#dashboard: steph

[starsapphire]

for the love of god man

[stxph-artist]

gonna continue the thread in about an hour, so stay tuned!!

[theaceofarrows]

What the batkids got Bruce for Father's Day

Dick - a family picture of all the kids together with only minor annoyance in their expressions

Jason - a slightly used gift card to Chili's with $7.58 still on it

Cass - a t-shirt that says, "I have a FREAKING AWESOME Daughter. Yes, she got me this shirt"

Tim - a t-shirt that says, "I love my Bi son!" In the bi colors

Duke - a limited edition Batman bobblehead for batmobile's dashboard

Damian - a painted portrait of Ace he made at school

Bonus Steph - a box of black hair dye with a note saying, "Since I've caused so many of those little white and grey guys :)"

[akathesignal]

the robin's alterations to the batmobile:

dick- named it the batmobile

jason- added a robin bobblehead to the dashboard

tim- added a computer screen to the passenger seat (so he can continue working whilst batman drives)

steph- added a bat shaped air freshener

duke- added threatening signs in the backseats (where the villians sit)

damian- added a function that moves the pedals closer to the seat for when he drives (bruce is unaware of this change)

[thealexchen]

Hey, just wanna share my thoughts on Tape 1 of Lost Records. It really captures the 90s feeling that feels nostalgic to me and also the beginning brings back what it was like going through the COVID Pandemic as it goes back and forth between the past and present. The friendship between the four is really well done. If I could compare them... I'd say they're like if it was Max and Chloe with Cassidy and Steph. There was also a little detail they added where you can just blow into the game cartridge when examining it, and they didn't have to add that in, but as a Millennial that spent years playing on the Nintendo 64, I really appreciated that.

When filming with the camcorder, I like that the controller also controls the camera, and I had some fun being creative while filming, including the classic shaking the camera up and down like trying to say yes. But, there are some cutscenes that suddenly switch to filming, and I'm not ready for that, which causes the camera to be tilted unless I hold the controller back in the position it was in and it makes it awkward. But, that's just me, and not being ready to use the camera. Honestly, this kind of feature is what Max should've had in Life is Strange. I'm curious to know your thoughts of the game so far and some of the choices you made, and more importantly, which of the three did you bond with the most? For me, between the three, I have to say I liked Nora the most. In a way, she reminds me of Chloe, but more of a jokester and carefree. And also a bit of Luna Loud in her too with her being a rocker in the 90s. And, I did end up going with the more intimate route with her, even when they almost kissed, but got interrupted at the last minute. And she definitely looks so much different as an adult, in a good way. Even got the eyebrow piercing I suggested. Went from being a rockstar rebel, to a fashion designer. It's weird how she thinks her past haircut was bad. I liked it. She's even got white hair now and I swear her present hairstyle reminds me of someone else, but can't quite put my finger on it. I also think it's funny how she just has the worst luck with mosquitoes.

Thanks for your question!! I'm answering this two weeks late, so as you can probably see by now, I really enjoyed Tape 1! It feels like DN's true return to form to what they do best-- nostalgia, slower-paced character-driven stories, exploring trauma, environmental storytelling in one place-- after their more experimental narrative choices in LiS2. I also really think the inclusion of women writers this time improved the story even more and made the quartet feel much more realistically written. Actually, I quite like that the Bloom & Rage girls can't be compared one to one to existing LiS characters. Swann looks a lot like Max at first glance and Nora looks similar to Chloe, but Swann is also a horror fan who likes to troll her friends, and Nora isn't afraid to act dorky and excitable and is honest about her fear of the paranormal. If anything, I see shades of Chloe in Kat the most, harboring so much anger and despair about the cards she's dealt with nowhere to direct it, and it makes her sympathetic in the same way Chloe was. Kat became my favorite for her narrative depth: she seems like she has the most going on under the surface, she kicks off the plot by helping Swann with Cory and Dylan's harrassment, and she's most directly tied to the Abyss and the blood ritual.

