#the over the hedge soundtrack is elite I stand by that

[gabriellaeva2005]

I really cannot express how much this piece of work means to me! As corny as it sounds I really found this story at the perfect point in my life, I initially started reading the impulse 1995 comics when I was 14 and I ended up falling upon this story when I was 17 I just immediately fell in love! The concept was so creative and fit into the pre-existing plot line perfectly! All the new characters are so enjoyable to read, Nathaniel and Jude have such a wonderful and also sad dynamic, as a twin my self every scene with them just really hit me in the heart! Six especially in the first several chapters was so comically annoying and clearly insecure, in a way that I think a lot of us can relate to, one way or another especially when we got to here is internal monologue, I’ve always been a sucker for the asshole character with an air of insouciance and superiority, who by the end of the story, just ends up being a pretty all right guy! And Five oh my god five! I love this guy so much! he’s just so genuine and someone who clearly cares deeply, and him being technically the physically oldest in the room, but also being the one with the least amount of experience is a very literal take on an experience I think a lot of people have felt, myself included, And I think we all know I’m a Three apologist, his whole story is just so devastating and haunting, part of me is always rooting for him, whilst also being terrified for what he might do to the other characters, there is so much complexity with his relationships with the other characters, such as five and four, every time theirs a seen with three and four the writing always makes me feel so on edge and is really able to puts me in three’s shoes! And god! The way three and five interact is so sweet and sad there relationship is just too much! The last chapter absolutely destroyed me!! And Bart and Thad are so perfectly characterized it truly just feels like a natural progression of their characters, the way they both are just really struggling to deal with the inevitability of change hit me so hard, like I said I started reading the impulse comics when I was 14 so these characters have such a place in my heart, so now being able to read about them going through these struggles, when I was also experiencing a lot of change, is such a comfort to me, it was like in a way these characters got older with me, and you know it’s always nice to see some of your childhood characters going through the same stuff as you, currently being a slightly terrified 18 year old, it was great to be able to read about two other slightly terrified 18 year olds, anyways I wanted to post some of my sketches from the past few weeks, and don’t worry there are definitely more to come cause I don’t think I’ll ever be able to stop drawing these guys!

@cryptocism you really sent me on a journey, thank you for that!💖💖

[dykephannie]

Virtuoso

summary: Phil Lester and Dan Howell both consider themselves the top selections for the best orchestra at their elite music university, and find themselves competing for the position.

genre: angst

tw: stress to the point of not eating or sleeping

word count: 4.5k

a/n: do you like my fics? would you like to have a sneak peak at what fics are coming up? are you reading this in your head like an infomercial? then you should follow my twitter! i am kinda desperate for followers but it’s also where i post my random dnp thoughts and phanfic sneak previews! please check it out and give it a follow if you’d like! 

Phil had always been pretty good at the violin.

He had picked it up when he was five, sent through grueling lessons that hardened the tips of his fingers with callouses and cramped his wrist until his bow hold was perfect.

His teacher was strict and insistent. If Phil didn't come to his lessons with at least 8 hours of practice under his belt, his teacher was always able to tell, and there was always a punishment. But Phil was grateful for what he had endured. It brought him to the gates of Canterbury Academy, the most prestigious music school in the country, where he was guaranteed a spot in their second string orchestra. He intended to make the first string by the first audition in the first month of the school year.

Dan thought he was a pretty good violin player too.

Of course, he didn't have the kind of training that Phil had. When he was in middle school he had stumbled across a video of someone doing a violin compilation of video game soundtracks, and all he knew from that moment on was he wanted to do that. He saved up and bought a used violin that was nearly an octave out of tune, but Dan figured out quickly that he had enough of a knack for notation and pitch to fix it. And that natural talent had also landed him in the second best orchestra of Canterbury Academy.

Where he, too, intended to reach the most elite orchestra of the school.

“So what's your major?”

Phil knew that Canterbury was open to all types of musical geniuses. Yet he still thought they would be arranged in dorm buildings with people of similar majors. Phil’s RA indicated otherwise.

“Classical,” Phil said, adjusting his grip on his suitcase. The tiny girl in front of him smiled.

