#constantly stopping andrew from hurting people by being too attractive when andrew is So Gay

[rekikiri]

wymack didn’t pick neil to be vice captain because he thought he would be a good leader

he picked neil because he’s a nosy little shit who will stick his nose in everyone’s business and meddle with everything if he think it’ll strengthen the team

[ninyard]

i want to know ANYTHING and EVERYTHING about the andrew meets neil as stefan au

YES PLS OKAY

(holy shit this was supposed to be a HC ramble/snippets from the fic but uhhh….here’s a mini fic instead????? The actual fic I wrote isn’t even set back in California it’s set in PSU??? This was supposed to be short backstory!!!!!! Anyways lmk if u want the foxes stuff lol Enjoy <3)

Neil had natural looking ashy blonde with green eyes at the time, no older than 14 years old, going by the name Stefan Montgomery. Him and Mary ended up in a motel in Oakland for a couple weeks, regaining their footing after a close-call somewhere in Oregon.

Mary had hit Neil a gnarly heavy-handed blow after he forgot which name he was using in Eugene. Was it Sam? Or Dylan? Or had it been Joseph? A nice inch wide cut sat where his perfect court tattoo would sit, just on the turn of his cheekbone below the corner of his eye, bordered by a healing purple-brown bruise. Stefan was born on the border between California and oregon, stolen from a waiter at a pit stop diner, who didn’t let their coffee cups go empty as they mapped out where to go next.

He had met Andrew by chance; Stefan had been sitting on the bottom of the metal stairs that led up to the floor they were staying at. Mary was having a shower, dying her hair, becoming Georgia, perfect mother, a beautiful, average woman. He was people watching, looking at the cars pulling in and out of the car park, making up his own stories about who was who, what their names were and if they were worth stealing when they inevitably moved on. Andrew hung around the motel because just behind the building was an old, decrepit playground that’s should’ve been foreclosed years ago. Nobody ever used it, so it was a quiet place for him to be alone. He’d been walking through the parking lot after having just grabbed a chocolate bar or two from the vending machine when he stopped in front of Neil.

“What happened to your face?” It was quiet, barely a sentence, not big enough of a question to be intrusive or over-stepping.

“I’m a boxer.” That was the lie he’d been using for a few days. “I had a fight a couple days ago.”

You see, Stefan was a name Neil didn’t want to remember, like a bitter memory he forced himself to forget. It was just before Mary’s paranoia began to spiral even worse that it had already been. Stefan was keep your head down, we won’t be here long, give it a week, give it a week. Stefan was sleepless nights, watching his mother sat upright almost all night, eyes on the door, a knife under her pillow. Stefan was you don’t need friends, they’ll drag you down.

Mary didn’t know until the end that they’d been friends, Neil teaching Andrew the little boxing he knew, Andrew teaching Stefan how to keep yourself busy when you needed something to do. There was something about Andrew that made it impossible for him to stay away; he wasn’t a particularly happy kid, but the way he spoke, the way he cared about the fake life Neil had made up, the way he saw Stefan’s life as something he could never have.

“Have you ever thought about kissing a boy your age?” They’d been in Oakland for three weeks, and the two kids had made plans to meet every time Mary was occupied and Andrew was around. Neil didn’t really think to wonder why Andrew was always around. Didn’t he have a family who would miss him being gone all this time? Didn’t he have a home to go to?

“No,” Neil answered honestly. There wasn’t time for thoughts like that. Kisses weren’t signs of affection; kisses were lies, kisses were dangerous, kisses occupied a space in the mind that could be filled with run, run, run.

“Do you think it’s wrong?” Andrew had been swinging on the swing set, his feet dangling from the chipped plastic seat, the creaky chains holding him up. The question was loaded. Behind it was a conversation he’d had with his foster-mom, a slur from his foster-siblings, another hit from his foster-father.

“No,” that was an honest answer too. In his head his answer sounded like I’ve been told all kissing was wrong. But he couldn’t say that. Normal teenagers thought about kissing, and boyfriends, and girlfriends, and worried about how they looked in front of their crush. “Do you?”

“I don’t know.” His words were a sigh. Andrew trusted Stefan in this weird, out of character way. He’d never met anyone who’d been more interested to hear about his life than talk about their own. Of course, half of it was a half-truth, lies weaved into the story of Andrew.

Andrew was the first person who made Neil smile in a very long time. It was foreign hearing himself laugh, a sound reserved for fake interactions with strangers who couldn’t help but prying. Neil trusted him. His honest eyes often burning a hole in his face, on the days when Neil couldn’t bare eye contact. Andrew was a rock that Neil could feel himself becoming more and more attached to, more and more…attracted to? He didn’t know what that feeling felt like, but when he caught himself thinking about what a long hug from him would feel like, or a kiss on the forehead, the cheeks, the nose, the….

It was an impossible thought that Neil kept buried. Until Andrew had a bad day. Until Neil met him in the playground and he was sat underneath the slide, face buried in his knees that were pulled to his chest. Black hood pulled so far forward it almost covered the wet cheeks and puffy eyes he tried to hide. Stefan sat just across from him, the tips of their shoes not quite touching, but Neil rested his open palms on his shoes for Andrew to hold if he needed. He didn’t ask what was wrong.

“You’re my friend?” Andrew asked, half statement, half question. There was no hesitation in Neil’s “Of course.”

Andrew gently weeped, babbling on about wishing he could feel normal, or have a normal family. He wished he could understand himself. He wished he didn’t have to hurt so much. He’d looked up at Neil with his red eyes and wiped the tears from his face with the cuff of his sleeve. “Can I trust you?”

The statement hurt Neil far more than he thought it would. He hated that words spilled out of his mouth, his eyes stinging at the thought of saying what he really wanted to say. His mouth said “You can tell me anything,” when his brain said “I think Stefan dies in a week”.

Andrew told him about how he thought he was gay, and how embarrassed, alone, and ugly he felt to think that way. He didn’t know what normal feelings felt like. He didn’t know what it felt like to kiss someone he actually wanted to kiss. The statement hung in the air like a floating question. Did he…? Andrew had brushed away the thought almost as quickly as Neil did, but not without both their cheeks flushing pink at the unspoken idea. Neil watched as Andrew messed with the strings on his hoodie. Andrew cheered up after a little while, but when Neil realised how long he’d been gone for, he panicked. Instinctively, he pulled Andrew into a hug before running back to the motel room.

Stefan was bad memories, he’d always had to remind himself. Stefan was a mistake, a fuck-up, a vulnerability he would never, ever show again. Stefan was a slap across the face when he came back late. “Where the hell have you been?” Followed by a lie, then another, then another. Neil had only lied to his mother a handful of times in his life, but when it came to Andrew they seemed to slip out of his mouth at an alarming rate. The next time he seen Andrew, his swollen, burst lip barely hidden, Andrew had brushed his fingers across it and sarcastically asked if it was the product of another boxing match. Neil shushed him when he asked if his mother had done it. That was too personal. He was letting Andrew in too far and he was rotting Neil from the inside out. His hardened exterior fell away when he was around Andrew, and boy, was that dangerous. It shattered into a million pieces when they sat at at the top of the jungle-gym and Andrew asked so gently if he could kiss him.

