#[ tbh .. just an excuse to tell people to listen to these swell tunes ]

[rocksteadydeadboy]

📻🙾 [charles as ska/punk lyrics] 🙾📻

playlist [ here on youtube ] or on desktop view of this blog! just some random lyrics that remind me of the lad (not 100% ska or punk songs but for the most part!)

[ 📀 for songs i think fit best / my faves, 💿 for the rest lol ]

📀 The Selecter - Washed Up And Left For Dead

[ basically the entire song lol ] but I like these in particular:

He was washed up and left for dead Nobody told him he was just not wanted It got so cold after midnight

Night after night he's out biting the pavement Hurt his hands clapping for the group He can't dance, but he can certainly cause trouble

📀 The English Beat - Tears Of A Clown

[ full lyrics ]

Now if there's a smile on my face It's only there tryin’ to fool the public But when it comes down to foolin’ you Now, honey, that's quite a different subject

📀 X-Ray Spex - Germfree Adolescents

[ full lyrics ] a song for edwin!

I know you're antiseptic Your deodorant smells nice I'd like to get to know you You're deep frozen like the ice

[His] phobia is infection [He] needs one to survive It's [his] built-in protection Without fear [he'd] give up and die

📀 Amanda Lear - Follow Me

[ full lyrics ] tbh just here so i could have a song for the cat king. entire lyrics apply i love this song

I'll sell you dreams and new desires, I'm trading hopes, I'm open late

Unbelievable, maybe / You'll have a new identity For a second of vanity, I want to change your destiny

I'll give you wings, I'll sell you fame, merry-go-round maybe to Hell I am the key to your problem, so follow me, just follow me

📀 The Specials - Hey Little Rich Girl

[ full lyrics ] a song for crystal (and david the demon)

You left for London When you were nineteen Had to pull off your nice clothes Just living on dreams A man in the bright lights Took all that you own Now he's taken your freedom For a fate unknown

📀 The Business - Another Rebel Dead

[ full lyrics ] another charles gets murdered song :(

They say he killed himself But it was someone else His name was on their list And now he don't exist He didn't stand a chance Upon his grave they dance They were determined to blow him out

📀 Madness - It Must be Love

[ full lyrics ] another edwin song codependent king

As soon as I wake up every night, every day I know that it's you I need to take the blues away

I've got to be near you every night, every day I couldn't be happy any other way

📀 The Specials - It Doesn't Make It Right

[ full lyrics ] 'these cases have to matter', etc

Just because you're nobody It doesn't mean that you're no good Just because there's a reason It doesn't mean it's understood

It doesn't make it alright It doesn't make it alright It's the worst excuse in the world And it, it doesn't make it alright

💿 X-Ray Spex - I Can't Do Anything

[ full lyrics ] this one is a bit on the nose

I can't read / And I can't spell / I can't even get to hell I can't love / And I can't hate / I can't even hesitate

💿 The Toasters - Don't Let The Bastards Grind You Down

[ full lyrics ] mostly here for vibes

I'm living in a world where I don't really fit Every day walking through the same old shit I'm gonna get my gun, gonna get prepared I'm not impressed and I'm not scared

💿 Fishbone - Everyday Sunshine

[ full lyrics ] a bit of a niko song as well

I wish everyday the sun would shine Take me to another place in my mind Where everything is beautiful

If we could fly away on wings To a place where all could be true And the skies were blue And love was true

💿 Special Interest - Don't Kiss Me In Public

[ full lyrics ] charles & crystal song #CuteDistraction

Why don't you kiss me in public? And smear your lipstick all on my cheek Boo hoo won't cry for heartless cinema Boo hoo don't cry for you and me

💿 Angelic Upstarts - Never Return To Hell

[ full lyrics ] another overly literal pick lol

Never return to hell Hey boys, quite enough to fulfill the final blow One day all your games will come to an end

💿 Tamar-kali - Boot

[ full lyrics ] another charles & crystal song, i just like this line

She is sweet tasting fruit whose juice is bitter tears

💿 The Oppressed - Do Anything You Wanna Do

[ full lyrics ] mostly for the vibes

Why don't you ask them what they expect from you ? Why don't you tell them what you're gonna do You get so lonely, maybe it's better that way It's not you only, 'cause you got something to say Do anything you wanna do

💿 Angelic Upstarts - Never 'Ad Nothin'

[ full lyrics ] also just here for vibes!

