#maddie why your piano sound like that???

[sbhelarctos]

Madelyne banging the tunes

[saturnzskyzz]

Arcane TKL headcannons!

But very random and with no order to them! 🤩💪

A/N: 𝙸 𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚜𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚜 𝚠𝚊𝚢 𝚝𝚘𝚘 𝚖𝚞𝚌𝚑, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚢𝚎𝚝 𝙸 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎𝚗'𝚝 𝚐𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚋𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚌 𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚒𝚌 𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚊𝚜 𝙸 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝚖𝚢 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚍.. 𝙰𝚗𝚢𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜, 𝙷𝙴𝙰𝙳𝙲𝙰𝙽𝙽𝙾𝙽'𝚂!!!!!!

・if Jinx knows that she's about to get tickled, she'd bite her bottom lip to not laugh. Which fails almost always 😔

・if you catch jinx by surprise though, she'd instantly laugh out of shock: "AH- whahat are yohou dohoing?!"

・Vi, Ekko, and Mel are all gigglers. For ex: (I love throwing in examples 🪰🙏)

Vi: "ehehehaha, cahahait! Wahahait!..." Most of the time will provoke Caitlyn, and then she ends up regretting it 😭😭

Ekko: "waitwaitwahahait- ihihi cahan explahahain..." YOU SCHEMING SON OF A- he never takes what he dishes out 😔✋ the contagious giggles he would inflict in your head though??!!! Jinx abuses this so much.

Mel: "ihihis this reheheally nehehessassary??! Ehehehahahah.." hardly ever provokes, but Jayce would definally get her by surprise to enlighten those giggles.

・if you get Vi's, or Mel's worst spots, they cackle. ✋✋

vi: "AAH! NAHAHAT THEHERE!!"

Mel: "AAAHHH- WAHAIT!! IHI'M SORRY"

・Ekko, Caitlyn, and Jayce fall victim to anticipation tickles. Or air tickles. Maybe both.. Both.

・jinx, Viktor, Mel, steb, Vander, Caitlyn, Lest, and Loris are all lers. 100%

・Steb and Lest are evil lers. Literally Shivers down my back evil 🫣

・Jayce, Ekko, Vi, and Mylo are Lee's

・claggor, Silco, Heimerdinger, and Maddie are switches

・claggor and Vander have boisterous laugh's. Vander would have a mix laugher similar to markipliers and Arin Hanson. If you've watched markipliers videos well enough, and you know his friend Bob, that's the kind of laugh I see Claggor having. OH MY GOD Bob laughs quite a bit.

・Mylo was always on the receiving end. Bros always getting picked on and scolded for, c'mon now.

・Ambessa used to always give Mel cheer up tickles. Along with her brother as well.

・Jinx was always the ler for Isha and Sevika. Sevika would fight back though.

・steb and Maddie would always give each other playful pokes here and there. AAAHHHHH

・steb, lest, and Jayce having ticklish ears????

・steb would have whisper laughs, if that makes sense?? I don't know if y'all have seen the smiley scene in mha where Todoroki would kind of stiffle his laughs and they kind of sounded breathy in a way?? That's how I picture steb's laughs to be.

・lest would have a gorgeous laugh. Oh my God!!!

・Vander and Silco always tickled each other. No lie. Silco would get Vander more because he's more ticklish, but that doesn't mean that Silco wouldn't be on the receiving end.

・vi and jinx would always have tickle fights. Same with claggor and Mylo. It's a sibling bond effect, I swear.

・vi is a soft tickler. Doesn't matter who her target is.

・sevika is a rough tickler though. She's less experienced, I fear 😔✋

・those who would have a goofy laugh would be Mylo, jinx, maddie and Loris.. I don't really know why. But they're really fond to hear, yk?

・of course steb, Caitlyn, and Viktor would be embarrassed when tickled. It's the professionalism in them 🙏

・Jayce would give the best beard tickles... 🫠

・steb, Maddie, lest, and Jayce cover their mouths when tickled.

・Vander, jinx, and Jayce would give birthday tickles.

"Say hello to the birthday girl!" Vander says as he lightly tweaks the side of Vi's ribs like a piano

"Dahahad! Stohohop, thihis is embaharrassing!!"

・vi would pull some shit on Caitlyn like the five little pigs game.. Oh my GAWD the TEASEEEEEHRODKFKSKF

・since Viktor can change into his Herald form, he'd definitely use his claw to tease Jayce. (I've seen the art 🫵)

"It appears that you are,, a little tense by my claw, are you not?" Viktor said, knowing far too well that the claw was dangerously resting on Jayce's ribs.

"Ihihi-uhum.."

OHMTOFISJEKDKFSKFKGN

・let's come back to steb. HE'S SO CUTEWJSOSKKFKSFK he gives a small smile when tickled. AAAHHHHH

・also Loris's beard though??!! Second best on the list of giving the best beard tickles.

・Loris definitely gives cheer up tickles as well. He'd be SO GENTLE.

・every ler has a fixated spot they like to stay at, sooooo ROLL CALL!

Jinx: armpits (tsk tsk tsk, EVILLLLL 🙂‍↔️)

Vi: sides (lightly 🪶)

Caitlyn: oddly enough, the back. She won't do it often, but oh boy if she gets an opportunity, she's gonna TAKE ITTTT

Ekko: hear me out on this one... Neck kisses.. HE LOVES TO GIVE THEM!!!

Jayce: the waist. I SEE THOSE HANDS PRETTY BOY 🫵🫵

Viktor: also sides 😔✋ stop it

Mel: stomach (SHE'S A SUCKER FOR JAYCE'S TUMMY, DON'T LIE)

Steb: knees. The way that he'll latch onto your knees like a damn LEECH??!! AAAAHHHH RUNNNN

Sevika: thighs. DON'T PLAY!

Maddie: neck and ears. YOU MOTHER FU-

Ambessa:... Hips.. 🏃💨

Loris: neck. IT'S THE BEARD!!!!!

Vander: he's a dad. He's going for yo feet. (This better not just be my dad, or I'mma feel so embarrassed for outing that out 😔) obviously not saying this to be weird. Those fetish accounts better hop off 🫵

Silco: ribs. YOU FUCKIN' PIANIST!!

Singed: bros using tools on yo stomach 🛠️

Claggor: he's a simple man. He's using the tazor method on your sides. Bzzt GONE

heimerdinger: I strike him as a palm reader type of fellow, and if he sees that you're ticklish on your palms.. He's gonna use that as an advantage.

Mylo: shoulders. He's using the pressure point on yo ass.

・speaking of Mylo using the pressure point method.. Everytime, he does this to powder and claggor, and then he ends up being on the receiving end of things.

"AAAHHH I'M SOHORRY!" (okaaaay buddy 😒✋)

There's abviously more, but that's all I'm doing right now. 😭✋

[nelegance]

Chapter 2: Enduring

I’m jumping way ahead. Are you interested in the before? Wouldn’t you rather read how it all ended and get back to your lives? Your beautiful mundane lives. Maybe you’re roasting a chicken for dinner while the children are running up and down the street outside; playing tag in the warm sunlight. Or maybe you’re listening to the radio in your living room while you pet your purring cat, who sits on your lap and doesn’t have a care in the world. What I would give…Oh! I haven’t introduced myself. My name is Madeline. Maddy to my friends. You’re my friend, so I’m Maddy to you. I live in New Orleans with Lestat. Our home is in shambles. It’s wooden, very dark inside and our and decorated in the 1800’s and never brought into the new century. Lestat likes it that way. I do not. It’s so cold. Anyway, onwards.

“I can heal you,” Lestat said, coming up behind me in the bathroom.

I kept the towel against my backside. “Please just go to bed. Your nose is already bleeding.”

Lestat wiped his nose with his hand and looked at it. He shook his head.

“I don’t care. Here,” Lestat bit his finger and held it up to where I had the towel. I sigh and took the towel away. He carefully wiped his bleeding finger against the wounds he created. “There. All better.”

It wasn’t all better though. I had dozens of these “accidents” that happened when Lestat got too excited. My bum, my back, my thighs…He always rushes to heal them. And I let him. I always let him.

Lestat washed his hands and grabbed the towel I was holding. He held it up to his nose. The Bleeds. A vampire must sleep and feed. If they don’t, they bleed from the nose and ears. If they ignore the bleeding, it gets worse and worse until…well—

“Let’s go back to bed. I need to sleep,” Lestat grabbed my hand and roughly led me back to the casket. Since he was bleeding, I said I was going to sleep in the bed. This made him angry.

“Why? I’m fine! Do you not want to sleep with me anymore? I give you everything and all I ask for is for you to sleep with me. I know it’s small in there but I just ask you to endure it until I can find something bigger. Please Madeline.” 

His ears were bleeding now. I didn’t want to fight so I nodded and climbed into the casket after he did. I curled my arms underneath me. Lestat was skinny but still had abs. He exercised only to blend in with humans. If he didn’t, he would be waste away and look sickly. 

“I love you, Madeline. I hope you know that,” Lestat wrapped his arms around me. “You mean everything to me.”

 My blood meant everything to him. I guess you could call me a familiar but that sounds too Bram Stoker. I’m more of a donor with benefits. I give Lestat blood when he needs it and in return he gives me a home and protection. This place has a surprising number vampires and any human is up for grabs. How did I become Lestat’s donor? 

Are you sure you want to go down this road with me? This really is a sad story. That roasted chicken sounds like a much better way of spending your time. 

I needed a job. I was alone and I hadn’t eaten in three days. This isn’t the place to be young, poor and alone. My old dirty dress seemed to signal that I was looking for a customer, not a job. I walked down the street with my head down. 

“Well hello there sweetheart,” a man mumbled as he stumbled along with me.

I could smell the whiskey on his breath. Atherton. I wanted him gone. I was desperate but not that desperate. I quickly turned and entered the first building I could reach. He followed me. 

Jovial piano music, and a woman barely dressed in her red show girl like outfit were the first things I noticed. The woman, standing at a wooden podium, snapped her fingers at the man following me and pointed to the door.

“Out!” she exclaimed.

The drunk man waved his hand at her and stumbled back outside. I was going to follow him but what I was seeing had my feet glued to the floor. To my left and to my right were women that were naked, or dressed in fine bejewelled gowns. They either led a gentleman dressed in a suit or were whispering sweet nothings in the ear of a gentleman dressed in a suit. A few woman were serving drinks. Cigarette smoke hung in the air. A pale man with soft reddy blonde hair sat at the piano in the corner of the room, next to the roaring fireplace. He played a song I couldn’t quite recognize. A woman in a green gown was sitting next to him. She leaned her head on his shoulder. He took his drink and sipped it, seemingly not impressed by her flirting. 

“Can I help you, honey?” the woman at the podium asked.

I shook my head but I wanted to stay.

“I need a job.” I blurted out.

[drmmyrs]

Remember Me (Becca x MC)

So, weird story. I was randomly browsing tumblr one time when this ask pops out at the top of the screen (req about amnesia au Becca’s POV). It wasn’t even related to anything I was reading but checked my inbox and it wasn’t there. Most probably the ask isn’t for me but still wrote it just in case 😅

PS if someone DID send me this ask, kindly drop me a message just so I know I’m not seeing things 😭

PPS I’m trying out a new writing style and I’m not sure if it’s any good so I’d really appreciate any feedback 🥺 (this will be a mini series too, I think, since the angst potential is definitely there 😂)

PPPS title is inspired from the song in Coco just cause I’ve been playing it a lot on piano recently

tag list: @whackawriting @samanthadalton @crazzyplays @uselesslesbianfr @baexpoppy @alexroyard @alexlabhont @veenast @noixngn @sillyandcutewizardstuffs (If you wanna be added or removed or just prefer a certain ship just let me know ❤️)

Pairing: Becca x MC (Emily)

Word Count: 2090

I don't remember what happened, nor know where I am, but I hear shouting, lots of it. I try to move, but my body feels completely numb; the only thing I can feel is the trickle of liquid that splatters across my face. Rain? I open my eyes strenuously, but all I can see past my blurry vision are brown eyes glistening with tears. I can't quite make out her face, but for some reason, seeing her cry sends a flurry of emotions that hurt more than my throbbing head. I try to open my mouth, hoping to provide comfort somehow, but no words come out. She is saying something over and over again, something about leaving? But my head hurts too much to be able to comprehend. A siren then blares from a distance, growing louder by the second as flashes of red cloud my vision. And that is when everything turns black.

I slowly open my eyes–still reeling from the nightmare that somehow felt too real–and harsh, blinding lights immediately greet me. I hastily shut my eyes back and suddenly become well aware of the ache engulfing my entire body. It isn't before long that I realize that someone is holding my hand, tracing lazy circles against my skin ever so often. I try to move it but only manage to lift a finger, and at once, the grip tightens and becomes still for a moment before I hear a voice– How can a voice sound so familiar... yet so strange? It's saying my name, urgent and gentle at the same time as though I might break at any second. I try to open my eyes, but exhaustion grips me powerless. And soon, I succumb to its fiery grasp as I slip back into slumber.

When I wake up again, I already feel much stronger than before. The ache in my body has turned into a dull hum as if sharp nails are gently caressing my skin, enough to be felt but not to hurt. I look around the room, panic swelling in my chest as I take in the sight of different medical equipment looming around my bed and needles sticking out of my arm. I fight the urge to squirm as I take big, calming breaths, ignoring how the four white walls seem to close in on me. Thankfully, the door opens, and a nurse walks in, temporarily distracting me from my distress. She smiles upon seeing me awake and walks towards me.

"Welcome back, Ms. Davenport. How are you feeling?"

"W–where am I?" I ask weakly.

"In the hospital. A month ago, you were involved in a car crash, and your head was hurt pretty badly," the nurse says sympathetically. She is now taking my vitals, scribbling something on her chart from time to time.

Car crash?

I scrunch my eyes, trying to remember, but the harder I try, the more my head hurts.

"Wait. A month? Are you saying that I've been here... for a month?"

The nurse nods. "You've been unconscious the entire time. But your vitals now are looking good. The doctor will just run a few tests to make sure we don't miss anything."

I stay quiet for a while, my mind still processing everything the nurse just said, which has only raised new questions.

"Your friends and family were really worried about you, you know. There wasn't a day when you didn't have any visitors. Especially that special friend of yours you were in the car with." The nurse turns towards me, holding a pen against her chin. "What was her name? Em–Emma, I think? She barely left your side. She actually just went to grab some food before you woke up."

...I don't know any Emma, but I don't tell her that.

"What about my parents?"

"Your mom and sister usually visit during the evening."

"And my father?"

The nurse shakes her head. "I don't think I've ever seen your father."

The nurse leaves after a while, and the doctor comes inside the room shortly. I answer a few questions before I'm escorted outside to take some tests. Afterward, the nurse leads me back to my room and gently guides me to bed.

"Would you like me to call in your visitors?" the nurse asks.

I nod.

The nurse goes out, and soon my mom walks in followed by–

"Emily." I frown. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Both of them stop in their tracks. My mom looks at me in concern and confusion, while Emily looks like I just punched her in the gut.

Anger bubbles up inside me as a realization comes to mind. "Y–you. You're the one who did this, aren't you? You're the reason I'm here."

A guilty look flickers across her face, confirming my suspicions. And before I can stop myself, I shout at her to leave, but she stands there motionless, tears threatening to spill from her eyes.

"Go get the doctor," my mom tells her, which snaps her out of her shock. She scurries out of the room at the same time my mom starts walking towards me.

"Why is she here, Mom?"

My mom stops at the side of the bed and reaches out to stroke my hair. "Honey, the accident was not her fault."

"But she was there with me..."

"Yes."

"Why?"

My mom's hand goes still, resting on top of my head. "Becca, what was the last thing you remember?"

"I..." I close my eyes and think hard for a moment. "I–I remember hosting the Kappa party. But that doesn't make any sense. Why would I leave with Emily?"

A brief look of panic flashes across her eyes.

"Mom? What's wrong?"

My mom smiles at me, but it looks forced. "It's nothing, sweetie. The doctor will be here soon."

But I can see that she's trying her best to keep calm–the look on her face similar to when she would talk to my little sister and me right after we would hear her and dad fight.

The doctor comes in a little while later, asking a bunch of questions similar to my mom's. They then do more tests on me, and I grow scared by the minute, not understanding what the hell is going on. Eventually, I'm back in my room alone, my mom and the doctor staying outside to talk. After some time, they enter the room, and my mom sits beside me, taking my hand as the doctor walks towards the other side of the bed.

