under the lights

Carina Westwood. Amy Roberts. Dependent Muses for 2000sfm. Penned by Mandy

[msmarvel]

[luthienne]

“I make my bed every morning. / I don’t know where to start / so I start with the bed. / Then I fall to my knees against it.”

— Katie Ford, If You Have To Go: Poems; “The Addresses”

[scullys]

[trustfundandpunishers]

if avery got invited to any more fucking cocktail parties they swore they were going to let the family agent go. like, come on! they were doing a buffy reboot, not a martin scorsese film— did they really need to be partying so hard to promote a show that already had a million seasons up on disney plus? sitting by the bar, by themselves, they were contemplating either getting another drink or straight up leaving. it was until they felt eyes on them— not any eyes, a familiar-ish face. “if you’re going to stare, at least buy me a drink.” 

[ncstalgics]

Amy used to be comfortable with the eyes, the stares, the cameras. When the world was blurred around her except to whatever it was she had to do, it was a natural thing to just let it be. But nowadays, when she'd felt alone and bare in front of the world outside of her front door, the eyes never felt so piercing. "Hey, I get it," she assured them, "I'll buy you a drink anyway. I think we both need it."

[peaksfm]

               they  scoff  loudly,  making  sure  everyone  around  them  can  hear  it  as  the  magazine  falls  onto  the  table  with  a  loud  smack.  nose  is  wrinkled  in  disgust,  arms  crossing  over  their  stomach  as  the  steam  from  their  cup  continues  to  evaporate  in  the  air.  “  these  tabloids  are  so  wrong.  i'd  never  get  caught  dead  in  a  jc  penny,  first  of  all.  do  you  look  at  me  and  expect  me  to  mosey  around  a  fucking  jc  penny  ?  ”

[ncstalgics]

"Absolutely not," Carina's voice was crass and filled with venom to spite the accuser of such an atrocity, "You know the people who are saying that are either jealous of your cred... or they hate girls, gays, and theys." Which, two thoughts could become one in such a scenario. There was hardly a thing to be done about tabloids and what they had to say about powerful actors and other stars. Carina would know more than most, as she had to work to the bone to gain some kind of control over her narrative. "Here, let's go shopping and post about it on our stories," she offered, pulling out her phone to check the latest 99+ notifications, "at least then you can hear a lie about yourself that you might not mind."

[anxhoredheart]

closed starter for @ncstalgics {{ carina }}

retail therapy, vent sesh, reality check.

robertson boulevard was busy && bustling as ever, a peep of sunshine bringing light to the clash of warm && cool shades as the seasons began a gradual shift. fashion always moved at a pace a little before it's own time; and in his little bubble, ziggy was oblivious to most everything. " my mom would kill me dead on the spot if she saw an image of me online sporting allsaints. " ziggy snorted, shaking his head as they passed by the storefront. " i need something to eat, and i... i need your advice. again. " there it came, the admission, and a little sheepish smirk to follow it up.

[ncstalgics]

"Don't ask me where I'd be if I listened to my mom," she snickered. Carina's mother was very much a ghost that haunted her nightmares. Often, her insecure thoughts, if any were to arise, took the shape of who she thought her mother must look like. Sometimes she would imagine her fight choreo opponents as the good-for-nothing parent in order to evoke emotion in a fight. Imagining punching her in the face was better than therapy anyway, and so was sipping mimosas and secrets over a brunch plate. "I only give you advice over food," she retorted, not to condemn the action, but as a friendly reminder that some things never do really change, "What did you do this time? Am I going to have to fend off Charlie again? Not that I mind, I find it kinda funny."

[aftercure]

 he's  been  stuffing  his  hands  into  his  pockets  for  the  past  three  minutes  while  the  other  was  talking  ,  or  so  he  thought  they  were  talking  until  he  realized  the  silence  .  “  keep  going  ,  i  promise  i  am  listening  to  you  i  just  need  to  find  my  vap-  ”  and  just  as  he  finally  looks  up  ,  the  miami  mint  elf  bar  is  slightly  peaking  under  the  stack  of  scripts  he  laid  down  .  “  nevermind  .  which  line  are  we  at  ?  ”  he  brings  the  script  closer  to  him  together  with  his  vape  as  the  male  goes  through  the  pages  ,  trying  to  find  the  last  words  he  practiced  .

[ncstalgics]

One thing Carina would always refuse to do is talk when no one is listening. She viewed her own voice and thoughts as worth more than all the gold in the world, a typically arrogant thought that ran through her mind. Perhaps it was the overcompensation of feeling like the scum on the bottom of one's shoe in her childhood, but now was not the time for therapy. When one would stop listening to her, she would simply stop speaking, and so that is what she did, legs crossed in rhinestone studded jeans, fresh white and peach colored nike's gently gracing the floor. "Come on, dude, it's high school musical," she sighed, "It's like dialogue at a third grade level, this can't be that hard to memorize." With Ricky, it was either play along or make a one of those bad mistakes, or whatever it is that people called her decisions. "Maybe I'm just too distracting for you," she said rather confidently as her spine straightened in her seat.

[anatsaja]

[bob-belcher]

[noxxlumina]

[ncstalgics]

hc + 📔 for a reading-themed headcanon

hc + for a reading-themed headcanon

Sometimes Carina reads a bit before bed if she doesn't have anything better to do, but it's always a smutty novel. Always. She thinks books are kinda boring if there's no destination for all that character tension and build-up.

Amy is mostly reading therapy books, mostly some that have some kind of journal component to it. It's really helping her process some of those harder moments when she's alone and there's not really any noise to soften the hurt.

[ncstalgics]

☎️ ocean + amy

NAME: Ocean

RINGTONE: My Love is Your Love by Whitney Houston 

PICTURE: See Image Here  

LAST TEXT RECEIVED: (from Ocean) Are you gonna come to set tomorrow? 

LAST TEXT SENT: Of course! I wouldn't miss it for the world. You got this. 

[ncstalgics]

☎️ ricky + carina

NAME: Wildcat

RINGTONE: Bet on It from the OG HSM 2 Soundtrack

PICTURE: See image here

LAST TEXT RECEIVED: (from Wildcat) you're not on set?

LAST TEXT SENT: I'm waiting to make my grand entrance. It's cute that you care tho. 

[ncstalgics]

☎ carina

NAME: Mahalia

RINGTONE: How You Like That by BLACKPINK 

PICTURE: See image here

LAST TEXT RECEIVED: (from Mahalia) Have you seen Ricky?

LAST TEXT SENT: I'm flattered that you think he'd follow me like a lost puppy, but no 

[ncstalgics]

☎ ( carina + mickey :^)) )

NAME: Mick😉

RINGTONE: "Oops! ... I Did It Again" by Britney Spears

PICTURE: 

LAST TEXT RECEIVED: (from Mick😉) wyd?

LAST TEXT SENT: are you "you up"-ing me right now?

[ncstalgics]

hc + 💯 ( for amy )

hc + 💯 an achievement-themed headcanon

It's hard to feel like you've achieved all of those super unattainable things you never thought would happen only to suddenly start lower than where you began. That's how Amy feels all the time. She's essentially rebuilding her career from, what feels like, scratch. She doesn't even know if she wants to get back to where she was before.

[ncstalgics]

hc + ⏳( for carina )

hc + ⏳ for a time-themed headcanon

Carina loves herself a good grace period. She will be as late as she possibly can just so everyone has to look at her when she is the last person to walk into the room.