#ukulele strap

[hipatti-fante]

Is a Ukulele Strap Right for You?

[pardonmydelays]

thought i was gonna kill myself have nothing else to do after finishing my sahlo folina jacket but now i just realized i wanted to buy clancy's stole for my concert and what if i just make it myself instead

[rikotin]

drilling a screw into my ukulele was "the top 5 most stressful situations of my life" kinda ordeal

[objectum-culture-is]

you mentioned tht you wanted more partner/crush gushing so here you go!!

i have three partners!! of them, ive known gordon the longest. he was a catalyst to me realizing i'm objectum, actually! he was the result of an in-joke between friends, the two of us bought life-sized plastic skeletons to "marry". they were definitely joking with theirs, but i got extremely domestic & attached to him. he sat on this chair next to my bed and i'd kiss him on the head every morning & every night. he's fallen apart since then- he's only a head now, but i still love him so dearly. there's also a banjo, and she has. several grease-themed nicknames. i was planning on learning the guitar, but ended up with the most beautiful four-stringed banjo instead! she's so beautiful,, i'm thinking of getting her some guitar strap adapters & a nice strap so i can play her more often <3 i feel so bad about not playing her more but shes so heavy im scared ill drop her :(( even before i knew i was objectum ive been calling her my wife. i remember the first week i was with her i only played like 1 song.. i spent most of my time just sitting with her on my lap touching her strings. i still do sometimes the most recent of my partners is a ukulele! we met in a super romcom way, actually. i was on my way home one day & i saw this absolutely gorgeous ukulele *FLY TIPPED* on the side of the road. they were literally perfect too?? i guess they had some very superficial chips in their wood but its like handsome in a rugged mountain man kinda way. i carried them on the train all the way home, cleaned em up with disinfectant wipes and got to tuning. i guess the rest is history

Omg Gordan sounds like he's been so well loved! Banjo sounds gorgeous, i love that you want to get her things that'll make it easier to interact with her! And the story of how you met your ukulele partner is so beautiful, omg I'm so glad you found them they sound like they bring you so much happiness 😊

[dognonsense]

New ukulele yipee!! My first plug in instrument! recordings and shows r gonna start sounding different now hehe. cant wait to see how this unlocks new potentials for my music! And i got a silly bug strap :3 thnk u to my gf luna for buying me it :3 <3 we got a killer deal, it was half price for a surface level scratch!

[curseofdelos]

what’s ur newest fic abt??

I'm still figuring out the best way to summarise/describe this fic to people because this one is A Journey, so can I interest you in a sneak peek instead? I've been calling it my solangelo starcrossed lovers AU, but the actual starcrossed lovers part isn't relevant until halfway through the fic lmao whoops Obligatory disclaimer that this is a work in progress and is subject to change in the final version <3

Going to the underworld was a bad idea. 

Will knew it was a bad idea, but he found himself in Central Park with a ukulele strapped to his back anyway. 

What other choice did he have? His sister was dead, and his healing could do nothing for someone whose thread the Fates had cut. It was bad enough that Lee and Michael had died during the Titan War; he couldn’t accept losing Gracie too. 

If bargaining with Hades himself was what it took to get her back, then so be it. He was not losing another sibling. 

Will spent the better part of an hour searching Central Park for the entrance before he eventually stumbled upon a pile of boulders just north of the pond. They didn’t look like much even to his demigod eyes, but a dark sense of foreboding emanated from them and he knew this was what he was looking for. 

The Doors of Orpheus. 

The closest entrance into the underworld, and the inspiration behind his plan to save his sister. 

Finding this made what he was about to do feel more real, but he had come too far to turn back now. This entire plan hinged on his ability to keep moving forward and to never look back. 

Will removed the ukulele from his back, and began softly strumming one of his mother’s songs. They always brought him comfort, and he needed that comfort now more than ever. His voice was unsteady due to his nerves, but he poured his grief into the performance, hitting each note with passion and fervour until he was interrupted by a loud groan. 

The ground shook as the boulders shifted, and slowly a triangular crevice revealed itself. The gap was just wide enough for a person to squeeze through, and he was hit with the smell of mildew, decay, and dust. When Will peeked inside, he couldn’t see a thing. 

It was dark and creepy, but down those long winding steps was the god who could return his sister to him, and so he took a deep breath, slung the ukulele across his back, and pushed into the gap. 

Will had barely made it down ten steps when the rocks began to groan again, and the doors shut behind him. 

He was officially past the point of no return. There was no changing his mind now. Whatever happened, happened. 

“Well, here goes nothing,” he muttered to himself. 

With the doors closed, there was no more sunlight to light the way, and Will was plunged into pitch black darkness. He had always been frustrated at how useless some of his powers could be, but he was grateful for one in particular at that moment. 

Will took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. His skin began to emit a gentle glow, and it lit enough of the passageway that he could see where he was stepping. With one hand on the cold damp wall, and the other gripping the strap of his ukulele, he made his way down the stairs. 

This was where he was going to lead Gracie on the way out, and where he assumed Orpheus tried to lead Eurydice. Now that he was making the journey himself, he could understand why Orpheus had been so paranoid. 

Even with his glow, it was impossibly dark down here, and sometimes he swore he could see something move in the shadows. The soundscape of New York City was silenced, and the tunnel was filled with nothing but his own breathing and heartbeat. At one point, he thought he heard footsteps further down and almost slipped down the stairs in his surprise, but he swallowed his fear and pressed on. 

Gracie needed him to be brave and focused. No matter what he saw or heard, he was going to do what Orpheus failed to do and lead her out of here without looking back. All he had to do was convince Hades to let him try (something he suspected was easier said than done). 

