#there’s literally a song called Island where she sings about wondering if she’s stranded or if she’s in paradise and how she feels so close

[puthyflapps]

Big day for me cuz my favorite lady released new music 🥰🪩🕺🏻💋

[hummingbirdsaltimolockia]

I recently made a list of all the musicals I’m pretty familiar with and it came out to 63. and since my sisters won’t listen to my recommendations this is a masterpost of all those musicals with a few of my Thoughts and Opinions. this gets hella long so prepare yourself

-Les Miserables

ah, you never forget your first. I heard the symphonic recording when I was six? seven? so it has become the definitive version in my mind, but cast members (michael ball) are weak, and unfortch I haven’t come across a recording were all the cast members are top notch, though the 25th anniversary concert comes very close (norm lewis!! lea salonga!!)

-The Little Mermaid

ok so on the whole this show is not particularly great or interesting and honestly didn’t do very well on stage BUT hearing sherie rene scott sing poor unfortunate souls literally changed my life and is what really sparked my interest in musical theatre. also norm lewis is there

-The Band’s Visit

unlike any broadway musical you’ve heard fs. based on the movie of the same name, it’s about the egyptian police band being stranded in a middle-of-nowhere town in israel for in 1996. it’s a simple story but incredibly charming and ernest and surprsingly emotional. also the music is played onstage by the actors which is always cool!

-In the Heights

lin manuel miranda’s first musical and is honestly just as good as hamilton, if not better (I said what I said). it’s a slice of life kinda story about people living in washington heights. great music, great story, great characters, feels very real without being like....depressing.

-Aladdin

most of the songs from the movie stay mostly the same, I think they only changed arabian nights, and friend like me (which for the latter was a huuge improvement. I can’t NOT dance whenever I hear it. james monroe inglehart is a fantastic genie). and the flying carpet!! looks amazing!!

-Once on This Island

this story made me v mad initially (the female lead just. dies at the end), but I kept coming back to it because I loved the music, and it took me a while to figure out why and it’s because the caribbean island vibes are off the charts, and that reminds me of my childhood in sofl. and the vocals of the ensemble are amazing and the 2018 revival used a in the round stage with actual sand and live animals how cool is that

-She Loves Me

a super cute, super enjoyable, super fun musical based on the old film shop around the corner. zachery levi and laura benanti make some quality faces

-Next to Normal

oooof. a very intense show both in terms of theme and music. deals with bipolar depression, schizophrenia, drugs, suicide, hallucinations, death of a child....yeah. a very good show that handles all those heavy themes realistically

-Hamilton

so yeah when it first came out five years ago it was very hyped up and was called lin manuel’s “masterpiece” and when I listened to it I was like....dam they’re right. the lyrics and wording are so precise and having a story told by the protag’s enemy is so narratively juicey. plus the music is incredible (also listen to the hamilton mixtape if you haven’t it’s great)

-The Lion King

if you’ve followed me for any time you know I love the movie and the musical only makes it better. the songs, the music, the puppets, heather headley, the songs in zulu, the costumes...ugh perfection. the most successful disney show on broadway

-Aida

ever wonder what it’s like to be so darn good at singing that sir elton john writes a musical for you? well that’s what happened to heather headley and she completely deserved it. it’s a bit problematic in that the egyptian conquerors are all white and all the nubia slaves are black and like....they’re both in africa dude

-Anastasia

ok so I know it didn’t happen but the premise is so compelling and so gd tragic and christy altomare’s voice has such a fragility to it which is such a contrast to who anastasia actually was and the show features a song about russian refugees having to flee their homeland and it’s like the saddest song I’ve ever heard

-Anything Goes

honestly this musical on the whole isn’t that great for some...reasons, but it does have some great Friendship songs and Great tap dancing and sutton foster is in it and she is the epitome of a triple threat

-Cinderella

honestly just watch the brandy version because it’s the best version. better than the broadway version for sure, even though laura osnes is fantastic in everything she does and the show does have an amazing onstage costume change, but the brandy version has the coolest cast and costume and sets

-Ragtime

ho boy. so much to unpack here. while I think this is a “good” musical, it is too long, has too many characters and storylines, and deals with some heavy themes but doesn’t handle them very well so by the end it’s just exhausting and disappointing. BUT it does have the incomparable brian stokes mitchell and audra mcdonald, who is literally the best performer to ever grace broadway

-Thoroughly Modern Millie

there is so much spirit in this show it’s infectious. also sutton foster

-Dear Evan Hanson

sigh. so this musical gained a lot popularity among the Young People and...it..didn’t...deserve it? like again it deals with heavy issues like social anxiety, depression, and suicide, but like ragtime it doesn’t handle them very well; not in an honest way. and like everything they talk about is handled better in next to normal so

-Tuck Everlasting

based on the book, not the movie. the music is something really different and I don’t think broadway was ready to accept it so it didn’t run very long. and the adaption isn’t very strong, but the lead (sarah charles lewis) is very good and it does have a very sad song about miles losing his family

-Come From Away

so this is about the 38 planes that were diverted to a small town in newfoundland on 9/11. now with as much as america loves to talk about 9/11 I had never heard this story so it was cool to hear a different side of it. also it has a song that makes me tear up every time I hear it

-Annie

not much to say about this one. a classic

-Oklahoma!

speaking of classics, if you think this musical is boring and outdated, please listen to the 2019 revival. it rocks in every sense of the word

-West Side Story

this one is also a classic, and often called a masterpiece for good reason. the music is so strong and is integrated so well and it represents the characters on both sides. this video explains it really well. tho productions consistently have trouble finding puerto rican actors to play the puerto ricans....

-Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812

this one deserved sooo much more than it got, coming out in the same year as dear shmevan shmhanson. the lighting and set design is incredible and the music reflects each character’s emotion so it feels really honest, and almost like a supporting character. it’s so good guys. it has josh groban in a fat suit

-The Phantom of the Opera

unpopular opinion (maybe): I think gerard butler was a really good phantom. probably andrew llyod webber’s best work

-Waitress

based on the film of the same name, also the first broadway show with an entirely female creative team. also what baking can do came after my entire life

-Hello Dolly!

