#hey did you know i did show choir in high school

[ahappydnp]

theatre kids who fell in love during their high school production of hairspray vibes

[violetarks]

hello hello!! congrats on 3k. i love your work so much so you deserve it!! ^_^

if it’s okay could i request luka from alien stage with miscommunication & high school au? ( ´ ▽ ` ) and if it’s okay could the reader be amab? thank you!!

congrats again!!ヽ(；▽；)ノ✨✨💖💖

“but we can’t take back all the words that we said!”

show: alien stage

character: luka

summary: you overhear luka tell his friends that he missed being in ‘the single league’.

warnings: g/n! reader, no pronouns used (i didn’t end up put any gender indications at all, i hope that’s okay!!), miscommunication, high school! au, hurt/comfort, angst/comfort, reader is very self-conscious, established relationship, popstar! luka, he’s nicer in this au LMAO

"are you kidding me?" luka laughs out from inside the classroom.

you recognised that sound from anywhere. it was lunch time and you had told your boyfriend that, as class president, you had to prepare some things for the upcoming school festival during lunch, so you wouldn't be able to eat with him. he was a bit whiney and teasing, but soon let you go. you thought he'd be with some of his friends from his choir class, but no; he was in the classroom with a few of his peers.

you stop before you enter to talk to him for a bit. you were wondering what he was doing here.

"i mean, it's a bit hard, isn't it?" someone says.

"i wouldn't say it's hard," luka sighs out, "it's just a bit of a hassle trying to work around other people."

you're even more curious now. you hold your clipboard to your chest and wait to hear more.

"do you ever miss it? being on your own?" another person asks.

you stop, even halting your breathing in case he would stop talking because you were there.

dating someone as popular as luka was hard, but it was worth it. he was such a handsome guy and had an even sweeter voice. it was hard not to fall for him. you felt lucky enough that he loved you too. he was always on tv or always in the studio, and he brought you along too. you wondered the same thing sometimes; did he miss not being in a relationship?

you weren't a jealous person, but you didn't enjoy luka having a partner in music videos or anything. you had told him such, and he told you that he could fix that. maybe he didn't like the hassle.

"oh, of course," he replies far more quicker than you'd like, "i'd much rather be a single idol. i could do whatever i want, but now… i always gotta’ think of others. such a pain…"

the others around him begin to ask questions about why, but you only stand still. hearing it for yourself only confirms it; luka didn't really want to be with you. it only made his life harder. you somehow always knew that.

he probably didn't want to be rude in fear that you might spread something around to everyone that he was a bad boyfriend and ruin his reputation. or maybe he was just bored.

after all, you weren’t a popstar like him. you were just another student.

“y/n, hey,” mizi and sua turn the corner to see you. the pink-haired girl holds out a pamphlet to you with a smile. “here, this is what we came up with for the concert. is it okay?”

you take it from her and try to ignore the tears threatening to spill. you don't care to stay and listen to more. instead, you turn around and walk away with the girls at your side. you couldn't let him know that you knew, not until you were ready.

after school, luka is waiting at your locker. he is leaning against the wall and scrolling on his phone with his bag on his shoulder. once you're close enough, he tucks his phone away and smiles.

"hey, pretty thing," he greets you as you put your books away, "how was your little presidential duty?"

"it was fine," you retort shortly as you pack up your things, "don't you have a recording today?"

"oh, uh, yeah," he says as he watches your face, "it's later though, i can walk you home."

"it's okay, luka, i need to do some things before i go home anyway," you state as you shut your locker. you look back to him and his pretty face that tilts at you. it takes everything in you to not show that you’re upset. “i’ll see you on monday.”

“hey, wait,” he grasps your wrist as you try to walk passed him. he’s a music sensation, he knows when people are upset and when people are angry with him. you have both of those looks on you. “what about…?”

you two are supposed to go out together on sunday. you had organised something this time — a nice picnic by the lake. the both of you were so excited for it. until now, that is.

“oh, right,” you sigh out. he freezes as you lean closer to him and press a kiss to his cheek. “have fun.”

with that, you slip out of his grasp and leave. luka doesn’t call out. maybe you were just not in the mood, or it slipped your mind and you would come to your senses later.

he texts you when he gets home, when he leaves two hours later for his recording session, and when he gets home. he even sends you photos of his dinner with him and his new band. you only heart the photo and reply dryly. you’ve never acted like this.

you just want to make it easier for him to break up with you. maybe if he realised how little you added to his amazing life then he’d finally agree to let you go.

saturday comes and goes, and finally sunday does too.

sweetheart

sorry, can’t come today, i have some things to organise before the school fest next week

luka stares down at the text with his other hand holding the picnic blanket. he stands outside his door in dismay. at this point, he’s had enough.

love

seriously? whatever.

there, you think, he’s finally done with you.

he's gotten annoyed with this change of pace. you weren't acting like yourself, and he hasn't had any good time to ask you about it properly. you just shrug it off and then leave.

he tries to think about what he did, if he did anything, and nothing comes to mind. maybe he forgot to pick something up for you? or maybe he made you miss an important meeting? he couldn't think of anything.

monday comes around and you’ve prepared yourself. you two haven’t spoken since sunday morning and you’ve found it a bit hard to do so.

luka is upset with you, and you feel unable to be enough for him. so you put your things away, attend homeroom and explain the plans for the festival that runs from wednesday to friday, and head off to help your peers.

“y/n,” a voice calls from the doorway. you glance up from painting something. luka stands there with crossed arms. “can i talk to you for a sec?”

you stand up and and follow him out to the school yard. everyone else is planning their things for the festival, so nobody would be out yet.

“okay, out with it,” he grumbles with furrowed brows, “what’s going on with us? you’ve been totally gone and i have no idea why. did something happen?”

you don’t say anything, despite what you want to say. and that makes luka a bit more upset.

“y/n, seriously. can you just talk to me? i really wanted to see you yesterday and…” he holds his breath as you continue to stare at the floor, “why are you being so distant? you act like you want nothing to do with me! and instead of talking to me, you just—”

“you’re the one who wants nothing to do with me,” you grumble out with a hot face. luka stops. “you and… you just want to be by yourself, you don’t want to be with me anymore, luka.”

“what are you talking about?” he questions, now even more confused.

“i heard you!” you say as you jab a finger into his chest, “you told your friends that you missed being single and—and you didn’t like having me around. so i… i just thought that if i stopped being around you so much, that you would break up with me. at least then it would make sense.”

you have tears pricking your eyes. luka is almost the same, simply by looking at you. he knows what you’re talking about.

“i know it’s impossible, but i sometimes wish you and i were the same,” you mumble out, “it’s hard for the both of us, i guess. i’m sorry.”

he lets out a small sigh to himself before a smile dawns on his lips. he pushes his hair back and tugs you closer, gently.

“c’mere,” he mutters out. you’re reluctant, but seeing him with a sorry smile makes you step forward and wrap your arms around his waist. he holds you around your shoulders and presses a kiss to the side of your head. “oh, you poor thing. that must’ve been holding you down all weekend.”

“luka…” you say against his shoulder as tears stain his blazer.

“i know, baby, i’m sorry,” he shushes you, “i didn’t know you were nearby when i said that, i confused you. i wasn’t talking about you, sweetheart. i was talking about how much i missed being a solo idol.”

you blink and slowly lift your head from him. with slightly puffy eyes and an embarrassed look on your face, you stare at him.

“solo idol?” you repeat.

he chuckles and reaches a hand up to brush away the tears from your cheek.

“yes, i was talking about music,” he states, “not you, my love. i’m sorry that i said it that way, i didn’t intend on making you feel that way. i would’ve never said something like that if i knew it would make you feel like this.”

you can’t even look at him anymore. you cover your face with your hands.

“ah, i’m so sorry, luka,” you mumble into your hands, “i made a big deal out of nothing.”

“it’s okay, i understand, sweet thing,” he replies to you, “you can make it up to me with that picnic date if you feel so inclined.”

you nod your head at him before luka begins pressing chaste kisses to your tear-stained cheeks.

“aw, look at you, my poor baby,” he says to you, “don’t ever think i’d say such a thing. you’re my favourite person in the world, okay? don’t want you thinking otherwise.”

you wipe away your tears and nod your head again with a smile. luka grins as well at your return of personality. he leans forward and finally presses a sweet kiss to your lips.

“now c’mon,” he says after he pulls away from you, “let’s skip the planning stuff and go get something to eat.”

“no, luka," you chuckle out as he tries to drag you away. he forgets that you take your job as class president seriously. "i need to talk to class c's representative about their event."

"ivan's such a bore," he groans, "hang out with me instead."

you have to pull him by his blazer back to his classroom as he sulks behind you. you were glad that things were back to normal, at least.

[thatchickwiththecamera]

The Band Director | A Matt Dierkes One Shot

Pairing: Matt Dierkes x OFC

It was the last professional development day before the first day of school and rumors about the newest member of the arts program were already spreading like wildfire.

Emma Clarke wasn’t one for gossip, usually keeping to herself in her orchestra classroom tucked away in one corner of the fine arts wing. But from what she heard, the new guy seemed like he matched everything opposite of what her boss usually sought out in a new hire. 

Mike Roberts, the old band director, had retired after commanding the band program at Westbrook High for over twenty years. The old man had become like a father figure to Emma when she was first hired almost five years earlier as a bright eyed rookie teacher and helped her revitalize the school’s otherwise subpar strings program. 

This new guy was inheriting one of the most highly decorated band programs in the tri-state area and she was worried he was going to possibly tarnish that legacy. 

Tara Parker, the choir director and Emma’s best friend, plopped down in the chair next to her. A wide smile on her face. 

"Are you ready for the first day?” She asked. “Faculty members have already started taking bets on how long it’ll take before the new guy goes crazy."

Emma chuckled, though not without a trace of concern. 

“Did Humphries sip one too many Pina Colada while he and Missy were in Cancun this summer?”

Tara raised an eyebrow. 

"Yeah, I was surprised when I heard too – new guy isn't his usual sweater vest and khakis type"

"No kidding," Emma muttered. 

"Hey, if you ask me – it's long overdue. And who knows maybe he’s cute?," Tara teased with a wink. 

Emma just rolled her eyes in response and returned to scanning her meeting notes. 

“Good Morning, Bobcats!” said Peter Humphries, the principal of Westbrook High.  

“Before we begin I’d like to introduce our newest faculty member,” he said, his voice carrying through the room. “Let’s welcome Matt Dierkes, our new band director. Matt’s joining us all the way from Texas this year, and we’re excited to have him on board.”