No, no, no. The ghost of his mother’s hands in his hair told him to walk away. The phantom pain of a slap, and a hit, and a deafening lecture about his safety told him to stop letting Andrew in. He knew it was dangerous. He knew it, he knew it, he knew it. So why did his lips automatically curl around the word yes and his heart start pumping a hundred miles a minute? They looked each other in the eyes for a few seconds, minutes, hours, days, until they were both so close they couldn’t see each other anymore. It was only a peck, a playground kiss, but Neil’s stomach flipped. Andrew pulled away as quickly as he’d leaned in. He didn’t look at Neil for the rest of the hour they spent together, but Neil didn’t look at him. That wasn’t to say they each didn’t have to constantly fight a love-struck smile off their faces every few minutes.

Their meetings started to get less frequent after that. Andrew stopped showing up, but instead left little notes carved into the yellow plastic of the slide. ‘R u grossed out? -A’ was the first one he left after their moment’s kiss. All Neil wrote back was ‘Never’. The next time they seen each other in person they sat hidden again in the top of the jungle gym. Neil knew Mary was planning on them moving on in the following days. He couldn’t tell Andrew. Even the thought of it broke his heart. Regardless of the kiss, or kisses, they shared, Andrew had become the closest friend Neil had ever had. Neil had to remind himself more than once that everything Andrew thought he knew about Stefan was a fabrication. They spoke about sexuality again, hands brushing off each other, sometimes intertwined, sometimes resting on the others leg or arm. Andrew asked if Neil was gay, and his face fell when Neil said no, I don’t think so. It took him a moment to add on “I don’t know what I am”. They left kisses on each other’s lips that lingered for hours, for days. The more Neil let Andrew in, the harder it was for him to keep lying to his mother. She began to get suspicious of where he was going when she left him alone.

Even still, Neil didn’t hear when Mary came into the playground the last time he seen Andrew. Andrew had his head rested on his shoulder, their hands intertwined and hidden between their outstretched legs. They’d been talking about something and nothing at the same time. Neil’s stomached bottomed out when he saw her brunette hair and tiny figure step around the rusted green fence. He let go of Andrew’s hand as quickly and as subtly as he could, but he knew it was no use. He didn’t know how long she’d been standing there. Andrew looked into Stefan’s green eyes as Neil stood up, searching, scared. Neil sent him a weak smile. This was the last time he would ever look into those hazel eyes, his light eyebrows furrowed as he watched Neil begin to walk away. Neil had nodded his way, and whispered a frightened ‘See you around’ before he walked over to join Mary. She grabbed his arm and pulled him towards their motel room, already mentally packing their bags. Not before she beat him harder than she ever had before. Neil expected it. But every blow reminded him of Andrew until Andrew was no longer gentle touches and honesty and kisses. Andrew was a kick to the back of the knees as he walked through the motel room door. Andrew was a slap, and another, and another. He was a screaming, crying, angry mother, shoving whatever belongings they owned into their single duffel bag. Andrew was leaving their key at reception at midnight and starting their journey to another town. Andrew wasn’t worth it. Andrew was the swollen ankle he walked on for miles. Andrew was Mary pulling roughly at his blonde hair to dye it black in some random gas station that night. He wasn’t worth it. He wasn’t worth it. He wasn’t worth it. Neil left Stefan with Andrew in Oakland. He tried to leave the memories there too. Oh, how badly he tried.

The worst part was, Andrew didn’t know that was the last time he would ever see Stefan again. He waited every day for him to come back. Every day came and went and every day he never showed up. Neil didn’t know about that part, you see. Neil thought Andrew would forget about Stefan like a childhood crush, thrown away, moved on to the next cute boy who listened to him talk. They shared a thought, though, drilling the regret and shame into their minds. He wasn’t worth it. He wasn’t worth it.

(Part 2)

[cuthian]

Universal Language

“Vic,” Benji frowned, “These guys are a big deal, okay? They managed to get a record deal at seventeen and they’ve been openly LGBT the entire time, and when their old record label dumped them and tried to poach their rhythm guitarist, they found a new lead singer and reinvented themselves.” Benji glanced back towards the stage before he added, “They’re living every teen musician’s dream.”

—Love Victor & Julie and the Phantoms crossover

... I have no idea what this is.

Please blame the JatP discord server, I have absolutely no clue where this came from 😅 This is unbeta'd, and I hope no one is horribly out of character, but if they are... oh well ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Enjoy!

Love Annaelle

Universal Language

“Music is the universal language of humankind.” —Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Victor smiled lightly as Benji bounced up and down beside him, fidgeting with his bracelet as he eyed the stage hard, like if he visualized them hard enough, the opening band for the Battle of the Bands would just appear out of thin air. “Relax,” Victor told him, tentatively reaching out to slot their hands together—he’d only been out for a little while and they’d only been officially dating for a little over a month and Victor wasn’t quite used to being allowed to hold Benji’s hand in public.

“Vic,” Benji frowned, “These guys are a big deal, okay? They managed to get a record deal at seventeen and they’ve been openly LGBT the entire time, and when their old record label dumped them and tried to poach their rhythm guitarist, they found a new lead singer and reinvented themselves.” Benji glanced back towards the stage before he added, “They’re living every teen musician’s dream.”

Victor chuckled and squeezed his fingers around his boyfriend’s. “I know, Benj, you’ve told me—”

“Us,” Lake interrupted as she popped up beside them, Felix not far behind her, “You’ve told us this all before—it’s all you’ve been able to talk about since they announced they’d be hosting the Battle of the Bands this year.” Lake laced her arm with Felix’s and smiled up at Victor and Benji. “Their manager agreed to let me take a few pictures and ask them a couple of questions for Creek Secrets later too.”

“Really?” Benji very nearly squeaked and Victor’s chest went warm and tight with affection, because he remembered not so long ago, thinking that Benji was so incredibly effortlessly cool—and he was—but he was also a massive dork and Victor adored him.

“Yes, really,” Lake grinned. “If you’re good, I’ll even introduce you.”

Victor laughed when Benji made a tiny noise of excitement. “I wonder if they’re going to perform their old songs or their new songs,” he wondered aloud, eyes straying back towards the stage. “For smaller venues they’ve been known to use Sunset Curve songs rather than Julie and the Phantoms ones, but—”

“Whatever songs they use,” Victor grinned, tugging Benji closer, “I’m sure you’ll love it anyway.”

Benji hummed in agreement, and though he seemed a little distracted still, he still set his hands on Victor’s waist and pulled him close, tilting his head up to press a chaste kiss to the corner of Victor’s lips.

Victor felt his cheeks flush and he had to stop himself from glancing over his shoulder to check no one was watching them because he knew people were probably still watching—coming out and subsequently starting to date Benji (officially) only a month after he and Mia had broken up had fueled the Creekwood gossip mill for days, and at first, people had even tried to come into Brasstown just to sneak pictures of him and Benji doing something as mundane as working together.

Of course, back then, Victor had just been relieved that he and Benji were working together again at all.

“So,” he said quietly when Benji pulled back, sliding his hands down Benji’s back until they rested on his boyfriend’s waist, “Go ahead. Talk about the band, I know you want to.”

Benji grinned up at him, biting down on his lower lip before he said, “Their bassist can play… a truly absurd amount of instruments, apparently, and he loves country music.” He wrinkled his nose and added, “I saw an interview with him and the lead singer once, and they mentioned that he’s always slipping country songs into everyone’s notebooks and pockets—it’s a running gag at this point.”

He glanced at the stage again and bounced on his toes, “Also, no one knows which of the band members are dating. Like,” he clarified when Victor frowned in confusion, “There’s pictures all over the internet of literally every single one of them on dates with each other, and they’re super affectionate on stage and in interviews, and I’m pretty sure I heard they all live together as well.”

