themadisynhuang

[themadisynhuang]

Shoved. Shoved?! Laughable. Madi was tempted to shove this lady into the stand for real, so she had a comparison to match her clearly unhinged imagination. “As someone who’s actually been pushed, you should consider yourself lucky.” Not point in denying the allegations, because an accidental fall into someone standing still without anything better to do was clearly not going to be believed when she had this narrative about Madisyn. And who didn’t have a narrative about Madisyn Huang these days?! Her life was super hard when this is the shit she had to deal with when she dared to leave the house. “Listen, if you were a little bit nicer and not being some...hangry asshole, then I’d be nice and warn you about the maniacs who are known for actually shoving people into the river around here. But, you know what they say…you put out in the universe what you’re bound to receive!” Karmic justice, baby!

Spencer liked to think she had a whole lot of patience but this woman? Perfectly insufferable. "And following whatever the fuck the style trend is now is just as outdated." Both brows raised and eyes widened, Spencer's face turned into her version of an attempt at a threatening expression. It seemed fairly apparent then that the two of them might never find themselves eye-to-eye on anything. Both of them were obviously way too stubborn to be civil. She didn't want to answer the woman with any sort of truth but it felt like her only defense at that point. "In case you haven't noticed, there's not a seat open. It's a lunch rush and I was waiting for a table. Until you shoved me into the stand. — Why weren't you watching where you were going?" There was something familiar about her now, like she had seen her one, two, or a handful of times at least. Spencer didn't remember names as well as she did seating assignments on a plane but she could almost swear the stranger was someone she had encountered before. Perhaps with a better attitude then, since she certainly would've remembered her otherwise.

𝐅𝐎𝐑 — @themadisynhuang

[themadisynhuang]

The mentioning of the Roaring 20’s had been a total stab in the dark, Madisyn could admit, but she felt smug that her instincts on the bar’s ambience had been right on the money. “I went to a New Year’s Eve party back in 2019, all Gatsby themed, I’m sure a lot of places were doing this since we were going into the new-20’s, but I think you’d be one the few able to do it justice.” No harm in fluffing up Nathan’s ego now and then, was there? 

A giggle escaped her as his face matched the one she was sure was plastered on her own the night she had ended up trapped in the torture of local-nobodies wailing into the mic as they strummed their out-of-tune guitars. “Well, that’s what I’m here for. I can clock talent a mile away.” She just couldn’t clock liars and dirty cheats, as it seemed. “My Monday is so totes free.”

— @nathancrvne

A smirk curved his lips and he tilted his head in consideration. “That was the inspiration for the bar, actually.” The flapper get-up would be just as pleasant on her as the dancers' costumes, he was sure of it. “Maybe we'll make it the theme of our Christmas bash. The plan is to go all Gatsby with it, champagne towers and the like, you know.” It really wasn't a bad idea. He could already see the adverts. BLUE HARBOR'S OWN ROARING 20S. Lose yourself in a night of moonshine, jazz, and decadence. It would get people in the door at least.

Nathan made a face at the words ‘open mic night.’ “God, I can't think of anything more tragic.” It was the kind of thing Falvey would like, he was sure of it. You couldn't pay him enough to spend an evening wanting to rip off his own ears like that. “We've got some coming up next week. Monday. I want to keep the lineup from getting stale, but that's going to prove difficult if every act that shows up puts our audience to sleep.”

➥ tagging @themadisynhuang

[themadisynhuang]

Okay, so there were times where Madisyn’s affinity for the hyperbolic could get her in trouble. She created a career doing makeup tutorials, sharing wacky stories, and then combining the two for Heaven’s sake! But still, when asked point-blank if she was almost drowned at the hands of Jeanie, she really didn’t know how to respond, especially with the follow-up on reporting it to the proper authorities. 

She could back pedal, sure. Admit that it was more of a joint-river-fall event, but decided to revert to her classic move when in the face of adversary: deflection. “So many people just aren’t believed these days, and with the amount of crime rising in these parts they probably wouldn’t take my claims too seriously, especially with the lack of witnesses and all. They’d flip it into a she-said/she-said thing, y’know?” She shrugged, sighing deeply, like a labrador after a long day of being nothing more than a pampered pooch. “I bet you must have some stories! I’ve been, like, totes yammering on about myself all this time!” She laughed, the sound echoing amongst the trees bordering the hiking path.

The hike was meant to clear her mind, give her a little peace from her thoughts, and while Esra had expected it all to come by way of her actually figuring things out she instead received a distraction. Some might have been annoyed or put off, Esra actually enjoyed it and the influencer's openness to share so much. She hadn't needed a moment to put a word in and instead followed along silently, walking alongside Madisyn and soaked up drama that wasn't her own. In fact, her life was rather quiet at the moment and truthfully Esra was grateful.