The staircase seemed to go on forever, but eventually, the darkness began to brighten. Will switched off his glow to conserve his energy once he was certain he could see without it, and soon he reached his destination at the bottom. 

The underworld. 

It was everything he thought it would be and worse. 

The staircase opened up onto a beach of black volcanic sand. The roar of the River Styx was loud in his ears as it cascaded down the rocks and winded its way through Erebos. Far above him hung a ceiling of stalactites, no sky or clouds in sight, and the lack of natural sunlight was making him feel oddly lethargic. The smell of sulphur was so strong it made his eyes water. 

Will surveyed his surroundings until he saw it: off in the distance, camped out along the horizon, was Hades’ palace. Its obsidian walls were tall and imposing, and dread settled into his stomach at the mere sight. 

He was going to march through those bronze gates and demand an audience with Hades, arguably the most intimidating god in the pantheon. 

Gods, he hoped Hades wasn’t in a smiting mood. 

Will took a deep breath to steel himself, and stepped forward, sneakers crunching on the sand as he walked. 

“Going somewhere?” 

Will was not proud of the string of expletives that left his lips at the sudden voice. He whipped around in shock, and only then noticed that someone was leaning back against the cliff wall next to the stairs. 

His first thought was that this was a god, but he was fairly certain Hades was not in the habit of appearing like a sixteen year old boy in a My Chemical Romance t-shirt, and he had no other ideas on which god this could be.

His second thought was that this was a demigod, but that didn’t make any sense either. Nobody went to the underworld unless they had no other choice. Not to mention, as head medic, it was Will’s responsibility to know everyone at Camp Half-Blood and he liked to think he would have remembered a face like that. 

The boy looked to be about his age, give or take, with messy black hair that tumbled down to his shoulders. His face was angular with a hooked nose, a sharp jaw, and sharper cheekbones, and his mesmerising eyes were so dark they looked almost black. It would not be difficult to get lost in eyes like those. 

What really caught Will’s eye, however, was the third degree burn scars on his right arm. Patches of harsh red and scorched black skin dotted his arm all the way from the back of his hand up to his elbow. He knew just from looking at him that the injury had to be years old and long past the point his healing would have any real effect, but still, the healer in him wanted to take a closer look to see just how deep that burn went.

The scarring proved this couldn’t be a god - no god would choose to appear with anything less than perfect skin - so this had to be a demigod. 

But what was a demigod doing down here? 

Regardless, Will knew better than to snark at someone who may or may not be a god, so he stood up straight, held his head high, and defaulted to deference. “I’m here for an audience with Lord Hades.” 

The boy raised an eyebrow and looked him over, his gaze fixing on Will’s ukulele. “If your plan is to sing a song so pretty it convinces him to let you bring a loved one back to life, you might as well give up now because it’s not going to work.” 

The immediate dismissal hit him like a punch to the gut. “You don’t know that,” Will shot back defensively. 

“I think I do, actually.”

“Why?”

“Well, for a start, it didn’t work out for Orpheus, so I don’t know why you would think it would work for you. Secondly… he hates the ukulele.”

Will’s face burned in embarrassment, and he gripped the strap self-consciously. “But… it’s my Dad’s.”

“And who’s your Dad?”

“Apollo?” 

The boy snorted. “Even worse. He hates Apollo. You don’t stand a chance.” 

When Will went spelunking through the Big House attic in search of an instrument (one he could smuggle out of camp without his siblings noticing it was missing anyway) and he happened upon a ukulele that his father had blessed, he had taken it as divine endorsement of his plan. Apollo himself approved of Will’s mission to rescue his daughter, and directed him to one of the few instruments Will knew how to play. In a world dictated by prophecies and fate, there was no such thing as coincidence. 

Now that a random teenager who spoke like he knew Hades personally was telling him that he was doomed to fail, his confidence was shaken. He already knew this was a longshot. He already knew that this was going to be one of the most difficult things he had to do. What did it say about his chances that a kid from Hades’ court thought it was impossible? 

…But giving up meant dooming Gracie to an untimely death, and he just couldn’t do that. 

“I guess we’ll find out,” Will said stubbornly. “Now if you’ll excuse me….” He spun on his heel, and continued on his way towards Hades’ palace. 

Will half-expected the boy to follow him, but he heard no footsteps behind him, and breathed a sigh of relief. 

He thought he had escaped him and his judgement until the boy popped out from behind a fallen stalactite and fell into step beside him. 

Wait. How did he get in front of him? 

Will looked back over his shoulder at the cliff face - a distance too far to walk that quickly - and back at the boy who merely raised a brow at him as if Will was the weird one for being so confused. 

Did he teleport?

“You know, you’re not the first person since Orpheus to try this stunt,” the boy said as if whatever just happened didn’t happen, “and every single person before you failed. They weren’t even allowed to try. What makes you so special that you think he’s going to let you?” 

That’s the problem: Will didn’t think he was special, and there was nothing about his situation that felt particularly unique or worthy of Hades’ consideration either. He was here because he loved his sister, and he had to try something to bring her back, no matter how impossible it seemed. 

This guy and his pessimism, however, was beginning to piss him off and he had no desire to explain himself to him. Instead, he rounded on him and blurted out, “I’m sorry, who are you?” 

“Nico,” he said, as if that explained anything, “and you are?” 

Will straightened. “Will Solace. Head medic at Camp Half-Blood.” He watched Nico’s face for any sign that he knew what that was, but his expression remained carefully neutral. “And I’m going to ask Lord Hades to release one of his souls into my care whether you think that’s a good idea or not.” 

“I don’t, for the record.”

“Yeah, you made that clear.” Will rolled his eyes and continued walking. 

Nico casually strolled beside him. “As head medic, you should know better than anyone that the dead should stay dead. Lord Hades doesn’t appreciate people who try to argue otherwise. If you don’t want to end up dead with them, I suggest you head back now.” 

