#god. flip flappers is so good and so crazy.

[discoscoob]

Buzz Kill | Loki x Female Reader

Loki (Marvel) x Doctor Who

When the Doctor decides to crash a party at a mansion in the 1920s, the last thing you expect it to involve is a murder, a mystery and Agatha Christie.

Part Five | Part Seven | Chapter Index

Words: 6.1k

Warnings: death: minor characters

A/N: This is part one of what was meant to be one whole chapter but due to the length I decided to split it into two separate parts, so I apologise for the abrupt ending. Also Loki is dressed as Thomas Sharpe in this chapter, hence the gif.

Read on AO3

You were currently in the TARDIS wardrobe getting dressed for a 1920s party which Donna and the Doctor had decided to crash. You had picked out an elegant lilac flapper dress, which had layered skirts on the bottom that fell just below your knee, embroidered flowers decorated the left side near your hips, where a velvet plum coloured ribbon was tied loosely. You paired it with some silk champagne coloured gloves which reached your elbow and a band of gemstones wrapped around your head like a crown.

 You pushed back the dressing room curtain to find Loki waiting for you with his shoulder lent against the wall and his arms crossed over his chest. His gaze lifted as soon as he heard the hooks of the curtain scrape against the metal bar and he immediately stood to attention as he took in your appearance, while you took in his.

 He was dressed lavishly, in a long black velvet coat, over a silk black waistcoat, with a pocket watch and a matching silk ribbon tied into a bow around his neck, which the collar of his white dress shirt barely peaked out of.

 “You look ravishing, my dear.” His voice dropped and caused your stomach to flip as he stalked towards you, your feet glued to the spot where his eyes pinned you until his large hands were grasping your by your hips and tugged you close, you wrapped your arms around his shoulders to balance yourself.

 “And you look absolutely stunning, I fear I won’t be able to take my eyes off of you during the whole party.” You confessed, while you played with the hair at the back of his neck.

 “You’ll hear no objections from me.” The God smiled proudly.

 “We’ll be late for cocktails!” The Doctor impatiently shouted as he knocked on the other side of the door to the spacious wardrobe.

 Loki rolled his eyes with a sigh as he took a step back to offer you his arm in a gentlemanly manner.

 “Shall we?”

 ***

 “Okay, ground rules.” The Doctor stated as soon as you were all stood outside of the TARDIS, in a green shady area behind a large mansion, whoever was having this party was very well-to-do.

 “Rules? We never had rules before.” You frowned, still by Loki’s side with your arm tucked into the crook of his elbow.

 “We weren’t all on the run before either.” Touché, you thought as the time lord continued, addressing Loki directly this time. “Try to keep your use of magic to a minimum, we know they can use it to track you.”

 “And you know the rest,” he addressed all of you, “no changing history, don’t tell anyone where we’re from, don’t abuse your ability to time travel for gambling etc... etc... you get the gist. Now, I think we have a party to crash.” The Doctor offered Donna his arm, much like Loki had to you, before they lead the way to the back of the mansion with you and Loki following in toe.

 It was a gorgeous summers day, the air was warm but not too humid as a fresh breeze occasionally cooled your skin. 

 You heard the sound of piano music playing from a gramophone as you approached a group of waiters who were smartly dressed in tuxedos, they gathered around a set of straw chairs and tables in the back garden of the mansion. 

 Strung between trees over head, hung decorative red lanterns and a long table covered with a pristine white cloth was filled with an assortment of various fruits. 

 “Good afternoon!” The Doctor raised his hand as one of the waiters approached your group.

 “Drinks, ladies and gentlemen?” The waiter courteously offered.

 “Sidecar, please.” Your auntie answered, making her tone sound slightly more sophisticated than usual.

 “Uh, a lime and soda, thank you.” The Doctor requested, before the waiters eyes fell on you.

 “Oh... erm, a singapore sling, please.” You decided and followed the waiters eyes as he looked to Loki for his order. You noticed that Loki was now wearing a pair of dark round, silver framed sunglasses to protect his eyes from the bright sun.

 “I shall have the same.” Loki copied your order and the waiter swiftly left to prepare your drinks.

 “I like these,” you complimented Loki’s sunglasses as you squinted up at him, the sun getting in your own eyes.

 With a discreet wave of his hand, an almost identical pair were resting on your own nose, relieving your eyes from the harsh sun. As soon as you parted your lips to remind him not to use his magic, he lifted his finger to his own lips which were lifted into a subtle smirk and your words immediately died on your tongue.

 “May I announce Lady Clemency Eddison!” A butler hollered, as he escorted a middle aged, blonde woman wearing a midnight blue cocktail dress into the garden where you were all gathered.

 “Lady Eddison!” The Doctor held out his arms, as if greeting an old friend.

 “Forgive me, but who exactly might you be and what are you doing here?” She politely asked him, her speech indicated her class and wealth as she took the Doctors hand in her own as a form of greeting.

 “I’m the Doctor, and this is Miss Donna Noble of the Chiswick Nobles, her niece and Sir Loki of Asgard.” The Doctor introduced you all one by one. “We were thrilled to receive your invitation, my lady. We met at the Ambassador’s reception.” He smoothly lied as he held up his wallet containing the psychic paper.

 Easily convinced by the fake invite and too polite to acknowledge that she clearly had no recollection of meeting the Doctor, Lady Eddison smiled.

 “Doctor, how could I forget you?” She feigned realisation. “But one must be sure with the Unicorn on the loose.”

 She made her way over to a waiter who was holding a silver platter of champagne saucers and helped herself to one, as you all followed behind her. 

 “A unicorn? Brilliant! Where?” The Doctors interest spiked, as did yours.

 “The Unicorn. The jewel thief.” She clarified and your shoulders slumped, for a second you had thought she was talking about an actual unicorn, obviously you knew they weren’t real but anything was possible when traveling with the Doctor.

 “Are unicorns real on Asgard?” You looked at Loki, hoping that you didn’t sound crazy but if he could conjure up sunglasses out of thin air surely anything was possible.

 “Unicorns? No.” Loki softly chuckled. “We do, however, have winged horses. The Valkyrie, an army of female Asgardian warriors, used to ride them into battle.” Loki explained.

 “Oh wow.” You gasped with amazement at what Loki told you and his lips stretched into a proud smile, delighted that he could impress you with stories of the world he grew up in.

 A waiter approached you all and served you the cocktails you ordered on a silver platter, the ice rocks clinked against the glasses as you each lifted your drink from the tray. 

 “He’s just struck again.” Lady Eddison continued to explain about the jewel thief. “Snatched Lady Babbington’s pearls right from under her nose.” 

 “Funny place to wear her pearls.” Donna commented, causing you to splutter on your drink as you stifled your giggles.

 As you enjoyed your drinks the butler announced more guests as they made their way into the garden. Lady Eddison’s husband and son, Hugh and Roger, the son pushed his father in his wheelchair, a beautiful young socialite called Miss Robina Redmond and a Reverend known as Arnold Golightly.