Emma raised an eyebrow as Matt stepped up. He was tall with a mess of light brown hair that fell a little past his shoulders. He wore a black Slipknot t-shirt, loose fitting pants, and a pair of crisp Nike sneakers.

He looked like a student compared to Peter who stood next to him in his pressed khakis, white oxford shirt and perfectly knotted bowtie. 

He gave a slight, almost awkward wave to the room. 

“Hey everyone,” Matt said, his tone casual but with a quiet confidence that didn’t quite match his laid-back appearance. “I’m Matt. Looking forward to working with you all.”

Humphries smiled and motioned to Emma. 

“Matt, why don’t you sit next to Emma here. She’s our orchestra director, and you two will be working closely together.”

Matt turned toward Emma, offering a nod. 

"Nice to meet you."

Emma offered a polite smile. 

“Likewise,” she said coolly, though she couldn’t help the faint sense of skepticism she felt creeping in. 

Professionalism, she reminded herself. Be professional.

The rest of the meeting passed without incident, but Emma couldn’t shake the impression that working with Matt wasn’t going to be anything like working with Mike had been. His laid-back demeanor, his reluctance to dive into details about his approach to teaching, didn’t sit well with her.

Matt had a casual, carefree approach to teaching that Emma found annoying at first. He didn’t enforce the same strict structure that Emma did in her orchestra classroom.

Instead, he leaned into the rebellious spirit of his students, letting them play what they wanted, when they wanted, as long as they showed up and did their best.

Emma, on the other hand, ran a tight ship—every note had a place, every bow stroke was deliberate. If she heard a wrong note in rehearsal, you could be sure she'd address it immediately.

As the year went on, the tension between Emma and Matt only grew. They were polite, yes, but their conversations were stiff, like the occasional meeting of two competing generals on a battlefield. It wasn’t long before the war began. . 

The first strike was simple enough: an air horn duct taped under the chair on the conductor’s podium in the orchestra room. Not exactly a masterpiece, but certainly a message. Matt had been in his office and let out a chuckle when he heard the horn sound across the hallway. 

It didn’t take long for her to get her revenge.

The next day, she arrived early to school equipped with multiple rolls of colored and patterned duct tape. She quickly got to work. She spent nearly thirty minutes carefully covering his office door, effectively taping it shut, leaving no way for him to get in without cutting through the thick brightly colored patch of tape. The satisfaction of hearing Matt’s muffled curses from across the hall when he arrived was all Emma needed.

But the response was swift. 

By the end of the week, Matt had placed a dozen small plastic spiders in the various instrument cases in the storage room. They weren’t big, and most of the kids thought they were funny, but Emma’s skin crawled every time spotted another one upon opening a case.  

The worst part? She couldn’t even stay mad. Despite her annoyance, she started to admire his creativity. And maybe even his persistence.

But the battle was far from over.

A few weeks later, when the students were out of the band room performing at the local elementary school, she made her next move. 

It wasn’t anything elaborate—just a simple switcheroo. 

She replaced Matt’s prized vinyl collection on his desk with an assortment of Disney soundtracks. Placing the Frozen soundtrack on the platter and positioning the needle so it was ready to play the second he turned it on with the volume turned all the way up. She laughed as she heard Idina Menzel’s voice belting “Let It Go” from across the hall. 

It was on. 

A few weeks later, after a long rehearsal in the theater, Emma walked into her orchestra classroom to find her office completely covered in aluminum foil. The edges of the desk were neatly folded, the shiny surface gleaming under the fluorescent lights. Even her violin case and its contents were individually wrapped. 

“Dierkes,” Emma muttered to herself as she got busy unwrapping her desk like a present, balling up the foil and tossing it into the trash. 

As she finished unwrapping the cake of rosin and returning it to its compartment, she moved to unwrap her bow. But discovered that it had been replaced by a pair of Vic Firth drumsticks taped together at the ends. 

Underneath her violin was a note that read: “You better tune up, or we’re going to turn you into a percussionist.”

“I swear to God,” Emma muttered.

A few weeks later Matt walked out of school and paused in the parking lot. The view before him made him throw his head back and laughed.

Emma had chosen his car as the next target. 

She had covered it. Every inch. With sticky notes. Thousands of them, of various colors, stacked layer by layer, until his car looked like a giant, colorful post-it note collage. 

“Alright, Clarke. It's on!” he said as he began the process of removing the colorful paper so he could drive home. 

Meanwhile, Tara Parker quietly observed the war from her little neutral corner of the fine arts wing. She found herself amused at how the prank war was slowly starting to reflect a deeper rivalry. But she also noticed something else. Emma, in all her frustration, would often come to her after these pranks with a strange light in her eyes—a mixture of exasperation and, dare she say, attraction?

"I just don’t get it," Emma said one afternoon, venting after the latest prank. "He thinks it’s funny. But it’s disrespectful—and he’s so irritating."

Tara smirked. 

"You know what they say—there’s a thin line between love and hate."

Emma glared at her. 

"I’m not even going to entertain that with a response."

"Oh, come on, you two are totally flirting." Tara exclaimed. 

Emma crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes. 

"I’m not flirting with him, Tara. I’m trying to maintain some professional boundaries."

"Sure you are, Em." Tara grinned. "Sure you are."

As the prank war continued to escalate, the students in both the orchestra and the band began to notice. They watched, listened, and observed how their teachers interacted—or rather, how they didn’t interact.

While Emma and Matt seemed to be locked in a perpetual battle of wits and tricks, there was an undeniable tension in the air. It wasn’t just rivalry. It was something else. 

And the students knew it. 

“Honestly, it’s like they’re meant to be. I’m just waiting for them to kiss and make up already.” a trombone player named Caleb stated. 

“Kiss? Seriously?” replied a violinist named Mia. 

Caleb shrugged, grinning. 

“You don’t see it? The way they look at each other when they think no one’s watching? It’s so obvious.”

Mia didn’t know if she believed it, but the more she thought about it, the more she realized there was truth in what Caleb said. 

There was something in the way Miss Clarke’s eyes flickered when Mr. Dierkes pulled off a prank—or the way he seemed to linger near the orchestra room door, just to get a glimpse of her reaction. 

Mia, Caleb, and a few other students from both programs decided it was time to stop waiting for their teachers to figure it out on their own. They were going to play matchmaker whether Ms. Clarke or Mr. Dierkes liked it or not.

The night of the spring concert had arrived, and the auditorium was buzzing with excitement. The orchestra and band students were backstage, finalizing their preparations for the big show.

Emma stood in the wings, reviewing her notes for the final piece, her nerves humming with the familiar thrill of performance. But even as her students filed in for their warm-up, her attention kept drifting toward Matt who stood talking to some of his students at the back of the theater. 

It was impossible not to. After months of subtle pranks, sharp words, and the unspoken tension between them, something had shifted. There was no denying it anymore. She was drawn to him.

Every glance, every challenge, every word between them had built to this moment. But neither of them had acknowledged it—until now.

“You two really need to figure this out already!”

She jumped at the sound of Tara’s voice as she appeared next to her.

“Jesus! I need to put a bell on you!” Emma shot her a glare. “What do you mean ‘figure it out’? We’re colleagues.”

“Right and I’m Maria Callas about to perform at the Met,” Tara jokingly proclaimed, stepping away with a wink that left Emma fuming—and, strangely, flustered.

As the orchestra and band were getting ready backstage, Mia and Caleb exchanged a look. 

The plan was in motion.

Just as the students were leaving the stage following warmups, Emma found herself unexpectedly pulled aside by Tara, who told her that there was trouble brewing between some students in the band room. 

With a sigh, Emma reluctantly let herself be herded down the hall. 

As Emma rounded the corner she found the door to the band room wide open, a few students loitering just outside.

“They’re in there!” stated Mia frantically pointing inside. 

She hurried inside ready to intervene in whatever scuffle she was going to find but her concern turned to confusion when she discovered that no one was there. 

Then, the door slammed shut behind her.

“Wait—” Emma called out, but it was too late.

The lock clicked.

“Are you serious!?” Emma spun around, realizing that the door was locked. 

“This isn’t funny guys!” She called out, but no one answered. 

She pressed her ear to the door and heard nothing but muffled whispers and laughter.

“What happened?” Matt asked, emerging from his office. 

“They locked us in here,” she replied, voice rising in frustration. “This is ridiculous!”

“It's exactly what you need!” yelled a muffled voice from outside. 

The voice belonged to Tara. 

“Now I’m going to go and handle the students while y'all have a nice chat!”

“Un-fucking-believeable!” she exclaimed before pounding on the door again. 

She stopped when she heard laughter coming from the man behind her.  

“Looks like our students have been conspiring against us and they recruited Parker too.” Matt chuckled softly, his gaze scanning her face. 

She gave him a puzzled look. 

Matt crossed his arms, leaning against the wall, a sly grin playing on his lips. 

“You heard me. Mia, Caleb, the rest of them—they’re the ones who locked us in here.”

“And Tara helped,” she sighed. 

“Oh yeah,” Matt confirmed. “Some of my students aren’t exactly quiet talkers. They have this half brained idea that we’re perfect for each other.” 

“Right”, Emma rolled her eyes.

Matt said nothing, instead taking a step closer. 

She cut her eyes at him as she took a step back. 

He took another step toward her, his eyes gleaming with that same playful mischief that had driven her insane all year. 

“You think this is funny, don’t you?” she whispered, her pulse quickening as her back connected with the cool cinder block wall. 

“You’re the one who’s been avoiding me for the past week,” Matt said, his gaze dropping to her lips. “I’m just giving you a chance to make up your mind.”

Emma took a shaky breath, chin raised defiantly. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Dierkes.”

“Come on. You’ve felt it too. The tension, the attraction. It’s been there from the start, hasn’t it?” 

She opened her mouth to argue but couldn’t find the words. There was something about the way he was looking at her now, with that vulnerability in his eyes, that made her heart race.

Before she could even process what was happening, he leaned in, his lips hovering just inches from hers. Emma’s breath hitched, and her body seemed to betray her, drawn toward him as if she had no control over it. The tension that had been building between them, the unspoken connection, was suddenly undeniable.

“Matt…” she murmured, her voice trembling with the weight of everything unsaid.

And then, as if all the walls between them had finally collapsed, he kissed her.

It was slow at first, tentative, but then the kiss deepened, and all of Emma’s reservations melted away. She didn’t care that they were coworkers. She didn’t care that it was reckless. All she knew was that Matt Dierkes had broken through every wall she had built around herself.