"Really?" Esra actually paused and her hand gently grasped the other's arm to halt their walk as she turned to face Madisyn. There were some obvious exaggerations and embellishments in the storytelling, but Esra needed to be sure on this one. "She actually tried to drown you? How?" Maybe that wasn't important, or maybe she'd missed something. "Did you report this?" Even if she knew the likely response she still felt that if this wasn't nipped in the bud that it could get far out of hand.

[themadisynhuang]

“A zombie phase?” Madisyn was never good at hiding her face, and she knew the look it was currently pulling probably wasn’t the most respectful to a father gushing about his daughter. She seemed unique, quirky, but she supposed most kids were at that age. Madi assumed maybe her and Luke had that phase too, but she couldn’t remember details, and her parents didn’t notice her enough to even try and form those precious memories lost to time.

She didn’t know if perhaps some sort of tentative friendship was building between her and the carpenter. Maybe friendship was too strong a word, but it was nice, to not be outwardly hated or scoffed at. Maybe it was because he was a dad, but Rory seemed patient with her. She couldn’t shake the feeling that he’d get on with Jack, her gardener, and wondered if the two would ever cross paths here on the farm. “She’s an animal lover then? I’d totes have a big sit down conversation if she tries to do anything insane like…buy a farm in the middle of Illinois!”  Her bubbly laugh echoed around the still farmland, as if she was merely teasing. And she was…mostly. “Thanks Rory, so much. You’re legit an angel.”

[themadisynhuang]

“A zombie phase?” Madisyn was never good at hiding her face, and she knew the look it was currently pulling probably wasn’t the most respectful to a father gushing about his daughter. She seemed unique, quirky, but she supposed most kids were at that age. Madi assumed maybe her and Luke had that phase too, but she couldn’t remember details, and her parents didn’t notice her enough to even try and form those precious memories lost to time.

She didn’t know if perhaps some sort of tentative friendship was building between her and the carpenter. Maybe friendship was too strong a word, but it was nice, to not be outwardly hated or scoffed at. Maybe it was because he was a dad, but Rory seemed patient with her. She couldn’t shake the feeling that he’d get on with Jack, her gardener, and wondered if the two would ever cross paths here on the farm. “She’s an animal lover then? I’d totes have a big sit down conversation if she tries to do anything insane like…buy a farm in the middle of Illinois!”  Her bubbly laugh echoed around the still farmland, as if she was merely teasing. And she was…mostly. “Thanks Rory, so much. You’re legit an angel.”

Rory can’t help but laugh a little at the reminiscing Madisyn’s doing — Annie’s taken a liking to Barbies well enough, but. “She recently had a zombie phase, actually,” he admits, shaking his head in both exasperation and fondness. “I wish she’d’ve taken to Barbie hairstyle heads. Though I don’t suppose that would’ve been any less terrifying for me in the middle of the night,” he muses. “Either way, she’s a bundle of energy, yes,” he agrees, smiling slightly at the implication of Annie getting her hands dirty. It’s the right deduction, of course, but his smile has more to do with the memory of her digging excitedly into the dirt to weed flower beds with Jack than anything else. 

At Madisyn’s offer of having her come meet the llamas one-on-one, however, Rory’s smile widens marginally. “Yeah? She’d love that,” he admits. He also has the slight suspicion Annie would love Madisyn, purely because his daughter seems to thrive on the same sort of energy Madisyn seems to. She’s mentioned her before — the pretty lady from the farm — so he supposes it was only a matter of time before their paths crossed officially. “I’ll bring her by.”

He holds up his phone at her comment, nodding once as seriously as he can. “Annie and I won’t tell a soul,” he promises, then pauses. “Right, Annie might tell her pet wolves, but they’re made out of wood and not real, so you’ve got nothing to worry about on that front.” Another pause. “Oh, she’ll probably also tell our guinea pig. He’s real, but doesn’t talk, so.”

[themadisynhuang]

It was comments like this where Madisyn didn’t know whether there was genuine flirting, or if he was just humoring her. She didn’t mind either way — flattery was flattery regardless of intent — but it was just that bit harder to know where she stood with the club owner, to know what she could or couldn’t get away with. “Apart from my amazing, show stopping Halloween costume, the only one you’d ever get me in is if this place did like…a speakeasy night. There is just something about that 1920’s aesthetic. Would really fit this place too.” Why the hell did she choose to buy a farm when her calling was clearly some sort of event management at niche clubs?

The fact he took her talent scouting suggestion seriously had her confidence boosted, for a second. It wasn’t often that serious people regarded her on their level, after all. Shallow and vapid influencer, you don’t know how to make serious decisions…“Oh I can. I ended up trapped at some Open Mic night at one of the bars in Weaver Ridge not too long ago —,” The influencer pulled a face, conveying everything she felt about that night without words. “But I suppose, different clientele.” A polite way to put it. “So, when is the next round of auditions?” 