The actual references to the pandemic really threw me. Just the little detail of Swann's mask on the dashboard felt more accurate than any attempt at a pandemic allegory in recent media. I didn't know that about the game cartridge, that's so clever! Honestly, even seeing all the in-game scribbles and drawings that are so clearly done by hand is such a refreshing step up from... whatever that anime-ass art style was in Max's journal in Double Exposure. It shows how much effort DN puts into assets that players might not spend longer than two seconds looking at. Along with all the bonus scenes, like Swann and Kat in the attic, that rewards players for exploring.

I've seen a lot of praise for the camcorder too, and it feels like a really fun step up in terms of interactive gameplay. I was surprised how much I didn't miss having powers when DN crafted such a compelling bond between these four girls and how they impact each other's lives. I know it won't stay this lighthearted in Tape 2, but I really enjoyed the warm nostalgic vibes of Tape 1, plus the spookiness.

[allthegothihopgirls]

What kind of music do you think each of the Batfam members listen to? (Besides Jason who is obviously a Mitski stan)

OH I LOVE THIS QUESTION!!!!!!! i'm gonna tryyyyy and take this seriously

starting off i think alfred's music taste influences just about everyone in the manor to some degree. lots of classical music flowing through the hallways at most hours of the day, the music reminds everyone of home. i think it's a general rule of thumb in the family that if you want to locate alfred, just follow the sound of mozart.

drawing off a bit of canon, i think dick listens to a lot of popular 80s stuff. the cure, joy division, the b-52s, billy joel, abba etc. that one panel of him humming 'here comes the sun' also comes to mind, i think he'd enjoy the beatles. however i do think he'd also be into some soft rock, maybe just a little bit of more intense stuff too. fleetwood mac's a big one i think he'd like. i've mentioned in a post before how i think dick would enjoy foo fighters in his post-robin rebellion phase, and i stand by that.

i do also enjoy his insane love for david bowie in the live-action titans adaption... very dear to me. i take that as gospel. also have a slight feeling he's a bit of a jazz guy once in a blue moon.

however i don't think he'd be overly into music, (the artists though, that's a whole other thing), i think he's also just happy to flick on the radio to some random dated station... or, don't crucify me... the top hits of the day.

i think jason's taste is a bit more refined. he's the #1 victim of alfred's classical music agenda, sitting in the library he's got something like 'lacrimosa' looping endlessly.

unlike dick who's got a happy-go-lucky approach to music, i think jason feels into it a bit more. he's joyriding through the city and listening to slipknot, sleeping with sirens, misfits etc etc. he's just looking for background music, maybe he's playing dashboard confessional, or... hear me out... lana del rey. he's out on patrol and is playing 90's rap through his helmet's bluetooth.

i think he'd also enjoy amy winehouse, the boys next door, no doubt, alice in chains, and maybe a bit of lorde. he's definitely into more indie bands too, local stuff. makes his own mixtapes and you'd only be able to recognise like 20% of the bands by name. he's also the one batfam member who i think would go to war to defend the songs he feels deeply about.

tim's a bit more difficult to narrow down, but i'll throw 90s alternative out there; jimmy eat world, oasis, radiohead, weezer, pearl jam type stuff. i'm also very set in my ways about femme-pop tim, which is definitely more out there and harder to justify. in terms of that i think beyonce, rihanna, and britney spears are the big three he'd enjoy.

i just think he likes anything with a beat tbh, it's not so much about genre or the actual song, as it is about the mood. similarly to dick, i don't think he's typically meticulous with defining his taste or anything, just happy to listen to whatever's making him feel good.

as for damian, i think anything with soothing instruments entices him. mainly classical, but not just limited to european stuff, i'm thinking of tyagaraja, toru takemitsu etc just off the top of my head. he'd also like elton john, queen, and other older artists with a polished vocal and avantgarde nature. i'm also going to put cartoon soundtrack music into the mix, specifically songs from adventure time. for whatever reason i'm also super drawn into the idea of him being big on kpop, although i don't know enough about the genre to make specific assumptions.