I look at my mom, drained from all the medical tests I went through the entire day. "What's happening, Mom? I'm scared."

My mom squeezes my hand and gives me a reassuring smile. "The doctor will explain it to you, sweetie. But I'll be right here the whole time." She then gives a single nod to the doctor.

The doctor smiles at me politely. "How are you feeling, Becca?"

I stare at him, suddenly annoyed at being asked the same question over and over again.

"Right then." The doctor clears his throat. "During the accident, your brain was affected more than we initially thought." He pauses, and I meet his gaze, willing him to go straight to the point. "It seems like you have retrograde amnesia, meaning that you have no memory of the past three years of your life."

The doctor goes on and on about the technicalities, but I'm not listening anymore. His voice is reduced to background noise as I repeat his words inside my head, trying to grasp the implications of what he just said. I prop myself up, looking wildly around the room, tugging at my shirt as if it would help me breathe. But it doesn't. My body feels numb, which is why I almost don't notice my mom pulling me into a tight hug, stroking my back comfortingly as she whispers reassurances. I focus on her voice, forcing myself to take deep breaths as I slowly begin to calm down. I pull away after some time, recomposing myself as I find my voice.

"Three years," I whisper.

"We'll help you recover your memories, honey. But for now, you can ask me anything you like."

"I–I think I just need some rest."

My mom nods, helping me settle back in bed before she leaves, promising to be back tomorrow.

Sleep comes easy to me, and I wake up the next day with Madison sitting at the chair next to my bed, browsing her phone.

"Hey, Maddie."

She looks up from her phone, a smile lighting up her face before she practically jumps out of her chair to hug me. "Becca!"

"Ow, that... kinda hurts."

When she pulls away from me, her eyes are teary.

"Sorry, I just missed you so much. You were gone for so long! I thought–"

"Hey, hey, none of that," I say, smiling at her.

She pulls the chair closer to my bed and sits down. "How are you, Becca? Your mom told me about your... condition."

I stare at the ceiling. "Yeah, it sucks." I snap my head back to her. "Tell me something. Do we still hang out a lot?"

"We still meet up from time to time. Not as much as we used to, though," Madison says, smiling sadly.

I nod. "Who do I usually hang out with now?"

"Emily."

I furrow my eyebrows. "Did we become close friends or something?"

"Oh, right. You've only been together for like two years," Madison murmurs contemplatively. "She's your girlfriend, Becca."

I let the information sink in. "You have got to be kidding me." I stare at her wide-eyed. "How–What–Why?"

Madison recounts our 'love story,' each detail more absurd than the last. I don't want to believe any of it, but Emily as my girlfriend... it actually explains everything. I rub my temples. How the hell did that happen? I remember like it was yesterday when she tried to steal Chris away from me. And now... and now...

"Maddie? Can you do me a favor and grab me something to eat? I'm starving."

Madison smiles. "Of course."

Madison goes out in a while, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

***

After a few more days of recovery, I am finally allowed to leave the hospital. Despite my protests, my mom explains that I will have to stay with Emily and her friends at what I assume has been my home for the past two years. She explains that she prefers for someone to look after me constantly, and she will not be able to do that with her job and all.

Outside the hospital, I find Emily waiting near a car; her eyes are bloodshot, as if she hasn't slept a wink in days. When she sees me approaching, her face immediately brightens up. Our gazes lock briefly before I turn back to my mom.

"Are you sure I can't stay with you?"

My mom smiles sadly. "I'm sorry, honey. I wish you could, but..."

"It's okay, I understand."

"Look, I know you don't remember, but these people you've been living with... they care about you very much.”

I nod.

My mom pulls me into a hug before guiding me inside the car, shutting the door afterward. She and Emily talk for a brief moment outside, and I watch as she hugs Emily before walking away. Emily steps into the passenger seat.

Zack, who is sitting in the driver's seat, turns around and smiles at me warmly. "I'm glad you're back."

I shift uncomfortably, ignoring his gaze. "Thanks."

We drive home silently, awkwardness saturating the car space. Upon arriving, I observe the details of the house, seeing if it sparks any memories... but nothing. I see Emily looking at me intently, probably thinking the same thing. They then lead me inside the house, and I step in hesitantly, taking in the surroundings, which vary immensely from the sorority house, the last place I lived based on my memories. Emily guides me to my room, lingering near me as I open the door.

"Becca–"

I turn towards her. "Please don't. I know you think I'm your girlfriend. A–and I guess I was. But as far as I remember, I don't like you at all. So I would appreciate it if you just leave me alone." I turn around and go inside my room, shutting the door behind me. I then lie on the bed, trying to forget how the light dimmed out of Emily's eyes as I broke her heart.

[creativeashproductions]

Banjo Riff // Platonic!Reggie Peters

IN WHICH: Luke rejects Reggie’s ideas for country music one too many times leading to the friendship fracturing and putting the bands future in question. Luke, with the help of his girlfriend the reader and his friends scramble to make it up to the bassist.

Warnings: Swearing, hurt!Reggie, Luke being an ass, fighting, angst, and fluff

Words: 3.2k

A/N: This idea has been sitting in my notes for MONTHS now. Song referenced is Lay Here With Me by Maddie & Tae (featuring Dierks Bentley)

TO BE TAGGED SEND AN INBOX/ASK PLEASE!

Masterlist

If there was one thing Sunset Curve, then later Julie and the Phantoms would rely on, it was the battle between Luke and Reggie. Since the conception of a band between the friends, Reggie had always wanted to play a country song. He had learned how to play the banjo in preparation, but Luke rejected both the idea and songs as always.

"You said our sound was vintage '80s and '90s rock music Luke. The band evolved into a pop-rock sound-"

"Because our band changed from Sunset Curve to Julie and the Phantoms. I love you, man, but there's no way we're going country." Luke finally snapped with a heated glare on his face. Luke didn't mean to snap so severely, but it happened.

Luke watched as Reggie's face completely dropped into the kicked puppy expression that tore everyone apart. Instead of making light of the conversation, Reggie mutely nodded in response before turning to grab his bass for the band practice. Luke's stomach dropped at the rather odd behaviour, but Luke blamed his response on his current writers' block.

"Let's start with Flying Solo." Luke proclaimed, hoping Reggie's favourite song would cheer him up. Alex's curious gaze bounced between the two other males in the band just as Julie wandered into the garage.

Before Julie could even question the tension, Reggie had started the beat on the pad stationed on the keyboard. The young female immediately jumped into the first rehearsal song with ease. Every attempt Julie was about to question Reggie's uncharacteristic quiet, the bassist started a different song.

"What's his problem?" Julie questioned as Reggie packed up his stuff and practically sprinted out of the studio. He'd rejected the offer of a pizza movie night.

"Luke here decided to be an asshole again." Alex's tone of voice was sugary sweet in comparison to the glare he sent his guitarist. 

Luke flinched at the furious expression on his bandmate's face. It wasn't a secret Julie and Reggie gravitated to each other in sibling bond. The two had been friends since infancy through their parents; Julie was there when the Peters started fighting. Reggie was there when Julie's mom passed away.

"Don't kill me!" Luke pleaded, scrambling around the piano from the intimidating Puerto Rican who had a solid punch. Julie's anger faltered at the guilt on the boy's face, "I was frustrated, and I shouldn't have taken it out on him!"

"What did Reggie do to deserve it?" Julie asked from the other side of the piano, acting as a barrier between the teenagers.

"He asked about the band doing a country song," Luke admitted with a grimace. His hazel eyes dimmed once more.

"What is your issue with country music? Your girlfriend is literally a country singer Luke!" Alex cried, stepping in between the two feuding bandmates.

Rock n' Roll Luke Patterson had been dating a well-known country singer for close to two years now. Luke had always been adamant that country wasn't all it was cracked up to be, but if you looked in the false bottom of the console in his car, you'd see a different story. Beneath the Eagles, Nirvana, AC/DC, and Gun N' Roses CDs, you'd find countless CDs of his girlfriend. He even had a playlist with a name that concealed the music in it.

Luke was a secret country fan, but he'd take that to his grave before he let anyone other than you know that.

"I don't have an issue! I don't think our band would benefit from branching into that music genre!" Luke argued with his bare arms crossing over his chest. Both Julie and Alex were about to respond when the studio gained another inhabitant.

"Would anyone like to explain why Reggie stormed into my house holding his songbook? He literally dropped it in my garage and tried to light it on fire?" You asked from the double doors with said book in your hand.

All three out of four members of Julie and the Phantoms recognized the book with a country landscape. The sight caused all their stomachs to drop at the obvious symbol of Reggie's hurt feelings.

"Funny story-"

"Luke Patterson...did you hurt his feelings about his love of country?" You asked through clenched teeth. Your response was Luke wincing at the anger blistering in your tone, "Did you ever think that country music is his comfort music? Fix this, Luke. Reggie, of all people, doesn't deserve your frustration."

You turned on your heel with Julie following in the attempt to find the forlorn bassist, most likely being hard on himself. You checked the beach house Reggie's dad had gotten in the divorce to no success. The school auditorium was empty, and so was the stable where Reggie worked part-time for the horses. You had returned back to Julie's house to sit on the porch to brainstorm.

"Isn't this the week he's with his mom?" Julie questioned with a furrowed brow. You could only shrug as Julie pulled up the calendar she shared with Flynn.

Reggie's parents had somewhat amicably divorced two years ago after attempts of reconciliation through therapy. Reggie had sat down with them to tell them how he felt with them fighting, if you recalled. They decided to do a trial separation for a few months and, in the end, had mutually agreed to divorce.

"I think Mr. Peters is taking care of his mother in a different state. She broke her hip, and now she's being moved into a retirement home." You offered the girl the encapsulated sunshine in just her smile.

"I suppose we'll try the Carter-Peters home." Julie breathed, bouncing on her feet to your car parked in front of her house. Julie's fingers tapped the screen in a chat thread she hadn't touched for months.

Your keen eyes easily read Carrie Wilson's name at the top of the thread that had been dormant since the end of their friendship. Apparently, Julie received little help in the frustrated sigh she released and the increasingly violent tapping of her screen.

"As usual, Carrie is no help," Julie announced with disgust in her voice. She squeezed the hand you placed on her knee before your hand returned to the wheel.

"One day, you'll have to tell me what happened between the two of you."

"Old news. Happened just before you moved back from Nashville." Julie once more avoided talking about the issues. 

It was the same response every time you questioned the friendship that had fractured in the few years you'd been in Nashville. Before you left, Carrie and Julie had been attached at the hip, and when you came back, they were at each other's throats. Well, mostly Carrie was because Julie had too big of a heart to stand up to her former friend.

"Well, the beat-up van is still there." Julie caught the van, more of an eyesore, to be honest, sitting in the three-car driveway. The van was shared between Reggie and Flynn as a joint gift from their parents when Reggie's mom moved in with Flynn and her father.

"We both know Reggie-"

"Would walk to work through his problems. The number of times I've found in walking downtown…" Julie trailed with a shake of her half up half down hairstyle she left uncovered by a hat. Another symbol of her finding herself outside the grief that had concealed her.

"Oh, thank god." Flynn moaned from the front porch with her headphones resting on her shoulders instead of her ears, "He's been playing his old bass that makes that odd high pitch squeak noise. I couldn't take it. Get him out!"

You opened and closed your mouth with the inability to find the words, but Flynn knew already, "Doors unlocked. He's in his room."

"Thanks." You informed the fashionable teenager before brushing passed into the house. Not much had changed since Reggie had moved part-time into the house; his parents shared custody.

Flynn was right; the sound of that screech was like a bread trail to the last bedroom in the hallway to the left. The door opened a smidge to reveal Reggie sitting in the dim room with just his bedside lamp on. He was lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling.

"Hey, Reggie." You breathed from leaning against the door jam, "I'm not sure what Luke said but don't give up on writing. Your songs mean something, Reginald."

"Then why doesn't Luke even read my lyrics? He barely read the title of my last one before tossing it aside!" Reggie whined before taking on a caricature of Luke's voice, "'Home is Where my Horse Is'? Reggie, stop putting your songs in my book!"

You couldn't help the snort at his interpretation of Luke, "That's a...uh...an accurate voice?"

Reggie didn't even crack a smile.

"Okay, maybe don't push Luke's buttons but imagine turning this hurt into songs!"

"Okay. Can I be left alone?"

"Sure." You sighed, turning to leave the room again, "But first. Don't get rid of this Reg. You have good songs." 

You left Reggie's songbook on the dresser by his door on your way through the Carter-Peters household. Flynn sighed in relief when Reggie didn't continue using his old bass and even waved as you and Julie pulled away from the curb.

Reggie's eyes had stayed on the songbook you left on his second-hand dresser as if it would get up and bite him. All he could see was Luke rolling his eyes when Reggie had opened the book to show him a new song he'd written. Reggie was tired of only being known for playing bass.

"I brought you some leftover pizza." Reggie wasn't aware he'd been staring at the songbook for hours by then. He was only aware of Luke when he offered a peace offering in the form of Reggie's favourite food.

"I-"

"I'll go grab a soda from the fridge." Luke retreated just as quick as he had entered the bedroom. Seeing Luke was like rubbing salt in the open wound, and once more, Reggie's emotions flared.

Reggie was already at the fire pit in the backyard when Luke had argued with Flynn overtaking one of her sodas. The soda that had dropped on the back porch as Luke saw Reggie's fingers about to drop the songbook in the crackling fire.

"Reggie!" Luke shouted, ignoring the cold spray of soda on his bare arms. The hazel-eyed guitarist shoved Reggie away from the fire.

"What the hell, dude?" Reggie groaned, rolling onto his stomach to push himself to his sit on his knees. His blue eyes seeing Luke stomping the ignited corner of the songbook that had caused them issues.

"What the hell were you doing, Reggie?" Luke demanded with the songbook held tight in his grip. The glare on the messy-haired teenager directly pinned on his best friend, "Why would you try to destroy the book?"

"What's the point of having something our band won't branch into?" Reggie shrugged, moving to sit with his knees pulled to chest, "I've tried to keep the peace but Luke. I'm starting to understand why Bobby left the band."

Luke's heart clenched at the honesty Reggie was revealing, "What do you mean?"

"Screw the blood pact." Reggie grumbled, recalling the oath Alex, Bobby, and he had done to keep the truth from Luke, "Bobby didn't leave because he got an early acceptance into Juilliard."

Luke's eyebrows furrowed together, "What?"

"Luke...you tend to get possessive over the music we make. You brushed off Bobby's opinions, and we all didn't want to hurt your feelings. You've had a shitty time with your parents, but like Bobby, I feel like you don't appreciate our talents."

"What? Dude, you're killer on the bass! Alex's insane on the drums!"

"We know that. Maybe Bobby should have told you the truth on why he was leaving. I don't think you noticed but 

"Luke. The songs we perform are all written by you. It was fine, but then when Julie joined, all of a sudden, you were okay with someone else writing with you. But you've never even looked at the songs I've written."

Luke silently listened as Reggie rambled on about how he, along with Bobby, felt underappreciated by the guitarist. 

"And now you've been bit by the writers' block bug, but I think the band should take a break. Get our heads back on straight. Before we destroy the band, destroy our friendships." Reggie told his best friend with tears rolling down his face, "Just a week or two."

Luke's mouth hung open as Reggie circled around him to enter the household, but the telltale sound of the lock engaging broke the teenager. But Luke wasn't one to give up, so he created a group chat with Alex, Julie, Flynn and you. A single text that had all of them meeting at the studio.

"He quit the band?" Alex demanded, taking the songbook from Luke's hand, "What the hell?"

"One second he's in his room, and the next he's about to burn that! I may not like-"

"Luke, have you even read a single song he wrote?" You asked your boyfriend with your arms resting down on your knees. The boy in question half-heartedly shrugged with his eyes on his battered shoes.

"How are we gonna fix this?" Julie asked with a frown marring her pretty face usually lit up with sunshine. Her question was left to waft in the forlorn atmosphere in her family's studio.

"Give me that." You demanded towards the band's drummer with determination lit up in your eyes. Alex hesitantly handed over the songbook to your grabby hands.

The other individuals in the room watched as you settled into a chair with a stray acoustic guitar you'd left. Your eyes focused on the notes Reggie had placed around one of the unfinished songs. The soft melody was played a few times before you noticed Alex creating a beat with his drums.

"If I just tweak the song to make this piece the verse instead of a chorus." You mumbled under your breath with a pen scratching the paper. In a different colour, you jotted down the lyrics of a song you'd been working on previously. It was a song you'd struggled with the ending.