( @nathancrvne )

Her confidence pulled a genial laugh from him. No doubt she had something showstopping up her sleeve. Knowing Madisyn she probably would win, even if it was out of sheer determination to do so. He liked that about her. Her draw to the spotlight reminded him of himself sometimes. “Keeping things mysterious, eh? Hm. Well, I'll make sure to keep an eye on the paper then.”

A hand came to his chest and he clutched it, a mockingly wounded expression on his face over her dismissal. “That's a shame. You'd look rather fetching in some of the costumes. Then again, we wouldn't want the other dancers feeling outshone.” It was laying it on a bit thick, but the amusement twinkled in his eyes at the thought. The mischief leaked away after a second though, replaced by serious consideration. “That's not a bad idea actually.” Without his sister there to pass judgements, Nathan felt rather bereft of the opinions of those whom he actually valued. Madisyn certainly had the eye for it. “You wouldn't believe some of the ‘talent’ we get trying out.” The magician had been the least of it.

➥ tagging @themadisynhuang

[themadisynhuang]

Ugh, how patronizing. Madisyn leveled a glare at the woman, before glancing down at the shoes. “No wonder, they look like they were made out of cardboard.” She commented, throwing her a sarcastic smile. “If anything I improved them. Kitten heels are so 2007, y’know.” Normally, out in public, Madi tried to represent the farm. The people who were born to work and live off the land, relying on her keeping in the good graces of the other local businesses so they get their paychecks. Sure, she had influencer money still, but that only got her so far in terms of farm ownership.

But when spiteful little bitches decided to fuck around and find out, Madisyn was more than happy to get her claws out. “Why were you in my way? I’m sure loitering is considered a crime in these parts.” She wasn’t going to explain her paranoia due to her last trip to the diner, out of fear it’d be used against her somehow.

Waterway Diner was just one of several old haunts from Spencer's heyday. Of course, back then, all she could afford each week was a milkshake split amongst her and a few of her siblings after they'd pooled their earnings from mowing the lawns and babysitting the children of wealthier neighborhoods. Now, she could afford a shake and fries. Again, given her upbringing, it was a pretty revolutionary stuff. Her eyes had been locked down at her phone, scanning her coming flight schedule, when she felt a forceful shove that sent her straight into the host counter. A clear snap sounded through the backdrop of light chattering, as she felt her ankle wobble and the short heel of her shoe break off. "Are you kidding me?" she scoffed beneath her breath before turning to face the perpetrator who had pushed her.

"Babe–" And she was, in all fairness, just that. "You're the one who broke my shoe, and you're gonna be the first to say something about it? Why didn't you watch where you were going?" Spencer was thoroughly annoyed but not quite as angry as she could have been.

[themadisynhuang]

Buffy the Vampire Slayer 2.05 — "Reptile Boy"

[themadisynhuang]

[themadisynhuang]

— forest lake hiking trail. ft. esra akkaya ( @esratakkaya )

One of the things Madisyn missed the most about Los Angeles was the hiking trails. Sure, you could really hike just about anywhere, but the lack of extreme cold weather in California meant it could easily be a year-round activity. Here in Illinois, there was a limited window that was about to shut any day now as the temperatures dropped, and so Madi took it upon herself to explore the greater Forest Lake area. 

Halfway on her trail, she bumped into another hiker — Elsie or Effie or something — and any peace to be found in nature went out of the window as Madi just talked. She spoke of the farm, of the things she missed about home, the difficulties she faced since coming to Blue Harbor, including her mutual disdain with the bitch from Aurora, Jeanie. “You think I'm being paranoid but the truth is I'm worth a lot more to her dead than alive." Which was a touch dramatic, but the influencer’s perspective nonetheless. “Literally…she tried to drown me the other day.”

[themadisynhuang]

— waterway diner. ft. spencer sutton ( @pensutton )

Since the incident with Jeanie, Madisyn had been giving Waterway Diner a wide berth. Her fear of water had only spiked, and truly she was scared that the grubby little bartender was going to get her paws on her again, finish what she started. But still, the craving for a greasy burger and a creamy milkshake had overpowered her fears, and there was truly nothing like local and homemade. Maybe it was something about this place; the fast food restaurants didn’t just taste the same here. 

Still, her journey from the parking lot to the entrance had her paranoia in overdrive, checking over her shoulder every ten seconds, too focused on who could be behind her that she didn’t even consider who or what was in front of her. Colliding with someone, she screeched, frowning at the woman. “What are you doing — just standing there like that?” She commanded, letting her anger mask her pure terror.

