#I had a dream we got a Taylor's Version of Secret Garden

[jillflame]

@taylorswift You say you love Springsteen but when are we getting a collab 👀

[batgirlsay]

Shining Summer Memories

Playlist for Zenyuki Week 2023 by @zenyuki-festival

Glad my Zenyuki playlist draft had songs to fit this year’s prompts! Arranged the songs in order of the daily prompts (and surprisingly “Ordinary” was the only one that was a bit of a stretch... but I love the new orchestra version too much not to use!). Also thanks to @soya-ix for the Taylor song inspiration 😊

Shining Summer Memories

Sweet Nothing- Taylor Swift (Day One: Fireflies)  The Ballad of Laura and Mike- Matt Pond PA (Day Two: Park)  Ordinary (Revolving Doors Version)- Copeland (Day Three: Barbeque)  Snow On The Beach- Taylor Swift (Day Four: Constellations) Dancing with Our Hands Tied- Taylor Swift (Day Five: Warmth) There Cannot Be a Close Second- Copeland (Day Six: Festival/Fireworks)

Summary lyrics and daily prompts are cited after the cut:

Sweet Nothing- Taylor Swift (Day One: Fireflies)

I spy with my little tired eye Tiny as a firefly A pebble that we picked up last July Down deep inside your pocket We almost forgot it

You say, "What a mind" This happens all the time

And the voices that implore, "You should be doing more" To you, I can admit that I'm just too soft for all of it

All that you ever wanted from me was sweet nothing

The Ballad of Laura and Mike- Matt Pond PA (Day Two: Park)

Would you promise to try not to die? That’s the only fear of mine There could be more but I want people to hear you Singing bout the stains in the fire

I’m good at worrying When you’re gone out west The garden’s doing fine The rabbits are my friends

I think I believe in you more than I believe in myself

Ordinary- Copeland (Day Three: Barbeque- this theme is a bit of a stretch but it reminds me of them sharing everyday meals together)

Today was fine I woke up late like I always do Made work just in the nick of time And thought of you And when I returned I found you just like I always do Waiting for me like you always are

Since you came along My days are ordinary We laugh just like yesterday And I kiss you like the day before And I hold you just like ordinary Perhaps when the day is new We'll find tomorrow is just ordinary too

Tomorrow came and my shadow it was growing long I came home to find you singing songs Just the same And today it seems You're smiling like you always are Everyday it's the same old thing

Snow On The Beach- Taylor Swift (Day Four: Constellations)

One night, a few moons ago I saw flecks of what could've been lights But it might just have been you Passing by unbeknownst to me

Flying in a dream, stars by the pocketful You wanting me tonight feels impossible But it's comin' down, no sound, it's all around Like snow on the beach

My smile is like I won a contest And to hide that would be so dishonest And it's fine to fake it 'til you make it 'Til you do, 'til it's true

Dancing with Our Hands Tied- Taylor Swift (Day Five: Warmth)

I loved you in secret First sight, yeah, we love without reason

My love had been frozen Deep blue, but you painted me golden Oh, and you held me close

Oh, how was I to know that I could've spent forever with your hands in my pockets Picture of your face in an invisible locket You said there was nothing in the world that could stop it

I loved you in spite of Deep fears that the world would divide us So, baby, can we dance Oh, through an avalanche?

Oh, 'cause it's gravity Oh, keeping you with me

There Cannot Be a Close Second- Copeland (Day Six: Festival/Fireworks)

You've got an extra special heart A perfect light that shines through And it seems the hardest part Is shining back at you

So forgive me 'Cause I don't know what to do

When you look at me There can be no hesitation There cannot be a close second to you

[areyoureadyforswift]

HINT - ANSWER

A Game of Cat and Mouse - love

AKA Christmas in September - chai sugar cookies

All You Had To Do Was Stay - but not like this

- the palm of your hand

- you were all i wanted

- they paid the price

And Somehow That Was Everything - but she found herself

Announce - los angeles

Bad Blood - now we got problems

- she wasn’t doing anything

Birth Date - december thirteenth

Birth Day - wednesday

Blank Space - and i’ll write your name

- pen click

- darling i’m a nightmare

- magic madness heaven sin

- incredible things

- she’s like oh my god

- so it’s gonna be forever

- so hey let’s be friends

- crossword puzzle

- nice to meet you

Blue Sweatshirt - seagulls

Caption - got a haircut

Clean - i could finally breathe

- think i am finally clean

- what you are is brave

- 

Coffee - long list of ex lovers

Deepest Fear - sea urchins

Excitedly Mingling - secret sessions

First Stop - tokyo

Halloween Costume - pegacorn

How You Get the Girl - of kisses on cheeks

I Know Places - and we run

- and everyone was watching

- loose lips sink ships

I Love You - swifties

I Was Born In - nineteen eighty-nine

I Wish You Would - elevator buttons

- everything and nothing

- 

Impossible To Reason With - sheep

Karma Music Video - MCMLXXXIX

Last Stop - melbourne

Likes, Job, Whereabouts Were Studied Intently - taylurking

Look At It!! - yes whale

Loudest and Brightest City - new york city

Lucky - thirteen

Makes You Clean - rainstorms

New Romantics - come along with me

Number of Instant Films - sixty five

Out of the Woods - two paper airplanes flying

- it all seems so simple

- like we stood a chance

- you were looking at me

Out of the Woods Intro - she lost him

Reclaimed - taylor’s version

Release - october twenty-seventh

Shake It Off - can’t stop won’t stop moving

- i’m just gonna shake

- she danced to forget him

Smashing - golf club

Style - never go out of style

- red lip classic

- with some other girl

Sun Sign - sagittarius

They Never Go Out of Style - sunglasses

This Love - in silent screams

- to what you need

- timing is a funny thing

This Love (Taylor’s Version) - the summer i turned pretty

Track 6 - floor eighteen

Welcome to New York - it’s a new soundtrack

- it’s been waiting for you

- but they never blind me

Wildest Dreams - burning it down

- he does it so well

Wildest Dreams (Taylor’s Version) - glitch

Wonderland - we both went mad

World Tour Live - sydney

You Are In Love - you’re my best friend

🎅 - swiftmas

NO HINT - crystal skies blue

- rose garden pink

- sunrise boulevard yellow

- aquamarine green

- from the vault

- fifth album

- pop record

[ilovefandoms]

Alastember free for all week

My Alastair/Charles playlist

and the lyrics of each song that remind me of their relationship (and the explanation for the spanish songs):

tolerate it - taylor swift

(Yes, a repeated song from my Alastair playlist)

I greet you with a battle hero's welcome I take your indiscretions all in good fun I sit and listеn, I polish plates until they gleam and glistеn You're so much older and wiser and I I wait by the door like I'm just a kid

29 - demi lovato

(Yup, another repetition)

Finally twenty-nine Funny, just like you were at the time Thought it was a teenage dream, just a fantasy But was it yours or was it mine? Seventeen, twenty-nine

seventeen - troye sivan

(Honestly, both the pre-chorus and the chorus fit them but that would make the post longer)

I went out looking for love when I was seventeen Maybe a little too young, but it was real to me And in the heat of the night, saw things I'd never seen

illicit affairs - taylor swift

And that's the thing about illicit affairs And clandestine meetings and stolen stares They show their truth one single time But they lie and they lie and they lie A million little times And you wanna scream Don't call me "kid," don't call me "baby" Look at this godforsaken mess that you made me

cruel summer - taylor swift

Said, "I'm fine," but it wasn't true I don't wanna keep secrets just to keep you And I snuck in through the garden gate Every night that summer just to seal my fate And I scream, "For whatever it's worth I love you, ain't that the worst thing you ever heard?"

colors - halsey

You were red, and you liked me because I was blue But you touched me, and suddenly I was a lilac sky Then you decided purple just wasn't for you

all too well (10 minute version) - taylor swift

You said if we had been closer in age maybe it would have been fine And that made me want to die The idea you had of me, who was she? A never-needy, ever-lovely jewel whose shine reflects on you Not weeping in a party bathroom

fools - troye sivan

I am tired of this place, I hope people change I need time to replace what I gave away And my hopes, they are high, I must keep them small […] Only fools fall for you

gold rush - taylor swift

I don't like that falling feels like flying 'til the bone crush

mr perfectly fine - taylor swift

(the entire song fits but if I have to choose the lyrics that fit them the most)

