#Choose your backup singers carefully

[icarusthelunarguard]

This Week’s Horrible-Scopes

It’s time for this week’s Horrible-Scopes! So for those of you that know your Astrological Signs, cool! If not, just pick one, roll a D12, or just make it up as you go along. It really doesn’t matter. Better yet! Check out “Heart of the Game, Fredonia” and see if they can sell you those D12’s with the symbols on them. Tell them “Shujin Tribble” sentcha. And “Hail, Hail, Fredonia!” Home of the Blue Devil!

No plan, no backup, no weapons worth a damn, oh, and something else we don't have: anything to lose! So, if you are sitting up there in your silly little spaceships with all your silly little guns, and you've got any plans on taking the Pandorica tonight, just remember who's standing in your way! And then… AND THEN… do the smart thing: Let Someone Else Try First.

Aries 

We keep telling some of you to go out there on a car day-trip, maybe rent a super car, or hop a train and do it that way. Well this time we’re going a different way - Get Out On The Water! Book a berth on a fishing boat, wake up at WAY too early in the morning, and go out fishing. Just remember that whatever you catch is going home with you as food. So This Week… Buy a good sized cooler that’ll hold about 10 pounds of ice without leaking. 

Taurus 

If you’re going on vacation choose where to go carefully. Yes you could go to Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming… but if you REALLY want to see Yogi and Booboo Bear, plan your visit to Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park Camp-Resorts! There’s plenty of places to choose to visit; from Annapolis Valley, Nova Scotia to Lodi, California. So This Week… You are not permitted to tempt the bear with pick-i-nick baskets. You WILL be spotted and “excused from the park”. Do NOT try it.

Gemini  

Are you a SuperHero? You’ll probably say, “No”, but that’s not the correct answer. The answer isn’t, “Yes” either. The only correct answer is, “You need to ask someone else.” Because YOU might not think you’re that special, but we’re pretty sure someone else out there knows you are to them. So This Week… Batman didn’t have any superpowers, but he was able to pickpocket a power ring off Green Lantern Hal Jordan. Let’s also acknowledge that this WAS Hal Jordan we’re talking about, so not THAT big a task. But Still!

Cancer Moon-Child 

We were going to ask you if you knew the lyrics to the song, “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” - those first mambo-jumbo words that don’t seem to mean anything. Well, turns out THAT song is a cover! The original song title was "Mbube" (the Zulu word for "lion") and was written and first recorded in 1939 by Solomon Linda, a South African Zulu singer. "Wimoweh" is a mishearing of the original song's chorus of "Uyimbube"… Zulu for, 'You are a lion'. So This Week… Follow EVERY rabbit hole of information you can! You will learn so much!

Leo 

OH! We’re not even CLOSE to done discussing songs where we never understood the meaning! Let’s go to the 1976 hit, “December, 1963 (Oh What a Night!)” by The Four Seasons. You need to listen to those lyrics again because we KNOW you won’t just take our word for it. Hear, take a listen. “Oh, I… I got a funny feelin' when she walked in the room. And my… as I recall it ended much too soon.” So This Week… Don’t go overthinking this one. It’s about a First Time One Night Stand! Stop thinking that pop music was never about sex!

Virgo 

Ok. One more song and its lyrics. But this time it’s a cartoon series theme! It goes like this… “Amp it up! Amp it up Action Man! Action Man, Amp It Up! Amp It Up Action Man, Greatest Hero Of Them All!” So This Week… He may have been the “Greatest” hero, but he wasn’t the FIRST Superhero the world has ever known. THAT honour goes to Captain Caveman! Go look him up. 

Libra

We get that you don’t like some food because of the texture. Don’t like raw tomatoes in Caprese Salad but you like pizza sauce? Perfectly understandable. You’ll happily eat apples but loath applesauce? Ok, we get you. But we draw the line at Peanut Butter with you. So This Week.. those of you that like Chunky, Crunchy Peanut Butter are dead to us now. Hope it was worth it. 

Scorpio 

You know how big Canada is? It has two major, recognized languages, dozens of localized dialects, who-only-knows how many native languages, and more waterways than you could count! And Canada is, arguably, the SINGULAR Most-Important country in the world, and you never realized it. And now you get to learn why. So This Week… The North Pole is in Canada. And WHO LIVES AT THE NORTH POLE?! That’s right! And it’s only FOUR MONTHS until Christmas! Get Your Holiday Purchases done NOW!

Sagittarius 

What the hell have you been smokin’ last week? Don’t you even TRY to lie to us, we know what you’ve been doing and you need to cut it the hell out! And no, we’re not going to drop cold water on you to put it out! So This Week… You need to watch how hot your deep frying oil gets! 400F is too damned close to the Flashpoint of pretty much EVERY oil you might be making poutine fries with. CUT IT OUT! 

Capricorn 

You’re really in need of a hobby, but always thinking you’re not good enough at something quickly enough. It’s. A. Hobby! It’s not a job. You don’t need to make money off it and you don’t have to be perfect at it. It’s supposed to be something you enjoy; It’s supposed to be “whimsey”, not stress. So This Week… You either need “eBay For Canadians For Dummies” or “Anger Management For Dummies”. Either way there’s a War Crime’s a’commin’! 

Aquarius 

Nothing’s going wrong for you this week, and we’re proud for this one! Things will be arranged in such a way to be “close, but no collision” and it’s a double-edged sword. Problem is it’ll be a little stressful watching things happen near you, but you’ll be safe. So This Week… Buy and wear a full-body chainmail suit. If Zeus wants to smite you, make sure he has to WORK at it for a change. 

Pisces  

The Flying Spaghetti Monster has caressed your karma with His Noodly Appendage and bestowed upon you his blessings. Your reaction times will be improved, your die rolls superior, your sense of smell improved, and your voice will rival that of a cardinal. So This Week… Honestly, things are a little tight for us on money. We’re having a hard time bribing The Stars to give you special dispensation. So it’s time for you to cough up some dough, ‘cause… You know, that’s a nice Fortune you’ve got there. Be a SHAME for something to happen to it next week. 

And THOSE are your Horrible-Scopes for this week! Remember if you liked what you got, we’re obviously not working hard enough at these. BUT! If you want a better or nastier one for your own sign or someone else’s, all you need to do to bribe me is just Let Me Know - or check out the Ko-Fi page ( https://ko-fi.com/icarusthelunarguard )! These will be posted online at the end of each week via Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook, Discord, and BLUESKY.