steph (ik she's not exactly batfam but i'm including her anyways) listens to predominantly female artists, and oscillates between very uplifting pop stuff, and.. societal hatred. so i think on one hand she's very into marina and the diamonds, kesha, and olivia rodrigo, but also paramore, hole, fiona apple, lorde etc. in contrast to all of that though she's also a huge fan of the beatles' solo careers, particularly paul mccartney.

cass is into a lot of the music she's done for ballet performances. the music for the snow queen instantly comes to mind as something that would be a favourite of hers. this might be a bit out there, but i think she'd enjoy grimes a lot, mostly because of how enriching it is to just listen to the sounds of, without having to pay much mind to the words she's speaking (grimes never really makes a lot of sense anyways). apart from that i don't think she really listens to all that much music, maybe some 2000s pop she hears on the radio driving around with steph.. i did enjoy the all star gag in batgirls (2022).

babs has a pretty similar taste to steph i think (i believe steph may have gotten some of her taste from her). she's a big fan of stevie nicks, gwen stefani, maybe the cranberries, hole, dolly parton, janet jackson, lauryn hill, and lesley gore. i'd like to say she enjoys a bit of 70s eccentric too, the doors, blondie, bowie etc. i don't think she's overly fussed with what she's listening to, as long as it doesn't sound too watered down and modern-pop like.

and i don't really know enough about duke to make assumptions, so i'm just going to let him sit out of this one. i also don't think bruce has any time for music, except for a bit of classical to help him concentrate every so often.

[msperfectsheep-posts]

39 and 50 for the ask game 🐾

ohhhh these are such juicy questions cobalt. thank you for the ask!!!

39. Is any aspect of your writing process inspired by other writers or people? If so, who?

Yes! I have been heavily inspired by @keicordelle, @rosencrantzsguildenstern, and @deadchannelradio's writing, specifically in how snappy and thoughtful their word choices are? I struggle heavily with being concise, and these three manage to make it look effortless while also writing some BEAUTIFUL prose. I'm also inspired by the sheer amount of research @60sec400 puts into her works (and her prose is also STUNNING!!) and obviously, you are also a writer I heavily admire for your just. beautiful word choices. Additionally, I'd love to put the spotlight on @havendance for their amazing NML fics and the amount of thought they've put into Batman comic timelines, which is both a struggle I deeply relate to and am also deeply envious of how they handled it masterfully. I also must mention my current WIP's beta, @death-cannot-kill-you, who has some great characterization thoughts that really help inform my writing process as well as the inspiration to make podfics!! There are undoubtably even more writers that I'm forgetting at the moment that have served as inspirations for my own writing, but all of these writers deserve a strong round of applause in my humble opinion. 50. Answer any question of your choice, or talk about anything you want to talk about!

I think I'll go with questions 49!

49. What are you currently working on? Share a few lines if you’re up for it!

Currently, I'm working on a Reverse Robins fic, but it 1. Includes the Batgirls in this reversing, 2. Focuses on the Entire Timeline starting with Damian as Shadow (Robin) and Steph as Batgirl and ending with Dick as Robin and Barbara as Batgirl over the span of 20+ years (ambitious, I am Aware), 3. Is set within Post-Crisis before n52/Rebirth, partially because I want a set end point that I can mess with and Rebirth could add who knows how many extra characters to retroactively add in. It's almost 130k words at the moment and I'm about 5 chapters (?) away from ending the first fic, but man, what a beast I've taken on. Fun fact, this is what dragged me back into comics, kicking and screaming! As for a passage, here you go:

Bruce backs out of the parking lot and onto the main roads, which are moving at a snail’s pace with Friday night traffic. Women in short dresses walk by with painted faces and sharp laughter, arms curled around the broad shoulders of their suited dates. Performers and entertainers hawk their acts on the corners, bragging about ordinary feats in voices that suggest anything but. Office workers and college students file in long, tired lines down the sidewalks to the nearest G-Rail stop. Vanessa Carlton’s A Thousand Miles plays on the radio.  “I didn’t need this, you know,” Stephanie mutters as they drive over Schwartz Bypass into Uptown. “I would have been fine.” Her tone is carefully measured; she wants to come off as blasé, nonchalant. Her eyes, lips, and posture tell a different story. She’s defensive. She’s anticipating something she can reject. She has her eyes fixed on his dashboard, close enough to watch him out of her peripheral vision.  “I know,” he replies, watching as her air of disinterest drops. “You would have found a solution without me.”  “Are you calling a $5.00 bowl of chili and a milkshake a solution?” she snarks. “Jeez, I thought I was worth more to you than that.” Deflecting through bitter antagonism. A typical move for Stephanie, especially when she is emotionally compromised, but Bruce doesn’t know what exactly set her off between the restaurant and now. Regardless, rising to her bait is an amateur move and will only result in furthering her preconceived biases.  Bruce silently arches a singular eyebrow in response, keeping his eyes on the road.  Stephanie openly glares at him. “Well, I’m not wrong, am I? Kind of feels like you’re buying me off because you don’t know how to deal with me any other way, but you said it yourself: I didn’t come over to speak with you. I don’t need you to do anything.” “I know.” “Then why?” she asks, sitting straighter and flinging her arms outwards in a charged gesture, “Why’d you do this?” He looks at her through the corner of his eye. She stares back. She’s challenging Bruce to give her more and more opportunities to make him into a target. Her anger isn’t meant for him, but he is receiving it anyway. In a way, he deserves it. “I thought it would help,” he admits.  Stephanie’s lips spread taut against her teeth before the bottom one tucks under her maxillary arch. She chews, thoughtful, while her eyes search him for an answer to a question he is yet to beholden to.  “Why?” Bruce swallows. “It helps me.” When Alfred is mad, he says Bruce is running away. When Alfred is kind, he says it's a change of scenery. Either way, the result is the same. “That’s it?” Her tone is disbelieving, but without the sharpness of her earlier questions.   “Yes.”

[treason-and-plot]

Saffron has driven about a third of the way over the bridge when her phone starts to ring. ‘Unknown caller’ pops up on her car’s dashboard display. Which is sooooo ironic, thinks Saffron, because she knows exactly who the caller is. She lets her finger hover and dance in mid-air for a few moments before accepting the call.

“Hello,” she says, her voice flat with boredom.

“Saffy,” says Liam. He sounds as if he has just run a marathon. ”Where are you?”

“Driving over the bridge towards home,” she says.

“Didn’t you tell me yesterday you were going to be at the library till closing time?” His disappointment clouds the glass walls of the phone booth, already smeared with fingerprints and the sticky residue of God knows what.

“Yeah, but something came up,” she says.

“What? What came up?”

“I have to babysit,” she says, enjoying the anguish in his voice.

“So what are you saying? We can’t meet up?”

“No, we can’t,” she says. “Not tonight.”

“But tonight’s the only night I can sneak out! Steph’s home every other night!”

“Not my problem,” says Saffron.

“Well, can I come to your place? What time are your parents due to come home?”

“No, you cannot,” she says. “My little brother’s going to be around. And anyway, I’ve still got loads of studying to do. I don’t want any distractions.”

“It’ll only be for half an hour, tops,” he says. “Come on, Saffy. Please. I need you. Desperately."

“Goodbye, Mr. McFarlane,” says Saffy, disconnecting.