 You turned to put your glass down on one of the tables, as the condensation of the cold glass was beginning to make your silk gloves wet, when a sudden eruption of applause caught your attention. 

 A blonde lady in a blue and golden embroidered frock humbly approached the group. 

 “Agatha Christie.” She said as she held out her hand to Donna, greeting her first.

 “What about her?” Donna replied as she accepted the woman’s hand.

 “That’s me.” Agatha clarified and Donna’s jaw fell slack.

 “No! You’re kidding.” Donna gasped in disbelief.

 “Agatha Christie!” The Doctor smiled as he enthusiastically shook her hand, “I was just talking about you the other day! I said, I bet she’s brilliant! I’m the Doctor, this is Donna. Oh! I love your stuff! What a mind! You fool me every time, well, almost every time, well, once or twice, well, once. But it was a good once!” 

 “You make a rather unusual couple.” Agatha observed.

 “No, we’re not married!” 

 “Yeah we’re not a couple!” 

 The Doctor and Donna spoke in unison.

 “I’d stay that way, if I were you. The thrill is in the chase, never in the capture.” Agatha advised. 

 You felt Loki’s arms slide around your waist as he pulled your back into his chest.

 “I beg to differ.” Loki whispered lowly and his lips brushed the shell of your ear, igniting a pleasurable flutter within you.

 You turned around in his arms and put your hands on his chest to push him away as you stepped back, above his sunglasses you saw his brows draw together and he opened his mouth to speak but you beat him to it.

 “How can you say for sure if you haven’t chased me yet?” You questioned him, as you continued to back away with a playful grin.

 Loki simply raised one eyebrow as he tilted his head and brought his sunglasses down his nose, to look at you from over their rim. “Is that a challenge, darling?” 

 “It might be.” You shrugged.

 “My dear, you have no idea what you’re getting yourself into.” Loki warned you, with a smirk that only enticed you further, so you didn’t listen.

 You immediately took off as laughter bubbled in your chest and there was an ever so slight rush of adrenaline coursing through your veins. You headed directly towards the open doors of the mansion and Loki was hot on your heel.

 Donna and the Doctor turned their heads and watched the pair of you run off after they heard you let out a squeal around uncontrollable laughter, they looked back at the party when they realised all the guests had fallen speechless over your unbecoming behaviour.

 “Young love.” Donna tilted her head and scrunched her nose in an ‘aw’ expression and it was enough to get the guests to return to their previous conversations.

 The sound of your feet heavily hitting against the tiled floor of the mansions entrance, bounced off the walls of the narrow hallway. You snatched your sunglasses off your face as your eyes adjusted to the dullness inside the mansion, in contrast to how bright it was outside. 

 Your eyes caught a grand staircase at the end of the hallway and immediately ran towards it, when your foot reached the bottom step you glanced over your shoulder to find Loki was already halfway to the stairs, his sunglasses also removed from his face and you felt a spark of adrenaline through your abdomen, spurring you on to move quicker. 

 You had to pause at the top of the stairs to momentarily catch your breath, but quickly moved on once you heard Loki’s footsteps getting closer. It was when you turned down the left corridor that you realised you made a mistake, a dead end. 

 You startled with a shriek when Loki’s arms finally caught you around the waist and he manoeuvred you so that your back was against one of the doors, you were laughing the whole time until your eyes connected with his once he caged you in and you saw the carnal desire hidden in his dilated pupils and your breath hitched.

 “So... what’s your verdict?” You questioned him, your voice breathy as you were still panting.

 “I’ll admit, the chase is certainly thrilling, however,” his tone lowered, “now that I have captured you, you’re mine to do with as I please and that is far more thrilling.” 

 You swallowed as your stomach did summersaults while tingles shot up from the base of your spine and you weren’t panting from exertion anymore.

 Instantly his mouth was moving against yours, as he fumbled with the doorknob beside your hip, to push the door behind you open. He was already supporting your weight with his arm steadily wrapped around your waist, so you wouldn’t lose your balance as he walked you into the unknown room as his lips slowly trailed from your mouth, down your jaw and to your neck. 

 While Loki was distractedly kissing you, you let your eyes flutter open to examine your surroundings, from the bookshelves that lined the walls you gathered that it was a library, as your eyes continued to roam they fell onto a large mahogany desk and then– you screeched with terror.

 “Oh my god!”

 Loki immediately lifted his head from the crook of your neck as he checked over you with wide worried eyes, seeing your stare was focused behind him, he looked over his shoulder, prepared to protect you from whatever had struck terror through you, only to find the lifeless body of an elderly man on the floor in front of the desk.

 He immediately switched your positions, so your back was turned to the body, he wrapped you in his arms and he soothed you with gentle strokes down your back.

 “We have to tell the Doctor.” You told him, once you composed yourself, you felt Loki nod in agreement as he pulled you under his arm and swiftly guided you out of the room.

 ***

 “Did you touch the body?” The Doctor urgently asked as he rushed through the door to the library. You followed in toe along with Loki, Donna, the butler and Agatha Christie.

 “No, we came to you as soon as we saw it.” You answered the Doctor, as you stood off near the corner of the room with Loki beside you, feeling a lot more calmer now that the initial shock had worn off.

 The Doctor put on a pair of glasses as he knelt over the body and examined it.

 “Bashed on the head. A blunt instrument. Watch broke as he fell, time of death was a quarter past four.” He concluded, before he rose to his feet and started searching through papers on the desk with the hope of finding more evidence.

“Nothing worth killing for in that lot. Dry as dust.” He mumbled to himself.

 “Hold on. The body in the library? I mean, Professor Peach, in the library, with the lead piping?” Donna said to the Doctor, as he continued to search through the desk and you realised you had been wrong to compare the deaths in the Dark Ages to Clue, this was literally Clue. 

 “Let me see. Gerald?!”

 “Saints preserve us!” 

 “Oh, how awful.”

 Lady Eddison, Roger, the Reverend and Miss Redmond came spilling into the room, upon hearing about the body.

 “Someone should call the police.” Agatha Christie spoke above them all.

 “You don’t have to. I’m Chief Inspector Smith, from Scotland Yard, known as the Doctor.” The Time Lord said as he held up his psychic paper for all the guests to see. “Miss Noble’s the plucky young girl who helps me out. Go into the sitting room, I will question each of you in turn.”

 “Come along. Do as the Doctor says, leave the room undisturbed.” Agatha ushered everyone out, leaving only you and Loki behind with Donna and the Doctor.

 “The plucky young girl who helps me out?” Donna repeated the Doctors words with mockery as soon as the door shut behind all the guests.

 “No policewomen in 1926.” The Doctor easily explained from where he was lying flat on his stomach on the floor, searching it for clues.

 “Doctor, why aren’t we getting the real police?” You asked as you moved towards him and Donna.

 “Well, the last thing we want is PC Plod sticking his nose in. Especially now I found this.” The Doctor shot to his feet, holding up a stick in his hand to show the three of you the residue which stuck to the end of it. “Morphic residue. It gets left behind when certain species genetically re-encode.” 