I fell in love with the movie version with barbra streisand, but then I learned that the original broadway production had a all black cast which is awesome but wasn’t reflected at all in the movie and that’s disappointing. great show tho

-Wicked

I can distinctly remember the first time I heard the ending crescendo of defying gravity. and the fact that it has so quickly become classic staple of broadway is a testiment to how strong it is

-You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown

yes there is a broadway show of charlie brown. the songs are funny and childlike and honest, and very ernest. also kristin chenoweth is hilarious as sally brown (she won a tony for it!)

-Chess

I love the music in the show, and some songs have very complex lyrics but the main character is kinda annoying. like yeah dude deserting your country with another woman and leaving your wife and kids behind is gonna have negative consequences. don’t know what to tell you

-Finding Neverland

not as good as the movie it’s based on. while some of the music is very pretty, the songs are pretty simple and kinda boring

-Venice

ok this show also isn’t very good, the character’s motivations are not clear, especially the villain, and the female lead’s songs are weak. but the premise and some of the songs are arresting, and I kept coming back to them

-The King and I

like wws, it took a very long time for a production to cast this show accurately, and it still hasn’t....quite done it. but the songs are very beautiful. r&h strike again.

-Matilda

features a bunch of v talented children and manages to be lighthearted but also really gets you. just listen to when I grow up

-Little Women

on the whole, not a great adaption. some good songs. sutton foster is great

-Bonnie and Clyde

oh boy you want some bad guy songs? how bout a whole musical of them? oh no the public hated us and we closed after 36 performances. ah well. at least laura osnes got her first tony nod

-Beetlejuice

very catchy show with a killer aesthetic. give alex brightman a tony just for being Like That

-Hadestown

this show has such nice lyrical rhythm, even in the spoken words, and it is so smartly composed and balanced. and even tho the broadway cast recording is out, it’s worth it to listen to the earlier album as well

-Catch Me If You Can

based on the film. just two hours of aaron tveit being a little brat and norbert leo butz flexing on everyone else’s vocal chords

-Miss Saigon

an extremely problematic and infuriating show that is unfortunately very beautiful. introduced lea salonga to the world, so that’s good at least

-The Hunchback of Notre Dame

speaking of problematic but beautiful shows. exceeds the movie in my opinion. the choral vocals just cut right through you

-The Fiddler on the Roof

I listened to the 2016 revival after not listening to this show for years and you know what? it’s really good! like heck!

-Mean Girls

yes they made a musical of mean girls. yes it’s pretty great. regina has a killer song near the end that I love to belt out

-Bandstand

one of the only musicals to make me cry actual tears just from listening to one (1) song. it’s about WWII veterans coming together to form a band just months after the war ends. also laura osnes fricking kills it in the last number

-Into the Woods

I’m not a huge fan of “fairy tales but make it realistic and therefore disappointing” but stephen sondheim is a very good writer and musician so it’s worth checking out. and the witch is played by bernadette peters in the musical and meryl streep in the movie so it’s a win both ways

-How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying

what it says on the can. a very fun, ‘don’t take this too seriously’ show. the lead was played by daniel radcliffe and nick jonas at one point so like. come on

-The Last Five Years

honestly this is a very depressing show, but it’s told in a interesting way. it’s about a couple who meet, fall in love, get married, drift apart, and ultimately get divorced, but not in that order

-Newsies

ok so the broadway version is very different from the movie, but it’s still worth checking out! the new verse at the beginning of seize the day makes it worth it!

-Legally Blonde

yes they made a musical of legally blonde. yes it’s great

-Daddy Long Legs

a little known musical about a young woman who is aging out of an orphanage and finds out she is being sent to school by a mysterious benefactor. meghan mcginnis has super sweet voice

-My Fair Lady

another problematic show about a british asshole who takes it upon himself to turn a flower girl into a “proper lady” (no one asked you to do that dude). but it is funny

-South Pacific

ok so I’m not actually super familiar with this show but it does have a very important song called you’ve got to be carefully taught about how racism is not “something you’re just born” so stop making excuses nellie

-Once

again I’m not super knowledgeable about this show, I’ve listened to it a few times, and read the wiki summary but I still don’t quite know what it’s about. but the music is really good, really different from a traditional broadway show. very enticing and sentimental

-Beauty and the Beast

I think this was the first disney movie that made it to broadway? I could be wrong. like hunchback, I think it exceeds the movie, esp if I can’t love her??? shoutout to my sister’s friend for blowing my socks off with that song in 2005

-Six

not a full blown production, just a rock show about the six wives of henry viii. I thought it would be like riding off the hamilton craze of “history but make it cool” but it actually kicks ass all by itself

-The Sound of Music

another classic, and edelweiss makes me emotional

-Billy Elliot

ahh this show has so much tangible emotion in it and it’s heavy but children are it and they carry it so well and the juxtaposition of the protests an d the dancing UGH

-The Lightning Thief

yes the percy jackson musical! is good and enjoyable! doesn’t take itself seriously at all (as it shouldn’t) and the last two songs go so hard!

-The Music Man

this is imprinted into my brain because of my sister’s drama group and from that day on I have never known peace

-The Scarlet Pimpernel

based on the film of the same name, it’s really good, the opening number goes really hard, and it SHOULD be revived with laura osnes

-Oliver!

this show is....good..but it’s just too long. too many extra songs that don’t do anything

-Sussical

beautifully whimsical and heartfelt. features an array of suess characters and stories

-Moulin Rouge!

the cast album that came late year and it kicks ass. it keeps some of the songs that were featured in the movie, and brings in songs that have come out since the movie like shut up and dance, royals, and bad romance

-The Greatest Showman

so technically this isn’t a broadway show, but it’s going to be, and I think it will be much better as a stage show than a movie.

[lullabyes22-blog]

Doloresdaizhamorgan Submission

[ 1, 2, 3. The camera zooms in on Saya and Diva. Diva waves gingerly as the views increase as Saya chews on a granola bar. Diva finishes off her cup of coffee]

Diva: "Hello, everyone! Thank you for tuning onto our channel. Today we will be answering questions sent in from fans from all over the world."

Saya: "Let's try to keep the questions G rated. We got in trouble with our last video."

Diva: "We got over 6.6K views on our Thirst Tweets, however, like big sister says, let's keep the questions G rated. They can be funny, but no sexual stuff or triggers."

Saya: "We're going to be answering questions to us via on our cell phones. Don't worry, those who asks shall remain anonymous. We will also be taking requests and Would You Rather. Just keep it G-rated."

Diva: "Example, if you want me to dump a bucket of slime on Saya's head, I'm your girl!"

Saya: "That's not happening."