“Thanks for the warning, but I’m well aware of the risks. I know what I’m doing.” 

Will could feel Nico’s eyes watching him, but he kept his gaze fixed on the palace. “...If you don’t leave, I’ll be forced to make you.”

“Oh yeah?” Will scoffed. “And how are you going to do that?” 

Without warning, Nico grabbed the front of Will’s shirt and shoved him. 

The move was so unexpected that Will stumbled backwards with a yelp. There was another fallen stalactite behind him, and his back should have hit it. Instead, all the light around them was snuffed out and they were plunged into freezing cold. 

Thousands of whispering voices screamed in his ear. The wind whirred past him so fast it pushed at his face like he had gone down the drop on a rollercoaster. The world around them was completely black, and he could see nothing but Nico’s serene face in front of him, feel nothing but his bony fingers gripping tightly onto the fabric of his shirt. 

It only lasted a moment, and Will soon fell flat onto his back with an audible “OOF!”

Disoriented, he blinked up at the cloudy sky. Green grass tickled at his bare forearms. 

Will sat up on his elbows and realised he was back outside in Central Park. Nico stood in the Doors of Orpheus, looking down at him with faint amusement. “If you value your life at all, you won’t come back.” 

Nico thumped the inner wall of the passageway, and the rocks rolled back into place, shutting Will out and his hopes of rescuing Gracie with him. 

[archivehub]

Title: Lion Scouts Summary: Steven, Connie, and their four kids go hiking in the North Wydaho wilderness. Word Count: 513

A tiny, wee bit late, but here it is! For Glow Week day 6, I used the prompt "Vacation."

The short is also beneath the cut:

“You know, almost fifteen years ago, your mother and I hiked down this very same trail!” Steven beamed from beside his wife. A gargantuan bag containing an assortment of survival gear rested against his back.

“Yeah? Well it’s boring,” Lisa moaned from over her parents’ shoulders. Her arms were firmly crossed as she paced alongside Lion. “There’s just a bunch of trees and squirrels. If I wanted to see those, I could go into our backyard.”

“I think the trail’s beautiful,” the girl’s younger brother, Gregory, twinkled from behind her. He yanked his yellow-red, hand-me-down ukulele off his back. “I’m getting so much inspiration for my next song,” he grinned before strumming a chord on his instrument.

“If you start singing, I think I’m gonna puke,” the boy’s twin sister, Priya, shivered from his left side. “I already hear enough singing at home; I don’t need to hear any more on vacation,” she snorted, elbowing her brother in his abdomen.

“I think some music would be great right about now,” Grace, the eldest sibling, yawned from atop Lion’s back. “I’m normally all for a good hike, but”—she quirked an eyebrow—”middle-of-nowhere North Wydaho?” She darted her eyes around her surroundings; her most exciting observation was a mossy rock. She tittered, “What are we doing out here?”

“Taking a stroll down memory lane,” Steven sing-songed.

“This was one of your father’s favorite stops on his three-year-long road trip,” Connie lectured as she readjusted her scabbard’s strap. She reminisced, “During my first spring break from college, I joined him out here for a whole week.” She booted a sizable stone from the path. “It was…” she smiled timidly, “romantic.”

“Barf!” Lisa mock-gagged; her siblings all snickered.

The family made their way into a miniature, grassy clearing from which a plethora of nearby landmarks could be made out. Chief among them was a moderately sized, vaguely-heart-shaped lake.

“It’s just as I remember it!” Steven gasped. “Kids, this was our camping spot! We slept here every night for seven days straight!” He sprinted to a nearby boulder which he lifted effortlessly with one arm; beneath it, a pair of familiar initials were carved, encased in a crudely drawn heart. “See? We marked it as ours and everything!”

“Woah, cool,” Grace remarked.

Steven pointed toward a small stream. “That’s where your mother and I searched for crayfish.” He tapped his foot atop a small collection of ovular stones. “Here’s where we made dinner every night.” He whipped around, nearly causing his backpack to topple. “And over there”—he pointed in the direction of a respectable mound—”was where we helped a group of marmots dig a new burrow after a badger destroyed their old one!”

“Badgers are rad,” Lisa smirked. “Should’a let it keep the burrow.”

Swiveling on his heel once more, Steven took immediate notice of the heart-shaped lake in the near distance; he went starry-eyed. “Oh my stars!” he squealed, bouncing on his knees. “Connie, Connie, look! It’s the lake where we—”

The woman slapped a palm over her husband’s mouth. “Not around the kids!” 

[doodlebloo]

I love qTubbo designs I love the goggles I love the ukulele strapped to the back I love all the little details artists add like the apples and tubnet logo and little hidden bees and Bensons.... SOOO good I'm obsessed w all of them !

[salternateunreality2]

AGSZC Musical (?) Instruments (please read Cloud's I am still laughing my ass off at my own theory. Gen's has puns.)

from the @strayheartless archives

Angeal - nothing or a little bit of a local pan flute type thing or something. Very chill, very cheap, not very expert at it. Has a soft, deep voice well-suited to humming while working and lullabies.

Genesis - at least 5 different things, at least 2 of them well. Must include piano, flute, and violin. Insists on singing operatically.

His flute is a nice long, versatile, hard instrument. He uses it all day, every day, especially on his boyfriends.

(It is extremely annoying. He has been beaten with his own flute for sure. He's not the type to saxophone it in at any point though.)

Sephiroth - respectably ok at piano and maybe something else. He was made to learn for Shinra and is very technically accurate in his playing, though sometimes struggles when accompanying someone, since they dOn'T fOlLoW tHe ShEeT mUsIc as robotically as he does.