 Donna looked at you. “The murderers an alien?” 

 “Which means one of that lot is an alien in human form.” The Doctor explained as he nodded his head towards the door to signal that he meant one of the party guests.

 The Doctor began making his way out of the library and you all started following behind.

 “Think about it. There’s a murder, a mystery and Agatha Christie. Isn’t it a bit weird? Agatha Christie didn’t walk around surrounded by murders. Not really. I mean, that’s like meeting Charles Dickens and he’s surrounded by Ghosts at Christmas. Next thing you know, you’ll be telling me it’s like the Murder on the Orient Express, and they all did it.” Donna spoke, as you all moved around the mansion. 

 “Murder on the Orient Express?” Agatha suddenly appeared from under one of the doorways.

 “Oh, yeah, one of your best!” Donna complimented the authors work.

 “Not quite yet.” The Doctor subtly corrected Donna.

 “Marvellous idea.” Agatha considered.

 “Yeah, tell you what, copyright Donna Noble, okay.” Donna winked at Agatha, who in return gave her a strange look.

 “Anyway! Agatha and I will question the suspects. You, Loki and Donna, search the bedrooms. Look for clues.” The Doctor instructed, before he lowered his voice to a whisper. “Anymore residue. You’ll all need one of these.” 

 The Doctor proceeded to reach into the inside pocket of his jacket and handed each of you a magnifying glass. 

 “It’s like Scooby Doo, and we’re Mystery Inc.” You said enthusiastically. 

 Loki looked at the magnifying glass like had personally offended him meanwhile you were looking at him through yours, making certain parts of his face bigger and chuckling at the results. 

 “Is this for real?” Donna asked, looking at her magnifying glass.

 “Right then! Solving a mystery with Agatha Christie, brilliant!” The Doctor smiled with excitement.

 “How like a man to have fun while there’s disaster all around him.” Agatha scoffed.

 “Sorry, yeah.” The Doctor mumbled as his smile awkwardly fell.

 ***

 You and Loki had paired up to search for clues, while Donna searched by herself. 

 “We should return of the library and see if we can find a trail of the residue to follow.” You decided. “It might lead us to some more clues.”

 “Lead the way, Detective.” Loki stepped aside and allowed you to walk ahead of him back to the library. 

 As you entered the library, your eyes momentarily lingered on the professors body in front of the desk. Sensing your hesitation, Loki put his hand on your shoulder.

 “We can search for clues in another room, if you would prefer.” He gently offered, but you shook your head.

 “No, I’m fine,” you turned to Loki so that he could see you weren’t lying. “I was just thinking, shouldn’t he be covered with a sheet or something?”

 “Why?” Loki didn’t follow.

 “It’s... dignified, I guess?” You answered without complete confidence, as you weren’t sure if that was the exact reason you saw people cover bodies with sheets in films and TV shows, but you were certain that it felt like the right thing to do and it was enough to convince Loki as he nodded.

 “I’ll get a sheet from one of the rooms, I’ll be right back.” He planted a kiss on your forehead before leaving and you turned back around to face the room to start searching.

 You searched near the fireplace and your eye caught the remains of a burnt piece of paper, it was only about the size of a bottle top but you picked it up and examined it suspecting that it might be worth interest if someone had thrown it into the fire to be destroyed.

 Using your magnifying glass to help you, you read the single word on the piece of paper and discovered it said ‘maiden.’ You kept it in your palm and rose back to your feet when you heard Loki return to the room, in his arms he carried a white sheet, which he likely stole from one of the bedrooms.

 “Find anything?” He asked, as he shook the sheet out over the professors body before he guided it down slowly until it was covering him completely.

 “A piece of paper in the fire.” You held out your glove covered palm as you approached Loki’s side and his eyes fell on it. “I figured, if someone had thrown it into the fire with the intention of destroying it, it must be of interest.” 

 Loki looked at you with a proud smirk, which caused you to beam and cast your eyes downward.

 “Would you look after it though? I don’t have any pockets.” You asked him.

 “Of course, my dear.” He took the paper from your palm between his forefinger and thumb and snuck it into the tiny pocket in his waistcoat behind his pocket watch.

 Suddenly you heard your auntie screaming and yelling for the Doctor and you immediately began running towards the sound of her voice, Loki chased behind you. 

 On your way, you caught up with the Doctor and Agatha Christie and all four of you continued running to Donna’s rescue. 

 You caught her running out of one of the bedroom doors screaming, before she abruptly pulled it shut behind her, her attention turned to the four of you as she heard the sound of your feet galloping towards her.

 “A giant wasp!” Donna cried.

 “Oh my god, is that it? I thought someone was trying to kill you.” You sighed with a mix of annoyance and relief.

 “It was!” Donna claimed dramatically.

 “Don’t be silly, it’s only a little insect.” Agatha shook her head at your auntie, who looked about ready to slap all of you.

 “When I say giant, I don’t mean big! I mean flippin’ enormous!” She raised her voice for emphasis, before she gestured to the bottom of the door. “Look at it’s sting!”

 “Oh...” Your eyes widened with realisation as they landed on the abnormally large sting that was lodged halfway through the bottom of the door. 

 There was no doubt that it would’ve killed your auntie instantly if she had been stung by it.

 “Let me see.” The Doctor pushed past to open the door and everyone followed in behind him. “It’s gone.”

 When you entered the room, the stale smell of dust immediately surrounded you, the room appeared as though it had been untouched for decades, dust and cobwebs covered almost every surface.

 The Doctor rushed to the only window in the room, which was completely smashed through, indicating that was how the giant wasp made it’s escape. You realised it was also how it made its entrance when you heard the sound of broken glass crunching beneath the Doctors shoes as he returned to the door to examine the large sting. 

 “Don’t touch it!” The Doctor warned all of you and you felt Loki’s fingers wrap around your wrist to pull you closer to his side to ensure you didn’t go anywhere near the sting.

 “Giant wasp... well, tons of amorphous insectivorous life forms, but none in this galactic vector.” The Doctor thought out loud as he pulled out a test tube and used a stick to scrape some syrup like substance that was dripping from the sting into it. 

 “It’s lost its sting though, that makes it defenceless.” Donna said, she was crouched beside the Doctor.

 “Creature this size, got to be able to grow a new one.” The Doctor told her.

 Another scream carried through the mansion which had you all immediately rushing to find its source, you and Loki held hands as you ran behind the Doctor who made it down the stairs and outside to find Lady Eddison’s personal maid on her back, one of the stone carvings of the mansion had fallen on top of her and she was barely alive. The gravel stone of the drive slid beneath the Doctor’s feet as he rushed to her side.

 You all circled around her as she struggled to say her final words. 

 “The poor... little... child.” She rasped before her head lulled to the side and her eyes fell vacant as the life drained from behind them.

 You all lifted your heads to look up when you heard the sound of loud buzzing above you and although you had seen the size of it’s sting in the door. You weren’t prepared to be greeted by the sight of a six foot long wasp hovering over you. 