Diva: "We value the privacy of our fans. So, without further adieux, let's get started."

-Diva and Saya swiped on their cellphones, peering at the first question-

Diva: "Have you ever met someone famous?" Diva nods once. "I met Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna years ago. I'm trying to remember what year. She was such a sweetheart in all honesty. Her smile was so radiant and pure."

Saya: "I don't think I've ever met anyone famous. I've wanted to, but never got the chance." Saya scrolls for the next question.

Saya: "Chocolate or Vanilla?"

Both: "Chocolate!"

Diva: "I mean this should not even be up for discussion. Chocolate is literally everything, especially Hershey's Chocolate. I put the syrup on my ice cream."

Saya: "I usually just eat chocolate candy, any type. The amount I eat could literally put someone in a diabetic coma."

Diva: -taps her phone- "Pizza or Burger?"

Saya: "Pizza."

Diva: "Both. Most definitely."

Q: Wake up in your underwear at work or wake up naked in the woods 20 miles from home?

Saya: "Let's see...I guess the first one."

Diva: "Same here. But I think I'll reach for the second one."

Q: Eat a live worm or be locked in a room with a tarantula for an hour (but not know where the tarantula is)?

Saya: "The taste of worm sounds gross. It's been in the dirt."

Diva: "Well, Saya, you're right about that. I'd like to say I'd be locked in a room with a tarantula. They're so cute."

Saya: "I'd rather be with the spider. And you think a tarantula is cute?"

Diva: "Duh."

Q: Give up cursing forever or give up ice cream for 10 years?

Both: "Give up cursing forever."

Diva: "Honestly, give up ice cream for 10 years? That's insane!"

Saya: "Ice cream is irresistible."

Q: Be able to read someone’s mind or control their mind?

Saya: "It'd be creepy to read everyone's daily thoughts. They're real personal."

Diva: "You never know what someone might think everyday. I don't want anyone's thoughts mulling around. I'd rather control their mind."

Saya: "Mind reader here."

Q: Fight a chicken to the death every time you get into a car or fight an orangutan to the death once a year, but you get a sword?

Saya: "That's kind of a tough one. But when you think about it, it's not rocket science. I say chicken."

Diva: "I feel bad for both the chicken and the orangutan. But I guess the chicken, because I don't get into cars that often and at least I can eat it, so it's death isn't a complete waste."

Saya: "Diva, that's terrible."

Diva: "I know. I'm terrible. Rest in pieces chicken."

Q: If you were stranded on an island with no food with your dog and your sibling, would you kill your dog to feed your sibling or let your sibling die of hunger?

Saya: "That's just cruel."

Diva: "I'll miss you and think of you dearly big sister Saya."

Saya: "I'll remember that when our birthday comes around."

Diva:. "The dog is an innocent."

Saya: "And what am I? Chopped liver?"

Diva: "Yes."

Saya: "This one is a request, it's directed to both of us. It's from anonymous."

Diva: "Hi, Nonny!"

Anonymous: "Diva, you have a very beautiful singing voice. Saya, your skills with the cello are amazing. It's my birthday and I'd love for you two to sing a song that has been very dear to my heart. I've loved it since the fourth grade. It's called "My Love" by Westlife. It'd be the best birthday gift ever if you do.

Saya: "Well Happy Birthday Anon! Of course we will. Although, I've never done a duet with my sister."

Diva: "It'd be my honor sweet Anon. Have a very Happy Birthday! Alright, Westlife... let's see, My Love. Alright, I got the lyrics."

-Diva and Saya grab their mics, setting up a screen that lists "My Love Lyrics", both of them picking up their mics-

Saya: "I'm a little nervous."

Diva: "Here we go."

[ Music starts pouring in the background, seeping in and rolls off like a lullaby]

Saya:

An empty street

An empty house

A hole inside my heart

I'm all alone

The rooms are getting smaller

Diva:

I wonder how

I wonder why

I wonder where they are

The days we had

The songs we sang together

Oh yeah

And all my love

I'm holding on forever

Reaching for the love that seems so far

Both: [ Chorus]

So I say a little prayer

And hope my dreams will take me there

Where the skies are blue

To see you once again, my love

Over seas from coast to coast

To find the place I love the most

Where the fields are green

To see you once again, my love

I tried to read

I go to work

I'm laughing with my friends

But I can't stop

To keep myself from hinking

Oh no

I wonder how

I wonder why

I wonder where they are

The days we had

The songs we sang together

Oh yeah

And all my love

I'm holding on forever

Reaching for the love that seems so far

Diva:

So I say a little prayer

And hope my dreams will take me there

Where the skies are blue

To see you once again, my love

Over seas from coast to coast

To find the place I love the most

Where the fields are green

To see you once again, my love

Saya:

See you in a prayer

My sweet dreams will take me there

Where the skies are blue

To see you once again

Over seas from coast to coast

To find the place I love the most

Where the fields are green

To see you once again, my love

Diva: "Happy Birthday, Anon! We hope you enjoyed our duet!"

Saya: "This is a very beautiful song."

Diva: "It is! Well, we have to keep this video short today, but feel free to send in requests. Don't forget to comment, like, and subscribe to our channel."

Saya: "Stay safe out there! Always remember you mean the world to someone, life is precious."

Diva: "Stay tuned for our next video and we will see you all on the other side of the looking glass! Goodbye!"

-Ending credits of chibi Saya and Diva dressed in beer onesies-

[gray-autumn-sky]

No Good Deed Goes Unpunished, Chapter 3 (Bats)

Chapter 3 of my Salem Witch Trial AU for SpookyOQ.

She slept, but she hadn’t slept well - and now, she was antsy.

The cellar was dark, but not pitch-black as it’d been the night before. Little strands of light snuck between the boards of the cellar door, brightening it just enough for them to be able to see--just enough for her to see how calm Robin was and how unbothered he seemed by the uncertainty the day brought.

She’d never been good at sitting still, and it unnerved her to watch him whittle away at a branch, slowly but surely turning it into an arrow.

So, she paced--back and forth, back and forth--along the short length of the cellar, her mind spinning.

Now that she was dry and rested, she no longer had a distraction--all she could think of was that she was living on stolen time, and that any minute the cellar doors could burst open, that she’d be discovered and killed right there on the spot.

“Would you please stop pacing?”

