#I WILL BE SEATED FOR SHREK 5

[authenticcadence18]

I wonder how much money Toy Story 5 will make

[mayoiayasep]

oh theyre like??? actually making a shrek 5???

[goodbuckcharlie]

I made it | Jack Hughes

Summary: Jack was Lucy’s first love, they dated in high school but broke up when Jack left for the NHL. After a long debate with a certain older Hughes brother, Lucy decided to invite Jack to her broadway debut, but she didn’t expect him to actually show up.

Warnings: cussing

Notes: well I know I said I would work on the Cole story but I’m kinda stuck rn and this idea came to me. It’s a little shorter than I hoped but I think this one may be my favorite. Also italics means it’s a flash back

Lucy doesn’t even know what she’s doing. She just got the news that she landed her dream role as Elphaba on broadway. Her high school dream just in arms reach. Her thumb floats over his caller id.

Jacky💕

She never had the heart to delete his contact. Not even the guts to change his name. Despite him breaking her heart, he was the one who supported her dreams the most.

It was opening night of her Senior musical. The school musical was Shrek and Lucy was playing Fiona. She kept looking in the crowd, hoping to see a glimpse of her parents, but every time she looked she slowly lost hope. But that dread was quickly replaced with joy as she saw her boyfriend and his family take their seats in the front row. Ellen and Jim were dressed up nice, Jack was dressed nice as well, but his hair definitely shows that he just got out of the shower after practice. Luke on the other hand, let’s just say Lucy was just happy he was there.

At the end of the performance, as she took her bow, Jack was cheering for her so loud that you would have thought he was at a sporting event. Lucy couldn’t help, but blush. Well as much blushing she can do under her green face paint.

Once the curtains close, Lucy rushes out of her costume to see Jack as soon as possible. When she leaves the theater room, she is greeted by Jack holding a bouquet of sunflowers, her favorite flowers.

“You came!!” She pulls Jack into a hug who quickly saved the flowers from being smushed by raising them above his head. He laughs at her excitement.

“Of course I made it.” He kisses her forehead before looking in her eyes, “I’m your number one fan.”

She couldn’t bring herself to call him, but part of her knew she needed to tell someone from that time of her life.

“Hello, who is this?” Of course he didn’t have her number saved.

“This was a bad idea, I shouldn’t have called.” She goes to hang up, but luckily, Quinn recognizes her voice.

“Lucy?! What’s wrong?” She takes a deep breath, before talking to Quinn.

“I’m sorry to bother you Quinn, I just need to tell someone , but I couldn’t bring myself to call him, not after how we left things off.” Lucy holds in her tears.

“Hey you may not be with him anymore, but you are still like a little sister to me.” Quinn’s words brought comfort to Lucy, calming her down. “You can always talk to me.”

One last deep breath, Lucy lets it all go. “Quinn, I’m going to be on broadway.”

“Wait for real!? This is amazing Lulu.”She smiles at the use of the nickname she hasn’t heard for a long time. “What date is opening night, I’ll totally buy a ticket to see it.”

“March 6th, but I already checked your schedule, and you are busy Mr. Captain.” Since this was the first time she talked to Quinn since the break up, it’s the first time she has called him captain. “But it would be knowing someone in the crowd was there for me, besides my brother.”

“You know someone who doesn’t play that day and would drop anything to see you.” She knows exact who she’s talking about.

“No Quinn, I doubt Jack wants to see me after 5 years. He has better things to do.” She still can’t believe it has been this long. “He was the one who broke up with me remember?”

“He misses you Lulu.” She shakes her head in disbelief. She’s seen Jack’s public life, he’s dated other girls, he’s out partying with his friends on the off season, and most importantly he is being successful in the NHL. “You have no idea how many time I’ve been on phone with Jack basically having this exact conversation. Every important game he calls me asking if he should invite you. I always tell him yes, but evidently he never goes through with it.”

“I’ve actually been to a few games believe it or not, last game I went to was the infamous Hughes bowl.” She couldn’t afford the lower bowl seats, but even in the nose bleeds she was supporting Jack, the Hughes brothers.

“Never let Jack know that, he’ll get so upset that you paid to watch him play. Knowing him he would try and figure out how much you spent in total, then would pay you back.” She laughs knowing that would exactly what Jack would do.

“He would also get mad if he knew I bought my own jersey.” She looks over in her closet and sees her number 86 Devils jersey that almost taunts her. “I wear it every game day.”

The two are silent for a little bit before Quinn speaks up. “What if I buy Jack a ticket and send it to him. I won’t tell him about this conversation. He can decide for himself if he goes or not but I can guarantee once he sees that you are performing, he will drop everything to see you.”

“I can’t tell you what to do with your money Quinn , but I can ask that you don’t waste your money.”

“How about this, we make a bet, the Lucy I remember always loved a good bet,” Lucy was very competitive in high school (she still is competitive but she would never tell anyone about that) “If Jack goes, you have to give him another chance . If he doesn’t go, I will never bother you about Jack again.”

“You know what you have a deal.” After making the deal, the two stay on the phone catching up for an hour. They talk about how the team is doing, how Ellen and Jim are and how much they also miss Lucy. They also talked about how Lucy got the role. Overall, Lucy was just glad to talk to one of the Hughes again.

During his lunch time the next day, Jack got a text from Quinn.

Qball- Don’t fuck it up this time.

There was a link attached. So out of curiosity, Jack opened the link and saw it was a ticket to see Wicked on broadway. He immediately send Quinn a text back questioning what he means.

Qball- Look up the cast idiot.

Jack looks up the cast after he rolls his eyes at his brother. But when he saw Lucy’s name in big letter next to Elphaba, his heart feels like it stopped.

Qball- she wants you to go, but was too scared to ask you herself.

Jack😎- It’s been so long, what would I even say to her when I saw her?

Qball- the truth. You love her Jack and I can’t guarantee she feels the same but she does deserve the closure you never gave her.

Jack😎- after all this time maybe it’s best if I just left her alone.

Qball- I can’t make you go but if you don’t please at least give the ticket to Luke or even mom. Lucy deserves to have someone there to support her.

Jack😎- I’ll think about it, but thanks for letting me know.

Jack let’s put a groan and puts his head down trying to think.

“What’s up with him?” Jack forgot that he was with his team mates but he quite frankly didn’t care. Not even as Luke grabs his phone.

“Oh shit is this for real.” Jack groans again. “Damn dude Lucy looks hot as fuck.”

Jack’s head shoots up and he glares at Luke.

“What, on the cast list there’s a link to her Instagram. And I’m just stating facts look.” Luke hands Jack back his phone and he sees that Luke was right. Lucy had gotten rid of her braces and glasses which he also found adorable, but there was something about her matured look that made Jack awe struck.

“Who’s Lucy?” Nico asks looking over Jack’s shoulder.

“Jack’s high school sweetheart.” Luke says looking Lucy up on Instagram on his own phone. “Jack was an asshole and dumped her when he got drafted. He legit dumped her over text.”

“That was 5 years ago asshole.” Jack mutters

“She’s really talented.” Jack was playing a clip that she posted of her singing and everyone could hear it. “You really fumbled the bag dude.”

“You think she’s single?” John says while Luke showed him pictures of Lucy. “If so you think you could put in a good word for me?”

“Fuck off.” Jack feels himself getting angry but he doesn’t understand why, Lucy was no longer his, and he lost his right to get over protective of her years ago. He storms off out of the living room out to his room m. Luke follows him.

“Come on Jack, you have no right to be upset.” Jack knows Luke is right but he pouts anyways. “So what are you going to do about that ticket?”

“Maybe mom should go, you know how much she misses Lucy.” Jack says looking at a photo that Lucy posted for her birthday. It was a picture of her in high school laughing. Jack was cropped out of the photo but he can still picture the memory in his head.

“Did you not read what Quinn said?” Luk sits down next to Jack. “She wants you there Jack. She wants your support. Don’t you at least think she deserves that?”

“I do support her and she deserves all the support in the world, but she also deserves better than me.” Jack hold back his tears in front of his brother. “I remember the text her brother sent me. The day I broke up with her, I blocked her so I couldn’t see her response. A hour later, Carson texted me telling me that I would never find anyone better than Lucy and that I would have to watch in regret as his big sister became a star. Harshest words I’ve ever heard from an 11 year old.”

Both brothers laugh as the remember Carson, who actually looked up to Jack until the break up. Luke remembers being told to fuck off by the 11 year old, when he tried reaching out to Lucy after the break up.

“I thought in that moment, he was right. I still think he is right, I don’t deserve to walk back into her life now that it’s more convenient for me.” Jack looks at his desk where he keeps a picture of Lucy and his family after her first musical during their freshmen year.

“Yeah maybe you don’t deserve her after what you did, but there is no denying the love you two shared.”Luke puts his hand on Jack’s shoulder before continuing, “I’m not the best at advice so I’m just going to repeat what Quinn said that she deserves closure.”

“I just want her to be happy, Luke.” Jack cries as Luke holds his older brother.

A few months later and a lot of hard work, it was finally time for opening night. After hours in the makeup chair, Lucy was as ready as she’ll ever be.

As she is waiting to go on she can’t help, but think of Jack.

The two were sitting in Jack’s room as they often did. As long as they had the door open per Ellen’s request. They were watching a movie on Jack’s computer as the cuddled under the sheets.Lucy was able to convince Jack to watch Wizard of oz.

“So you are telling me there is a musical where the pink witch and the evil witch are best friends and it’s about how the evil witch becomes evil?”

“Yes and it’s considered to be one of the greatest musicals of all times.” Lucy turns and faces Jack, “One day, I’ll be that evil witch. Although her name is Elphaba.”

“And I’ll be in the crowd cheering you on.” Jack smiles before kissing her cheek, “plus you’ll be the hottest green chick ever.”

Lucy laughs to herself before it’s show time. She seriously doubted Quinn’s plan, but she wasn’t going to let Jack’s absence ruin her night. Because at the end of the day, her little brother was there and that’s all she needed.

Speaking of Carson, he was sat in the orchestra seating, Lucy wanted to get him front row seats but he knew how die hard wicked fans are so he said he was fine where ever he sat as long as he could see her. Carson also brought his girlfriend who just like Lucy was into Musical theatre. Lucy never told Carson this, but his relationship reminded her so much of hers and Jack’s relationship at their age.

Carson and his girlfriend, Macy, were quietly talking during the intermission when Carson realized who was sat a seat away from Macy.

Jack Hughes.

Carson got silent and Macy noticed as well. Of course Macy knew who Jack Hughes was and she also knew about the ‘asshole nhl player the broke Lucy’s heart.’ And with Jack’s appearance tonight and Carson’s reaction, the girl put one and one together. She grabs onto Carson’s hand to comfort him before the house lights dimmed signaling the end of the intermission.

At the end of the performance, it was time for final bows. When it’s Lucy’s turn to bow the crowd and cast all go wild in applause. Lucy looks for her brother and Macy in the crowd but gasps when she locks eyes with Jack Hughes.

Jack is standing up while he cheers her on. She sees Carson who is three seats away. Carson glares at Jack while cheering on Lucy and she hide her laughter at the sight .

When the curtains close and Lucy’s costars all ambush her in hugs, Macy prepares for the worse. Carson goes over to Jack who hasn’t noticed him yet.

“Car don’t do anything stupid.” Carson just ignores her and he taps on Jacks shoulder.

Carson looks very different from what he did when he was 11. He now had a mullet and an eyebrow piercing (one that his friend did in his garage one day much to Lucy’s disapproval). But he was also now 6’0 and had a scarier demeanor. Honestly Jack was only able to recognize him from a photo Lucy had posted on her instagram. Jack goes to say something but Carson holds his hand up.