[honkifyourelonely]

thoughts on reverie, the new ben platt album:

- bedroom pop meets 80s nostalgia

- I personally am a Lover of back up singers/musical theatre/gospel vibes so it’s just not holding up to sing to me instead imo, the fun and originality of that album isnt here for me, the songs are Fine but like, no making me feel

- (also “dance with you” is bad especially when compared to “share your address” :()

- i hope that if he makes more albums they explore different vibes and don’t just stick with this one (if he chooses a diff concept each time that would be unique and interesting at least whether I like the particular vibe or not)

- omg cool falsettos reference with the arrangement of “that’s just love” at the end of king of the world pt 2

- id be interested to hear this album in concert bc maybe those live music vibes would enhance it for me?

- I like carefully but goddamn I wish it was backup singers and not (Cassy you looked up the proper term) ben multiplied

- it’s kinda frustrating ig bc he has such a great fucking voice and when you put digital effects on it you can’t hear that so it’s like :| this could be any dude

- chasing you is good but also not good???

- I have been in the desert gasping for a piano and came back gave it to me

- STOP putting in digital drumbeats and just let him sing please…

- ben stop trying to sing falsetto riffs in the background youre embarrassing yourself… that’s why you should have backup singers…

- dark times is the first normal song but the lyrics are kinda meh also… just hire backup singers don’t multiply him please please please

- “we’re 27 now” omg cool why from tick tick boom reference

- imagine makes me feel nothing soz

- “rearranging deck chairs on the titanic” omg cool mbmbam reference

alright conclusion this album is a Completely Different Vibe that, while still pretty unique, is much more align with what’s popular rn. unfortunately as a quirky hipster who prefers the prevalent piano, backing vocals, humor, and tightness of a more musical theatre style (which was employed in his previous album), this one really didn’t do it for me. his impressive vocals don’t shine at all, the lyrics aren’t fun or unique or clever, and I just don’t feel that much about any of it :(. just take off the haze and let me Hear him please ya know. uhm. hope all the Olivia rodrigo Conan Gray taylor swift troye Sivan girl in red Billie eillish lovers (neutral) enjoy it at least.

[meyhew]

I'm glad that you're not as blind as some other Larries are. They legit think Azoffs are in any other one d members' support other than Harry. They basically alienated him in one D just to show he was the lead singer and others were his backup singers (separate planes, hotels etc) and this was not the first time they did that with a group but I'm so so thankful to Louis for standing up against all that bullshit. I'm sure all of them had plans for once the band was over because let's be honest, all of them had the capability of becoming solo singers from the start. They're all killing it right now despite the hurdles. No one can say ANY of them are bad singers. So yeah one direction wouldn't have lasted long anyway because solo money is solo money. But the way Harry was given preference WAS really cruel to other boys no matter what anyone else says. I don't necessarily blame Harry because not a lot of people can resist that kinda pull towards stardom and legendary status. People do far worse for lesser opportunities. But I still don't approve of those methods, comparing Harry with other boys and insulting them in the process (which is still going on tbh), putting majority of the money on harry's promo while depriving other artists (not just Louis) of promo (a very common practice in music industry, all big stars rose after stepping on other people, it is what it is), downplaying Zayn's success (I still think Zayn is a more popular and more listened to artist all over the world than Harry despite the figures) and making jokes at his expense to make it look like he is just some forgotten thing instead of a superstar. You can choose to not acknowledge all these things and stay in a bubble or you can choose to acknowledge these things and then figure out your feelings about Harry (Harry specially because his career and business practices are more prominent and apparent on a larger scale). I think it all comes down to you as a person, how much do you want to believe that harry is involved in everything. For me personally, I don't think he specifically chose to sabotage Louis, j think it's the overall impact on other artists but Louis is connected to him via Larry. I think Louis wants to make his own path without compromising his values and with each passing day he's leaning more and more away from celeb culture and inequality of capitalism and I don't think his goal is money anymore. I honestly don't know what Harry's goal is because I don't think it's money either. Maybe a legendary status. But the main point is I do believe Harry is aware of unethical implication of the methods Azoffs use to create his legendary status, what we don't know is how he truly feels about those practices because he's bound by contracts. We may never know that just like we may never know BTS stories of one D. So in the end we all project our own interpretation of his actions to either hate him or justify his actions. His image is too carefully curated for any missteps where anything real might be revealed. So in the end it's us who define Harry styles and not Harry styles himself. The only factor that can be said about him with some degree of certainty is that he's not an asshole when he meets people. Rest is all speculation

i’m posting this without comment but i agree with the overall tone 

[wooowthanks]

An open letter about my time at Grace Youth Klang.

I first joined when I was 13. It felt like I didn’t fit in - I was too old for GCC, too young to truly understand the youth. I flitted around, unsteady, slowly learning, slowly observing. But I thrived, eventually, even though I remained the “quiet” one there. I was forced into a zone far from my comfort. I learnt about media, taking photos and videos while not knowing what the butt an ISO was. I helped in events, in fundraising, in leading teams in camp even though I was definitely NOT a people person. I won, three years in a row (still a braggable achievement). I lead the worship team (tried), working my way up from being a backup singer. I learnt how to harmonise. I became a “leader”.

I’ve noticed - so many people, so many adults, see the easier parts. They see us hanging around at the foyer, laughing too loudly while collecting forms. They see us always at church, playing games, never leaving Taman Chi Liung restaurant. They see us taking an Instagram story of Kevin and Teo playing around, of us lying down on the somewhat clean 2nd Hall floors.

But what they focus on is this - us speaking up when we disagree with something. Our tendency towards “defying authority”. Our “laziness” when we can’t commit to yet another thing, yet another event. Our lack of cooperation. Our inability towards working with whatever person they put to lead us. Our inability to submit to authority. Our inability to bow down, and accept things for what it is.

What they don’t see, what they didn’t see - we were still just kids. We were leaders yes, but we were still youths who didn’t have a pastor to guide them. They didn’t see that we were still young people, trying to make it better for the younger ones, figuring out the unknown slowly. They didn’t see the time we so carefully carved out, from piles of university assignments to come to church for practice. They didn’t see the Sunday lunches we take so late to collect forms, and the times we leave our late lunches to collect more from those who couldn’t do it earlier. They didn’t see the personal problems we had- the burnout of giving and not receiving, the family problems, the friendships lost, the emotional turmoil. They didn’t see the numerous night long meetings held to discuss ways to improve the youth, ways to be better, to foster the spirit of excellence in everything we do. They didn’t see the times we unfailingly attended our prayer meetings and cell groups on Fridays after hours long of standing in the KTM, or the month long trainings or camp meetings we had every Saturday morning. They didn’t see the WhatsApp messages that the leaders sent to keep up with the youth, they didn’t see how those texts grew into friendships that were/ are treasured. They didn’t see that we didn’t have the time for ourselves, because we so willingly invested it in the youth.