When they finally pulled apart, both of them breathless, Matt leaned his forehead against hers, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

“I think they were right,” he said, his voice low. “We are pretty perfect for each other.”

Emma shook her head, still dazed from the kiss. 

“You’re impossible,” she whispered, but there was no denying the smile that crept across her face.

“Yeah, but you like it,” he replied with a wink.

A beat passed before Matt’s grin turned mischievous. 

“So, Miss Clarke… what’s next? You gonna launch a counterattack?”

She smirked, shaking her head. “I think I’ve found a new strategy.”

“Yeah?” Matt leaned in, his lips brushing against her ear. “What’s that?”

She met his gaze, her voice low but confident. “Truce?.”

Matt raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

“Really,” Emma replied, the teasing glint in her eyes unmistakable. "For today."

With that, he leaned in to kiss her again. 

They separated as they heard the door unlock with a click and turned to see the figure of Tara Parker slip inside the door. Her hand covering her eyes. 

“Yall Decent!?” She asked jokingly before taking a peek through her fingers and the image of the two of them in an embrace brought a smile to her face. 

“Finally! Took you two long enough.” She glanced at Matt, then back at Emma. “So, are you two going to just keep pretending you hate each other, or...?”

“We…are going to have a little chat later!,” Emma grumbled at her best friend, but there was no real heat in her words. 

The frustration, the fight—it all seemed so trivial now. She glanced at Matt again, a warmth spreading through her chest as she caught him looking back at her.

"Hey," Tara said, throwing her hands up defensively. "I’m just trying to help the kids. Someone had to push you two together. You were never going to do it yourself."

Emma couldn’t help but laugh, the sound still a little nervous but light. 

“Maybe you’re right. But next time, try a little less...kidnap and confinement-ey.”

Tara laughed, raising her hands in mock surrender. “In my defense that was the kids idea, I just found the keys and did the locking and supervising” 

Tara, still grinning like the mischievous instigator she was, stepped back toward the door. 

“I’ll let you two enjoy your… victory. Don’t take too long though we still have a concert to get through.”

As the door shut behind her, Emma and Matt stood together in the silence that followed, the lingering electricity between them unmistakable.

“So,” Matt said, his voice suddenly quieter, more serious, “what happens now?”

Emma looked up at him, her thoughts tumbling in her mind. She’d spent so much time resisting this—resisting him. And yet, now that they were on the other side of the pranks, the games, and the tension, she could feel something shifting in her chest. She wasn’t sure what it was exactly—fear, excitement, uncertainty—but she knew one thing for sure: she liked this feeling and didn’t want it to end.

“I don’t know,” she said softly, meeting his gaze with a new kind of openness. “But I’m pretty sure we’ll figure it out.”

Matt smiled, a little more vulnerable than before, his hand brushing against hers for a brief, almost tentative moment. “Good,” he said, his voice low. “Because you already know I don’t give up that easily.” 

[psuedochakra]

Bradley Bradshaw (10th grade)

Rating: Teen (language) Summary: Erica Barnett (world history and advanced placement US history) noticed one of her students was repeatedly missing her last class on Thursdays. She just didn't know why. But his parents would be at the spring recital. Erica just doesn't know which man is the student's dad Tags: POV outsider, misunderstandings, fluff

The spring recital went off without a hitch. Four different bands (6th grade, 7th/8th grade, high school, and jazz), the high school choir, plus a handful of other acts. Nobody forgot their sheet music; nobody got sick. Erica considered that a win.

She wasn't the music teacher. Oh no. Erica couldn't carry a tune; she was just a history teacher. She drew the metaphorical short straw and helped the music teachers set up. Not that she minded. Plus, some of the choir girls had practically begged Erica to attend.

Erica had a secret third motive too. Bradley Bradshaw. He had a piano solo, and he'd been skipping her class. Not every single class; every Thursday class. For the whole semester. He was still passing the class, despite missing the latest project and half of his homework. Nobody in the office had any idea why. He had only started skipping his last class on Thursdays in November.

Erica's prevailing theory was that the teen just wanted to go home early. His world history class was the last one of the day. A lot of kids cut their last class. Bradley wasn't special. He'd been sent home with reprimands for his parents to sign. They never came back. The phone usually went unanswered at the house. Which was weird because last year, Mrs. Bradshaw had been to every single parent-teacher conference.

"You know," Brian Davis (algebra and geometry) hummed one morning in the teachers' lounge, "I've never even met Bradshaw's dad. And I had him in homeroom last year too. It's always his mom at conference time."

"A man has definitely answered the phone at the house a few times," Lauren Jacobs (office) pointed out.

"I've seen him get on a motorcycle with a man," Tina Lewis (10th & 12th grade English) said.

"The brunette who doesn't wear a helmet? I think I've seen the same guy pick him up in a car too."

"He doesn't wear a helmet? What an idiot," Brian rolled his eyes, "Enjoy the brain damage."

"Well, I hope his son wears one," Erica huffed.

"I've seen him pick Bradley up a few times," Jack Hartman (advanced placement literature) chimed in, "Bradley always has a helmet."

"I haven't seen the missus all year," Michelle Smit (biology and chemistry) said, "She was super involved with the PTA last year."

There were a few tired but agreeable murmurs from the teachers in the lounge.

"You think they'd know what's going on?" Erica wondered.

"No fucking way the PTA would tell us though," Barbara Gries (middle school social studies) laughed.

"None of his office notices have come back signed. But I think his dad is Navy," Lauren added.

"Makes sense," Michelle shrugged, sipping her coffee, "Bunch of parents are around here."

"Bradshaw got into it with the Knapp twins didn't he?" Brian asked.

"Mhmm, yeah," Lauren nodded, "But they hit first. Doug kicked them all off the basketball team."

Doug Rogers was the junior varsity basketball couch and one of the PE teachers.

"He has a piano solo at the recital," Rory Kellum (high school band director) said, "His mom never misses a concert."

"Is Bradley in band?" Erica asked.

"No, he must take private lessons. He's good though! And I always need help setting up the stage."

"Okay, sign me up. I was gonna go anyway."

Erica was just concerned. She had a big heart. That was part of why she wanted to be a teacher.

She spotted Bradley in the crowd of people leaving. He was with two men. Both brunettes.

"Mr. Bradshaw!" Erica called out.

The teen stopped first, then the adults. He turned around. The taller of the two adults had a camera.

"Hey, Ms. Barnett! Did you like the show?" Bradley grinned.

The taller of the two men with Bradley elbowed the other and mumbled something in his ear. The shorter rolled his eyes and smacked the other man in the chest.

"Your solo was great, Bradley," Erica told him.

"He's been practicing for months," the taller one said.

Bradley flushed and mumbled, "Shut up."

"Well, Mr. Bradshaw, we've been trying to contact you and your wife," Erica informed them.

The two men looked at each other, back to Erica, then back to each other. Erica frowned. Were neither of them Mr. Bradshaw? She glanced at their hands; neither of them had a ring. Idly, Erica wondered if they were together. It was extremely unconventional, but she had heard of that sort of thing. A gay man hooking up with a female friend to make a baby. Then the men raise the child or sometimes all three of the adults.

"You wanna be Mr. Bradshaw, Wood?" The shorter one asked, "You live there."

"I'm not his legal guardian, Mav," the other one, Wood, said, "This sounds like a legal guardian thing."

"Well, we don't know that," Mav scoffed.

Bradley didn't say anything.

Wood addressed Erica, "What'd he do?"

"Hollywood," Bradley groaned and rubbed his face.

"Well, he's had a ton of abscenes," Erica began.

"No I haven't!" Bradley protested.

It was an embellishment on her part. The adults narrowed their eyes at the teen. Erica felt bad. Students and parents started paying attention to the small group.

"Okay, not a ton," she corrected, "I'm sorry."

"I think we should talk about this somewhere else," Mav said, looking around at everyone else.

Erica nodded and led them to her classroom. She gestured for the men to sit. With a huff, Bradley flopped into a desk. The shorter man sat next to him. The taller one stood behind them, arms folded.

"I know your son has missed over half of his world history classes so far this semester," Erica began.

"And that's your class?" Wood clarified.

She blinked, a bit taken aback. Her room was covered in maps, flags, and the latest sophomore projects (World War II propaganda posters). But Erica nodded.

She continued, "The office has sent home notices with Bradley. Ones that need to be sighed and returned."

"And they never come home," Mav finished.

Erica nodded again. Bradley groaned and rested his head on the desk. She thumbed through her attendance records and listed off a few of the dates Bradley had missed. The men looked at each other. Bradley continued groaning.

"Those are all the days you've taken him to the hospital," Mav said.

It was Erica's turn to blush. Was Bradley sick? He didn't look sick. The office didn't have any doctor notes on record (that she knew of). Erica probably should have gotten some more information before she confronted the parents.

Wood leaned over and squeezed Bradley's shoulder. He crouched down on the boy's other side.

"Brad, you said it was fine," Wood mumbled.

"I'm not failing," Bradley huffed, still face first on the desk.

"Yeah, but the school needs to know where you are," Mav told him. He took the teenager's hand. "What if another one of those um…"

He fell silent. Erica shifted uncomfortably. A few weeks ago, there was a school shooting in Colorado. But Mav was right. The school needed to know where the students were in case there was an emergency.

"But I'm with Mom, so I'm fine," Bradley argued.

"The school clearly doesn't know that," Wood snorted.

"Wait, so are the notices from the office about his abscenes?" Mav asked.

"Um, some," Erica blinked.

Again, she wished she had more information.

"One of them was for a fight," Bradley mumbled.

"What was that?" Wood asked.

"Lift your head up, buddy," Mav instructed.

Bradley sighed, loudly, but lifted his head up. He repeated himself.

"A fight?!" the two men shouted.

"They started it!" Bradley snapped.

"When was this?" Mav demanded.

"Last year. Um in November."

"Is this why you got kicked off the basketball team?" Wood asked.

"You got kicked off the basketball team?!" Mav gasped, "You told Carole you quit!"

"Well, I couldn't tell Mom I got kicked off for fighting," Bradley rolled his eyes.

To be honest, Erica was starting to think neither of these men were Bradley's dad. They certainly acted like some type of parent. But the longer she looked at the three men, the more she noticed differences in their features. He could take after his mom. Erica couldn't really remember what she looked like though. Wood had called Mav the "legal guardian," but Wood seemed to know about the basketball team. Erica didn't want to keep speculating on the boy's home life.

"Excuse me," she cleared her throat.