Mr. "Never told me why" Mr. "Never had to see me cry" Mr. "Insincere apology so he doesn't look like the bad guy" He goes about his day Forgets he ever even heard my name

paris - morat & duki

(so basically the entire song is about a toxic relationship where one person puts all the work in the relationship and when they are about to leave the other person begs them not to)

Y si resulta a ser que nos volvemos a ver Voy a gritar tu nombre y vas a saber Que eres tú, la que me viste de problemas Eres tú, me pides flores y las quemas no te mientas, el problema eres tú

translation (I tried my best to accurately translate it): And if we ever meet again I'm going to scream your name and you will know That it's you, the one that fills me with problems It's you, you ask me for flowers and you burn them Don't lie to yourself, you are the problem

cuando te fuiste - aitana & natalia lacunza

(the song is about finally leaving a bad relationship and learning to love yourself after it)

Aprendí a sentirme bien Aprendí que yo también te puedo dejar Entendí que nuestro amor no fue malo, fue peor

translation (again, I tried my best to accurately translate it): I learned to feel good about myself I learned that I can leave you too I understood that our love wasn't bad, it was worse

without me - halsey

I said I'd catch you if you fall And if they laugh, then fuck 'em all And then I got you off your knees Put you right back on your feet Just so you could take advantage of me

closure - taylor swift

Don't treat me like Some situation that needs to be handled I'm fine with my spite And my tears, and my beers and my candles I can feel you smoothing me over

date la vuelta - morat

(the song is from the perspective of someone outside the relationship that sees how much one person is hurting the other and asking that person to realize it and leave the relationship)

Tu corazón tal vez se equivocó Y andas perdida entre tu sufrimiento Date la vuelta ¿Qué importa que te quiera mucho si no quiere bien?

translation (again, I tried my best): Your heart was maybe mistaken And you are lost in your hurt Turn around What does it matter if he loves you so much if he doesn't love you well?

My Alastair playlist

[awhiskeyriver]

PSST AMELIA (i have hit the level of comfort where i feel i can scream at you, oop) TELL ME UR BETTY THOUGHTS.... also me too, i really wanna write stories based of Taylor's songs all the time. there's a whole subset of tumblr ask game called like, taylor universes, where we personify songs and on God it's my favorite (i wish i had more swifties in my ranks or i'd host one)

LOL, you can always scream at me! Oh man, that sounds seriously so fun! I would love to personify one of her (or all of her, lol) songs and turn them into stories. She has such a vivid way of writing music it begs to be seen in story form, lol.

Okay so....you may regret asking me for my Folklore thoughts, LOL. This is long and it might make absolutely no sense to anyone other than me but I hope that’s not the case!

Obviously **I know this isn’t true and wasn’t Taylor’s point at all** I’m just a writer and things spin out of control in my head and...yeah...basically this is how I’ve managed to link (almost) all of the songs in Folklore together into one story line of James/Betty/August.

The story begins with in the song Betty, towards the end of Junior year, at the prom.

//I know where it all went wrong, your favorite song was playing from the far side of the gym. I was nowhere to be found, I hate the crowds, you know that. Plus, I saw you dance with him.//

I think James has anxiety of some sort [more to come on that later] and in my mind, Betty is more charismatic, maybe even casually popular not in the core group of popular girls but very well-liked and known around the school. Editor of the school paper, ran for student president, etc. Meanwhile James is more low-key, out of the limelight, and the idea of being in such a large crowd dancing gave him anxiety which is why he said no. Seeing her dancing with someone else (even innocently), made him feel worse about himself and his insecurities as well as a little mad at her for not standing with him, but choosing to go dance with friends [‘him’] instead. 

So, he left the dance early [walking home on broken cobblestones] when August sees him [when she pulled up like a figment of my worst intention. She said, James get in let’s drive. Those days turned into nights. Slept next to her but I dreamt of you all summer long.]

Personally, I think James only officially cheated on Betty once. The night of the dance with August. August is a more overtly popular; more obvious beauty that is noticed by many boys, maybe a cheerleader, etc. Many people think this popularity instantly equates with happiness, but she’s not happy, actually suffers from self esteem issues and the pressure to conform [Mirrorball: I can change everything about me to fit in]. But James doesn’t ‘oogle’ her or treat her the way typical guys she dates or fucks do, so she’s attracted to him. They kind of bring out this excitement in each other that Betty and the other guys in August’s life don’t. [Mirrorball: I’ll show you every version of yourself tonight. I’ll get you out on the floor- August can pull James out of his shell in ways that Betty can’t]. This is maybe a more “obvious” song link to make, but also how in Mirrorball it’s talked about “spinning in my highest heels love, shining just for you.” And in Cardigan, when Betty is describing August “high heels on cobblestones.” 

ANYWAYS. James feels mad guilty about what happened between August and him, swears her to secrecy, but the weight of the secret weighs on him. At the end of the year, he tells Betty he thinks they should take a break over the summer, so they do. August and James continue to talk, first through platforms like Instagram, commenting on a photo or story, then it turns into constant talking, to texting, to hanging out and inevitably having more sex. For James, it’s a vice of sorts. He feels guilty, he wants to forget that feeling meanwhile August is starting to develop Feelings™. [entire song of August, obviously, but lines like “you were never mine.// your back beneath the sun, wishing I could write my name on it. ] To her, James is also developing feelings for her and wants to be with her. [I remember thinking I had you. Wanting was enough, for me it was enough.] But as the summer starts to end, things become more squirrely between the two of them, and the feeling of being James’ side piece starts to sink in more, and the more she begins to lose him, the more desperate she is to hold onto him. [August: cancel plans just in case you call and say meet me behind the mall. Illicit Affairs: Leave the perfume on the shelf that you picked out just for him so you leave no trace behind, like you don’t even exist.// A drug that only worked the first few hundred times.// what started in beautiful rooms ends in meeting in parking lots.]

It comes to a head at the end of (the month of) August, as summer is ending and the new school year is approaching when James tells August he wants to get back together with Betty and what happened between them meant nothing to him. [Betty: Slept next to her but I dreamt of you all summer long.] August is rightfully hurt, embarrassed and angry [Illicit Affairs: Don’t call me kid, don’t call me baby look at this godforsaken mess that you made me. You showed me colors you know I can’t see with anyone else. Don’t call me kid, don’t call me baby look at this idiotic fool that you made me. You taught me a secret language I can’t speak with anyone else.// And you know damn well, for you I would ruin myself a million little times. Peace: All these people think love’s for show, but I would die for you in secret. Mirrorball: When I break it’s in a million pieces.]

So, senior year begins. Betty and James gets back together. August goes back to the way she was previous to her summer with James, but truly she is broken. Can’t even look at him. The guilt and stress of August is still eating at James, but he’s trying to forge ahead with Betty and the two of them grow stronger and closer throughout the first part of the school year. August’s friend, Inez, obviously notices her downfall, but August continues to allude to “the guy she met over the summer” without saying names. One drunken night, she slips and says James, and Inez being the gossip she is is like w h a t. [Peace: Your integrity makes me seem small.// I talk with shit with my friends, it’s like I’m wasting your honor.// And you know that I’d swing with you for the fences, sit with you in the trenches. Give you my wild, give you a child.// Give you my sunshine, give you my best. But the rain is always gonna come if you’re standing with me.] August forgets about the conversation [she was drunk], but Inez doesn’t and can’t help herself but go to Betty and tell the rumor she heard about James fucking August. Betty, being a newspaper editor, doesn’t believe her without gathering up facts. But as she’s piecing things together, Inez’s story begins to make sense. She confronts James about it, who reluctantly admits to everything.

Betty, of course is devastated and heartbroken. The boy she trusted the most, her first love, wasn’t at all who she thought he was. [Cardigan: you drew stars around my scars, but now I’m bleeding.] And the fact that he didn’t just come clean and tell her after the first time, but continued to cover it up (and keep seeing August) is unforgivable. [Cardigan: tried to change the ending, Peter losing Wendy--Betty is ready to grow up, think about college, think about life, meanwhile James is clinging to the excuse that he is ‘only seventeen’ [(Betty) Would you trust me if I told you it was just a summer thing?], refusing to grow up and own his mistakes. 

Betty breaks things off with James. James hates August thinking she did it on purpose. Betty hates them both. August kind of does too.