...how could they say that we were cliquish, when all we had were one another?

Being a leader wasn’t great, but it was good, sometimes. I truly treasure all that happened in my years serving. I learnt to get a thick skin, because people are going to tell you that your work isn’t good enough and that you aren’t cut out for it, even though you’ve already given years. Because after serving non stop and feeing burnt out... maybe I just “wasn’t made for serving”, right?. I’ve gotten the chance to meet so many types of people - from the ones who will preach about knowing every single name and yet never refer you by your name despite asking for it 3 times, to the friends who will cry with you in the KTM, ready with a hug, when empty cans start to make noise. I’ve gotten to learn about myself, to work my way towards the career I will ultimately choose, I’ve gotten my first hand experience on handling clients civilly, when someone wanted the youth logo to be rainbow coloured. I’ve learned to stand up for myself, to stand up for others, to ask questions always, because it’s the right thing to do. You build each other up, you correct one another. You do not keep quiet when you know something is wrong.

Being a “leader” isn’t a cool title to bear, nor does it mean the cool custom shirts that we made and paid for ourselves at the start for use in formal events. It means sweeping the 2nd Hall floor, stacking up the chairs, early mornings and late nights for preparations, meetings with mistakes thrown at you, trainings that you sacrifice weekends for, agendas you disagree with being pushed at you. It means doing the things that people don’t see you doing, and getting called lazy, anyway.

I’m not going to say that I’ll forget the bad times here. I’ll remember the terrible politics in a place that’s supposed to be used to glorify god, I’ll remember the adults that smile at you and gossip behind your back, I’ll remember the manipulation, the lies, the misuse of “God told me to do it” or “God spoke to me” to justify a decision that is so clearly not thought through. I’ll remember the hypocrites who’ve showed everyone just how holy they are, and how they can never do wrong. I’ll remember the people who “cared” about the youth so much that they spread around about how the leaders just stayed because they cared for their positions.

When I attended SIB that one rare time, I remember someone sharing about a youth saying this to a pastor, “thank you for letting us make mistakes”. Maybe that’s what’s lacking all this while - the ability to make mistakes and to grow from them without fear. We’ve made our mistakes, yes, but each one has turned to a weight that constantly adds unto our shoulders, a fault to add unto a long list of how we always fall short.

We’ve made our mistakes, but so has some of those in authority. But instead of giving the same treatment we’ve received, we’re expected to submit to authority, unfailingly, unquestionably. But well... we’re not the first to leave, and we’re not even the second. And in all of this - we weren’t the common denominator.

Honestly, I could go on and on. About their faults, about my hurt, about my own faults. But from all of that, apart from the lessons I’ve learnt, what I’ll want to remember is this: the time Aaron Koh spilled coffee into Dillen’s nose when we all lied down in the main hall, tired from setting up for Starry Night. The time we found puppies in the drain and washed the stink out of them and got them adopted. Making wire tags for Hydrowar in the second hall. Our voices cracking when we can’t reach a note. Early first day of camp mornings and the rush to get campers settled. The late nights in camp, eating our dinners when the campers ate their suppers. Prepping for GA gifts and camp junk food with Cheryl. Building the whole stage deco wrongly twice and then building it up again only to realise that it’s upside down. Playing “bang” or uno in the multipurpose room. Soaking sessions with the committee, just one guitar, maybe one piano, and a whole bunch of young adults crying for more. BR with David, JRR and Aaron. Honey chicken rice at Taman Chi Liung, and peanut butter milkshakes at Pink Dugong after. The tired, bittersweet feeling after camps, putting the stuff back from the vans and lorries. Lying on the wheelchair ramp, too tired to move after camp at Ipoh. Ranting with Aaron Shawn. Khishan’s horrible watermelon gummies, and him making the church yeet. Josh Tan laughing so hard that he snorted maggi out his nose. Prepping for Sunday group sharing/ devo with Sam Swee at McDs. Chermaine and Cheryl teaching me how to harmonise. And so many other more that I can’t name, because that would take ages.

I left grace youth after I turned 21. I’ve lost my faith, and I’ve tried (am trying?) to rebuild it. I’ve lost some friends, and got people who now mean so much more. I’ve learnt that there’s a time to fight, and that there’s a time when fighting will never be enough. And I know I’ve left the youth earlier on, in January, and now Grace itself, but it feels apt to leave a grammar mistake ridden, ranty post about my time in youth because it’s where I’ve grown so immensely. I will miss it, but it’s time to be at places we will grow.

[caps-lockdown]

Sweet on You pt 2

Hey everyone here is Part Two of my “Sweet on you” series. I’ve decided on 5 parts total but they’re gonna be big chapters so get ready. I would have posted this sooner but my mom got married yesterday and the last few days have been nothing short of hell. Enjoy!

Pairings: Steve Rogers x Female Reader

Summary: A morning meeting with The Avengers on your birthday after they return home from a mission in Miami.

Words: 2,694 (It’s only gonna get bigger from here but I’ll try to keep it as close to this length as possible in the future!)

Ratings: PG 13 (Language)

Warnings: Language. Otherwise all fluff and a little bit of self doubt. 

Again no Beta so the mistakes are mine! Thanks for reading! Tag list is open just send me an ask or comment!

Part Two: Of Muffins and Toilet Paper

“Running late, running late! Excuse me! Please move!”

Your requests came out muffled snaps at the random coworkers strung about The Tower’s lobby. It was seven fifty in the morning and you were juggling three bags of freshly baked pastries, eight cups of hot beverages, and a clipboard with the meeting’s notes on it from Pepper. Your car keys were hanging out of your mouth as you raced to catch an elevator without spilling your drinks and giving yourself third degree burns.

“Thank you!” You managed to get out once the elevator closed and started climbing floors, your coworkers only smiling and nodding in understanding. You usually were never this behind. You had prepped your pastries the night before, chilling the batter so you just had to bake them this morning. You had your outfit picked out and knew how you would wear your hair and makeup.

All of that went out the window when Steve decided to call you at midnight and throw off your whole morning. God forbid the team cared about you.

Your heels clacked loudly across the hard floor as you made your way to the conference room, pushing open the large doors to find not a soul inside. Your eyes darted to the clock on the far right wall. Four minutes. You had four minutes.

Carefully setting the drinks down you hurried to take the assorted muffins out of their bags, thankful you had left out the serving dishes and napkins two days prior for easier set up. You had decided on just making muffins this morning, not getting much sleep and not wanting to deal with making scones.

“You got this Y/N.”

You repeated the mantra to yourself as you began setting the cups down in the correct seating order, taking a moment to giggle at the obnoxious plates you had picked out. “Birthday Princess” was written in giant pink and purple sparkly cursive on the plate, splattered with crown and heart graphics. You had seen them earlier in the week and simply couldn’t say no to them. Or the matching napkins.