She blinks as she looks to Robin, watching as his knife skims down the thin stip of wood as he slowly twirls it between his fingers. “It’s not like there’s much else to do.” She sighs, her hands settling on her hips as her jaw tightens. “You’re not exactly a riveting conversationalist.”

“Oh,” he murmurs, his voice low and hushed. “I’m sorry I didn’t come up with a more entertaining escape plan.” Her eyes roll and her tongue clicks. “And I’m sorry I’m not willing to risk both of our lives talking.” He gestures to the cellar door above them. “I’m not sure that you’ve considered this--given your penchant for witchcraft--but typically, the ground doesn’t speak.”

“That’s such a--”

“Look, we only have a few more hours til dusk and--”

“A few?” she asks, her brows arching quizzically. “That’s quite the understatement! There’s no way it’s even noon yet.”

Robin sighs and his eyes roll. “Regardless, I’d like to actually live to see dusk.”

Bristling, she crosses her arms tightly over her chest and looks to the cellar doors. He does have a valid point, and it wasn’t long ago she heard the dogs barking as they ran ahead of a search party--and thought it’d been an uncomfortable hinderance, she was glad for the rain and its ability to wash away her scent. Then, in a huff, she looks back to him--and just before she’s about to concede his point, she remembers watching him pick the lock of the cellar. She’d been impressed by how quickly he’d managed it, and now she knew that it wasn’t the first time he’d done such a thing or--

Her thoughts halt as a realization settles upon her. “It’s not even locked!”

“What?”

“This cellar,”  she hisses. “You picked the lock!”

“My pick was easier to find in my pocket than the key.”

“Robin! That means--”

“A friend locked it.”

“What? How would--”

“I had a plan, alright?” he interjects, finally looking up at her. “As I pointed out before, I’d been watching.”

Her eyes narrow. “That’s creepy, you know.”

“Mm, very well, but it saved your ass.” She gasps, feigning shock at his foul language--but Robin only rolls his eyes. “I told my friend John to check the cellar before dawn, just in case I had to bring you here.”

“Just in case?”

He nods. “I hoped we’d get farther, back to my camp but--”

“And where is that?”

“Away from Salem.” He pauses. “Near the Wampanoag.”

Her eyes widen. “But they’re--”

“Perfectly civilized and damn good hunters.” He pauses, his eyes narrowing. “Far more civilized than the good, godly men who ordered your death.”

Shifting a bit uncomfortable, she nods. Never in her life had she had any interaction with the native people who surrounded the colony; but Leopold often likened her to them when he caught her burning incense or reciting chants. He called her a savage and damned, a brute and barely human.

“I believe it,” she tells him, her voice suddenly meek. “So, you’re… you’re sure your friend locked it?”

“Positive,” he replies, gingerly rising up on his feet. “And I’ll prove it.”

Regina watches as Robin gets up and moves toward the cellar doors above them, climbing up a few stairs as he reaches up above himself to push on the cellar doors. “See, it’s--”

Robin doesn’t finish the sentence.

Instead, his voice is replaced by a high-pitched squeal and fluttering--and as her eyes widen and her head cocks to the side for a better look, she sees a tiny bat fly away from the door. She grins as she watched the frightened bat relocate itself across the cellar--but Robin remains on the stairs, a shrill noise escaping him as he shakes his head and limbs wildly, trying to clear away the bat that’s no longer anywhere near him, hitting away the air as his face turns red.

And all she can do is laugh as she wonders who screamed louder, Robin or the frightened bat--and as she considers this, she laughs to the point of tears.

“What the--” He stops, blinking at her as he pants. “What the hell was--”

“It was a bat,” she laughs, motioning behind herself to where the wide-eyed bat hangs. “And I’m pretty sure it’s a baby one, at that.”

Robin stares indignantly at her. “Those things are known to suck the blood from--”

Her eyes roll. “Unless you’re a tomato, you have nothing to worry about.”

“Excuse me?”

“Bats eat fruit, not… people.”

His eyes narrow as he draws in a long breath, slowly exhaling it as he comes down from the stairs. “And how would you know that?”

“Well, I am a witch, and everyone knows that witches have an affinity for other creatures of the night.” Robin just stares at her, still attempting to recover his breath, and her eyes roll. “Seriously, though, the only thing that poor little thing is going to do is steal your snacks and protect you from cockroaches.”

Again, Robin’s eyes go wide. “Excuse me?”

“Did you say you lived in a camp in the woods?” she asks, waiting for him to nod in reply. “That’s… somewhat alarming. You--”

“Can we just… change the subject?” he asks, cutting him as he sits down on the bench, placing his hands on knees as he draws in deliberate breaths. “To literally anything else.”

“Fine,” she murmurs, sighing a little as she realizes her distraction has ended. “Does this mean you’re willing to talk to me?”

“Was I ever unwilling?”

“Well, this morning--”

“Look, we need to be quiet,” he tells her, watching as she sits down beside him. “It’s nothing personal, it’s just… well… after everything, I’d like both of us to live to see another day.”

“You mentioned.” For a moment, they’re both quiet, and from the corner of her eye, she can see him staring at her with narrow eyes as if sizing her up. “What? Why are you--”

“How did you get into it?”

“What?”

“Witchcraft.”

“Oh,” she murmurs, somewhat taken aback. “It’s… it’s all I’ve ever known.”

“So your parents--”

“My mother,” she corrects. “My mother practiced it.”

“Not your father?”

“I never knew him. He died before I was born. He was a privateer and he rescued my mother from a shipwreck near Barbados. That’s how they met.”

“Was your mother--”

“She was English, but her father was curious about faraway lands.”

“So, he took her along on his voyage.”

“Mmhmm,” she nods, conjuring hazy memories of her childhood on the island. “She always wanted to get away, but…”

“The shipwreck foiled her attempt?”

“Yes, and then she had me, and then my father died and--”

“I’m surprised she didn’t practice a Christian faith.”

“I’m not,” she admits. “To me it was… just magic. She’d burn herbs and damn people, and… I liked the way it smelled and the songs she’d sing and… and a maid taught me.”

“A maid?” he asks, sounding surprised. “Why not your mother?”

“She practiced something that was dark. What my maid taught me was… all about healing and--”

“Magic.”

“Mmhmm.”

“And how did you end up here and not… well… um… there.”

A little grin edges onto her lips at the awkwardness of his question, and when she looks over at him, he seems genuinely curious. So, she tells him--or at least, she tells him what she knows. She explains that her mother had never been happy in Barbados, and blamed her father for having to stay--though, that never quite added up since she stayed so long after his death.