“Save it, as much as I never wanted to see you ever again, she wants you here so I respect that you came.” Carson softly grabs Macy’s hand, “we are going to the stage exit to go meet up with her. She takes 20 minutes to get out of all her makeup and costume. If you finally want to act like a man and treat my sister like she deserves you are welcome to join us, but if you are only here cause your latest one night stand stood you up or something like that, don’t waste her time and go back to Jersey.”

Jack is stunned as Carson and Macy walk away, but he quickly regains his composure and follows after them. While waiting outside, Jack watches the couple interact. He sees grumpy Carson and his happy girlfriend who is trying to calm him down. He smiles as he remembers how grumpy he got after a bad practice or a bad game and how Lucy would cheer him up.

Actors and actresses leave one by one until it’s time for Lucy. She is radiant as she greets fans and signs playbills. At the end of the group of fans was where Carson ,Macy and Jack stood. When she finally gets to Jack she couldn’t look away.

Carson pulls her out of her trance by hugging her. Macy joins making it a group hug. The teens hold on for a second before letting Lucy go.

“You did amazing out there.” Macy was always star struck at Lucy’s talents, reminiscent of how Carson idolized Jack.

“We are going to head home, I’ll drive your car.” Carson says grabbing Lucy’s car key. He then looks at Jack and then back at Lucy, “Don’t do anything stupid, but also don’t be afraid to give him another chance. I hate to say this, but I always like how happy he made you.”

“Thanks Car.” She leans up and kisses her brother’s forehead before he turns to Jack.

“Don’t fuck this shit up. Break her heart again and I’ll put your ass on the long term injury list.” Jack nods as Macy pulls Carson away.

“Damn when did he get scary?” Jack and Lucy laugh. When the laughter dies down, she looks at Jack with the same adoration she had for him when they were kids.

“You came.” Finally she hugs him, after many years yearning for his warmth.

“Of course I made it.” He says returning the hug. “I so told you that you would be the hottest green chick.”

Playfully she shoves Jack who just laughs. To get away from the crowd they walk to Jack’s car and on the walk they catch up.

“So Carson lives out here now?” Jack recalls Carson saying that he was going home earlier.

“Yeah I got custody of him about a year ago. Mom passed away shortly after you left and dad just got worse. It was no place for him, so I took my dad to court.” She shivers slightly so Jack gives her his jacket before she continues her story. “I have no idea what I’m doing raising a 16 year old, luckily my neighbor helped me out and now Carson is dating their daughter Macy.”

“You know from the small interactions I saw them have, they remind me of us.” Jack test the waters and holds her hand, which she gladly accepts, “Speaking about brothers, Luke and Quinn miss you.”

“How about you Jack, did you miss me?”

“More than anything.”

Jack opens the car door for Lucy and helps her get in before he got into the driver side.

“So miss Broadway do you have any plans tonight or can I take you out to eat?” Jack says while putting his seatbelt on.

“ I have no plans Mr NHL.But if we are going out I need time order delivery for Carson and Macy” Jack pulls out his credit card from his wallet.

“Use my card.” She tries to decline his card, but he shakes his head, “Lucy it’s the least I could do.”

She sighs before calling Macy to ask what they want for dinner. After she got the response, Lucy went and ordered food for the teens. She tried to enter her card, but Jack snatched her phone and entered his card instead.

“So now that, that’s take care of. Would you like to go out to dinner?” He hands her the phone back.

“You know I could really go for a good burger and fries, that’s if your professional team of dietitians would allow that.” Jack smiles remembering one of his favorite dates with her.

Jack had just gotten his license and he was driving around in Quinn’s hand me down car. Right after passing his drivers test, he drove straight to Lucy’s house.

“So where does the princess want to go?” Jack asked as she got into the car.

“You know I could really go for a burger and fries.” She gets into her seat and Jack takes her to their favorite local diner.

When they arrive, the host seats them at their favorite table. While they wait for their food, Lucy tells Jack about her day.

“And in front of everyone my voice cracked, god it was so embarrassing, Jacky.” She hides her face at the memory.

“I bet you have the cutest voice cracks.” The love struck boy laughs as his girl rolls her eyes at him.

“No voice cracks are cute Jacky.”

“Well yours are cause they come from you.” Their food finally arrives and they both grab a fry off the other person’s plate. Something they have done since they started dating. They called it ‘checking for poison’ but it was just one of those silly couple things.

“I love these little moments.” Lucy says as she bites into Jack’s fry.

“Well we have a whole lifetime full of little moments waiting for us.” He says while eating Lucy’s fry.

“A burger and fries sound wonderful, Lulu.”

The two had dinner and it was like nothing changed. They shared food like normal, they talked like it was just a normal Wednesday dinner.

They finished their food and were getting ready to head out and of course Jack paid. Afterwards the two sit in Jack’s car, which was another thing they did often when they dated.

“You’re telling me that Carson became an islander fan after everything happened?” Jack chuckles at Carson’s pettiness.

“Yeah, he even forced me to take him to a game, where we met a few of the players.” She pulls up a picture they took where Carson was wearing a islander jersey and Lucy was just in a normal sweater as they stood next to a couple players, “One of the guys actually asked for my number.”

“Which guy?” Jack felt himself getting jealous.

“Oh Jacky I don’t even remember.” Of course she did after all she did give him her number. But she looks away from Jack. “Even if I did it was a year ago Jack.”

“You obviously do remember, you won’t look at me right now.” Jack doesn’t mean to be sassy towards Lucy, but let’s be honest, being sassy is in his dna.

“Why does it matter Jack? You’ve had other girlfriends why couldn’t I date someone else?” Lucy tries not to cry, but a few tears slip out, “Do you know how hard it was to watch you have other girlfriends while I stayed stuck on you. Yes I did give the Islander player my number, but I told him I wasn’t interested in a relationship. I told every guy that had any interest in me that I wasn’t interested. You want to know why Jack? Because they weren’t you.”

Jack stayed silent not knowing what to say.

“And now you just come back here like you didn’t single handed break my heart last time I saw you,. Oh wait I didn’t even see you when it happened did I Jack.” She cries some more finally letting all of her emotions out. “I should hate you, I really should. But tell me why I feel nothing but love for you.”

“Lucy, there is nothing I regret more than, breaking up with you. I was a coward, but please give me another chance.” He wipes away her tears, “Those girls were my failed attempts on forgetting you, but nothing worked. I know I don’t deserve it but please give me a second chance.”

“I don’t know Jack, I don’t want to promise you anything. But I can say, I’m willing to try again slowly.” Jack smiles and he holds her hand. 

“That’s all I could ask for.”

Between hockey games and Lucy’s shows, the two spent any free time together. Despite the busy schedules, they found the time to go out. Tonight, Lucy was singing the national anthem at Jack’s game versus the Islanders.

“Ladies and Gentlemen please welcome the star of broadway’s Wicked, Lucy Masters, with the singing of our national Anthem.”

The crowd cheers before getting silent for Lucy. She sings beautifully and when she hits the high note at the end, the crowd went wild. The song finishes, and she finally locks eyes with Jack. She gives him a little wave before she is ushered off the ice.

At the end of the game, the devils won 4-0. Carson ,who surprisingly wore a Hughes 43 jersey instead of his regular Islander Barzal 13 Jersey, was hyped by the win. He went into a rant as the pair waited for Jack to leave the locker room.

“Damn I miss hockey.” Lucy loves seeing Carson happy more than anything. She was glad that he decided to come, seeing it as a step in the right direction.

“You know if you aren’t too rusty at it, we can go shoot the puck together one day.” Both Lucy and Carson look over and see Jack. He pulls Lucy into a hug. “Hands down the best performance of the night goes to you Miss Lucy.”

“I am not so sure about that, a shut out game and both you and Timo getting two points? Much more impressive.” Lucy praises Jack causing Carson to gag.

“Come on Carson, let’s leave the lovers alone.” Luke comes out of nowhere and directs Carson towards his car. Lucy and Carson were spending the night at Jack and Luke’s place so they didn’t have to drive back to New York this late. So Luke was okay with driving Carson back while Jack and Lucy have a car to themselves. Carson leaves with Luke, but not until he sent a few menacing glares at Jack.

“Just so you know, the team chirped the hell out of me when Luke told them how scared I am of Carson.” To be fair, now that Carson is one of the best high school prospects of the 2025 class and has scouts coming to almost every game now, especially since he is a leftie, he’s a scary teenager.

“In your defense, his pitch is reaching an average of 88 miles per hour as a junior. I would be scared of him too.” Jack looks at Lucy and smiles as he sees her in his jersey.

“You look so good in my number.” He steps back and acts like he is taking a photo of her with an invisible camera, “Picture perfect baby.”

“Jacky you are such a dork.”She turns around and walks away while smiling. Jack runs up behind her and pulls her into a hug.

“I’ll gladly be a dork if that means I’m your dork.”

Jack had been miserable as Lucy was gone at a two week long theater camp. Luke thought if Lucy didn’t get home soon, Quinn would kill Jack. The day she was coming back, Jack sat by the door waiting for Ellen to come back with Lucy. He originally wanted to come with but he forgot to finish his chores the night before so Ellen made him stay home and wait.

When his mom’s car pulls in to the driveway, Jack bolts out the door, almost like a wild animal. Lucy gets out of the car and Jack tackles her in a hug. He gives her small kisses all over her face.

“I missed you, I missed you, I missed you.” Jack repeats this mantra as Lucy struggles to wiggle out of his hold. All the while, Lucy is dying of laughter.

“Get off me you dork.” It takes Quinn pulling Jack off to get Lucy free. He then picks up Lucy like a sack of potatoes and runs away from Jack. The boys run around, as Jack tries to get Lucy back.

“Quinn put the poor girl down.” Ellen calls out. Quinn puts Lucy down carefully and Jack runs over and grabs on to Lucy like a kid hold their favorite toy.

“Fear not fair damsel, your hero has saved you from the ugly ass troll.” (QUINN BABY DON’T LISTEN TO THIS YOU ARE VERY PRETTY) Quinn just flips off his brother before heading back into the house, “I think your hero deserves a kiss for saving you.”

“You’re lucky I find you cute, you dork.” Lucy pulls him down into a kiss. Jack can’t help but smile.

“I may be a dork, but I’m your dork.”

“You’ll always be my dork Jacky.” Lucy pulls him down into a kiss. Their first kiss in five years. Jack would freeze time and live in this moment forever if he could. Sadly time has to go on and the pair pull apart. “Let’s go home Jacky.”

Hand in hand, they leave the arena, full of hope for the future of their relationship.

[dalliesque]

(on the vc 👻)

you cough violently, chocking on the snack you're eating when you soon realise your mistake. you quickly sit straight on your seat, fixing your posture as you quickly delete the post. cursing under your breath.

"are you okay y/n?" dohoon asks softly on the other side of the call, making you panic even more. "she's definitely not okay" zeyu snorts sensing your panic from a mile away.

you hold yourself from cursing out loud regaining your composure, logging off twitter in a dash. "im fine! i just.." you bit your bottom lip, distracting yourself by building your house on bloxburg. "i don't know which wallpaper i should use.. any recommendations?"

"the shrek one" ricky suggests in playful tone—"the sofia one!" zeyu joins in. "both of you have the worst taste on earth." you scoff lightly, your eyes darting towards dohoon's profile picture. "dohoon..? any suggestions?"

"the rabbit one? it's cute—just like you" "hmm yeah sur—" you pause, his words finally sinking in. "OOHH!!" zeyu yells his voice ringing loudly in your ear, making sure the moment sinks deeply inside of your mind. safe to say you didn't forgot about it the whole entire gameplay.