You had just placed Steve’s simple two shot Americano at his seat when the doors opened to reveal Pepper in a hurried state, her protruding baby bump seemingly leading the way through the room. Your eyes shot to the clock. Eight am, on the dot. You smiled as she sighed blissfully into her cup of hot chocolate. The doors opened for the third time that morning and your head snapped to watch the arrival of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.

The Avengers looked like half awake zombies as they slugged their way to the table. By the looks of it no one had been badly hurt during the drug bust. That was a plus. Thor had a black eye, Sam and Tony had a couple scratches. Nat had a cut on her bottom lip. Bucky and Bruce seemed totally fine as they groaned in appreciation at their coffee cups and pastries at the table, causing Thor to chuckle. You felt your breath hitch as the last member of the team made his way into the room, his eyes fixed on yours as he smiled wide.

Steve Rogers looked like an exhausted million bucks.

His beard had been shaved before he left for this mission, but you were more than happy to notice a layer of stubble coming in over his strong jaw line. He had a few thin scratches on his face that had already been tended to by the looks of it, which you were thankful for. He had his gray slacks on and dark blue button up shirt sleeves rolled up at the elbow. One of your many weaknesses. Especially when they had forearms like his.

He had stopped a few feet away from you and held his arms open wide, motioning you in with a nod and “come on then” hand gesture.

You didn’t need to be told twice.

Everyone laughed as you practically jumped into his arms, his large frame easily engulfing you in a huge bear hug. You didn’t suppress your own laughter as he made a show of picking you up at the waist and spinning you around for good measure. He smelled nothing short of intoxicating, his body pressed against yours as he squeezed you. You silently prayed to anyone that was listening that he wouldn’t let go.

But it was over of course too soon for your liking, and after a quick “thank you” Steve took his seat and you moved to stand beside Pepper. You couldn’t help but feel like he hadn’t wanted the embrace to end either. No, that would be absurd. You were you and he was…well he was perfect. No way would he return those feelings.

You composed yourself as the team all took turns grabbing pastries. Thor and Bucky wasting no time at all before stuffing their faces with cranberry orange muffins. Tony chuckled as he cracked open a simple blueberry one, Nat shaking her head and continuing to sip her coffee.

“So Y/N, how did you manage to pull all of this off? This muffin is amazing by the way.” Tony asked, crumbs falling out of his mouth and making you laugh.

“Well after my beauty sleep was rudely interrupted by some of the worst singing I’ve ever heard, I managed to repress the trauma long enough to fall back asleep for a couple more hours.” You noticed Bruce snort into his coffee cup.

“Well I know you’re not talking about me,” Bucky winked. “My singing was perfect.”

“Right,” You blinked at him, raising an eyebrow.  

“ So should I tell my neighbors the barking dogs outside were merely backup singers?”

Steve’s loud laughter broke your eye contact as you looked over at the hysterical leader. He had his hand over his heart and his head was thrown back as the rest of the team joined in. His laugh was truly one of the best sounds you had ever heard, and you found yourself staring at him for longer than originally intended. Shaking yourself out of your creeper stare you picked up an apple muffin and held it up in a mock salute at Bucky, shaking your head as he feigned hurt feelings.

“So Y/N any big plans for today?” Nat asked, finally settling on taking one of the remaining blueberry muffins and putting it on her plate.

“Well now that I know you’re all back safe and sound and in one piece I was planning on going into a coma. Pepper here has been running me ragged.” You joked, noticing how Pepper’s arm shot out to playfully smack you.

“So you don’t have any plans tonight?” Sam piped up and you simply shrugged your shoulders, looking down at the table.

“Gotta have friends to have plans Sam. I just have you lot.”

“Says the girl that baked us muffins on her birthday. And brought us coffee!” Tony interjected, Bucky clucking his tongue in approval.

“Yea twenty bucks says she didn’t even get herself coffee this morning because she didn’t have enough room for it and our orders.”

You felt your face heat up in embarrassment as Sam’s statement rang out over the room. To be fair you had made your own coffee at your apartment that morning. You just hadn’t gotten to drink it. You continued to stare at the table and slightly shuffled your feet, feeling extremely self conscious of everyone’s eyes on you.

“Hey regardless if Y/N chose to get your stupid leaf water over her much deserved birthday caffeine you should be thanking her!” Nat shot out and the table grew quiet, having realized no one had thanked you yet.

“Oh shit. I’m sorry Y/N. Thank you for once again putting us above yourself and doing all of this for us. But it’s your birthday! We aren’t anything special.”

You brought your eyes up to look at Sam before scanning around the room, meeting everyone’s gazes as they broke into statements of gratitude. You blinked up at the ceiling before taking a breath, choosing your next words carefully.

“To me all of you are special. I don’t have any actual family anymore. I don’t have a lot to show for my first thirty years on this planet,“ Your eyes slowly made their way around the table, you managing a small and shy smile.

“But I have you all, and that makes all of it bearable.” You managed to get out, your voice coming out almost like a croak as you gazed at Steve, trying to keep your emotions at bay. He smiled warmly at you before Tony started to slow clap, everyone joining in while you rolled your eyes.

So much for nice moment.

Your gaze moved to see Pepper glaring at Tony, who apparently was clueless as to why. That was never good, and you had a feeling this meeting was about to take a turn.

“ As nice as that was Y/N, can I have your attention everyone? Just wanted a quick little meeting on this week.” Her tone was curt and the team noticed. The mood in the room changed as she took a small side step out of the podium.

“This morning all of you thankfully got back safely after taking down the Marques drug ring this past week in Miami. No casualties, and you managed to pull over thirty five men into custody including Aaron Marques and his brother Luis. Extremely well done everyone. This ring was a huge heavy hitter so be on the lookout for other rings trying to rise to power with both of the Marques behind bars.” She smiled at the team, purposely ignoring Tony.

“There are currently more arrest warrants being handed out by Miami PD but I’m glad you all didn’t forget your common sense,”

She gave a pointed look to Tony, who continued to look at her with a blank face.

“Unlike someone who forgot to get toilet paper for the house before he left.”

The look she gave Tony forced you to fake a cough to cover your laughter. Finally the heat was off of you from this past week and a half. Happy birthday indeed.

“Pep I told you I was busy with all of this mission detail…”

“You also forgot to put the crib together, help me pack the go bag for the hospital like you said you would, and…” There was a raging fire in Pepper’s eyes as she got closer to Tony’s seat, causing him to shrink into it with every step she took.