Alex huddled around you to add his own notes for the drums, "Definitely a song with a soft backing beat."

"Perfect. I just joined what he has with a song I'd given up a while back. The two songs are the last two pieces of a puzzle." You informed the drummer. Both of you unaware as Julie, Luke, and Flynn watched your brainstorming.

Luke felt out of sorts not being included in writing a song, but he thought it was suitable to not work on it. It gave Luke insight into how Reggie felt not being included in songwriting.

"I have an idea." Luke interjected with a grin, "Reggie's always wanted to see a real ranch. Do you think your uncle would be okay with us staying at the ranch?"

Your eyes flitted up to the mischievous hazel of your boyfriend's scheming gaze, "My uncle adores having people on the ranch. He'd enjoy teaching Reggie the ways of ranch life out of a city."

"How are you gonna get Reggie out to Nashville without it being band business?" Flynn questioned from her position on the couch, "He did just ask for a break from the band."

"Uh...I could pretend to enter a music competition." You offered hesitantly as you'd never actually performed on a stage for the group. You'd kept your personal life separate from your successful career as a country musician.

So you conspired with your friends to make amends with the bassist.

One Month Later, Nashville

The beat-up van pulled into a parking spot in front of a building. The band had seen the building in pictures on your Instagram. Alex, Luke and Julie all shared a look Reggie couldn't catch with his mouth wide open at the city.

"So, where's this competition?" Reggie inquired with his steps in line with Julie. The distance between Reggie and Luke is still noticeable.

True to Reggie's word, the band had come back together after two weeks of a break, but the bassist and guitarist's friendship was still fractured. A particular cloud of awkwardness followed each attempt; Luke tried to branch it together.

"Uh, not here. Y/N invited me to tour the recording studio she uses through her label." Luke offered to the confused bassist. As usual, Reggie barely cast a glance at the guitarist.

"C'mon!" Alex called out from the open doorway with the new addition of you by his side.

Luke was quick to nearly tackle you in a hug and a lingering kiss on your lips. The band all made sounds of feigned disgust. Even Reggie joined in the usual banter within the group.

"Hey, Reggie, do you want to see how us country artists do it?" You quipped with your arm interlocking with his. The cold leather of his jacket raising goosebumps on your arm as you dragged him to the recording booth.

As soon as he was comfortable on one of the spinney chairs by the producer's side, he watched like a hawk. The band had never been in a real professional recording studio owned by a label. It was interesting to everyone, but mostly they all watched Reggie's reactions.

"I was working on this song." You spoke from inside the booth. With a nod, your producer began playing a portion of the song.

"Is...is that-" Reggie was cut off by as Luke interrupted him.

"Your song? Yeah." 

Reggie stared at his best friend, "What?"

"You were right, Reggie. I didn't appreciate what you could bring to the band, and I'm so fucking sorry about that. You have excellent songs even if I'm not a fan of country music." Luke genuinely informed his best friend with his hands clasping his, "I want you. Both you and Alex to have a bigger role because we started this band together. We all share responsibility."

"So for now. Alex and I finished one of the songs you had written. I was wondering if you'd like to make it a duet? Release it as a single with a full writing credit."

Reggie absolutely beamed in response to your question. He was in the recording booth beside you in mere seconds.

For the week the band stayed on your uncle's ranch, Reggie was in the studio with you going over the song. It is a song you released as the leading single for your upcoming studio album with Reggie and cemented his career. It wasn't the last time you did a song with Reggie. In fact, he set himself up as a sought after country songwriter.

"Holy shit!" Luke shouted as soon as Reggie told him the success of one of the songs had brought interest to Julie and the Phantoms, "I could kiss you! I'll never doubt your skills!"

Reggie and Luke's fractured friendship healed with the promise of a yearly visit to the ranch in Nashville. Plus, Reggie impressed Luke and Alex with the banjo riff in a country song the band released on their third studio album featured by you. Reggie would always be thankful he had the chance to record ‘Lay Here With Me’ with you.

Tag List (PLEASE SEND AN INBOX TO BE ADDED! I CANNOT GUARANTEE YOU WILL BE ON THE LIST VIA POST COMMENTS!)

@safehavenmuse @siennanoelle01 @whiterose291 @mell-bell @blackhood5sos @ficrecsideblog @ifilwtmfc @deadpoolgirl23 @crappy-unicorn @sunsetcurve-h @elioelioeli0 @lovesanimals @popcrone818 @lolychu @deepsleepnat @tenaciousperfectionunknown @aunicornmademedoit @just-a-writer-here @simp4reggie​ @faithiebrock01 @overlyhypedup @differentsoulrascalsalad @aesthetic-lyss @versaceapa @carleywhittaker @lostgirl219 @itsalexx21 @elllaoo4 @merxxleighann @mediocremunge @fantomlovesjuke4ever @dpaccione @oswin05 @kaylinfayezink @aberette13 @faithie-brock-gillespie01 @eharvey0218 @overlyhypedup @benstormy @auriandthepussicats @sarcasticsagittarius1998 @whothefuckstolemykeds  @siriuswvrld​ @princessvader15​ @xoxbloodreinaxox @heimdoodle​ @joshy-obx​ @lovesanimals​ @oopsiedoopsie23​ @am3l1a-24 @flying-solo-without-you​ @jaskiers-sweetkiss​ @lostrandomfangirl​n @must-be-a-weasley-92​ @jatp-holland​ @ilikealotofpeople-younotsomuch @dxlanhxlland​ @dasexydevitt13​ @ifilwtmfc @arianagrandes-things @kinda-really-lost​ @marinettepotterandplagg​​ @ssprayberrythings​​ @morgandamrose @thedarkqueenofavalon​ @zukoshonourr​ @crybabyddl @spooky-season-bitch​ @kcd15​ @morganayennefertyrell @magnet-girl​ @all-in-fangirl​ @kinda-really-lost @tenaciousperfectionunknown​ @badwolf00593​ @blowakissbabe​ @talksoprettyjjx @thesweetestsinner​ @kaitieskidmore1​ @writerinlearning​ @aiofheavenandhell​ @sageellsworth05​ @link-102 @merceret​ @kexrtiz​ @biqherosix @lukewearingbeanies​ @dangersolns @soverignparker @omgdani17

[kaylor]

maddy if you’re bored i want to hear what you’d change about every song on rep bc your ideas are fascinating!!!! rep is my fave album bc it makes me happy but like i understand it is not her best album and i love thinking about what she could’ve done with it instead. the anons need to chill lmao

hmmmmm thank you for asking me this im going to try to be as thorough as i can be!!

edited to add: originally only talked about production but i have more to say actually

ready for it: honestly i would leave the heavy synths in but add some loud guitar in there and some state-of-grace-esque drums, make it more like the tour version. still very industrial but rock. have the same "baby let the games begin, the games begiiiaiaiaiaaaaaaaaaan" from tour also. because i love it when she uses her pipes.

end game: this song is ultimately unsalvageable because it's a 2017 wannabe rap song like that's how it's structured and that's what it was supposed to be so it's like. of course this has a trap beat (or whatever you call it). i would do a complete overhaul and probably get rid of future and ed (i hate features don't @ me), have taylor sing those verses if she has to. change up the ENTIRE arrangement somehow idk im not a musician.

i did something bad: whatever she did on the tour version absolutely banged. again keep the wubby synths, add in the screaming guitar. write a better fuckin bridge. same intro from tour as well, like just make the album as theatrical as you wanted to perform it. makes no sense to have a boring version and a good version.

don't blame me: i loooove the choir humming i think it's proper sexy but the wubby synths don't work for me on this song it's like, we've been there now. chuck in the extended bridge & paul sidoti guitar from the tour version. maybe strings (cello? perhaps?) to accompany the churchy vibe

delicate: just acoustic as you can get like think the treacherous production

lwymmd: don't have too much beef with this except the intro should have been the way it was on tour. make it as bombastic and theatrical as possible. same for dbm really.

so it goes: im trying not to be like "just make it rock" on too many of the songs but it literally would just be better. the production on this song is so neither here nor there ANYTHING would b more interesting

gorgeous: idk i never listen to gorgeous so it doesn't make a blind bit of difference. there's nothing i can say that can save this song. it's whatever.

getaway car: best song on the album. can't fault the production.

king of my heart: love the drums! extremely miffed she didn't keep the electric guitar she used when she wrote it. perfect opportunity for some guitar slides towards the end of the song, you know the bits where it like breaks down. idk how to describe. anyway make it rock.

dancing with our hands tied: i would not have the banging edm production obviously. change this to a sexy combination of guitars and strings, like haunted but somehow even more sad and melodramatic.

dress: strip away the dogshit production entirely. want this song to sound as intimate as it should. feel like there would be a piano situation. maybe some strings. very low key.

this is why we can't have nice things: the production on this is SO fun but it also gives me a headache. like it needs to be this camp this is what reputation is about. i wouldn't actually change any lyrics because i love (and HATE deeply hate profoundly HAAATE) when taylor is bitchy and petty. but it was necessary.

call it what you want: literally just treacherous vibes please. it didn't need all the other stuff. write a better fuckin bridge. i hate the melody so much i hate the necklace line and the whichismorethantheycansay like come on you're a songwriter for god sake. do better than this.

new year's day: this is fine actually. i love how soft the piano is.

[silent-silver-slip]

Hello I am being a self indulgent brat and making the whole server deal with it

May I request the band finding Aurora as a living breathing dragon and trying to deal with looking after her, featuring Julie being like WE DO NOT HAVE A MANUAL FOR THIS

thank you for your time I will go away now 😂

It might've taken me a few days Angie, but I did it! You now have two stories featuring JATP and Aurora. Only one of them contains Julie, but you get Carlos as a trade off.

For those of you curious, Aurora is this fantastic dragon that Angie made, and you can see her in the picture below.

And this is Firefly, who gets a mention in the second fic.

The two fics I wrote for this are below the line. The first one is set in a somewhat canon compliant verse and the other is set in my urban fantasy JATP verse (which you can find on ao3).

I have a friend in you

If there’s one thing that’s remained constant—other than music, of course—it’s the beach. They’re on the boardwalk rather than the sand, as otherwise they’d be walking on the sand. Except they can’t just walk on the sand because it’s soft and makes walking hard and Reggie will complain after ten minutes or so. So it’d make more sense to walk in the firm sand by the sea, except then Alex would start talking about all the potential dangers of walking in the ocean.

Which is why they’re on the boardwalk despite being ghosts. Though, to be honest, Luke doesn’t mind it. It’s nice to walk in the waves when the weather’s hot, but it’s not really warm enough to do that today. Walking along the boardwalk lets them be around people, both those casually walking around and those busking.

Luke’s so caught up in the atmosphere and grinning at the people around him, knocking shoulders and hands with his boys, that he doesn’t see it at first. Reggie does.

“Is that…?” Reggie trails off, freezing beside Luke. Luke turns to look at him, frowning in confusion. “I’m gonna call her Maddy the Magnificent.”

Turning, Luke looks towards where Reggie’s looking—it’s a little bit of distance away and-

“Why are we giving her a title?” The words fall Luke’s mouth without his input. It’s only after he’s said it does he manage to actually recognise what he’s staring at. Sitting by the shore is what could only be a dragon.

The dragon isn’t asleep. The first thing Luke notices is how her head’s up and alert, eyes focussed in their direction. From the distance he’s at, her eyes only look black—dark things like shadows at their darkest. The next thing he notices is her size—she’s maybe just smaller than a truck, but with how she’s lying down, it’s hard to tell. Her head’s a light blue with fins—ears?—spread out wide on either side of her head. The blue grows darker, though, as it moves further down her body, a navy colour at her paws and at the tip of her tail, which is curled gracefully around her body.

The dragon yawns, showing off very sharp teeth, and stretching her wings—which shift from a dark blue at the top of the wing, to going purple then grey then white at the ends of her wing membranes. Luke has the strangest feeling that the dragon is watching them. He’s not sure how to feel about that.

“Have you seen her?” Reggie says, breaking Luke from his thoughts. “She looks magnificent! She deserves a title!”

At last, it seems like Alex has clocked onto what Luke’s staring at and what Reggie’s grinning at. “Nope,” he announces, seemingly to the world in general. “There is not a dragon there. I do not see it. I am Sir Not Seeing Shit. There is NO DRAGON! I cannot deal with there being GHOSTS and DRAGONS.” When Luke chances a glance at Alex, it seems he has decided to close his eyes. Luke wishes it was that simple.

“There’s a dragon there,” Luke says, just as Reggie takes off in the direction of the dragon, “and I need you to deal with that because we’re about to lose Reggie to the dragon.”

That has Alex snapping his eyes open. By then, though, Luke’s already pulled away by a stride. Thanks to his long legs, he catches up to Luke quickly. Together, they manage to reach Reggie before he gets within range of the dragon who has very sharp teeth and eyes that are staring at them.

“This is for your own good,” Luke tells Reggie from where he’s sitting on his bandmates back. Reggie makes a sound of muffled complaint.

Alex pets Luke’s back from where he sitting on Reggie’s legs to keep him from running.

“Let me pet the dragon,” Reggie whines. “You wouldn’t let me get a puppy! Surely, surely, a dragon is easier?”

Alex makes a horrified sound. “What if it’s a ghost dragon? Oh God, what if it’s angry? Searching for revenge?!”

“Hey, do you reckon Julie knows about the dragon?” Reggie asks, completely ignoring Alex’s questions.

However, Luke has a terrific realisation. “Let’s go home and ask,” he says, glancing at Alex and winking subtly.

“If she doesn’t know, I’m sure she’d love to learn about this dragon!” Alex adds, quickly catching on.

Reggie hums, slightly doubtful. But then he’s nodding into the sand. “Let’s go tell her,” he agrees.

One POOF later, they’re back in the studio.

And so, Luke is finds, is the dragon. Except, this time the dragon’s more the size of a large cat and is curled up on Julie’s piano in the sun, looking very content with life.

Luke looks away from the dragon breaking the rules—Julie’s told them no one’s allowed to stand on the piano unless she gives the go-ahead—to his bandmates. Alex looks like he’s going to cry and Reggie seems overjoyed. Neither of them seem to resemble the well of confusion that Luke’s got going on in his own mind.

“She’s a stray,” Reggie says, thankfully not taking towards the dragon—is it the same dragon? Can dragons shape-shift? Should Luke be worrying about the structural integrity of the piano and whether it can stand up to a dragon? Oh God, he’s beginning to take over Alex’s job of overthinking everything.

“She needs a home guys,” Reggie continues. “We have to look after her.”

“We don’t know how to look after a dragon,” Luke points out, reasonably, even if his tone is more hysterical than he’d like.

However, when he looks at Alex for back up, he’s met with the sight of Alex slowly but surely melting, and giving in. He can watch as the thoughts play across Alex’s mind. He fiddles with the hem of his sweatshirt, the zips on his fanny pack, which means he’s thinking at how stressful this is going to be and overthinking everything. Except then he glances at Reggie, at the dragon, and takes to tapping a beat against the fanny pack instead. Just like that, Luke knows he’s lost. Alex turns to him, and says, “What if she doesn’t have a home, Luke?”

And, well, Luke knows a thing or two about being homeless—leaving home, finding another one, and he just gives up, gives in, and throws himself in with his boys. “We don’t know how to look after a dragon!” He protests, but it’s weak, and he’s just watching the dragon. It’s official, the dragon is theirs. Or, well, as theirs as a dragon can be.

This is, of course, the moment Julie decides to enter. She crosses over to them, then pauses, realising what they’re staring at. “Is that a dragon on the piano?” Then, with a shake of her head, she adds, “And do we have a manual for this one?”

As one, the boys turn to her. “Please?” They whine, all puppy-dog eyes and pleading expressions. Beneath the weight of it all, any willpower Julie has crumbles.

Hands on hips, she turns to the dragon. “Well,” she says, ignoring how the boys grin beside her, clearly picking up on her decision, “I wonder how we’re going to look after you.”

That seems to wake the dragon up, she lifts her head, uncurling from where she’d been lying down. She stands, back arching like a cat, wings stretching upwards. “I can look after myself okay,” she says. “I’m Aurora.”

Julie screams. The boys scream. They all scream, clinging to each other.

Aurora preens at their praise. She’s very pleased to see how excited they are at getting to know her. She has clearly decided to find some great friends for herself.

Let our wings carry us

There are many things that the boys are equipped to deal with, and many things they are not equipped to deal with. As it turns out, dragons are not one of their talents.