The trio stopped arguing and looked at her.

"I think I should keep having this conversation just with Mr. Bradshaw," Erica said.

The adults looked at each other. Hopefully, she would figure out what happened from the man who remained. Except both of them stood up.

"Bud, you wanna stay here and keep talking to your teacher?" Wood asked.

Erica was even more confused. Bradley looked at her. His mouth opened into an "oh" shape.

"These guys aren't my dad," the teenager said, "There's no uh I'm the only Mr. Bradshaw."

"Oh," Erica blinked.

"Oh! No, uh, fuck. Sorry! Pete Mitchell," Mav Pete stood up and came over to shake Erica's hand.

"Rick Neven," Wood Rick said. He didn't move away from Bradley.

"Legal guardian," Pete pointed to himself.

"Boyfriend," Rick pointed to himself.

Oh. Oh. Well, Erica wasn't terribly far off. They were a couple and they had adopted Bradley! At least one of them had.

"Okay, well," Rick stood up again, "I guess I need to inform the office when I'm pulling him from class then?"

Erica reeled herself back in and nodded, "Yes. We have a new policy. The kids need to be checked out by an approved adult. You can list up to four."

"That's good," Pete said.

"All this was sent home with your uh Bradley."

Both the men looked at Bradley. He set his head back down and groaned.

"I'll come in Monday," Pete said, "Will that work? To fill out whatever for the policy?"

"Yeah, of course," Erica nodded.

"We're probably gonna keep pulling him from your class," Rick said, "So is he missing any work?"

Erica pointed to the wall behind them, "The only thing I'm missing is our latest project. It was just due today."

"I started it," Bradley mumbled.

"Are those World War II posters?" Pete asked with a grin.

"Did you finish it?" Rick asked the teenager.

"Yes," Erica said with a nod.

"No," Bradley grumbled.

"Okay, buddy. Head up," Pete squeezed his shoulder.

Bradley sat up properly.

"I won't even count it late if you can get it to me by Wednesday," Erica told Bradley.

"Okay," he sighed, "Thanks, Ms. Barnett."

"May I ask why you're signing him out of my class every day?" Erica asked the men.

"You didn't tell the school?" Rick frowned.

Erica wasn't sure who he was talking to. Pete or Bradley. Both of them shrank in the desks under Rick's glare. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Carole, his mom, has cancer. All those missed classes are chemo or doctor appointments," Pete explained, "We uh… I sent him with a note. Which I now see didn't make it."

"Oh," Erica said quietly, "I'm sorry to hear that."

"We will talk about the missing notes at home," Pete sighed, "Thank you, Ms. Barnett."

"Yeah, of course."

"So is the poster the only thing he's missing?" Rick asked.

It wasn't. Erica looked at Bradley's sad doe eyes. She was such a sucker, but worksheets could be filled out at any time.

She nodded, "So far. He's otherwise pretty dilligent about his work. I'll get everything we'll do on Thursdays together for him to take home on Wednesdays. That is if neither of you mind helping him?"

Bradley's eyes widened, and he mouthed "thank you." Erica smiled back.

"No of course we'll help him," Rick said.

"I uh I can come in during lunch sometimes," Bradley offered.

Erica felt like a bobblehead with how much she was nodding, "We can get together Monday after class and talk about that, okay?"

"Okay."

"Do you need anything else from us, Ms. Barnett?" Pete asked.

"Um, no. That was everything. Thank you for your time," Erica said.

"C'mon, buddy," Rick tapped Bradley's shoulder.

The other two followed Bradley out into the hall. Erica waited at her desk for a few minutes. There was a knock on her door. Erica expected it to be one of Bradley's… adult men. It was Lauren and Tina. Erica waved them in; they closed the door.

"So?" Tina raised her eyebrow, drawing out the sound.

Erica exhaled, "So there is no Mr. Bradshaw. There's a Pete Mitchell, legal guardian, Rick Neven, boyfriend, and Carole Bradshaw, mother."

Both women made a surprised noise.

"Pete Mitchell, legal guardian, is coming in Monday to fill out some stuff in the office."

"Like what?" Lauren asked, hopping up on Erica's desk to sit.

Tina followed suit.

"The student check-out forms at least. I think he's gonna drop off some stuff to excuse Bradley on Thursdays."

"Oooh, why?" Tina asked.

Erica glanced at her closed door and leaned in to whisper, "His mom has cancer. Bradley's been going to her appointments with her on Thursdays."

Both women cooed, "Aw."

"She's such a sweet lady," Lauren sighed.

"He's such a good kid too," Tina said.

They sat there in silence for a minute.

"Did you hear about Michelle's husband?" Lauren whispered, "She caught him with their babysitter."

"Oh my God," Erica exclaimed.

"No fucking way! Doesn't Beth Williams babysit for them? She's in my second period senior English," Tina gasped.

"She just turned 18," Lauren shook her head.

"Oh my fucking God!"

"What's Michelle gonna do?" Erica asked.

Lauren shrugged, "I have no fucking idea."

"I'd divorce his ass," Tina shook her head.

"She can't get divorced," Erica said, "She's Catholic."

"Well, she could!"

"She won't then," Lauren sighed bitterly.

"Fucking sick."

"Horrible!"

"Oh, guess what else I heard," Lauren said, wiggling her eyebrows.

[missmaywemeetagain]

I’m not big into musicals and although The Phantom of the Opera is probably the most well known one, I have never fully indulged myself in it. What are some of your favorites moments from the musical and what about it changed your life?

(I figured I might as well learn about it and you seem like an amazing teacher!)

Oh, Stephanie, honey darlin’, I just LOVE this can of worms you are opening for me—thank you so much for asking!! ❤️ (Did I spend way to much time on this? yes. Did I love every minute of it? also yes. Did I cry watching the Overture clips? 100% yes.)

So, I was pretty young when I first listened to the soundtrack (only 8), and digging way deep, I’ll say that the drama of the music itself really got to me—the big orchestrations and amazing voices had me instantly hooked. Also, I was so fascinated that almost the entire musical was sung and that made it incredibly interesting to listen to because I could pretty much figure out the whole story just from the lyrics. I had been exposed to musicals prior to this, mainly Disney ones and good ole Rogers and Hammerstein ones, but this was so different. It was dark and scary (murder! crazy genius madman! problematic love story!). It was dramatic af. And it pulled at my heartstrings in a way nothing had ever done before. And I know Phantom isn’t for everyone because the opera-esque style of singing is not everyone’s cup of tea (and honestly, I am not really a classical opera fan either LOL), but I loved it cuz I’d never heard people do such amazing things with their voices before.

I saw it live for the first time just after my 11th birthday (and 12 -13 times since in various places, not counting filmed productions), and I will say I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. There is so much to look at and take in and somehow I always find something new each time I see it. It's a complete spectacle in the best way possible, honestly. It was everything amazing about theater that I longed to be a part of.

It changed my life because I wanted to be Christine Daae (lol). The more I listened, the more I wanted to sing like her and that led me to the fact that this was a musical and people could actually be in this production. So I learned as much as I could about the production and I tried to mold my little voice to be like Christine’s. And moreover, it inspired me to seek out more musicals in a similar vein, which opened an entire new world to me (hey, there Les Miserables and Evita and all the dramatic 70s/80s/90s musicals lol). Basically, Phantom turned me fully into a theater kid. I was already a dancer, and even though I was relatively shy, I thought that maybe, just maybe this was something I could do. And it set me on the path to do so! Lord knows without Phantom I may have ended up a STEM kid, but lol no. Luckily, my parents were SUPER supportive of this new passion and I owe so much to them for all the lessons and theater tickets and performances they had to sit through and for torturing them with the same thing over and over again LOL. Thanks, Mom and Dad! Anyway, I was the ultimate theater/choir kid in high school, and eventually got my Bachelor’s Degree in Theater as well.

Soooo, favorite moments! (There are many—I could go through the whole show but I’ll try to cut it down lol). 

The Overture (see links below). Seriously incredible music, sets the tone for the show, but when you see the stage production and see how the entire set transforms like magic and that chandelier rises above the audience, my god, it’s incredible. The organ kicks in and the floor vibrates and it's this (brilliant) sensory overload that will make you feel every emotion and sensation. It's magnificent, truly. And this was a HUGE deal in theater in the 80s cuz no one had done anything like it before. And let me tell you, there is nothing like watching that chandelier rise (and fall, later) right over your head! Every time I hear it to this day, I get goosebumps, but if I’m watching it, I will cry. That’s how moving it is. Here's some bootlegs of the stage production (which don't quite do it justice, but it'll have to do! WARNING: Flashing lights) Great quality BL (begins around 3:20 but the Prologue is a good watch!). Another one from Broadway (different angle)

The title song (The Phantom of the Opera) number is crazy. I’m not sure what they were thinking putting synth, an organ, strings, and electric guitars together, but somehow it works (the 80s were WILD lol). Throw in a stunning soprano cadenza at the end and it makes it both incredibly surreal and interesting. And the staging is fantastic. There’s a moving catwalk with body doubles. There’s a boat on a dry ice lake with candles rising out of nowhere. It’s just awesome. The costuming is iconic, too. 

The Music of the Night is beautiful. And it takes a major vocal and acting talent to traverse it well. I won’t get too technical vocally, but when done well, this song is so seductive and impactful. It’s a love song about music, about Christine, and it’s innocent and sexual all at once (when done well).

Masquerade (at the top of Act II) is a fabulous ensemble number and the costuming is amazing. Iconic number overall.

Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again is my favorite song of the show (if I have to pick). For anyone who’s experienced loss (esp. that of a parent), the lyrics will hit you right in the heart. But I love listening to (and singing) this one so much. 

The Point of No Return is the most underrated number in the show, imo and one of my faves. It is sexy. as. hell. and a bit unexpected, really ramping up the passion btw the Phantom and Christine under the guise of this opera that the Phantom has written and is forcing everyone to perform. A good performance has a lot of nuance and will get you a little hot under the collar. 😏 I honestly don’t feel like I can explain it well enough, but a good watch/listen/reading the lyrics will get you there. 

The Final Lair is the insane climax and it’s a bit of a roller coaster but I love it. You’ll go from hating the Phantom to weeping over him in the span of the scene. 

The staging, sets, costuming, and makeup overall (of the original production). Like I mentioned above, a lot of what they did in Phantom was new tech for the late 80’s and to this day has a pretty stellar effect on stage. The chandelier rising and falling throughout the show is just super cool. The (4 hour) makeup for the Phantom was pretty cutting edge back in the day and has a wonderful effect on stage when done well. 