“Sick. I’m a music comp major, but I play drums with the rock band and other cool shit like that.” Z, as she had introduced herself, had frizzy hair dyed electric pink, which was barely contained in two buns at the top of her head. Her face glittered with piercings in her lip, eyebrow, up and down her ears, and in her nose. Her large brown eyes were ringed with blue eyeliner, and her hands rested casually in the pockets of her ripped jean shorts.

“Well, it’s uh, nice to meet you.”

“Likewise. Your room is down that way and to the left.” Z pointed with a long, black fingernail down the hall.

“Thanks.”

“Sure. Let me know if you've got an issue!”

Phil shot her an awkward thumbs up and headed for the direction she had pointed in, struggling with fitting the key into the lock. His dorm building was one of the oldest on campus, which meant ancient locking mechanisms and, as he soon discovered, a total of two power outlets.

Both beds in the dorm room were empty, and after a brief moment of deliberation, Phil placed his violin case on the one on the left. He sighed and glanced out the window. His room overlooked the gardens behind the house, decorated with white roses and finely trimmed hedges. The school was almost as gorgeous as the music it produced.

Phil was shocked from his daze by someone knocking on his door. It was wide open, so the knock was unnecessary. The guy had curly hair and bright green eyes, holding a large, curved music case in his hand. He had what seemed to be a permanent, friendly smile on his face.

“Hey! You must be Phil!”

“And you must be PJ.” Phil had been in contact with his roommate for a few weeks before the beginning of school. He was a jazz comp major, if Phil remembered correctly, and in that curved case there must have been a saxophone.

“So uh, have you been here long?”

“No, not really. Haven’t even had the chance to unpack.”

“Oh, haha.” PJ’s smiled wavered a bit. “Right.”

The awkwardness uncomfortably settled in the stuffy air of the tiny dorm room. Phil quickly turned to his suitcase, unzipping it and letting it fall open. It was going to be a long year.

On the opposite side of the campus, Dan lounged on his bed, a joint in between his lips, as his roommate tuned his cello next to him.

“Higher,” Dan told him as a slightly flat C reverberated around the room.

“My chromatic says it’s fine.”

“Don’t trust a chromatic, Anthony.” Dan flipped over on his side, giving his roommate a cocky grin. “Trust my perfect ears.”

“Yeah whatever.” Anthony set his cello down and wandered across the room, the floorboards squeaking underneath his feet. He snatched the joint from Dan’s mouth and took a drag. “You’re a pretentious little fucker, you know that?”

“That’s bold, coming from someone who just met me an hour ago and plays the cello.”

Anthony snorted, obviously trying to stifle his laughter. And Dan felt incredibly confident that he had made his first college friend.  

Dan and Anthony walked to their first rehearsal together the next day. They had been placed in the same orchestra, and the anticipation of their chair assignments weighed heavy on their chests as they walked, Anthony tugging his cello behind him.

Phil was also nervous as his footsteps led him in the same direction, alone apart from his violin case clutched tightly in his hand. PJ had woken up at 5 that morning, trying and failing to be as quiet as he could as he changed into workout gear and closed the door behind him. Unfortunately the door wouldn’t properly close unless it was slammed, so Phil was shocked awake by both PJ’s jazzy alarm tone and the loud thump as the door shut. Waking up that early did not mix well with staying up wracked with stress the entire night, and Phil was extremely paranoid that he would fall asleep at his music stand before he even set his bow on the strings of his violin.

The class was stirring with the plucking of strings and the murmur of anxious students, no one daring to even touch the plastic chairs before receiving an assignment. The quiet that fell over the room when the teacher walked in was eerie.

“Everyone tuned up?” she asked. She appeared strict, with a tight black bun and slight wrinkles at the corner of her eyes. “Good.”

She tapped her baton on the edge of her music stand. “We’ll proceed with chair auditions. I assume everyone has prepared a piece?”

Phil confidently reached into his case and pulled out a Bach sonata he had been perfecting. But halfway across the room, Dan’s blood had turned cold. He had all the music they were to play for the month, but that was it. It hadn’t even occurred to him to bring an audition piece.

“Alright, we’ll start with basses and work upwards. Ms. Fiona Del Rose, what piece will you be auditioning with?”

Dan loosened and tightened his bow hairs nervously. At least he had some time to think.

That time did not last long.

“Daniel Howell?”