[August- Mad Woman: Every time you call me crazy, I get more crazy and when you say I get angry, I get more angry.]

[Betty- Cardigan: A friend to all is a friend to none, chase two girls lose the one.//When you are young they assume you know nothing.] 

After months of being broken up, James is still not over Betty and tries one last time to win her back at her graduation party before she leaves for college. [Betty, I’m here on your doorstep and I planned it out for weeks now but it’s finally sinking in. Betty right now is the last time I can dream about what happens when I see your face again. The only thing I want to do is make it up to you. So I showed up at your party]. The end of the song, where he’s talking about kissing in her car again, etc is him building their makeup up in his mind, psyching himself up for confronting her because he thinks it will all pay off.

Betty is shocked to see him, as is everyone else at the party, they’d become something of a spectacle, she brings him outside in the garden to talk in privacy without everyone interjecting or staring. Jame’s apology comes in ‘This is me trying’ where he’s trying to explain his actions more logically than placing blame on everyone and everything else, from Betty. [I don’t quite know what to say, but I’m here in your doorway. // They told me all of my cages were mental (the fact that he has anxiety, etc) so I got wasted like all my potential//pouring my heart out to a stranger, but I didn’t pour the whiskey (his and August’s first encounter/cheating incident after Prom). But “this is him trying, at least he’s trying...it’s hard to be at a party when [he] feels like an open wound” and quite honestly, “it’s hard [for him] to be anything these days when all [he] wants is [Betty]. It’s a great apology, he wears his heart on his sleeve, but Betty doesn’t want to fix things between him, she wants to move on. It was too difficult for her to get over him once, she can’t open herself up to trusting him again. [Cardigan: I knew you’d linger like a tattooed kiss, I knew you’d haunt all of my what ifs.// I knew you’d miss me once the thrill expired, and you’d be standing in my front porch light.] 

Betty leaves for college.

A few years away in college has caused some healing for Betty and some insight into life outside of her small town and high school boyfriend [The One: If you never bleed you’re never going to grow, but it’s alright now]. But when she’s talking with her mom and something comes up about James, thoughts and feeling she hasn’t felt in years come racing back. She can’t help but wonder how things might’ve turned out if things didn’t end how they did because as much as she hates to admit it, she’ll always love James in some way. [We were something, don’t you think so?// if my wishes came true, it would’ve been you.// it would’ve been fun if you would’ve been the one.// I persist and resist the temptation to ask you if one thing had been different (if he hadn’t slept with August) would everything be different today?.// You know the greatest films of all time were never made.] [My Tears Ricochet: And I can go anywhere I want, anywhere I want just not home. And you can aim for my heart, go for blood, but you would still miss me in your bones.] 

***Now, things get a little more dicey here not as tight, lol but bear with me***

Betty comes home after graduation from college and runs into James. They’re cordial and nice and when James asks if they can get dinner and catch up, Betty agrees. They have a good evening, reconnect a little, but when they go riding and drive to some familiar places from their childhood, past hard conversations re-arise. It brings a lot of unwelcomed emotions back up in Betty, and she realizes it’s harder than she thought it would be to forgive James. [The One: the greatest films of all time were never made. Exile: I think I’ve seen this film before, and I didn’t like the ending.] Meanwhile, James just wants to forgive and forget the past, after all, they were kids, only seventeen. His hurt comes from the fact that after he tried to patch things up after graduation, not only did Betty dismiss him and leave, but she never reached out or spoke to him again. [Exile: It took you five whole minutes to pack us up and leave me with it. Holding all this love out here in the hall.] He came to the front porch/door to try and fix things with her, and she “left out the side door.” 

Betty [My Tears Ricochet: Even on my worst day, did I deserve babe, all the hell you gave me? Cause I loved you, I swear I loved you, til my dying day. // And I still talk to you (while I’m screaming at the sky) and when you can’t sleep at night (you hear my stolen lullabies)// Hoax: My twisted knife, my sleepless night, my winless fight this has frozen my ground.] 

Hoax is where things come to a head with Betty and James. [Stood on the cliffside screaming, “Give me a reason. Your faithless love’s the only hoax I believe in. // You knew it still hurts underneath my scars, from when they pulled me apart. But what you did was just dark.]

Mad Woman continues as August finds out that Betty and James get back together, and cannot get over it. She never got over James either. Only her sadness turns to anger. [Now I breathe flames each time I talk. // They say “move on” but you know I won’t.// It’s obvious that wanting me dead has really brought you two together.] 

Invisible String comes when Betty and James are in a stable, happy place in their relationship again. Possibly engaged for marriage. [Time, mystical time, cutting me open then healing me fine.// Something wrapped all of my past mistakes in barbed wire. Chains around my demons, wool to brave the seasons. One single thread of gold tied me to you.// Hell was the journey but it brought me heaven.]

And, I like to think that August did eventually move on and found someone who appreciates her and truly loves her, isn’t just using her for revenge, or because she’s hot, or because they’re trying to forget their own problems. But someone who actually values her for herself. (Invisible String: Cold was the steel of my axe to grind for the boys who broke my heart. Now I send their babies presents.)

AGAIN, this is obviously just my own theory/fun. Not meant to be taken seriously. Hope you enjoyed!

[joealwyndaily]

 Joe Alwyn — Red Magazine (Jan 2020) interview 

You’d think that a back-to-back Hollywood movie career and a megastar girlfriend might have changed Joe Alwyn, but he’s quick to assure Nathalie Whittle that his feet remain firmly on the ground. 

“So you didn’t see the part where the aliens attack?” asks Joe Alwyn, a playful smirk on his face. He’s referring to his latest film, Harriet, which I had a sneak preview of the previous day, although the fire evacuation (false alarm) meant I missed the ending. The biographical drama tells the story of Harriet Tubman (played by Cynthia Erivo), the historic abolitionist who escaped slavery and led hundreds of others to freedom. Alwyn plays her insufferably cruel and capricious slave master Gideon Brodess. He is, of course, joking about the aliens. At least, I hope he is. Today, we’re tucked away in the corner of a dimly lit bar at London’s Covent Garden Hotel. It’s the sort of drizzly afternoon that might dampen the moods of most, but not Alwyn. He appears cheery and at ease, sporting country casuals: a grey mohair jumper, blue jeans, and brown boots along with an unkempt beard; perhaps an attempt to disguise the boyish good looks he’s become known for. He stops to interrupt me only once with a look of alarm: he’s forgotten to offer me something to eat or drink. I can have anything I want, he assures me.

At 28, Alwyn has had the sort of career trajectory that most aspiring actors wistfully dream about for years, even decades. His education included a degree in English literature and drama at the University of Bristol, followed by a BA in acting at London’s Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. But within two weeks of his graduate showcase, Alwyn received a life-changing phone call. He refers to it as the thing “I owe everything to.”

“I’d just signed with an agent and I was kind of pinching myself, you know, how surreal is that?” he says. “She sent me a portion of the script for a film, Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, that Ang Lee was directing. I’d grown up watching his films — Brokeback Mountain and Life of Pi — so I couldn’t believe I was even going to do a tape for someone like that. I got my dad to film me in a scene in my bedroom and some mates to film me during a lunch break. The next thing I know, Ang wants to meet me in New York.” Cue a series of auditions and screen tests that led to Alwyn bagging the title role in his first big-budget Hollywood film. He was just 24. “It was so much so fast that I didn’t really compute what was going on,” he concedes. “Before that I was just a poor student who barely understood how people got auditions, let alone landed jobs.” Did he have any jobs before that? I ask. “I did have this one job in London,” he says wryly. “Do you know that frozen yogurt place, Snog?” I’m struggling to picture Alwyn serving up frozen delights. He’s laughing now. Was it a good gig? “Exceptional!” More laughter follows. “I mean, I was paid some money! Then I worked in a menswear shop. I did what I could to make some extra cash.”

A far cry from a frozen-yogurt counter, doors started opening to bigger and better opportunities as soon as Billy Lynn hit cinemas. The next script Alwyn read was Yorgos Lanthimos’s The Favourite (released in 2019), in which he secured a small but riotous role as young baron Samuel Masham alongside acting greats Olivia Colman and Emma Stone. “Putting on giant wigs and running around in make-up and chasing Emma Stone through the forest — what more could you want?” he laughs. The film earned widespread critical acclaim, receiving seven BAFTAs and a record 10 British Independent Film awards. 