“Luke, do something!” Alex says, from where he’s standing behind Bobby. Reggie stands behind him, so they’re in single file behind Bobby—except for Luke.

Which is, of course, because Luke’s a little bit stuck at the moment. “Help!” Luke yelps.

Alex glances around Bobby’s shoulder and, despite his fear of the dragon in front of them, he can’t help but laugh a little bit. Even Bobby is grinning, and when Reggie looks, he outright cackles.

“Stop staring and help me!” Luke complains, shoving ineffectively at the horse-sized dragon surrounds him, rubbing against him like a massive cat, purring. It would be cute, if she wasn’t as massive as she was. As a result, Luke’s kind of just drowning beneath her love as his traitorous bandmates gather around and laugh at him.

He shoves at the dragon, being careful to not catch on her wings or anything. As close as he is, it’s hard to really tell what colour she is, but her wings start purple then shift to grey and then to white. Her scales, on the other hand, are blue—moving from a light sky blue at her snout to a dark blue at her tail and paws. He’d probably think her beautiful, if not for the fact she’s trying to stop him from breathing!

“Get off,” he says, shoving at her neck again. Her scales are smooth but solid beneath his fingers.

The dragon pauses when his fingers catch beneath her ear fins, then decides to lean heavily into the movement. Caught unaware, Luke almost falls beneath her weight, then realises what she wants, and finds herself scratching at the scales. He’s not entirely sure she can feel it, but she presses into the feeling, tilting her head.

The sound of a shutter overhead has him frowning and looking up. That’s when he realises that his bandmates have been suspiciously quiet the last few minutes.

It turns out that’d been for a reason. “Hey Luke, keep smiling and scratching the dragon! It’s important.”

“Yeah,” Luke says, gazing up at Reggie who’s precariously leaning over, sitting on Alex’s shoulders, holding Bobby’s expensive camera. The only funny thing about this is that Reggie’s tongue is sticking out. “I’m sure it is.”

The shutter goes off again and Luke sighs. Beneath his hands, the dragon’s body begins to vibrate like she’s purring. “At least you love me,” Luke tells the dragon. She purrs louder, body rumbling with the sound. It’s almost like being in one of those messaging chairs—except there’s no chair and it’s not really comfortable and Luke doesn’t actually know how he’s going to escape the dragon’s hold. She might be perfectly happy about it, but Luke’s starting to get hungry.

“Do you guys have any idea how to get me out of here?” He calls up to Reggie.

“Julie’s on her way!” Bobby reports, and the boys cheer. This results in Reggie almost dropping the camera, over-balancing to get it, Alex almost tripping, and Bobby launches forward and manages to catch Reggie just before he hits the ground.

From where he can see the chaos between the gap between the dragon’s head and her backend, Luke sighs. Honestly, it’s mildly impressive none of them have gotten seriously injured considered the things they do.

Somewhere nearby, there’s the click of a car parking. “Ray’s home!” Reggie reports, gleeful and sounding completely recovered from his near-death from falling off Alex’s shoulders.

Luke is so, so hopeful that Ray can fix this problem for him. Ray might not be Julie, might not have her powers, but Ray seems to be capable in the face of anything that comes his way.

The dragon suddenly freezes, lifting her head and Luke thinks that maybe she’s going to finally move and he can escape! Except, the dragon sniffs the air, sticks out her tongue, chirps, and then vanishes in a burst of light.

“No,” Reggie breathes out. “That’s-”

“Not our problem anymore,” Bobby decides, marching over to Luke who is now free! He checks Luke over, before frowning, fierce in the way he gets only about his friends and music. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

“Okay, but what if someone steps on her?” Luke says, and he doesn’t really want to deal with this. But she’d kind of been cute. In a massive, dragon way. Bobby sighs, loud, but doesn’t stop Luke as he bends down, encouraging the little lizard—that had been a dragon only seconds ago—onto his finger.

The dragon—lizard?—chirps and climbs onto his hand. She’s not overly small, rests comfortably on his hand, and her eyes are dark. She’s got the same pattern as her dragon counterpart had—just without the wings. She seems to smile up at her.

“I don’t want to tell you how to live your life,” Alex says as the boys crowd around the dragon-lizard-thing in Luke’s hands. “But also, what the fuck are you doing?”

“She’s so small,” Luke says, cooing, and Reggie runs a gentle finger down the maybe-dragon-lizard’s back. “Look how cute she is!”

“She will ruin our floors,” Alex counters.

Reggie hums. “But look how cute she is, Allie!”

Groaning, Alex responds. “We can’t have a lizard, we have Pan! And two kind of cats! They might be skeletons, but I feel like we should not test whether or not they’d eat the…” He trails off, frowning down at the creature in Luke’s hand.

“The dragon,” Reggie says helpfully.

“Yeah,” Alex agrees, “that.”

Before they can continue discussing what to do with the maybe-a-dragon-maybe-a-lizard, Carlos appears. “Oh, a lizard, neat!” He squeezes his way into the group, holding out his hand to the shape-shifting dragon.

The creature-that-is-probably-a-dragon immediately scrambles onto Carlos’ hand, where she stands proudly. She lets out a hiccup of fire before chirping. Luke exchanges a frantic look with the others. “Neat!” Carlos says again, grinning down at the fire-breathing animal he’s holding in his hand. “I’ll let her join Firefly!” And just like that, he’s off heads towards the house and to where the open enclosure that Firefly lives in in Carlos’ bedroom.

“Should- Should we tell him?” Bobby says, as they all watch, not moving, as Carlos enters the house. “That she’s a dragon?”

Frowning, Luke considers that hiccup of fire he’d just seen. He feels like he’s seen that before… “Aha!” He remembers. Turning to the others, he points at them, “I told you I saw Firefly breathe fire that one time! I wasn’t lying!”

Reggie hums. “That seems pretty weird,” he says. “Lizards don’t breathe fire.”

“Are you sure you didn’t just have some bad hotdogs?” Bobby asks, all pitying. For that, he gets an elbow from both Reggie and Alex, since he’s trapped between them.

Luke turns his gaze to Alex, his last hope. Surely one of the others will believe him! Alex, however, just shrugs. “You must’ve been imagining things,” he says, like they didn’t all just see a dragon shape-shift into a lizard and breathe fire.

Luke doesn’t quite scream, but it’s close. “Julie’s my favourite,” he announces, turning on his heel and definitely-not-stomping towards the studio.

“We know!” Bobby shouts. Luke ignores the snickering coming from behind him, but he can’t stop the smile curling onto his face. That’s okay though, no one’s paying any attention.

[name-me-regret]

If The World Was Ending 11/?

If The World Was Ending Chapter Eleven: Waking Up Slow

Read on AO3.

- ~ - ~ - ~ - ~

“Heaven help me My mind changes like the wind Please excuse me I don't know where to begin

But I didn't think I cared I could be your friend But I'm unprepared Oh, I've never felt like this

I was unaware That you were lighting flares Now I'm running scared Oh, how did it come to this?...”

~Waking Up Slow (Piano version) - Gabrielle Aplin

- ~ - ~ - ~ - ~

‘BUCK!’

Buck lifted his head and saw Christopher, he was barely hanging onto a cement light post as the water ripped at him like dark, reaching hands.

‘CHRIS!’ he shouted as he tried to swim toward him, before he was dragged under. But it didn’t matter how much he kicked his legs and moved his arms, he couldn’t get any closer.

‘HELP, BUCK!’

The water pulled at Chris and his little fingers were slipping and Buck felt desperation start to fill his chest when nothing he did could get him to the little boy. ‘PLEASE!’ he sobbed, seeing Chris’s frightened face as he reached one small hand toward him.

Then the water rushed forward and ripped him from reach and from view.

“NO!” Bucked screamed as he shot up in bed, eyes flying open. He searched the dark room, but he was alone in his loft. His chest was heaving, feeling his heart racing in his chest, but there was no water and he knew Chris was safe. Even so, he wanted to reach for his phone and call Eddie, since he knew he was home right now.

The only thing that stopped him was that it was his first day off after a 48-hour shift, and Eddie needed to rest. Hell, Buck had had Chris during that first 24-hours before Carla had come back to stay with him for the other day. Buck would have honestly been more than happy to take care of him both days, but Eddie had insisted that it was Carla’s job and that Buck didn’t have a job anymore so he couldn’t keep wasting money taking him out.

Buck knew Eddie hadn’t meant it maliciously, but the words stung more than he was willingly to admit, to be reminded that he was no longer a firefighter. Also, Buck wasn’t worried about money, since he kept getting his worker’s comp checks, and his savings consisted of all the money his grandparents had left him. They hadn’t agreed with their parents way of raising him and Maddie, especially how they’d cut her off when she’d married Doug. So, they’d cut them out of their wills and left it all to Buck and Maddie.

They’d been furious.

As for Buck, he didn’t care about the money. All her ever cared about was for his parents’s love and acceptance. He’d never gotten it.

Buck knew he was too keyed up to try going back to sleep, so he decided to take a shower to wash off the sweat. As he was coming out, his phone playing his Mellow playlist, it cut off in the middle of the James Bay song he was listening to. He immediately answered when he saw that it was Tony.

“So, you’re still alive?” Buck asked, a relieved grin on his face despite himself. His hair was still damp, and he’d yanked on some sweats and a t-shirt. The blonde man let himself fall on his bed, cell phone still against his ear. It had been two days since Tony had left, and he’d only received a single text from the man since then.

“Yeah... bruised and bettered, but still alive,” Tony groaned on the other end. There was shuffling on his end, followed by a clanking and then he heard JARVIS voice clearly stating that he needed someone else to stitch his wound.

“You’re trying to stitch your own wound?” Buck asked incredulously. “Don’t you have a tower with a medical floor?” He sat up now, worried for Tony and his apparent idiocy. And Buck thought he was a dumbass.

Tony fumbled with something as he grumbled. “I didn’t call to get lectured, Ev.”

Buck nodded with a sigh, running a hand down his tired face. He hadn’t gotten a lot of sleep in the last two days, mostly because of nightmares. While the ladder truck bombing had given him his share of nightmares, the tsunami and losing Chris during the natural disaster was something worse. So, he was feeling a bit irritable at the moment.

“Then why did you call then?” He didn’t want Tony to think all he’d do was nag at him, as if he was his... well, his boyfriend or something. That had ended a while ago. “I can exactly help you stitch your wound with you being all the way in New York.”

Tony was quiet for a few seconds. “Well, I’m not exactly in New York,” he admitted at last. He heaved his own sigh and did something that gave a sort of ripping sound, and then hissed as Buck heard a smack. “I’m right outside L.A. in a SHIELD safe house.”

“And there’s no one there to help you?” Buck asked, already starting to stand up. He looked for his wallet and the keys to the rental the insurance company had given him, since his Jeep was a total loss and were in the process of getting a estimate and issuing him a check. He had insisted on getting his Jeep back, for sentimental reasons and it didn’t matter if they didn’t give him a check. Buck didn’t want a new vehicle, wanted to fix up his Jeep.

“I’m not exactly supposed to be here,” Tony admitted. He kicked at something on his end. “By the looks of things, no one’s been here in months.”

“Where are you?” Evan asked as he climbed down to the ground level and out of his building.

“What? Why?” He paused and listened, obviously having heard him get in his car and start the engine. “No, Ev, I’m fine. You don’t have to come here.”

“J, are you there? Send Tony’s location to my phone.”

‘Yes, Mr. Buckley, sending it now.’

“JARVIS, you traitor! I will donate you to a community college!” Tony snapped with no real heat in his voice. If anything, he sounded more tired than angry.

“I’m on my way, you idiot,” Buck laughed. He heard Tony curse, but he didn’t tell him to stay away. Buck took that as a win.

- ~ - ~ - ~ - ~

The house wasn’t much to look at, and ‘a shack’ would be a better description for it. Buck didn’t see the armor, but figured it was inside with Tony. He didn’t even bother to knock and entered through the door, which Tony had probably left unlocked for him. It could also be because he didn’t expect anyone to come attack him, so whatever had caused his injury had probably been taken care of. If not, Tony wouldn’t have allowed JARVIS to give Buck his location.

“Tony?”

“In the kitchen,” he heard the man call.

A few moments later he entered what could maybe be called a kitchen. The table looked like anything more than the first aid kit resting on it would make it collapse, so did the two chairs that were the only thing in the room. It didn’t look like it had been stepped in for ages, judging by the dust over everything, the grimy stove and the refrigerator that was probably from the eighties, possibly the seventies. There was likely no food inside, and the sink and the faucets of it were rusted, so there was possibly no water.

Buck moved over and soon he was standing over Tony, who was sitting in one of the rickety chairs. He had a black eye that was almost swollen shut, several cuts and bruises all over his face and exposed torso, since he was shirtless. Tony also had a bandage taped against his left side, just out of where he could comfortably reach, and it was quickly being stained by blood. “You’re fine, huh?”

Tony scowled up at him past his rapidly swelling eye, and the armor silently standing behind him in sentry mode showed the dent on the face plate where he’d been hit. “I am,” he insisted. He indicated the bandage. “I managed to tape it up.”

“And JARVIS thinks you need stitches,” he said, removing his light jacket and hanging it on the other chair. “Turn this way,” he instructed as he pulled the chair with his jacket closer. He had to sit close to be able to examine the wound, and he shook his head when he pulled the bloody bandage off. “I’m a firefighter, not a paramedic, and even I know this needs stitches.”

“Well, take a crack at it, if you want,” Tony told him petulantly. He didn’t seem to happy with being seen like that, but he’d seen Evan like that so he didn’t know what his problem was. In fact, he’d been worse, but then again, he’d been eighteen at the time, almost nineteen. So, he guessed it was different.

Buck shook his head and yanked the first aid kit closer, which he’d obviously been trying to use by the blood smeared on the side of it. “I’d normally leave you to your stupidity, but then JARVIS would be upset,” he snarked back.

Of course, he wouldn’t actually do it, since he’d come all this way to help him. Buck cared about Tony, even when he was being snappish. They were both quiet as he worked, Buck having slipped on some gloves, and Tony grunted in pain when the needle first pierced the skin, but then his only response afterwards was a few flinches or his shoulders twitching for the next six stitches. “All done,” he said, cleaning the excess blood and tossing it all in the trash can Tony had obviously dragged closer. There wasn’t even a bag inside of it.

“Thanks,” Tony finally said after a moment of silence. His face was tired and Buck wondered how much sleep he’d gotten since the two days he’d seen him. The bags under his eyes told that it had likely not been much, so he probably felt as bad as Buck did.

“Are you staying here?” Buck asked, looking around distastefully at the grime and dust that covered every surface. He was sure the rest of the... structure was just as bad, or worse. At least it was only one floor, since he was quite sure anything higher might have collapsed by now. Then again, if it belonged to a secret spy organization, then it was probably reinforced to keep it standing. Buck wasn’t too keen on testing that theory out.

“I can’t really fly without fixing the helmet,” he said. Buck took that to mean that it was damaged enough that he might not be able to even use it. “I’ll have... Pepper send me the jet.”

“Or I could take you home,” Buck blurted out, not really thinking on what he was saying.

“I.. do have a penthouse in LA,” Tony mused out loud. Then he quickly shook his head. “No, never mind, I think it was damaged in the tsunami.”

“I meant take you to my apartment,” Buck clarified. He was amused as Tony’s gaze snapped up in shock toward him. “It’s not like we haven’t shared a bed before.” He tried to keep the smirk off his face as he saw Tony’s face start to get a bit red. Buck hadn’t even know it was possible to make Tony Stark blush.

“I don’t... want to be a burden,” Tony said, almost stuttering. Buck was enjoying this way too much. “I don’t really have a change of clothes.”

Buck shrugged as he leaned forward, seeing Tony’s Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed nervously. “You can just borrow some of mine,” he said, making a show of checking his bandage, but he wanted to tease him a little. He’d always enjoyed flexing his flirting skills, and there was no one better for that than Mr. Tony “smooth-talking-charm-anyone” Stark. Then again, Tony had been Maddie’s friend since they were 14 and 16 respectively, Buck having been 10 at the time. It was the year before he started at MIT, and three years before his parent’s automobile accident.

He’d been a mess back then, alcohol and drugs and between Maddie and his friend Rhodes they’d helped him the best way they could. As for Buck, he had met Tony briefly but not entirely, and during that time he’d been thirteen. They hadn’t properly met until he was 16 (almost 17) and Tony had been 20, at a charity event that Charles Buckley actually donated to. Buck was convinced that it was just to keep up appearances, but it had benefited Buck that he could finally meet Maddie’s friend, Tony Stark.