“Huh,” Victor frowned. “I guess that’s pretty rare, right? Them being able to keep their private lives somewhat secret?” He couldn’t imagine having to live like that, with a spotlight constantly on him—although he guessed that he did in a way. Being openly gay, even in a fairly liberal town and a very supportive school, kind of felt like living under a spotlight too.

Benji shrugged. “Yeah. I mean, everyone kind of knows that the lead singer and the drummer used to date, but that’s just because they were dating when they signed their original label. I don’t think they’re still dating, I’m pretty sure the drummer’s dating this international skateboarding champion now.”

Victor nodded slowly. “Like Tony Hawk?”

Benji laughed. “Yeah, just like that, but you know—younger. I think he’s just a couple of years older than we are. Closer to Bram and Simon’s age. Super hot too.”

“Really?” Victor chortled. “Should I be worried here?”

Benji laughed, spinning around and wrapping his arms around Victor’s neck. “Oh no,” he grinned. “No, Vic, don’t worry. I’ve only got eyes for one tall, handsome brunet.”

“Okay, good,” Victor leaned in to press a short, hard kiss to Benji’s lips, relishing in the fact that he could.

“Hey you two,” someone crowed from behind them, “Stop being so damn cute, you’ll rot my teeth.” Victor pouted as Benji pulled away and stepped back, waving at Mia and Andrew as they approached them and Lake and Felix. Victor managed an awkward little smile Mia—things weren’t exactly back to normal between them, and Victor and Benji had held off on making their relationship official for over a month to give Mia some time to adjust, some time to deal with the mess Victor had made of their relationship.

He’d apologized, of course, had apologized until he was blue in the face and had given her whatever she needed to process everything. She’d forgiven him, had forgiven them, but things were still a little awkward between them, even though she was dating Andrew now and claimed to be over Victor.

Andrew had been surprisingly supportive when Victor came out, had had his back with the rest of the basketball team, had stood up for him when people tried to be shits in the hallways or in the cafeteria, and had made the whole experience of coming out and being open about his relationship with Benji ten times more bearable, especially in the light of his parents’ utter refusal to discuss his sexuality at all.

Victor had to admit the other guy probably wasn’t so bad at all.

“Fine, fine,” Benji replied playfully, leaning in to hug Mia briefly. “But only because you asked so nicely.”

That had been the most surprising thing about this whole thing. Mia and Benji had bonded, were actual legit friends now, had more inside jokes than Victor and Felix did, and liked to joke about how much of an idiot Victor was on a daily basis. Victor didn’t mind, really, although he wasn’t sure how to feel about his ex-girlfriend and his boyfriend getting on this well.

“You excited for the show?” Mia asked Benji, grinning up at him brightly.

“Yeah,” Benji nodded eagerly, going off on another hilariously detailed rant about the band and the songs that they were most likely going to play, and Victor couldn’t help but smile, because Benji’s enthusiasm for the band and his own impending performance was infectious and he was so damn adorable.

“What’s up everybody?!”

Victor turned to the stage, finding it finally occupied by a tall, gorgeous dark-skinned young woman with thin, long box braids swept up into a playful ponytail. “Oooh, I love her outfit,” he heard Lake whisper audibly, and Mia’s affirmative mumble. Benji, on the other hand, was back to bouncing up and down on his toes excitedly, his fingers tight on Victor’s wrist.

“You guys are in for a treat,” the young woman grinned broadly. “Tonight, you’ll be getting a taste of the original Sunset Curve to open the Battle of the Bands! Our lead singer Julie is unfortunately down with a horrible cold and can’t sing, so we brought in an old fan favorite for a small reunion performance!”

“Oh my God,” Benji whispered. “Bobby’s here!”

Victor frowned in confusion, because he was pretty sure he’d heard Benji mention the name before, but then Benji had been talking about Sunset Curve and Julie and the Phantoms non-stop for the past three weeks and Victor had tried to keep up, tried to keep them all straight in his head, but much as he enjoyed their music, keeping up with the band members was more than a little confusing.

“Give it up for Sunset Curve!” The young woman cheered, and the crowd roared excitedly back at her as the band members filed onto the stage. Victor clapped, grinning at the way Benji was screaming in excitement beside him, the way Mia and Lake were both jumping up and down and Felix was clapping so hard his hands had to be hurting.

He returned his attention to the stage, to the band members that were taking up their places by the instruments and he realized another reason Benji was probably so enthralled by this band—they were all undeniably and stupidly attractive.

“Nothing to worry about, huh?” He asked playfully, nudging Benji in the side.

His boyfriend grinned back at him unrepentantly and winked. “Not a damn thing,” he chuckled, leaning up to press a kiss to Victor’s cheek. “But you gotta admit the eye candy is a great bonus.”

Victor just shook his head and laughed, just as the band’s lead singer bounced up to his microphone and greeted the crowd excitedly. “Hi everyone, I’m Luke, just for tonight, we’re Sunset Curve, and this is Now or Never.” The other band members began playing almost before he finished talking, the music loud and lively, stirring up the crowd of people.

As soon as the lead singer—Luke, Victor reminded himself—started singing, Benji sang along, as did a fair few other people in the crowd, and Victor saw why these guys had landed a record deal at seventeen. They sounded even better live than they did in their recorded songs, and Victor found himself bobbing his head to the beat, impressed by the way the band played together, the way they moved together, like a unit, like they knew exactly where everyone was going to be—

His breath caught a little when the bassist skipped across the stage to Luke and Luke moved naturally so they could share the mic between them, both of them pressed so close together there was hardly any space between them at all—they were a hair’s breadth from kissing and somehow Victor didn’t think either of them would mind if the mic, the only thing separating their lips, would disappear altogether.

“I get it,” he shouted at Benji. “Why they can’t figure out who’s dating who. They look like they’re a second away from jumping each other.”

Benji laughed and nodded. “Yeah, that’s part of it.”

The bassist skipped back to his own microphone with a massive grin for the chorus before jumping up onto the little platform with the drummer, who grinned at him with a bright, fond little grin before he jumped back off and they launched into the final chorus, and Benji started singing along again, ecstaticly shouting the lyrics back at the band.

As soon as the last note rang out, the crowd burst into raucous applause and Victor found himself cheering along with the others because he got the hype now. These guys were amazing and they were really entertaining to watch too.

“Thank you,” Luke shouted into the microphone, fingers still curled around the neck of his guitar, grinning wildly. “We’re Sunset Curve!”

“Tell your friends!” The bassist quipped with a cheeky smile, causing a smatter of laughter amongst those gathered there, even as the rest of the band laughed and rolled their eyes as they set their instruments down—or, in the drummer’s case, jumped down from his little platform to join the others.

“Right,” Luke said cheerfully, “I wanna thank Bobby here,” he dragged the tall, darkhaired young man closer with an impish grin, “for coming out of retirement at the ripe old age of twenty-one to join us tonight because Julie couldn’t make it.” Everyone cheered, and Victor clapped too, even as the singer continued, “And we want to welcome you to this edition of Battle of the Bands!”

The crowd cheered again, and Luke beamed. “We’ve got five really great bands lined up for you,” the bassist continued, and the drummer nodded beside him, smiling lightly as he looked out at the crowd, taking a clipboard from the dark-skinned woman who’d announced them.

“First up, there’s—” he glanced down at the clipboard and frowned, glancing towards Luke incredulously. “Dude, did you write this?”