Zack - guitar/ukulele/etc., and has a nice but untrained voice.

Cloud - the instrument he excitedly pulls out of a garbage bin in the sector 7 slums looks like something from Hojo's labs. There's animal parts, wooden parts, so many colors and fabrics, and no easy way to tell which way is up. There are holes and keys and about a million tassels. He can play this traditional Nibel instrument and nothing else. Its name has about 20 consonants, 3 vowels, and is completely unpronounceable. It sounds like all the animals on the Nibel mountains having an angry discussion about bubbles.

Think of a mix between one of those one-man-band things and a bagpipe.

It also has strings and a percussion piece and looks like it might have come from the "spicier" side of wall market when the user straps it all on.

It's not meant to be a cute entertainment thing, it's meant to be played to ward off the things that You Didn't See in the Forest

It sounds completely perfect in the mountains of Nibelheim and only in the mountains of Nibelheim. Haunting, brave, delicate...in the plains of Midgar it sounds like Hojo did something bad again and you should vacate the area.

Sephiroth likes it a lot, it sounds like Mother. I mean nothing. Did you say Mother? He didn't say Mother.

[libroseitm]

15 QUESTIONS FOR 15 FRIENDS

Tagged by @gentlebeardsbarngrill

ARE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?

Yes! Queen Elizabeth the first. Though my name is spelled with an s, not a z.

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?

I have NO idea (thanks time blindness) it was probably very recently because I cry at everything and from every emotion, even happiness :'D

DO YOU HAVE KIDS?

Yep, one!

WHAT SPORTS DO YOU PLAY/HAVE YOU PLAYED?

I do Karate, does that count?

DO YOU USE SARCASM?

Yes, but I don't always understand when it's being used because AuDHD.

WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?

Always they're general vibe, if that makes sense? I could get on with someone perfectly on paper, but they don't have the ~vibe~ then it's not going to work out.

WHAT'S YOUR EYE COLOUR?

Blue/grey. They're getting more grey as I age.

SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?

Oh god happy endings all the way. I'm scared of SO many things and have loads of intrusive thoughts so I absolutely cannot deal with scary movies.

ANY TALENTS?

Drawing, playing ukulele/singing and reading allowed (narrating) are the things I'm best at!

WHERE WERE YOU BORN?

Warwick

WHAT ARE YOUR HOBBIES?

Oh dear. I have so many. My hobby is having hobbies. Strap in.

Drawing, Playing ukulele, Sewing, Jigsaw puzzles, Writing, Creating audiobooks, Learning about clouds, Boardgaming, Creating a boardgame, Playing on my switch, Crafts, Reading fanfiction, cosplay, learning Swiss German, and many moooooore~

DO YOU HAVE ANY PETS?

No! I would love a reptile of some kind. However, adopting is the only option I'd be interested in, but reptiles aren't often up for adoption and I would want them to be as comfy and happy as possible which means taking up waaaaay too much room in our house.

HOW TALL ARE YOU?

I'm a small lil guy at 5"2 :-)

FAVOURITE SUBJECT IN SCHOOL?

I thought I'd hate it cus I'm not a big reader, but it ended up being English literature! Loved creative writing too!

DREAM JOB?

Being an artist is #1, doing audiobooks/voice acting is #2. Cheeky link to my redbubble and etsy

ZERO pressure tags:

I know many of you will have already been tagged but here, have another! Take zero pressure seriously, it says "friends" and I'm solely tagging because ya'll are my friends :)

@impossiblebird @spirker @nuka @lamentus1 @waterychilli @merryfinches @venusdebotticelli @eibon-cloud

That's only 8. I do not have a good enough memory to tag 15 whole people. If you're my friend on here, you know who you are, consider yourself tagged!

[snorkling-in-sodasea]

The Amazing Digital Survival Show (Characters, part 1)

So yeah, finally joining in on the AU game for The Amazing Digital Circus. I mean, I actually have been working on one for a while. Just wanted to make sure everything was ready before I revealed it. Then I thought of how I can join that burger thing that the creator of the Marvelous Mechanical Harlequin started despite not being an artist (I sure wish I had art, especially for my own AU)

Anyways, I thought of telling everyone about the character designs and a little of my AU - though that's gonna be another post - because at least writing is what I can do (I'm more of a writer at heart than an artist, which is why I don't have art). And to think, this is all for the sake of yet another post that I wanna do, in order to have it make more sense, ha ha... but one thing you should know about my intended AU right now is that I'm intending to use an island as an setting for it

Okay, first up...

Pomni - She wears an one piece swimsuit with one half being red and the other half blue. She's without her gloves but in their places are yellow bracelets with seashell charms and painted fingernails of red and blue. There's flipflops on her feet, again with one red and the other blue, but the straps to them are yellow. The hat is the same but the charms on the tips of the hat are seashells. Finally, there's a pair of yellow goggles around her neck

Ragatha - Ragatha has a flower crown of purple (or blue, since I heard that the purple is actually intended to be blue and the lighting just didn't work as intended) hibiscus around her head. She wears a coconut bra held together with purple straps and she's got a hula skirt resembling the bottom half of her canon dress. There is a smaller green grass skirt above it, though. And lastly, Ragatha's barefoot

Zooble - Zooble's got a ukulele for a body, the handle being their neck, and the ukulele is designed like the canon body. The pink triangle head is the same but there's tropical stuff for the limbs and the antenna and extra stuff. Like there's a telescope and a squiggly eel for antenna and an octopus tentacle for one of the legs, and a lobster claw for one of the arms. Examples of the extra stuff would be a sand dollar hanging from the chest and a palm tree leaf attached to the back