🍿 How Sweet — Dohoon TWS

5. SICK PPL

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@jiaisfox

[mintytealfox]

Random Da Capo gang headcanons (including Fredrick.)?

heheheheheheheheheheheheeheheheheheehhhhheehehh😈 here are some 🤣

I think Frederick will think all of them are mediocre and boring as heeeeeeeck until he finds out more about them and realizes they are all crazy and actually geniuses in their own rights LOL Melly and her brilliant mind with insects and being able to control/command them. Norton with his very little schooling but was able to, with practically self taught math and science, create the perfect explosion 'accident'. not to mention his inner monologuing sounds so dang Shakespearian and poetic the heck "so too shall the son" dramatic speech much? heh~ Alice with how observant she is and how she can set up a room to catch if a person has been there or not, then the dulled fear response and ability to handle the drugs and such Orpheus is a brilliant writer and master mind but he doesn't get mental praise or admiration from Frederick cause Orpheus a punk -wheeeezee- -------- when Norton and memory Orpheus have to interact is likely goes: kid Orphy: "owww I hurt my finger!" Norton: "damn, looks like we have to cut it off" kid Orphy: D: --------- Frederick hearing Norton humming and being like 'I have never heard such a tune" Norton: "I imagine not, since its a mining song. I doubt you've been anywhere near a mining town..."

and then hearing from Melly that there are specific tunes from where she grew up. and This prompting Frederick to go on his own travel across the world and be a collector of music ( me trying my all to get Frederick to leave his past behind and become something great outside his family aahhhh) ---------- I can see the four: Norton, Alice, Melly, and Frederick all with a horse and a wagon they stole as they travel the long country roads. Melly and Frederick sitting in the back of the wagon with the barrels, with Alice and Norton seated up front and Norton driving. Frederick accidently being the 'donkey' of the 'Shrek crew' with his dinging of his tuning fork. Everyone sitting in silence cause its a long af trip with the 'DING......ding..........ding........ding.....DiNggGGgg...." at the bad one, everyone winces at it and it sending an extra ringing sound to Norton's ears cause of his experience with loud explosions. Norton: "can you not do that.....FOR 5 MINUTESSSSSS" Frederick: "............." Alice and Melly: 😬😬😬😬 Frederick: ".........D I N G" Norton: "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAERRRHHHHHHHHH"

[paladin-of-nerd-fandom65]

1: What's the starburst duo's favorite wonder weapon from COD zombies?

2: I think I asked this but: what's one movie that the starburst duo really really like? Like clapping at the end of a movie in the theaters type of like.

3: What's the funniest movie & scene that got the Starburst Duo laughing the hardest? Like red faces & tears coming out of their eyes?

4: Let's say the duo saw a movie with a dance party ending, would they get off of the couch & dance in front of the tv?

5: Let's say the duo got into a fight with Homelander from The Boys, who would win? To make things fair, the three of them are city busters & have prep time.

1) Chris - Staff of Ice/ Ull’s Arrow

Jake - Either the Ragnorak DG 5 or the Path of Sorrows

2) That honor goes to Godzilla Minus One, especially the final battle and the ending scene when (Spoilers) The main character Shikishima chooses to Live and safely ejects out of his crashing plane’s seat when dealing that final blow to the titular monster as his weakest yet angriest. Chris and Jake can be so proud of this otherwise fictional character making a good call in how to deal with his inner demons and find his purpose in life as a Father.

3) For Chris, of course that’ll be Shrek 1 though good contender to that can also be Ghostbusters (1984), Spaceballs and Click. His absolute funniest scene would of course with be the opening scene or the chase in the castle from Shrek 1 (yes slide bit included)

Meanwhile, Jake’s choices for the movies that crack him up the most can be Kung Fu Panda (which contains his pick for the funniest scenes for him, mainly rhetorical various training montages, in particular the dumpling battle), Godzilla vs Megalon (Thanks Meredith XD), Nacho Libre, and the many many Three Stooges shorts

4) Oh for freaking sure they would beyond doubt; Chris would be busting out the biggest moves from the Cha Cha Slide and Gangnam Style while Jake goes for the old school ones including the Monkey and even the Moonwalk.

5) It’s a very close call and a bloodbath with Chris dropping out first kicked out due to his injuries but ultimately Jake would subdue and take down Homelander before further damage is done by still maintaining his belief that Homelander isn’t as strong and powerful as he thinks he is, which can erode away at Homelander’s own belief in his powers to slowly weaken them in due time

Took a while to get these @pin-crusher2000 but thanks for asking XD

[charliespringverse]

iwbft – ghosted: a Bonus brief summary of my annotations

all highlighted quotes: 91

· ouch/ow/owie: 5

· real/felt/relatable/so true: 4

· ☹/☹☹/☹☹☹: 4

She said Shrek and Fiona, and then told me she never wanted to be famous. — the double life thing babeyy

“Jimmy,” he heaves out, and I feel a stab of panic in my chest. — just hearing ur friend's name shouldn't be enough to trigger panic unless u already know something is Very Wrong . at which point i feel they should've pushed for further help instead of finishing out the tour

“We can’t leave Jimmy out.” Lister stands shirtless in the middle of the room and spins around on the spot. — fuck yeah trio tingz :')

It almost makes me laugh how polite and casual Rowan manages to sound, despite the fact that our best friend is missing. — IT'S A DEFENCE MECHANISM!!!!!

I only wonder how much of it is my fault. — none of it bb dw :( he is Not With It enough to be thinking abt anyone but himself rn

“But I can’t drive.” Rowan stares at me. “I thought you had lessons.” “I only had three lessons.” And then I got bored, or tired, or busy, or all three. — ... adhd lister btw

Why would he do this to us? To me? — i think jimmy's dependence on rowan is more reciprocated than he realises

If we weren’t in a famous band together, I’m not sure whether we’d still be friends now. — this rly hurts my feelings and it hurts more bc he isn't necessarily Wrong i don't think

“You do know I can play eight instruments, right?” “But not the drums, huh.” Rowan folds his arms. “You will never let me live that down.” — LISTERROWAN BESTIEISM BANTER BABEY

“But you think I’m an idiot who has nothing intelligent to say.” “I don’t think that.” “Yeah, you do. You’d much rather I was the one who was missing right now.” Rowan doesn’t respond. We both know I’m right. — WELL MAYBE BUT U DON'T HAVE TO TELL ME THAT. I DON'T WANNA THINK ABOUT IT.

“I wish you wouldn’t—” he begins but is cut off when his phone buzzes. — i hate that the phone gave him a get out from being open n sincere w lister :^(

“That’s a Southeastern Railway train,” says Lister instantly. “You can tell by the seat patterns.” — [freddie mercury voice] auuuuutism auuuuutism i want to ride my autism (note: this is summat @to-grill-a-mockingbird says and now i can never get it out of my head)

“He needs a night off.” "A night off from … what? His entire life?” Piero chuckles. “Yes.” — i mean ouch but also Yeah

“That was good news. He hasn’t been kidnapped. He just needed a nap.” “Can you not make a joke about this situation for like one fucking minute, Allister?” — could be the tism on my end but i didn't take this as a joke . jimmy needs a break, piero told them that, lister has seen enough to agree . (also: lister has Also contemplated running away so it makes sense he's less eager to bring jimmy back to ldn bc he doesn't see it as fixing the problem the same way rowan does)

Why do I always have to be the serious one? The worrier? Why can’t someone else do the worrying sometimes? — other ppl Do worry . but not so much that it becomes its own problem worthy of therapy

We save the deep chats for Jimmy. Jimmy doesn’t open up very often, but you know Jimmy will listen if you have something serious to say. — vs jimmy's wednesday narration 'we don't ever talk about deep stuff, me and lister bird' :((((

This whole bedroom is something out of twelve-year-old Lister’s wildest fantasies—it’s spacious and modern, with one floor-to-ceiling window, dark walls, LED lights behind the headboard, and a fifty-inch TV. — what u lack as a child you seek as an adult etc etc (space, material possessions, money)

Rowan’s room is always tidy. He puts away his clothes at the end of the day and makes his bed in the mornings. — always craving order & control :(

Rowan loves to criticize me about buying unnecessary things, but all I need to do is remind him of the velvet chaise longue in his bedroom that I’m pretty sure nobody has ever sat on. — comedy gold amidst the agony

He blinks at me. “You remembered my weird order?” — remembering ppl's orders is a love language

“Can I … ?” I shuffle on my feet. “Can we eat it in here?” — i hate that he's so uncertain n lacking in confidence while asking one of his best friends

I’ve always been deeply annoyed by what a high metabolism he has. I work out three times a week with a personal trainer just to stay toned. — rowan's fixation on body image makes me ✨nervous✨

“You were reading?” I ask, eyebrow raised. Lister narrows his eyes at me. “Wow, hilarious." — i stand by my 'lister loves to read but nobody ever assumes that or believes him bc their perception is skewed by him not gelling with academia' hc

“But don’t you see how that’s, like, still very fucked-up behavior, Rowan?” — GET HER JADE

And it’s scary that he thinks he’s completely fine. That this level of stress is normal. That he’s a functioning, well-adjusted human who is able to cope with being one of the most famous musicians in the world with absolutely no help or support whatsoever. — yeah :((

“You kissed him,” Rowan says. “So he decided to climb out of a window and run away.” “I mean, yeah, in summary.” — but no, realistically

Rowan wipes a tear from his eye. “Oh my God. So funny.” He’s properly pissing me off now. — give him a break roseph he's already mentally ill u don't have to embarrass him as well (/lh)

It’s a question I’ve asked myself every day for years. A question I’ve answered in daydreams, in nightmares, in conversations with myself in the shower. A question I still don’t know the answer to, and maybe never will. A question that doesn’t need an answer, now that I know for sure that Jimmy doesn’t like me back. — aaaaaagonyyyyy beyond power of speeeeeeech when the thing that u want is the only thing out of ur reach

“But … the circumstances of our relationship are so challenging. We live in very, very different worlds, and our lives are on very different trajectories. And sometimes I think relationships just can’t survive that.” — JUSTICE FOR LAIMONDI :(

Jimmy fell asleep almost immediately, a feat that would become less and less common as we all got older, but Lister and I couldn’t sleep because we were too busy watching funny YouTube videos on my phone, muffling laughs into our hands, trying not to wake anyone up. — BABY ARK MY CHILDREN

[spotsandsocks]

Ok so no one asked but I was thinking about musicals and what I’ve been able to see over the years so I made a list. So this has taken over thirty years and most organised by other people and pretty much always in the cheap seats which are never actually that cheap anyway. I do live close enough to a big city and some big local theatres too so I’m a lucky spot and there’s more than I expected. Under the cut for anyone whose vaguely interested.

Professional Productions

Joseph and his amazing technical raincoat when I was ten - first musical I listened to the cassette (I know!!what’s that?) over and over for years I know pretty much every word

Les Miserables good songs - but like it says miserable

The Lion King it’s was ok but too much like the film to be exciting (sorry)

Frozen missed the first 20 minutes cos got the time wrong - the sets and the dress change are magnificent! Not too much like the film

Hairspray one of my favourites

Waitress had no idea what it was about but I loved it

Hamilton the most expensive tickets I’ve ever bought - took my daughter and her friend because they were obsessed

Chicago (on Broadway for 30th birthday trip)

Blood Brothers made me jump at end and then cry

The King and I with Trixi from call the midwife- amazing production. Cried again

9-5 in the underground theatre of the Savoy which was cool

Bugsy Malone a favourite film from my childhood took my kids

Bombay Dreams had to Google the name cos I’d forgotten seen in early 2000s but it was fantastic

The Rocky Horror Picture Show -dressed up for it when I was at uni very fun. Some people left at intermission not sure what they we’re expecting!

Anything goes or possibly Crazy for you- no memory of it really

Miss Saigon seen it twice, once from ‘the gods’ and couldn’t really see anything.

Guys and Dolls- had Ewan MacGregor in it which is why I went

Wicked reasonably good seats for this one excellent

Local amateur productions

Hairspray

Calamity Jane

Shrek - the strangest thing I’ve ever seen

Oklahoma

Little Shop Of Horrors

Singin in the rain was great and it rained on stage in my local theatre

West side story more than once

Local School Productions

The sound of music

West side story

My fair lady

Grease

Wizard of Oz

And finally Would Like to see

Six

Moulin Rouge booked for sept

Book of Morman

Mamma Mia

Everyone’s talking about Jamie

[thealmightyemprex]

Ranking the Shrek/Puss In Boots movie villains

Those who know me know I love vilains ,and I was interested to see how the Shrek /Puss in Boots villains stack up .