 Wasps had always triggered your fight or flight and of course you could never fight a wasp so flight was always your go to, whenever you saw a wasp you would immediately put as much distance between you and it as you possibly could, often that meant running away completely and this time was no different. 

 While the Doctor, Donna and Agatha had all began running after it, you ran in the opposite direction, splitting your group into two halves and Loki didn’t hesitate in deciding you were the one he was going to follow. 

 You ran back into the safety of the mansion, sheltering yourself in a corner where you weren’t close to any doors or windows as you shook the heebie jeebies out of your body by jumping up and down on the spot and shaking out all your limbs.

 Loki caught up with you and saw your jittery dance and couldn’t control the laughter that bubbled from his throat and when you heard it, you glared at him and he brought his hand to his mouth to stifle his sniggers and tried to offer you an apologetic look.

 “I’m sorry,” he tilted his head as he slowly closed the distance between you, now that you had finally settled, “but your dance was rather amusing.”

 Another unpleasant shiver shot down your spine, causing you to shake it out as you let out a cringe. 

 “They freak me out,” you told Loki, as he placed his hand on your upper arm and stroked it to gently sooth you. “Even the normal sized ones, I can’t help it.”

 “It’s alright,” Loki assured you and you nodded.

 “I’m okay now,” you told him honestly with a smile, before you remembered your auntie and the Doctor chased after the wasp. 

 “Doctor and Donna,” you gasped. “They went after the wasp.”

 “Don’t worry, we will find them.” Loki told you before he took your hand in his, “I’m sure the Doctor has everything under control.” 

 ***

 The Doctor didn’t have everything under control. 

 You and Loki had spent a good while searching around the large mansion, mostly just getting lost and ending up in the same place more than once, when you heard a commotion coming from the staff kitchen as you were walking past it. The distinct sound of Donna and the Doctors voices carried through the kitchen and into the corridor, as they shouted hysterically at each other. 

 You and Loki paused to share a questioning glance before you quickened your paces towards the kitchen.

 “What do you want, a Harvey Wallbanger?” Your auntie shouted.

 “Harvey Wallbanger?!” The Doctor screeched, as you and Loki silently snuck into the room unnoticed.

 “Well, I don’t know!” Donna raised the pitch of her voice.

 “How is Harvey Wallbanger one word?!” The Doctor roared, causing the veins in his neck to stand prominent. He was almost doubled over and was struggling to hold himself up as he leaned against the island in the centre of the kitchen for support.

 “Salt! I was miming salt! Salt! I need something salty!” The Doctor violently shook his hand up and down as if he was shaking a salt shaker.

 “What about this?” Donna offered him a brown paper bag filled with something.

 “What is it?!” 

 “Salt!” 

 “That’s too salty!” 

 “Oh, that’s too salty!” She repeated mockingly as she rolled her eyes.

 “What about this?” Agatha Christie ran over, offering the Doctor a jar of anchovies, which he immediately snatched from her and shoved its contents into his mouth.

 “What is it? What else do you need?” Donna asked the Doctor out of breath, as he began miming something else, waving both his hands wildly in the air.

“Um, it’s a song? Mammy?” Donna cried in an operatic voice. “I don’t know. Camptown Races?”

 “Camptown Races?!” The Doctor cried.

 “All right then. Towering Inferno?!” 

 “It’s a shock! Look!” He raised his hands up and waved them again. “Shock! I need a shock!” 

 “Right then. Big shock coming up!” Donna sighed as she put each of her hands on either side of the Doctors face and pulled him down for a kiss, or rather more a snog. 

 Your jaw fell slack with a gasp and your eyes widened like saucers as they staggered around like that for a while until she let him go and his head flew backwards as a large grey cloud evaporated from his lungs.

 “Detox!” The Doctor rasped, once the cloud had all gone and he wiped the back of his hand over his mouth and chin. “I must do that more often! I mean the... detox.”

 “What’s going on?” You asked, finally making your presence known as you walked further into the room.

 “Someone poisoned the Doctor. We were giving him an antidote.” Donna explained.

 “Who would to that?” You asked.

 “The wasp. They know I’m onto them.” The Doctor said, reminding you that the wasp had a human form and was likely one of the guests. It also reminded you that you had found a clue.

 “Oh, Doctor! I forgot to tell you, I found something in the library that I think might be of interest.” You told him and Loki was already fishing the charred piece of paper from out of his waistcoat pocket.

 “Brilliant! What is it?” The Doctors eyes widened as Loki handed it to him. 

 “It was in the fireplace of the library, it seems someone wanted to destroy it.” You explained, as the Doctor put on his glasses and squinted at the word on the paper.

 “Maiden!” He shouted as if he had a realisation, causing everyone in the room to startle, except for Loki, who you realised wasn’t easily surprised. “What does that mean?” 

 Everyone sighed with disappointment, having thought the Doctor might have been onto something, only to realise he was as clueless as the rest of you. 

 “We’re still no further forward. Our nemesis remains at large.” Agatha remarked.

 ***

 A thunder clap made you jump and you put your palm over your chest to calm your spiked heartbeat. Night had fallen and with it it had brought a terrible storm. Lady Eddison had promised to host all her guests for the night and now you were all sat in her dining room around a large table, eating the starter of the meal which she had her cooks prepare.

 Naturally you were sat next to Loki, Donna and the Doctor were sat beside each other on the opposite side of the table and Lady Eddison at the head, while her husband, Hugh, was sat at the bottom. All the other guests occupied the rest of the dining chairs.

 “I don’t believe we have been introduced.” Miss Redmond, the young socialite, said to Loki from where she was sat next to him, on his opposite side to you.

 “We weren’t.” Loki stated, as he focused on his spoon full of soup as he brought it to his lips.

 “I’m Robina,” Miss Redmond smiled at Loki, and you watched closely from his other side, beginning to feel a heaviness creep on your chest, but you willed yourself to ignore it as you deemed it irrational, she was just being friendly.

 “I’m Loki,” He replied, before he leaned back in his chair so he was no longer blocking her view of you and placed his hand over yours which was resting on top of the dining table. “And this is my beloved.” He introduced you.

 As soon as Miss Redmonds eyes fell on you, her smile dropped and she returned to her soup. 

 “A terrible day for all of us. The Professor struck down. Lady Eddison’s maid Miss Chandrakala, cruelly taken from us. And yet, we still take dinner.” The Doctor commented. 

 “We are British, Doctor. What else must we do?” Lady Eddison answered him, holding a crystal glass filled with red wine.

 “Then someone tried to poison me.” The Doctor continued, “anyone of you had the chance to put cyanide in my drink.” Everyone at the table remained silent, as they became increasingly interested their meal in front of them. “But it rather gave me an idea.” 

 “And what would that be?” The Reverend, Arnold Golightly, boldly asked the Doctor.

 “Well. Poison. Drink up!” The Doctor casually stated, and everyone at the table immediately choked on their mouthfuls or dropped their spoons, yourself included as your eyes widened and stared at the Doctor, wondering if he had lost his mind.