“You have the nerve to blame “mission detail”?!” She exaggerated quotation marks, earning a grimace from most of the team. Pepper had been nothing short of a train wreck this pregnancy. You knew you weren’t the only one excited it was almost over.

“You are unbelievable! I am having your child in less than three months and you can’t even be bothered to help with it!” She continued, letting out a huff and continuing to stare Tony down.

They wanted to keep the gender a surprise, but you were hoping on a child with the temperament of Tony. As weird as that sounded.

Everyone looked extremely uncomfortable as Tony fidgeted in his chair, the sound of the squeaking back support the only sound in the room as he contemplated his next move.

As someone who had been under fire from the woman in question while he was gone, you could understand how intimidating she was. The first time she yelled at you, you had accidentally changed the hand soap in the office bathroom from “Linen fresh” to “Berry Breeze” and apparently that was grounds for a mental breakdown.

You watched Tony gulp and reach out to hold her hands, never breaking eye contact with his very furious wife.

“Listen beautiful I’m so sorry and I’ll make it up to you tomorrow with a spa day and all the hot chocolate you and baby Stark want. I’ll put up the crib and pack the whatever bag and you can just go relax and talk crap to your friends about how I’m a terrible husband, alright?”

He brought his wife’s slightly swollen hands to his mouth and placed kisses on them, her resolve cracking and causing her to nod her head, tears welling in her eyes as she bent down to kiss him.

“Anyone else weirded the hell out by these mood swings?” Sam questioned, causing Pepper and Tony to laugh, the tension leaving the room.

“Well that’s pretty much all I had, I admit this pregnancy brain has me all kinds of moody. But I’ll let you know if we have any more developments in Miami. Now that Marquez is out, we have no doubt someone will try to rise and take over.”

You couldn’t help but feel like the meeting hadn’t really been a meeting. There hadn’t been any real details given and you had a strange suspicion that they were killing time. The team stood up and began helping you throw away trash and clear off the table.

“What’re you doing with those baked goods Y/N?” Bruce asked as you finished wiping the table down, eyeing the amount of crumbs on the floor.

“Oh I’ll take them down to damage control. They could use the pick me up after this week.” You smiled at him and he nodded, understanding the situation in Miami left a big mess to clean up. They would certainly have their hands full.

“Alright everyone this has been fun but I have to get back to my actual job now.” You headed towards the door and Steve rushed to your side to open it for you.