I highly recommend watching the 25th Anniversary at Royal Albert Hall from 2013 if you can’t see it live. The quality is amazing, the talent is fantastic, and while the staging isn’t quite the original because of the size of the venue, it gives you a pretty good idea of the vibe. If you don’t want to watch the whole thing at first, there are plenty of clips on YouTube of the major numbers via The Shows Must Go On (linked above). (If you are just watching clips, you may want to read a synopsis of the show as a whole so it makes sense what’s going on.) The 2004 film starring Gerald Butler and Emmy Rossum is actually pretty decent from a cinematic perspective (though I have some major qualms about GB's vocal performance) but if it's all you have, its a pretty good representation of the story. And listen, with 35 years of material, there are so many cast recordings and bootlegs, you're bound to find a combo of actors that you like! (I won't dive into that here though, cuz that's a whole other can of worms...)

Anyway, I could go on forever about it, but I will stop there as to not put you to sleep! If you choose to check it out, I hope you enjoy and you’ll have to let me know what you think! ❤️

[povofjustme]

Fake Lovers

Your are the singer of a band and a ‘rival’ of Tokio Hotel. The fans loved when you guy interact with each other. So the company make you fake date someone! 

Part one 

Georg listing x Black reader

Have fun love<3 - bc its not pr. I wrote in at 3 am. Didn't have time(:

I am a part of a girl band from the US.  I have been singing since I was a little kid. At a church and  school, I would be in a choir. I met my best friends in high school. Nia the drummer, Jade the basses and Alex played the guitar. We all had a love for music and from then, it was history. 

Alex wanted to post a song that we had been working on for the longest. The next day the girls all woke me up, telling me that the song bowled up on YouTube. I never thought it would happen but now look at us. We made something of ourselves. Going on interviews and meeting up with big names. 

We had a tour in Europe, surprisingly we had a big fan base over there. Nia, Jade, and I we’re in our practice room, thinking of more outfits for the upcoming show in a few days. “Hey, guys!”  Alex came into the room with our drink she went out to get. “Hey babe,” I said with a smile. “So I was thinking, we can do a song for the stage broke.”  are heads all turned to the left.

“Okay listen, there's a band here called... Tokio Hotel” “Oh yeah, I heard of them,” Nia said. She has always been the quiet type. The things that came out of her mouth surprised us at times but she kept us on task. “They are a really big group here. Girls are in love with them” Nia added. “They are not bad looking” We looked to see Jade on her phone looking them up.

“Well, I was thinking we can do one of their songs when we hit Germany” “That sounds good but girl... I will have to learn it in like 2 weeks. I know German but it's Arsch”.  It was a really good idea, but I didn't want to fuck up anything. “I can help you G, you forget am half germen. I speak it at home,” Nia said. “I know, but people already hate me because am black. I don't want to give them another reason.” 

“G, we will all help you, we have 2 weeks. You got this, We got this” Alex told me, All I did was shake my head. For the days leading up to the preforms, we would do a concert and after I would spend m. In my time with Nia, I learned the lyrics to the song Durch Den Monsun.

Now the two weeks are up and it was time to sing. Walking out on stage, we have seen so many people. Signs with our names and faces on them. They were so sweet and amazing. 

 Now is the time “Wie fühlen wir uns heute Abend? Ich weiß, wir sollten Pause machen. Ich wollte euch etwas zeigen. Bereit Mädels?” (How are we feeling tonight? I know we should be on break but I wanted to show you guys something. Ready girls?)

The guys gave me a head nod and we started on the song. It was 3 seconds into the song and the crowd is going wild. I could remember a thing after that. Now am back in the hotel room lying down. “You know you did amazing, you got all the words right” We stayed in two hotel rooms. I got the share with Nia. “Thanks, babe”

“G, wake up. Addy needs to talk to us” Nia told me “Girl what time is it?” “7 a.m., come on and get dressed, I have to go wake the other girls.” “Is everything okay?” “I don’t know. She told us to meet her downstairs in an hour or so. She told us to dress like ourselves. So go in the shower first, it takes you forever to do your hair” I laughed while she was walking to the next door. 

We all met up in Nia and I's room to just do some finishing touches on our look. We all have a different look. Jade, Alex, Nia, and I all wore the same shirt differently but had the same dark blue jeans. I had washed my hair and it ended up in a curled-up afro which I loved. I had made my shirt into a high crop top so you could still see our band name and the dark blue jeans high-waisted.

We got downstairs to see Addy waiting for us. “Good morning my loves. I want to meet you guys to some people!” “Addy I know you are the manager and all but I might have to kill you if you try to wake us up again this early?” Alex said. “I got you guys food” “Okay I love you again” Alex added. “So what's up,” I asked 

“Tokio Hotel saw your guys perform last night and they wanted to meet you, in person,” She said with a smile on her face. “Wait are you for really!” “Yes I am, and we have to meet this in 3 hours. The place is an hour away and I want you all awake so we will drive there. Get more food and meet up with them. Okay” “Yes” we added at the same time

“Let us get this shit on the road. Am want to sleep in the car” Alex had always been the outgoing one. Always speaking her mind and not caring. Jade was that way too but she had a filter. The car ride was okay. We called for a bit until Alex went to sleep. We stopped and ate and 15 minutes later we were at a company building. The man who was driving told us we had to go through the back, due to the fans. 

Even going through the back there was still fans everywhere. All I could think was that this group made it far. Each of us had a security guard by our side until we got into the building and into the room we were supposed to be in. Addy opened the door, she was greeted by a man who I assumed was their manager. They chatted for a few seconds then he looked at us.

“It is so nice to finally meet your girls. My name is Max and am the boy's mangers.” “Hello, Max” “Hi” we each said. “Max can you give the girls a run down for today” “Oh yes, I know it's one of your breaks from your show and I premises you girls can all sleep in Tom-” All I was thinking at this time was just sleep. “You and the boys will have an hour to yourself. No cameras, no pictures, nothing. Just getting to know each other.” He looked down had his right wrist “Then in about, an hour and a half now. We will have you guys take group pictures together. Everyone in Germany loves you guys here and why not have two big groups show some love to the people but give them what they want? Yeah!” 

The girls and I looked at each other “Excuse me, sir, what do you mean?” Nia was saying what we all were thinking. “The people want to see the group interact with one another. Is that fine with you guys?” Just nodding our heads yes. “All right, follow me!” He took us to a room, from the outside we could hear voices. 

He knocked on the door. “Boys there here”  He opened the door. The girls and I looked at each other. “So who’s going in first?” I asked “I say you G, You are a singer” “Yeah, G” “ What the fuck, why.?” You are the face of the group. Now go show your face first” I walked in with a fake smile on my face. The first person I see he a tall, guy with long brown hair. His smile was to die for and I only looked for 3 seconds before taking my eyes off him. 

The rest of the girls followed right next to me in a line. “Now I want you all to mix in with each other. Bill, Tom, Georg, and Gustav. Meet G, Jade, Alex and Nia. We will see you all in an hour” I looked around the room, It was like an office space. A big round table that fit all 8 of us. Everyone got into a spot with a person we didn’t know. The brown-haired boy sat on the right of me.

“Am Bill!” He had the biggest smile on his face and his hair was as big as mine. He sat on my left “I always wanted to meet you all. You guys are amazing!” He finished “So are you! Your voice is beautiful by the way”  I feel like I could talk to him for days without getting bored. “Do you only go by G?” “Yeah it is a stage name. And It is easier to say for people” 

It took a while but everyone started talking to one another. It felt so good being about the talk to people who have the same passion that you do. We related to each other, not even an hour later and it felt like we had been friends for over years. Less than an hour. 

I found out his name, Georg. He was talking to Jade about the animal when she brought up my name. “Oh G loves animals, She has like 5 dogs. Right G?” “Oh what's their name?” Georg had asked me. “Princess, Prince, Zoey and Zion. I only have 4.” I laughed, he was looking at me the whole time I was talking or anytime we talked. He would always be the one asking me questions. I just felt so open with him, I didn't know how to act. He made me feel somewhat. A safe way but I didn’t know if I wanted to get too close, just to keep out of making a fool of myself. 

Right when I finished laughing with Georg the door opened. We didn't stop talking, we were all having a good time. “Okay guys, It's time to go,” Addy told us “It's off the the shot. Now would you all like to take different cars or take the bus?” Max asked. “We will take the same bus, I have so much to ask Alex” Bill and Alex were talking the whole time. They seem like they would become best friends by the end of the day. 

I made sure everyone got a chance to walk out the door before I did. Georg stayed behind me. “You can go first,” I told him “No it's fine, please go first” “I really hope we aren't gonna fight about this” “We are not, because you will be going first” I walked out signing. I walked out to see Max and Addy waiting for us. We walked ahead of them. I looked behind me to see them talking, I tried to listen but I could hear nothing with Alex and Bill talking loudly. 

We went through the first to get to the bus. There were fans everywhere. Since Georg and I stayed behind a little, we ended a stuck. With people trying to get on the bus. “Hold my hand, I will push us through this,” He told me and I told his hand and made it on the bus, safely.

I hoped you like it!

[allsassnoclass]

Kid fic prompts

Had a request to gather some prompts about characters with kids! Most of these are single parent aus, but there are other iterations of characters with kids as well.

While I came up with some of these, many of these come from my AU notebook, which is years and years old and from before I properly sourced things. If they are from your prompt list, please let me know and I'll credit or remove them, which ever you prefer!

I'm the band teacher and you're the new choir teacher at this under-funded public school

We knew each other in high school and ran into each other at the grocery store and my teenage child saw the interaction and is now trying to set us up

I PUT THE KID I'M BABYSITTING DOWN FOR TWO SECONDS HOW ARE THEY GONE WHERE-- oh you found them and are now holding them and searching for their guardian

We're camp counselors at the summer camp that we both went to as little kids

We both work at Disney World and all of the little kids LOVE you

Alternatively, you work at Disney World and I did not mentally prepare myself for spending a full day at the park with my child and no adult backup and you're an employee who is saving my life at every turn

I don't like you and you don't like me but our best friends died in a car crash and left their 1-year-old child in our custody so now we've got to act civil and learn how to co-parent

You run my kid's daycare

I'm only at this park because my younger sibling wanted to come (not because I'm secretly a small child inside haha what are you talking about) why are YOU here?