I'm gonna go up in a puff of smoke I wanna go up in a puff of smoke (2x) If I'm goin' out I'm takin' some of you fucks with me!

💿 The English Beat - Mirror In The Bathroom

[ full lyrics ] that's right another codependent payneland song

Mirror in the bathroom, please talk free The door is locked, just you and me Can I take you to a restaurant that's got glass tables? You can watch yourself while you are eating

💿 The Specials - Do Nothing

[ full lyrics ] lastly! another depressing one lol. perhaps charles thoughts on being dead in ep 4

They're just living in a life without meaning I walk and walk, do nothing They're just playing in a life without thinking They talk and talk, say nothing I'm just living in a life without feeling

[spideyxchelle]

HERE IS A HEADCANON BASED ON THIS SONG. HERE IS SOME PETER AND MJ IN THE SCHOOL MUSICAL NONSENSE THAT NO ONE ASKED FOR BUT I AM GIVING YOU ANYWAY. boom.

this headcanon NEEDS you to listen to the music along with it. or else it’s weird. I promise. 

peter has always been a good singer. and, since the whole Spider-man thing, a pretty kickass dancer. and since his body can do all kinds of fun shit now, he likes to spend some time after decathlon practice in the empty gym, his signature earbuds in, and he dances his heart out. spinning, turning, jumping, kicking. feeling the music. he doesn’t feel constrained by his body. it’s an incredible, weird sensation. 

his after-school dance time (when he isn’t out on patrol) is freeing, but it doesn’t last. his private time gets exposed. he dances his heart out, giving everything he has, to an ACDC song. and when the percussion hits, ending the song, his chest heaves heavy with exhaustion and pride and happiness. 

until he hears the vague sound of clapping from behind him.

HE FREEZES. and slooooowly turns around. Michelle “MJ” Jones is standing in the two open doors of the gym, watching him. 

he gulps and asks, “what’re you doing here?” “i got held up after practice,” she says, brushing off his question and asking her own, “where’d you learn to do that?” Peter’s face heats up, “I just like to dance....I’m a natural learner, I guess?” “bullshit....but the school musical could use your skills, Parker.” “THE SCHOOL MUSICAL???” he yelps. “yep,” she shrugs, “think about it.”

and then, like she was never even there, MJ is gone. Peter sits dumbfounded on the bleachers of a long time before a buzz from his phone startles him out his thoughts. it’s Mr. Stark telling him to get going for his patrol.

but the thing is even patrol can’t stop him from thinking. he always liked musicals growing up. uncle ben and aunt may used to do two-man re-enactments of les mis and rent and wicked during his childhood. ben was always the beautiful soprano, aunt may was ben’s brooding love interest. he remembered how the music made him feel. how those moments made him feel. 

so the next day, he finds MJ at her locker and says without waiting for her to acknowledge him, “I’ve never acted before in my life.” “doesn’t matter,” she says, not missing a beat, “you lie all the time, Parker. its the same thing.” he stumbles and tries to come up with an excuse, a reason why he isn’t always lying. but it falls flat and, besides, MJ doesn’t care. she just lifts her hand and says, “I don’t care what you’re hiding. if you can dance and even kind of sing it’ll be an improvement from last year’s musical.” 

Peter vaguely remembers the sophomore musical-- Guys and Dolls-- being basically unwatchable. but the new drama teacher has visions of grandeur and seems excited to breathe some life into a risky production. or so MJ says. he would believe anything she said when it came to theatre anyway. everybody knew MJ wanted to be an actress and NOBODY (noooobody) knew more about theatre than MJ. nobody. musicals weren’t really her passion, she wanted to dive deep into Chekov and Shakespeare but high schools only really did Shakespeare and she took what opportunities she could get. besides, from what peter could remember, MJ had a sweet, lilting voice. 

without her asking, Peter tells her, “I’m gonna audition.” “I don’t care what you do.” but he’s pretty sure he spots a ghost of a smile on MJ’s face as she stalks away to class.