Luke glanced over with a pout. “No.”

Victor glanced towards Benji, but he didn’t seem to understand the dynamic anymore than Victor did. Before either of them could comment though, the drummer snorted a laugh and said, “Can’t blame me for asking, man, when stuff is weirdly illegible, it’s usually you.”

Victor laughed at that, before the drummer said, “Anyway, first up is the Sticky Beaks!”

Benji gasped as the crowd applauded, swallowed thickly and turned to Victor with a nervous little smile. “Wish me luck,” he breathed, and Victor tried to smile encouragingly, leaning down to press a swift kiss to Benji’s lips, smiling against his boyfriend’s lips when Benji’s hands came up to clutch at the back of his neck for a long moment before he leaned back.

“You got this,” he told Benji, grinning back before his boyfriend bounced up to the stage with the rest of the band—minus Derek, who had quit the band after his and Benji’s break up.

“So,” Felix said as they watched Benji take the microphone from Luke, “You know what he’s playing?”

The other three pressed closer too, eager to hear Victor’s answer. “Some country song,” he replied, watching the band set up as the guys from Sunset Curve stood at the edge of the stage, chatting quietly amongst themselves. “I think he mentioned he chose it because it was uh—” he gestured towards the bassist, who was now tucked under the blond drummer’s arm.

“Reggie,” Mia supplied.

“Right,” Victor nodded. “Reggie’s favorite. He mentioned it in an interview or something.”

“Hah,” Andrew snorted. “Who knew your boyfriend was such a fanboy, Salazar?” Victor shook his head with a smile, because that was indeed quite the revelation—if not a very delightful one.

“It’s cute,” Mia said, smiling lightly as Benji began strumming the guitar, taking up his place at the microphone as the others set up next to and behind him. Victor remembered the first time he’d watched Benji play at one of these, when he’d still been desperately trying to convince himself he could be into Mia romantically, when Benji had sung ‘Call Me Maybe’.

He wondered if this time would be just as mesmerizing.

“Hi everyone,” Benji exclaimed happily. “We’re the Sticky Beaks, and since we aren’t allowed to do original songs this time, we prepared an old favorite of ours. Enjoy.”

When Benji started playing and singing, Victor noticed the darkhaired bassist—Reggie—perk up immediately, slapping excitedly at the drummer’s arm and tugging on Luke’s hand with an eager grin. Victor couldn’t help but grin, because not only did Benji and the band sound amazing, but it looked like his intention of getting Sunset Curve’s attention by using Reggie’s favorite song was working.

“I just need you to know,” Benji sang, eyes fastening on Victor, and Victor’s breath caught in his lungs for a second as his heartbeat sped up. “I love you more than a California sunset, more than a beer when you ain’t twenty-one yet—”

Victor remembered to breathe when Felix elbowed him in the side, smirking at him and wiggling his eyebrows playfully when Victor managed to look away from his boyfriend.

Victor blushed, biting down on his lip as he looked back toward Benji, who winked at him as he sang, “Yeah, I love you more than the feeling when the bass hits the hook, when the guy gets the guy at the end of the book—but, baby, this might be the last time I get to lay you down, 'cause I can't love you more than my hometown.”

Victor shuddered when Benji drew out the final note, and he was the first to burst into loud, raucous cheering when the music died down, and he noticed with some satisfaction that the Sunset Curve guys all looked really impressed too—Reggie was practically vibrating in excitement, held in place only by his bandmates hands on him.

“How about that?” Luke cheered as he strutted back onto stage, clapping Benji on the shoulder jovially. “That’s a tough act to follow,” he said as Benji very nearly floated off the stage, throwing his arms around Victor as soon as he was within reach.

Victor stopped paying attention to the next band almost immediately, focusing instead on his jubilant boyfriend. “Having you in the crowd is like a good luck charm,” Benji laughed, leaning in to press a more passionate, deeper kiss than they usually shared in public to his lips. “You have to always come to performances from now on,” Benji decreed as soon as they’d parted.

“Sure,” Victor chuckled. “If you can convince Sarah to give us time off on the same nights.”

Benji wrinkled his nose. “As long as I never have to go shopping with her again, I’ll do whatever it takes to convince her to let us have time off at the same time.”

Before Victor could say anything to that, the rest of their friends pounced on them and the rest of Benji’s band, congratulating them on a good performance and teasing Benji for his choice in songs. The band joined in teasing Benji mercilessly, bringing up the time Benji had asked them to learn ‘Call Me Maybe’ in less than a week—both Victor and Benji blushed hard at that—and Mia pointing out with a smirk that even she had thought there might be more to the way they looked at each other until Derek popped up.

“Dude!”

They spun around to find the Sunset Curve bassist—Reggie, Victor reminded himself—standing behind them with an absurdly excited expression, practically bouncing in place.

“Uh,” Benji said slowly, and Reggie grinned. “I can’t believe you played that—it was so good, where did you hear it first? Like, lots of people ignore country music as a whole at these things but you managed the sound so well I’d almost believe you were Wallen himself, but you know—” he waved a hand at Benji and Victor’s entwined hands. “—younger and gayer.”

“Uh,” Victor said, this time.

“Reg, baby,” the drummer strolled up behind him casually and slung an arm around the bassist. “Are you scaring the baby gays again?”

“No, ‘lex,” Reggie pouted up at the blond. “I was being nice.”

“He—he was,” Benji managed, although he still looked a little like he was about to faint. “He said he liked the song we played, he was just—asking us about it.”

The drummer nodded, keeping his arm around Reggie’s shoulders, and said, “That really was a great performance—we don’t get a lot of country at these. I think Reggie nearly expired with excitement when he recognized the song.”

He jostled the bassist playfully and Victor was fascinated by the interaction, because earlier he’d been convinced that Reggie had something going on with Luke, the lead singer—that chemistry when they’d shared a microphone was insane. Now, though, seeing him with the drummer, seeing that casual affection between them that he’d only seen with couples who’d been together forever, like Bram and Simon, he wasn’t so sure anymore.

He abruptly understood why no one knew which of these boys were dating.

“I’m glad you liked it,” Benji managed, a little flustered and bashful like he usually got when people gave him compliments. “That’s—that’s why we picked it.”

“Oh,” Reggie looked at them with wide eyes. “Really? That’s so cool though, how’d you know we—”

“He’s a fan, Reg,” the drummer pointed out. “You’ve mentioned it’s your favorite song in like ten interviews in the last year alone.” Reggie’s cheeks flushed with a splotchy blush and he looked down for a second with a pout—Victor hadn’t even said anything and he still felt like he’d kicked a puppy—before the drummer grumbled and shook his head.

“It’s not a bad thing, Reg,” he said, but before Reggie could say anything, Luke the lead singer popped up beside them, grinning excitedly.

“Hey man,” he told them, “Don’t tell anyone yet, but you guys were definitely the best ones so far.”  

“Thanks,” Benji choked, and the band made similar appreciative noises behind them. “You guys are… so cool,” he then blurted, much to his own shock, it seemed. “I just—” he squeezed Victor’s hand hard, and Victor squeezed back just as tightly as Benji said, “Just—you guys coming out, being proud about who you were, especially you, Alex—” he gestured towards the drummer, “It helped. A lot.”

Reggie’s mouth had fallen open into a tiny ‘o’ and Alex’s expression looked complicated, but Victor got it too. The first time someone at school had cornered him and told him his coming out had made a difference for them, he’d been overwhelmed and shocked too.