Dan shrugged away his fear. “Uh, just Dan is fine. And I’ll be auditioning with… a medley of music from Final Fantasy 7.”

The conductor was taken aback, but Dan was playing before she could object.

Phil’s hands had been glued to the fingerboard of his violin, incessantly pressing the tips of his fingers up and down and zoning out as he practiced soundlessly. But when he heard Dan’s opening notes, his eyes found him immediately. The song was one he recognized, one that filled him with the nostalgia of playing video games late at night, after all his violin practice and homework had been done, when he could finally feel like a real kid. And Daniel Howell’s rendition was even better than be original.

Dan was extremely talented. Phil supposed that everyone here was, but the way Dan drew his bow across the string and swayed ever so slightly with the rhythm of the music was the kind of talent that was completely natural. His bow hold was sloppy, but strong nonetheless. His vibrato was awkward, but the notes were angelic, like they had been sung instead of played.  Phil was enchanted, from the first measure to the last.

“Philip Lester?”

“What?”

The conductor was staring down at him, brow furrowed. “Your audition piece, Mr. Lester.”

Someone in the room coughed. “Oh uh, right. Hang on.”

Flustered, Phil placed his music on his stand and shouldered his violin, trying to stop his fingers from shaking as he carefully lowered the bow onto the string.

The sonata was short and sweet, but by the end of it, Phil felt like a mess. The entire time he played he couldn't stop thinking about Dan and the way he had performed. His eyes carefully scanned the room to find Dan conversing quietly with a curly haired cello player. He looked up when he noticed Phil staring. They locked eyes for a brief moment before Phil shifted his glance away.

“Thank you, Mr. Lester. Who’s next?”

By the time all he auditions were completed, Phil’s anxiety had only grown. He was certain that he had played that F sharp out of tune, and shortened a half

note like, two times. The conductor’s stern gaze swooping across the room didn't do much to ease his nerves either.

“My name is Ms. Sullivan. Welcome to Canterbury Chamber Orchestra B. It is a huge honor to be accepted into this orchestra. However I understand that Chamber Orchestra A may be a goal for a vast majority of you.” Sullivan paused. “I have spoken with the conductor of said orchestra, and he’s agreed to open auditions every month.”

The volume in the room increased as the space filled with murmurs. Phil’s fingers tightened around the neck of his violin.

“Auditions will be open to all of you at the end of the month, yet I do not encourage you to audition if you are placed in the lower half of the seating for your section,” Ms. Sullivan continued. She ended her statement with a wry, knowing smile. “Speaking of which.”

The class collectively held its breath.

“Mr. Bailee, you will be our principal bassist. Mr. Padilla, our principal cello. Ms. Bennett for viola. And finally…” She paused. Whether to add dramatic effect or cause his heart to beat so fast it exploded Phil wasn’t sure. “Our concertmaster will be Mr. Howell. Please see me right now for your individual seating assignments.”

Dan blinked. He had gotten first chair. With a medley from fucking Final Fantasy?!

“Nice going man!” Anthony congratulated, slapping Dan on the back.

“Yeah, yeah you too.” Dan could barely form a coherent sentence. He was still awestruck, and remained that way until he was comfortably seated at Ms. Sullivan’s left hand, fingers tapping against the fabric of his jeans.

Next to him was a tall, pale boy with dark black hair who looked almost as stricken as Dan. But judging from the way his intense blue eyes bore a hole into the metal music stand, it was an angry type of stricken. Dan hadn’t been paying much attention to the other auditions, but he supposed to one he heard faintly in between the whispers exchanged with Anthony, the one he was certain would clinch first chair, must have been this guy. This guy, with his long fingers and sharp jawline and strict posture as he sat on the edge of the chair with a confidence that could only come from years of violin training. This guy, this incredibly fuckable guy, was to be Dan’s second chair.

He was going to have some trouble focusing on the music.

“Hi, I’m Dan.”

Phil’s eyes shifted over to Dan’s open hand, awaiting his to shake. Phil swallowed a sigh of annoyance. “Phil. Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too.” Dan grinned, an easy grin that reminded Phil of the way Z had smiled at him earlier. Phil wondered if Dan would be more at place behind a drum kit.