Ones I am not including are Goldilocks and the Three Bear Crime Family cause in my mind they arent villains at all ,they are antagonists but they arent evil at all ,nor am I including the Poison Apple crew ,simply cause they are more henchmen then full on villains (If I do my favorite Shrek side characters ,Captain Hook will definately be on the list though )

First off I dont dislike any of these villains,they all have their moments ,but I am ranking these from least favorite to favorite

Also spoilers

8. Jack and Jill-Puss In Boots (2011)

I love the concept,I have a thing for outlaw couples,Billy Bob Thornton and Amy Sedaris give enjoyable performances (ESpecially Sedaris ) and they have a cute running joke with Jack wanting to settle down and have a baby while Jill is all for continuing in crime . However while they are set up as the main villains ,they kind of take a back seat to Humpty Dumpty ,and frankly they are a touch generic compared to other Shrek villains

7.Humpty Dumpty -Puss In Boots (2011)

OK Humpty very much conflicts me because on papaer he is one of the most interesting Shrek villain ,basically being not only Puss's best friend but his brother ,but went down a far darker path.He feels like an outcast ,and resents Puss for finding his place as well as ,for in his eyes abandoning him,when in actuailaity it was a situation he caused and the only main villain to realize his own mistakes.He should be high up right?.....WEll the problem is while he is well written,I think Zach Galifanakis is SO miscast and I dont care for his performance .Also frankly....I HATE his design ,I'm sorry he is really unpleasent to look at ,he is very unsettling,

6.Prince Charming from Shrek 2 (2004) and Shrek the Third (2007)

PRince Charming is the only villain to be in multiple films ,and he frustrates me .....BEcause I cant put him higher.I love his concept, he is a vain Prince who feels he is owed his happilly ever after ,and in the third film he leads an army of villains to get that.I love Rupert Everetts performance who balances the dashing prince and petulent villain sides well.....My problem is ....He doesnt feel like a threat .See in Shrek 2 ,he is the secondary villain ,as his mother the Fairy Godmother is the main villain ,and when he comes back in Shrek 3, he has been so humiliated and hit rock bottom ,I kind of feel too sorry for him and dont see him as an intimidating bad guy . I

5..Rumplestiltskin- Shrek Forever After (2010)

I debated putting him higher,cause he is effective .A wicked deal maker who resents Shrek for saving Fiona before he could trick her parents into signing a deal with him .He's kind of fun and sinister ,and I am kind of fond of Walt Fohrns very odd line delivery ,his high voice is kind of afun mix of silly and kind of creepy .He isnt higher cause well he feels too similar to both the Fairy Godmother and Lord Farquaad ,just a bit sleazier .I think he is fun but not top tier

4.Lord Farquaad from Shrek (2001)

Farquaad is the first villain of the Shrek series ,and probabbly the most passive villain,he isnt as active as the other villains,but he plays well for the themes of the film. He is a guy obsessed with perfection and looks down on those who he sees as not fitting his idea of perfection,namely Fairy tale creatures .....Basically this guy isnt far diffrent then real powerful bigots. He is also highly entertaining with some great lines and is played wonderfully to hammy perfection by John Lithgow and I do think he has a great design.My biggest issue with him is the short jokes at his expense are kind of terrible and I dont think he is as interesting as the top 3 villains

3.The Fairy Godmother from Shrek 2 (2004 )

The person who makes happily ever aters happen and decides who they happen too .Pissed off that her machinations to have Fiona marry her son, Charming ,went wrong ,she seeks to find a way to get rid of Shrek .She is so wonderfully manipulative,Jennifer Saunders gives such a marvelous performance,she hilarious while also being intimidating.....Plus she gets one hell of a villain song with her cover of Holding out for a Hero

2.Big Jack Horner -Puss In Boots The Last Wish (2022)

Big Jack Horner is a crime kingpin/Pie magnet who seeks to find the wishing star to gain access to all the magic in the world .....Jack Horner might be the most unappologetically evil person in the Shrek universe.Where other villains at least try to pretend to have redeeming qualities ,Jack Horner is a vile monster ,who doesnt care who he has to kill to get what he wants,and he knows,he re4vels in how vile he is ....And it makes him so funny .I adore John Mulaneys performance, for years I have thought he would play a really good villain,and I was proven right .His designb is great too cause he has this intimaidaing hulking body and stuture but topped with this baby face and pink hair , I adore it . I also like that while the film full of characters who grow and change ,Horner is the one character who refuses to ,he litterally rejects the idea of a concience in the form of the Ethical Bug .He is a hilarious cartoony villain who was close to getting the top spot

1.Death -Puss In Boots the Last Wish (2022)

I struggled for a while over who would be number one between Death and Big Jack....But DEath wins.....Because he is the most personal and frightening villain in the Shrek verse to one of the main characters , because he is the embodiment of Puss's fears.He is the opponent Puss cant beat ,and the oppoenent every one must meet .I have hears some say he isnt a villlain....No ,he is.He isnt doing his job ,he isnt trying to teach Puss.....He WANTS to kill him,and is enjoying the chase .Its personal with Death ,Puss has mocked him and not valued life and he wants to SAVOR killing Puss .This might be the best example I have seen of Death as an advesaroy .He is designed beautifully,a red eyed wolf ,with the forma of a raven on his face ,weilding sickle and wearing a black hood,with WAgnar Moura giving a chilling performance .I also love his whistle which creeped me out everytime he showed up. He stands out among the Shrek villains,cause he is the most serious and by far the scariest .I condsidered leaving him off....But the truth is he is my favorite villain in the Shrek/Puss In Boots series

Well thats my list ,who is your favorite

@autistic-prince-cinderella @ariel-seagull-wings @angelixgutz @amalthea9 @goodanswerfoxmonster @marquisedemasque @princesssarisa @filmcityworld1 @the-blue-fairie @themousefromfantasyland

[strawberrywindow]

I'd actually love to know your Top 5 video games? <3

Ooh, thank you for the ask! ❤️

I'd say my top 5 video games are

1. and 2. Amnesia: The Dark Descent and Soma (these two definitely switch placement often between 1 and 2 for me 😂) both masterpieces of storytelling, atmosphere ominous enough to keep you on the edge of your seat the entire time even when monsters aren't present, characters you WILL get attached to, lore that keeps you thinking about it years later. Frictional Games is just incredible in every game they make lol.

3. Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy - i've played this game a million times and loved it since childhood. It's a great feel good game, super fun mechanics, great art design, and the music in it slaps too. One of Naughty Dog's best 😂

4. Journey - absolutely gorgeous game, no dialogue, story told entirely through still images or brief cutscenes in between exploring windswept desert ruins. The music in this game is some of the most beautiful i've heard in any i've played. I come back to this game if i'm feeling anxious often because its such a soothing atmosphere. You also sometimes get paired up with another player to journey with and you communicate with each other through little musical trills! 🥹

5. Dead Space - Dead Space is the first game that really introduced me to cosmic horror and i will love it forever for that. Great monster designs, great storytelling, great main protag in Isaac Clarke who is a silent protag in the first game, great weapons that make sense with the story. Isaac is an engineer so all weapons are repurposed engineering tools 😂 its a great game.

Honorable mentions to: the rest of Frictionals games, Dear Esther, the GOW reboots, the old Hercules PS2 game, and the old Shrek 2 PS2 game - GOATed games as well 🤣

[professionalchaoticdumbass]

I posted 22,135 times in 2022

That's 22,135 more posts than 2021!

1,069 posts created (5%)

21,066 posts reblogged (95%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@loth-catgirl

@raidendotcom

@blizz4rd1203

@fish927836991748483729

@thenewborndeity

I tagged 5,041 of my posts in 2022

#shitpost - 583 posts

#save - 436 posts

#important - 126 posts

#gender - 63 posts

#goncharov - 61 posts

#randumbass thoughts - 50 posts

#peer review passed - 40 posts

#not to be a lesbian but - 30 posts

#lily does an arts - 24 posts

#blunder games round 2 - 23 posts

Longest Tag: 140 characters

#'have you tried getting rid of distractions' my sibling in shrek i could be distracted with my own skin and i would like to keep that thanks

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

people wanting tumblr clout is so funny to me. like girl you're fighting for a window seat in the clown car

27,526 notes - Posted June 5, 2022

#4

There should be a "steal post" button

38,473 notes - Posted November 1, 2022

#3

59,827 notes - Posted October 31, 2022

#2

Opening Task Manager to scare the programs into behaving again

75,578 notes - Posted August 28, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Mutuals get a lot of love on this site but I think we should also appreciate the random followers who you see in your notes regularly. The ones who you'll probably never end up following but they like and reblog almost every post you make. The ones who you see and go "hey I recognize that person!! they love my posts!" every time they show up in your notifications.

Let's hear it for Blorbo from my Notes.

76,439 notes - Posted July 20, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[anticomedygarden]

Keeping the Faith part 2

title from billy joel's 'keeping the faith'

also posted on ao3

Part 1 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |

-

“Hey, Lupin, you looked good out there this morning!” Caradoc Dearborn called from across the hallway. “We got this season in the bag.”

The boy in question was standing at his locker gathering textbooks but looked up at the mention of his name. “I was just throwing some balls around, Dearborn.”

Caradoc’s face split in a grin. “Exactly, Wolfman! You didn’t miss a single shot, not even when Coach started blocking you. You’re gonna win this season for us!” 

Remus blushed. “I don’t know about that.” 

Fortunately, that’s when James, Sirius, Marlene, and Lily finally turned up. Remus had long ago stopped wondering where Peter went during the school day. 

James said, “Moons! Just the man I wanted to see.” He pointed to Sirius. “Tell this idiot ‘Welcome to Duloc’ from Shrek is better than ‘Fearless Hero’ from Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.” 

Remus raised an eyebrow at Lily and Marlene who gave him pleading eyes. “They did this the whole ride here,” Lily said. 

“She says, as if she didn’t argue the whole way here on the wrong side,” Sirius said. 

She grabbed a lock of red hair. “You’re just too stubborn to see that we’re right,” she responded, crossing her arms. 

Sirius put his hands on his hips. “Marlene disagrees with you.” 

Marlene glanced up from her phone as they all looked at her. “I honestly don’t care,” the blond said. “I just wanted to argue with James.”

“Well, good for you, because he’s wrong,” Sirius said. “‘Fearless Hero’ is deep and it’s not sung by children.”

James whipped his head around and stared at Sirius. “Just because the Duloc song is sung by children doesn’t make it bad! It adds an air of innocence to Shrek that Puss in Boots lacks.”

Lily looked at Remus again, desperate. “Do something,” she begged. 

Remus glanced between James, trying to gauge how important this argument was to him. He raised his voice, making sure he was audible on Sirius’ bad side. “Sirius is right.”

“Ha! I knew it!” Sirius said. “Thank you, Moony, you’re clearly a man of taste.”

James threw his hands up in the air. “No taste, or culture, either of you,” he declared. “Shrek is a fundamental film that teaches people they don’t have to be pretty or normal to be loved, and the Duloc song is a metaphor for the dangers of conformity. Plus, Shrek is way better than Puss in Boots.”

Remus turned to him. “But it doesn’t matter how good the movie is; you’re arguing about the song.” James opened his mouth, but Remus held up a hand. “It’s true that Shrek is better and more fundamental, but the Duloc song is just a short introduction to Duloc itself which is the actual metaphor for conformity. The song is only part of the overall symbolism. Meanwhile, ‘Fearless Hero’ is a recurring motif that at first represents Puss’ hubris, then becomes a symbol for everything he’s actually afraid of which pushes the theme bravery isn’t the absence of fear but the pushing on in spite of it.” Something he knew dearly. 