It seemed there was no way out, and Cora Mills had been resigned to that. However, as she gave up on her own fate, she seemed to push her hopes and expectations onto her daughter--and when Regina turned seventeen, she’d heard a rumor of a ship coming to the island. The ship was commissioned by Leopold Blanchard--an incredibly wealthy and powerful widower. They’d known each other when they were young, and from what she gathered, her mother had once been fond of him. But the reunion wasn’t meant for them--and instead, when the Blanchard’s ship docked on the island, it became all too clear that a maid wasn’t the only thing Leopold Blanchard came to the island for.

She wasn’t sure if it just happened or if it was some convoluted plan, but nonetheless, it completely shocked her. The wedding happened before she could even process it, and by the time Leopold Blanchard set sail again, he had a new, young bride--and that was the only time her mother ever told her that she was proud of her.

The voyage went smoothly, but that was the only part of the transition that did; and she soon learned of both her husband’s cruelty and expectations for her.

And she bucked against them whenever she could.

“Is that why you don’t go to church?” he asks, his voice soft and not at all accusatory. “Is that why you… well… why you practice… what you do?”

“You won’t go to hell just for saying it,” she tells him, giggling softly. “And, yes… to both of your questions.”

“I just… don’t want to be insulting.”

She blinks, unused to that sort of courtesy. “How about you?” she hears herself ask. “How did you end up in the life you did? It’s not exactly--”

“The life of a god-fearing man?”

“No.”

He grins. “I don’t remember all of it,” he tells her. “We have that in common.”

“That’s hard, isn’t it? Not even knowing your own story?”

Robin nods. “That’s why I decided that I was going to decide the rest, and not let anyone else do it for me.”

“What do you mean?”

“Just… my parents came here involuntarily.” Her eyes widen. “It seems my penchant for theft was one that was passed on through the generations.”

“Your parents were thieves?”

“My father, yes,” he tells her, nodding. “They didn’t make it.”

It takes a moment for her to understand, and when she does, her breath catches in her chest. “Oh, I’m--”

“Don’t apologize for it. I barely remember it.”

“Still--”

“Well, the captain of the ship took me in and wanted me to work off the passage.”

“How old were you?”

“Seven.”

“Oh, that’s awful.”

“It was,” he agrees, nodding. “That’s why I ran away.”

“At seven?”

“Well, I gave until I was eight--”

“That makes it so much better then.”

He grins at her sarcasm. “I thought so, at the time.”

“Not now?”

“Not after the second day,” he laughs. “I was starving by the next morning, but too stubborn to go back.”

“So, what happened?”

“An old Wampanoag woman took pity on me. She was recently made a widow, and I think she was looking for a distraction. So, she took me in and fed me and gave me something dry to put on, and… raised me. She’d argue that she’s still raising me.”

“That explains--”

He laughs gently and nods. “She’s not very fond of my thievery, but she always forgives me.”

“And you were… going to take me there?” she asks, touched that he’d take her--a stranger and a convict--to a place so personal and special. “That’s--”

“I watched you once, performing a sort of ritual. You were burning herbs and breathing in the smoke, and looking up at the sky, swaying. It’s--”

“Something my maid taught me when I was a little girl.”

“The Wampanoag do something similar, just not alone.”

“I have no one to do it with. It’s to summon--”

“Courage,” he supplies--and she nods as a slow smile edges onto her lips as they find a moment of understanding. Then, to her surprise, he reaches for the pine torch he’d lit the night before. “Here,” he says, voice somewhat gruff. “It’s not the same but--”

“You want me to…”

“It seems to me we could use all the courage the two of us can muster.” Regina watches as he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a little pine stick. He strikes it against the wall, and a moment later, a little flame flickers at the end of it. Her eyes widen at it and he grins, shrugging. “A little something I picked up from a trader.”

“Picked up?”

He nods. “From his pocket. While he slept.”

“Ah--”

“You should do the honors,” he tells her, carefully transferring the little stick from his fingertips to hers, and then, as she draws in a breath, she lights the pine needles, already comforted by the ancient tradition she’s not even sure she truly believes in--yet, as she looks between Robin and the flame, in that moment, she can’t help but believe in it fully.

[e350tb]

Steven Universe: Marooned Together - Chapter Sixteen

(with thanks to @real-fakedoors for proofreading! READ HER STUFF, EVERYONE.)

Lapis stood just beyond the treeline, the beach and the sound of the ocean behind her. She could hear the waves behind her, crashing to the shore as the high tide came in. The birds and small animals she often heard in the jungle were quiet - there wasn’t much nocturnal life on the island - and the absence made her feel incredibly, terribly alone.

This was it, she thought - it was over. She was going to lose everything, and Stevonnie would never want her to come back after that argument. No, it was better to just leave, to shrink into the jungle, to live alone once again; it was better for everyone…

“So, where we going?”

Lapis jumped and spun around. Amethyst had walked up behind her, and was now casually leaning against a tree. Her face was twisted into a casual smile, as if she'd randomly come across her while wandering around a store or back street. It was somehow both endearing and infuriating.

“Amethyst?!” exclaimed Lapis, “How did you find me?”

“Dude, you're literally a hundred yards from the barn,” replied Amethyst, “I'm pretty sure they can still see us.”

She leaned back, cheerfully waving towards the distant shape of the barn.

“I… look, I'm leaving, okay? Just leave me…”

“No you're not,” replied Amethyst, “If you wanted to leave forever, you'd have flown off into space by now, right?”

“I…”

“Yeah, thought so,” Amethyst nodded, “So how about instead of sitting around beating yourself up for however long, why don't you just talk to someone?”

Lapis pursed her lips, doubtful. "And that's supposed to be you?"

"Why not?" The shorter gem responded with a shrug, expression just the right amount of smug to rub Lapis the wrong way. She didn’t get it; she was part of the problem.

"No thanks," she replied curtly, storming off deeper into the forest. The sound of twigs crackling and bushes bristling behind her annoyed her to no end, and she stopped before they'd made it ten-feet deeper.

“What are you doing?" She demanded, spinning on her heel and glaring at Amethyst, "Are you seriously going to follow me around until I - what? Open up to you?”

“Yeah! Let’s go camping!”

Lapis growled, clenching her fists and marching into the trees. “Go away.”