“That’s—uh,” Alex stuttered, “I’m glad it made a difference.”

“Told you,” Luke grinned, patting Alex on the shoulder. “Making out on stage after our manager told us to pray the gay away is still the best thing we ever did.”

Victor snorted an ugly laugh at that, and when everyone turned to look at him, he winced, “Sorry, it’s not funny, it’s just—that’s exactly what my grandparents suggested I do when I told them I was gay and that I had a boyfriend. They even sent the priest to our house.”

Alex shook his head and Luke pouted. “My parents disowned me,” Alex said quietly, honestly. “Reggie’s tried to beat him up—Luke’s mom was the only one that accepted us.”

“Yeah, ‘cause she’s awesome,” Luke snorted, and then nudged Reggie before turning to Benji. “Wanna show us the chords to that song? I bet anything Reg’s been dying to ask you that since he first heard you play it.” Before Victor knew it, his boyfriend was whisked away, back to the instruments, chattering excitedly with Luke and Reggie, leaving him standing awkwardly with Alex, who was shaking his head fondly as he watched his bandmates.

“So, uh,” Victor tried, feeling desperately awkward and completely out of his depth but also deeply curious, “how’d you figure out you were gay?”

Alex blinked at him in surprise before chuckling and shaking his head. “You’ve seen my bandmates, right? I’ve known them since I was eight. Hard not to notice.” He deadpanned, gesturing towards Luke and Reggie. Victor glanced towards them too and flushed, eyes catching on Luke’s impressive biceps in that stupid shirt with the sleeves cut off, and the curve of Reggie’s lips.

“Yeah,” he agreed faintly, “Yeah, okay, that’s fair.”

Alex laughed, running his fingers through his blond hair. “They’re idiots,” he said, but he sounded fond as he said it, and Victor watched curiously as Alex glanced back towards Reggie and Luke, who were watching Benji attentive as he played something on his guitar and then mimicked it.

The smile on Alex’s face went soft and fond, and Victor vaguely wondered if he looked like that when he looked at Benji, wondered if Alex was looking at Luke or at Reggie and wondered about the skateboarding champion Benji had mentioned.

Whatever else, he was glad his own love life was—now—not nearly as complicated as Alex’s seemed to be.

“Does it get easier?” He asked quietly, so quietly that for a second he was sure—and glad—that Alex hadn’t heard him at all.

“Sometimes,” Alex replied suddenly, and Victor nearly jumped when the drummer patted his shoulder lightly. “Sometimes it’s easier—and then others it’s just as terrifying as the first time you have to say it out loud.” He bit his lip and shook his head lightly. “All I can really tell you to do is to find your people. Once you got those in your corner… I’m telling you, the world feels a lot less scary when you’ve got good people in your corner.”

He gestured towards Reggie, who was still talking animatedly with Benji, and Luke, who had apparently gotten bored and was bothering their fourth band member, hanging off his shoulder and chatting in his ear. “They’re idiots, but they’re my idiots. Find a couple of your own and there’s nothing you can’t do.”

Victor glanced over his shoulder at his friends, who were actually dancing to whatever band was on stage now, watched Felix try to spin Lake into an unneccessarily complicated spin and nearly trip all over himself while doing so and watched Mia and Andrew laugh at them before they switched partners and tried again—with mixed results—and found himself smiling.

“I think I already have,” he admitted.

When he looked back, Alex was smiling at him, patting his shoulder again. “Good on you, kid.”

“Alex!” Reggie was bouncing back towards them, dragging Benji behind him with a slightly manic grin. “Alex, tell him I’m not allowed to drive the truck, he won’t believe me when I tell him you hide the keys.”

Alex shook his head and gave Reggie an exasperated look before he turned back to Victor. “So much work, these idiots, no matter how much we love them.” He ignored Reggie’s indignant squawk and pulled him close, planting a kiss on Reggie’s lips before he shoved him back. “I hide the keys from you because the last three times we let you drive, you almost crashed the car because you got distracted by a cute dog, a cloud shaped like a hot dog and cows in a field. Not neccessarily in that order.”

Reggie pouted. “Cows are cool.”

Alex rolled his eyes again, yanked Reggie closer for another quick, hard kiss before he pushed him back, and said, “You’re so lucky you play bass.”

Benji chuckled and patted Reggie on the shoulder comfortingly before he sidled up next to Victor again. “It’s okay, man, Victor won’t let me drive anywhere either.”  Victor rolled his eyes, because they’d had this conversation several times, and he was glad they could joke about it now, could laugh about it now that Benji had his license back, but he did remember the days that the subject had rendered his boyfriend sullen and withdrawn for days at a time.

“Last time you drove, you drove straight through a Wendy’s,” he deadpanned.

Benji pouted. “That was one time.”

Reggie huffed and grabbed Benji’s hand, dragging him back towards where Luke and Bobby were still talking. “Come on, Benji, let’s go somewhere we’re actually appreciated.”

Victor laughed a little as Reggie dragged Benji off, watching as the darkhaired bassist jumped into Luke’s arms as soon as he was within reach, planting a long kiss on Luke’s lips before slinging an arm around the shorter man’s shoulders and starting to talk with large, exaggerated gestures, making the three others laugh almost instantly.

Felix popped up beside him and immediately started talking a mile a minute, excited and enthusiastic and entirely unaware that Victor only caught about every four words of his long speech—it had something to do with food and a double date, but that was all he managed to glean from Felix’s speech before the other boy turned to Alex.

His eyes widened before he held out a hand and said, “Dude, you were so cool up there, with the whole—” he mimed beating the drums and Alex snorted a laugh as Felix continued, “And like, you were singing too, that’s some prime multitasking, man, I don’t think I could do it, I’d probably forget to drum half the time or forget the words I’m supposed to sing—”

Alex was staring at Felix with an expression that bordered between awed and mildly horrified, which was a pretty standard reaction after a first exposure to Felix’s… big personality, and Victor was a little impressed by how well Alex seemed to handle the abrupt changes in topics before his gaze drifted over to Reggie, who was still talking to Luke, Benji and Bobby and it suddenly clicked.

He glanced towards Alex and found Alex staring back at him with wide, horrified eyes, and Victor didn’t need to know him very well to know they were thinking the exact same thing.

“We can never let them meet,” Alex said decisively, as soon as Felix abandoned them to go dance with Lake again.

“Nope,” Victor shook his head. “The universe would implode.”

“It probably would, Christ,” Alex laughed, shaking his head. “It’s fine. I’ll go manage my village idiot—I’ll send your boyfriend back to you to help you handle yours.”

Victor huffed a laugh. “Thanks, man.”

Alex patted him on the shoulder one more time and added, “It was nice meeting you, Victor.” He walked off before Victor could reply, but Victor smiled anyway.

Benji turned to smile at him when Alex joined the group, slotting between Reggie and Luke like he belonged there—which he probably did—and Victor smiled back, his chest going all warm and tight again before he turned and went to join his friends.

Benji would probably be caught up with the band for a while, and Victor came to have fun.

He took Mia’s hand when she reached out and let her guide him into a simple spin before he settled into rhythm with the rest of the group, grinning wildly at his friends—his people—as they danced.

Things were going to be fine.

End Notes:

The song Benji sings is ‘More than my hometown’ by Morgan Wallen

Some HC’s that didn’t make it into the fic:

* Luke, Alex and Reggie have been dating since before they managed to get a record deal, but they figured it’d be easier to keep their romantic life private if they kept fans guessing.