The others gaped for a moment until Marlene said, “Sorry, James, I can’t argue with that. I’m going to class.” She turned on her heel and walked away. 

Sirius smirked. “What do you think now, Mr. Duloc?”

James set his jaw. “I stand with Shrek.”

Sirius rolled his eyes. “Stubborn.” 

The warning bell rang, signaling an end to their riveting conversation. 

As they all turned to go to their first hours, Remus happened to catch a glimpse of Severus Snape hurriedly turning away from Remus and his friends, as if he had been eavesdropping. 

Well, Remus thought, I hope he enjoyed our detailed analyses of childrens’ movies. 

-

Marlene glided into her first hour, immediately making a beeline for her usual desk by the window. She smiled when she saw the seat behind hers was already occupied by its usual patron. 

Sitting backwards in the chair, she softly whispered, “Hey, babe,” in the most seductive voice she could muster. 

It had the desired effect. Dorcas jumped about a foot in the air, and her book slammed shut. “What the hell, Marlene?”

“Hi!” she said brightly. 

Dorcas wasn’t having it. "You made me lose my page," she complained. 

"Such is the price of love," Marlene said. Then, just because Dorcas looked so sad, she added, "You're on page 232."

Dorcas smiled. "Now I'll say 'hello'." God, she was amazing. Marlene still couldn’t believe how lucky she was. 

If anyone had told her six months ago that she would end up in a secret relationship with Dorcas Meadowes, she would've laughed in their face. See, Marlene and Dorcas were not exactly a classic match. Marlene was an athlete, a senior, and a psychic. Dorcas was a nerd, a junior, and definitely not a psychic. They were also each friends with a different Black brother, and that was not a gap either girl was willing to bridge. However, when Marlene had crashed into the library one August morning frantically looking for a book on STDs (not for her; she was trying to win an argument with Remus, but it turned out she was wrong), they had had a hard time forgetting each other. A week later, Marlene returned her book along with a piece of paper she had scrawled her phone number on. They've been together since. 

 "What are you reading?" asked Marlene. 

"Red, White, and Royal Blue," Dorcas answered. Quickly, she put her bookmark in page 232.

"I think I've seen Remus with that one," Marlene noted. 

"Probably, it's pretty popular." She looked up and cringed. "Incoming."

Marlene turned her head to see none other than Severus Snape walking toward them. "What do you want, asshole?" she asked him, already turning her head away. While she didn't used to hate the boy (at least not as much), she certainly never liked him, and after what he'd done to Lily, she couldn't very well be nice to him. 

His face twitched. "You know exactly what I want," he said, eyes hard. 

"Well, you can forget it," Marlene told him. "I'd rather have my eyes clawed out by your weirdly long nails than let you talk to Lily." She smirked when he hid his hands behind his back. 

"I'd think you'd be more averse to people knowing about your relationship," he said smugly. Well, fuck. 

Before Marlene could yell at him, Dorcas said, "What are you talking about, Severus?"

“If you don’t get Lily to talk to me, I’ll tell everyone you’re dating,” he said. 

Dorcas didn't bat an eye. “We’re not dating.”

He frowned, probably not expecting pushback. "Yes, you are."

Dorcas’ eyes flashed. "No, we're not."

He huffed. “I have proof!” he said finally, pulling his phone out of his front pocket. 

Marlene stiffened, her already terrible opinion of the boy in front of her plummeting, because, seriously, what the fuck? He had fucking proof? What, had he been stalking them? Was that the level he was stooping to now? 

Apparently, because when he turned his phone around, it was to reveal a grainy picture of Marlene and Dorcas kissing behind the practice field. 

Marlene couldn’t hold herself back any longer. “What the hell is wrong with you?” she exclaimed, disgusted and a little bit scared. 

“That’s what I thought you’d say.” He got that smug look back on his face. “And, because I’m so nice, I’ll also throw in some interesting information about the Death Eaters that involves your friend Sirius,” he said, contempt dripping from just the mention of Sirius’ name. 

And, okay, that one wasn’t so tempting because Sirius’ business was Sirius’ business, but, stalking? For blackmail? Really??

Of course, that’s when Professor Sprout walked into the classroom with a cheery, “Good morning! Everyone, put your phones away.” Everyone continued to stare at their phones. 

“You have until the end of school to decide,” Snape said and walked away to his desk. 

Marlene ground her teeth and turned to Dorcas, meeting her fear-filled brown eyes with her own wide blue ones. “What are we going to do?” she asked, panicking. 

Dorcas took a deep breath, visibly calming herself. “Okay.” She took another breath. “Okay, here’s what we’re going to do.” Marlene waited a few seconds for her to finish her thought, but it quickly became apparent she was waiting in vain. 

Marlene felt her face twitch. “Yeah, babe, let’s try that!”

“I don’t see you coming up with any brilliant ideas!” Dorcas whispered harshly. 

“You’re not either!” she hissed back. 

Suddenly, they were left blinking as the room was plunged into near darkness. “Alright, we’re going to watch a movie today.” They all cheered, and, failing to shush them, Sprout waited patiently for them to be done. “I really think you’ll like this one! It’s a documentary on Charles Darwin!” Several people - including Marlene - discreetly took their phones back out. 

Marlene hastily shot a text off to Dorcas, though whether she would actually look at it or not was honestly up in the air. She was about as likely to play on her phone during a mandatory documentary as she was to actually watch it, the nerd. Marlene loved her so much. 

Anyway, she needn’t have worried. About 30 seconds after she sent the text, her phone lit up with a new text from Dorcas. 

Marlene: cas

Dorcas: i have a plan

Marlene: let’s hear it

Marlene heard a rustle and glanced up. She relaxed, relieved to see it was only Sprout pulling out her own phone. Free hour, wooooooooh. Or so the kids say. 

She looked back down. 

Dorcas: i think we should tell everybody we’re dating

Marlene choked. 

Marlene: what

Marlene: you wanna what

Dorcas: it’s not that i want to, it’s just that if we tell them, he has nothing

Dorcas: i mean, how big a deal is it actually?

Marlene: it’s a big deal! sirius will kill me! regulus will kill you! then we’ll be separated, you in heaven, me in hell!

Dorcas: why would you be in hell??

Marlene: i don’t want to talk about it

Dorcas: alrighty then

Dorcas: i really think we should tell them

Marlene: there’s gotta be another option

Dorcas: not that we can figure out in six hours

Dorcas: listen, it’s been two months now, we’re going strong, and our friends love us (and aren’t maniacs). they might be a little mad, but they’ll get over it, and then snape will have nothing

Dorcas: also we have to do it at lunch because i have academic team and you have football tonight

Dorcas: and it has to be separately because i do not trust reg and sirius at the same table

Marlene: fine 

Marlene: but when they hate us and we have to escape to the seaside to live out our lesbian cottagecore life, just know, it was your fault

Dorcas: noted

Dorcas: now stop texting me, i wanna watch the movie

Marlene smiled at her girlfriend’s words, somehow reassured. Because if Dorcas could be calm about this, then surely it would be ok. 

She hoped that sounded better out loud than it did in her head. 

-

When Remus walked into third hour AP English Lit, it was to see that James and Sirius were already there, sitting at their usual table and whispering harshly to each other. 

They were so engrossed in their conversation that they didn’t notice Remus walking toward them until he pulled a chair out, and its legs scraped the ground. Sirius’ head shot up, but James hurriedly finished his sentence, talking a bit louder since he was now facing Sirius’ bad ear. “I just want you to think about it.”

Remus looked at them. “What are we thinking about?” he asked, sitting down. 

“Nothing,” Sirius said quickly, ignoring James. “How was-” he hesitated “-anatomy?”

Remus looked at him, slightly concerned. “We have anatomy together, Pads.” He paused. “In seventh hour.”

James snorted, and Sirius continued to ignore him. “Spanish?” he guessed. 

“Nope.” 

“Calc?”

“Try again.” 

“APUSH?”

“Pads, you have both of those with me.”

“Stop laughing at me, James! Creative writing.”

“There you go!” Remus said, though he thought it odd that Sirius had managed to guess his classes in exact backwards order, leaving out study hall and the class they were currently in. “It was fine, to answer your question.”

Just then, Lily sat down. “Hello, boys!” she said cheerfully. “I sense sexual tension,” she singsonged. 

James fucking giggled. “You’d be right,” he said. 

“She is not!” Remus said at the same time Sirius said, “Fuck off, loser!”

Thankfully, that’s when Marlene finally walked in. Shockingly, the college level literature class wasn’t very popular at their school, so third hour was the only one available. Their little group made up about a fourth of the overall class. This was also true in AP Calculus and AP US History, except there were even less people in those classes. “Hey, Marls,” Lily greeted. 

She muttered unintelligible, and they all glanced at each other, their expressions all some variation of the fuck? James spoke up. “Everything alright?”

She stiffened, as if just realizing where she was. “Yeah, um, I just,” she took a breath, gathering her thoughts. “I need to tell you guys something at lunch.”

They looked at each other again. That didn’t sound good. This time, Lily asked, “Is it…bad?”

She smiled sadly and looked blankly across the room, around the table where Dorcas Meadowes, Emmeline Vance, and Mary MacDonald were sitting. “I guess we’ll see.”

Before they could ask anymore questions, Professor McGonagall called them all to attention. Now there was a teacher they listened to. 

“Good morning, class.” She waited a moment until they said it back. “Before we get started, I want to talk about a new assignment.” Remus shifted in his seat, already preparing for several sleepless nights. Lit homework was no joke, especially on his schedule. 

McGonagall continued, her tight brown bun bobbing on her head. “It will be a partner presentation over theme.” She waited for them to be done looking at each other as everyone automatically turned to their friends. Remus was lucky, in this regard. He and Lily had been teaming up for group projects since kindergarten. 

“You may choose your partner, and you may choose any work of fiction to analyze. Any questions?” A dozen hands shot up. “Yes, any work of fiction means movies, TV, music, poetry, video games, even a TV commercial, though I do not recommend that route. Yes, Mr. Lupin?”

“When is it due?” he asked. He wasn’t particularly worried about the actual project as it seemed pretty tame compared to what they normally did in this class, but if the presentation was due in two days, it didn’t matter how difficult it was. 

“Two weeks.” He nodded and wrote down the due date. “Is that all?” When no one raised their hands, she said, “The rest of today’s class time will be used to decide your partners and give you a head start on your project. Once you’ve gotten your partners and chosen your work of fiction, come tell me and take a rubric.” She turned to go back to her desk, but paused. “Oh, and it is first come, first serve, so no duplicate topics.”

Before she had even sat down, James turned to Sirius, a look of pure, frenzied excitement in his eyes. However, he was cut off by Sirius, who said, “No, James, absolutely not.”

James wasn’t deterred in the slightest. “Shrek!” 

Sirius shook his head. “No, we are not doing our presentation over Shrek,” he said tiredly. “I have done enough projects over Shrek with you.”

Remus and Lily just looked at each other, both trying not to laugh. Sirius was right, though. The two of them had done many projects on the movie over the years, and Remus had been roped into several of them. 

“Here’s an idea,” Lily interjected. “How about we revisit this morning’s argument? James and I can do Shrek, and you two can do the second Puss in Boots?” she proposed. “Whoever gets the better grade wins.”

James’ eyes were wide at the prospect of Lily willingly spending alone time with him. Though the two had made up over a year ago, Lily still mostly stuck to Remus or Marlene, and James by consequence generally hung out with Sirius, Peter, and Remus. James wisely didn’t comment on it, though his eyes were gleaming behind his glasses. 

Remus turned to Sirius, who shrugged. “I’m okay with it if you’re okay with it.”

James clapped his hands. “Awesome! We’re going to crush you.”

Sirius scoffed. “Please. Didn’t you hear Moony’s speech this morning? You’re going down.”