 “I’ve laced the soup with pepper.” The Doctor clarified and your shoulders slumped with relief. “But the active ingredient of pepper is piperine. Traditionally used as an insecticide.”

 Your lips parted with realisation of the Doctors clever plan and you let your eyes roam around the dining table, trying to spot which one looked the most alarmed.

 “Anyone got the shivers?” The time lord taunted, before a thunderous clap blew the windows open which sent a chilling draft through the room and blew out all the candles, plunging the room into darkness. 

 You immediately tightened your hand around Loki’s, as they were still intertwined on the top of the dining table, when you heard a buzzing fill the pitch black room.

 “Listen! Listen!” The Doctor instructed, drawing all the other guests attentions to the sound of the wasps buzz.

 “No. It can’t be...” Lady Eddison whispered as a clash of lightning briefly lit up the room, your eyes frantically bounced around taking advantage of the fleeting moment of visibility but you could not see any six foot long wasp.

 “Nobody move!” The Doctor ordered, when he heard the legs of a chair push back against the hard wood floor beneath them, but they elected to ignore the Doctor as the sound of footsteps filled the room. “No, don’t! Stay where you are!” 

 Another clap of lightning allowed you the ability to see just long enough, to this time catch a glimpse of the giant wasp, hovering above the dining table and you screeched. 

 You felt Loki tugging on your hand and realised he was now standing and you quickly pushed yourself out of your chair too, once you were by his side, Loki began guiding you out of the dining room as urgently and as safely as he was able.

 “Out! Out! Out!” You heard the Doctor shout at everyone else from behind you, as multiple chairs screeched against the floor and the sound of more frantic footsteps filled the unlit room. 

 Loki soon found the door and opened it to reveal the lit hallway, allowing light to faintly leak into the shadowy dining room and soon the other guests were following yours and Loki’s lead. 

 Donna, the butler, and then Agatha and the Doctor, who snatched one of the decorative swords off of the wall for protection.

 “Well, we know the butler didn’t do it.” Donna gasped, out of breath.

 “Then who did?” The Doctor asked no one in particular, as he returned to the dining room with his sword raised and you all followed behind him.

 One of the waiters had found the switch to the lights and the room was once again illuminated, the first thing you realised upon entering was that the buzzing had stopped and the giant wasp was nowhere to be seen. The Reverend and Hugh were both on the floor, Hugh’s wheelchair was tipped over, he must’ve fallen out of it during the chaos. 

 “My jewellery.” Your eyes fell on Lady Eddison who was clasping at her now bare neck. “The firestone, it’s gone. Stolen!”

 Your attention was quickly diverted to Miss Redmond as she let out a scream, muffled from behind her own hand and it didn’t take you long to find the cause, as your eyes fell to Lady Eddison’s son, Roger, slumped face down into his bowl of soup with a dagger lodged between his shoulder blades.

 “My son. My child.” Lady Eddison cried, as she approached his lifeless body. Once she reached him, she leaned over him as she sobbed uncontrollably into his shoulder.

[embrassemoi]

(1/8) You're really out there publising new chapters in such a short amount of time and each chapter is better than the last one!   I'm seriously in awe of your talent! It's so difficult to pick a favorite chapter but this one might be one of my favorites. First of all, I loved what you did with the chapter title, whiskers literally taking padfoot's place in the order they were named on the map. It was sirius' worst fear and it happened. Also Remus and mc's chemistry is so great. I'm a big fan

I've had so much inspiration and free time this past week! and I'm going to start getting really busy this upcoming fall so I want to try and upload as much as possible!

(2/8) of how naturally their friendship and relationship grows and how different their dynamic is compared to mc and sirius. The way she was braiding his hair in common room and the way map practically flirts with her. Their little moment in the halloween party was so great as well, mc (who is dressed up as mcgonagall) drunkly playing with remus' (who is dressed up as FILCH) is probably one of my favorite moments in the sbtmas. Speaking of the costumes, I wish I was a good artist so I could draw

yeah! it's always a struggle to write two different dynamics when it comes to a love triangle because you don't want it to be:

a) the same

b) have it be unfair (although rn it's kinda unfair but hey, sirius will have a chance)

c) please both remus and Sirius stans (its been hard bc sirius stans are so mad with me rn LMFAO its kinda hilarious. I'm sorryyyyy! I SAID SLOWBURN DIDNT I? I WASNT LYING)

and oh my gosh - this chapter was literally so fucking fun to write and I think that really showed in my writing this time. the map - omg - since it's technically remus' magic for his little messages, the map is unable to insult her and I think it's just so cute :)

and I think dressing up as the professors would be so fucking cool! actually, fun fact - this idea was originally supposed to be for fifth year. Sirius was supposed to be McGonagall and MC was still supposed to be a cat but I obviously flipped shit around. for seventh year - I've had their costumes all picked since I started writing and I CAN'T FUCKING WAIT TO WRITE IT MY GOD

(3/8) a fanart of them. Lily as a 20s flapper, marlene as carrie, dorcas as dorothy (it's official, dorcas is the cutest person in this entire series) and sybill as the crazy cat lady (hands down best costume)! And of course marauders as teachers. Remus as filch was son unexpected yet brilliant! I almost died when marlene started flirting with mc for a grade and james called her hot (and also mcgonagall took a photo with her, minnie and marauders era students is always so fun to read about. Can

THE FACT that you would even think of making drawing fan art is literally the most ego-filling thing ever. woah. Thank you for even just mentioning that lmfao.

also, I love Dorcas. I love her. I adore her. the version of her that I created in my head - I'm obsessed. the same goes for Lily. omg I can't forget to mention Marlene! omg I'm a mess. I love them all.

(4/8) you imagine her keeping all of those memories in a box and looking at them after most of her students from that time period die in the war.) Peter had some really good costume ideas after all. But honestly, thank you for... giving peter a personality. In most fics he's just there, only eating in the background (similar to movie!ron). But in sbtmas he's so great and has a great sense of humor (he got his hands on a pen and chose to write "evans' bitch on james' face, an icon). I feel like

okay, that hurt my feelings. I can just picture McGonagall getting teary eyed as she stares at a picture of the Marauders after the second wizarding war, wishing she could have saved her students.

(5/8) this is going to make his betrayal so much better when it eventually happens. I mean, I was genuinely disturbed when james started to talk about how sneaky he was (famous last words). I loved all of the pranks they did in this chapter as well. The exorcist music and ballpoint pens were so creative (and they gave us that adorable scene with dorcas and nifflers) and also... funny. I feel like in a way, it showed how much marauders learned from "The Prank" and matured because of it. Last year

Peter was a marauder through and through. he was just as sneaky as the others, brimming with personality and just as smart. maybe not in academics, but the fucker had strengths in other areas. It was such a pet peeve of mine when they didn't include him in the fics I used to read. idk, sbtmas is everything I guess I wanted in a fic that I didn't get 💀 (I sound a bit egotistical here. If it comes off that way, I don’t mean it to)

(6/8) their halloween prank with spiders was a bit cruel. But this time, it's somethig that would make everyone laugh and maybe a bit annoyed, but still less harmless. Everything was funny and great and honestly, while I was reading this I was laughing the entire time... until I got to the "five years" part! Now that was cruel! You really did used costumes and pranks as a distraction and hit us with the angst! One second I was laughing and the next moment I was having an existential

oh definitely and I'm happy that you caught on to the change in severity from their pranks!