* this was then helped when Alex met Willie and fell head over heels in love with him too. He’s cool with Alex’s relationship with Luke and Reggie.

*Luke and Julie dated for a while too, but they split up because they kept clashing over the stupidest things — they work better platonically. Julie and Flynn are now dating.

* Their original record label was run by a bunch of homophobic assholes that tried to convince Bobby, the band’s token straight, to sell out his friends. Instead he told them and they figured something out

* Bobby retired because he was done with showbizz and the other three met Julie and reinvented themselves before getting signed to a new label.

[pumpkindechart]

Every Day by David Levithan | Book Review

“People take love's continuity foor granted, just as they take their body's continuity for granted. They don't realize that the best thing about love is its regular presence. Once you can establish that, it's an added foundation to your life.”

                              Book Review by Angelica Cariño

a/n: stop right there! before you can start reading this book review. I want to say that all the critique that I said in this review are just my humble opinion. please don’t let my review sway your opinion on reading this lovely book :).

Synopsis

    Every day a different body. Every day a different life. Every day in love with the same girl. There’s never any warning about where it will be or who it will be. A has made peace with that, even established guidelines by which to live: Never get too attached. Avoid being noticed. Do not interfere.     It’s all fine until the morning that A wakes up in the body of Justin and meets Justin’s girlfriend, Rhiannon. From that moment, the rules by which A has been living no longer apply. Because finally A has found someone he wants to be with—day in, day out, day after day. Date Published: August 28, 2012

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers

Setting: Maryland, USA

No. of Pages: 322

About the Author

     David Levithan was born in September 7th 1972 in Short Hills, New Jersey. He has written several novels both solo and collaboration. His collaboration with Billy Merrell, The Full Spectrum: A New Generation of Writing About Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning, and Other Identities, was granted the Lambda Award for Best LGBTQ Children’s/Teen Book .

Review

    Here’s the the thing. I don’t really expect that I will like this story so much that I’m begging for more.     I’ve heard about this book here and there, but I didn’t have the chance to read it. I’ve seen it in display on the bookstores, begging to be bought by me. Being a bookworm that I am there’s an itch to buy the book and own a copy, but the sad thing is that I don’t have enough money to buy the book. Horrah!      Unfortunately the book completely slip off my mind as time passed.  If not because our teacher in reading and writing making us write a book review about the book I would forgot about it. Fortunately, there is an app in the playstore that helps you read books for free! It is called AllBooks. Okay, enough chit-chat let's go on with the review.     Every Day is definitely one of the most unique books out there, it was well-thought out and the writing was flawless. I have not read anything like it before and believe me I’ve read a lot of books on my free time (I have a whole collection of books at my house). Well the concept is not entirely original (There’s a TV series called “Quantum Leap” that touch this idea of leaping into the bodies of different people).

    You can learn a lesson from almost every chapter, you can be in the body (and somehow even the mind) of all kinds of people, struggling with their problems, creating others, trying to fix the unfixable or to keep untouched the precious moments in their lives. You learn that actions always  have consequences, that when you change things you have to assume the responsibility for doing so; you get glimpses into the head of so many types of people and at the end of the day not only you can learn a thing or two from it, but you can really become a better person.     The different characters, the lives that A inhabits each day, made the book very interesting because you can see how all of them have different personality, lifestyle and routine. I loved how A was able to at least separate themselves from the lives they are been living, but also sad at the same time for they can’t have what these lives have. I can’t even imagine waking up every day as a new person and for A spending their whole life doing this whole routine of waking up in a different body. I salute them.     I was sobbing at the end of the book, the good kind of hurt, if that’s even possible. Do you know that I looked like a mess when I finished the book? I was staring to the abyss thinking; how can A able to that. Honestly, A can spend their whole life with Rhiannon because there is a way to achieve it but I applaud them for making that decision.     To be honest I was hoping for some explanation about A situation. It gave us snippets of it, but I would have liked for it to explain more. But at the same time I’m glad that the author doesn’t try to explain why A wakes up in a different body each day. I liked that Every Day wasn’t that type of book, and that we didn’t get all the answers, because the story isn’t about that. The story is about humanity and belonging, and what it means to be connected with other people. What David Levithan gave us was incredibly moving and heartbreaking, and I was thoroughly satisfied with how everything played out. Everything in this book just worked. We jump into the A and Rhiannon story from the very first chapter, and even though it was a little bit insta-lovey, it all just felt right. Nothing in this book felt far-fetched. My one minor criticism about the plot was that the ending felt slightly rushed. It is not exactly my cup of tea.

Characters

      A is the narrator and the main character of the novel. A transfers from body to body everyday and they are doing it as long as they can remember. “Imagine being home sick, but without having a home” — A     A is a dynamic character because they are constantly struggling against themselves because of what they are. They aren’t able to make friendships that last longer than a day and now they are being confronted with falling in love. A doesn't know much about how they came to be and doesn't have a mother or father to look up to therefore they have no one to guide them so they have to fend for themselves.

     Rhiannon is a girl who is "pretty but she doesn't see it". She is also characterized as, "lost in her sadness". In the beginning of the book she is introduced as Justin's girlfriend. A also posesses her body at some point in the book. “I'm having a hard time imagining how, but I want these pieces to fit.” — Rhiannon

     Justin is a sixteen year old boy who lives with both parents. He doesn’t care for her girlfriend Rhiannon. He is also agressive, abusive and a douchebag to his girlfriend. A feels they should protect and save Rhiannon from him. “I focus on the present because that is where I am destined to live.”  — A as Justin

     Nathan is a normal every day guy, fairly smart, an introvert, but seems to be a gentleman. When he got possesed by A and he unknowingly went to a party (A lying to Nathan’s parents about it) and got left at side of the road. Nathan became aware of A possessing his body and he is not willing to give up till he knows everything.     “It's as if when you love someone, they become your reason. ”  — A as Nathan

     Kelsea is a girl who is dealing with and depression. Kelsea keeps a journal where she expresses her deepest feelings about her depression and thoughts about suicide.  “I find it hard to concentrate on what's being said. I find it hard to see how any of this is important. Nothing I'm being taught here will make life less painful. None of the people in this room will make life less painful.” — A as Kelsea

     Ashley is described as a girl "knock-out", with a gorgeous face and the body of Beyonce. Ashley’s life is defined by her beauty. It is clear that she spends virtually all her time trying to look perfect. “You like him because he's a lost boy. Believe me, I've seen it happen before. But do you know what happens to girls who love lost boys? They become lost themselves. Without fail.”  — A as Ashley

     Alexander is one of the people that A wakes up as. A knows from the start that he likes being in this body and life. He believes that if they are a normal human they would be a lot like Alexander. "She is my first and only love. Most people know that their first love will not be their only love. But for me, she is both. This will be the only chance I give myself. This will never happen again. "  — A as Alexander

     Reverend Poole is not really the real Poole, he is another person like A. The difference between A and Poole is that A only stays in the body for once a day and then changes but Poole has found some way to occupy one particular body for as long as he wishes. In other words Poole is using his powers for evil instend of good. “I know you so much better than you give me credit for. Do you think this is an accident? Do you think I'm just some religious zealot here to exorcise your demons away? Did you ever ask yourself why I am cataloging such things, what I'm looking for? The answer is you, Andrew. And others like you.” — Reverend Poole's host to A