“Aww thanks Rogers. How sweet.” You patted his arm before walking into the hallway, your heels clicking across the floor again as you made your way to the elevator. You were quick to hide your blush as he waved you on, saddened you wouldn’t be able to spend more time with him right now. You caught a glimpse of him and Bucky standing just outside the room as the elevator door closed.

~~~~~~~~

“So when ya gonna ask Y/N out?” Bucky clapped Steve on the shoulder while giving him a knowing look.

“You think she has any idea?” Steve continued to stare straight ahead down the hall, the smell of your perfume still swimming in his senses.

“Not with how close you play things to the chest Steve. You should tell her soon though before Sam gets any stupid ideas and ruins it.”

“I was talking about the surprise party. My feelings aren’t any of your business.” The Captain gave a side glance to Bucky before continuing to stare at the elevator it descended floors, the numbers changing as you made your way down the building.

“Of course they are Steve! Everyone knows you have a soft spot for her. Just ask her out for coffee like a normal human being already! It isn’t that hard. Women like her don’t stay single for long and as soon as Y/N wants to start looking for someone, you better hope you’ve already told her how you feel.”

“But when will it ever be a good time? Who knows when our next mission will happen. What if I tell her and she doesn’t return my feelings?” Steve sighed, running a hand through his hair, avoiding looking at his best friend.

He couldn’t think of anything worse than being turned down by the only woman who seemed to see him as something more than “Captain America”. And then he would have to see her at work all the time after that. No thank you.

“Oh Stevie,” Bucky chuckled, shaking his head and patting his shoulder in reassurance.

“You have tonight at her surprise party. Just come out and tell her already buddy. Besides, I bet fifty bucks against Tony who is pretty adamant that she’s not team Cap.” Bucky winked at his longtime friend before heading down the hall, Steve still watching the elevator door.

Maybe, just maybe, you were sweet on him too.

Tag List: @kaytizzle and @cuffski

[ixiethepixiewrites]

Synesthesia

Rating: G

Warnings: Some existential shit in the beginning, no real warnings, pre-relationship usukus

Summary: The colors had left him, so what would it take to bring them back? Rockstar AU

A/N: I was reading an interview with the lead singer of Panic! At The Disco and his words really resonated with me and pushed this out of my brain shjbjdhsj it started as just me writing my feelings but turned into a fic. Hope you enjoy. A little piece of my soul is in this one.

Colors, words, shapes. Alfred could see them all, and it was beautiful. When a song ended and changed to the next track, new colors appeared, the shapes melted into other forms, and words twisted to become something entirely different. That was how he had always seen the world when he listened to his favorite bands, when he wrote songs on napkins at coffee shops, or when he rode on a bus with headphones in. The music always took him somewhere new, a burst of colors that followed him wherever he went. When he had tried to explain this to his friends, they had looked at him like he was crazy, and he had to laugh it off. Pretending it was a joke hurt him, his insides twisting uncomfortably. No one would be able to understand.

Those long years in high school had turned his colors gray, the shapes vanished, and words no longer came to him. He’d lost all interest in his music, choosing to focus on things that his friends would like better. His guitar sat in his closet, untouched. The drum set he used to bang on? In the garage, gathering dust. Every year, the colors faded even more, and had all but vanished by the time he was graduated. Life had become a chore, nothing brought that same feeling back to him, but at least his friends and family were satisfied. His parents were proud of him for giving up his dreams and going for the dreams they’d picked for him. His friends enjoyed the sports they played together, urging him to play professionally. Naturally, he did as he was told, but all the joy on his face had become fake. His smile was forced, the laughs were hollow, yet no one seemed to notice.

Laying in bed, watching the ceiling fan rotate slowly, Alfred reflected on his life. What was good about it? Others would say he had it all, but was that really true? Did he really have it all if it all felt so empty? The tears started small at first, but as the weeks turned to months, more came out, spilling forth in tidal waves of blue. He wrote the first song in years, a testament to the pain that stabbed at his heart, gut wrenching feelings that awoke within him after so many years of being crushed and put to the side. He tore that paper in half, leaving it in the bottom of his closet with the other remnants of his old joys. It was too painful to look at them anymore, to see that reminder of happier times, when his joy had been real.

TV flickering to life at his command, he numbly watched the news, wanting noise to drown out the words in his mind. Oh but it never worked, they would always be there to haunt him when he went to sleep, stealing the rest from his body and leaving him drained by the time he had to wake up in the morning. The weather rolled by in a blur before something caught his eye. A man in a torn up punk rock style shirt who was flipping off the cameras. Arthur Kirkland, the name scrolled along the bottom of the newscast. Then a miracle happened.

Music played on the TV, video of this man’s concert, and something caught in the corner of Alfred’s vision. There was another flash to the side, and he’d seen it for sure that time! It had been green, he was sure of it! The video clip ended and he desperately waited, hoping that the music would play again, or perhaps the name of the band would be shown. When he had no such luck, Alfred turned to the internet, the saviour of his ignorance. Typing in the name Arthur Kirkland had led to a plethora of interview pages, but one particular name stood out. “Black Rose Tea...”

The name echoed in Alfred’s mind as he typed it into a video site, praying for results to show up. Blessedly, the band did pop up, album after album showing under the search results. He chose a song at random, listening to it while he lay on his bed. The colors graced him with their presence, shapes and words joining in and nearly making him cry from the feelings they evoked. He’d found them again, after so many years, his words and colored shapes had returned to him. The feelings within him were overwhelming, but he just kept playing songs, listening to each and every album, desperate to get more of that beautiful imagery flowing before his eyes. At around four in the morning, he ran out of songs to listen to, but that didn’t matter anymore. He had what he needed, and he was ready to give up everything he had to keep a hold of it.

The weeks rolled by as normal, but he now saw the world in a different light. Everything seemed brighter, happier, or maybe that was just him? The colors radiated so strongly, music filling his very soul and making his smiles feel less and less empty. When the news was announced that Black Rose Tea was coming on tour in the USA, Alfred had stayed up for 48 hours straight just to buy VIP tickets for the venue closest to him. He spent all the days before the concert preparing, unable to hold back his excitement, no matter how many odd looks he got from teammates and friends alike.

The night of the show, he was eagerly bouncing on his heels backstage, ready to see the band walk by and to their dressing rooms. What he saw soon after nearly broke his heart. The drummer of the band had walked out, leaving a fuming Arthur and a shell shocked Kiku Honda behind. Did they have a backup? From the looks they were giving each other, and their hushed tones, he figured that it was a no. Biting his lip, Alfred glanced warily at the large bodyguards, before he inched closer to the rope that kept the fans back. When he figured he was close enough, he realized he had no way to get their attention. That was when he remembered what he had brought for Arthur to sign.

Hurriedly, he pulled out the sheet of paper, the one that had the song of his sorrows on it, then scribbled a message on the back and balled it up. With a quick prayer to any diety that would listen, he threw the paper, hitting the singer on the back of the head. Surprised by the sudden hit, Alfred could soon see the glare he received from the rocker. Thankfully, the band’s other member, Kiku, had chosen to pick the paper up and unfolded it carefully. In black ink, the note read: ‘If you need a temporary drummer, I know how to play all your songs.’

Arthur took the note and read it, then he eyed Alfred warily before calling for security to bring him forward, all while the other fans nearby whined. Clearly they had not seen that fight as Alfred had, because they chose instead to complain about the concert being late to start and cutting into their autograph time. Holding up the note, Arthur raised an eyebrow at Alfred skeptically.