He certainly appeared that way. His black jeans were ripped at the knees, and his oversize sweater hung low around his hips. His hair was close cropped save for a pile of curls carelessly styled at the top of his head. He even had black studs in his ears, which he fiddled with while he tapped his white sneaker against the linoleum floor. That was another thing. He was constantly fidgeting. Phil thought sitting him at a drum set would’ve helped with that. It also would’ve helped Phil to sit in the spot Dan was. Sure, his performance was beautiful. But with Dan now, in front of him, Phil couldn’t see how he had lost to a guy whose violin was haphazardly sitting in his lap, risking a destructive fall every time Dan’s foot tapped against the ground.

“Alright students.” Ms. Sullivan tapped her baton against her music stand. “Let’s warm up with some scales, shall we?”

At the end of rehearsal, Phil was packing up his violin when he felt a presence hover over him.

“What’re your afternoon classes?” Dan asked cheerfully. Phil stiffened and buckled his case closed.

“Theory, classical composition, and my gen ed class is philosophy.”

“Damn, I’ve got philosophy too,” Dan said. “I’m going to run to the Tyler house dining hall and get something to eat. Want to come with?”

Phil didn’t think he had much of an option. He didn’t want to be rude to his stand partner within the first couple hours of knowing him. “Sure.”

“Cool. My friend Anthony is going to tag along too, is that okay?”

“Uh yeah.”

So Phil found himself walking in between Dan and Anthony, who both looked and acted like brothers, leaving Phil the awkward third wheel.

Dan and Anthony chatted throughout the entire lunch as Phil sullenly stirred his pasta.

“That medley you did was so sick,” Phil heard Anthony say. “I love Final Fantasy.”

“Me too,” Phil spoke up. Finally something he could talk about.

“Oh really? What’s your favorite game?” Anthony asked, with a suspicious tone as if he didn't believe Phil.

“Seven,” Dan and Phil replied in unison.

Dan looked over at Phil and smiled. Phil felt himself smiling back. Maybe Dan wasn’t so bad after all.

-

Phil changed his mind after rehearsal the next day.

Dan was just so effortlessly good, and it frustrated Phil to no end. Phil had played the opening note of Anderssen’s Concerto in D Major a hair out of tune, and while Sullivan was chiding the bassists on their sloppy bows, Dan leaned over and reminded Phil to press his finger down just a bit harder on that opening. Meanwhile, Dan never screwed up a single note. Phil was certain both he and Sullivan recognized his perfect pitch by the end of the rehearsal.

“Mr. Howell,” Phil heard her mutter as he was packing up his violin. “I very strongly encourage you to audition at the end of this month.”

Phil gritted his teeth. He would need to improve if he wanted that first chair seat, and if he wanted Ms. Sullivan’s blessing.

So he practiced.

He practiced until the indentations in the tips of his fingers were permanent, until his fingers were cramped in the curled position of his bow hold. He played until 10 pm, when PJ went to sleep, and then made his way through the dark house to the practice room across the campus. He survived on coffee and ramen cooked hastily in the nearest microwave. His philosophy grade slipped. His theory homework remained abandoned in his backpack.

But by the end of the second week, none of that mattered.

“The seating arrangements have been altered this week,” Ms. Sullivan announced as her students rosined their bows and tuned quietly. Phil paused and held his breath. “I’d like Mr. Lester and Mr. Howell to switch, please.”

A funny look crossed Dan’s face, like he had smelled something foul. Phil was trying to fight his triumphant smile as the two of them awkwardly swapped seats. Phil managed to catch the furtive glance Anthony sent Dan’s way, and Dan’s furrowed brow in response.

“Can you give us a D, please, Mr. Lester?”

Phil grinned confidently and shouldered his violin.

-

“It’s bullshit,” Dan growled, slamming the door behind him, earning a startled yelp from Anthony.

“What is? What’s happening?”

“You know what’s happening,” Dan insisted. “Phil Lester got fucking first chair! Weren’t you just telling me how that guy has like, no soul.”

“I mean I guess, but do you really think Sullivan cares about soul?” Anthony sat up, smoothing back the stray curls in his eyes. “She’s older than Mozart.”

“She is not older than Mozart.”

“I’m just saying, she likes the classic stuff and the fact that Lester can hold a brow properly.”

Dan frowned. “I can hold a bow properly.”