May helps him the week leading up to the audition. he’s never fucking HEARD of Finding Neverland before. he’s pretty sure that Johnny Depp did the movie a million years ago and it has something to do with Peter Pan. but they don’t get down to Manhattan a lot to see stuff on Broadway. so he’s not sure what exactly the tone of the musical was, whenever it was on. they find the soundtrack online and May swoons over the guy from Glee. it’s all really embarrassing. but he figures the music is big and romantic. 

and so May tells him that he should sing something just like that. so he does.

dressing in his nicest science-pun shirt, he waits in the wings for his audition on the day. everyone before him is not great. they sing too loud or too out-of-tune or its too dramatic and peter finds himself flinching with each try. 

but then, again like she was never even THERE, MJ slinks by Peter and steps on the stage when her name is called. he’s not sure why but he perks up at the start of her audition. 

she nods at the piano and something sad but serene pours out of the keys. MJ doesn’t move much when she sings. she stands and her face is subtle. she’s not throwing her hands or holding herself tight like this is some dramatic piece. there is a surrender, an acceptance about the song she’s singing. 

he takes a step forward, like everything about her is drawing him into her orbit. her mouth has a quirked kind of smile as she sings about feeling kind of funny that any boy but especially the boy she likes would ever like her. because she’s not pretty or smart enough or good enough. and he’s shaking his head. because doesn’t she know she’s great?? and then he has to remind himself its just a song.

but...but...it touches him. in a way he’s surprised by. 

the song swells and MJ takes the slightest step forward. it feels like she’s made some GRAND gesture. a small show of emotion, an insight into who she is. and then the song slows and she’s singing “isn’t it funny....isn’t it funny.....for a moment he convinced me I could be pretty............” and then heartbreakingly she adds “funny”. 

there is silence once she’s done. AND THEN OUTRAGEOUS APPLAUSE. peter barely notices he’s clapping, too. fuck. 

she rolls her eyes at the applause but she does seem pleased. when she gets off stage peter almost wants to tell her she’s great but she’s gone before he gets the chance. 

he’s still so STARSTRUCK by her performance that he almost misses his name. they call it three times before he crosses on stage with a litany of apologies. and then, he starts to sing. 

it’s easy and romantic and he’s got a boyish charm to him (or that’s what Aunt May says at least). this whole song is him going back and forth anxious and nervous. it plays right into his brand. and he gets to really sing a little. which he likes. and then the music gets quiet. and he starts singing “i didn’t know she mattered to me but now I can see she does” and his eyes can’t help himself. he looks toward where MJ walked off. he tries to shake it off. but its hard. 

he’s surprised when the song is over, tbh. and even more surprised when the drama teacher stands and claps. he bounces a little, proud of what he did. he gives an awkward bow and runs off stage.

he goes on patrol that night with a HUGE grin on his face. and the flicker of MJ’s voice in his head. because wow. they’ve been friends, real friends, for almost a year now. after Vulture he tried to calm down with ditching things and then MJ trusted him enough to hang out. but he’d never seen her like that. not really. she was magnetic. really, freakin’ magnetic. which, AHEM, was totally her acting. yeeeeeep. 

the surprises don’t end, though, when the next day at school the cast list drops and Peter sees his name next to J.M. Barrie. the lead. cooooool cool cool cool. he’s panicking. A LITTLE. and the panic doesn’t subside when he looks at the name beneath him: Michelle Jones -  Sylvia Llewelyn Davies.

he doesn’t know much about the musical but he knows they’re the love story. and he’s half-terrified and half-thrilled.

when rehearsals start he realizes its not just a romance but an EPIC romance. about two people who become friends and then trip face first in love. which is stressful. for reasons. REASONS he doesn’t want to talk about. 

lucky for them the first two and a half weeks of the four week rehearsal period are dealing with ensemble numbers, which there are a lot. and they dance. they dance so much. and when they aren’t dancing Peter is struggling to learn his lines and work on his solos. he only really sings a few things MJ. two to be exact. and only the one in act two is romantic. but the one in acting two is ROMANTIC with a capital R. 