Buck had been smitten almost immediately but Tony had refused the young man’s advances until he was actually 18. By then Buck had long known he was bisexual and knew exactly what and who he wanted, and he had wanted Tony. It was cliche that on his eighteenth birthday they’d finally fallen into bed together, but that’s what had happened, almost like a fairytale if one was being extra sappy and cheesy.

Then Charles Buckley had found out eight months into their relationship, and Buck had ended it to spare himself from his father’s bigoted, homophobic rage. He’d moved to LA a month after he turned nineteen.

Now here he had him once again and all those feelings he’d never gotten over were returning with a vengeance, despite his feelings for Eddie. He’d been hiding them well, hiding himself out of fear still, but it became harder now with Tony here. Because while he wasn’t sure that Tony had ever loved him, Buck was sure the man had been his first love, and you never got over your first love.

“Come home with me,” he told him, fingers coming to rest on his knee.

Tony’s eyes moved to the hand on his knee before they lifted to meet his eyes. “Yea-”

The sound of the front door being kicked in made them both freeze, and the armor turned as the repulsors charged with a whine. Buck stood and faced the open doorway even as Tony hissed at him to get back. There was no way he’d do that, not with Tony being injured.

They both tensed as an imposing figure entered their line of sight, a very familiar shield in front of them. “Tony?” he asked in confusion.

“Rogers,” Tony sighed as he slumped back in his chair. He winced a moment later and Buck wanted to immediately check the stitches, but he hadn’t moved from his position, which was between Tony and this man. “It’s alright, he’s a... not a threat.”

Buck’s eyes narrowed on the man, trying to place him, and definitely not trusting him in the slightest. “Why’re you kicking in the door?” Buck asked him as his eyes not once leaving him as he walked further inside the kitchen.

“Because this is a SHIELD safe house and someone broke into it,” he said, as if that explained that all. “I work with SHIELD.”

Buck opened his mouth to respond, not sure why this man got his hackles up, but paused as Tony’s hand touched his elbow. He glanced at the man, scoffed and backed off, physically and metaphorically as he sat in the rickety chair once again. “I’m surprised there’s even security system for this shack,” Tony told the man. He seemed to know him, whoever he was.

“It’s a low frequency alarm, which is why we only got here,” a woman said as she walked in after the man. Buck hadn’t even heard her come in she was so quiet. “I’m surprise you didn’t realize there was an alarm.”

Tony grunted as he put on his shirt carefully. “I didn’t really check,” he admitted. “I was preoccupied with other things.” He stood. “We’ll be leaving now.”

“You’re hurt?” the man asked, brow furrowed. “Do you need assistance?” He’d stepped forward and his blue eyes narrowed as Buck tensed and half rose out of his seat.

“He’s fine, I took care of him,” he said.

The man, Rogers as Tony had called him, frowned. “And you are?”

Tony opened his mouth, but Buck cut him off. “Buck,” he said, holding a hand to him. And even as he smiled at him, there was no warmth in the expression. “A firefighter with LAFD.”

Rogers hesitated a moment, seeming to stiffen at the mention of his name. He eventually took his hand, grip firm as he shook it. “Steve Rogers. That’s an interesting name.”

Buck shrugged as he released his hand and tipped his head at the woman, who hadn’t bothered to introduce herself. Except, she really didn’t have to now that Buck new the man’s name. He was Captain America and that must mean she was Natasha Romanov, the Black Widow, who had wandered closer to Tony to check him over. Tony just waved her off. “It’s actually Evan Buckley, but everyone just calls me Buck.”

Tony stood as well now. “Well, not that this hasn’t been swell,” he snarked, “but I’m eager to get into Ev’s bed.”

Rogers sputtered and Tony only grinned and didn’t correct what he must be thinking. He moved past them all, and Buck nodded as he also left the room. The suit, being controlled by JARVIS, followed right behind. As they exited the shack, he saw the jet parked close by, a dark shadow in the gloom.

Tony had already slipped into the passenger seat and Buck wasted no time in getting into the car as well. “So, did I just meet Captain America and the Black Widow, or did I imagine that?”

“No,” Tony huffed a laugh, “you didn’t.”

Buck nodded as he started his car. “And did you just make those same people think we were about to have sex?”

Tony smirked and Buck laughed as he shifted the car into drive and headed back toward the city. “You’re terrible.”

“I try my best,” Tony quipped back.-

[maddiesup]

I got tagged by @cultivated-man ;u;

Answer 30 questions and tag others~

*in Gav’s voice* Let’s go, babieee~

1. Name: Maddie, or officially: Magdalena

2. Gender: see, this is hard; if gender had a value from 0 to 1 with 0 being agender and 1 being either male or female, then mine would be between 0 and 0.5 in the “female” direction (God said: you can have a little bit of gender, as a treat)

3. Star sign: Aries

4. Height: 180 cm or (*googles your stupid american ways of measuring*) 5′11

5. Time: it is currently 13:43 CET at the time of writing this lol

6. Birthday: March 26th

7. Favorite band(s): I refuse to choose just one, so there it goes: Seventeen, Lucy, 5SOS, Panic! at The Disco (does it count as a band even idk), twenty one pilots (and so much more, oh my)

8. Favorite solo artist(s): Sam Tsui, suggi, Troye Sivan, Ben Platt

9. Last movie: “The Great Gatsby”, I think

10. Last Show: “Manner of Death”!

11. When did I create this blog: Dunno, don’t remember. I’ve been the most active since 2017 tho

12. What I post: Everything I want to, which more often than not happens to be very gay

13. Last thing I googled: "180 cm in feet” ye, no shit, the american measuring system is a joke and idk how you guys can comprehend any of this

14. Other blogs: @anajbistudent and @madsecrit - I rarely post on those tho

15. Do I get asks: (I do love you! ;u; thanks for a shout-out, Sammy ❤️) ye, at times, I’m no tumblr celebrity tho lol

16. Why I chose my URL: it has... my name in it? and that’s it. I may leave the rest for your interpretation (what the ‘sup’ means? u may never know; probably something stupid tho, like “stand up paddleboarding” or sth)

17. Following: 780

18. Followers: 239

19. Average hours of sleep: 5-8

20. Instruments: a little bit of piano and guitar, but I haven’t practiced in months so (my instrument is my body, as my singing teacher used to say)

21. What I am wearing: black sweats and a black tee (woah so emo)

22. Dream job: Funny bc the last time someone asked me this, I got embarrassed and didn’t answer, welp- I, um- I wanna be a voice actor (wow that is pretty unrealistic-) but! Um, I just really like the idea of using my voice to express the emotions of different characters. And I love to sing as well, so if I ever had a chance to do something with my vocal abilities... Literally, a dream job.

23. Dream trip: Japan, New Zealand, Thailand. New Zealand is like one of my top places to live too (right beside Belgium and Canada ;u;)

24. Favorite food: omg my mom cooked chicken breats with leeks and cheese a few days ago and I’d sell my soul anyday for that dish

25. Nationality: Polish 🇵🇱

26. Favorite song: what about instead of my favourite song, I will tell you what song I’m listening to rn? (I can never choose a favourite) It is “2YA2YAO!” by Super Junior ❤️

27. Last book I read: wait but like a real book? *chuckles nervously* I only read ffs these days... oh! but I read “Links” by Kizu Natsuki yesterday (which is a manga but shhh I enjoyed it!)

28. Fictional universe I want to live in: PJO universe, most probably ;u; I miss the days when in primary school my friends and I would pretend to be children of ancient gods ;u; my friend was a daughter of Athena and since I was a child of Poseidon, we would bicker with each other a lot and I might have or might have not totally used the excuse of being immune to water when I wanted to walk in the rain with no umbrella or hood 

29. Fictional universe I want to live in part two: can it be a universe in my head? I had a dream a while back about a fairy tale like castle? There was grass instead of the floor, and there were plants and greenery everywhere, and trees, and you needed to use the branches as steps to reach top floors and- oh! there was this beautiful flower garden that my lovely dream girlfriend took care of ;u; I would gladly go back to her, er, to that place

30. Fictional universe I want to live in part three: I’m gonna sound cheesy and say Yuri on Ice universum only to be able to witness viktuuri kiss irl and freak out about it online (which I guess I still did...). In YoI universe there’s no discrimination too, and I would love that to be the reality ;u;

Tagging! @saecookie @tao-moonb @lostinbl @gunsatthaphan @mfshirtballs @wir-ro anyone else who might want to!✨

[bigowlenergy]

family

Last chapter of How to Raise the Dead!

X

Something prickles the back of Jack’s head like a needle. Cold and sharp and insistent. He’s learning to ignore it.

He forces good cheer into every one of his molecules and sets the lid on the last sandwich before turning to the kitchen table.

“Lunch is served!” He bellows as brightly as he can.

Danny and Jazz both do a horrible job of playing at not having been staring. Jazz does bad because she doesn’t bother to hide it any, just holds her newest book over her entire face. Danny does bad because his stare feels like being held at knife point. Jacks beams at both of them, not bothering to force any eye contact or press the obvious issue. Not yet. Today is Family Day and by the gods they are going to enjoy it if it’s the last thing Jack does.

“Thank you, Jack,” Says Maddie, leaving her gloves on the counter to fill in the last seat at the table.

“Why is it so green?” Jazz asks, carefully raising the bread of her sandwich to glare suspiciously at the tuna salad.

“Dill, straight from the garden!” Jack lies enthusiastically.

“Oh?” Says Maddie, “I thought everything had died again this year.”

“Well, I cut it down today. It was wilted pretty badly. Maybe next year!”

“Sorry, dear. It’s just that the contamination in this neighborhood is so bad. Maybe we could rig up some sort of environmental shield?” Maddie offers, and Jack appreciates it. He genuinely misses gardening. Even if it is a small price to pay for everything else he’s gained.

“I don’t know...” Jazz mutters, still squinting at her lunch. “A plant that’s absorbed that much ectoplasm can’t taste any good.”

“I think it’s fine,” Says Danny around his own sandwich.

“Don’t talk with your mouth full,” Maddie chides lightly.

“Danny!” Jazz hisses, sounding downright scandalized.

“It’s fine, Jazz.” Danny soothes absently. His water glass hits the table lightly, but with a sharp finality to it that makes Maddie fumble the pepper shaker and Jazz glare. The ceiling light brightens noticeably.

“I like dad’s cooking the best. No offense.” He adds.

Maddie scoffs, fond. Then sucks in a little gasp, sets her peppered sandwich carefully back on her plate.

Jack catches her wrist under the table before she can say anything. Traces their codes for SAFE and QUIET over the back of her hand. Her gaze is scorching, but she leans back into her chair like she thinks her piano wire tense muscles can pass for casual relaxation if she mimics the form of it. And she wonders where Danny gets it from.

Jacks just smiles at her. She’ll probably have it down by the end of the day, now that the neat little spell of ignorance is broken. Hopefully she’ll take it better than Jack, who’s hoping on a prayer that things can stay the same for a little longer. Oh, sure, he wants things to be better, but as soon as one of the four little secret keepers at the table opens their mouth, it’s all going to change. And he’s selfishly unsure that he’s ready for that. Not yet. Just one more day, like this. At least one more nice day with his family. Then they can all turn and look that white elephant in the eye and ask it when it died.

For now, Jazz passes half her sandwich to Danny and sticks to the pretzels and store bought dip. Jack feels a bit like doing the same, but he forces himself to take another bite of his eerily cold, gooey tuna and ignores the all too familiar zing to it. He was originally going to make up a separate bowl for Danny, but as soon as he crossed the threshold to the kitchen, his son had appeared at the table and offered to help, then sat and watched him like a hawk when Jack told him to take it easy.

Jack can’t blame him, considering half the plants he’d torn out of the garden earlier. Besides, what kind of father would he be if he wasn’t willing to choke down a little ectoplasm if it made his son so happy?

Beside him, Maddie finishes studying the kids and takes up her own sandwich again, decision apparently made. Jack has to wonder if she’s seeing the same thing he is - how bright Danny’s eyes are, how the deep bags under them look lighter than they did ten minutes ago, the soft, worried frown on Jazz’s too mature face as she scans Maddie’s tense posture. They’re all just - looking out for each other. Brother and sister, united front. Mother and father, learning to meet them halfway.

Their family is going to be just fine.

...There is going to need to be a compromise on the ectoplasm diet however, because Jack has never had such a bad sandwich in his life.

-------------

“Alright!” Jack cheers, setting the last plate on the table. “Dinner is served!”

Jazz is the first one down, today. Been busy unpacking her clothes for summer break. She’d toyed with the idea of staying at the dorms with an internship, but Jack’s glad she decided to come home and take a break instead. He missed her. He ruffles her hair as she heads for the living room windows. Maddie and Danny’s voices echo up from the lab as they set aside their project for the day. Jack can’t recall if today’s a Mystery Danny Theatre Day, as he calls it, or an actual project. Well, whatever it is, he’s sure to hear all about it in a few minutes.

Jack absently arranges the setting to keep his hands busy while they wait. A bowl of salad. Fresh bread. Condiments. An array of side dishes spread between the settings. The last of the liver pate for himself, a plate of kimchi for Jazz and Maddie, and two types of ectoplasm for Danny. He’s quite proud of the main casserole dish: a contamination rating of 1.3! His lowest record yet. Hopefully Danny’ll get enough ectoplasm from everything else to be content. Jack’ll whip up dessert for him if not. As long as he can remember which jar of hot fudge sauce is the ecto and which is his, this time.

Maddie and Danny fill out their seats at the table, and Jack beams at them. Joins them with Jazz when she finishes closing the curtains. The lack of sunlight dims the house a bit, but Danny’s bright glow fills up the kitchen, bounces off the ceiling light and clatters off the silverware.

Jack is content to watch his family settle around the table together for a good meal. There’s no hesitation from Danny, no careful glances from Jazz. Maddie’s updates on her study of Phantom are punctuated by the boy himself. Well, man, almost. Jack is so glad he gets to watch his boy grow up, is grateful for the amazing differences he’s allowed to witness, for all the trust laying thick between them.

Jazz and Danny tease and poke at each other like they always have, and even though everything is different, Jack’s love for his family is the same.

[purplesurveys]

1111

Something a little bit random and silly for my 1111th, just because.

survey by joybucket

List three things you love that start with each letter.

A: Art and most forms of it; anchovies, in most cases; and Angela.

B: Burgers, Beyoncé, and buffets.

E: Escargot, the name Eloise, and elephants.

F: FISH, Friends, and some folk indie.

S: Sleeping, signing off work at the end of my shift, and all kinds of seafood.

T: I’m obsessed with tteokbokki; trying out new food; and table tennis.

Q: I like the quiet time I occasionally give myself; quail eggs, especially in the form of kwek-kwek; and quattro formaggi pizza.

R: Rainbows, the rain, and riding planes.

O: Old movies, the ocean, and Okinawa milk tea.

List a phrase including an adjective, noun, and verb for each letter. Examples: "angry artist anticipating", "rude rascals running", "dirty dogs dancing", or "empty elephants eloping." Have fun!

A: Adorable animals appearing.

F: Fabulous fingers frolicking.

C; Chummy classmates cooking.

S: Suspicious self salivating.

R: Rambunctious raccoon running.

T: Tired turnip tumbling.

Q; Questioning quail quipping.

J: Joyful joggers jamming.

I: Inquisitive igloos imagining.

L: Luxurious lemonade luminescing.

Z: Zesty zebras zoning out.

E: Ethereal eagles embracing.

List three different occupations starting with each letter.

O: Orthodontist, oceanographer, opthalmologist.

E: Engineer, equestrienne, elementary school teacher.

F: Firefighter, flight attendant, farmer.

S: Scientist, singer, seamstress.

T: Talent agent, tricycle driver, tennis player.

I: Illustrator, inspector, IT technician.

E: Economist, editor, electrician.

L: Lawyer, librarian, lifeguard.

A: Accountant, actor, architect.

Y: Yoga instructor, youth pastor, yogurt maker?? if that counts, lol. Otherwise I got nothing else.

List three adjectives that begin with each letter.

A: Affable, abrupt, adequate.

B: Broken, blunt, bleary.

C: Crazy, clear, clingy.

D: Daunting, delirious, dark.

E: Existential, enraged, exemplary.

F: Fantastic, far-flung, flavorful.

G: Ghastly, gentle, gigantic.

H: Harrowing, healthy, hopeful.

I: Intelligent, identical, impervious.