Jax - Jax is in a full diver's suit, mostly red like his overalls but with streaks of yellow down the sides. And when I say diver's suit, I mean the ones you wear for scuba diving, those skin-tight kind of things. The gloves from canon are still on his hands and he's still barefoot

Kinger - Kinger's bare-chested but has on a purple grass skirt. The skirt has white fluff at its hem and the fluff is specked with black. There's two leis around his neck, one stretching longer than the other. The shorter lei is the same as the fluff, white and specked with black. The longer one is completely purple

Gangle - Her mask is still the same but she's adorned with a feathery, flowery headdress, primarily with reds but there's also some yellow joined in. Of course, her mask still breaks

Caine - Caine is simple-dressed for a kahuna, with the red Hawaiian shirt with the white palm tree design and a pair of black swimming trunks. He does have a black hibiscus flower on the side of his head (whichever side is the one that says that he's spoken for, will need to check that again). His feet has on black flipflops and his cane is the semblance of a palm tree. You know, brown handle, coconut ball at the end where Caine would hold it, and there's palm tree leaves surrounding it. Finally, there'd be a lei of black hibiscus flowers around his neck

Bubble - Bubble's an orange-red color, the same as lava. That's because he's a lava bubble, even dripping bits of that stuff from himself

I'll even include the two abstractions we at least know about so here goes!

Kaufmo - Kaufmo has a yellow tank top with red dots going down the front and also a pair of blue swimming trunks. He's got on a pair of red flippers and a pair of blue googles around his neck. Finally, on his head is a yellow cap slightly tapered to a point on the top, adorned with a red ball. Though the part of the cap that gives his face some shade is blue

Queenie - Queenie has a red grass skirt with the same kind of fluff as Kinger's but she also had a red cloth wrapping around her torso (think of the top to Lilo's hula outfit). And she's got a lei, too, and you probably guessed that it matches the fluff to the hem of her skirt

Yeah, I stuck to canon designs as much as I could, just changing it for an island setting, but hey. That's what I wanted. As for the characters to Candy Carrier Chaos, I'll have to think on that. These ones here are the ones I got for now

[pardonmydelays]

ok i'm gonna go to the store for all the things i need and then make clancy ukulele strap

[steven1123x]

Behind The Scenes - Chapter 24: Family Sticks Together.

🎬🎥 🎬🎥 🎬🎥 🎬🎥 🎬🎥 🎬🎥 🎬🎥 🎬

“Steven, are you okay?” Rose asked from the kitchen, It was the next morning. Steven was at the table with his father, Rose was making eggs for her son. Steven nods.

“I’m fine.”

“Are you sure, kiddo? I can call in the school to say that you're not coming in today.” Greg said, pulling out his phone, ready to call the school.

“Dad, it’s six in the morning…. And I’m fine to go today.”

“You had a nightmare, Steven.” Rose said, putting his chocolate milk on the table.” We're worried for your mental health too, education can wait, Steven.” his mom told him. Steven drank his chocolate milk and then nodded.

“If this is what you want, we can take you to school, okay?” Greg said.

“Alright,” Steven said.

“But…” Rose said making Steven look up at his mother. “If you feel like you need a break, you can call one of us and we will pick you up.”

Steven smiled and nodded. They watch him stand up from his chair and go to his room to get dressed.

🎬🎥 🎬🎥 🎬🎥 🎬🎥 🎬🎥 🎬🎥 🎬🎥 🎬

Steven was dressed in a new Sonic The Hedgehog t-shirt that his mom had bought him. Steven slipped on his vans and put his Sonic beanie on top of his curly hair. He grabs his ukulele and puts it in his backpack.

Steven slung it over his shoulder and put the other strap on, Then he went downstairs. Rose grabs the keys to her husband’s van and they walk out.

“Hey, Mom, when are you getting a car for yourself?” Steven asked her. Rose has been driving Greg’s van since they got married. Rose even dropped Steven off on his first day of school in his van.

“I don’t know, Steven…. I hope the people at the dealership aren’t racists.” Rose said, sighing. Steven looks at her mother in concern. He is worried for her because of the problems that she has to go through, Steven knows that the other Gems go through this too, and he feels bad for them.

🎬🎥 🎬🎥 🎬🎥 🎬🎥 🎬🎥 🎬🎥 🎬🎥 🎬

Steven was in class, Miss. Amin was at her desk on her computer, and some of the students were still working on their assignments. Clarence and Steven were done first, while Jeff and Sumo were still working on his. Steven looks around the room and sees Connie on the other side of the room on a beanbag chair, reading a book.

Steven walks up to her in the Reading Center and picks out a book. “Hey, Connie,” he said. Connie looks up, The girl adjusts her glasses and smiles.

“Hey, Steven,” she said.

“So, what are you reading?” he asked.

“I’m reading A Wizard of Earthsea. It’s good.” Steven nods and reaches up to pull out a book off the shelf.

Steven was at recess, He and Greg were sitting at a table. Steven had his ukelele in his hands.

“Okay, you won’t get in one day.”

“But, you learned it real fast.”

“I did but, it’s different for everyone. My dad was a musician.”

“Wait what does he do now?”

“He’s looking for a job, I gave him a card for my friend's stepdad’s business in Los Angeles,” he explained.

“Cooollll!” Greg said. Steven nodded.

A few minutes passed and Greg was still struggling. “I can’t do it, Steven.”

“Don’t say you can’t. I have an idea, you can come home with me after school, my grandparents are musicians too. So if I can’t help you, Misty, Tony, and my dad can.” Greg nods at his friend.

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Steven, Clarence, Jeff, and Sumo were all playing a game of kickball, they had a few minutes left until they went inside.

“Okay, guys. Let’s play!”Steven said, walking up first, Jeff rolled the ball towards him and he kicked it.

“Come on, Steven!” Sumo said as Steven was Running around the bases. He stopped at home.