Favorite Quotes

After a while, you have to be at peace with the fact that you simply are. There is no way to know why. You can have theories, but there will never be proof. - A as Justin We all want everything to be okay. We don't even wish so much for the fantastic or marvelous or outstanding. We will happily settle for okay, because most of the time, okay is enough. - A as Justin I have seen this too many times before. The unwarranted devotion. Putting up with the fear of being with the wrong person because you can't deal with the fear of being alone. The hope tinged with doubt, and the doubt tinged with hope. Every time I see these feelings in someone else's face, it weighs me down. - A as Justin It is its own form of conversation - you can learn a lot about people from the stories they tell, but you can also know them from the way they sing along, whether they like the windows up or down, if they live by the map or by the world, if they feel the pull of the ocean. - A as Justin People are rarely as attractive in reality as they are in the eyes of the people who are in love with them. Which is, I suppose, as it should be. It's almost heartening to think that the attachment you have can define your perception as much as any other influence. - A as Leslie Kindness connets to who you are, while niceness connects to how you want to be seen. - A as Amy You shouldn't have to venture deep down in order to get to love.- A as Nathan It would be too easy to say that I feel invisible. Instead, I feel painfully visible, and entirely ignored. People takl to her but it feels like they are outside a house, talking through th ewalls. There are friends, but they are people to spend time with, not people to share time with. There's a false beast that takes the form of instinct and harps on the pointlessness of everything that happens. - A as Kelsea ... even though the world doesn't matter to her, she matters to the world. - A as Kelsea This is what love does: It makes you want to rewrite the world. It makes you want to choose the characters, build the scenery, guide the plot. The person you love sits across from you, and you want to do everything in your power to make it possible, endlessly possible. And when it's just the two of you, alone in a room, you can pretend that this is how it is, this is how it will be. - A as Adam If you stare at the center of the universe, there is a coldness there. A blankness. Ultimately, the universe doesn't care about us. Time doesn't care about us. That's why we have to care about each other. - A as Alexander Belonging. Togetherness. Thee words are as complicated and confusing as the word love. It's probably all the same thing. Or it would be if we let it be. I can only guess from observation. - A as Mark 

Conclusion

   This novel presents interesting themes, character, point of view, and the relation between the main character, the cover, and the title as its strengths.The themes of this novel are ‘love regardless appearance’ and ‘the struggles of life’. As the main character of this novel, A will impress the readers about how this character becomes tough and wise in dealing withthe character’s complicated life.The other strength is this novel’s first-person point of view which takes the readers to step into the character’s life deeply and feel this character’s feeling. How the meaning of the main character’s name, the cover, and the title are related to each other is also the uniqueness of this novel that becomes its strength. However, the indefinite ending of this novel may become a let down for some readers.     Lastly, David Levithan’s Every Day is recommended for those who like reading romance novel and searching for the unique one. The heartrending story and the good messages that it carries makes this novel worth reading.

[justanothercinemaniac]

Epic Movie (Re)Watch #185 - The Princess Diaries

Spoilers Below

Have I seen it before: Yes

Did I like it then: I think so.

Do I remember it: I remember that it exists and that I saw it.

Did I see it in theaters: No

Format: Blu-ray

This film was nominated by @princessofsunnydale for my first Epic Movie (Re)Watch poll, so it only feels right that I should dedicate it to her.

1) I have not watched this film in AT LEAST 10 years. It’s probably closer to 12 or 13 (although I do remember the soundtrack well because I own it). So in a lot of ways this like a first viewing.

2) There’s a nice sense of place which is immediately established around Mia’s home. It helps establish the character of both her and her mother with their eccentricities and charm.

3) Wait? This was produced by Whitney Houston? Huh.

4) Sandra Oh is in this?

Wow, the things you don’t notice as a child.

5) This is very telling of Mia’s experience at high school.

Mia: “Someone sat on me again.”

6) Anne Hathaway as Mia.

Immediately Hathaway is able to show off and incredible honesty when portraying Mia. You see her shyness and clumsiness wonderfully. But she’s not JUST the stereotypical of an awkward teenage girl. You see where Mia is comfortable, where she’s not, and that’s nice. Hathaway plays all facets of Mia’s personality wonderfully well, bringing a wonderful inquisitiveness and hart to what is the strong base of the film.

7) Ugh, this crap.

Queen Clarisse [upon seeing Mia for the first time]: “You look so [pause as she tries to find a compliment for her appearance] young.”

The trope of, “girl who is not traditionally beautiful absolutely NEEDS a makeover so her outer beauty matches her inner beauty,” can die a horrible and painful death. What the heck is wrong with Mia? She wars glasses, she has big hair, and eyebrows which are compared to Brooke Burke’s. What the heck is wrong with Brooke Burke? I’m tired of films making it seem like this isn’t attractive. I think Mia is GORGEOUS even before her transformation.

8) If this line isn’t iconic for my generation I don’t know what is.

(GIFs originally posted by @animations-daily​)

9) I like that Mia loses her shit instead of being like, “Oh, I’m a princess! My life is a fairytale!” She realizes the real world implications of this and the pressure it puts on her.

Mia: “Just in case I’m not enough of a freak already, let’s add a tiara!”

10) According to IMDb:

Mia's cat, Fat Louie, was Anne Hathaway's pet in real-life. Four different cats played the role. One who allowed people to carry it, one who could sit still, another who would jump, and the last one, who sits on the envelope at the end of the movie.

11) Julie Andrews as Queen Clarisse.

Julie Andrews is a legend of cinema and brings the same kind of focus to her role as Queen Clarisse as she would to Mary Poppins. Clarisse is good at being a formal stuck in the mud while also being warm and sympathetic. You can see her heart, the empathy she has, and it is not that much of a stretch for her relationship with Mia to grow into another strong fundamental of this movie. It’s a stand out performance in the film and a nice addition to the veteran actresses’ resumé.

12) Um…what!?

Queen Clarisse: “You have a cousin who’s a Contessa. Formerly known as Bartholomew. Actually we call him Pookie.”

I had to google this to make sure a Contessa is always a woman and they are. And this might not be a big deal NOW but I am pleasantly surprised to see that they referenced the fact Mia has a transgender cousin in a 2001 Disney film (even if there was a pronoun slip).

13) Hector Elizondo as Joe.

Elizondo is director Garry Marshall’s lucky charm and features in nearly all of the director’s films. He’s pretty amazing in this, able to play Joe as someone who is intimidating and professional but WILDLY sympathetic to Mia. You can tell he cares for her and Queen Clarisse deeply even if he’s not showing it in the most massive of ways. It’s quiet but deep and at times very moving. Also he’s a badass.

Lily: “You know you look like Shaft?”

Joe: “Yes.”

14) This is an interesting visual I wish had been explored a bit more. Why is this guy so obsessed with M&M’s?

15) If I haven’t said it before, Mia is pretty cool. She knows cars, art, has a wonderful sense of humor, is a rock climber, and just a wonderfully well rounded/full breathing character.

16) One of the most underrated small characters in this film is Mia’s gym teacher.

Mia [playing soccer]: “I can’t do this, I’m a girl.”

Gym Teacher Harbula: “What am I, a duck!?”

17) I have a fundamental philosophical issue with putting such emphasis on being “proper” and all that crap. Who determines what is “proper” and why is looking a certain way, standing a certain way, and sitting a certain way so much more important than treating people well? I hate that.