Anthony made a high pitched sound of disagreement. “Whatever. Doesn't matter. You need to chill, you can still do well in auditions at the end of the month.”

“I got bumped down. That's not going to look good.”

Anthony raised his eyebrows. “For real, Dan. You've got to fucking chill.”

“Easy for the you to say,” Dan muttered. “You're still principal cello.”

“What was that?”

“Nothing.”

Dan didn't sleep much that night.

Or the next night.

By the third night, he had had enough. He pushed aside his duvet, threw on a pair of jeans and a shirt, and grabbed his violin. He closed the door behind him as quietly as possible.

Dan regretted not bringing a jacket as he hurried through the chilly autumn night, clenching his jaw to keep his teeth from chattering. The tips of his fingers were nearly frozen by the time he opened the door to the practice rooms. A quiet, lilting noise filled his ears as soon as he stepped through the threshold. It sounded like the first violin part for one of the pieces they were doing. Dan’s blood ran as cold as it had been outside. He knew exactly who was here.

Dan followed the music to the second floor and down the hallway, his mind racing. This was how Phil Lester had been able to get so ahead of him. He had been practicing all day, all night. Holed up in here, isolating himself.

Two could play at that game.

Dan chose the practice room right next to Phil’s. He turned on the light and pulled out his violin, staring down at his bow hold. Was he doing it wrong?

He pulled his phone out of his pocket and adjusted his fingers after a quick Google search. Everything needed to be perfect.

Dan took a breath and burst into the Allegro they were working on today, playing it as loud and crisp as he could. The mezzo fortes became fortes, and the fortes fortissimos. Dan played and played until the gentle music the room over stopped. Dan felt himself grin and moved onto the next measure, playing until he heard his own door fly open.

“What is your problem?!”

His bow slid off his string, creating an ugly scratching sound. “What do you mean?”

Phil was fuming, the neck of his violin looked just about ready to crack from how tightly he was clutching it. He was wearing glasses that were sliding down his crinkled brow. Dan thought he looked good in them, better than if he were wearing contacts. But he didn’t figure now was a good time to bring that up.

“There are like, twenty practice rooms in this building and you choose the one next to mine! I don’t care how pissed you are that I got concertmaster, just stay out of my fucking space!”

Dan couldn’t help but notice how tired Phil looked, the black rings around his eyes, his face a shade paler than normal. The skin was hanging off his sharp cheekbones, like he hadn’t eaten properly in awhile. Dan frowned, his pettiness erased by Phil’s alarming state.

“Are you okay mate?” Dan asked carefully.

Phil took a step back, as if that was the last thing he expected in response. “What…? I mean, I will be if you leave me the fuck alone and stop acting like a kid!”

“You should get some sleep,” Dan said. “You’ve already got first chair. You deserve a break.”

The anger had been all but erased from Phil’s features. His next words came soft and uncertain from his mouth. “Just… fuck off okay?”

Phil left the room, footsteps echoing through the silent building. Dan stood and started packing up his violin.

Dan scoured the school website the next day in philosophy, searching through rosters until he found Phil’s name and dorm number. When his classes were over, he wandered over to Phil’s building and asked a petite girl with wild hair for directions to his room. She pointed him down the hall.

Dan stood in front of Phil’s door, hesitating for the slightest of moments, before he brought up his fist and knocked. The knob turned almost right away, and the door swung open with some difficulty to reveal a guy with bright green eyes and a saxophone around his neck.

“Can I help you?” he asked.

“Uh yeah, this is Phil Lester’s room, right?”

The guy frowned. “Yeah. He’s not here right now though.”

“When will he be back?”

“Honestly?” He sighed, some of the tension in his shoulders released. “Probably not anytime soon. I don’t even think he came back to the building yesterday. You’ll have better luck in the practice rooms.”

“Thanks.”

“Why do you ask?” the saxophonist asked suspiciously. “Are you guys friends?”

“I’m worried about him, that’s all,” Dan said. “He’s been pushing himself too hard, I can tell.”

“This is a music Academy,” he pointed out. “That’s kind of the only option.”

“Still,” Dan replied. “There’s still a line.”

He stuck out his hand. “PJ Liguori.”

Dan shook. “Dan Howell.”