Amethyst smiled and followed, whistling to herself. “Not a chance. So you can keep nagging or suck it up, cause unless you’re ready to bolt it off-planet, you’re stuck with me.”

Swallowing down the urge to fling curses over her shoulder, Lapis just grit her teeth and kept walking. Camping, huh?

This, she thought, was going to be interesting.

The sun rose slowly over the waterfall, catching in the cascade with a dazzling spray of beautiful colours. A rainbow could be faintly seen shimmering over the damp rocks, and Amethyst felt the water lap around her ankles as it snaked down towards the sea. She could hear the long, deep calls of birds - or at least she thought they were birds - in the distance.

“Niiiiice, Laz.” she nodded, “I can see why you stayed here.”

Lapis grunted. She was laying on top of the stream, staring blankly at the sky through the tree cover. If she had a grungy band t-shirt and a cheap cigarette dangling from her lips, Amethyst thought she would be a shoe-in for a moody teenager.

Amethyst stepped over - for a moment, she felt something slimy under her foot, and privately hoped it was seaweed.

“You wanna talk?” she asked.

“About what?” Lapis demanded.

Amethyst shrugged. “Anything.”

She sat down in the shallow water next to the blue gem.

“I ever tell you about the time I left Peri on an asteroid?” she asked.

“You what?” Lapis replied incredulously.

Amethyst let out a humourless chuckle, absently playing with a few strands of her hair.

“We got into an argument - can't even remember what started it now,” she continued, “And we were exploring this space rock that some Homeworld bigwig was mining for coal or ore or something, and I just told her that if she didn't pull herself together, I was just gonna straight up leave her. And she called me a clod and said she'd be happier alone, so I just… snapped, you know?”

“So you left her?” replied Lapis, “That's… harsh. But I guess it's no different to what I did.”

“Well it is,” shrugged Amethyst, “‘Cause I came back two hours later, and… well, we hugged and we cried a lot, and then we went back to the cabin, watched some CPH, and then we…”

She trailed off, thinking for a moment.

“...you comfortable talking about this?” she asked.

“About what, you and Peridot watching TV?” replied Lapis.

“No, about…” Amethyst scratched the back of her head. “Well, you know… making love.”

Lapis blinked.

“Getting physical.”

Lapis blinked again.

“Sex!” Amethyst exclaimed, gesticulating with her arms.

“Oh,” said Lapis, “You could've just said that. I mean, I know what it is, I think… is there a reason you brought this up?”

Amethyst shrugged.

“I guess the point was, people fight, then they forgive each other. Or they don't… I…”

She laid back, her head splashing into the water, long hair fanning out over the gentle current.

“I should've thought about where I was going before I started talking,” she muttered, “I guess I'm saying… it's gonna be okay?”

They lay in silence for something.

“Well,” said Lapis, “You tried. I guess.”

There was a short silence, and then Amethyst snorted and began to laugh.

“I’m on mah wae, from misery tae happiness todaeh…”

“What are you doing?”

Lapis and Amethyst were trudging down a muddy slope - or rather, Amethyst was, and Lapis was floating just above it. The smaller gem didn’t mind; she was singing merrily and stomping down on the wet mud, grinning as it splashed around under her feet. The accent was strange, and Lapis guessed that even if she could place it, it would still be a poor imitation of the real thing.

“Singing an old Earth song,” replied Amethyst, “This one used to drive Pearl nuts.”

“Can you stop?” asked Lapis testily.

“Sure, sure, I got another one!”

Amethyst cleared her throat.

“And I would walk five hundred miles, and I would walk five hundred more, just to be the gem who walked a thousand mi-AAAAAH!”

She slipped, falling hard on her back and sliding down the slope to the bottom, coming to rest against a tree trunk.

“Ow,” she grunted.

She sat up, and for a moment Lapis thought that she might finally be finished singing.

Her hopes were soon dashed.

“I can’t get no - DUN NAH NAH NAH - satisfaction…”

Lapis sighed as they walked onwards, Amethyst’s singing echoing in the distance.

“Lapis, do you wanna have sex?”

Lapis raised an eyebrow.

“What, you mean right now?”

“Aw geez, no, I didn't mean… I mean in general,” replied Amethyst, “Like, if you were dating someone, and…”

They had stopped in front of the old Homeworld mine, the sun now high in the sky. They sat in the shade of a tall tree, Lapis again watching the clouds. She'd been doing this all day - walking, then sitting or lying down and watching something - and Amethyst wondered if it was her way of letting off steam.

Lapis pursed her lips, thinking.

“Do you have to?” she replied, “Like, if you love someone, or if you're dating someone, do you have to…?”

“Nah, dude,” shrugged Amethyst, “There's no rules or anything. Took years before Peri was comfortable with it. If you don't wanna, you don't gotta. And I get the feeling you don't wanna.”

Lapis shook her head.

“It just… I don't get it,” she said, “I read ‘novels’ and they say it's really important, and it's what makes love love, but…”

“Well, what do you think it is?” asked Amethyst.

Lapis bit her lip, blushing.

“Uh… dancing?” she replied, “Holding hands? Uh, hugging? Maybe kissing, I guess? Just…”

“Being intimate?”

“Yeah.”

Lapis sighed, looking down at her feet.

“Is that wrong?” she asked.

“Nah, you're probably just ace,” replied Amethyst, “Plenty of people are! Like Peedee, he's a bit ace, I think he calls it grey…”

“Ace?” quizzed Lapis.

“Asexual.” Amethyst smiled. “Means you don't feel sexual attraction.”

“Oh.”

For the first time all day, Lapis managed a small smile. She looked back up at the clouds drifting by.

“I think I like the sound of that.”

“Why did you decide to fight?”

It was evening now, and they were sitting by the sea on the other side of the island. The beach wasn’t actually that different to the one by the barn - it was a different view, certainly, but there was still the same sea breeze, the same smell, the same picturesque, greenish sunset (although the sun now set over the island rather than the sea - that was definitely a downgrade.)

Amethyst looked up from the fire she’d been trying to make for half-an-hour.

“I’m a quartz, Lapis,” shrugged Amethyst, “It just comes to me.”

“So you’ve never even thought of just… hiding?” asked Lapis.

Amethyst opened her mouth, but stopped for a moment - she seemed to ruminate over her next few words.

“Yeah,” she replied, “Once.”

Lapis didn’t say anything, so she continued.