and they’re working through the show chronologically. so it doesnt start to get awkward until the very end. and, even more, because they’re a high school production. they’re very behind schedule. so a week out from the show’s opening night. they’re staging THE BIG NUMBER. 

and its weird because in the last few weeks peter thinks he and MJ have been flirting. or well, their version of flirting. which is peter smiling big at her and bringing her favorite tea to rehearsal and MJ knocking into him with her shoulder. and that little small contact shouldn’t make his whole day but it does. because, what did his song say?  “i didn’t know she mattered to me but now I can see she does” and its true. because its getting harder and harder day by day to ignore how much she means to him. 

which makes the song, WHAT YOU MEAN TO ME, terrifying. because he’s not even said those words to her yet. and now he’s expected to sing them. 

the song is memorized, the dialogue too. they don’t have a lot of time to workshop it. so their director just tells them to feel it out with each other. she trusts their instincts or some shit. and peter feels like she’s teasing them. like she knows. but the song is quiet and intimate and doesn’t need a lot of staging. he knows he just has to look in her eyes and he finds he doesn’t want to, he’s afraid of what he’ll see there.

so the piano starts and peter looks everywhere but at her. MJ groans and the pianist stops and the director climbs on stage.

she grabs the two teenagers by their upper arms and says gently, like she’s trying not to frighten teenagers just coming into adult feelings, “this doesn’t have to be loud or grand, okay? this moment in the play is about when feelings. and feelings are real and intense...and scary. don’t shy away from the scary. sometimes the best things are.”

the director nods at the pianist and he hears the piano start. slow and cautious. 

peter faces MJ, takes a deep breath and starts to sing “standing here, all at once, all the words run dry” ....he sees MJ make a decision and she steps in toward him but not quite touching him and she sings “something’s changed, can’t explain and I can’t deny” Peter takes another and sings back “turning in circles and blurring the lines the unspoken is calling us tonight”

and the piano waits. there is nothing but silence between them. he knows he’s holding his breath. he knows she is too. and then, together, they take the final step that has their faces mere inches from one another and together they sing “i won’t lie i’m a little bit frightened of my imagination, i swear I’ll try but I’m feeling enlightened you’re my inspiration” the music keeps going and they keep singing. but they don’t move. they just stand facing each other barely touching. 

the chorus ends and Peter lifts his hand barely brushing a curl off her face and then he attempts to cup it before he sings alone, “every word and every sentence, nothing seems to make a difference, nothing can explain just what you mean to me.” MJ closes her hand over his and he’s ashamed that he shutters “every shape and all the colors, all the love from all the lovers never could express just what you mean to me” 

they go back and forth singing together until the music travels off alone. they don’t sing. they just stand there and sing “turning in circles and blurring the lines.” the piano hits three sharp chords and Peter feels something in him snap. he grabs for her waist, he pulls her close and MJ grips his forearm. their foreheads touch, their eyes close and together they sing, “i won’t lie...I’m a little bit frightened of my imagination I swear I’ll try but I’m feeling enlightened but you’re my inspiration..” 

and the song starts to wind down. their eyes open but they don’t even dare move their foreheads away from each other. they want to be touching. they want to be close and in unison they sing “every star that’s ever fallen...knows the way to where we’re going...now I really know just what you mean to me.....” 

as the piano trails off, Peter tucks a hair behind MJ’s ear and kisses her. she makes the smallest surprised noise in the back of her throat but then she’s gripping the forearm she’s holding on to and leaning into the kiss. 

it’s quiet. the music is done. and they’re still kissing. slow and earnest. 

peter pulls away first and brushes his nose against hers. sweet and urgent. she smiles and he thinks he might have died. because her smile slays him. 

an awkward throat cough echoes in the auditorium. they don’t let go of each other but they both turn their heads to the side. 

their director is there standing next to the blushing freshman pianist. ONLY THEN does Peter have the wherewithal to let go of MJ. he backs away from her. and cracks a guilty grin. his voice hitches, “good?”

MJ playfully smacks his arm. but the director laughs and nods, “good. but a small kiss would suffice. no need to makeout after, Mr. Parker...Miss Jones.”