman, Sheila, who mysteriously becomes undead, and her family who try to talk her out of her impulsivity to kill anyone she sees and get away with it. Her husband Joel tries to figure out how she became undead, how to stop it, while also trying to keep Shiela’s murders under wrap so they won’t be caught. The characters are adorable, the women are badasses and the men have the most respect for women, and the comedy is top notch. Every time I watch it, it blows my mind that all three seasons take place over the course of like two or four weeks because that’s how much shit they have to get through just to survive. It’s a tad gory, especially with the first episode (there’s a huge vomit scene but that’s easily skippable) but if you don’t mind blood and guts, this shouldn’t be an issue! It was cancelled with three seasons but I still say it’s well worth the watch!

2. People of Earth

People of Earth is about aliens! It centers around journalist Ozzie who is investigating reports of alien abductions and meets a support group of alien abductees all the while actual aliens are looking at them from above. This was also cancelled but it’s a great mystery show which always ends on a cliffhanger. What makes it even more intriguing for me is that the aliens are able to go undercover as human beings so they can make sure that their identities aren’t being figured out, so it’s a great comedic fish out of water sort of thing. You’ll fall in love with the rag-tag team of alien abductors and abductees as you unravel whether or not the people of earth find out about what’s been going on. The comedy is witty and smart and you’ll quickly find that you won’t be able to stop laughing and watching.

3. Search Party

This show is a fantastic millennial play on Nancy Drew (kind of like if it were mixed with Girls) where the main character, Dory, finds out that an old friend of hers disappeared and she becomes obsessed with it, trying to string along clues in order to find her along with the help of her self-obsessed friends. It’s so much more than I expected it to be, and I promise you, don’t give up on this show. The first episode is a bit rough but once you get going, you’ll become even as obsessed as Dory to solve the mystery of Chantal’s disappearance. I didn’t end up watching the other seasons, as I found season one to be so good that I was afraid of ruining the show for me (I kind of saw it as a perfect limited series and I was too scared that would be ruined) but from what I read, it’s still going strong with four seasons!

4. Barry

Okay, so this one isn’t that underrated, I’m sure you’ve heard of it, but it’s still nonetheless a very good show and I had to add it. It’s about character Barry who is a hitman who, while on his way to finish off an assignment, finds himself in the middle of an acting class and falls in love with it. He finds that giving up his old habits isn’t as easy as he expected them to, and he finds the balance between living a normal civilian life and carrying out the duties of his mercenary job a difficult thing to do, especially considering Sallie, an incredible actress in his class that he finds himself falling for. It’s hilarious, it’s depressing, it’s magnificent, it’s everything you didn’t expect but love and I really recommend this show to everyone (especially those who also had that weird Bill Hader phase after IT: Chapter Two came out). The reason I’m putting it in this category is because there is a mystery every season of whether or not his acting friends are going to find out about his secret life, and it’s very interesting and it always has me on the edge of my seat.

5. Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency

What more could you want besides Elijah Wood, corgis, cute British detectives, badass female characters, and a really cool murder investigation? Oh, and a punk band! It’s been a few years since I watched it, so my memory is a little hazy on the plot, but what I can remember it’s about Todd (played by Elijah Wood) who becomes the main person of interest for a murder which he didn’t commit. Todd meets Dirk Gently, a man who claims that everything is holistic (meaning that everything everywhere is fundamentally connected in ways that is up to the universe), who begs him to join his detective agency to figure out the murder, which strings them along a very weird and very connected case. It has two seasons but was sadly cancelled, but the two seasons are extraordinary and hilarious.

6. Trial and Error

Trial and Error is about new defense lawyer, Josh, going to goofy and backwards town South Peck to defend Larry Henderson who is being accused of killing his wife. It’s a hilarious take on murder mysteries, and each episode brings with a new piece of evidence. It has a wonderful father/son bonding relationship between Josh and Larry, and a colorful cast of misfits and oddballs who are all trying (in the words of the show) to get Larry off. I couldn’t praise this show more because of the goofiness and satirical nature of the jokes, all the while being incredibly heartfelt. It has two seasons, with season two revolving around the defense for self titled “Lady Killer” Kristin Chenoweth’s Lavinia Peck.

7. Miracle Workers

What more could you want besides Elijah Wood, corgi- oh wait, sorry, this is Daniel Radcliff, my bad. An anthology series, the first season deals with angels Craig and Eliza who try to convince Steven Buscemi’s God not to obliterate the earth with the help of his right hand man Sanjay Prince by answering a miracle: getting awkward dorks Sam and Laura together. They only have two weeks to answer this prayer, which is a lot harder to solve when everything is going against them, including extremely shy Sam and Laura. It’s hilarious, it’s witty, it has Daniel Radcliff, I mean this is an extremely amazing show! Season two has nothing to do with a mystery, and revolves around the same cast as different characters in the dark ages, but I still highly recommend that one as well because it’s just as funny.