Having further honed his craft in subsequent films Mary Queen of Scots and gay-conversion therapy drama Boy Erased, Alwyn is about to enter into unknown territory. This Christmas, he’ll play Bob Cratchit in his first-ever TV drama, BBC One’s A Christmas Carol; a “darker, twisted, less glossy” version of the Charles Dickens classic. He’s “feeling good about it,” but I’m curious as to how he’s approached this change of scenery. Was he not nervous? “Oh, very. I tried to watch other people. It’s the second time I’ve worked with Guy Pearce [who plays Scrooge] and I asked him a lot of stuff, which probably annoyed him. I watched the way he works and the questions he asked on set when he was approaching a scene.”

Two people who will definitely be watching Alwyn’s TV debut are his mother, a psychotherapist, and his father, a documentary-maker. “They’d better be watching!” he laughs. Born in London’s Tufnell Park, Alwyn recalls being given stacks of videos every birthday and “watching them to death, until the tapes burned up.” One of his favourites was The Mask of Zorro. In fact, he was so obsessed with it that he and his best friend took up fencing lessons at a local community centre in Crouch End, where, by chance, he was spotted by a local casting agent for the hit British romcom Love Actually. She asked him to audition for the role of Sam; he breaks into a wide smile when I ask what he remembers of it. “I didn’t know much about what the film was; I was most excited about the fact I got the day off school! But I remember being in a room with Richard Curtis and Hugh Grant reading scenes, many of which didn’t make it into the film. And I left the audition thinking, ‘I really recognize that guy from somewhere’.”

Alwyn didn’t get the part. Instead, he forgot about acting for a while, with the exception of summer holidays, where his parents would send him and his older brother off to “some drama camp as a way of preoccupying us.” He explains that when he later realized he wanted to act on a serious level, he kept it a secret. Was it because he was worried how his parents would react to a somewhat precarious career choice? “Well, it meant putting myself out there in a performative way, and that wasn’t necessarily something I did or was used to doing. It felt like it should be quite a ‘look at me’ job, and that wasn’t really how I felt growing up. I wasn’t a painfully introverted kid, but I wasn’t a particularly extroverted one, either. So maybe I was self-conscious about the idea of saying to people, ‘Look, I can do this’.”

He credits drama school with giving him “permission” to go for it. “Plus my parents were great about it. They’re both freelance themselves, so while they recognize the perils, they also couldn’t say to me, ‘We can follow what we want, but you can’t’. There wasn’t a boundary, which helped a lot.”

I wonder if it’s been difficult acclimatizing to the level of fame that’s come as result of his roles. “There have definitely been changes that have taken some getting used to, whether it’s sitting down and doing an interview or someone recognizing you,” he says. “There are things that have changed in my life, but I still very much feel like the same person. It probably helps that I’ve been hanging out with the same friends literally every day since I was 12 years old. Maybe it’s when those things change that people change, I don’t know.”

It’s fair to say that the level of interest in Alwyn has, in part, been heightened by the fact that, in his spare time he plays the role of Mr. Taylor Swift. The pair reportedly met in late 2016 and became in item shortly afterwards. I’ve been warned ahead of our meeting that Alwyn “doesn’t talk about that”, and he’s keen to justify his stance in person. “I feel like my private life is private and everyone is entitled to that.” he says. “I’ve read stories recently about people like Ben Stokes and Gareth Thomas, which are a gross invasion of their privacy and of their lives. It’s disgusting. That’s not journalism, that’s just invasive.”

It must be tough, I suggest, being in a relationship that is surrounded by so much scrutiny. “I just don’t read the headlines,” he says. “I really don’t, because I can guarantee 99% of them are made up. So I ignore it.” Recent rumours suggest the pair are engaged, and are owed in part to one of Swift’s latest songs, Lover (’My hearts been borrowed and yours has been blue. All’s well that ends well to end up with you’), as well as a piece of string tied around Swift’s finger in a Vogue cover shoot. According to die-hard fans, this means something. But to Alwyn, it’s clear it means nothing at all. Is he never tempted to respond to the mistruths, to shut them down? “No, because it’s just pointless,” he sighs. “It won’t change anything. I just don’t pay any attention. I have my life and it’s kind of separate to all that stuff.”

I’m curious as to how much time he gets to simply enjoy the success he’s experiencing. “There’s lots of time not working, I wish there was less in a way!” he laughs. “I go to the pub, play football, go to gigs, watch TV (he’s just finished season three of True Detective), pretty normal things. There’s no ‘secret life’. But ultimately, I worry about finding the next job; that’s the truth. In the midst of everything, there’s always that feeling of ‘I’m never going to work again’. It’s a cliche, but you can’t just sit there waiting for the phone to ring. You have to try and take control. You’re at the mercy of the things you seek out — the directors and the connections — so I try to be on top of that as I can and read what I’m sent and be discerning. I try to pick wisely and follow up on people and leads that I’m interested in.”

Is there an end point he wants to get to, where he’ll feel like he’s made it? “Things have certainly shifted in my twenties,” he says. “Success to me now is doing things that make me happy and that make me feel fulfilled, doing what I want to do and being on the right track. Not in terms of being on a results-based track, but just doing something I love.” He pauses and smiles. “That sounds a bit sentimental, doesn’t it?” 

[thestoryofustaylorsversion]

Folklore perspectives ✨

As Taylor said, each folklore tale is told from either her perspective, her friends’s perspective or perspectives of those she has never met before.

Here’s who’s perspective I believe each tale is told✨

The 1- taylor’s perspective looking back at a past friendship (most likely in her 20’s) she may have thought would be more OR betty’s perspective on how she wished things worked out different with james (during the roaring 1920s?)

‘If you really wanted me then you really should’ve shown’

‘Roaring twenties, throwing pennies in the pool. And if my wishes came true, it would have been you”

‘It could have been sweet, if it could have been me’

‘In my defense, I have none. For digging up the grave another time’

‘It could have been fun, if you would have been the one’

cardigan- betty’s perspective on her & james relationship when she’s older (reflecting on what she was told she knew vs what she knew)

‘When you are young they assume you know nothing’

‘But I new you...’

‘When I felt like an old cardigan, under someone’s bed. You put me on and said I was your favorite.’

‘Chase two girls, lose the one’

‘Tried to change the ending, Peter losing Wendy.’

‘I knew everything when I was young’

‘I knew you’d haunt all of my what-ifs’

‘I knew you’d miss me once the thrill expired. And you’d be standing in my front porch light. And you’d come back to me’

the last great american dynasty - rebekah & taylor’s perspective on similar circumstances of being perceived as loud, mad and shamless

‘there goes the loudest/ maddest/ shameless woman this town has ever seen’

‘And then it was bought by me’

‘She/ I had a marvelous time ruining everything’

exile- james & betty’s perspective when they are a bit older on how they fell apart; how they refuse to listen to each other

‘I can see you standing honey, with his arms around your body’

‘I can see you staring honey, like he’s just your understudy’

‘I think I’ve seen this film before, and I didn’t like the ending’

‘We always walked a very thin line’

‘Took you five whole minutes to pack us up and leave me with it’

‘Second, third and hundredth chances.’

‘You didn’t even hear me out’

‘You never/ I gave so many signs’

my tears ricochet- taylor’s perspective on the story of her masters being stolen from under her

‘Even on my worst day. Did I deserve, babe, all the hell you gave me?’

‘Cause I loved you, swear I loved you.’

‘I didn’t have it in myself to go with grace.’

‘And if I’m dead why are you at the wake? Cursing my name, wishing I stayed, look at how my tears ricochet.’