(7/8) how we have no idea about what future will bring and you can never know how much time you will have with your loved ones before it's all taken away from you. But I guess that's the appeal of the marauders era, we all know about the tragic ending they will have but still want to learn about their hogwarts years. And of course the song you chose perfectly captured that. It's halloween 1976, exactly five years before lily and james' death. And they have no idea about how they only have five

(8/8) years together. James and lily was laughing along with peter! There was something so beautiful yet disturbing about the innocence they have and you captured it beautifully. I can imagine sirius, sitting by himself somewhere, thinking about how he lost his friends and not having any idea about the tragic things that'll happen to him (or how he'll try to break into hogwarts on halloween 1993 to kill one of his friends). Okay now I made myself even sadder, I'll just shut up. -🌸

aw, sirius :(. I obviously didn't add him in this chapter but while writing, I imagine him to be in Padfoot form, silently watching the fireworks. just thinking. :((((( I just made myself sad again :( I think I even wrote a small blurb of that part but I can’t remember if I deleted it. If I didn’t, I’ll totally upload it to the outtakes eventually

[hergrandplan]

Anastasia, June 17th Matinee

(this post was submitted by my fav anon J)

goodness where to begin okay so let’s start with the tiny mistakes: •when dmitry pulls out the music box and says “it’s broken”, zach reached into his bag and the music box came out but the lid came unattached, FLEW ACROSS THE STAGE, and he had to walk across, pick it up, then hand it to her and say “it’s broken” and the audience DIED. he handled it like a champ though, what a legend. •christy had a lil stutter in once upon a December on the line “someone holds me safe and warm” it came out “so-sooooomeone” but she NEVER BROKE CHARACTER, more on her throat troubles next •i didn’t really notice but she cut the last note of “in my dreams” short and i thought it might have been cause 8 shows a week is different than one cast recording but then i watched her live the next day and she said she had something stuck in her throat and that she felt bad BUT I COULDN’T TELL IT WASN’T INTENTIONAL, she said everyone thought she lost her voice. i feel so BAD FOR HER, on the live she said “this audience is gonna think i’m crazy” or something, no no no christy we loved you and no one knew you messed up :( okay onto other things: •you can’t really tell in the cast recording but hearing it live, VLAD’S NOTES ARE SO L O W I SWEAR MY THROAT HURT JUST LISTENING •this might have been related to the same throat incident of earlier, but on the low notes in in my dreams christy did almost a growl-y thing and it was SO COOL •when vlad and anya talk in french he uses the “vous” form to show respect and i thought that was cute •SPEAKING OF CUTE VLAD AND ANYA, when he tells her he’s off to visit Lily she takes a moment and straightens his bow for him awww •THE ENTIRETY OF COUNTESS AND THE COMMON MAN WAS SO EXTRA THEY MADE OUT FOR AT LEAST A MINUTE STRAIGHT AND DID AGGRESSIVE HAND AND LEG MOVEMENTS I SWEAR THEY COULDA HURT THEMSELVES but the audience ATE IT UP •in land of yesterday, when lily’s singing “pass me a shot” a man slides up to her on his knees with shot glasses (and it WAS SO SMOOTH), she picks one up, downs it, then shoots it like a beer pong into someone’s fancy hat and that was so EXTRA, i adore vicki’s take on lily •before seeing the show i thought of vlad as a fatherly figure but now i see him more as a fatherly figure who disgusts his kids by constantly making out with their mom (the kind whose kids say “dad stop you’re embarrassing me!”) and a hopeless romantic •the pause between “I loved you” and “you loved me” was so tense people in the audience loudly went “ohhhhh” we were ROOTING for you vlad, and you RUINED IT •seriously they’re such a good duo john and vicki play off each other so wELL •also instead of just shouting “ENOUGH” during the press conference, vicki sang it in note so high it could shatter glass •i kept noticing lyrica in all the scenes especially in the neva club when she was in the flapper costume leaned against the wall with a cigarette uGH SHE’S BEAUTIFUL (sidenote- we met after the show!) •during once upon a december, the dancing ghosts of the romanovs are projected onto the walls of the stage and also into the audience so it creates the illusion that they’re dancing around you and it was such a cool effect •also the staging in general was so cool, they used panels and flipped them in between scenes, so a scene change was 2 seconds most •max’s gleb was interesting, before he knew the “troublemaker” was Anya, he was trying to scare her straight but as soon as he made eye contact he was BLUBBERING trying to be smooth •and when the girls come in to report her, there’s a line where one of them says something along the lines of “that’s not fair” and he picks her up, looks her in the eye, and says something about next time he sees them causing trouble on the streets, he won’t look the other way and it’s so still and tense til he blows on the girl’s face and they SCATTER, it was scary •”as your new friend, i suggest you be careful” but as she walks away he grabs her arm and whispers SUPER CLOSE TO HER FACE “but as deputy commissioner, i suggest you be VERY careful” BOY THAT HAD ME SHOOK •i love how they pronounce it, super fast, VUH-goh-nov •also, land of yesterday reprise EXISTS ?!!! AMAZING !!!! •speaking of things that aren’t on the soundtrack, THE ONE LINE DUET IN MY PETERSBURG WHERE ANYA SINGS HARMONY ON “YOU AND I” AHHH IT WAS AMAZING •my petersburg in general was A+, showstopping, wonderful, zach can BELT •the ballet scene was so gorgeous, the costumes of the dancers were incredible and i loved how the girl was a symbol for anya, the boy for dmitry, and the man in the mask for gleb, plus their voices sounded incredible, especially for such a difficult song •in the fight scene, Anya sounded so excited to show dmitry she could beat the other guys up “WANNASEEWHATELSEICANDOIPROMISEIWONTHURTYOU-“ she was like a lil kid •it was interesting seeing dmitry on stage because i find his characterization difficult to understand, but he mirrored the way vlad hides his romantic side. they had some lines in the beginning about saving vlad’s life being uncharacteristically kind for him and it felt like he was trying to project “HA YES I AM STRONG AND HAVE NO FEELINGS” (baby boy it’s okay, your gf is cute, tell her how you feel) •christy gets wheeled in on a bed before crowd of thousands superduperduper fast •she snuggles up closer to dmitry on the line “he was thin” ugh it’s so precious •THEIR FACES WERE SO CLOSE DURING THE ALMOST KISS •gleb walks in before anya even finishes her song and LET ME TELL YOU THAT TENSION IS HIIIIIIGH •i will never EVER be over the ghosts of the romanovs walking between gleb and anya as he points the gun cause WOW POWERFUL they’re symbolizing the distance between anya and her family is gleb’s willingness to pull the trigger and the how thoughts of family contrast so strong between the tsar and gleb’s father MAN IT’S GOOD CONTENT •anya just accepts her fate as death, wow that girl needs some therapy •”if you ever see me again from a carriage, don’t wave.” WOW those lines were so bitter it hurt my heart •THE SUITCASE AHHHHH I LOVE HOW BOTH ZACH AND DEREK DO THE THING WHERE THEY WAIT A SECOND TO MELT INTO HER ARMS •at the VERY VERY END while they’re standing there silhouetted, i saw christy move and touch her lips or something on her face with her glove? it was super small and subtle and just cause i had the right angle from the mezzanine but i thought it was adorable, then she snapped right back into place, perfectly still •AT THE BOWS SHE DID THE THING WHERE SHE PUT HER HAND ON HER HEART AWWWWWW SO SOFT •i couldn’t stage door for very long but ZACH CAME OUT AND HE REMEMBERED SOME FANS AND WAS ASKING THEM ABOUT THEIR PROM also sidenote the people by the stage door were super sweet and took pictures or held phones for each other even though no one had ever met before •LYRICA WAS SO SWEEEEEEEET I DIDN’T GET A GOOD PICTURE SO SHE SAID “HERE LET ME TAKE ONE” AND SHE TOOK A SELFIE ON MY PHONE GOD BLESS THAT WOMAN •i brought a tiny gift bag for julia and she put it on her arm and signed and boy SHE IS SO SMALL AND CUTE •and then i had to leave :( •BUT IT WAS INCREDIBLE WOWZA THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME

[dentalrecordsmusic]

Album Review: “Pray For The Wicked” by Panic! At The Disco - When Sinners Become the Storytellers

Words by December Svetlana Jade

There comes a time in life for a selected few that the never working peaceful demand just stops. No more bliss. No more sympathy from the gates of heaven, and the so-called gods of your own inner world. Nothing the simple following of gut-wrenching conformity can do for you anymore.

So you tear it away from your life. For good, and rebirth yourself. With all your madness.

Panic! At The Disco—one of my favorite bands since I was a kid—released their new album Pray For The Wicked today, and I don’t think it could’ve come at a better time. An album name that sends a powerful message of inspiration to those who can never fit the mold, stuck with minds of insanity with the highest ambition, and with crazy good tracks to match.

The album opens with their second single, “(Fuck A) Silver Lining”.  A track that really speaks for itself--because everyone wants the shining gold. The lyrics in each verse describe a tragedy that’s happened. What that tragedy specifically is can be interpreted in many different ways, but one thing’s for sure: something broke, and is forever ruined. Singer Brendon Urie uses sarcasm as he introduces each verse, singing in a very jokingly matter how it���s just “cherries on top”. With just the sound of his voice, you can tell everything has gone to hell, but he obviously can’t fix it now, so here he is just coming through with a well-known saying to make fun of the fact that everything is definitely not good. A line in the verse that really stuck out to me was, “We’ve been falling, falling, it’s like we fell to the top [...] Now I’m dodging, dodging everything you think that I’m not / Archetype of television, was lost but held my vision”. It’s clear the person Urie is describing (perhaps even himself) through the song, it was so close to making it, so close to being okay, and so close to fixing all the issues, but failed almost in a way where their dream isn’t even a victory anymore. Now there’s accusation, surrounding the person on who they exactly are, and through the fogginess of the world around them and their own self-pity, they don’t even know anymore. But alas, there’s still hope. A goal is still to be achieved, and even if the world around has burned, it can be rebuilt. Thus, this is what the chorus reiterates. The silver lining isn’t good enough. It has to be perfect. A shining, top-of-the-notch-gold feeling. Average will never do. This song was a great way to open the album on Urie’s part. Everything else following in some form or another sticks with the theme of owning all your flaws and mistakes, and rebuilding yourself with wicked redemption.

“Hey Look Ma, I Made It” is the first song on the record the audience hears which is unfamiliar to us, and apparently it’s the next to single. Rightfully so. Opened with the upbeat nature of a pumping bass and a cool electric guitar for celebration, the song signifies the next chapter in someone's life. Ignoring the remarks, pushing past the failings, and making a total switch of growth. Their life has been a clear struggle, never having once made it to the top, by letting everything get the best of them. But now, it’s a new chapter. The sequel to their past life, as Urie describes in song, “Are you ready for the sequel? / Ain’t you ready for the latest? / Ain’t it got enough evil / I’m gonna be the greatest / In a golden cathedral / I’ll be praying for the faithless / And if you lose / boohoo.” I’m not one to type out a whole part of lyrics from a song. After a few important lines, for the most part, people understand your gist once you describe it. But holy mother of God and all things wickedly holy of Brendon Urie, every lyric in this song is pure genius. I just have to type big chunks here. It hits every mark with exactly the thoughts and overall mood it’s going for. Asking the world so strongly, so boldly, even despite all the doubts of everything, if it’s ready for you. Because you’re here, your old self a corpse left forever dead, and you’re reborn into your own self-entitled extraordinaire. Even going as far as taking the “evil”, aka anything twisted, anyone or even your own self has thought about you, and owning as it being who you are, and not letting anyone use it against you. If they don’t believe in you now, sure, you’ll give an effort to try and let them see, but at the end of the day, it’s their loss. And boy could you not give a single fuck anymore. A chorus that describes how you made it, using the typical “hey ma” phrase as a way to say you made it within yourself, and are showing it to someone who’s seen you your whole life (in this case, more like the whole world). Holding yourself high and feeling all the glory, because here you are, ready to own yourself and take it all on. If all of it is just a delusion fantasy, it’s one you’ll never leave.

The entirety of the second verse hits home so much for me. And once again, I am going to type out the whole thing, because every lyric hits like a bullet, “Friends are happy for me / oh they’re honeysuckle phonies / Then they celebrate my medals / or they wanna take my trophies / Some are loyal soldiers / while these other thorns are rosy / And if you never know who you can trust / then trust me you’ll be lonely.” I’ve had tons of fake; horrible friends. Recently, I had a pretty traumatic breakup with one of these fake friends. When I heard this verse specifically, I was honestly shell-shocked. It was as if Urie himself had put all the emotions I’ve felt and turned it into a song. Even just the calmness to his voice with the way he sings it makes it so effective. Because it’s so known to him, and the feelings are so familiar, and I just get that completely. Your so-called friends will express cheer for you, perhaps say they’re even proud of all you’ve done, but in reality, are faking it. The use of the honeysuckle flower is so incredibly smart. Honeysuckles are known for being two different shades--two different sides to one person, fragrant--allure you with their charms, and open in the evening for pollination by moths--reveal their true selves away from you, and show how ugly they truly are. As they cheer for you and praise you to your face, they’re plotting in their minds how they can destroy you in every way possible. Sure, you have your faithful people you can always rely on, but there’s plenty who give off being doting, as they clasp a knife behind their back. At the end of the day, it’s all entirely toxic and ruins you. Destroying your friendships, self-worth, and ability to tell who really matters in your life, or if you even matter at all, leaving you shamefully alone. If you’re like me and have recently had to re-strengthen yourself from the damage a long-time fake friend has done, this is an excellent song to motivate you along the way. Screw all the damage, use it as your fuel, because even if they broke you, you’re still here and kicking.