“Heck yeah, Steven!” Sumo said as the boy went up. Steven sees Connie walk to him. “Hey, Connie.” he smiles.

“Hi, Steven,” she says, watching Steven’s friends play kickball. Steven pulled out his phone and texted his mom if his friends could come over when she picked them up.

Rose texted back with a yes. “Connie! you can come to my house after school!” he said. Steven flashed a smile to her friend. Connie smiles back.

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Steven, Clarence, Connie Jeff, Sumo, and Greg see a van with the word MR. UNIVERSE on the side of it, Steven opens the door to let his friends in first.

Steven sat and he put his seatbelt on. “How was your day guys?”

“It was great, Mom, oh mom, THis is Greg. He’s coming to our house so he can learn how to play guitar, I’m trying to teach him but…He doesn’t understand it yet. Maybe Dad can teach him like he taught me.”

“He can. He’s home, so yes,” Rose said, driving back to Hollywood Hills. Steven got a text from Ameythest asking if he wanted to come over after school so they could do something. Steven turned to his mother.

“Hey Mom, could I go over to Ameythest’s house tomorrow?”

“Sure you can, you know how to get there right? In two weeks we are going to let you ride your bike to places close to the house But to school. You will still be riding with me or your dad. It’s too far for you.”

“How far is it?”

“It’s…” She took her phone out while stopping at a red light and googling it. “Four hours,” she said, Steven nods.

“That makes sense,” he said.

Rose, Steven, and his friends were back at Greg’s childhood home and they all got out. “I’m hungry,” Steven said, Rose opened the front door. Misty was making lunch.

“Hey, we're back!” Rose said, Misty turned around and saw her grandson with his friends whom she’d never met before.

“Hey, Steven! oh, who are they?” she asked.

“These are my friends from school. And I met Clarence, Jeff, and Sumo when we went back to school shopping on Sunday,” he tells her. Misty smiles at all of them.

“Rose, can you help me?”

“Sure,” she said walking to the kitchen.

Greg looks at all the awards on the walk from Steven’s grandparents' achievements on the walls of the house. Greg even sees a star on the wall that says 'TONY & MISTY UNIVERSE’ with a record below their names.

“Cooolllll!” he said.

“Yeah,” Steven says. Then someone knocks on the door. Rose opened it and saw Pearl.

“Hey, Pearl. what are you doing here?” Steven asked.

“How do you know this address?” Steven asked.

“Rose texted it to me,” she said, looking at her. She waved at Rose, she waved back awkordly.

“Hi, Pearl,” Misty said.

“Hey, Misty.” Pearl smiles, then she sees Steven. She picks him up.

“Pearl, what are you doing here, I thought you were at work, and how do you know this address,” Rose said.

“Remember that I went on that trip for a few days? I came back just now,” she said.

“Ohh, right. You left after we left,” she said, Pearl nodded and pulled out her phone. “I have pictures of my trip.”

“Oh, where’d you go?”

“Miami,” she said.

“Oh, okay.” Pearl went on her phone and showed Steven. “Glad you had fun, Pearl,” Steven said, she picked up Steven and hugged him. “And I’m glad that you're here to stay, Steven! I’m so glad that you're here!” she said, Steven felt super uncomfortable with this.

“Okay, Pearl please put him down,” Greg said. Pearl put the boy down and ruffles his curly hair. Steven walks in farther into the house with Clarence, Jeff, Sumo, and Greg.

“Hey, Steven do you want to do?” Sumo said.

“Steven I thought you were gonna help me,” Greg said. Steven nods. “Oh, yeah. Guys. you wanna go to the basement with me?” Clarence and Sumo both say yes.

Steven and his friends went to the basement of the house and saw a recording studio with instruments.

Steven opens the glass door grabs an acoustic guitar and hands it to his friend. Steven went back and grabbed another one and sat by Greg.

The next day, Steven, Clarence, Jeff, and Sumo were walking, thankfully that they had three days left until the weekend and they were excited, Steven was at their treehouse, and Steven was playing with Clarence as Sumo was throwing stuff at a big rock. Then, a girl walks over. Steven knew these kids from his class.

“Hey, Chelsea!” he smiles, and the girl waves.

The girl has brown skin, a long neck, big ears, and a ginormous bush of dense brown hair that goes all the way down to her waist. She also has buck teeth with braces, though her front two teeth are fake. She’s wearing a black shirt, and a pair of yellow shorts, and purple Adidas high tops.

“Hey, Steven!” she said as she climbed the ladder to the treehouse, Sumo, Jeff, and Clarence waved and went back to throwing stuff.

Steven threw a watermelon at the rock, their bikes were leaning on a tree, Steven got back after hanging out with Ameythest. The boy got a call from Clarence asking him if he wanted to come to the treehouse, so he took his bike to Jeff’s house so they could ride together. So, that’s what they were doing now.

Steven got a text from Ameythest a few hours later asking if he wanted to spend the night, Steven said yes looked up the address to her house, and rode his bike there.

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A\N: Hi guys, this is the last chapter before the time skip and Steven goes to the studio and meets Rebecca Sugar. I’m hoping you're enjoying this story, please review.

I know the reviews have been acting weird for a long time on my fic. Other people are complaining about it and I think It’s a site issue or something. See you in the next chapter guys!

[crochet-by-j]

My guitar loving & playing boyfriend asked me to make a strap for his Ukulele! I didn’t know where to start, but this blog really helped out!

I had to do some of my own stuff to it to make it work the way I wanted too, but I am so pleased with how it turned out!

[tempo-tales]

In the hot summer, Alicia and Chris, on vacation in January, were strapped for time off. Both were used to having a hectic routine between studies and clubs.

-What a boring vacation. And this heat is unbearable.