‘You wear the same jewels that I gave you, as you bury me’

‘I can anywhere just not home’

‘I still talk to you, as I’m screaming at the sky’

‘And when you can’t sleep at night. You hear my stollen lullabies’

mirrorball - taylor‘s perspective of her career

‘I’ll show you every version of yourself tonight’

‘I can change everything about me to fit in’

‘But I’m still on my tallest tip toes. Spinning in my highest heels, love. Shining just for you’

‘I know they said the end is near’

‘I’ve never been a natural, all I do is try try try’

‘I’m still trying everything to keep you looking at me’

seven- taylor‘s perspective as a child, before she is forced to grow up and become a woman

‘Picture me in the tree’

‘I peaked at seven”

‘We can be pirates’

‘Please picture me in the weeds’

‘Before I learn civility’

‘I used to scream ferociously’

august- james’ summer fling’s perspective on their summer romance

‘Are you sure? Never have I ever before’

‘I can see us lost in the memory’

‘August slipped away to a moment in time’

‘Cause you were never mine’

‘I remember thinking I had you’

‘For me it was enough’

‘So much for summer love and saying us’

‘Back when I was living for the hope of it all’

this is me trying- told from the perspective of James when he’s a little older, who feels he lost his way and is trying to find his way back after losing betty

‘I have a lot of regrets about that’

‘They told me all my cages were mental. So I got wasted like all my potential’

‘Fell behind all my classmates now I’ve ended up here’

‘But I’m here in your doorway’

‘It’s hard to be at a party when you feel like an open wound’

‘It’s hard to be anywhere these days when all I want is you’

‘You’re a flashback on a film reel on the one screen in my town’

illicit affairs- a young woman’s perspective on having an affair with someone older

‘I tell my friends I’m out for a run, you’ll be flushed when you return’ (makes me think she’s in college, living with friends)

‘What started in beautiful rooms ends with meetings in parking lots’

‘That’s the thing about illicit affairs and clandestine meetings and longing stares’

‘Take the words for what they are. A dwindling mercurial high’

‘They show their truth just one single time but they lie and they lie and they lie a million little times.’

‘Don’t call me kid, don’t call me baby’

‘Look at this idiotic fool that you made me’

invisible string- taylor’s perspective on fate bringing her to her lover, joe; time heals all things

‘isn’t it just so pretty to think, all along there was some invisible string, tying you to me’

‘a single thread of gold tied me to you.’

‘green was color of the grass where I used to read at Centennial park, I used to think I’d meet somebody there ’

‘Teal was the color of your shirt when you were 16 at the yogurt shop’

‘Bad was the blood of the song in the can on your first trip to LA’

‘Bold was the waitress on our three-year-trio getting lunch down by the lakes. She said I looked like an American singer’

‘Cold was the steel of my axe to grind for the boys who broke my heart, but now I sent their babies presents’

‘Time, mystical, time, cutting me open and healing me fine’

‘Gave me the blues then purple pink skies (lover)’

‘Gold was the color of the leaves when I showed you around Centennial park’

‘Hell was a journey but it brought me heaven’

‘A string that pulled me out of all the wrong arms and to that dive bar’

mad woman- taylor‘s perspective of how she (and other female artists) has been persecuted by the media, celebrities and her former record label

‘What did they think I’d say to that?’

‘They strike to kill and you know I will’

‘Does she smile? Or does she mouth “fuck you forever”’

‘Every time you call me crazy, I get more crazy’

‘Women like hunting witches too’

‘I breathe fire each time I talk’

‘It’s obvious wanting me dead has really brought you two together’

‘Cause you took everything from me. Watching you climb, watching you climb. Over people like me’

‘No one likes a mad woman, you made her like that’

epiphany- a soldier’s (her grandfather’s) perspective, a medial worker’s perspective, a hero’s battle story

‘crawling up the beaches now, I think he’s bleeding out’

‘some things you just can’t speak about’

‘hold your hands through plastic’

‘keep your helmet, keep your life son’

‘Something med school did not cover’

‘with you I serve, with you I fall down’

‘watch you breathin in, watch you breathin out’

‘doc, I think she’s crashing out’

‘only 20 minutes to sleep, but you dream of some epiphany’

betty- james’ perspective when he was seventeen, after he came back from his summer with ‘august’. He chased two girls and now he wants betty back.

‘would you tell me to go fuck myself or lead me to the garden’

‘you heard the rumors from Inez, you can’t believe a word she says, most times but this time it was true’

‘it was only a summer thing’

‘plus I saw you dance with him’

‘the worst thing I ever did was what I did to you’

‘I’m only seventeen I don’t know anything but I know I miss you’

‘I was walking home on broken cobblestones’

‘i slept next to her but I dreamed of you all summer long’

‘I’m here on your doorstep’

‘will you have me? will you love me?’

‘will this fix your broken wings?’

peace- taylor telling joe she knows she can’t give him everything he may need (peace) and is asking if that is still enough? Also a promise to do everything that she can do for him.

‘Would it be enough if I never bring you peace?’

‘You paint dream scapes on the wall, I talk shit with my friends. It’s like I’m wasting you honor’

‘People think love is for show, but I’d die for you in secret’

‘Give you my wild, give you a child’

‘The rain is always gonna come when you’re standing with me’

‘I’m a fire and I’ll keep your brittle heart warm’

‘You got a friend in me’

hoax- taylor making promise to joe that no matter what happens she will always be there for him; also makes references to how he’s the only one who understands her and her pain just like she understands his

‘Don’t want no other shade of blue but you’

‘No other sadness in the world would do’

‘I left a part of me back in new york’

‘You know it still hurts underneath my scars from when they pulled me apart’

‘Stood on the cliffside screaming “give me a reason”’

‘Your faithless love is the hoax I believe in’

‘My broken drum, you have beaten my heart’

Although so many songs are written from many character’s perspective, I absolutely adore how certain lines in most songs are clearly about taylor. She’s such a magical author to weave her life into her character’s lives in her folklore stories ✨🖤🧚‍♂️

I WILL NEVER GET OVER THIS ALBUM 🖤🖤🖤

@taylorswift @taylornation 🖤✨🧚‍♂️

[daytodaymusings]

23 things that have led me to where I am now... (24)

It’s crazy to think that I turned 24 yesterday ... this past year has been one heck of a rollercoaster (and no I am not trying to make a Jonas brother pun here). I’ve had so many experiences on both a small and big scale all of which I’ll take with me in year twenty four and more. But here’s a breakdown of the twenty three BIG ones.

1. I attended a Jonas Brothers Concert ... and it was by far THE BEST present I’ve ever given myself. After years of pining over them *looks over at life size poster in the living room* and screaming their lyrics on the top of my lungs with my best friends I finally got the chance to see THE Jonas Brothers LIVE. IN CONCERT. Not to mention, I got to touch Nick and possibly Joe? (I don’t know the night was a blur from the excitement and disbelief). Such a massive moment in my friendship with S too! 

2. I lost my Grandmother ... who I had just spoken to the night before on the phone. who I adore more than anything in the world. who got me started on soap operas and washing my hands after I touch everything. who broke her arm trying to keep me from falling out of the bed when I was younger and made fun of me for putting on make up when I was older. & who made me laugh because she was so cute and lively and had such a personality. It hurts that I was worlds away when it happened and it hurts knowing that I don’t have someone to go back to anymore, in what used to be my favorite place in the world. Hold on tight to the ones you love, kids. You never know when you’ll be saying your last “I love you”. (You love me)

3. I celebrated my other Grandmother’s birthday with a surprise trip ... we went on a cruise with the majority of the family and I had such a great time celebrating and laughing with her. May have also developed asthma from all the smoke inhalation because someone just HAD to get all the BINGO letters for the $100 prize at the casinos... *spoiler alert: we didn’t get it* But we did make it away with a bag of chocolates stolen from a secret birthday event for her and others. Grandma drunk on laughter = the best kind of drunk. 

4. I started nursing school ... because I finally realized what makes my heart skip a beat. It isn’t just having the ability to care for another human being. I love watching sick babies recover and finally get to go home, seeing the faces of first time parents and grandparents when they hold their newborn. I love the coo-ing noises the babies make when they are happy in your arms or in a bathtub. And I love how at work I am inspired by all the people and stories around me. (Low key hate myself for not realizing all of this sooner though... could’ve saved some $$$). 

5. I traveled to Australia ... an unexpected but much needed trip I decided to tag along with my parents and Grandma (and a few others), who had been planning it for awhile. I hadn’t traveled anywhere new in awhile and Australia was beyond my wildest dreams. In total in the whole week (9 days?) I was there I ate 5 meals and averaged 3 hours of sleep a night. Was it healthy though? Yes, cause I learned about a whole new culture and saw spectacular views of a lifetime. 

6. I wrote a song ... and it was SO. MUCH. FUN. I took this analogy that I had been thinking of for so long and just put it into words. It honestly came to me when I was at the casino on the cruise and looked over at the LOML and suddenly I spilled feelings that I had been hiding for a long time onto a page and added a melody that reminded me of the moment and the feelings... and I showed it to a few people who said it sounded like my idol, #TaylorSwift. AHHH!