[lazyjellyfish300]

❤️🌷SEND THIS TO OTHER BLOGGERS YOU THINK ARE WONDERFUL. KEEP THE GAME GOING 🌷❤️💕

Ahhh thank you dearest Steph 😭😭🌷🌷 ILYSM 💕💕 you always light up my dashboard whenever I see you on here 🥹🥹💕💕

[theoryandahalf]

Vid Con Update

Reminder that this is happening today, June 28 2024:

10:00am-11am PST LIVING LEGACIES (MatPat, Steph, Zach from Try Guys, John Green, Mara Takahashi, Mr Kate) Streams on Youtube (discover stage)

1:00-2:00pm PST CHEW ON THIS: THE MUKBANG MOVEMENT ON YOUTUBE (live recording of the Like and Describe podcast): Streams on Youtube (Spotlight Stage) (MatPat and Hyuneeats)

Links for Yesterday's streams

THE END OF THE BEGINNING: THEORIST’S NEXT ERA (MatPat and Steph, Colin and Samir): Vid Con Stream, timestamp 13:01

GTLIVE LIVE FROM VIDCON (Team Theorist): Vid Con Stream, timestamp 5:35:00 ish

Creator Census: Data-Driven Thinking Beyond Analytics Dashboards (Steph, John Green, Meredith who was formerly Team Theorist): VidCon Stream timestamp 4:43:00 ish.

Beyond Bending: Reshaping the Social Narrative of Avatar: The Last Airbender (Lee!) Youtube (Discover Stage) timestamp: 3:00ish, they're the first ones.

I don't know how long these streams will be up so I'd watch all this sooner than later!

[inkedberries]

hi!! you have such beautiful art, i really love how you use colors :) your worlds finest art is so fun! i was wondering also, what do you think of the other common world's finest teamups, like tim drake and conner kent, or steph brown and kara zor-el, or conner and cass cain, or even dick grayson and kara, etc?

thank you so much anon!!💙

man i gotta be honest, i've only ever been exposed to superbat and the old world's finest (superman, batman and robin) and world's finest 2023 comics through dashboard-osmosis alone so i don't rlly have a formed opinion on the other team ups you've mentioned😅

however, i know myself to be very easily attached to media i love so you never know, i might broaden my horizons hahaha! but for now, forecast says superbat tunnel vision for the next couple of months

[jkvjimin]

hi love, just wanted to stop by and say thank you for always saying something lovely in the tags of my sets, especially the choreo based ones. i love watching jungkook dance, it's so mesmerizing (albeit lethal at times lol) so it's only natural for me to want to capture that. i'm glad someone appreciates it at least, anyway, i hope you have a good week and you know i adore you. take care 🥰💗

hi beautiful! aw love, i'm the one who has to thank you for always putting amazing sets on my dashboard. i simply loooooove your choreo sets, they're incredibles! i could never. and i totally agree with you, it is indeed mesmerizing. for me it's just like a therapy (although sometimes it might be lethal lol). and you capture this art so well, it's my fave! i love you! hope you have a great week my beautiful steph, remember always to stay safe and healthy. lots of love 💗🌷

[kimtaegis]

i hope i’m not the only one getting this love fest started but if i must be i will do it!!!!! usually i hide in the tags so i’m going to try this 🫣

i’m going to take this opportunity to shout out to my dearest steph (@cosmicdreamgrl) who i am so grateful for finding this year 🤍 who carefully curates a beautiful blog that is so aesthetically pleasing and color coordinated (!!!!!) and finds so many old and hidden gems from content creators to repopulate the dashboard. she is SO important to our little tumblr ecosystem here for that but! most importantly every mention i get from her makes my heart swoon and makes my day that she thinks of little me (and so many others!!!) so often (can’t believe that still) and i can’t believe she wants to talk to ME so much that we’ve already had phone calls that are hours long. it’s so fun hearing her thoughts on music and hearing her stories and i’m sorry if i’m quiet on the phone 😭😂 i haven’t done that in this way since i was young 🥹 already looking forward to our next chat 🤍 i hope her holidays and the end of the year are as warm as they can be (i know things are hard right now but i know she is strong enough to make it through) i hope the next year is prosperous for her as she starts working again and i hope she finds inspiration, and can maybe work through what is hard through what she loves? am i making sense. alls to say, i love you, steph!! i’m glad you are here with us and with me 🤍