As they all stood to claim their topics with Professor McGonagall, Remus looked around, trying to make sure Marlene had found a partner. He wasn’t all that worried. She was friendly with almost everyone in their class, except Snape and maybe Dorcas Meadowes, the junior who was friends with Sirius’ estranged little brother. 

Except, when he finally found her, she was sitting right next to Dorcas. Huh. 

-

One hour later, the five of them were sitting at their usual lunch table in the back corner of the cafeteria, Sirius in between James and Remus and Lily and Marlene opposite them at the circular table. 

Sirius chewed slowly. He’d been wondering what could have possibly happened to Marlene between getting to school and third hour but had come up with nothing. The best he could figure was a bad grade, but that wouldn’t have made Marlene catatonic like this or require a meeting. Whatever it was had to be big. 

They’d been sitting in relative silence for about ten minutes, only broken up by the occasional comment or chewing noise. Finally, Lily looked at the blond. “You said you have news?” she asked nervously, stroking a lock of red hair. 

Marlene winced. “Indeed.” She blew out a breath. “I’m dating someone.” 

They all perked up, and Remus made a noise of understanding. Sirius glanced at him, a question in his eyes, but the tawny haired boy shook his head, curls bouncing. 

“That’s great, Marls,” Lily said excitedly. “Who is it?”

James waved his fork. “Wait, I’m confused,” he said. “Why all the dramatics? Is it someone we don’t like?” 

Marlene’s face screwed up in a grimace. “It’s Dorcas Meadowes.” 

Sirius’ blood went cold. He must have heard her wrong, must have turned his bad ear toward her at the wrong moment, because Dorcas was best friends with Regulus, and if Marlene was dating Dorcas, then Sirius was only one degree of separation away from the worst part of his life. Somehow, he managed to stutter out a question. “The-the one who’s f-friends with-”

She nodded. “That’s the one.” Next to him, James’ eyes were wide, and Lily’s jaw had dropped. Remus was the only one who didn’t look shocked. 

Lily cleared her throat. “So how did this happen?” Sirius didn’t hear Marlene’s response, having zoned out completely. He was vaguely aware of James and Remus sending him looks of concern, but he couldn’t think of anything besides Regulus Regulus Regulus. 

His brother hadn’t left Sirius’ mind a single time since he had run away over a year ago, nor had the guilt he felt at leaving Regulus alone with their parents. No matter how many times he told himself he’d had no other choice, that he would have died or Walburga and Orion would have literally thrown him out on his ass if he’d stayed even a day longer, he couldn’t stop himself from thinking about his baby brother, defenseless in the face of their parents. Nothing chased the guilt away, not even thinking of the two hazy weeks he’d spent in the hospital following his disownment or having to ask someone to repeat something because they’d been talking into his bad ear. More often than not, he’d wake in the middle of the night, soaked with sweat, shaking from nightmares built from years of abuse. 

It was enough to drive a person insane. 

Unhearing what the others were saying, Sirius forcefully dragged himself back to reality just enough to ask the question that had been on his mind for what felt like forever. “Do you know if Regulus is okay?” he asked, barely breathing. 

The table went quiet again, but Sirius was laser-focused on Marlene. Her expression softened. “The only thing Dorcas would tell me is that he doesn’t blame you for what happened, and that she doesn’t think they’re hurting him,” she said, as gently as possible. 

His breath rushed out of him all at once, not relieved in the slightest. He closed his eyes, suddenly consumed by the thought of Regulus lying, lying to his friends to hide his pain, the way Sirius had for 14 years-

A warm squeeze on his hand pulled him abruptly back into his body, and he looked down at the seat where his fingers were resting on the curved bench. There was another, much larger hand encompassing his, squeezing it, rubbing his wrist with the thumb, and he followed the arm with his eyes, up the broad shoulder, then the scarred, tan neck, two pink lips, a small, freckled nose, until he was looking into the amber eyes of Remus Lupin. 

As his ears started working again, Sirius became aware of his ragged breathing and Remus’ gentle murmurs of, “Breathe, Sirius.” And - he tried, he really did, but-

“What if she’s wrong?” he choked out, barely understandable to his own ears. 

Thankfully, Remus got the gist of it. “Dorcas is smart, and she knows your brother well. She wouldn’t say he’s fine if she wasn’t sure.”

“B-but-” he stuttered, unable to force anymore words out. 

Remus squeezed his hand harder. “Breathe.” He turned. “Here,” he said, putting something cold in Sirius’ other hand. “Careful, I already opened it.”

Sirius looked down on his other side, trying to figure out what ‘it’ was; it turned out to be an uncapped water bottle, filled all the way up with cold, clear liquid. He slowly raised it to his dry lips and took a sip. 

It tasted amazing. He quickly gulped down the rest of it, only stopping once it was empty. 

He whined when Remus took the bottle from him. “It’s all gone, Pads,” he chuckled. “Better?” Sirius nodded, cheeks flushed with embarrassment at having a panic attack in the middle of the school cafeteria. Nevertheless, Remus smiled. “Good.” 

Sirius turned his head, not wanting Remus to see how much darker red his face was getting at receiving Remus’ approval. On the other side of the table, James was teasing Marlene about how smitten she was while Lily chimed in. Sirius smiled, recognizing it for the distraction it was. He would have to thank James and Remus later.

Then, seeing Sirius was back to normal, if a bit shaky, James asked Marlene, “So, why tell us now?”

Marlene’s face fell, and she gulped. “Snape. He came up to Dorcas and me in bio and basically said if we didn’t help him get with Lily, he would out us to the school. We decided we’d rather just tell people than let him hold this over us.” That made sense. Marlene had been publicly out for years, so the biggest news for everybody else would be that she was dating a nerdy underclassman. Sirius didn’t know enough about Dorcas to confidently say how much she would be affected. Then, quieter, she said, “He had pictures.”

“He had what?” Lily exclaimed. Then, not waiting for an answer, she stood up, crossed the lunch room to Snape’s table, snatched his phone out of his hand, and announced loudly enough that Sirius could hear her from across the room, “You’ll get this back when you learn to use it properly.” 

She traipsed back their table, a smug look on her face. 

Remus frowned. “Aren’t you afraid he’ll to tell Dumbledore?” The man behind the school, Dumbledore served as principal and thus presided over punishments. However, he was also rumored to be slightly insane, and it was really a matter of chance whether he would actually issue punishment for a stolen phone or just send Lily off with a, “Congratulations on tricking your classmate, Miss Evans.” 

Lily scoffed. “Please. Severus is so sexist, he’ll never admit to having his phone stolen by a girl.” She then did something on the phone that Sirius couldn’t see, but whatever it was must’ve been successful because she lit up. “Ha! I guessed his passcode on the first try.”

“What was it?” James snickered. 

“My birthday,” Lily said judgmentally. “That boy has got to get over me.”

“Yeah,” agreed Sirius. “That’s pretty pathetic.” He ignored the knowing look James sent his way. 

Finally, their disastrous lunch period came to a close when the bell rang. 

“Oh! One more thing,” Marlene said before they could leave. “Snape also said he knew something about Sirius and the Death Eaters, but wouldn’t tell us anything else if we didn’t take the deal.” She turned to Sirius. “Do you know anything about that?” 

He shook his head. “No idea,” he lied. 

- 

Rain pelted the walkway as Lily and Marlene ran up the steps of 300 Fox Way. The sudden downpour had caused football practice to be canceled, so James and Sirius had dropped Lily and Marlene off in the Pig before heading back to the school to bother Remus during open gym. Well, officially, they were there for moral support and basketball, but Lily knew the truth. 

As soon as they stepped inside, Lily’s mother came barrelling through the foyer. “Petunia just called, said she needs my help with wedding stuff right this second, and I’m already late. There’s a guy coming for a palm and tarot reading, can you handle it?” 

“Sure-”

“Thanks, bye!” And with that, she left. 

Lily and Marlene just stood there until Marlene finally said, “Alright, I’ll get the room ready-”

“Oh my god.” Lily felt more than saw Marlene’s head whipped around, panicking at the tension in her voice. 

“What, what is it?” Marlene asked. 

Lily just pointed. There, on the steps of the building, stood Abraxas Malfoy. 

“Oh god, what do we do?” Marlene asked frantically. He knocked. “Fuck!”

“That can’t be the guy mom meant,” Lily whispered frantically. “He’s evil!” Why would Malfoy come here, of all places, when he was trying to shut down their restaurant? 

Marlene shrugged, eyes wide. “Don’t you think I know that?” She put a hand on her forehead, fingers tangling in her hair. “Maybe he’s just trying a new tactic?” she guessed. 

He knocked again. “Hello? Are you still open?”

“Oh god oh god oh god,” Lily muttered, head in her hands. 

Marlene opened the door. “Hello, and welcome to 300 Fox Way Psyche. My Aunt says you’re here for a tarot and palm reading?” 

“Yes, and-oh,” he stopped, catching sight of Lily. “I didn��t realize you worked here.” He sniffed. “No matter. I am indeed here for a tarot and palm reading.”

Lily stayed silent, not trusting herself to speak. Thankfully, Marlene continued to take the lead. “Alright, we’ll be just in here. Now, give us just a minute to prepare everything.” She deposited him in the reading room and turned back to Lily. 

“I need you to do the tarot reading,” she whispered. 

“Why?” Lily looked at her quizzically. Marlene usually wanted to deal with tarot readings because she was particularly prone to visions via touch, so it was very strange that she was wanting to do a palm reading. 

Marlene wrung her hands. “I just have a feeling there’s something important I need to See.” 

Lily nodded. “Okay, I’ll do the cards.”

As they walked into the reading room, Lily made sure to grab a deck of cards from one of the shelves lining the red walls. She sat down across from Abraxas at the far end of the long, wood table. 

“Shuffle these please,” Lily said and handed the cards to Abraxas. She hoped he didn’t notice that she could barely look at him. 

Once the cards had been shuffled, Lily spread them out in a neat line. “Pick a card.”

“How do I know which card to pick?” he asked, eyebrows pinched together. 

Lily resisted the urge to tell him to screw himself. “Just choose the one you feel most drawn to. It might have a warm or cold feeling.”

Slowly, he roved a hand over the cards, eventually landing on one in the middle right. 

Lily flipped the card over to reveal an upside down blindfolded woman holding two crossed swords. Reversed Two of Aces. 

“What does that mean?” Malfoy asked. 

Lily sighed. “You’re facing a difficult decision, and neither path is particularly enticing. You feel you don’t have enough information to make a decent decision, or maybe there’s too much information. You need to take a step back and look at the situation from another angle. You may also need to reassess whether this decision is even yours to make.” 

Malfoy’s face had gone red. Clearly, the Ace of Swords had struck a chord with him. “Do I choose another?” he asked. 

She nodded. The next card he flipped over was an upside down woman between two pillars with a moon in the bottom right corner. “The Reversed High Priestess represents self doubt. It is best to take some time for yourself, and it may help to get in touch with your feminine side.” It gave her great joy to say that to a man like Abraxas, and, based on the snort she heard from Marlene, her cousin felt the same way. Abraxas’ face was red again. 

“Take another,” she ordered. 

He made a face, but did as she said. The final card he chose was a man holding a scepter and a circle with a star in it. He was surrounded by grapes and vines in front of a castle. This one was also upside down. “This is the Reversed King of Pentacles. He represents incredible wealth, so much you don’t know what to do with it. You would do anything for money, even ruin relationships. You’re a condescending dickface, but you’re not above kissing your boss’ ass. If you don’t learn to let go, you can say goodbye to everything you love.” She tried and failed to suppress a grin. 

“And that’s your tarot reading,” Marlene said, stopping Lily from making any more unsavory comments. “Now, if you would give me your left hand.” He stuck out his hand, and Marlene grabbed it, forcing it open, palm up. “See this?” She pointed to the top of his palm. “This is the heart line.” She gave a minute shake of the head. “So yours is very-straight-and short,” she said choppily. It wouldn’t be long now. “That signifies-” and then she just stopped and stared off into space. The vision had started. 