J: Jovial, jaded, joyous.

List three nouns that being with each letter.

K: Kangaroo, keychain, kiwi.

L: Lemonade the album, lemon the fruit, and Liz Lemon.

M: Mall, maple syrup, and mop.

N: Nightingale, nest, napkin.

O: Ogre, olive, orange.

P: Piano, panini, and pizza.

Q: Queen, quill, quilt.

List three verbs that begin with each letter.

R: Running, raking, reliving.

S: Singing, sailing, surfing.

T: Tricking, tossing, teeming.

U: Understanding, urging, unwrapping.

V: Villifying, venerating, vaccinating - get vaccinated, folks.

W: Wandering, washing, wriggling.

X: I don’t know if there are any and I can’t bother to look it up.

Y: Yawning, yelling, yearning.

Z: Zipping, ziplining, zapping.

List three...

girl's names you love: Olivia, Mia, Emma.

boy’s names you love: Mason, Jacob, Lucas.

girl’s names you dislike: Karen, and our local versions of Karen, Marites and Marivic.

boy’s names you dislike: Chad, times three.

things you hate about summer things you hate about winter things you hate about spring things you hate about fall things you love about spring things you love about winter things you love about fall things you love about summer Crossing these out because my Southeast Asian ass can’t relate, but if you do decide to take this survey feel free to un-strikethrough them!

things you miss from your past: Having more freedom to make mistakes; not having to worry about the future; and friends I’ve since lost.

people who have really hurt you in the past: Gabie, my mom, Marielle.

names of people you have had crushes on: Gabie, Andi from 5th grade...and that’s it, really.

names of people you have gone on a date with: Only Gabie. And I guess maybe Mike? Since he asked me to go with him to his ball as his date.

places you've been and would love to go again: Sagada, Jeju, Bali.

places you want to visit before you die: Morocco, Spain, Thailand.

items on your bucket list: See Times Square, live in a condo, plan a solo trip.

health conditions you have: Scoliosis, lactose intolerance, and very possible depression.

health conditions you've had in the past but don't anymore: Dehydration, UTI, and some kind of weird low-platelet-count thing that was just that, and never diagnosed as anything.

things you are allergic to: Possibly some types of grass, and maybe face masks. Idk how to confirm it really; I just know my skin gets irritated around them sometimes.

youtube channels you love to watch: Good Mythical Morning; the KBS YouTube channel mainly for clips of Return of Superman and 2 Days 1 Night; and Binging With Babish.

favorite drinks: Water, coffee, Long Island Iced Tea.

favorite foods: Sushi, chicken wings, pizza.

favorite desserts: Cheesecake, MACARONS, cupcakes.

favorite holidays: The only one I care for and get super excited about is my birthday, if that counts. Christmas is fine, but I only get the excitement for it on the actual day itself.

favorite colors: Pastel pink, white, maroon.

people you would like to meet: Ysa and Bea, my teammates at work. I’ve met them only once before, and I wish we can be allowed to report to the workplace physically soon so that I get to see them more often and strengthen my relationship (both working and personal) with them. I’d also love to be able to chat and chill with Hayley Williams even for just 30 seconds.

people you want to meet in Heaven: I don’t believe in that, but I’d love to have met my great-grandfather on my maternal grandfather’s side. Also, Audrey Hepburn and Princess Diana.

good names for a dog or cat: Depends on their personality.

reasons why you get up each morning and keep on living: Because I’ve been able to see myself get better, and why stop all the progress?; because I’d want to be able see if the future will get better; and because I’m afraid of what will happen to/who will look out for my dogs if I’m suddenly gone.

For each name, think of three people you know with that name, and list their occupations.

Amanda: I only know one Amanda, and she’s a friend of my ex’s younger sister. She’s only in senior year of high school. I know an Amandine which is close enough I suppose?? and she’s a dentistry student.

Sarah: She’s a media contact and I’m constantly in touch with; she’s the editor-in-chief of a local magazine. I think she’s the only Sarah I know.

Ashley: Also a media contact. I’m not sure about her title, though.

Beth: @bionic-beth is a teacher! :) But I don’t know any Beths in real life, I think.

Katie: Well I know Kate, and I’ll sometimes playfully call her Katie. She works in a government agency and she’s one of their PR people. The HR person who recruited me to come work at my current employer is a Kate, but I have never and have no plans to call her Katie.

Matt: That’s too foreign-sounding a name where I live.

Emily: Don’t know any Emilys, either.

Chris: Media contacts. They run blogs or news sites of their own.

Mike/Michael: The one Mike I know is currently a med student. Not sure if he’s working on the side - I think he is, since I saw him post about a job update on his Facebook a few months ago; but I can no longer remember what he does, or if he’s still doing it.

Jessica: I went to high school with a girl named Jessica but I don’t follow her on social media, so I have no clue what she’s up to now.

Becca/Bekah: Rita’s sister is a Becca. I think she is currently a grad student.

For each name, think of three people you know, and list one adjective to describe each person. (Skip if you don't know anyone with that name.)

Laura

Michelle: Hilarious.

Victoria: Strong.

Tessa: Friendly.

John

Claire: Influential; motherly.

Briana/Brianna: Bitch.

Vanessa

Brittany/Britney, etc.

Allison/Allie/Ally, etc: Kind. 

Olivia

Jordan

Jo/Joe: Ambitious; pretty.

Corey/Kori

Sophie: Sweet; quiet.

Mitch/Mitchell: Tall.

Madison/Maddie/Maddi

Out of all the people you know or have met, list three...

redheads: Yeah, you’re not going to find them in most of Asia. West Asia and some parts of East Asia, probably, but definitely not for the rest.

tall people: Jo, Chesca, and Shaun.

people with really curly hair: I know Kleo has naturally curly hair from her Aeta roots, but it’s been straightened for a very long time now. I think Chesca also has curly hair, albeit slightly. There is also Liana.

sets of twins: My sister had two sets of twins in her high school batch, but I can no longer remember their names. I also had an English class with a pair of twins named Ardy and Thirdy.

of the cutest babies you've seen on social media: My workmate’s baby. My friend Jar has a super squishy niece/nephew pair of twins as well.

people you miss: Angela, Kate, my grandpa.

people with beautiful eyes: I can only think of my ex.

people with nice hair: God I have not been around people for so long, I can barely think of anyone for this.

people who are the same height as you: Aya, Hannah, Tina.

own one of the same clothing items as you: Angela since we went to the same high school and have several of the same school shirts; Laurice since we share a college org and we have our own trademark polo shirt; and my brother and I have our own pairs of Nike Cortez shoes.

make you laugh: Andi, Hans, and this girl I had a couple of history classes with, Rose.

List three celebrities who...

are the same height as you: Lady Gaga and AJ Lee are the only ones who are coming to mind. I wouldn’t call AJ a celebrity though.

have the same hair color as you: Mila Kunis, Kelly Rowland, Dita Von Teese.

look like you: Only based on comments I’ve gotten in the past and not because I necessarily claim these for myself, Lucy Hale, Anna Akana, and Kakie.

List three....

adjectives to describe you: Timid, stubborn, sensitive.

academic courses you enjoyed: Philippine social history, international relations, anthropology.

words you always forget how to spell: Rhythm, committee, accommodate.

things you wish you were better at: Singing, dancing, drawing.

things you are really good at: Writing, reading people, and knowing the best things to order at most restaurants hahahah.

jobs you'd like to have: Ideally, a lawyer or doctor. But realistically, I’d love to have a leadership position in the PR sphere.

jobs you've considered having: ^ Again, lawyer and doctor. Also a journalist or news anchor, back when I still thought I was passionate about journalism.

jobs you'd hate: Journalist, an LTO clerk, an assistant to an asshole celebrity.

things you miss: Being a student, many parts of the past, and deceased family members.

names your mom considered when naming you: Ariel, Kathleen, Katrina.

things people call you: Robyn, Byn, Bynbyn.

*Bonus*: what is your name? (first and middle)? I always feel like just sharing Robyn.

[dumbdancemomssideblog]

S1E1: The Competition Begins

okie dokie first ever episode of dance moms rewatch starts now :0 i actually remember watching this the very first time it aired on lifetime because i was channel surfing and saw a commercial for it earlier that day. that was the summer between 8th and 9th grade. ah memories... i didnt know what to expect because i did dance when i was a kid but not on a competition team and it was mostly ballet so i was pretty unfamiliar with this whole world. 

anyway lets begin. this is probably gonna be a longer post than what i’ll end up writing for the other episodes in season 1 bc the first episode introduces so much info, just a heads up

Act 1: (aside: yes its insufferable to divide this into “acts” when its really just like “segments separated by commercial breaks” but thats how they’re called in actual tv scripts so im just going with that cuz i cant think of a better/easier way uwu)

god this is so fucking early 2010s lmao

i miss these days where they were just talented nobodies from pittsburgh on a low budget reality tv show that nobody even knew would be successful. and the bad hair and makeup but idk if that was also just a 2011 thing lol

THE REAL HOUSEWIVES GREEN SCREEN INTROS IM DYING

the chalkboard !!!! they werent doing the pyramid on the mirror yet 

(apparently abby never did anything similar to the pyramid thing but the producers made her and it became a whole Thing on the show and thats why the moms were like wtf is this bullshit the first week)

mackenzie looks like a toddler. chloe is so tiny. theyre the 2 who changed the most physically over the course of the show

i remember watching this for the first time being used to ballet lyrical and jazz but never having done or really seen acro/gymnastics in dance choreo and being SO flabbergasted. i was thinking “a chin stand is not dancing what the actual hell” and yknow what? i was right

melissa: “my boyfriend knows how much i spend on dance because he signs the checks...............hermehhemrherrmehermh” (the most awkward laugh omg)

maddie is wearing a fucking bumpit in her hair i cannot

melissa deadass just said out loud “im here for my daughter im not here to make friends” ok everybody mark that one off on your catty women’s reality tv show bingo card!

camera man accidentally getting in the shot filming right in front of the huge wall-mirror.... what is this, amateur hour? i’ll let it slide since its the first day of filming rehearsal but step it up, boys

aw i forgot about maddie getting sick and crying :/ poor kid

melissa saying “i cant stand a chid that’s sick” sounds so edited like the intonation made it seem to me like they just cut her off mid-sentence i love lifetime

oh this was still when they were wearing normal stuff to class/rehearsal like black leotards bc they werent getting sent a trillion crazy 2-piece dancewear outfits for free yet bc they werent famous, man those were the days

Act 2:

[obligatory b-roll footage of downtown pittsburgh] 

the maddie chloe paige trio !!!! this is making me feel so nostalgic

“knees together, paige. you’re bow-legged, you need to fix that”

“you’re tall, you’re skinny, you’re a beautiful girl, you can do better than this. FOCUS” shes like 10 abby what the hell

“people think im tough and i guess i am but i would rather be the one to make your kid cry in the privacy of my studio than at an open-call audition in front of hundreds of people”

okay unpopular opinion alert: i agree with a lot of what abby says about stuff like this but her delivery is flawed, to but it euphemistically, that being said i think the production team of the show and the fame inflating her ego changed all of this somewhere over the course of the second season and its really sad to see :/ i can expand on that thought later tho

aw paige crying bc abby correcting her (but not saying anything personal or out of line, just technique corrections (at based on what we were shown, we dont know everything she said oop)) shes a sensitive kid she never should have been put on this show :( 

paige looks exactly like her mom i didnt realize that before

nia and holly were done so dirty throughout the whole series in terms of the narrative the producers set up about nia being the weakest link :/ 

Act 3:

cathy’s entire involvement in the show from the very beginning was so painfully obviously scripted (or at least heavily staged) 

vivi was also done dirty by the show’s narrative and she was only 6 and they presented her as like the butt of the joke bc her mom’s “character” was crazy and also she wasnt good at dance. i wonder how she feels about the show now that shes a teenager hmm. she really seemed not to give a fuck about dance for better or for worse when she was a kid tho so maybe she doesnt care ?

in what universe would an owner of another competitive dance studio bring her own kid to another studio more than an hour’s drive away, AND be under the impression that she could compete with them in a week, especially when they showed the kids’ and moms’ shocked reaction at the start of the episode to having to learn a dance in a week and compete it? like really what is the point of cathy and vivi being a part of this show im so ????

Act 4: 

THE MINISTER DAWN OUTBURST HOW DID I FORGET ABOUT THIS

this fight is about 50% of what got them a full season 1 and then things took off from there tbh. the other 50% was the electricity dance but thats a point for next episode..... :)

“you’re a minister act like one” “YOU’RE RIGHT I AM A MINISTER! LET’S PLAY THE BIBLE GAME ABBY, WHEN JESUS SAW THINGS THAT WERE WRONG HE WENT AFTER THEM, AND YOU’RE NOT GOING TO DO THIS TO MY KID” ma’am i think the wrongs jesus addressed were of slightly more importance than a preteen being told she cant take a dance class if shes violating the studio’s dress code

this is so good bc it wasnt staged afaik and there are regular students all throughout the building just STARING at them like lmao what even is going on, so im pretty sure this is real???

regardless, yeah dont wear socks and a tshirt to an acrobatics class, thats common fucking sense

another cameraman-in-mirror sighting, but its hard to think about angles when filming spontaneous drama like this, so i wont count it against them

“you called me fat” (i remember that being in the episode but thats not on the episode available through lifetime on demand that im watching from my moms tv hmmmmmm) “i told you to close and tuck in your two-piece costume, theres a big difference. HOW CAN YOU REMEMBER THAT BUT YOU CAN’T REMEMBER TO TURN YOUR FEET OUT” uh scream

she really called the police on this woman i cannot handle this. can you imagine being a police officer responding to this call? 

“we have a parent thats out of control. pardon? no shes doesnt have weapons, just her mouth” iconic

im sorry im still not over the hair and makeup. the flat hair with the side bangs. the black pencil eyeliner applied all the way around the eye. why did any of us think this was a look :( why did we do this :(

Act 5:

they went all the way to phoenix to compete 3 numbers, only 2 of which are shown in the episode.

i think this is the only time they ever went to west coast dance explosion because its an actual competition and they wouldnt allow filming after this lol i think they did go to wcde one weekend in addition to a competition where they were filming but it wasnt shown or mentioned at all

abby not wanting brooke and paige to have a french manicure on stage if theyre the only ones in the group with the french tips is perfectly valid idk why it was framed as some crazy micromanaging shit

i also am really not a fan of the whole “high functioning alcoholic wine mom/crazy stage mom” schtick they were pushing for the first few episodes of this show

in retrospect i feel like so many of the quips in this episode were intentionally fucking crazy just to get the audience engaged enough to want to watch more episodes...

“see those girls down there, those girls with the legs? thats who you’re up against, so step it up”

abby warning them that its dangerous for their little party hats to slip when they’re doing aerials and pirouettes and stuff: “what if you were at radio city music hall and they had the ice rink out and you were doing a side aerial and fell 13 stories down and died, huh?” fantastic point abby thank you for saying that to 5 girls ages 8-12 less than 5 minutes before they went on stage. perfect time for a teaching moment like that :)

i forgot how bad the camera work was in the first few episodes for footage of their performances. like they really didnt think the show’s audience would actually want to watch the kids dance, the producers and editors thought we just wanted to see stage mothers yelling at each other lol

also the mic feed over the music of abby talking to herself giving them corrections while watching them dance on stage.... im so glad they quit doing that. i dont remember them doing it like that for any other episode, i hope im right

this choreo is very basic and its a cute dance i guess but its very cringe in some places and for the first episode this is such a forgettable group routine

their scandalized reaction to placing third and the sad piano music is so funny honestly

and maddies reaction in the interview which was almost definitely fed to her by the producers where shes like “i win all the time i dont really know what its like to LOSE i always win or get runner up” so many of maddies lines from season 1 interviews sound so fake and she was probably too naive to know they were getting her to say that stuff so they could paint her as a conceited brat (she was EIGHT)

the trio costume was so ugly im sorry (is it supposed to be like a 50s pinup bathing suit?) (and the headband thing looks so bad) and also the music is bad but they had no real authority over that bc of copyright stuff

chloe’s headpiece coming forward and the ensuing drama was another moment in the episode that really solidified public interest in the show imho.... 

“YOU’RE IN THE BAR HAVING A DRINK AND YOUR KID’S HEADPIECE IS FALLING OFF” “it did not FALL OFF it CAME FORWARD it was FINE!!!”