We both babysit the same kid on different days and I have to listen to the kid gush about you the entire time I'm watching them and we're FINALLY meeting at the kid's birthday party

We are overly invested soccer parents

I'm the host of a children's TV show and you're the child supervisor on set

The kids we're escorting to trick or treating on Halloween just dropped their bags and got all of their candy mixed up

I accidentally scared a kid on Halloween and their adult is angry

Your kid keeps kicking the back of my seat on this airplane

Hey we hooked up last night and it turns out you're my kid's teacher

My parents died and left me, a barely legal adult, in charge of my kid sibling and the only person that I can be myself around is you, some guy I work with at my crappy minimum wage job

My baby insists on crying all night long and you came into the hallway of our apartment complex to see what's up and offer help

We're the only single parents in the play group and all of the other parents are definitely shipping us hardcore

My kid threw a fit at the ice cream/toy/whatever store and you were the only person nice enough to help without judging me

Our kids are best friends and oh look we're both single so I guess I'll ask you out for a drink

I'm on the bus and my 2-year-old won't stop crying except you just smiled at them and they did

I asked you to babysit one time and now my child keeps asking when you will spend time with them again

You asked me to the store with you and your child and now my distant relative we met thinks I'm married with a kid

We're friends and my child's first word was your name and I'm jealous and also kind of endeared

You've been sleeping at mine because you're house is being renovated and we aren't even dating, yet every time you wake up to the baby crying and sigh "I'll go" I feel like we might as well be married

We've been on a few dates and my child just asked us when we're getting married

Our children are in the same class and we both hate the teacher, eventually the parent's evenings are just us competing at who can call out snarkier comments

We are the only two parents to agreed to attend the school trip (bonus: so I guess we share this hotel room...?)

I'm so sorry that my child pointed out how your shirt--actually never mind, I agree, that shirt is horrendous

You crouched down to coo at my baby but I forgot to tell you their favorite thing to do is play with people's hair and now they won't let go of you

I work as an elf at a mall Santa grotto and you keep bringing a seemingly endless supply of kids through to meet Santa

[myloveforhergoeson]

Hey there! I'm going with this:

🏆 - Which club or extracurricular activity did your character join, and why?

This is about the guys. 😊

hi!! i love this one so much thank you for asking!

right off the bat i do believe that all four of the boys took choir together their freshman year in canon btrtv? i can't imagine kendall carlos and logan signed up for this willingly however... could have been that they didn't properly sign up for electives and they were placed in choir or it could have been brooke diamonds decision or they didn't want to do something without james... whatever it was all four of them were in it lol

and hockey of course! but we all know that

in my minds eye here's how individual character breakdowns look

james: theater - both being on stage and designing costumes off. i feel like he probably had many fashion tips to share and it got to the point where he was like 'no one sees my vision so i guess i'm going to have to do it myself.' probably the same with the make up department, i imagine brooke would donate some out of season products to their high school's theater department :3 loves being both on an off stage equally surprisingly!

carlos: baking club! he mentions in the show that his grandma likes to bake so i imagine he grew up with her teachings in the kitchen and in turn wanted to join a club where he could learn from others and bring home some tips as well!! often served his friends well as he'd bring treats to hockey practice. however - the guy is completely useless without the recipe right in front of him... hence why he wasn't able to make good cookies in LA!

kendall: idk... i don't see him doing much beyond hockey but i do imagine he was doing something to help aid him in the hockey department? my high school offered different conditioning classes that could be taken in place of PE, like dance or weight training. i'd see him taking a weightlifting elective or joining an afterschool club to strengthen his athlete body lol. it would be hard in between hockey and his part-time job, so he probably only drops by these clubs when convenient - always favoring hockey practice!

logan: oh my god... i feel like logan is in every single club that holds any interest to him!! of course he's part of more "nerdy clubs" like AV, potentially a dungeons and dragons club, or even a videogame club!! but i also see him as a member of the national nursing club or part of a sports med club to help him hone his skills and build his resume for graduate school! like kendall, he has a super packed schedule, but somehow he's always able to fit everything in!

tysm for the question!! i love thinking about the guy's life pre-fame lol <3

find an emoji here and ask away!

[sundewhasaudhd]

gimme. the rundown of aspen whats this guys deal i dont actually know anything fully about em

(Sorry this took awhile for me to get to, I’ve been busy with choir)

TW: murder, religious trauma, physical abuse

Also, real quick, Aspen uses they/it/he/foxes pronouns, and imma switch between the four, ok? Cool

Basically, he’s my funky little murder guy

Ok, your getting his whole life story, because I feeling ramble-y

So, Aspen and their family are direct descendants of the Waylon’s. Aspen’s parents got them very involved in the church since he little. And they really loved it. For a while. But it seemed like as they got older, the other kids started to get meaner. At around age eight, Roman and Sheila (the people in charge of the church [I don’t know the religious term for it]) started to actively punish Aspen when they did anything “wrong”. Or y’know, showing symptoms of neurodivergence and disability in a way that neurotypical able bodied people don’t find appropriate. And these two made church hell for Aspen, always on edge, worried they might mess up. So that’s Aspen church life, let’s tackle his home life

So, like I said, Aspen is both neurodivergent and physically disabled. I have a whole list on my notes app on my iPad, but the most relevant to the conversation is that it has fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, and AuDHD. Aspen’s parents are overprotective and overbearing as hell because they, along with most of the church, are ableist pieces of shit and don’t think their disabled kid can do shit. This is the reason Aspen was homeschooled (well, until high school, but we’ll get to that later), as well as not aloud to do a lot of normal kid shit

At the age of ten, Aspen was forced to make his first sacrifice to Nibbly (cause y’know, Nibbly is the Church of the Starry Children’s favorite LiB), and it was indeed a murder. He was absolutely guilt ridden for… a fucking while. But, this did cause him to get learn about the Lords in Black more than he previously did, which, is when he discovered his insanity strong spiritual connection to the LiB, especially Pokey. At age eleven, he started learning how to relocate that highest pitch ever thing that Otho did to apotheosis people in Yellow Jacket, and when he started to get really serious about his religion and Gods and spirituality

At around twelve, the LiBs were like “Damn, this shit lowkey depressing. Also, this kid would be a seriously good murderer. Hey Wiley, go mentor this depressing ass kid”. And this is how we get my favorite father and son duo of all of my original characters, Wilbur and Aspen. Wilbur’s actually the person who helped Aspen realize how MUCH foxes parents and church sucked. He’s also the person who inspired Aspen to actually do shit about it, like actually do things foxes parents wouldn’t want fox to do, like have access to the internet. Everyone say thank to Wilbur for helping Aspen realize fox is queer (fox is AFAB by the way, not super relevant for this specific rant, but it definitely is relevant) and foxes special interests/hyperfixations in DSMP, Vocaloid, 2000s-2010s culture, fandom and Tumblr history

Now they’re sixteen, and they murder people in the name in the Lords in Black, and deal with a PLETHORA of mental, emotional, physiological, and physical issues. I will happily go in to more detail of you want, but that’s all for now

@ella-ashmore

[mymelodyisme]

18, 27, 32, 34, 38, 44 😍😍

😄HELLO LIBBY MY LOVE!! Asdfghjkl I started this last night and then didn’t finish it but here we are back at it again 👏🏽

18: A quote I live by

For once I can easily answer this!! Something I’ve always said and you can probably find on this blog is

“I am nothing if I’m not kind.”

🤔 “nothing if not” means to a strong degree or very but like that’s not the way I see the sentence. 🤣 nothing if I’m not. All this to say I will be kind otherwise I become a version of myself I don’t want.

Hooraaaay for me twisting language in my grubby little fingers🙌🏽

27: My favorite book I read for school

Of Mice and Men! And Little Women. 😭 I was so in love with Laurie. Funnily enough I HAVEN’T seen the newest movie yet. I’ve seen clips but my head says I’m not ready. Soooooob

32: A little known fact

Oh no 🤔 okay I share so much I don’t even know what I haven’t shared. Uh I do happen to have a list of fun facts or something let me go take a look—

WELL

I share this one often but I’m a miracle baby🙌🏽 Though the doctors couldn’t get me to breathe when I was born and ushered me off before my mom could even see me. 🙌🏽 🙌🏽

Yeah so my parents were told they couldn’t have kids and then oopsies helloo it’s ME 💅🏽 and then they went and had three more girls 🤣

34: I time I succeeded

Ooh!! Okay so I was in honor choir t-three times? Two maybe? The first time I was in Junior high we had to audition to get chosen. Then we took a bus back to the school or theatre they had us practice in and we performed at a big named theater in our area 😄 the second was basically the same thing but without the audition. And I THINK I had a third one in there somewhere but I can’t remember.

I don’t have very many successes in life but I am in my city’s time capsule so 😎

38: My favorite band.

This one used to be easy to answer COUGH PALAYE ROYALE COUGH. 😒 actually it still kinda is. I really love MCR and Set it Off. Epecially SIO. I LOVE Cody Carson’s voice. And also his name it’s so fun to say. 😭 my favorite song from them rn would probably be Punching Bag. THEY COLLABED EITH MIKU. I love them s m they make up a good portion of my car karaoke music. I need more songs though I only listen to a handful cause I don’t actually go and seek out my favorite artists new stuff unless I happen across it 😔 to all my SIO fans give me your faves please

44: My favorite TV Show

Last but not easiest! I can’t say I have one 😭 I like a lot of shows but I don’t have any one favorite I could turn on and just unwind. I know a lot of people love like the office, use it as background noise, and can quote it easily. I don’t have that kind of love or relationship with anything in particular. Back in the past I GUESS it would have been Adventure time or Steven universe but as of now I’ve come to this knife fight empty handed. 🤔 that said I’m SO excited for Umbrella Academy to drop the final season. Oh also I feel like I have to mention that I love Fruits Basket with all my heart 🩷♥️🩷♥️🩷

😭 I swear I say some ridiculous things and no one’s ever been like “hey Melissa you do ____ how did you not notice??” YALL can probably tell me more about me than I can cause you’re forced to watch me day in and out.

Anyways I lov e you thank you for 🥺 being my friend.