“There was this Carnelian,” she said, “Not the one from the Zoo, a different one - she joined our crew for a while. She was just… so optimistic, so hell-bent on giving Homeworld a kick up the…”

She closed her eyes, and when she opened them again they seemed sombre, haunted.

“One time we raided a Homeworld lab,” she said, “It was a stupid idea but I promised a friend I’d look for… something. Anyway, we got seperated and Carnelian got cornered by an Agate and her soldiers. I just… I just remember running to get there and then…”

She took up a handful of sand.

“...dust. Just… red dust,” she said hollowly, “It wasn’t enough for them to shatter her, they had to… grind her into… into fucking sand. Just to make absolutely sure she wouldn’t come back.”

“What did you do to the Agate?” asked Lapis.

Amethyst gazed down at her hands. She opened her fingers, and the sand slowly trickled down to the Earth.

“You never forget the first time you shatter a gem,” she replied.

The air seemed to turn colder, and Lapis resisted the urge to shiver.

“Anyway, me and Peri talked about it. We were gonna take the Avenger, find some planet in the middle of nowhere and just stay there. But, I just remember that… that red dust, and I think…”

She clenched her fists again.

“Nobody should have to go through that,” she finished, “Not if I can help it.”

They said nothing else as the sun set and darkness fell, but Lapis found she didn’t mind. There was a  lot to think about.

The sky was blood red.

Lapis stood on top of a pile of shattered wood by the beach, staring at the twisted remains of a blue ship - the Crystal Avenger. She tasted burning steel and the tang of copper -- blood -- in the air as choking, black ash rained down from the sky.

Slowly and numbly, she stepped towards the wreckage. She could see a glint of green - Peridot! She had to help her, she thought; she had to save her from the strange blight that had fallen upon them.

But as she approached, she saw another small glint, and another, and another…

Shattered.

She fell to her knees, clutching her head. This couldn’t be happening - it just couldn’t! Suddenly she could hear a hideous screaming sound, drilling into her very being. The world around was drained of colour - her vision was filled with white light, and she forced her eyes closed.

“You can't hide forever, Starlight.”

The voice sent a shiver down Lapis’ spine.

She opened her eyes. She was standing in a pure white void, almost so bright as to be painful. In front of her, she could see Stevonnie, sword drawn, looking up at something. Lapis followed their gaze - her eyes widened.

White Diamond towered above them, a serene smile on her face. She almost looked motherly.

“L-leave me alone!” shouted Stevonnie, “I don't want…”

“Oh, but it doesn't matter what we want,” replied White Diamond, “We have a duty. Come home, Starlight - end this silly little game.”

She reached out her titanic hand, aiming to scoop up the fusion.

“No!”

Lapis found herself running, bolting past Stevonnie and standing in front of them, arms outstretched.

“Get away from them!” she bellowed.

White Diamond stared down at her. Fear ran through her being, and her mind scolded her - this is stupid, Lapis, just run, save yourself - but she refused to move.

Suddenly, White Diamond smirked.

“Well,” she said, “Isn't this interesting?”

She extended a long, manicured finger and swiftly lowered it towards Lapis. There was no time to dodge - she closed her eyes and braced…

“Lapis? Dude, you okay?”

Lapis shot up, clutching her head.

She was back on the beach, Amethyst kneeling down next to her. The sea was calm, the sky clear and dotted with stars - everything was normal.

“It was… it was a dream,” she muttered, holding her arms tightly over her chest, worried she might come apart if she let her seams exposed.

“Looked more like a nightmare from here,” said Amethyst.

Lapis shook her head, taking slow, deliberate breaths to calm down.

“I saw White Diamond,” she said, “And Stevonnie, and… and I stood up to her.”

“Cool,” nodded Amethyst.

“Not cool!” exclaimed Lapis, “I think I died!”

“But you stood up for yourself, dude!” replied Amethyst, “You fought for something! Do you get it now?”

“Get it… no! I… I don't…”

Lapis stood up, clenching her fists.

“Stop trying to manipulate me!” she shouted.

“Manipulate you?” Amethyst stood up too. “What do you mean, manipulate you?”

“It's just like at the barn!” growled Lapis, “When you were telling Stevonnie they have to fight, that the Diamonds are gonna find us! You don't know that! You're just trying to get ‘em to…”

“I'm trying?” Amethyst threw her arms out. “Open your eyes, Lapis! They were always gonna fight back. It's who they are! It's who they're made of! Connie was always a fighter, and Steven couldn't stand to see anyone hurt…”

“And you preyed on that!” Lapis shouted, pointing a finger at Amethyst, “You knew that if you just pushed them into…”

“So I nudged them a little,” snapped Amethyst, “It’s still their choice, Lapis, not yours!”

She crossed her arms.

“Why the hell do you care, anyway?” she demanded.

“What do you mean, why do I care?” spluttered Lapis.

“As long as nothing happens to your barn or your island, why do you care what happens to Stevonnie?” Amethyst spat, “I mean, you can always just leave ‘em, right? Like you did to Peridot…”

“Don't you dare…”

“Well, tell me!” thundered Amethyst, “Why does it matter now when it didn't before? What changed? Why do you care so much about…”

“Well maybe I’ve changed! You ever think about that?!” demanded Lapis, “Maybe I don’t wanna be that person anymore! Maybe I’m done hurting people! And maybe I just want to be able to live my life with Stevonnie without someone trying to get them to join some crazy resistance movement…”

“It’s not crazy, Lazuli, it’s the only way-”

“You’re gonna get the one person I love killed!”

There was a long silence, the last cry echoing in the darkness.

Her energy fading, Lapis sat down in the sand, clutching her temples. Slowly, Amethyst sat down too.

“Whoa,” she muttered, “That got pretty heated.”

“Yeah,” sighed Lapis.

Amethyst bit her lip.

“So, uh… love, huh?”

“I… I don't know what this feeling is,” said Lapis at last, “If it's like you and Peridot or if it's just friends or something else, but… but I don't want to live without them, and I just… I can't bear to think of them being killed, and I know that's selfish, but I…”

Amethyst sighed.

“Lapis, that's not selfish at all,” she replied.

Lapis lay back, staring at the stars.

“They're gonna fight, aren't they?” she said wearily, “I can't stop them.”

“Probably,” nodded Amethyst.

Lapis closed her eyes and took another deep, deliberate breath.

“Guess there's only one thing I can do.”