“mistakes happen, we’re human.” “YOU are. mistakes like that dont happen to me”

and then the “next time on dance moms” with the WILDLY INAPPROPRIATE electricity dance, of course. genuinely that was really smart of the producers in terms of structuring things to generate intrigue lol. and obviously it ended up working....

[parachutingkitten]

Dancing Without You - Ch 4: Ice Cream

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3

Whose ready for the title drop? I am! I absolutely had way too much fun writing a party with this select group of ninja for the second half of the chapter. It’s a bit of fun fluff before absolutely everything hits the fan next chapter. 

Happy Reading!

“I’ll take a double scoop of the rocky road.” Cole pointed to the tub through the window as Madelyn began scooping. 

“In a cone, or a cup?” 

“Cup please,” He smiled.

“Anything else?” Madelyn asked, handing him his cup over the counter. 

“I also need a double scoop of cotton candy in a cup as well please.”

I hit Cole on the shoulder as he chuckled. “I can pay for my own ice cream, you know!” I scolded. 

“Chill Lia, I have a bunch of extra cash on my student account that I’ve got to spend by the end of the month,” He explained. “I accidentally added an extra 200 dollars to my account instead of 20 dollars, so... I’m definitely going to be hitting up the student shop later this week.” 

I laughed as Madelyn handed me my cup and moved over to the cash register. 

“That'll be $6.50, just go ahead and swipe your student id.” Madelyn instructed.

Cole did just that as the receipt started printing. “And that’s it! Thanks,” she smiled, handing it to him. 

“Thanks Maddie!” I smiled as we walked out towards the field.

“You know her?” Cole asked. 

“She works there every Wednesday and Friday. Don’t you recognize her?”

“Yeah,” he chuckled. “But I don’t know her name!”

“I don’t know. I think it’s rude not to make an effort,” I shrugged as we sat down on the grass. It was a beautiful sunny day outside for being the middle of fall. It was the perfect temperature outside with the sun peeking out just enough to warm the air. I knew perfect weather like this couldn’t last long though. “So, you ready for midterms?” I asked, eating my first spoonful of ice cream.

“Midterms,” Cole laughed nervously. “Yeah. I have no idea how ready I am, but it’s definitely not ready enough.”

“I’m excited! I mean, in just a few weeks we’ll get our rankings! Aren’t you excited to see where you fall?”

Cole rolled his eyes, looking down at his ice cream, mixing it around with his spoon. “I don’t know. It all seems a little superficial to me. I mean, how can you possibly distill all of someone’s talent down into one number? And then they’re going to take everyone’s number and rank us against each other? Doesn’t that just seem needlessly antagonistic?”

“I mean, most schools have grades. That’s how grading things works,” I shrugged, taking another bite.

“It just doesn’t seem right. Singing and dancing and all this stuff is all just so subjective. It shouldn’t have such a concrete ranking system attached to it.”

“Well… yeah. It’s blunt, but that’s kind of just how performance arts work. They’re competitive, and messy and… harsh.” 

Cole seemed distant. He looked at me for a moment, pensive. “I don’t know. I guess it’s just not really for me.”

“What do you mean not really for you?” I pressed.

“It’s kind of hard to explain,” he sighed. “But it’s like… recently, I’ve been feeling more and more like instead of going to school here, I’m just being trapped here, you know?”

I studied him. He was being honest, but I didn’t exactly know what to make of it. “Well, I know classes can be tough, but everyone knows first year is the hardest. Things will ease up soon. I mean, you might feel like you want to leave, but it’s not like you’re actually considering it, right?”

He paused for a moment, looking out at the skyline. “...maybe. I mean, the more I stay here, the more I feel like I just don’t belong. Like I can’t fit into the mold that everyone wants from me.”

“Cole, you’re a great dancer! If you’re worried about living up to people’s expectations, don’t be-”

“It’s not that.” he shook his head. “I just don’t fit in the system. I can’t do this forever. I can’t live like this.”

I set my ice cream down on the grass, thinking for a moment. “Look, I know this kind of stuff is a lot of work. And I get that it comes easier to me than it does for a lot of people, but you shouldn’t throw away your chance just because it gets hard. I mean, why did you come here in the first place unless you really wanted something out of it, right?”

Cole’s head hung low as he picked at the grass. 

“I… didn’t choose to come here.

My dad did.”

~*~*~*~

“Oh! We’re halfway there! Oh! Livin’ on a prayer!”

They both sounded absolutely terrible at this point in the song, but the energy in the room was undeniable. Lia had pulled out all her snacks, moved the furniture, dug up her mini disco ball, and had started blasting music. She and Jay and were currently caught in an intense impromptu Karaoke battle, Jay singing into the ice cream scooper while Lia had chosen the tv remote as her microphone of choice. 

“Hold on! Hold on!” Jay screamed out, “Air guitar solo!”

“Shred it guys!” I called out, egging them on as they flailed around in the middle of the room.

“Put your heart into it, Jay!” Pixal mocked him. “She’s wiping the floor with you!” 

Pix and I both laughed as the last set of choruses came around. 

“You really weren’t kidding, she’s extremely high energy.” She looked over at me, smiling.

“Yeah, she was a good warm up for dealing with Jay,” I joked, both of us laughing again.

“Take my hand! We’ll make it, I swear!” They were singing into each other’s faces at this point, more screaming than singing. “Oh! Living on a prayer!”

Both of them pumped their fists in the air as the song faded out, Pix and I both cheering them as they bowed. 

“It’s such a good song!” Jay raved.

“It’s such a good song!” Lia tossed the remote onto the couch in the corner, taking a few heavy breaths. 

“Sorry about that Cole, I had a bit of a point to prove,” Jay boasted, walking over to the snack table. “Which flavor did you want?” He looked down at the various tubs of ice cream.

“You know what, I don’t even think I want ice cream anymore,” I shrugged.

“Well, I want some mint chip!” Lia called to him, running over. “I am overheating big time!” She smiled. 

“I know, right?” Jay agreed, dishing some up for her, my eyes drifting.

“You rocked it up there.”

“I’ve done my fair share of lip sync battles, I know how to work a good song,” Jay smirked, handing her the bowl he had scooped.

My eyes had been drawn to the neat orange stone hung around Lia’s neck, shining in the dancing light of the disco ball. “Is that the necklace?” I asked.

“Oh! Yeah,” She lifted it off her neck. “I usually only wear it for good luck, like when I’m auditioning for stuff or what not, but I thought since you’re here it’d be appropriate.”

“I didn’t even think you’d have it still,” I chuckled. 

“What’s this all about?” Pix asked. 

“Oh nothing,” Lia shrugged. “Cole just got me this necklace at the end of first semester.”

Pixal leaned over, looking at it. “It’s a beautiful piece of sunstone,” she admired.

“It’s kind of a long story,” I waved it off, glancing back at Lia, now enjoying her ice cream.

“Hold on,” Jay interrupted, pointing at the other end of the room. “Is that a guitar? Do you play guitar?!”

“Yeah, I play guitar,” She smiled. “I know most of the basics. Guitar, Piano, Violin, I’m learning how to play the flute. I’ll have to play for you sometime, you know, when my voice isn’t so hacked up from song battling you,” She winked.  

“As in like… play and sing?” Jay asked. “You sing too?! As in like, real, legit singing?”

Lia burst out laughing, leaning on my shoulder. “Cole, this idiot wants to know if a Marty Oppenheimer Alumni can sing! What do you think?!”

“Yes, she can sing,” I rolled my eyes at Jay.

“Does that mean you can sing too?” Jay nudged me.

“Oh, you’ve never heard him sing?” Lia smiled, turning to me, wide eyed.

“I can sing, but that doesn’t mean that I do. Not anymore anyways,” I stopped them.

The music began to switch as Lia took my hand. “That’s okay, Cole’s always been much more of a dancer.” She smirked. “Come on, this song is great for swing dance!”

“You know full well, I dropped out right before the swing dance unit,” I put my hands up in surrender.

“I don’t know, that sounds like quite a slim excuse to me,” Pixal teased.

“Oh, so you think you’re better than me?” I challenged her.

“I’m a droid, you don’t think I can’t follow rhythms and memorize a complex series of steps?”

Lia placed down her ice cream bowl and turned triumphantly towards Pixal. “Would you like to dance?”

“Of course!” Pixal smiled in my face as they moved back out towards the center of the room.

“Aw man! She slammed you!” Jay clung to my shoulder, jumping up and down.

They took the floor, moving in unison as the chorus kicked in.

I knew I was in for a ride as we

Swing to the sound

Our feet tap-tappin' and our heartbeats beatin' 

“Dude, you’re not recovering from this,” Jay shook his head, watching as they spun around each other to the beat of the music. 

“Yeah, Pix sure wasn’t bluffing.” 

They had some great synergy too. So concentrated on the moves they were making, anticipating what the other would do next. It had been a while since I’d seen Lia dance. I had forgotten how happy it made her. It breathed life into her in a way nothing else ever quite did. Like dancing was the one thing keeping her alive, like doing anything else would just be unnatural. The way her stray hairs would fly away in the air as she spun, the way her nose would scrunch up when she smiled. Those moments when she felt so in the rhythm that she'd just close her eyes. It was all wrapping in this warm familiar comfort that I had lost to the back of my mind to years now.

Spin 'round and 'round

We got lost in the rhythm, the lights, and the crowd

“You’re so good!” Lia’s excitement caught me out of my daze. Her arms were wrapped around Pixal, who was a bit unsure of what to do.

“You’re quite talented yourself.”

“See, that’s how you dance!” She broke away from Pix, pointing at me. “You just forget how to move your feet after all these years, or what?”

“I’ve kinda been focused on other things,” I rolled my eyes.

“That’s so cool! How did you do that?” Jay marveled at them both. “It looked so choreographed and everything!”

“It just takes practice,” Lia hit him in the shoulder. “It’s really not that hard. It’s first year stuff.”

“I could teach you the basics if you wanted,” Pixal chimed in.

“Hell yes! Let’s do it!” Jay swung around me, back to the middle of the floor, Pixal following him. I leaned back on the snack table watching them. She took his hands, carefully guiding him through some basic motions, both of their eyes glued to their feet. I could feel a smile spread across my face watching Jay fumble at Pixal’s simple instructions.

“Pix is a great dancer! I was actually really surprised.” Lia sat next to me, a half empty glass of water in her hands.

“You know, if I’m being honest, it was kinda weird seeing you dance with someone else,” I chuckled.

“Yeah,” She sighed, hanging her head a bit. “I guess it would be.” Her fingers fiddled with the rim of the glass. I could tell something was off. 

“What’s wrong with that?” I asked, trying to keep the tone light.

She looked up, her eyes distant. “Cole, I’ve been dancing without you for five years now.” She glanced over at me, gauging my reaction.

“Well…” I hesitated. “Yeah, that’s a good thing, right? I wasn’t supposed to be a dancer, staying would have just been a mistake. We both found our calling in life! That’s great!”

She looked at me with a blank stare. “...You don’t get it, do you?”

I looked at her a moment, trying to read what the answer was that she wanted. “Get… What? I mean, what happened, happened. Sure, it sucked to leave you behind, but no one got hurt. I’m back now, what’s the big problem?”

She looked at me for a moment, taking a deep breath. She placed her glass down on the table behind her, her eyes glazing over again as she looked at the floor.

She was thinking.

After a long moment, she closed her eyes, standing up. 

“I think I’m gonna head to bed.” She started towards the back hall as I stood up, trailing her.

“Lia, is everything okay?”

“Cole, please, I can’t do this right now.” She sighed as she continued moving.

“Amelia, talk to me, please. What’s wrong?” I pleaded with her.

I was cut off as she reached her room, shutting the door on me, leaving me a little disoriented on the other side.

“Everything okay back here?” Jay asked, peaking back into the hall.

I turned to look at him, still wondering what exactly had just happened. 

“I… don’t know.”

[tuesdayscanons]

URL Song Tag

RULES: spell out your URL with song titles and tag people to make it more fun!

Tagged by: Stolen from @ducktales-wco-oo

Tagging: Anyone else who wants to do this!

((I tried to pick songs that Iisten to a heck ton and/or are significant to me in some way. Most of them...didn't start with any of the letters in my url. Some letters had more to pick from than others. This isn't completely representative of my taste in music, but I think it'll still tell y'all more about me.))

T-wo Hearts {Phil Collins}

((This is one of the songs that I can listen to without getting sick of it. I love its calm yet upbeat melody. It has such a good start and it keeps the energy throughout the whole song.))

U-ptown Girl {Billy Joel}

((Granted, I didn't have many choices for U, but I used to listen to this one more. Nowadays, I prefer to listen to some of Billy Joel's other songs...but I still revisit this one sometimes (the original and covers).))

E-very Time You Lie {Demi Lovato}

((This is one of the songs I've performed at karaoke at a college event (the other one is Misery by Maroon 5), though I've liked it long before then. It has a coffee house music kinda sound to it? Idk how to really describe it. Her confidence is what sells the song though.))

S-mooth {Santana (ft. Rob Thomas)}

((The guitar and Spanish sound are so appealing—the bridge and the chorus are especially impactful, for different reasons. Something about the lyrics of the bridge just gets me every time.

And if you said this life ain't good enough

I would give my world to lift you up

I could change my life to better suit your mood

Because you're so smooth

The chorus has a lot of energy and it's so...smooth.))

D-on't Turn Around {Ace of Base}

((This is one of the songs I have a hard time describing why I like it. The bridge is nice, lyrically and musically. Plus I'm a sucker for the "pretending I'm okay when I'm not" trope and this song lowkey reminds me of Maddie.))

A–ngel Eyes {ABBA}

((This one is a more recent pick, but it's one of the songs I can't stop listening to atm and I felt like I had to include it. It has everything I love about ABBA's songs and the lyrics are top notch. The jealousy and wistfulness gives the song its own identity, though it still sounds like ABBA (I may or may not have become an ABBA fan because of an OC and a close friend).))

Y-our Smiling Face {James Taylor}

((If Uptown Girl and Arthur's Theme had a love child, this song would be it. It's short, but pleasant and upbeat.))

S-eptember {Earth, Wind, and Fire}

((First—my birthday is in September (though it's a few days before the 21st night) and that always amused me. I also love the energy of the song. It's such an iconic song too. I see it on my dash every September 21st and I don't mind it at all.))

C-areless Whisper {George Michael}

((...just, the saxophone. The wistfulness of his voice. The lyrics. All of it blends together perfectly. It's good in minor key and in major key.))

A-rthur's Theme {Christopher Cross}

((It's soft, but charmingly chipper. It's like if the Cheers theme song was more romantic, if that makes sense?))

N-othing's Gonna Change My Love For You {Glenn Medeiros}

((It's so gentle and sweet...it's the kind of song that would play at a prom in a cheesy movie. That's the best way to describe it. ))

O-range Color Sky {Nat King Cole}

((I first heard this at my high school graduation (two girls had performed it before the ceremony) and I lowkey forgot about it until I came across it again one day. It's whimsical yet classy and I can't help but listen to it again sometimes.))

N-ew Light {John Mayer}

((A close friend of mine showed me this song and now it's one of my favorites. I don't even know how to describe it, but it has a sound I really like and I'm really lucky to have been introduced to it.))

S-he Will Be Loved {Maroon 5}

((I really like Maroon 5's older songs and this song is one of my favorites. I like the piano, the imagery of pouring rain, the idea of cheering someone up...plus, it's nostalgic for me because it's one of the first Maroon 5 songs I've heard. It's got a special place in my heart.))

[pipesflowforeverandever]

Simply Second Nature

The lovely @ichaisme commissioned me to write a lyric fic about her and my Joey Drew interpretation, Gingie! The voice featured in the actual song is my voice canon for Gingie, and you can listen along here. 

Thank you so much for commissioning me! I’ve always had very vivid imagery for this song and it was wonderful to make it come to reality.

The young woman could hardly believe that she was standing here, upon the cusp of magnificence and unlimited opportunity for dreams to come true. Ginger Drew threw open his doors, and she- yes, somehow, she- had caught in the corner of his eye, captured his attention; but the visitor had no doubt that the magical one was the old redhead with a golden smile escorting her now by his side.

But still, arm in arm in a private tour of his studio, she couldn’t help but wonder…

“Sir…?” Maddie mumbled, eyes wide but stuck on his neat, polished shoes. The visitor refused speak until Gingie gave his hum, a hooded gaze flickering over and a touch down in a casual, waiting glance . She felt her breath hitch a moment, despite his casualness. “I- I was…wondering.” The last word was drawled as her chin tilted up, catching the essence of his work- the stray sketches, the rolls of film, the grinning cutouts- evidence of both his empire and of his more…personal creations.