♥️ The Ask Game ♥️

[amiharana]

NO BC IMAGINE choir kid link vs theater kid revali..

imma need to know the parameters for this one because i was a choir kid and in my high school that was basically the same thing. do u know how many choir kids got converted into theater freaks when our show choir did a hamilton medley for the choir show? yorktown had everyone by the throat ✋😭

what does 'choir kid' entail in this context. like is link in a standing choir or a show choir? because then it makes a little more sense if he's in a standing choir and then attends the school play where revali is one of the leads for fuckin um. Once on This Island idk, and (1) is very interested in the performance of singing and dancing at the same time because it's def more fun than a standing choir that only sings technical pieces, and (2) does revali. does revali um. does he get to kiss people on stage often. like is that a thing that the theatre kids do often, do they do musicals where the characters kiss. does revali kiss boys by any chance, like romantically. hey when's the next play and do they have a sign-up sheet or like, wait zelda come back—

i'd like to propose choir kid link x orchestra kid revali 👁️ i once had an ex-choir-kid-turned-orchestra-kid friend who insisted that orchestra was superior to choir because their skills were reliant on manipulating an instrument to sound beautiful and that singing/dancing wasn't impressive at all. me personally i don't put down other people like that, but i've always admired those who play instruments and have always been really cool with orchestra kids :] but revali kinda reminds me of that friend. canonically, revali is very proud of his skill with a bow so i think it's kinda fitting if he were proud of his skill with like. a violin or a flute or some shit LOL

orchestra kid revali beefing with choir kid link because he thinks playing instruments is more impressive than screaming at the top of your lungs on a stage like a maniac lol...... except he was totally into link's solo parts as orpheus when they did "wait for me" in their hadestown medley for the choir show. when their school's orchestra and choir decide to do a collaborative show, revali sours at the idea of collaborating with the choir but then remembers that link is in choir and then perks up. teba calls him out immediately for that 😭

idk just choir and orchestra doing a tech rehearsal and revali almost messes up his part by falling behind the tempo because he's just so enamored by how pretty link's voice is 🤭🤭🤭 and link being nervous and wanting to sing well because revali is watching him like a hawk <333 link and revali practicing extra hard so they can impress each other during the show <333 and after the final show, urbosa brings flowers for the performers as a congratulations but instead she shoves one bouquet into revali's arms and says, "go to him. i know you want to." and winks.

(revali will yell and squawk at her for it, but he takes the bouquet and stalks away to the dressing rooms to where link is, knocking on his dressing room door softly, suddenly feeling shy. when link comes out looking at him with wide eyes, revali offers the flowers and tells him "you performed well." link will take the flowers and blush, then look back at revali and say, "you did too." and they're just staring and blushing at each other in the hallway, until more choir kids exit the dressing room and break the silence. they ooh and aah and giggle over link's new flowers, teasing him and revali, to which revali snipes and link blushes brighter, but they look at each other again and give each other shy smiles. they could get used to this :>)

[justsomerandomfanfic]

Hey there!! I just found your account and was absolutely in AWE after reading your HP works. Instant follow from me :]

This is my first time requesting something anywhere lol so I hope this is right. Could I request a HP matchup? [platonic and romantic, both eras or whichever one calls to you lmao] I know you are on a hiatus and that your inbox will probably be overflowing when you start writing again lol so please don't feel like u need to get to this ASAP. Whenever you have inspiration, no rush ;]

-I'm in Slytherin

-I am an INFJ-T

-I am an October Scorpio

-My patronus is a Little Owl.

-My love language [giving] is words of affirmation and quality time. My love language [receiving] is physical touch [it's hard for me to initiate it] and quality time.

-I am 5'7 with medium length blonde hair with curtain bangs and blue eyes. I have dimples and freckles.

-I am very ambitious and want to be the best at everything I do [choir, theatre, my classwork, everything]. I hold myself to very high standards and think very highly of myself. This pride also leads me to talk about myself a lot, which is often taken as bragging. While all of this is true, I want everyone to have equal opportunity as well. If someone if struggling with something, even if they are competition, I am more than willing to help. This high-standard also causes me to feel like I am not enough or not worthy. My grade drops to an A-? I start doubting everything.

-I hate loud & crowded spaces [such as loud concerts, parties, super busy stores, etc]. They make me super overwhelmed and anxious. I would much rather stay at home playing video games with friends or go to smaller, more intimate places.

-Some of my favorite things [in no particular order] include Big Brother [reality competition show], Minecraft, SDV, Legally Blonde, Mean Girls, musical theatre, show choir, writing, my friends, being a leader/mentor, music, the beach, crocheting, reading, collecting, winning, etc

-Some of my least favorite things [in no particular order] include studying [which I never do anyway lol], sudden & unexpected loud noises, storms/bad weather, selfish and self-righteous people, fake people, the main character archetype, most movies [i have a bad attention span], losing, being wrong, etc

Hope this isn't too much!! Thanks again, love ur stuff <3

HI! I am so glad that you like them! Harry Potter is one of my favorite fandoms to write for, so many fun characters! I hope you like your matchups, I did both platonic and romantic. :) <333

---

Harry Potter;

---

(Platonic);

Luna Lovegood:

🔮 You met Luna and became good friends with her on the train to Hogwarts - she was reading - you were reading - and from that, you both began to talk about the books and subjects that you were interested in; from then on, you and Luna were pretty close

🔮 You and Luna spend a lot of time together when you can - sitting together during shared classes, walking the schools grounds, writing to each each during breaks, and you even taught her how to crochet once

🔮 Soon enough, you would travel to each other's homes during the summer, having sleepovers, and so on - you introduced Luna to some of your favorite Muggle things, like Mean Girls, Legally Blonde, and some of your favorite theater musicals; she, in turn, she told you about Thestrals, and other creatures

🔮 Along with going to each other's homes during the summer, you and Luna often visited the beach together - building sandcastles, swimming in the sea, reading, and sunbathing - as the sun sets, you and Luna walked around the beach trying to collect as many shells and pretty rocks that you could find

🔮 You and Luna's friendship is pretty well matched, you're both helpful and easygoing; Luna would give you good - yet strange - advice, and would always be there for you when you need someone after a small grade drop

---

(Romantic);

George Weasley:

🃏 When you met George, you had been learning how to bring out your patronus - way before Dumbledore's Army - you had read up on it in the library (along with hearing about it in many classes) you took as many chances as you could during free periods to master the charm; you were yearning to get it right, practicing when you could

🃏 George happened - surprisingly without his older twin - been wandering around the courtyard, near the clock tower, when he saw you, practicing; and then he saw it, your patronus, an owl (it was a Little Owl)

🃏 George went on over to you, complimented how obviously talented you were, and from then on, you and George spent a lot of time together; even though you were a Slytherin and he was a Gryffindor; you both ignored the prejudice

🃏 The friendship between the two of you quickly blossomed into a relationship; the both of you having more in common than you thought - you both liked reading, both liked music, and having nice quiet places to just exist in

🃏 When George and Fred in their adventures of creating their own jokes shop, you follow, staying with the two young men, working alongside them - though you worked mainly in the back away from the loud crowds of children; and when you and George weren't working, you'd spend time together, feeling completely relaxed in each other's company

---

[arcane-vagabond]

Liz! Springtime Asks!

Changes, Collegiate, Favorites and Fun Fact!

🩵🩵🩵

Hey Fern!!!!

Changes - what signals the changing of the seasons to you? 

Honestly, it varies from seasons to season. I know we're in spring because there are more thunderstorms! For summer, the humidity gets HORRIBLE here since we're right by a river. The fall, it's the bite in the air that runs up your spine as you're walking down the street. And for winter, it's that cozy feeling you get in the middle of your chest despite the cold.

Collegiate - did you go to or are you going to university? what are you or did you study?

Yeah! So I actually graduated with my Bachelor's back in 2020. I was a Linguistics major with two minors: German, Medieval and Renaissance Studties. I've been thinking about going on to get my Masters degree, but not sure in what yet. Part of me wants to keep pursuing Linguistics, another part of my wants to pursue history, and another part wants to do library sciences!

Favorites - what’s your favorite show, movie, and book?

Ooooooooo this is a hard one.

Favorite Shows: Daria, X-Files, Steven Universe, Gravity Falls, and Fruits Basket

Favorite Movies: The Labyrinth, Detective Pikachu, Pride and Prejudice (2005), and Raiders of the Lost Ark

Favorite Books: Night Road by A.M. Jenkins, The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell, The Giver by Lois Lowry, and Coraline by Neil Gaiman

Fun Facts - what’s something people would never guess about you?

I can sing really well, actually. The high school choir teacher was always trying to get me to rejoin choir after I stopped in middle school. I also did acting competitively in high school and made it to Nationals my senior year.

Spring Asks!

[sydneyofalltrades]

More Moni to bless your feed have her first interaction with the choir

Monique was disgusted. “Noel, tell me this is a joke.”

Noel turned to her. “What?”

He watched as she gestured to the grey dress and white button down. “This? I’m going to school in this?”

Noel nodded solemnly. “There isn’t anything I can do about it. Saint Cassian promotes modesty over style, unfortunately.”

Monique grimaced. “Oh, Lord, give me the strength to make it through this day.”

After having put on the ghastly thing, Monique took her new bag that Mona had generously insisted on giving her. It was still black, just bigger and not torn.

“Have a wonderful first day at school, Monique.” Monique read the note attached to the bag. Noel shrugged.

“Yeah, Mom’s not around in the mornings, she has super early shifts and a bunch of late shifts so I only really see her during her lunch break.”

Monique reread the note and smiled a little. “She still puts in effort. No one ever did that for me before.”

Noel handed her a bag. “Yeah, well, she really cares for people. Here’s your lunch.”

Monique took the bag and sat down and ate something with her brother.

It was heavenly. Not eating something rotten or feeling guilt for stealing or hoarding. Just a warm meal made for her.

The two of them found their way to the high school and Noel held Monique back.

“Hey, Monique? I’ve got some friends who want to meet you, and.. they’re a little intense sometimes.”

Monique shrugged. “I’m sure I can handle them. Oh, did you tell them I speak English?”

Noel shook his head. “They didn’t ask.”

Monique grinned. “Perfect.”

They walked into the school and Monique saw five other students, one in a wheelchair, waiting at the front entrance.

“Noel! Over here!”

Noel turned to the choir and sheepishly waved. The others walked over, and the guy in the wheelchair pushed himself to match their pace.

“Hey, guys! This is my new sister, Monique.”

He turned to the French girl and she nodded. A redhead girl stepped up and extended her hand.

“Ocean O’Connell Rosenberg, pleasure to meet you.”

Monique took her hand she shook it. “Merci! Tu as le visage d'un âne!”

Noel snorted and Ocean’s smile faltered slightly. “Oh, don’t you know English?”

Monique shrugged. “Oui, mais c'est plus facile de parler en français.”

Noel was quick to translate. “She says she does, but it’s easier for her to speak in French.”

Monique giggled slightly as Ocean’s little frown.

Another girl with curly hair dyed bright purple held a small Tupperware container.