7. And then another one ... came to fruition. Suddenly I had two songs and a whole new hobby I enjoyed that allows me to put beautiful, heartbreaking, magical, angry moments into frames filled with words. 

8. I cleaned this guy’s house ... and thought maybe for one second he’d maybe just maaayyyybeeee like me back. A part of me also did it for closure, which I got by leaving a 2 paged letter on how I felt about him and how I finally realized I had to let go, because as much as I loved him he would never see me that way...ever. Even after everything we had put each other through. And in case you were wondering, by clean, I mean I spent 4+ hours on all fours wiping up vomit and beer off the floor and washing his dishes because why stop with the floor, right? 

9. Made a couple new friends ... E.C & C.J you guys know who you are. Thank you for being the only two people who understand me and being up for drinking a margarita with me any time, any day. #PrayForOurLivers But also, I love our friendship and how I know I always have my back no matter what. 

10. Cut off some “friends” ... which was a long time coming. I hurt. Especially the moment that I realized I was depending on people who were no longer there. Who only needed me when they needed me and would tell me I owed them or they owed me. That’s just not what friendship is and not the kind of relationships I want in life. I don’t want to wake up wondering if I was used by someone I care for and wondering why we only hang out once in a blue moon when convenient for them.

11. Hosted 5 girls from Spain ... who I bonded with and learned a lot from in regards to our nursing educations. We went to DC and the beach and there was one awesome night of drunken craziness that brought back memories of when I was in Spain. #TQESPAÑA I also learned to step out of my comfort zone and make new friends even if I might not feel comfortable right away because they seem 3387420974923 times cooler. But the truth is.. (and I think I need to reread this line over and over on the bad days).... people will accept you for your generosity and hospitality. Your looks and how “cool” you are don’t matter on a large scale. It’s how you are willing to go out for people even if you don’t know them that really sticks out and makes you friend and human material. And who knows, you might even make new friends in new places. 

12. Went on a Spontaneous Busch Gardens Trip ... screamed. and shout(ed). and let it all out. It was a much needed time and a crazy ass trip. We got to ride The Gryffin, aka MY FAVORITE RIDE EVER, 5 times before we left the park. And even with the rain, we still had an amazing time together. Big lesson here? You have to make the best of every moment and create your own sunshine. You deserve it. 

13. Took a 2 hour break at work ... I NEVER take breaks. And if I do it is maybe 30 minutes total in my 12 hour day. It is something I get yelled at for but I can’t sit around knowing people need help. But one day, E and I got lunch cause we were both working and then celebrated with milkshakes later in the afternoon, totaling to 2 hours of recovered time from the year and a half I have not been taking breaks. Regrets? None. My body and mind needed it so very much. 

14. Had one awesome night playing basketball ... gosh I don’t even remember how it happened but I remember having the respect of every guy in the room. Being the only girl that plays with them can suck, especially cause testosterone runs high and boys can be rude and such ball hoggers. What’s so big about winning? NOTHING. But I definitely won that night and showed ‘em I’m just as capable if not more. *cue the song “Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better”*

15. Completed my fourth Spartan Race ... the BEAST, which sucked due to the cold. (Thanks, Winter). But it was so so so so AWESOME seeing what I had been capable of accomplishing. of what my body is able to do. Even more so it was just all such a fun experience and the first time I set my mind to something and just committed and stuck it out, even though my body would ache and it was tiring driving a whole day in the car to get to places, sleep 2 hours, and race. 

16. Told what I thought was a white lie ... but even white lies can turn a rainbow dark. I felt that I was doing the right thing, and later learned how wrong I was. Especially as time passed on and I kept up with the lie. The truth can be a very scary thing to admit to, but it’s important that you tell it because it sets you free. Even if it is the biggest mistake of your life and you know that once you say it aloud it makes it will make a deafening mark on your life, you have to. There just isn’t a way around it. 

17. Finished an essay months before it was due ... I’ve never been a procrastinator and I am so thankful for it. But also for those who are... let me just say... going into a semester knowing you’ve finished the biggest project that is going to be assigned = BEST. FEELING. IN. THE. WORLD. Right next to, Nick Jonas’s soft ass hands. 

18. Learned how to play the guitar ... which made songwriting possible. I always wanted to learn it because I love hearing acoustic versions of songs and also Taylor Swift. It’s amazing what you can accomplish with the help of youtube, 4 chords, and hella determination. 

19. Finally realized that people aren’t capable of change ... and it’s ok. Sometimes we don’t need people to change who they are, we have to change ourselves and our perspectives. The world isn’t black and white. We all have the ability to see it however we want to. But most importantly, when we do decide to make a change, we need to make sure we’re doing it all for the right reasons. We shouldn’t do it for someone to want us. We shouldn’t do it because we saw someone else do it. We do it because it’s the right thing for us ... and stick to it because one change can make a hell of a difference. 

20. Finished 6 ice cream bars in one sitting ... and then went to cycle bar. 0/10 recommend. 

21. Stopped responding right away ... because NO ONE should ever spend every single second of their life glued to a small screen. There is so much life around us and it’s become such a bad habit for us to forget that and to lose ourselves in social media. 

22. Started Travel Pig’s instagram ... @itstravelpig for those who want to add her. (YES, MY FRIENDS, I’VE DECIDED IT IS A HER/SHE/GIRL.) I thought it could build some cultural awareness or atleast be a platform to share cool story about new places. But i’ve been slacking on it... oops. But traveling and learning about new cultures have been a huge part of my growing up and I wanted to share it and try to help people realize that even with all the differences in skin tone we’re all just amazing human beings capable of so much beauty. 

23. Blew out the candles on my melting cake ... without making a wish. It was there, in that moment, that I realized I am truly happy again. I have found a good group of people to surround myself with, passion, a new hobby, but most importantly MYSELF. I don’t think it all would have been possible without all the hurt and confusion that I have felt in the past two years, so I’m thankful that people took me for granted and left me out on the side of the street. But... 

a very important honorable mention is needed now. I have to say, I wouldn’t be this type of happy if it were not for a special someone, who has stayed by my side through it all. Even in the worst times, you stayed and held onto me, making sure I knew I still had a home even though I was wandering around...lost. I love you. You know who you are. 

Those who were there in the passing, those who got away, thank you for teaching me to appreciate life and the moments. Those who left without a backwards glance, you all will never be forgotten and will instead serve as gentle reminders that I am better because of them. stronger too. Those who stayed, well, let me just say, I can’t wait to see what 24 has in store. 

Cheers to one hell of a ride and the start of 24. 

[pofcroyalfanfiction]

Chapter Fifty Seven - The Runaway Returns

Ellie glanced back up at Scarlett, wanting to stop feeling sorry for herself. Scarlett was examining her like a science project, her gaze focused on Ellie's hair.

"What now? What's wrong with my hair?" Ellie asked. The summer heat had mostly dried her soaked hair whilst they had been talking, but it was still a wild mess. She could feel strands of it standing up seemingly miles above her head, a tangle of bobby pins and hair spray.

"Nothing." Scarlett told her. She had already stood up, hairbrush in hand, and started cleaning up Ellie's hair for her.

"It's obviously not nothing." Ellie stared up at her.

"Just let me fix it up for you, okay?" Scarlett said, removing a stray pin occasionally and storing them in her mouth.

Ellie let her continue. She pretended to be put out, but she was secretly loving the attention. It had quickly become her dream to be remade in Scarlett's image, and her dream was coming true.

"I used to know someone who did their hair this way, all the pins, the side part, the curls." Scarlett told her, disappearing out of Ellie's view as she worked.

"My... friend Anna did it for me."

Anna has her titles, but I don't want to look even more posh in front of Scarlett by calling her my maidservant. She is really just my friend.

The styling suddenly stopped. Scarlett seemed to just vanish without a word. Ellie waited for a moment before she turned around, yet Scarlett was still there, albeit a few feet further away. Her face had gone completely pale.

"Are you all right?"

"Yeah, fine!" Scarlett brushed it off and quickly resumed brushing her hair. Ellie pulled away, concerned and not wanting to ignore it.

"You've gone completely pale. Are you sure you're okay?"

The colour was starting to return to her cheeks as Scarlett spoke once more. "Yeah, yeah. Think I just got an electric shock off your hair."