I’m crying kayla this is so lovely and everything that @cosmicdreamgrl deserves 🥺🥺🥺 I can agree with everything you said about her, she’s truly one of the kindest and most supportive people in our little fandom here which I would never want to miss again. I’m also so thankful for her and adore her, and I’m so happy to hear that you two sweet souls have gotten this close (it just makes sense, though). steph, I wish you a calm and peaceful holiday season too, kayla and I are thinking of you and love you!! 🤍

Participate in Christmas at Annie’s 🎁

[eldritch-lorekeeper]

Hello!!

You've likely noticed that i'm trying to redo my main blog. Why? Idk, new year? To be fair, my ADHD really won't let me stay true to one style of things. I always have to constantly change it because in all fairness, i get bored rather quickly if i can't keep things going--kind of like a ball rolling down a hill. Probably not the best analogy, but it's close enough.

This blog will mostly be dedicated to original works, be they old and having been collecting dust in my online storage since the dawn of time...or new, as i just think of it. This place will obviously be redecorated as need be, but i'm most using it for Writeblr purposes. Will i ever have an RP blog again? Maybe :) it's more likely than you think! But i'd have to get, like...a lot of people who would be on board with that. Or hell, maybe i'll just do it on a whim. I never know where that's gonna take me. I can either be hyper-fixated on something for months on end (lookin' at you, Welcome Home era. That was actually a really hard one to break, ngl) to just a few fleeting hours.

Consider this something of an introduction post, i guess? Call me as you will. Steph, Masked, Mx. Lorekeeper, etc..

I know what the blog description says, but i mess with all kinds of genre. From fantasy, to horror, to angst, and anything in between! I've either written it for a bit...or have dabbled with it. ;) But, i tend to mostly stay in the fiction-side of things, mixed with a hint of realism. Magical realism? I think that's the terminology i'm looking for?? Either way, i've written gods, monsters, Eldritch deities which the world has never seen, draconic demigoddess witches, the Fae, and many, many more.

You'll probably see all kinds of topics and tropes used in my writing...so a fair warning to all on this blog: i will be tagging my works with the appropriate trigger/content warning and a read-more, as needed (or if the piece is just ungodly long, save y'all the scrolling on your dashboard). If need be, a Dead Dove, Do Not Eat warning will be placed at the tip-top of the post. Tl;Dr -- I do and WILL tag my writings accordingly, and should you choose to read and then continue?

Well...don't say i didn't warn you, is all i gotta say for ya, boo.

Otherwise, i'm literally just a 25 year-old goober trying to make ends meet at a stupid, little retail job. Come and talk to me! I assure you i don't bite! UwU' I'm likely more scared of you, than you are of me, and usually once you do: well...be prepared to have someone yapping either about their own characters, music, and a small selection of fandoms.

[vici-2023]

Week 12

Week 12:

Last week, due to the 5 days of Palakasan and 3 days Foundation Day, we were not able to update the Week 12 progress of our project. The continuous events have made us feel tired because most of us joined a contest and happy because we were able to participate physical activities that we don’t mostly do on a daily basis. The events were successful and for that, we are all grateful for the people behind the events that made it all possible.

              All fun and games but it is bound to come to an end. This week is the reality of all the due dates set for our tasks. We present our Capstone project to one of our subject and virtually met with Sir Gulfan for our final Capstone defense. He also instructed us on what to prepare and what to submit during and before the final defense. We will also gather as a group to prepare and discuss the things that will be needed for our final defense and for our project.

              This day (Thursday), we were about to present our login and the dashboard but most of the groups aren’t ready yet, thankfully, Ma’am Steph postponed the virtual meeting and gave us the chance to finish our project. There were problems faced during the creating of codes because the almost finish one got disappeared out of the blue due to the computer’s update. Luckily, one of the member, Clint, restored the codes.