18) The relationship Joe has with Clarisse is VERY nice, but according to IMDb:

The on-screen relationship between Queen Clarisse Renaldi (Julie Andrews) and Joseph (Hector Elizondo) was not scripted. The dance scene, and the underlying affection was added by the two. According to Hector Elizondo, "We felt that a romance after fifty was important to tell, and it can be sensual and sexy while keeping your clothes on."

19) Larry Miller as Paolo.

Miller is another frequent collaborator with director Garry Marshall and an incredible character actor, stealing the entire film with his scene as Paolo. Committed absolutely to his character, Miller has a lot of fun in an absolutely hysterical role. I don’t remember most of the fine details of this film but I remember Paolo.

20) The makeover scene - while key and possibly iconic to a lot of people - ties into what I talked about in note #7.

Paolo: “You will be beautiful!”

She already IS beautiful you jerk! Why are glasses ugly? Why is her bushy hair ugly? And of course, this crap!

Queen Clarisse [after Mia’s makeover]: “Better, much better.”

NO! NOT BETTER! DIFFERENT! NOT WORSE, BUT WHY IS THIS BETTER!? IT’S JUST DIFFERENT!

21) Similarly, Lily giving Mia crap for her new look is really crummy behavior from a best friend.

Lily: “Oi. Who destroyed you.”

Lily is a fundamentally bad friend in these moments. She shouldn’t judge Mia for her makeover anymore than Queen Clarisse should judge Mia for her pre-makeover look. Basically: don’t judge people for their appearance, whether they meet traditional standards of beauty or not. Let them look however the heck they want to look.

(GIF originally posted by @marshmallow-the-vampire-slayer)

22) I love this line.

23) One thing I love in films is when they embrace the visual medium. We see Mia talking to Lily, we don’t hear what she says, but we KNOW. We don’t need to hear. The message is: Lily knows everything the audience does now and she’s excited!

24) I kinda get high school bullies, but also not really. Is your self esteem so low that you really need to consistently make other people miserable/get them in trouble to feel better about yourself? For example: why does Mandy Moore so passionately call Mia out for wearing a hat JUST to get her in trouble. Mia is not hurting anyone and if the teacher cared enough he’d have already asked her not to wear it. It’s just stupid.

25) The biggest problem with this film I would say is the pacing. There are a number of scenes - specifically, princess lesson scenes - which are fun but don’t add to any of the characters or plot. They’re a little self indulgent. HOWEVER, they are also the most memorable scenes in the movie so cutting them would be a mistake. So I’m not sure what to say, actually. I’m just going to move on.

26) Wow. These films are so gay (not in a derogatory sense but in an actual homosexual sense).

Paolo [after the press learns Mia is a princess]: “I outed you! So to speak. I don’t mean to imply -”

FYI: I’d be so okay if Mia were gay or bi or anything. I need more representation in my life.

27) Things you don’t pick up on as a child.

Teacher Over PA: “Will the feng shui club please stop rearranging the tables on the front lawn?”

28) This was NOT scripted but instead a mistake made by Anne Hathaway that she rolled with.

(GIF source unknown [if this is your GIF please let me know].)

29) Man, Joe just has a ton of great advice.

Joe [after Mia asks if she should quite being a princess]: “No one can really quite being who they are.”

30) According to IMDb:

When Mia accidentally sets the man's arm on fire, the flames were supposed to go out when he puts his arm in the ice bucket, but they didn't. Anne Hathaway panicked and threw the glass of water on it, which was not scripted.

31) Okay, throughout this film and its sequel I find that I am constantly impressed with how supportive the Prime Minister of Genovia is of Mia.

Prime Minister’s Wife [after Mia eats too much of the frozen cream]: “She didn’t realize it was frozen!”

Prime Minister: “Well what should we do?”

Prime Minister’s Wife: “We should do the same!”

[The eat as much frozen cream as Mia and begin to imitate her.]

32) The day out Mia and Clarisse have together is loads of fun. It really shows the development of their relationship and just how deep a connection they have. How Clarisse is able to forget being proper now and then because Mia comes first as her granddaughter. It’s a truly wonderful sequence.

33) Also, major props to the amount of BS-ing Clarisse pulled to get Mia out of trouble with the police. SHE MAKES UP A KNIGHTHOOD ON THE SPOT AND THEY’RE SO FLATTERED THEY LET MIA BE!!! I love that.

34) Oh Mia…

Josh: “I hate phony publicity seekers.”

Don’t fall for that Mia! The guy didn’t even pay attention to Mia before she was a princess and now he’s all over her. Mia’s mom even observes that he was never nice to her! And I know this is a film and this creates conflict, but ugh it just hurts.

35) I DO remember the foot pop! It’s like the thing I remember the most!

(GIF source unknown [if this is your GIF please let me know].)

36) Okay, let’s recap. Mia goes to the beach with a guy who she thinks likes her. Mia is used by the guy to get famous. Mia is harassed and stalked by paparazzi. Mia tries to take shelter in a changing booth. Mandy Moore exposes Mia’s naked body to the paparazzi who again further harass her. AND MIA IS THE ONE IN TROUBLE!?!??!?!?!?!?!

(GIF source unknown [if this is your GIF please let me know].)

The only thing she did wrong was not tell Lily she wouldn’t be on the show. She even told Lily’s brother to make sure she didn’t just ditch him! But no, it’s, “I’m giving up the crown because I messed up.” Forget that!

37) God bless Joe.

Clarisse [about Mia’s being manipulated]: “Why didn’t she have enough common sense to deal with this?”

Joe: “She’s only fifteen.”

38) I just realized how I have yet to talk about how awesome Heather Matarazzo is in this film.

She plays Mia’s best friend Lily with wonderful enthusiasm, stealing a number of great scenes from the film. She’s funny, able to show her vulnerability, makes her honest, and has a wonderful chemistry/relationship with Hathaway/Mia. It’s just another part of what makes the film fun.

39) I really appreciate that Michael is not Nice Guy™. He doesn’t whine about “the friend zone” and he doesn’t go out of his way to make Mia feel guilty for not liking him back. He’s a bit of a tool when she asks him out but he’s hurt in that moment and doesn’t necessarily want to open himself back up. He could go on and on about how he’s always been there for her and Mia’s given him nothing or some bullshit like that. I like it.

40) Get wrecked, Mandy Moore’s character (I don’t remember her name)!

(GIF originally posted by @stydixa)

41) It took me until almost the end to finally put to words that this film isn’t about Mia being pretty or even about her being a princess. It’s about her gaining some agency in her life, a little confidence, and actually taking control of things. That’s WAY more interesting than, “Oh, you were born a princess. Let’s do only princessy things from now on!”

42) Wow, I did not expect something this deep in The Princess Diaries.

Mia’s Father [via letter]: “Courage is not the absence of fear but the judgment that something is more important than fear.”

43) Mia showing up as she does to the ball removes the support of “proper” appearance. She is a mess right now, all she has is her words and her decision to convince these people she should be queen. And she rocks it.

44) Honestly I’m more invested in Joe & Clarisse’s relationship than Mia & Michael’s, but at least she got her foot pop.

The Princess Diaries held up much better than I was expecting. Hathaway is pretty freaking great, as is Julie Andrews, and the film just has this incredible beating heart and message of confidence to it. Sure, it falls victim to some tropes of the genre (the makeover stuff will forever bother me in all movies), but it transcends others (Mia’s boyfriend at the end is not a Nice Guy™). If you don’t have a taste for film’s which wear their hearts on their sleeves, then maybe you should avoid this. But the rest of you? You may find that you like it more than you first expected to.