8. Russian Doll

Thursday. What a concept! (Yes, that’s what that gif is from and in context it’s highly hilarious) This show is about Nadia, a woman who keeps her feelings to herself and her opinions out in the open, on her 36th birthday, who finds herself reliving the same day over and over again. She tries to solve the mystery and how to get out of that ridiculous time loop when she meets Alvin, a man who is also in the same time loop. It’s a story about love, friendship and loss, and I cry like a baby every single time I watch it. It has some of the most incredible writing and the pacing is excellent. It’s four hours of pure genius but it does also deal with trauma and depression so please check out the warnings. It came out in 2019 and I’ve watched six times, that’s how much I love this show!

That’s the end of my list, I hope you agree with the shows on here and give me some recommendations if I missed some of your favorite mystery comedies. :)

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ao3feed-lams · 6 years

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Musical Short Storys

read it on AO3 at http://bit.ly/2TwdMuV

by Theegabbyjones

I'm not a professional.

Words: 1742, Chapters: 4/4, Language: English

Fandoms: Be More Chill - Iconis/Tracz, Dear Evan Hansen - Pasek & Paul/Levenson, Heathers: The Musical - Murphy & O'Keefe, Mean Girls - Richmond/Benjamin/Fey, The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals - Team StarKid, Hamilton - Miranda, Waitress - Bareilles/Nelson, Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken

Rating: Not Rated

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Categories: F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M, Multi

Characters: Jeremy Heere, Rich Goranski, Brooke Lohst, Jake Dillinger, Michael Mell, Chloe Valentine, Christine Canigula, Jenna Rolan, Evan Hansen, The Squip (Be More Chill), Connor Murphy (Dear Evan Hansen), Alana Beck, Zoe Murphy, Jared Kleinman, Cynthia Murphy, Larry Murphy, Heidi Hansen, Evan Hansen's Father, Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr, Elizabeth "Eliza" Schuyler, Angelica Schuyler, Maria Reynolds, John Laurens, Thomas Jefferson, Hercules Mulligan, Gilbert du Motier Marquis de Lafayette, James Madison, Margaret "Peggy" Schuyler, Henry Laurens (1723-1792), George Washington, Martha Washington, Heather McNamara, Heather Duke, Heather Chandler (Heathers), Veronica Sawyer, Jason "J. D." Dean, Martha Dunnstock

Relationships: Jake Dillinger/Rich Goranski, Jason "J. D." Dean/Veronica Sawyer, Evan Hansen/Connor Murphy, Alana Beck/Zoe Murphy, Alexander Hamilton/Thomas Jefferson, Brooke Lohst/Chloe Valentine, Gilbert du Motier Marquis de Lafayette/Hercules Mulligan, Alexander Hamilton/John Laurens, Evan Hansen/Jared Kleinman/Connor Murphy, Evan Hansen/Jared Kleinman, Jared Kleinman & Connor Murphy, Maria Reynolds/Elizabeth "Eliza" Schuyler

Additional Tags: Fluff, Murder, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Sexual Tension, Sorry Not Sorry, There are so many other ships but im to lazy to put them in the relationship

read it on AO3 at http://bit.ly/2TwdMuV

#IFTTT #ao3feed #fanfic #Hamilton #lams

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ao3feed-pinkberry · 6 years

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by Theegabbyjones

I'm not a professional.

Words: 1742, Chapters: 4/?, Language: English

Rating: Not Rated

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage

Categories: F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M, Multi

Additional Tags: Fluff, Murder, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Sexual Tension, Sorry Not Sorry, There are so many other ships but im to lazy to put them in the relationship, Space Predator, Angst, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Sorry rich, Implied Relationships, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Everyone Has Issues, Connor Deserves Happiness, Bisexual Zoe Murphy, Gay, Gay Connor Murphy (Dear Evan Hansen), Trans Character, mtf, FTM, Bisexual Rich Goranski, Gay Jared Kleinman, Everyone Is Gay, But Not Everyone, Out of Character, Connor is sad sometimes, Bisexual Jeremy Heere, Bisexual Evan Hansen, Lesbian Alana Beck, Connor Murphy & Zoe Murphy Get Along, Connor Murphy & Zoe Murphy Bonding, Heidi Hansen Is a Good Mother, Henry Laurens' A+ Parenting

#IFTTT #ao3feed #fanfic #bmc #be more chill #bmc nyc #pinkberry #brooke lohst #chloe valentine #micha

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