“Do you really know them all? Even the most recent release? It’s only been out for a month--”

Alfred nodded his head quickly. “If you give me sticks, I can prove it. I just... I just wanna help. I saw what happened right here and I know all these guys will definitely be upset if you had to cancel just because Francis is being a drama queen.”

That comment earned a snort from Arthur, who was now smirking. “I like you already. Follow me, we’ll see if you have what it takes to handle this job for one night. Can you sing?”

“Uh, I mean, I’m nowhere near as awesome as you, but I think-”

“Flattery gets you nowhere kid, can you sing?”

Alfred felt his cheeks redden in embarrassment. “Dude, you’re only a year and a half older than me, I’m not a kid... and yeah, I can sing.”

As they stepped into a closed off rehearsal room, Kiku politely handed the paper back to Alfred. “You write well. Is this a song?”

“A songwriter, hm?” Arthur snatched the paper before Alfred could, and read it over.

That was it, Alfred’s life was complete, Arthur Kirkland was actually reading his song, oh sweet jeebus have mercy was it hot in here? Face as red as Kiku’s base, Alfred couldn’t help but fiddle with his jacket sleeves. What would Arthur think of his music? Surely it would look amateurish compared to any real singer, but Alfred figured that it at least had feelings to it.

When he was done reading, Arthur’s eyes met Alfred’s, a startling green staring at his own blue with surprise. The words that left his lips caught Alfred off guard.

“You see them too?”

That very same green that filled Alfred’s soul with every song of Arthur’s he’d listened to, it was in his eyes right now. The world had come to a stand still, and Alfred could only numbly nod his head in affirmation. Yes, he did see them, he had for the longest time. “Your music brought them back to me. My whole world had lost color, but when i heard you, I- I could see again.”

A small, genuine smile was the response, and Alfred swore his heart had stopped in that very moment. Those beautiful eyes stared into his own and he felt a whole new type of color flow through him. It was one of the most glorious feelings Alfred had ever been lucky enough to experience. It may have been only infatuation, but it was a start.

“Come on, lad, we have a concert to perform. What’s your name?”

“Ah-uh, Alfred Jones.”

“Alfred, hm? Welcome to the band.”

Arthur handed the paper back after writing something on the top. It was a single word, one that Alfred had never heard before, and yet he knew what it meant already. A word for the things he saw when he was in the music, feeling it, breathing it, living it. Loving it.

Synesthesia.

Synesthesia is a neurological condition in which a person experiences "crossed" responses to stimuli. It occurs when stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway (e.g., hearing) leads to automatic, involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway (e.g., vision).

[crazyforcococookies]

Looking at blogs and wondering why people feel so entitled to demand their favourite artists tour their cities/countries even if it’s not a big music market or major city for that artist. It’s not a secret. Biggest music market in the world is the USA. Of course, artists choose to concentrate on the market that is most important and has been critical to their success thus far. If your country has a lot of piracy and they are not that big there, why would they make the tour there?  There are also other variables: how big the city is, important media and media size who will cover the tour, if it’s viable to make that pitstop at that city or will there be an opportunity cost. If it takes 12 hours to go to another city from yours and your city has a small media size cos your city is small, it will take an extremely stupid business person to decide to make a stop there. You might think it’s personal that you’re being snubbed cos the city or country you’re in is left out, but to the artist and their team, they are in to balance the books, okay? They have mouths to feed at the end of the day. It’s not just the artist, but their backup singers, bands, production crew, record label and so on. They don’t make money, they won’t make more albums. Think carefully what you wish for. 

Chill out. I know I’m lucky to be able to say I can easily fly out to another city to see an artist I really like because I worked hard to be able to afford it now that I'm a working professional. But when I was a student, I too, missed out on a lot of musicians who always never came to my country. Was I sad? Sure, but I don’t come online to bitch because I know it does nothing. 

[themurphyzone]

Spend the Day with Someone You Love Ch 4

My friends are insane. In one Skype chat we went from discussing Storm in the Room to posting Invader Zim memes with “You lie!” in big letters. At least they’re just as excited for the new Tangled series as I am! 

Ch 4 - Love is a Song that Never Ends (Whether this is Sweet or Annoying is Entirely Subjective)

“I am very disappointed in you both,” Balthazar paced back and forth in front of Vinnie and Arohbeohte. Vinnie feigned interest, popping a piece of dark chocolate in his mouth. Arohbeohte watched an old lady feed squirrels, snapping back to attention when Balthazar cleared his throat. “Arohbeohte, you made it more difficult to cover our tracks. Sometimes property damage is an inevitable factor in certain operations, but you almost destroyed an innocent family’s house. If they are not holding pistachios hostage, then we leave them alone. We cannot risk discovery. Is that understood?”  

Arohbeohte nodded. 

“Vinnie, you neglected to inform Arohbeohte about why her behavior is unacceptable. This is going to reflect badly on us when we report to headquarters,” Balthazar said. 

“You mean if you report it,” Vinnie suggested. “If makes it so you have a choice in the matter, but when is definite.”

Balthazar’s anger drained for a moment. “You may be onto something. Maybe I can just fabricate a report and blame her behavior on faulty engineering.”

“Or you don’t put effort in at all,” Vinnie said. “They shove all the reports they receive into the garbage bin. Never bothered reading them.” 

Balthazar’s mouth dropped open, arms flailing as he struggled to find the correct words to express his outrage. All the time I’ve spent writing extremely detailed accounts for future protectors to peruse, wasted, he thought. He shook his head. He could lament later. There were more pressing issues in the present.

“I’m getting off topic,” Balthazar said. “As much as I want to let out all my steam and you and Arohbeohte, it can wait until after we secure the pistachios at the mall. Now, the mall will be busy since it’s a weekend, so getting around will be difficult, especially with a giant robot in tow.”

“It’s also Valentine’s Day! Which means half-price chocolate sundaes!” Vinnie exclaimed, giving a high-five to Arohbeohte. 

“Valentine’s Day?” Balthazar looked at his watch. Feb 14, 21st century. Your horoscope today: The planet Venus burns in the 3rd house. Just kiss already, idiot. You don’t need this astronomy junk for love., it read. “That blasted holiday?”

“I just like it for the candy,” Vinnie shrugged. “Making a day all about love is pretty awesome though. What do you think, Arohbeohte?”

Arohbeohte thought for a moment, then began to flatten the grass with her feet. She stomped out a crude circle, bending down to carve a smiley face in the center. Then she drew a giant rectangle with the letter ‘P’ on it. Straightening to her full height, she created a torso with two spiky protrusions on the sides. Finally, Arohbeohte added two circles on the bottom, then pointed to the drawing.

“Is that you? Looks good for abstract,” Vinnie commented. Arohbeohte shook her head, though no letters came loose thankfully.

“I’ve seen 2 year olds draw better on nursery walls,” Balthazar grumbled. 

Vinnie elbowed him. “Come on, Balthy, be nice.”

“How many times have I told you to never call me that?” Balthazar glared. 

Vinnie shrugged. “I dunno, once, maybe twice. I forget. So Arohbeohte, who is this? A parent, sibling, friend, or none of the above?”

Arohbeohte drew a heart and a question mark next to the robot, then shrugged. 

“So, you’re in love with another robot but can’t figure out to say it?” Vinnie asked. Arohbeohte nodded, then hid her head in her massive hands. “Well, just say it! Wait, you can’t talk. That complicates stuff if there’s a lack of communication.” 

“As interesting as a robot’s romantic woes are, we need to-where did you get that phone book from?” Balthazar stared at Vinnie, who was quickly flipping through the pages with interest. 

“Well, it’s hard to explain it to Arohbeohte with just words,” Vinnie said. “What’s the phone number for the Danville chapter of the Backup Singers Union?” 

“Why don’t you just get the Swamp City branch? They’ll be here much faster. And cheaper too,” Balthazar suggested. 