-And unfortunately my father withheld my salary. I can't move from here until the next rhythmic gymnastics championship. Ahhh, I want to at least swim in the pool!

-What a waste of time!-exclaims the boy sitting on a bench.

Chris takes out his ukulele and starts playing a tune that Ali likes.

She recognizes the melody and starts humming the song, which attracts a crowd. Subsequently Ali sings with all passion, bringing out her glittering singing skills as well as her beautiful voice.

-"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine

You make me happy when skies are gray

You'll never know dear, how much I miss you

Please don't take my sunshine away"

Passersby were struck by the children's performance and slowly approached until they formed a giant circle of audience listening and enjoying the music with singing and dancing included.

As they finished, Ali and Chris noticed the audience applauding and throwing money at them. The kids didn't know how to react until Ali had to snap out of it, lightly smacking her cheeks.

-Chris, let's go, or we'll get in trouble with my father!

They both run away crossing the circle formed by the peoples that saw the show, and Chris, not to miss the opportunity, takes the money they won and escapes so as not to attract more attention than they had already done.

[naavispider]

Chapter 20 💙

The next morning bought dark thunderclouds, a chill on the wind and the rumbling promise of rain. Spider woke from the cold, which was in itself rare in Pandora's tropical climate, and knew immediately what this forecasted. The Sun had risen, though only just, and the avatars were all strewn around the camp sleeping peacefully. Only Savine was awake, armed with her AR and scrolling through her tablet as she kept watch.

Spider sat up and retrieved a bottle of water from Quaritch's pack, which he had accidentally fallen asleep against last night. Casting his eyes around, he saw that Quaritch had made do with a tree stump for comfort. It gave him an almighty sense of satisfaction that Quaritch's back was probably going to ache simply because he didn't want to move Spider off his things.

"A storm is coming," he spoke to Savine, unsure if the recoms realised this.

"I can see it on the sat data," the woman replied, chewing on gum as she analysed the screen in front of her. A frown appeared on her brow. "Looks nasty."

"Trust me," Spider replied, "It will be. The Na'vi have a word for this type of storm. They call it 'the great washing'. There's only been two in my lifetime - one when I was a baby and one when I was about nine. The base flooded and everything was destroyed. We were homeless for weeks."

As if on cue, the two of them looked ominously upwards at the darkening sky. A booming rumble swept through the clouds and the breeze picked up.

Savine hastened to Quaritch. "Boss, wake up," she shook him gently. "A storm's coming in fast, we might need to move."

Quaritch wakened himself quickly, rubbing his head with one hand and reaching for his AR with the other. He cast a look around the camp, making sure everything was still in order. His eyes met Spider's for a moment before he replied, "Show me the sat screen."

Savine passed the screen to Quaritch and he examined the satellite data in real time. Just like Savine's had earlier, his brow creased into a frown.

"It's gonna start any moment," he muttered. "Electrostatic's too high, we can't use the ikran. A thousand millimetres of rain?" Alarm flashed over his face. His thought process looked difficult, and Spider could see the cogs and wheels turning behind his eyes. What was the safest course? Which was the most effective?

"We move on," he ordered, as another rumble swept the sky, this one even louder and hugely more intimidating. It seemed to come from right above them. The air itself appeared to darken as Quaritch and Savine threw the packs together while shouting the other recoms awake.

"Rise and shine knuckleheads, we got a class A storm sweeping in east, get your asses in gear! We climb to higher ground!"

Fike, Wainfleet and Mansk all scrambled to assemble themselves as Spider shoved his ukulele under the straps on Quaritch's pack and followed the man's lead. Quaritch had his screen out and was trying to calculate the most direct course to a more elevated position.

Seconds later, lightning flashed across the sky, momentarily giving them shadows, even through the canopy. Shit. This was turning bad fast.

"Move it!" Quaritch yelled.

The recoms didn't reply - they had organised themselves in seconds and were already climbing over the logs and shrooms in Quaritch's wake. Spider found himself running to keep up as a booming clap beat the atmosphere, so loud that Spider groaned and clasped his hands up to his ears. The very sky itself seemed to split in two as the first of the rain began to pound down like a hammer on an anvil. The rain on Pandora - especially in these types of storm - could fall in drops larger than a tennis ball. Dangerous for Na'vi and lethal for humans.

As the drops began to shatter and break all around them, the squad pushed on with renewed urgency. Spider wasn't sure where Quaritch was leading them - but the ground started to incline slightly under the moss and roots and bushes. The water hit Spider's back like an icy deluge and he cried out as he tried to protect himself as best as he could while keeping up with the reocms. The ground was fast becoming intraversable, rivulets of rainfall were already starting to cascade through the moss and transform the soil into a blanket of slime. Spider struggled to keep his footing and kept sliding all over the place. The recoms were at least wearing boots, and had an extra appendage to keep their balance, whereas Spider was not built for this. He couldn't manage their pace.

"Wait!" he called desperately. He slid again, landing on his hands and knees. With a sudden panic, he realised that the water came up to his wrists in the mud. The ground was starting to flood already. He pushed himself up and forced himself through the inch or so of runoff, splashing water up his legs in addition to the torrent berating his back and head. The rain was so heavy it was a struggle to even remain standing.

"Wait!" he called again. He panicked as he relaised the rain was forming a curtain around his vision.- he was barely able to see six feet in front of him and he could hear nothing of the recoms above the roar of the rain and booms of the thunder. Lightning illuminated the path briefly again and he caught a glimpse of one of the tall figures 10 or so feet away. He scrambled to keep up, but the more he tried, the more exhausted he became. His laboured panting misted up the inside of his mask and - great - the last thing he needed right now. Low on O2. He couldn't get separated.