“Hi, Monique. I’m Constance, and I made these for you.”

She opened the container and Monique looked inside to see her favorite desserts from home. She looked at Constance and smiled.

“Merci. C'est très gentil de ta part.”

“She says that’s very nice of you, Connie.”

Constance beamed and the boy in the wheelchair started using his hands very quickly. Monique didn’t understand but she knew the others did.

“And this is Ricky,” Noel said, “He’s mute but he’s still one of the most expressive people I know. He loves drawing, can you show her some, Rick?”

This boy, Ricky, pulled out a sketchbook and showed Monique an array of space drawings, of cat drawings, of portraits, of nature. Monique was stunned.

“It’s very beautiful,” she said softly. Ocean pointed at her.

“I thought you didn’t know English!”

“I never said that,” Monique snapped, “It was just more fun seeing you struggle.”

Ocean pouted as the others laughed. The guy with a cap looked up from his phone.

“Mischa,” he said, also with a thick accent. Monique was surprised.

“Where’re you from?”

“Ukraine,” Mischa said proudly, and Monique smiled.

“Thank God I’m not the only foreigner. I was worried.”

Mischa shrugged. “It’s hard, but you get used to it.”

The final girl, with brown pigtails, raised her hand slightly. “And I’m Penny,” she said softly, “It’s wonderful meeting you, Moni. If we can call you Moni.”

Monique thought about it. No one had ever given her a nickname before. But she smiled.

“Sure. It’s nice.”

Penny smiled and tried to hug her, then restrained herself.

“You probably don’t like hugs, huh?”

Monique shrugged. “First time for everything. Besides, you guys are.. alright, I guess.”

Penny gave her a big hug and Moni smiled a little. She looked up at Noel’s friends, at a ragtag group that she was now a part of.

And she kinda liked it. Now she wasn’t so alone

[anonymous-ace72]

Seeing a lot of people sharing Phantom-y memories so I figured I’d weigh in a little. 

I always thought that someday, I’d pull together the time and the money to travel to New York and see the show in all its glory. That somehow, it would always just... be there, waiting. But now that it’s ending, I just feel a little hollow. I know that it’ll probably come back, and there are always tours to go see... but it won’t be the same. It won’t be the spectacle that the original was. 

Phantom was not my first musical (that pleasure goes to either Annie or Mamma Mia) but it is the first one that I got super into. I first heard the title song in 6th grade music class, and it made such an impact on me that I downloaded the song the next time I got itunes money and listened to it on repeat while putting on my Halloween costume for school. 

I saw it in its entirety twice in my sophomore year of high school. First, I saw the movie in my theatre class. Hearing the overture and watching the movie go from greyscale to color activated something in my brain that would never turn back off. The second time, was when my mom surprised me with tickets to the restaged tour. They were the last two available for that night, so we got lucky. I remember listening to the orchestra warming up before the show, and the excitement at hearing that overture live for the very first time. I’m sad that I didn’t get to see a true chandelier fall, the theatre we saw it in just wasn’t built for it (it dropped a few feet, but never crashed onto the stage. Didn’t even start on the stage, just kind of hovered there with a cloth on top of it. Very anticlimactic). My first, and so far only, live Phantom was Quentin Oliver Lee, may he rest in peace. 

We performed Music of the Night as our ballad for my Junior year show choir package, and having to work on that for months just deepened my love for the musical, even if most of my words were just oohs and ahhs (it was acapella, and I’m an alto). We watched Youtube videos to get inspiration on how to emote, I specifically remember watching Norm Lewis and Sierra Boggess. Norm actually came and did a masterclass at my university last month, and I would have gladly skipped class to watch him speak if I didn’t have a French quiz at the same time (I am still super pissed about that). 

The musical has led me to consume other Phantom forms of media, such as the book, the 1990 miniseries, and some kind of video game where you play as Christine and Raoul’s daughter and get kidnapped by Erik. I’ve tried reading the book in its original French text with... very little success. I’ve cosplayed the Phantom, and am finally going to bring the costume to a con after many much needed refurbishments. 

This musical has honestly become a comfort for me, and I love it dearly. It’s so sad to see it go, this thing that’s brought me much joy these past several years. Honestly, I cannot think of a time in recent years where I was as happy as I was when I saw it live. But hey, maybe I’ll get the chance to see it again someday.

Until then, it’s over now, the music of the night.

[batboys-forever]

RAM: A Glee Love Story

A/N: In this AU, Carole HH works at McKinley High as an English/Arts Teacher. SO yea...

TW: Mentions of self harm, suicide, bullying, homophobia, and all the TW i mentioned.... ;(

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

March 2012:

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

Redious Hummel, nicknamed Red by his friends and family, was walking through the halls of McKinley High. Other students looked at him weirdly and were whispering quietly as he walked past. Everywhere he went. He couldn't make out what they were saying. "Red! Mr. Schue, Miss Pillsbury and Mrs Hudson-Hummel, need you in Schue's office," Coach Beiste said to the young blond with a worried look on her face.

"Erm, alright coach? Why? Have I done something wrong? Because if it's about the homework assignment you gave us while subbing for the English Class last week, it's almost done, I swear!" Red looked confused. Coach Beiste said nothing as she watched the young blond walk to Will's office. As he entered, he saw Will, Emma, and Carole, but was surprised to see his brother Kurt Hummel and his stepbrother Finn Hudson there as well.

"Take a seat Red," Will motioned to the seat as Red put his bag on the ground and sat down. "So erm what's going? Have I done something? Wait, is dad, okay?!" He looked at his family. "No, your dad is alright, honey...." Carole sighed worriedly as she looked at the teen... "Then what's going on? Am I being kicked out of the Glee Club? My grades are fine?" Will sighed... "Finn... could you give it to him..." Kurt elbowed their brother, Red was really confused. "Give me what? Come on, just tell me? Or.. Show me?" Red was getting a bit annoyed. Finn sighed and handed him a newspaper. "Read the front cover," Emma sighed.

Red held his right hand to his mouth as he began to hyperventilate. "H-h-how!" he threw the paper at the floor as he got out of the chair and ran into the choir room, where the New Directions were already utterly confused after hearing Red shouting and his hyperventilating. "How! How did anyone find out! I only told 2 people, and that was Kurt and Finn..." Then it dawned on Red... He had seen Kurt, Finn, and Rachel talking yesterday, and someone had been listening... "YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT ME SO LOUDLY THAT THE EDITOR OF THE MCKINGLEY TIMES WAS LISTENING!" Kurt, Finn and Rachel looked at each other. "YOU THREE OUTED ME TO THE ENTIRE FUCKING SCHOOL!" He was still hyperventilating. "Red, we're so sor-"'SLAP!'

Was the only sound that echoed through the room.... Red had slapped his brothers. "RED!" Red was crying and still hyperventilating. "I haven't even told dad yet!" Everyone looked at each other, as they tried to comfort the crying teen. "JUST STOP! LEAVE ME ALONE! JUST STOP!" He ran out of the choir room, crying... the others could hear laughing throughout the hallway as they went to see what it is... Red had run down the hallway, upset as other students were laughing and calling him a fag. The New Directions looked on in utter shock... "Well... that's ended badly for us," they looked at Rachel... Alice was pissed that Rachel would say that, and she smacked Rache's head. "Ow! What was that for!" She said, rubbing the back of her head. "How could you be so insensitive about that! My little brother just got outed to the entire school, and all you can think about is how bad this would make the glee club look!" She then looked at her brothers, very angry...

"As for you two - you have hurt him! You both know how much he looks up to you both! And of course, Figgins is going to do nothing about this! Like fuck! You, of all people know what it's like to be bullied for being Gay, Kurt... But think what that could do to a 13-year-old kid like Red... Remember what you did... you used to isolate yourself... you wouldn't talk to me or dad... but think what Red could do... he could self-harm himself... he could decide 'Hey, my life isn't worth living anymore, so I might as well walk in front of a moving lorry... or I'll take some of Dad's heart pills!'  If anything happens to Red, then I will never forgive myself!"

Alice looked like she was about to burst into tears... "Mr. Schue... I think we should pause today's lesson... and find Red..." Mercedes piped up as she ran into Schue's office and picked up the Blonde Hummel's bag. "Right, we'll split into 2 groups, The Hudson-Hummels, Mercedes, Santana, Brittany, and Quinn. Whilst the rest of us look on the other side of the school." Schue had drawn an entire map of the school. The two groups nodded, then Coach Sylvester was also informed, and she too opted to join in the search. The Hudson-Hummel group looked in the cafeteria and the gym, whilst Will’s group looked in every class. “Where could he be?” Alice looked at the group. “It’s not like he's resting by a tree or something, is it?” Santana said in her usual tone. Quinn’s face lit up. “I know where he is!”

Red had been sitting by a large oak tree... he had missed nearly all of his morning lessons. He couldn’t look his brothers or his friends in the eye. He just felt too hurt and betrayed by the ones he trusted most... He thought about quitting the Glee club, dropping out of school, running away... but no matter how firmly those thoughts were embedded in his head... he couldn’t do it, he couldn’t leave his dad, stepmother, brothers and sister...He just couldn’t.

“Am I a disappointment? Did I deserve this?” Red hadn’t realised that Quinn had walked up to the tree. “You’re not a disappointment, honey. Your family loves you. They could never be disappointed in you.” Red looked up with teary eyes as Quinn sat down next to him. “We’ve been looking everywhere for you.” Red looked at her confused. “Then how did you find me?.” Quinn smiled “Let’s just say that Santana gave us a clue, your family is over there.” Red looked over, and he could see his family and friends. “I can’t.. I can’t look Kurt and Finn or even Berry in the face after this whole event... what if dad finds out.. what if he’s disappointed about having another gay kid”. Quinn gently put her arm around him. “Your dad loves you. I'm sure he'll be proud that you're being so brave during a time like this. He may surprise you when you tell him, you know.” Red looked nervously at her, anxious as hell. “You really mean that, Quinny?” Quinn smiled as she hugged him. “You know I do, Reddy. Now come on let’s go”.

“Are they coming?” Santana asked as Mercedes looked. She smiled. “Yep! They’re coming.” Kurt, Alice, Finn and Carole were relieved. “Call Mr. Schue and tell him that we found him”. Santana picked up her phone and dialled Schue’s number as Red and Quinn slowly walked over to them. The young blond looked at his family... what was he too say them??

To be continued

Word Count: 1211

Thank you to @seblaineaddict / @seblaineworld for proofreading this!! You're the best!