“Quality over quantity. Oh, here it is,” Vinnie said, pulling out his cell phone and dialing a number. “Hello, Backup SIngers Union? Oh, they’re busy today? Never mind then. Thank you.” Vinnie hung up. “They’re booked solid. Something about all the singers doing a gig for some pharmacist. They say he pays well.” 

“That’s a shame. A musical number would have been good exercise,” Balthazar said. 

“I have another idea. Arohbeohte, can you do this?” Vinnie made a heart with his hands, and Arohbeohte tried copying him. She could only form them into a circle. Arohbeohte carefully picked Vinnie up so he was sitting comfortably on one massive palm. “Now, I want you to put your thumbs together and point them down,” he said, scrambling for her wrist when the surface began to tilt. “Like this,” he awkwardly managed to make a triangular shape while he was gripping the metal tightly. “Good! Now curl the rest of your fingers and put them together!” he grinned, finishing the heart shape. Arohbeohte copied him, raising her hands to her eye and peeking through it. 

“That’s perfect! Now just form the heart the next time you see your crush! I’m sure they’ll understand! Balthazar, catch me!” Vinnie offered a thumbs-up, then suddenly jumped off her wrist. 

Balthazar dove forward in his attempt to catch Vinnie, tripping over a rock and hitting the ground face-first. He yelped as he felt something incredibly heavy crush his spine. Moaning in pain, he turned around to glare at Vinnie, tapping his fingers on the ground in annoyance. Vinnie laughed sheepishly. “Thanks for being the throw pillow.”

“Don’t mention it,” Balthazar stood up, dusting himself off. “We’ve wasted enough time. Let’s just get to-” he caught sight of two teenagers wandering around, appearing to search for something. The boy pointed to them, and Balthazar’s brain went into panic mode. “Our position’s compromised! Abort mission!” he fled, realizing that Vinnie and Arohbeohte were running in opposite directions. 

At least the teens lost interest in them. Balthazar was glad the boy in the sweatervest hadn’t followed them. He and Vinnie tended to lose their pistachio stands for some reason when they did business with that guy. 

He was able to track Arohbeohte down easily, her massive size making it hard to blend in the city. He sat on her shoulder, holding on to a protrusion that extended from her neck. “Let’s find Vinnie,” he told her. “Locate the nearest street vendor.” 

Arohbeohte’s eyes glowed green, scanning the city. Then she took off towards a side street, finding Vinnie paying for his food at a bratwurst stand. “Man, bratwurst street vendors need more appreciation,” Vinnie said, stepping onto Arohbeohte’s hand. Balthazar rolled his eyes. He would never understand these constant detours for food. 

“Let’s just get to the mall,” Balthazar said.

When they arrived, Arohbeohte reduced the size of her limbs and torso so that she was human-sized. The pistachio stand folded into a compartment on her head. Balthazar wished he’d known that earlier. It would’ve saved so much grief. 

“Mama! Mama, what is that thing?” a young girl shrieked, pointing at Arohbeohte. She hugged her pink stuffed poodle tightly in case Arohbeohte would snatch it out of her arms. 

Balthazar held Arohbeohte’s arm, silently warning her to not make any sudden movements. 

“Chloe, don’t point. That’s rude. Now apologize,” the mother chided. She shot Balthazar and Vinnie an apologetic look. “Sorry about my daughter. She can be a handful sometimes.” 

“It’s cool. Don’t worry about it too much,” Vinnie shrugged. “Chloe, right?” 

“Sorry,” Chloe lowered her head, studying the ground. “I didn’t want to sound mean.” 

Vinnie smiled. “Do you want to meet Arohbeohte? She likes people.” 

“Um, sure?” Chloe slowly approached Arohbeohte. “Hi?” 

Balthazar pulled Vinnie aside. “Is allowing that child to be so close to Arohbeohte really a good idea?” he whispered, glancing over his shoulder. Chloe was just teaching Arohbeohte patty cake for now. 

“She’s fine. The more social interaction Arohbeohte gets, the better,” Vinnie said. “Are you worried about what headquarters might say?” 

“What?” Balthazar yelled, wincing at his own outburst. Luckily, Chloe and her mother hadn’t noticed. He lowered his voice so that Vinnie could barely hear his response. “I just don’t want people calling her a ‘thing’,” he said, blushing. 

“So you do have a heart after all!” Vinnie smirked. “I never would’ve guessed!”

“Sh-shut up! As her mentor, it is our job to make sure that she learns to control herself so she doesn’t harm anyone, including herself,” he said, nodding to reassure himself.

“Uh-huh,” Vinnie raised an eyebrow, but said nothing else. They walked over to Chloe’s mother, watching the two play together. 

“Thanks for letting Chloe play with your-um, companion,” she trailed off. “We should really be going now.”

“Bye, miss!” Chloe waved and skipped over to her mother. They entered a department store, leaving behind Arohbeohte and the pistachio protectors. 

“Well, that’s sorted out,” Balthazar pulled out a clipboard, jotting down a few details of his plan. “It occurred to me that we can’t exactly steal the grand prize when the mall is so crowded. We’ll have to enter that contest and do our best to win. And for that we need disguises.” 

“Can I choose the disguises this time?” Vinnie asked.

“Sure. Let me make sure we have the correct currency for this time period,” Balthazar said, flipping through his wallet. He needed to make sure they didn’t pay for necessities with ancient Lydian coins again. He pulled out a crisp hundred dollar bill, handing it to Vinnie. “I’m just going to rest here. You and Arohbeohte go pick out clothing. The contest begins at 2 pm.” 

“Will do!” Vinnie said. “Come on, Arohbeohte!” 

Balthazar opened his notebook, dating the top of the page. “Finally. Now I can write a few haikus in peace,” he muttered. 

Thirty minutes later, Balthazar was staring incredulously at the yellow tropical shirt and shorts Vinnie had picked out for him. “Not my style,” he fingered the collar, grimacing. 

“You never specified,” Vinnie shrugged. He had already changed into a black T-shirt and jeans. 

“Fine. I’ll wear it, but I won’t like it,” Balthazar grumbled. “Young lady, is that any way to dress in public?” he scolded Arohbeohte, who was wearing a red tank top and a white miniskirt. 

“She’s a robot,” Vinnie pointed out. 

“Still,” Balthazar grumbled, walking into a restroom to change. 

It took a lot of persuasion and blackmail for Vinnie to coax Balthazar out of the stall. Balthazar reluctantly came out, wondering if he could an anonymous letter to whatever corporation that created gaudy tropical shirts asking them to recall their monstrosities. They headed towards the center of the mall. 

Vinnie smiled at the sight of all the couples in the mall, pointing out a pair who were gazing dreamily into each other’s eyes while sharing a chocolate sundae. “See, Arohbeohte? If you’re successful telling your crush how you feel, then you might be able to act like that too!” 

“Vinnie, don’t encourage Arohbeohte to be completely brain dead,” Balthazar warned. Arohbeohte tilted her head in confusion. 

The contest sign-up was extremely busy. Most of the participants consisted of teenagers dressed in elaborate costumes, with a few adults sprinkled in. Balthazar waited impatiently, stuck behind someone in a cartoony duck outfit that quacked with every step. 

Finally, they were called by a bored-looking attendant. “Names,” he said. 

Balthazar realized they needed cover names. Any of these people could be rival time travelers seeking the same prize. “Arthur. That fine-looking gentleman in jeans is Frank. And the young lady’s name is Rebecca.” 

“Arthur, Frank, and Rebecca,” the attendant repeated, leaning on his elbow as he wrote. “And your group name?”

“Blast! We needed a group name?,” Balthazar cursed his lack of foresight. 

“I’m putting you down as Blastweneededagroupname,” the attendant said, writing it on the entry slip. “Your entry number is 6. Good luck and all that. Next!” He handed the slip to Balthazar. 

“So, what kind of contest is it anyway?” Vinnie asked. Balthazar gave him an odd look. “Dude, don’t tell me you entered this contest without even knowing what we’re supposed to do. If it’s a beauty contest, I want out.” 

Arohbeohte pointed to a flyer. “Let’s see,” Balthazar said, scanning it. He froze. “Re-enact a love scene from any famous movie, TV show, or Broadway play?” he said, indignantly. “Can’t they just hold a raffle like normal people?” 

 “’Participants will be judged for acting and presentation by a panel of three judges. Please be aware that children are watching, so keep everything G-rated. Phantom of the Opera-based performances are banned due to last year’s incident that consisted of a bully, a diaper, and a chandelier. Thank you!’” Vinnie read. “After this blows over, you wanna travel to last year’s contest and see this incident?” 

“I’m having second thoughts,” Balthazar muttered. “We won’t win anything in presentation points.”

“So we need to come up with something that involves all three of us, right?” Vinnie asked. “Here’s my plan.”

Ch 4 is finally done! Hope y’all enjoyed!