[themadisynhuang]

There were limited places in Blue Harbor that Madisyn felt welcome in. True, she guessed she kind of brought it upon herself, but it wasn’t her fault that small-town people tended to be so…small-minded when face to face with a city girl such as herself. Sometimes she doubted why she was even staying somewhere that was so unwelcome to her, and wondered if she’d just cut her losses, sell the farm, and head back to LA to face the music.

Crave & Co was one of the few places that didn’t make her feel like a total outcast. And when she craved (ha! See what she did there?) a bit of human company, when the big wise eyes of the llamas weren’t enough, she’d come here, sitting on a table poised and ready to go, praying anyone would feel captivated enough to engage in conversation. There had been little success thus far: either people flat out ignored her or the types of people who approached her were either creeps or former fans blatantly telling her shit that ten years ago would have only been whispered in the comment sections of heavily moderated forums. At least they had the guts to do it, as much as it stung. But today, the fates decided to shine down on her. 

She had just ordered her usual, leaning against the counter when someone called her name. The face was recognizable as the old hotel manager she’d cross paths with when in Chicago for various conventions — because anyone that hot should have been doing more than working in a hotel — and was grateful when he immediately gave her his name. Hunter. “Oh my God, hi!” She ignored the handshake in favor of a hug, grinning at him and pointedly ignoring his question. “It’s been so long. You here visiting?” And without further invitation, slid into the available seat next to his.

who: Hunter & @themadisynhuang where: Crave & Co

Upon his official move back to Blue Harbor, Crave & Co quickly became a staple part of Hunter's post-work routine. When he was in college, he'd hole up in bed after a night shift, blackout curtains acting as the thin veil between Hunter and the outside world. But there was something about a fully developed frontal lobe that demanded consistency and a transition between working and sleeping states. Lately, that transition has included fresh croissants and tea, an hour or two of enjoying the sleepy town at dawn. Hell, some days he even read the morning paper at the little marble bistro table.

This morning, though, he settled for people watching... code for zoning out as he pulled apart the flaky pastry. His earl grey was too hot to drink yet, and just as Hunter was stirring the milk in, he spotted a familiar face. "Madisyn?" he asked, standing and smiling at the influencer. She'd been a regular at the Four Seasons when he worked there, and she'd always been nice enough... if not a little high-maintenance. But Hunter didn't mind running to get ice a couple times a night, or an extra-fluffy bathrobe, or whatever it was his guests wanted-- especially not when they would permeate his long nights with good conversation. "What are you doing here? I thought you were a California girl?" he grinned, sticking out his hand to shake hers. "Hunter Vora. You probably don't recognize me without my suit and tie."

[themadisynhuang]

Whilst Nathan didn’t exactly ask more about Madi’s costume for the rave, she still found herself feeling surprisingly bashful to answer. Suddenly a witch — chosen with purpose because classics were classics for a reason — seemed too basic, too juvenile. The club owner had this air of authority “I do. Suppose you’ll see it splashed on the front pages when I inevitably win the costume contest.” The bravado wasn’t necessarily needed in this current moment, but she didn’t doubt with her resources she’d outshine the entire rave.

She scoffed at the comment of influencers pivoting to show business, even if it was moreso a fact of life at this point. And how Madisyn did indeed spend the early days of her career trying to transition to the silver screen. “Please, you wouldn’t be able to afford me.” The influencer proclaimed. “Ooh, maybe I can help you with the auditions though? I’ve been told I’m a mega judgmental bitch, and I hate magicians.” Really, a perfect job for her would be to examine the talent on offer.

— @nathancrvne

She couldn't be blamed. Halloween was never much more than an excuse to drink for Nathan; none of the nostalgia others seemed to hold for it lingered within him. “I know what you mean,” he mused. New York was in the same vein. His sister threw an annual masquerade ball for the holiday, ‘the afterlife of the party’. A raucous affair made up of hypnotising lights, music, and themed cocktails filled with expensive liquor. He had fond memories of getting lost in dark corners with illicit company. Missing it sparked a twinge of regret. It was hard to imagine anything coming close in a dinky little town like this, though he supposed a rave was a start.

But she was right. Christmas would be worse, no doubt.

“A costume contest, eh? I suppose you have something lined up then?” He swirled his glass around, then leaned back with a sigh. “Business is good. We're auditioning for more acts though and frankly it's beginning to make me question my sanity. If I have to sit through one more shit magician...” He shook his head despairingly. “Maybe you should drop in, bring us some of that LA sparkle. Isn't it law out there that you all have to get involved in show business at some point in your career?”

➥ tagging @themadisynhuang

[themadisynhuang]

"maybe the problem is you" oh the problem is definitely me, next question

[themadisynhuang]

@ftgrace

PRETTY LITTLE LIARS 7.17 — Driving Miss Crazy

[themadisynhuang]

ABIGAIL 2024 | dir. Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett

[themadisynhuang]