              We are all nervous because our final oral defense is getting near. Day by day, we prepare ourselves for that day and make sure to really answer all of the what ifs and loopholes of our project. It is better to prepare because one mistake can really affect the whole presentation. All preparations aside, we also want to prepare ourselves for answering in straight English language. Speaking English and writing English is indeed a different task. In writing, we can still think of what we will write and erase it if we don’t like our inputs but in speaking, we can never undo it. The goal is to not focus too much on the grammar (but it’s a plus), but to focus on how we can relay the answers from the panelist in a manner that they can easily understand.

              Being a 3rd year student has been really challenging. It will really test how depth is our understanding towards the 2 years of learning. Thankfully, we have groupmates and blockmates who can help us when we have concern or clarification regarding the tasks. We are also very grateful for the patience and guidance of our instructors. All this will be fruitful someday. God wills!

[motownfiction]

on the stage

Sam claps louder than anybody at the end of Charlie’s first piano concert in college. He even claps louder than their mother. At the end of the show, when the Doyles, Carrie, and Daniel decide to have dinner at a Denny’s nearby, Sam wraps his arm around Charlie and says nobody else gets to take him in their car.

“Made a promise to this kid that I’d drive him anywhere, any time,” Sam says loudly. “I’m gonna hold to it tonight.”

They’re on their way to the Denny’s now. Sam’s blaring “Don’t Stop Me Now,” playing the dashboard like a piano at the red light. He looks over at Charlie, who’s pretending not to enjoy it.

“Only thing that would have made that concert better would have been this,” he says to Charlie. “Then again, you sure did make a supersonic man out of ‘Strange Meadow Lark.’ You know, if I ever had a daughter, that’s what I would name her? Strange Meadow Lark Doyle.”

“I wouldn’t mind,” Charlie says, “especially not if you were naming her after my performance.”

“And I would be. You were great tonight, kid. You really were.”

Charlie half smiles. They’re both pretending they don���t know what’s going on. It’s been a year already, but Sam can’t stop overcompensating. Queen ends, and the DJ plays “Tiny Dancer.” Sam immediately turns the dial to another station. He’s never told Charlie what that song means to him now, but he figures he doesn’t have to. The lyrics speak for themselves.

“Thanks,” Charlie says. “I was freaking out.”

“Couldn’t tell. You were great. I think the other jazz band guys might’ve been jealous.”

“Only because I’m tall.”

“That’s reason enough.”

They’re quiet for a little while. When Sam stops at another red light, Charlie asks him a question he’s surprised he’s never asked before.

“Do you ever wish you’d have done it?”

Sam snorts.

“Charlie, I’ve ‘done it’ a lot,” he says. “Since before you were even in high school. You remember Steph.”

“No, not … do you ever wish you’d have learned how to play something? Instead of just knowing all about the other music stuff? Like … don’t you ever wish it was you on the stage?”

Sam’s blood runs a little cold. He’s thought of that before. Himself, a rockstar with all the knowledge of an ethnomusicologist. He’d be like the Scorcese of rock ‘n’ roll, which is funny, because Scorsese is kind of the himself of rock ‘n’ roll, too. He’s thought about what it would be like to play the guitar … to write what he’s feeling instead of just feeling it. But at the end of the day, it’s just not right. At the end of the day, he’s not the guy who wants thousands of screaming fans surrounding him. He’s not the guy who needs it.

But maybe … if that was what would grab a girl like Carrie … maybe he …

No.

So, Sam shakes his head.

“Never,” he lies. “I just like listening to you.”

Charlie nods, and for the first time in probably his whole life, Sam knows that he understands more than meets the eye. For the first time in his whole life, Charlie can see the depth beyond.

Sam wishes he could be proud of that, too.

(part of @nosebleedclub november challenge -- day 7! i know i'm horrifically behind already, but you should see all the dissertation progress i made this week. here's hoping i have it in me to keep it up!)