“Alright Mr. Malfoy, I’ll be doing the rest of your reading,” Lily said brightly, taking his hand. 

He hesitated. “I don’t understand. What’s going on?” 

She grinned. “Oh, Marlene is just having a vision. She’ll be back with us in a few minutes.” 

Malfoy tore his hand away and stood quickly. “I didn’t pay for that!” he protested. “Make her stop! I don’t want you people in my head!” 

“I’m sorry, Mr. Malfoy. There’s no way to stop a vision once it starts,” Lily said calmly. Oh, how she was enjoying seeing him squirm. Maybe now he would think twice about his son’s impending marriage and his questionable business practices. She doubted it, but the thought was nice. 

“But I didn’t pay for that!” he exclaimed. It really all came down to money with this one, didn’t it?

She smirked. “Think of it as a bonus. Now, if you still want that palm reading-”

“No!” he interrupted. “No, I don’t want anything else from you.” He had almost made it to the door when Marlene tore back to the present. 

“Leylines!” she gasped. Malfoy came to an abrupt stop. “Leylines, it all has to do with leylines.” She looked up at him. “That’s why he’s in Henrietta. He wants the leylines.” 

Lily caught one last look of panic and fear on Malfoy’s face before he threw open the door and ran. 

She looked at Marlene. “What the hell are leylines?” 

Marlene shrugged. “Fuck if I know.”

-

Back in Monmouth, Sirius Black was sitting cross legged on the floor of his bedroom, just breathing. He had been in this position for nearly a half hour now. He hadn’t tried this in years, and he was pretty rusty. 

He flopped onto his back and stretched his legs. How exactly had he done this before he stopped, locked it away inside his mind like a beast that couldn’t be tamed? 

He took another deep breath and concentrated. Where are you?

Then, suddenly, as if he had just flipped a switch, everything around him melted away. 

No, that wasn’t right. 

He was everywhere, all at once. He was in his bedroom, laying on the floor. He was in the main room, watching James do homework. He was in the kitchen, watching Peter eat cheese. He was at 300 Fox Way, watching Lily and Marlene help Liam make dinner for their family. He was in Remus’ double-wide, watching the love of his life sort through bills he didn’t have the money for. 

Finally, he was at Number 12 Grimmauld Place, watching his brother, for the first time in months, just…do things. He was doing homework. Then he was talking to Kreacher. He was sitting down to dinner with their parents, calm as could be. He was - looking at the tapestry of the Black family tree, paying particular attention to the burn mark next to his own name. 

Sirius tore his gaze away from that scarred piece of fabric to study his brother. He seemed unharmed, though it was a tad hard to tell through the tears in his eyes. 

He was glad to see, though, that he was missing the telltale mark of every other member of the Black family: a manic gleam in some lights, deadened in others. Regulus’ eyes looked perfectly sane and - alive. 

Sirius let out a breath he’d been holding since the night he ran away. His brother was alive, and he was okay. 

He barely felt himself sink back into his body until there were tears streaming down his face. He rubbed his eyes. 

It felt good to cry. 

-

A few hours later, at Number 12 Grimmauld Place, Regulus Black lay in his bed, thinking about what Dorcas Meadows had told him at lunch. 

She was dating one of his brother's best friends. It had been two months, and they were in love. 

Regulus wasn't sure how he felt about it. On one hand, he was happy for his friend. She deserved a loving, passionate girlfriend like Marlene. 

On the other hand, he couldn't believe how close he was to his brother. Separated by over a year, their parents, and a truckload of difficult emotions, it was hard for Regulus to believe he was just a couple of texts away from Sirius . 

That afternoon's conversation proved it was possible. If Marlene and Dorcas could do it, then so could Sirius and Regulus (but not in a romantic way; this was Virginia, not Alabama). 

Logically, he knew Sirius would never take that first step toward repairing their fractured relationship. His guilt wouldn’t allow him to reach out because he probably thought Regulus hated him. He’d force himself to wait until Regulus came to him. Nonetheless, the younger Black still wished Sirius would go first, just like when they were younger.

He snorted to himself. Since when was he in the business of lying to himself for comfort? (Forever, but that was besides the point.) 

He dug his phone out of his mattress and sent a text to Dorcas asking for Sirius' number from Marlene. 

A few minutes later, his phone lit up. It was Dorcas with the number and a wish of good luck. 

Quickly, before he could change his mind, he tapped out a text. 

Finger hovering over the 'send' button, he hesitated. This was it. If he did this, there was no going back. His life would be changed forever. 

He pressed it. 

Not even a moment later, he received a text back. 

I miss you too. 

[sunshinebingo]

Totally Spies (Valkyries) Chapter 6

@emeriethevalkyriegirl @aelinchocolatelover

Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5

There weren’t many places on the school premises that the girls could run to without someone noticing, especially considering that it was lunch time and everyone was either in the cafeteria or outside. ‘’Here,’’ Emerie opened the door to the small storage shed where all supplies for the greenhouse were kept. It was quiet around this area. Hopefully no one from the Agriculture Club would come to check inside.

‘’So,’’ Emerie exclaimed as Nesta and Gwyn tried to catch their breaths, ‘’how much trouble do you think we are getting in.’’

‘’Probably a lot,’’ Gwyn replied.

‘’Sorry that you’ll be getting in trouble because of me girls,’’ Nesta grimaced.

Gwyn took one of Nesta’s hands in hers. ‘’You stood up for me Nesta so I should be thanking you for that.’’

Emerie’s face beamed with mischief. ‘’You smashed Jessica’s face so it was totally worth it.’’ The three girls shared a look a burst out laughing.

‘’I wished I was able to do that,’’ Gwyn said a little sadly.

‘’Are you kidding?’’ Nesta exclaimed. ‘’Gwyn you made a robber bleed the other day.’’

‘’He was a fake robber,’’ Gwyn protested. ‘’Plus it was a team work.’’

‘’We make a good badass team,’’ Emerie said and was met with Nesta and Gwyn’s approving smiles.The sounding steps of someone walking past the shed made the girls go quiet.

‘’I think they are looking for us,’’ Gwyn whispered. She placed a hand on her heart and touched her necklace. ‘’Hey speaking of badass team, do you think that the organisation can help get us out of trouble?’’ She lifted her charm in emphasis.

‘’We could try,’’ Nesta also lifted her jewellery. ‘’But how do we reach them?’’

Emerie sat down so she could have a better view of her own Pegasus charm. ‘’They say they tracked us with it. Gwyn you are the tech genius, can you figure something out?’’

Gwyn was already observing her charm from every angle. ‘’If they tracked us then they must already know that we are here.’’

‘’Yeah but how do we let them know that we need them?’’ Nesta asked.

‘’Hello? Can anyone hear us?’’ Nesta and Gwyn raised their brows at Emerie. ‘’What? They know everything about us. Then this means they must hear us too right?’’ Emerie went back to lifting her feet to talk to the charm attached to her ankle. ‘’Hello? We kind of need your super secret help here.’’

Suddenly a soft knock sounded at the door behind them. ‘’Shit,’’ Nesta whispered.

‘’Nobody moves,’’ Gwyn whispered back.

Emerie stood up from the floor. ‘’Not moving will not make us invisible Gwyn.’’

‘’What do we do now?’’ Nesta asked.

The girls held hands tightly and held their breaths when door knob started to turn. When the door opened, it was not a teacher that stood before them. It was a rather tall boy who was older than them. His beautiful blond hair reached his shoulder in slight waves.

‘’You must be Nesta, Emerie and Gwyneth,’’ the beautiful boy said and the girls nodded. ‘’I’m Tamlin. The organisation sent me to get you.’’

‘’Prythian?’’ Gwyn’s voice came out slightly breathless.

‘’Wow. That was quick,’’ Emerie exclaimed.

Tamlin moved his head to the side. ‘’Let’s go.’’

‘’What about school,’’ Nesta asked as they started to move towards the door.

Tamlin flashed them a beautiful smile that rivalled Prince Charming’s from Shrek. ‘’The organisation is already taking care of that.’’

Nesta, Gwyn and Emerie followed him to the parking lot. Once the three girls settled on the back seat of the car, Tamlin drove them to what seemed to be a regular business building in the middle of Velaris Boulevard. Inside the building, they took an elevator which seemed to descend to the centre of the earth itself. During the whole trip from school to the elevator, the girls conversed with Tamlin, asking him various questions about the company and himself. A lot of what they were asking was confidential but Tamlin diverted the conversation by asking them questions about themselves.

When the elevator opened, the girls followed Tamlin through several rooms and corridors. They were in awe of how big and equipped the base was. It felt like it was straight out of a sci-fi movie. Tamlin stopped in front of a massive door.

‘’They are waiting for you inside,’’ he said. ‘’Good luck.’’ Tamlin winked at them, turned around and left. The girls pushed the door open and entered the same office that they had been in the last time. Cassian, Rhysand and Azriel were also in the office.

‘’Welcome back,’’ Rhysand smiled at them.

‘’Got in some trouble at school girls?’’ Cassian grinned at them.

‘’Oh shut up,’ Nesta crossed her arms as her friends and her settled on the familiar couch.

‘’Have you thought about our proposition?’’ Azriel asked them.

The three girls shared a look. ‘’I accept if you do,’’ Gwyn told her friends. Nesta and Emerie smiled at her.

‘’Badass team?’’ Emerie placed her hand palm down in front of her. Nesta and Gwyn placed their hands on top of hers. ‘’Badass team,’’ Nesta echoed.

They faced the boys again. Gwyn lifted her chin and said we a firm voice, ‘’we accept.’’

✨✨✨

[maximuswolf]

The weirdest and the best names in all of music #4

The weirdest and the best names in all of music #4 Well well, look what we have, more bands with bizarre names. Will this ever end? Maybe not. But anyway, part 4 of the weirdest and the best names in all of music. Here they are: Sweet Children (better known today as Green Day) Rainbow Kitten Surprise (this name doesn't fit with their sound) Finger Eleven (previously: Rainbow Butt Monkeys. Another atrocious name) Live (a name impossible to search on Google) Infant Annihilator (of course it's a metal band) The Academy Is... (... is what?) Men I Trust (show me how you trust them) Cat Rapes Dog (oh... oh no...) Rectal Smegma (ew) Let's Eat Grandma (commas matter) Slightly Stoopid (perfectly fits them) Throbbing Gristle (ouch) Cherry Poppin' Daddies (nice) Dying Fetus (on the same vein as Infant Annihilator) Fat Freddy's Drop (don't be mad at me kiwis) 3 (not 1, not 2, but 3) 3.2 (3 and something else) Five Finger Death Punch (eh...) Disco-Tex & His Sex-O-Lettes (bruh) Excrementory Grindfuckers (no words) OGRE YOU ASSHOLE (don't disrespect shrek like that) Car Seat Headrest (great thing to name your band after) Neutral Milk Hotel (what does that mean?) Brand New (brand new bad name) Krasnoznamyonnaya Diviziya Imeni Moej Babushki (Russian indie band. Good luck pronouncing that name) Handsome Dick Manitoba (fabulous) Big Dick (it's not mine) Soccer Mommy (volleyball daddy) Begging For Incest (German metal band) The Child Molesters (you could've chosen any other name!) Bhad Bhabie (cash me outside, how about that?) I'm from Barcelona (they're from Sweden) Well that's enough bizarre names for today. Part 5 soon. Thanks for reading! Submitted June 01, 2024 at 07:00AM by EveryMix4008 https://ift.tt/dZbXIy1 via /r/Music

[kaitlynmusicandemotions]

Step 2 Results

Introduction

I sat down 6 friends and family members and divided them into two groups of three. Group A listened to lyrical music and Group B listened to instrumental music. They did not know the music they were going to listen to, all they knew is that they had to answer a few questions based around how the music made them feel after the experiment. These were individual. They never saw each other, met each other, or knew the other people existed.