"Well, I do have a lot of pent up energy." Ellie snorted out a little giggle while Scarlett visibly relaxed.

"Hah." Scarlett returned to brushing her hair. She seemed glad to break eye contact and made a point of staying out of Ellie's view for the next five minutes.

I didn't feel a shock.

Time kept passing, the sun was starting to set, and a relaxing silence settled in. The only noise being the hairbrush making its way repeatedly through her hair. Neither of them said a word as Ellie had gradually grown more and more uncomfortable. Scarlett was a mysterious girl who seemed to be holding onto many secrets, and as much as she wanted to be her friend and learn more about her, Ellie started to feel like she'd had enough mystery for the day.

"There, you look great. A proper rebel girl now!" Scarlett ran her hands through Ellie's hair to lift it up a little more.

Ellie quickly grabbed her shoes and stood up just as Scarlett was about to sit down. She intended to be brief, say her goodbyes and make a quick exit, but the weight of her hair surprised her. It felt so much bigger, fluffier, like a lion's mane.

I don't want to go.

But sensible Eleanor was starting to step in. "I should get back, it's getting late."

"Oh, yeah, that's cool." Scarlett looked dreadfully disappointed.

Fuck.

It was as if they both had conflicting sides, fighting to keep themselves restrained and yet eager to explore what could be an exciting friendship. Ellie lingered, her brief exit becoming more and more drawn out. Scarlett waited, watched, hoping she would change her mind.

"Doyouwanttocomebacktotheparty?" Ellie blurted out. She could feel her cheeks going red.

"What?" Scarlett asked, also blushing.

"Do you... want... to come back to my party? It's probably time for the cake..." Ellie stared down at Scarlett's feet. "It's probably quieter now, all the posh people might've gone home."

"You mean, back at your mansion? A party?" Scarlett sounded reluctant.

It's not really a mansion. Well. It's... a large house. "Yeah, it'll be fun."

"Maybe that's not the best..." Scarlett trailed off, looking down at herself. The band tee and ripped jeans probably wouldn't fit the dress code.

Ellie could tell what she was thinking. She linked her arm with Scarlett before she could think about going home alone. "It's fine, you look great."

"Are you sure?" Scarlett asked her. "I'm not sure..."

Ellie felt odd, like their roles had reversed. Scarlett was now the nervous and uncertain one, whilst Ellie was the leader, dragging her along. Weird how much difference a bit of makeup and styling could make.

Scarlett yanked her back hard, bringing both of them to a sudden stop. Ellie was surprised at how pushy she was being. She had made a new friend, and she wanted to bring her to a big party, with lots of food, so they could hang out even more.

And Scarlett lives in a tiny flat with a bunch of dirty people, surely she wants this?

"What's wrong?" Ellie asked her.

"I'm just not so sure it's a good idea." Scarlett played with her hair and avoided looking Ellie in the eyes.

"It'll be fine, I promise. I just want to hang out with you, if anyone has a problem we can tell them to go away, okay?" Ellie reassured her.

Scarlett smiled at her, her face brightening up. "What have I created? Did I fuck up the succession plan already?"

"Shutup." Ellie yanked her back by the arm and they were on their way. Back through the grass, towards the river.

They passed by a dozen or so guests from the party who had gone for leisurely strolls along the river. Some gave her strange looks, probably due to her dress. If it wasn't for that last remnant of the party she probably wouldn't have been recognised.

Nobody stopped them, instead just giving Ellie a double take to make sure it was her. The makeup and hair seemed to be throwing everyone off. It definitely wasn't ordinary princess style. She felt like a girl doing a poor impersonation of a princess, one who didn't understand the rules that dictated their appearance.

She didn't care. With Scarlett by her side she felt relaxed, like she could be Ellie, but be her own version of Ellie. A version that she could be proud of.

They reached the edge of the forest where she had run through hours before and started making their way back through, following the path of crushed grass that had clearly become a popular route for escaping the party. Scarlett kept slowing down, hit by waves of anxiety as they steadily got closer to the house and could hear the voices of hundreds of people up ahead.

It wasn't quieter. If anything it was louder than before. Nobody had gone home just yet. Scarlett froze.

"Ellie, it's pretty busy."

"It's.... it's fine! Please stay." Ellie almost begged her, taking the moment to slip her heels back on.

"We can leave when we want?" Scarlett asked. It was more like a statement.

Her hair suddenly didn't feel so cool. It felt massive and uncomfortable. She imagined her eyes being even worse, black circles that covered her whole forehead, overdone to the extreme.

"I can't go in there alone, not like this." Ellie held onto Scarlett's arm, desperately patting her hair down. "Please, for me?"

Scarlett groaned, flinging her head back and finally relenting. "Fine, okay, fine. Let's do it."

"Eleanor! Where have you been!" Anna's voice shouted down at them. She'd heard them talking and was marching ominously towards them, but then she froze. Scarlett froze, Ellie froze.

"Abby?" Anna whispered.

"What?" Ellie asked, stunned. Her hold on Scarlett's arm vanished. The girl next to her slipped away in an instant. Ellie span around and saw Scarlett sprinting away, expertly leaping over tree branches and roots, not stopping to look back even once. She disappeared into the woods like some sort of mythical creature, leaving Ellie shaking. Ellie hugged herself, trying to contain the shock.

"That was..." Ellie struggled to use her words.

"What were you... she..." Anna couldn't use her words either.

Anna looked like she was about to run after Scarlett, there was a longing look in Anna's eyes that stared at the last spot she'd seen her.

"Never mind! We have to get you back to the party." Anna gripped her shoulders and turned her around, marching her back towards the garden. She did her best to push down Ellie's hair as they moved, tutting and repeatedly asking what Ellie had done to herself. She wouldn't stop talking, preventing Ellie from getting a word in about what just happened. Her support was now gone, she felt like everyone was against her, even Anna. Was Scarlett even real?

Now Ellie was the one who didn't want to move, her feet turning to concrete. Anna led her through the maze of hedges and back into the thick of the party guests, all of whom split apart to let her through to the centre of the garden where the cake had been set up. Her family had all gathered around the massive cake, set up on top of a large round table.

Everyone was looking at her, all the guests and staff, all waiting. She spotted Taylor again, winking at her and giving her a sort of proud smile. They were all proud, appraising her. Nobody paid any attention to the makeup or the hair, or the state of her dress.

Ellie was still in shock, floating along through the whole event, guided by the hand by her parents. They brought her close to the cake, put a large knife in her hand and helped her cut the first slice. Everyone around them cheered, cameras were flashing, everyone smiling, laughing. Her family all around her, Alex hugging her side, the twins hugging her legs, their parents looming above them, cheering her on and shouting.

"Happy birthday Ellie!"

That was Viola's granddaughter.

[loradmurphy]

A Fun and Romantic Wedding at The Green Cornwall

This post A Fun and Romantic Wedding at The Green Cornwall first appeared on The Wedding Community Blog

Two beautiful ladies, two stunning wedding dresses, a handfasting ceremony, dream-catchers, tacos and two brides in the band… are you ready for this awesome wedding?

Have you ever been to a wedding where the couple got on stage and played with the band? That’s exactly what the beautiful Sera and Francesca did. Not because they had had too many glasses of bubbly, but because it was ‘their’ band! You’ll have to wait to see the pictures at the end of the feature but they totally rocked it… Sera playing the bass guitar and Francesca on the drums. So cool!

Sera and Francesca had a beautiful ceremony in the wedding barn at The Green Cornwall, followed by an intimate handfasting ceremony in the garden with friends and family taking part.

The styling details of this wedding are awesome. Sera and Francesca wanted wild and quirky flowers to complement their styling, and the flowers are all really bright and fun. A lot of the details were homemade giving a real personal touch.

I have loved looking at the pictures of this amazing wedding and smiling to myself as I look at how much fun everyone is having. That was a big thing for Sera and Francesca – to make their wedding all about their friends and family enjoying themselves and having fun.

I hope you smile too whilst you enjoy these fabulous wedding pictures by Matt Pereira Photography.

The Proposal

“We’ve been working together for many years, performing together in our band, Unsung Lilly. What started off as a working relationship blossomed into friendship, and then more!

“We had talked about getting married before – we both had a feeling after only a few weeks of being together we would get married one day. We’d always discussed it as being ‘Francesca’s job’ to propose, but I (Sera) started to think about proposing.