“Why do you do all this, anyway…? Money?”

A brow underneath his top hat raised at the inquiry, and a flush burnt into her cheeks, immediately realizing that was perhaps the most impolite of first guesses. “No- Is it…to be famous?” Now, a higher pitch in the last question as she felt herself socially digging a hole. No, he didn’t respond to that either. Just the same curious look- although maybe she was missing precisely how amused he was beginning to be.

The ginger’s footsteps only gave a few more clicks along the wooden floorboards before he stopped in place, loosening his arm to fold it across his chest with the other. By now, her words were spoken with a grimace, a semi-desperate gaze for any sort of hint.

“…Fun?”

He was either the worst tease or most the dramatic planner as he remained silent in the room they happened to pause within. One shift of his stare gently fell upon the ticking Bendy clock hung high up above their heads, another, then, upon a projector quietly spurring in the corner as empty yellow film colored a square upon the wall. A final one, of course, fell upon her.

“You really don’t…see it, do you?”

The gal’s chestnut eyes softened as she finally noticed the sharpness of his own, glinting honey with a smile that reached at the way up to them. Something was about to happen, and she felt it shake in her bones even before it inexplicably, miraculously reached like a whisper in her ears, stealing her breath and raising the hairs on her neck. The first notes of a piano chimed low and sweet, but her twisting head couldn’t find the source. What she did see was the room- no, the whole world- turn white like a blank canvas.

A jump with a gasp as Mr. Drew reached to hold her wrist and wagged his finger, expression glinting in hardly contained enthusiasm. She had so much to learn.

“A painter needs no reason,” Gingie started to sing, “To make a thing of art! Yes, there’s no switch to stop and start the flow.” Having gotten her attention, the rosy hand in a ruffled sleeve gleefully let go, and a squint gestured for her to look as he stuck up his flexing thumb.

“A gardener has his season, his green thumb…and his heart!” He fluttered his fingers into a fist, shifting them like they were beating with his chest before uncurling to rhythmically, playfully pointing his index finger again. “Don’t ask a man, ‘Why does your garden grow’”

In imitation of such an ignorant person, the redheaded dandy shook his head before stepping away, coattails flapping. His movement was…ethereal.

Animated.

Maddie wondered if her stray hairs seemed to glow like his did against the heavenly pale backdrop.

“A poet sits for hours-” The woman lost her breath again as the man sang the next verse, running with an arm outstretched as she saw him trip-

…No!

It was on purpose, and with a shimmer of gold beneath him, he was seated with crossed legs upon a fluffy arm chair that could only have come from nowhere.

The mischievous old artist gave her a wink before looking away, as if performing for an audience.

“-With words upon his tongue.” A close of the eyes and a dramatic, slow shake of his head accompanied with a wide-armed shrug, feigning despondency. “He cannot help but rhyme his doom and gloom… But if you taste my flowers-!”

The woman gasped again, audibly this time, as his hands had spun masterfully in the air before something appeared in his grip like a baton, thrust right towards her face. Impossible! With a sheen of a papery yellow that glittered with the right tilt, he had materialized a flower with four petals and a perfectly round middle.

“You’ll see that I’m among- that…-”

It was then that she accepted Gingie was magical in more ways than one, as she hesitantly reached a trembling, awestricken hand to take what was offered… only for her body to lurch forward as he abruptly pulled it away to rub his chin and roll his eyes up in thought.

“…Certain group,” he decided, spoken as if he was trying out how each singular word sounded, “That…lucky troupe-” Petals tickling his nostrils, a look of someone so in love with his own mind went back to she who asked for a glimpse of it. As such, he drawled the next line for the grandiosity surely ahead. “For whom…it’s…-”

She saw his fingers gesture, and like paintbrushes were hidden in their tips, watercolors bled and stroked pastel red, blue, yellow across the white space with no clear idea how distant or close they were, or if it even mattered at all.

“Simply second nature, to wish away the grey…”

A lock of hair fell out of place as she jumped yet again, having stared so closely she didn’t notice Gingie was suddenly so distant, having painted himself the backdrop of his story. His wrist turned up, up, up, and suddenly there was a yellow trunk and leaves stained with the other two dyes.

“To make a licorice stick…and make a tree!” He gestured from floor to sky the entirety of his creation, proud of its wonder before curling his hand to his chest more pensively. “Yes, there’s no rhyme or reason.”

She blinked when that devilish grin turned her way again, the tips of his coattails held like a dress skirt and his knees bent in a courtesy.

“I was simply made this way!” And he nodded in such a way she couldn’t help but giggle. This being exactly what he was looking for, his eyes hooded and he straightened back up like a teacher in front of the class, seeking to share the wisdom of his years. “What’s strange to you is natural to me.”

But of course, it didn’t last, and soon he was sweeping across the space in front of her, a rainbow spotting the pale in the trail of his heels.

“It’s simply second nature! To paint outside the lines! It merely is the way that I was born!”

Fickle, the old man stopped yet again, a hand to his heart and a dreamy stare up to the heavens like he could see eternity waiting up ahead. “You see I’ve been selected,” the next words came much more tenderly, “To create the-” And his tongue was stuck again as he flicked his eyes to the other person in the room. She could feel him light up as something about her served as a proper reminder. “…Unexpected!”

The sound of clarinets hummed in tune, almost like they finally understood what he was saying. His gaze flicked to them, too, with a satisfied smirk towards a ceiling that wasn’t there.

“And make each day feel just like…- Christmas morn!”

Maddie heard a snap and suddenly to her left side was a portrait towering tall, realistic lips, nose, and eyes. Not a single strand of hair that didn’t look like it belonged hung over its forehead. It was so perfect, it didn’t take long for her to recognize it clearly as a painting.

“Picasso took a torso and turned it on it’s head!” She didn’t know whether to object or not as he bent to the ground to grab the ornate corner of the picture’s frame, but soon it was spun all the same.

It rotated so fast that it blurred, and when it finally stopped, body parts were shifted and the style was simplified into shapes. He really had made a Picasso!

At her amazed expression, he simply shrugged and inspected his creation. “It isn’t right or wrong; it’s what he felt!”

The instruments thumped like a man walking down stairs, and that was precisely what he seemed to be doing on air as the colors melted under her shoes- making her yelp- and swam to her left. There were clocks strung up and perfectly round, like the flower still flopping as it was tucked in his coat.

“And Dali, even more so, would positively DREAD!” The emphasized word was accompanied with both palms pressed to his chest as he feigned a heart attack, his heels tilting so far back they seemed to give way; even his hair seemed to stick out a bit more like he was electrified with shock. It was a shift that reverberated to the scene he had drawn, perhaps, as soon the edges of the clocks became less and less solid to the point they were dripping like ink.

“-Explaining why his hands of time should melt…!” Another twirl in the melody and like eggs cooked in the sun, the time ran runny and flopped over the surfaces they were laid.

Why did she keep losing her breath for the man that saw so much in her, saw himself in her, even? It happened again as a hand was placed on her shoulder and another pressed fingertips underneath her chin. She had asked him why he did what he did, and was yet continually surprised? This was his canvas, and she his apprentice. With all of his focus on making her feel as he did, he removed the touch from her face and plucked the flower from his coat. So close, it was undoubtedly not any ordinary blossom; it was a cartoon, not unlike the ones he made- like…he had drawn it himself, and now it simply existed.

Just like that.

And if she had looked, she would have been able to see more popping up one by one to place her in a whole field. If she had looked, she could see something not a color collecting around him like an aura. But she didn’t look, because that one flower and the unspoken reminiscence hidden upon a face so close was already so much to try to understand.

“And me, I take sweet honey and make a tasteful rose! What can I say? It’s simply what I do.”

The flower was finally hers to take, but his unbroken attention was short lived as the brim of his hat turned wistfully with a wind seen in the petals but not felt.

“Some men make pots of money… They're happy I suppose. But-”

He had walked a bit away to follow whatever he was looking for. Despite how certain she was that he didn’t do this for any financial benefit- although by all appearances he wasn’t without that sort of success either- he still seemed…distant.

Perhaps he himself didn’t even know why he did what he did, deep down.

“…Be grateful that for just a lucky few…its...”

The young woman and the old man knelt down together, pastels brushing at the cloth covering their knees. There were crimson little ladybugs and pollen-yellow bumblebees streaked across grass like sidewalk chalk. And as he offered his knuckles for a small, sapphire butterfly, she finally saw the black ink collecting in flecks on his skin and in the air about him.

“Simply second nature…to see what isn't there…the mind is such a wonder to explore…”

With concern brewing in her chest till it made her stomach hurt and a mouth open but unwilling to interrupt, her gaze trailed up his arm and realized he either saw something she couldn’t or that the growing black he seemed to manifest had begun to blind him from everything else.

“…And though some nights I dread-” She heard him choke, and his golden eyes widened in a flash, exactly as if he could feel how abruptly heavy these shadows had fallen on his shoulders like a halo of something secret, something wicked.

It could only hurt, and the labor of carrying the weight of darkness made him breathless instead, this time around.

“All the voices…” his labored voice managed to utter, “…In my head…-”

With a deep inhale and her supportive grip on his shoulder, he squeezed his eyes shut and his rainbow emanated again little by little with each and every word, stronger and braver in the face of what terrified him most.

“I’d rather be this way than be a bore...!”

Her hand held tight within his, they both stood up and took bold steps forward, the black fleeing him and swirling all around, its path mixing with the speckles of brightness like drops of paint from two different brushes held just above the paper. His free hand rose to in challenge and command to the onyx ink, and his voice was the loudest she had ever heard.

“It’s simply second nature!” Gingie shouted, “To dream of something new!”

He stopped his foot, the flowers beneath and around making a wave like throwing a rock in a puddle. They grew taller, their leaves and petals upturned, wild and overgrown in the face of uncertainty. He balled his fist like he was choking the malevolence he created.

“To wake on fire and try to sculpt each day!”

He threw his hand to his side.

“It’s no blessing- it’s a CURSE!”

And in his own passion, the crusade to convince himself so easily gave power to his own evils once again. The world itself stopped, and for a second Maddie believed she was the only thing moving in this living piece of art. In a split second it was all different; he had let go of her to bend over and hold both hands to his head, reaching into his hair and hiding his face as the ink stain grew and coated absolutely everything with its murk. The only flower left to be seen was between her fingertips.

…

Her chest rising and falling in silent panic, no music to tell her he was still alive, she was just about to try and shake him when she caught a glimpse of his honey irises once again, glimmering his magic as he recognized his curse.

“Wait…” Gingie hardly mumbled. His hand quivered as like this void before him was a person, he reached his hand out to the nothingness of his design that had consumed him. “No…!”

And as the darkness shrunk an inch at a time in response, its center right ahead, something else was created. A white gloved hand with smooth, thick black lines hesitantly twitched in tandem with his own.

But of course.

They were one in the same.

And so as Gingie pulled Bendy out of the puddle of ink, he soothed the devil, singing, “Strike that, and reverse.”

The cartoon was just like a small child, pie-cut eyes wide and innocent, unknowing what chaos he was born from, untainted by the very thing that could- and did- manifest a demon. He gave a blink to Maddie as the rest of the dark fog faded away, the aura about Gingie now being the proper red, yellow, blue he had always wanted others to find; they faded in and out like fairy dust, and she wasn’t sure if the pupils of Mr. Drew’s eyes symbolized something alongside their rings of magic- a circle of warmth around an abyss.

She stared for so long…that she didn’t see him staring back. His lips were slightly apart, and the expression he held was weary.

But…but…

The laugh lines that earned their scars bent again, and Gingie allowed her one last genuine grin as he reached into his soul and brought her a confession:

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

And with tears in his eyes, he held Bendy towards him with one hand and the woman with the other. She remembered the small gift between her fingers and offered it, in turn, to demon, and he gave her a perfect, eight-toothed smile.

The reason he created was, perhaps, in hopes to give away. It was no coincidence, after all, that it was she of all people he chose to take by the hand. She was a creator, too, and so it was time to pass the pencil before his hands couldn’t hold it anymore; Bendy would always need an artist, after all.

He would always need to know he passed his legacy on. And before the end of the day, Maddie would know this, too.

[snappedsky]

Fanatics Adventures in Space Part 17

We take a quick peek back on Earth. Previous! Next!

--

War…kind of

           While our heroes begin one of the biggest fights of their lives, their friends back home are also dealing with a sort of fight. A fight called life.            Colton sits in his bedroom, aimlessly strumming his bass guitar. He just got chewed out by his dad for his dismal report card. But why should he care about school? When he’s a famous rock star, none of that stuff is going to matter.

           He shakes away his feelings and packs up his guitar. He’s not gonna let this stuff get him down. He’s got band practice to get to and with Pepito away, they have to work twice as hard.

           Colton picks up his guitar case and hurries out of his room and down the stairs. But as he nears the kitchen, he hears his parents arguing and slows down.

         “He’s wasting all his time with this band of his,” his dad snaps, “when he should be studying.”

           “Just let him enjoy himself,” his mom insists, “these are teen years, he should be having fun. When he’s an adult he’ll realize he has no future.”

           “By then it’ll be too late! How will he get into college?”

           “He can get his GED, take online classes. Kids these days have it way easier than we did.”

           Colton tunes the rest out as he leans against the wall, clutching his guitar case to his chest. A pit grows in his stomach, so big it might swallow everything.

           “Hey.” He flinches and looks down at his little sister, Kay.

           “What are you doing?” she asks.

           “Nothin,” he says defensively as he steps away. “Going to band practice. Bye.”

           He hurries out the door without another word.

           Their band, Hellz Rebels, always practice at Carmen’s apartment, since they have no way of moving her drum set. Maddie is already there when Colton arrives and he sits next to her on Carmen’s bed. Carmen is sitting at her drums, going over what songs they should practice.

           Colton rests his guitar across his lap and lazily plucks the string. He hasn’t even plugged it into the amp yet, so it doesn’t make a sound. He awkwardly chews his tongue before sitting up.

           “Hey,” he says, catching the girls’ attention. “Can I…ask you guys something?”

           They look at him expectantly.

           “Do your…parents…support this?”

           “Sure, my dad is super supportive,” Carmen replies, “that’s why he’s so cool with us practicing here. My neighbors are…less so.”

           “My mom’s just glad I’m getting out of the house,” Maddie says.

           “Why? Did your parents say something?” Carmen asks.

           “Well…not to my face…” Colton mutters.

           “Ouch,” Maddie comments.

           “I mean I knew my dad didn’t really support me,” he says, “but hearing my mom say the same thing behind my back is…I think I would’ve preferred it if she just said so right to my face.”

           “That really sucks,” Carmen says, “but the important thing is how you feel. Do you wanna keep doing this?”

           Colton really considers the question as he stares at his guitar, running his fingers along the strings.

           “Y’know…at first the only reason I joined was because Squee asked me to,” he says, “and to be honest, I didn’t think I would enjoy it. I had never played my guitar in front of other people before. It was just a hobby. But…but now I love playing music and it’s even more fun with you guys.”

           Colton tries to swallow the lump in his throat. He cannot start crying in front of girls.

           “I feel the same,” Maddie says and he looks at her with surprise. She’s staring at the microphone in her hand, rubbing it with her thumb.

           “I took piano lessons as a kid and only started singing on a whim,” she explains, “the idea of doing it in front of other people was…mortifying. But then we had an actual concert, even if it was just out of someone’s garage. And it was so much fun.”            She smiles brightly and clutches the microphone to her chest. Carmen smiles warmly and twirls a drumstick between her fingers.

           “As for me, I’ve always wanted to play drums in a rock band,” she says, “like that’s always been my dream so when Pepito asked me I figured ‘sure, why not?’ So I can’t really relate to your guys’ insecurities but for what it’s worth, I believe in the both of you. And I know Pepito does too.”

           Colton and Maddie both smile. Then all three of them look up at the ceiling.

           “I miss him. And Squee,” Colton says.

           “And Gaz,” Maddie adds.

           “Me too,” Carmen nods, “what about Zim and Dib?”

           “Eeehhhh,” they all groan noncommittally then laugh.

           “Right,” Carmen booms and bangs her drumsticks together. “We need to keep practicing so when they get back, we’ll be even better than before.”

           “Okay!” Colton and Maddie agree.

           Maddie takes a deep breath as she turns on her mic. Colton plugs in his guitar and hangs the strap on over his shoulder. Carmen counts down the beat and they begin.