The questions I asked after each song were the following:

1. What emotions do you feel when you listen to this music?

2. Was there any about the lyrics (if applicable), melody, and rhythm of the music affect your emotions?

3. Did it bring back personal experiences or memories?

4. Did this music make you feel physically?

5. Did this music make you want to act in a certain way?

6. Did this music change how you think?

Group A

The first group composing of family and friends who were asked to listened to music listened to lyrical music. 

"Hallelujah" by Pentatonix

What emotions do you feel when you listen to this music?

Person 2 and 3 reported feeling empowered, given hope, and emotionally vulnerable after hearing the song. Person 1 reported feeling the emotion of disgust.

Was there any about the lyrics (if applicable), melody, and rhythm of the music affect your emotions?

All members of the group said that the layering of the voice impacted their emotions, giving it a powerful boom. This inspired Person 2 and 3, but Person 1 said it sounded manipulative.

Did it bring back personal experiences or memories?

Person 2 said it reminded them of their time in youth group. Person 1 and 3 said it reminded them of Shrek, but did not elaborate.

Did this music make you feel physical?

Person 2 said they felt physically closer to God. Person 1 and 3 said there was no physical difference.

Did this music make you want to act in a certain way ?

Person 2 said it made them want to attend church again. Person 1 said it made them want to watch Shrek again. Person 3 said no difference.

Did this music change how you think?

Person 2 said it made them reflect on how they need to put God first. Person 1 and 3 said no difference.

“People Are Strange” by The Doors

What emotions do you feel when you listen to this music?

Person 3 said it made them feel uneasy. Person 1 and 2 said there was no difference in emotion.

Was there any about the lyrics (if applicable), melody, and rhythm of the music affect your emotions?

Person 3 said it was how uneasy the guitar sounded. As if it were crying for help. Person 1 and 2 said that it sounded like a normal Halloween song.

Did it bring back personal experiences or memories?

All people said no.

Did this music make you feel physical?

Person 3 said it made their hair stand up on their arms. Person 1 and 2 said nothing.

Did this music make you want to act in a certain way?

Person 3 said it made them want to turn the music off. Person 1 and 2 said no.

Did this music change how you think?

All members said it did not change how they thought.

“Walking On Sunshine” by Katrina And The Waves

What emotions do you feel when you listen to this music?

All members said it made them feel like dancing, happy, wanting to get out of their seat.

Was there any about the lyrics (if applicable), melody, and rhythm of the music affect your emotions?

All members said it was the beat of the song and how happy the singer sounded. Person 2 also stated the guitar when no singing helped contribute to their happy emotion.

Did it bring back personal experiences or memories?

Person 3 said it reminded them in playing in water at the beach. Person 1 and 2 said no memories were brought back.

Did this music make you feel physical?

All members said it made them feel like dancing. Person 2 said they were tapping their foot on the ground.

Did this music make you want to act in a certain way?

All said they felt like dancing.

Did this music change how you think?

All members said it did not change how they thought.

Group B

The first group composing of family and friends who were asked to listened to music listened to instrumental music.

“The Swan (Carnival of the Animals)” by Saint-Saëns

What emotions do you feel when you listen to this music?

Person 1 and 3 said it made them feel relaxed and happy. Person 1 said it reminded them of a wedding. Person 2 said that it made them feel whimsical and childlike which reminded them of Wizard of Oz.

Was there any about the lyrics (if applicable), melody, and rhythm of the music affect your emotions?

All said the violin contributed to the emotions. Person 2 saying that the slow and soothing melody of the violin took them on a journey.

Did it bring back personal experiences or memories?

All said no experiences or memories were brought back. Person 2 adding that they did see images of Somewhere Over the Rainbow and ballerinas.

Did this music make you feel physical?

Person 1 said it may them sway their head from side to side, other than that, Person 2 and 3 did not feel anything physical.

Did this music make you want to act in a certain way?

All said it did not want to make them act in a certain way.

Did this music change how you think?

All members said it did not change how they thought.

“The Rite of Spring (Augurs of Spring)” by Igor Stravinsky

What emotions do you feel when you listen to this music?

Person 1 said they felt confusion and slight annoyance. Person 2 said in the beginning it felt like war, however, as it went on it felt like danger was close by like when a forest is on fire but not near you yet. Person 3 said it made them angry.

Was there any about the lyrics (if applicable), melody, and rhythm of the music affect your emotions?

All members said it was the metallic and wind instruments that effected their emotions. 

Did it bring back personal experiences or memories?

Person 1 and 3 said no personal experiences or memories popped into their head. Person 2 said it made them think of old Disney movies and how many high intense danger scenes there were. It also made them think of a boss fight in a video game.

Did this music make you feel physical?

Person 1 said it made them feel like their ear drums were gonna explode. Person 2 said it made them jump when it first started playing. Person 3 said it made them feel tense.

Did this music make you want to act in a certain way?

Person 1 said makes them want to write a strongly worded letter to the composer asking why would they make this. Person 2 said it put them on high alert. Person 3 said it made them want to turn on a different song.

Did this music change how you think?

Person 1 said it made them appreciate good songs. Person 2 and 3 said it did not change how they thought.

“Stain Doll” by Duke Ellington

What emotions do you feel when you listen to this music?

All members said they felt relaxed, calm, and mellow.

Was there any about the lyrics (if applicable), melody, and rhythm of the music affect your emotions?

All said the bass and brass instruments added to what they felt.

Did it bring back personal experiences or memories?

Person 1 said it felt like they were at a bar or jazz club. Person 2 said it made them think of a famous painting that has a café and it's raining. Person 3 said it felt like they were at their family’s house during Thanksgiving.

Did this music make you feel physical?

Person 1 stated they were tapping their foot, tapping their hand, and felt like they were being pulled to the music. Person 2 said it made them sway slightly. Person 3 said it made them do a little dance in their chair.

Did this music make you want to act in a certain way?

All of them said it made them want to be more sociable. They expressed time with spending time with family and friends. Person 2 said it made good background music.

Did this music change how you think?

All said that it didn’t change how they thought. Person 2 said besides putting them more at-ease. It didn't make them think anything outside of the music, but when it's playing it puts them at-ease.

Conclusion

I noticed that Group B had experienced a higher range of emotions than Group A. Group B tended to go into a lot more detail with what they were feeling, talking more about their memories regarding the music, and inquiring about the history of the songs. Group A gave more direct responses than Group B did. This could be due to a number of factors. 

It could be that Group B has more insightful people in it. It could be luck that I randomly chose a more introspective group.

It may also be that the lyrics of Group A caused Group A to not be able to reflect on it as well or it could be that it swayed their thinking. Personally I know I can’t listen to music with lyrics when I am trying to talk or write things out. It’s harder for me to think. Group A may not have time to analyze why the felt the way they did.

Lastly, it could be that instrumental music can leave more to interpret. If there are no lyrics to sway our emotions than that leaves our own minds to make the conclusions for us. It makes it a much more personal experience and I believe those with more vivid imaginations could see more personal experiences and memories from instrumental music.

Personally, I think it is that instrumental music has no lyrics to sway the emotions that cause Group B to be more insightful than Group A. Group B had to reflect more and let the music take them on a journey than listening to another person’s story.

[colorfulyetsinful]

Road Tunes Headcannon; Batfam:

Batfam (Dick, Jason, Tim, Steph, Cass, Y/n and Damian) fighting over the aux cord during a road trip.... Yeah, this came to me head one day so I did it.

I’m doing a lot of writing rn, and getting to my request (it just takes time to write, plus I’m lazy, but I’m working on then), but I want to do something special for BabyDami(™)’s birthday. If anyone got any suggestions I’m all ears. I have something in mind, but I’ll be happy to hear them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It would be a simple trip as a family.

Until dick asks for the aux.

Jason: OH NO, WE ARE NOT LISTENING TO WHATEVER YOU CALL MUSIC, DICK!!!!

Everyone,

And I mean everyone,

Refuses to giving him the aux cord.

Till you ask for it only to hand it to Dick be cause you LOVE ABBA too.

Screaming every lyric because while on full volume.

Y/n: YOU CAN DANCE! YOU CAN SHIIIIINNE! HAVING THE TIME IF YOUR LIFFFEEEEEEE!!!!”

Everyone tries to get the aid back, but is slapped, punched, or pushed by you.

Dick: DANNNNCCCINGGGG QQUEEEENNNNNNNN!!

Jason gets his hands on the aux.

All hell brakes lose.

Tim: Jason, please. For the love of all things bats, don’t.

*dun* *dun* *dun* *dun*

It’s MCR

Because Jason™.

You jam to everything because you drive with every single one of them and the radio is controlled by the driver.

Jason (just to annoye his siblings) screeches every note.

You tag alone because MRC. Who does love them.

Jason: Wₕₑₙ ᵢ wₐₛ ₐ yₒᵤₙg bₒy,

Y/n: ₘy fₐₜₕₑᵣ ₜₒₒₖ ₘₑ ᵢₙₜₒ ₜₕₑ cᵢₜy

It’s either that, or literally any edgy ansty emo band during his time.

Cuz he sad boy that needs daddy’s love.

The aux is pulled out of Jason’s phone before the song could continue...

(You don’t want Jasón to continue his playlist)

Your given the aux next,

And, uhhhh

Let’s just thought they where safe.

Y/n: because wE’RE SOARINGGGGG,”

* Dick joins in because come on his dude LOVES HSM

Dick: FLLLLYYYYINGGG-

Nope not doing that. Dick starts singing we’re not playing it!

Tim has the aux....

Plays meme songs.

(SwOtY hAd ThEm ApPlE bOtToM jEaNs BoOtS wItH tHe FuR)

(Sorry that’s really suck in my head lol)

This time, he plays.....

“All Stars” from Shrek....

The ear rape version.

....Why did we allow him...

You’re just laughing along with Tim and Steph while everyone is trying to lower the volume the still stays up.

Steph’s turn.

She plays musicals

Like Hamilton, dear Evan Hanson, mean girls (dicks and steph’s favorite)

But everything is CANCELED when heathers start playing...

Dead girl walking?

More like “Steph STOP IT BABYDAMI’S INNOCENCE!!!!!”

Speaking of Damian,

He’s not given the cord.

It mostly because all he wants to listen to is classical (what everyone assumes)

In reality he just wants to listen to some kpop.

What? He like a culture shift.

Plus you listen to it, and you drive him everywhere.

You ask for the aux again, hesitant, but they hand it back to you.

In which, you please BabyDami by playing black pink, and bts

Damian is quite in the back seat, but covers his mouth so no one could see him mouthing the words.

(Lmaoo he’s so cute.

Just,

Ahhhhhhhbjikblknopbva

His little self in the back seat trying not to be heard, it’s so cute. uwu

Ok I’m done.)

No one really notices.

Too busy in the fact that your crying in your seat because

AHHHHHHHHHHJUYTRDESXCVGHJKL SUGGGAAA AND JUNGKOOK’S VOICE!!!!!

Heart attack.

...

Ummm yeah they stop handing you the aux at this point.

Cass is the last to get it.

She’s been calmly and quietly waiting for her to get her hands on it and...

Everyone is into Cass’s playlist.

She has what everyone wants: Backstreet Boys, musicals, 80s, emo rock.

Yeah everyone is jamming.

TELL ME WHY!!!

AINT NOTHING BUT A HEARRRRTTTACCHHEE

TELLL MEEE WHHYYYYYY?!?!?

AINT NOTHING BUT A MISSSSTTTAAKKKKKEE!!!!!

Dick: NOW NUMBER 5

You and Damian: IIII NEVER WANNA HEAR YOU SAYYYY

WAOH!

I WANT IT THATTTT WAYYYY!

You all wonder my you didn’t just give Cass the aux in the beginning.