“Give me your number so I can text if Phil comes back.”

“Awesome, thanks.”

Dan took PJ’s phone and put in his contact information. They parted ways with a nod, and Dan’s head swirled with even more worry than it had before he had arrived.

Of course, he didn’t know why he was concerned. Phil had stolen his position after all. Phil running himself into the ground so ferociously that he could barely keep his eyes open for an entire piece benefitted Dan. But it also made him sick to his stomach. Did Phil really deserve to nearly kill himself over a petty dispute in orchestra? Did it matter that much?

Was the fact that Dan had never received a proper violin lesson in his life making him think this way? Had the competition been injected into Phil’s fingers by whatever harsh teachings he had to survive to get here?

Dan didn’t know. But he did know that this wasn’t worth it. He had to help Phil.

He couldn’t have picked a worse time than the week before Orchestra A auditions.

“Hey,” Dan called, jogging up to Phil after class after he had bolted out the door as soon as he had been dismissed. “Are you going to lunch?”

“No.”

“Are you going to eat anything?”

Phil was caught off guard again. “I don’t know. I mean, yes. Why do you care?”

“Come on, we’re getting lunch.” Dan grabbed Phil’s wrist, shooting him a cocky grin.

“No, I can’t…”

“Come on.”

Phil blinked. The fight melted from his body. “Fine.”

Dan sat across from Phil minutes later, watching him scarf down the bland dining hall food like it was his first meal in weeks. It probably was.

“Feel better?” Dan asked. Phil looked up to meet his eyes before glancing back down at his food.

“I guess. I actually got kind of sick of ramen.”

Dan snickered. “You really should eat some real food every now and again.”

“No time,” Phil replied. “Auditions are next week.”

“I’m pretty sure you know every violin piece perfectly.”

Phil stopped and set down his fork. “Not everyone is a naturally gifted musical genius like you, Dan. Some people have to work, and keep working, if they want to get better.”

“I’m no musical genius.”

Phil scoffed. “Don’t humble yourself. You’ve got perfect pitch. You can memorize music like that. Every note you play you might as well be singing you’re… amazing.” The lightest pink was tinting Phil’s cheeks. He turned back to his food.

“Thanks.”

The next day, Dan was sure to drag Phil to lunch with him again. And call PJ at night, to make sure Phil was in his bed, sleeping. The routine continued, until the day before the auditions.

Dan noticed that the vibrancy had returned to Phil’s skin as he walked into Dan’s dorm. Anthony was away, practicing out by himself, so Dan was in his room working on his his audition. Strewn across his bed were sheets for a Legend of Zelda medley he had arranged himself, sheets he had been staring at for days and had memorized within the first hours of making them.

“Shouldn’t you be practicing?” Dan asked Phil teasingly. The other man wasn’t even carrying his violin, and it might’ve been his imagination, but Dan thought that without the weight of the instrument, Phil stood up straighter and easier.

“Thought I would take a break.” Phil pointed at an empty spot on Dan’s bed. “Can I sit?”

“Sure.” Dan shuffled his papers out of the way and sat down next to Phil. “Are you nervous?”

“I should be,” Phil decided. “But instead I feel disturbingly calm. Like my entire life doesn’t rest on whether or not I make it into this orchestra.”

“There’s always next month.”

“Always next month.”

The two of them paused, staring out Dan’s windows and over the campus.

“I wanted to thank you,” Phil said finally.

“For what?”

Phil laughed. “You pretty much saved my life. Who knows where I’d be if I continued like that?”

“Well, you’re welcome.”

“I’m serious.” Phil’s voice had lowered. His hand had snaked closer to Dan’s until their fingers were overlapping. “Thank you.”

Dan didn’t know what to say next. Luckily, he didn’t have to say anything.

Phil had leaned forward and pressed their lips together. Dan’s eyes had fluttered closed, his hand properly fitting into Phil’s. Phil had made a soft, breathy noise that was better than any music that came out of his violin.

The next day, Dan and Phil arrived for their audition times. They played their hearts out for the conductor of Chamber Orchestra A, each thinking of nothing but the notes and the taste of the other’s lips.

Monday of the next week, the conductor entered the room to announce who he would be taking on this month.

“Anthony Padilla, welcome to Chamber Orchestra A.”