Even with all the motivation this album entails, there’s definitely some stories of pain on it. “Roaring 20s” is a great example, and one of my favorites on the album. The opening music of 1920’s-era-like instruments just paints the picture in your mind of a room full of flapper girls, smoke in the air, and jazzy music. Despite the glamour and appeal of it all, the person in this song wants out. Reading back the lyrics, this song is sad. Dreadfully sad. A ‘y'know, I don’t think I want to wake up tomorrow’ kind of sad. But that’s all disguised by the blaring of peppy instruments, which seems to be exactly the point. This person is clearly going through a lot, and in spite of that, they’re being forced by the world to go on like life is a party, because heaven forbid they say anything to turn the mood negative. Once again, Urie hits everyone’s emotional center and this song captures it so perfectly in a way I never thought it could be possible. Down to the specifics of how the instruments are played and the vocals are produced. “Maybe I’ll medicate / maybe I’ll inebriate / Strange situations / I get anxious / Maybe I’ll smile a bit / maybe the opposite / But pray that they don’t call me thankless”. I really felt this in my bones. In life, sometimes you just have to cope. ‘How’ doesn’t matter. You just need to stay alive, to be able to breathe without a rush of pain. The situation this person is in--which appears to be something similar to a party, where it is very public and they’re forced to hide their true emotions, is becoming a realization for them to say that they don’t know how much longer they can fake it, or how much longer they can even deal with anything anymore. The definite last straw would surely be if anyone considered them selfish for their feelings.

References are made a few times in this song that help to describe the absolute truth of melancholy in the track. “My tell-tale heart is a hammer in my chest / cut me a silk tie tourniquet”. Most likely, this is a play on the Edgar Allan Poe story “The Tell-Tale Heart”, which follows a man trying to deem himself sane while also describing a murder he just committed. On one side, this person perhaps feels there’s nothing truly wrong with them, and they’re just experiencing a bad time. While on the flip side, they really do find themselves unbearable as their mind begins to swarm into cruel details of darkness. “But it’s Lord of the Flies in my mind tonight, I don’t know if I will survive”, is a direct reference to “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding, which tells the story of boys stranded on an island and how they slowly go insane as they try to govern themselves. The person in this song is trying to keep themselves together, and trying to manage and continue on all on their own. But each day, they’re falling deeper and deeper into the pit of madness and it’s unknown to them at that striking point if they’ll make it.

The chorus follow-up to the last verse is huge, loud, and absolutely amazing. It especially leads me to the replay button every time. The vocals get extravagant, and the instruments practically scream in notes, but everything slows down. Giving off a feeling as if going slow-mo in time, the rhythm breaks down completely so the focus is all the raw and aching emotions of the song. And of course, the chorus measures up to par with the rest, “This is my roaring / roaring 20s / I don’t even know me / Roll me like a blunt cause I wanna go home”. If you know anything about history, you’ll know the 1920s were a big time of extravagance. But merely, it was a distraction from the actual destruction and suffering that was happening in the world. Urie referencing what this person is going through as being their “roaring 20s era” is intelligent as a way to describe the hidden pain. They don’t even know themselves, because the whole world around them is a fake celebration despite the crippling suffering they feel inside. A reference to weed is also smart. This person just wants to drift off and forget: be alone and try so hard to distract and forget. An anthem to describe depression would be the perfect way to summarize this song. Not everyone will see it as awfully dark and upsetting, but if you look closely, you’ll see the truth.

The eleven track album of devilish bliss ends with ballad “Dying In LA”. It’s a song that compliments both sides to growth and is the perfect closing to this epic album. With a slow melody, soothing beat, and passionate vocals filled with vulnerability, Urie sings of the typical dreamer. Someone who spends every waking, breathing, and chilling moment waiting to make it for their chance of glory. It starts off describing a scenery of bliss. Finally arriving at this person’s equivalent of the golden gates of heaven--Los Angeles. You can just picture in your mind with each word the shimmering lights, the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the expensive price tags, the distinct smell of a city crowd, and the busy world around you as you go to start your dream. “The sun was in your eyes / you couldn’t believe it [...] Stars are on the ground / you start to believe it”.

But alas, it isn’t always so easy as stepping onto the sidewalk. Los Angeles is a very glamorized place. It’s the place of stars, and the place to go to make a name for yourself. But if something happens along the way, and things don’t go as planned, well, perhaps it is better to fade away in a place of beauty, then to say you never tried at all. Towards the middle to the end of the song, that is what is referenced. “Drink of paradise / They told you put your blood on ice / You’re not gonna make it”. Blood on ice is a popular procedure in hospitals to preserve the hormones and oxygen within it for testing. Referencing this is a way to symbolize how this person should save what they have left, so there’s a possibility of something to share after they are gone. Soaking in the enjoyment, and the small fulfillment they have left in a place their heart has swooned about is the better option than to go back and be back at the very beginning. The chorus is the strongest part of this song. “But nobody knows you now / when you’re dying in LA / And nobody owes you now / when you’re dying in LA [...] The power of LA”. Even if you find all hope is lost, and there’s nothing else to do now, you always have the ability to escape to a place of happiness. There’s no grief, remorse, or agony in the place you find to be the backbone of your dreams. This is what Urie expresses as he describes the shifting moods of the dreamer in LA and the overall journey of finding hope. A perfect way to close the album’s rollercoasters with its main message.

With every rise, there is a fall. So with every fall, there is a rise. Even as the album is mostly centered around growing and starting anew, there are still references to past pain, which is important. You can’t have the glory without the suffering of getting there. All people have both physical and mental scars. Acknowledging them and accepting them in order to better yourself is the true depth of this album. From the fun, flashes of the past tracks such as “Dancing’s Not A Crime” and “The Overpass” which show a joy in breathing new air (and also sound perfect for old 80’s movies), to songs that describe in such power the deepest holes of slums, like “One Of The Drunks” and “Old Fashioned”, this album shows each of your qualities make you the person you are. Brendon Urie and his wonderful team have made this absolutely impressive and breathtaking album, which is sure to forever be marked as one of my all-time favorites. Whether you’re a long-time fan, or new to the band, this album has a favorite song for everyone and a message everyone for certain can relate to.

If you’re looking for a holy sign to reinvent your life, allow this album to be your bible. Let it guide you, inspire you, and be a place of comfort for all reasons. It’s time we let ourselves die for rebirth. A rebirthing that accepts all of the wicked sinners within us as we start the lives we always wanted. I pray you all are able to do so.

December Svetlana Jade is going to follow whatever insane and remarkable new religion Panic! At The Disco are starting. You can follow her on Tumblr.

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