“There were many moments when it almost happened but things would get in the way. One time after we’d just moved over to LA we hiked to the top of this beautiful canyon. We sat looking at the view and I knew, now is the moment… I was just about to say it – I even started filming secretly on my phone so we could savour it forever – and Francesca said “This place is so beautiful. It would be a great place to get engaged, wouldn’t it?”. I lost my nerve!

“Things like that happened a few times, but eventually it happened one night, on our anniversary. We had this apartment that looked out across LA, and I proposed on our balcony as we were looking out at the beautiful lights of the city. She said yes!”

Lots of Fun and Romance

“Our style was very much a boho sort of vibe, and the theme we kept in mind when planning was we wanted it to be a combination of ‘lots of fun, and romance’.

“We looked at a lot of different styles of wedding and both loved the relaxed vibe of the boho look. Our venue, The Green Cornwall, used to be an old dairy farm so it has that relaxed hay-bales and fairy lights kind of vibe, which we loved. It was really easy to decorate because it’s already beautiful!

“We always have a lot of fun together and we wanted our wedding to be a day that everyone really enjoyed. We live in America now and don’t get to see our friends and family in the UK much, so we wanted to make it a day that brought everyone together to have fun. And the ‘romantic’ part… well that goes without saying.”

A Real Bohemian Dress

“We kept our dresses a secret from each other, somehow, and were amazed on the day at how well they went together. Mine was from a gorgeous shop in Wimbledon called Luella’s Bridal, made by Kite and Butterfly – a real bohemian dress! Francesca’s was from the Ozone in Brighton, made by Sophia Tolli. This was a real surprise as most people haven’t seen Francesca out of jeans before… but it was a beautiful, elegant gown with a long train.

“Our ushers wore suits hired from Debenhams and our bridesmaids wore infinity dresses that we got from Etsy. We used infinity dresses before for my sister’s wedding, and they are great because everyone can wear them in a style that suits them (they are convertible).

Wild and Quirky

“The Green Cornwall has such a cute style so we didn’t need to do much. Our florist, Kirsty, was amazing and put together a really wild look for the flowers. We were very keen to have something wild and quirky rather than anything too traditional, and she gave us exactly what we wanted.

“All the table names/table plan etc we made ourselves (a very silly timeline of our life together which went from the past, to present day, and into future predictions), and we designed all the stationery ourselves with the same boho/fun/quirky vibe in mind. We also had some fun signs made which were great and provided more of a personal touch.”

Lots of Music

“Having both worked as singers at weddings for the past decade (nearly two) we knew we wanted something a bit different. We also knew we wanted a LOT of musical entertainment.

“We had a fantastic string section for the ceremony, Sue Aston and her Classical Strings. They did some really fun arrangements of well known pop songs whilst guests were arriving.

“For the entrance piece we were lucky enough to have a very musical bunch of ushers and bridesmaids. The ushers joined Sue and the strings (on guitars and percussion), and we had a very elaborate and dramatic entrance where our bridesmaids walked down the aisle and then joined them by singing!

“At the drinks reception we wanted something fun musically, and something that people hopefully hadn’t seen before. We decided to go for a bluegrass style band that performed bluegrass versions of pop songs. We searched high and low for this – its hard to find, but we discovered Bluegrass Cover Boys. They created a really fun atmosphere! We had worried that it was a little OTT to have a band in this section of the day but we are really glad that we did.”

Finding a Taco Van in Cornwall is Tricky

“The Green Cornwall’s food was delicious! In the drinks reception we had mini Cornish pasties, and for the wedding breakfast we decided on a sit down meal. We chose three options for each course, and all of them looked delicious. It took us about three months to personally choose what we wanted to eat – it was a tough choice!

“One of our dream suppliers to find was a taco van for the evening. Living in California our go-to late evening snack these days is always tacos, and we really wanted to incorporate that into the wedding. However, finding a taco van in Cornwall was tricky. We found the amazing Wild Food Kitchen, with their quirky old French van, who put together a taco menu for us, and their food was delicious! We should mention though – tacos are somewhat messy for eating in a wedding dress!”

Pub Classics

“We work with many talented musicians, and originally wanted to give our friends and band mates a night off so they could just enjoy themselves. Some of our favourite nights out have been in pubs watching bands play music by Dire Straits, Eric Clapton etc, so we tried really hard to find a band who could do that. However, we couldn’t really find one we liked, so in the end we hired our own band, MIB, who performed an awesome set list of pub classics. We absolutely loved it! We also had a good friend Mike Butcher DJ, who is such a lovely person to work with!

“For our first dance we chose ‘She Keeps Me Warm’ by Mary Lambert, a song we used to listen to a lot when we first got together.

“We also had a fun Photo Booth, run by Caz and Laurence from Yellowbooth. They were such lovely people to have around and created a fun, silly atmosphere. We got some great photos! The booth was in the shape of a VW campervan, which we thought was adorable.”

Amazing Memories

“It was just an amazing day from start to finish. We are so glad we made such great choices with all our suppliers. Our family and friends were all amazing, helping out with everything, and the venue was just perfect.

“After the main ceremony we wanted to have more of a spiritual ceremony, so our good friend Anna Taylor led us in the most beautiful handfasting ritual. We worked together with her to create something bespoke and it was just gorgeous. It was very meaningful to have Anna there as she’s been a great friend and teacher to us for many years.

“Our favourite memories include our bridesmaids singing us down the aisle, the beautiful spiritual ceremony, and the band in the evening playing all our favourite songs. It was so special to have people there that we’ve worked with for so many years. Also, seeing each other for the first time!

“Our photographer, Matt, is an old friend and by far the most talented photographer we’ve ever met. He’s been our band photographer for many years and there is no way we would have had anyone else! Matt’s photos are amazing. He somehow makes us look so much better looking – not sure how he does that!

“We had our friend (and super duper professional MUA) Gina do our hair and make-up. She transformed us completely – even giving Francesca hair extensions as a surprise.

“Also our bridesmaids put together an amazing video for us as a surprise, featuring clips of our life together, friends who couldn’t make it, etc. That was really special.”

Go with the Flow

“It all goes by so fast, so try to be in it throughout the day… mindfulness techniques were very helpful. I kept reminding myself what I was doing in that present moment, i.e. ‘I am walking down the aisle’, ‘I am eating my wedding cake’. That was really helpful to keep the day from running away too quickly.

“Also, having worked with brides for so many years you’d think we would know this, but it’s so important to forget about the timings on the day. I always say this to our clients but still forgot this with our wedding – it was the one thing that was on both our minds throughout the day – worrying that things had run late. Lots of planning beforehand is a great idea, and then once the day comes let it go, and go with the flow.

“Finally, if you get the chance to go around the room and say thank you for coming to as many people as possible, try to do that. Francesca didn’t get a chance to, and I fell into it and somehow got around only half the room; we regret not being able to speak to everyone.”

Photography: Matt Pereira

Videographer: Cupcake Videos

Venue and Catering: The Green Cornwall

Sera’s Wedding Dress: Kite and Butterfly Dress from Luella’s Bridal

Francesca’s Wedding Dress: Sophia Tolli Dress from The Ozone

Sera’s Shoes: Irregular Choice

Francesca’s Shoes: ASOS

Sera’s Accessories: Green Necklace from Amy’s Leather Lane on Etsy

Francesca’s Accessories: Debenhams and Asos

Francesca’s Shrug: Hademade Laremi on Etsy

Groomsmen’s Suits: Hired from Debenhams

Bridesmaid Dresses: The Daint Yard on Etsy

Bouquets and Buttonhole Dried Flowers: English Flower Farmer on Etsy

All Other Flowers: Escential Blooms

Wedding Cake: Cakes By Magda

Spiritual Ceremony Celebrant: Anna Taylor

Taco Truck: Wild Food Kitchen

Stationery: DIY

Ceremony Music: Sue Aston and her Classical Strings

Drinks Reception Music: Bluegrass Cover Boys

Evening Band: MIB

DJ: Mike Butcher

Hair and Make-Up: Gina Dowle Makeup (Local hairdresser Victoria Wallace helped out with bridesmaids’ hair)

Signs: Paul Rigby Signs on Etsy

Photo Booth: Yellow Booth

This post A Fun and Romantic Wedding at The Green Cornwall first appeared on The Wedding Community Blog