10 minutes felt like two hours when the trail was as tough as this, and at every boulder Spider convinced himself the recoms had left him behind. He could tell the path was inclining, but that only made it more difficult to fight against the flash flood now pouring its way down the slope - almost up to his knees.

Then he remembered the thin band of plastic and rubber around his neck. He could have laughed; he could have kicked himself. However he did neither of those things as the mud gave way under his footing and the current threatened to sweep him down. He grasped wretchedly onto the nearest plant with one hand and gasped into his communicator with the other, never having used one before, but feeling for a button and pressing down when he found one.

"Quaritch!" he yelled into it, suddenly unsure what to say, or even if the man could hear him.

"Spider?!" came the reply immediately.

"I can't... the current..." he gasped, trying with everything he had to keep hold of the anemone-like plant while the rain beat him like a punching bag. He let go of the button on the communicator as another blast of lightning wrent the air. He shrieked as the thunder followed, not two seconds later, louder than he'd ever heard a noise be before. It felt like the world was ending. Something was surely wrong. Was Eywa punishing him for his sins? Had she finally had enough of him? Was she washing the forest clean of him? He started to pray in Na'vi. He crouched down, keeping his centre of balance low without submerging his shoulders in the furious stream. He wrapped his arm around a root sticking several feet out of the air, and waited.

It seemed like an age, but after only a minute or so, a tall, looming figure sporting green body armour and fierce RDA weaponry appeared out of the curtain rain and scooped him up.

"Hold on!" he thought he could hear Quaritch yelling, but the noise of the rain was too deafening. Quaritch threw Spider onto his back, and Spider wrapped his legs around the man's pack, tucking his feet in between the straps and Quaritch's waist. He clung on for dear life and buried his head into the pack, allowing the rain which felt like bullets to pelt his exposed back and neck. He was just grateful to be off the ground and out of the flow of the flood.

Quaritch carried him for thirty minutes more before finally locating a spot high enough to avoid the worst of the runoff. It became clear why he chose this position when he deposited Spider onto the floor in front of a large array of boulders, which formed a protective barrier from the flooding travelling down hill. Here, the ground was sodden but there was no risk of runoff. The only threat was from above.

They sat with their backs to the boulders, trying to shield their faces from the onslaught. Spider could hear the other recoms cursing profoundly as the rain refused to relent, everyone taking a battering. It was painful. Spider let out a sob of frustration and defeat, knowing there was absolutely nothing to be done about it. All they could do now was sit tight, and wait.

Hours passed. Spider's skin was sore and beaten. He curled up tightly to reduce the amount he was exposed, but even under the relative shelter of the large tree their nook was under, the raindrops felt like stones. That wasn't the worst part however. The sheer volume of the thunderclaps was enough to shake Spider to his core. He winced every time, tightening his grip on the pack that Quaritch had placed over him for protection, and tried unsuccessfully to fall asleep while they waited it out.

Finally, finally, Spider realised he hadn't heard the thunder in a long time, and the rain was definitely thinning.

When all that remained was a drizzle, and the runoff had cleared down the slope, Quaritch stood to assess the situation.

"Shit man," Savine complained.

Quaritch could safely use his screen again now and it confirmed that the storm was dissipating.

"It's clearing," he announced. "Congratulations," he surveyed his team. "You just survived one of the worst cyclones this region has seen in decades.

Spider felt anything but proud of himself - he felt miserable. He was sick of crouching in the dirt all day, with nothing to do and no one to talk to, only existential fear creeping into the peripheries of his mind at all times. He suddenly missed the warmth and comfort of the shack, his own bed, grabbing breakfast from the fridge, using an actual toilet. He never missed these things when he was with the Sullys - but then he wasn't bored out of his mind and going through a generally high level of emotional distress.

He was reminded of the song Weatherman as the recoms started discussing the game plan for the rest of the day - it had to be near dusk now. The storm had lasted almost all day. He decided that would be the next song he'd try and translate onto the ukulele.

"-better to hot-foot it now."

"Agreed."

"Call the ikran."

Egghead wandered a little distance away to call the squad of banshees back to their owners.

Quaritch turned to Spider. "You hear that kid? We're going back to base. We all deserve a decent night's sleep."

Spider glared at him, the question on his mind translating through his gaze.

"You can stay in the guest bunks."

Spider tried to hide his relief.

Ten minutes later Spider was sat atop Cupcake and taking off into the now clearing sky, with Quaritch behind him and the rest of the squad flanking them.

"You okay kid - you hurt?" Quaritch asked as Spider shivered when the wind chilled his sodden hair and body.

"No, just tired."

"Hmm," the man huffed, apparently unsatisfied with this answer. "You need a hot meal."

"I had a banana fruit last night, before you got the Yovo berry."

"You seriously think that's enough?" Quaritch sounded irritated.

Spider shrugged. He was hungry. But eating was weird. He wasn't presented with food often, and when he was, he often felt too sick to actually stomach anything. He cast around for a change of topic.

"Okay, try this one... oel ngati kameie."

"Oel nati kameie."

Damn, Quaritch's pronunciation had improved a lot. Still sounded ridiculous though. "Not nati... ngati!" he chided, trying to emphasise the Na'vi accent and placing a hand on Quaritch's knee, the better to turn around and face him.

"Ngaati, I got it, like it's coming out of your nose or something..."

Spider snickered at the man's attempt. It still sounded terrible.

"Hey boss," Spider heard over the communicator. "Base picked up a signal coming from out west, could be Sully."

Wainfleet's words sent a chill down Spider's spine. He had no idea what that meant or why Jake would be emitting a signal that was detectable by the RDA, but he suddenly found himself praying for the second time that day, as Quaritch banked hard with renewed enthusiasm towards Bridgehead.