Wearily, Stevonnie paced the barn. The early morning sun was slowly peeking through the door, filling the barn with its faint light green It had been two nights, and there was still no sign of Lapis or Amethyst. Peridot was sitting on the hammock, reading an old magazine - her legs dangled over the side. In the distance, they could see Lenny, C and Z leaving the Crystal Avenger to get back to work on the warp pad.

“Where are they?” Stevonnie muttered to themself, restlessly scanning the horizons for a spot of purple or blue.

“Eh, Amethyst will be back,” replied Peridot, “Give it another couple of days.”

“Does this happen a lot with you guys?” asked Stevonnie, turning to the green gem.

“Well, usually I come along,” shrugged Peridot, “But sometimes Blue Zircon gets lonely and someone has to stay with her to make sure she doesn’t panic and take the ship back to New Earth, and…”

A wooden board creaked, and Stevonnie turned around.

Lapis stood in the doorway, arm behind her back. She smiled nervously.

“I… um… I just wanna say…”

Stevonnie lunged forward, pulling their barnmate into a tight hug.

“Lapis, I’m sorry!” they exclaimed, “I didn’t mean to-”

“You’re sorry? I’m sorry!” replied Lapis, “I just left on you, and…”

“Yeah, because I wouldn’t accept…”

“I wouldn’t accept your point of…”

“You can both be sorry, you clods!” Peridot shouted.

Stevonnie stepped back, letting go of Lapis.

“I, uh, if you want me to-” they began.

“No,” replied Lapis, “I… I know I can’t stop you from fighting, and I’ve been thinking, and…”

She took a deep breath.

“I wanna fight with you,” she said, “Just… I don’t want you to do it alone. Is that okay?”

Stevonnie grinned, their eyes watering.

“Lapis,” they replied, “There’s nothing I’d like more.”

As they pulled each other into another hug, Amethyst climbed into the barn and casually strolled up to Peridot.

“Why do other people’s relationships have to be so complicated?” she asked.

“I guess other people lack our perfect emotional and physical compatibility,” shrugged Peridot.

Amethyst tagged on a sly grin, putting an arm over her shoulder.

“I love it when you talk dirty, ‘Dot.”

[markoftheasphodel]

je me lance vers la gloire

A belated Nagamas gift for @sshining, a fill for the prompt The Deliverance trio/Celica squad (echoes). Can be Canon, modern AU, game of thrones-esque FE steeped in the reality of war and politics, comedy, romance, adventure, angst, crossovers.

How about RBG Trio with cameos from Genny & Mae+Boey, 1970s band AU, intimations of Forsyth/Python/Lukas and a splash of background Lukas/That Girlfriend?

Summer. New York City. 1975

Forsyth skirted around Python’s dead weight on the air mattress as he crept around the apartment collecting their mail and trash. Once he’d shredded all the mail into tiny scraps and wadded it up with all the other refuse in one nondescript plastic bag, he concealed the trash in one end of his duffle bag. Forsyth walked down the six flights of stairs with the sort of purpose that usually prevented anyone from asking him what he was doing there at such an hour.

Fake it ’til you make it, Python called it, but it worked. It really did.

Forsyth opened the rear stair to the alley and got a blast of sticky summer heat along with the general sense of foulness he’d gotten used to since coming to the city. One of the local strays, the black dog with white feet and one white pointed ear, was hanging out by the dumpster, and Forsyth took a moment to scratch the dog on its white ear before he slipped the refuse out of his duffle bag, tucked it into the corner of a dumpster, and just kept walking towards the Y. The only time he made eye contact with anyone was to look at the newsstand guy, who was sitting there melting next to the stack of screaming headlines.

“President to New York: DROP DEAD!”

That hurt. Forsyth had kind of liked the President, had defended him to Python as a decent guy who was in over his head, maybe. He could only imagine what Python was going to say when he finally got around to reading the news.

-x-

Lukas contemplated the headline for a long moment, appreciating the bold blackness, the heft of every letter. He picked up his X-Acto knife and began to cut them apart, the better to admire each one.

-x-

Forsyth could hear the sound of drums echoing all the way down the stairwell as he came back to the walk-up after his workout. Not that it worried him; the racket they made wasn't much worse than the guy with the tool-and-die setup on the first floor. Rehearsing wasn't the illegal part of their situation, it was living there in the industrial space to begin with. They'd get evicted if anyone found out about their mail or their hot plate, but not for Python banging drums at eight in the morning.

Banging wasn't the right word. Too atavistic, Forsyth thought as he huffed up the stairs. What Python was doing was more nimble, more clinical maybe. The opposite of primal.

Forsyth had a smile on when he flung open the door to their walkup to behold Python at the drums, his shirt coming apart at the seams but his hair catching the morning light just so, as though it'd been arranged one lock at a time for that scene, that moment of entry.

-x-

Lukas showed up when Python was putting on his eyeliner and Forsyth was making a beer run.

“Hey, stud,” Python greeted the Lukas in the mirror. If Andrea had been tagging along he wouldn't have said it because Andrea didn't always think Python was funny, but there was obviously no Andrea of the black clothes and black moods in the mirror and Lukas only smiled in response.

They carried on a three-way conversation, Python addressing the reflection before his eyes as the real Lukas spoke to his back, while they waited for Forsyth to show up with the beer. Lukas was dressed today like he belonged on a tennis court instead of an industrial loft with exposed pipes and he was holding a satchel filled with notebooks behind his back. He and Andrea came from a place where they didn't have to take showers at the Y or hide trash from the landlord and it showed. If Andrea'd been there, Python would have tried to get some cigarettes off her; she could afford them.

Forsyth clattered in with the beer and some tale about the sad dogs in the alleyway. Python cut him off with the ting of a cymbal and they fell into rehearsal, Forsyth adding his plaintive guitar on top of the drums while Lukas read weird poems he'd assembled from newspaper headlines pasted onto index cards. It wasn't rock or jazz or anything with a name to it, just the sound of three odd souls reverberating off the pipes and the mirror while the city fried around them.

They were never gonna get famous like this and it was all right with Python.

Winter. 1976.

This was the life. Grabbing dinner from the old lady at the knish bakery a few doors down from The Last Mile, chowing down on rough mouthfuls of kasha that tasted like the best thing he’d eaten all week as he marched through pools of filthy slush on his way back to the club. They'd started sound check without him, and the spare and angular sound of Forsyth's guitar skittered over the bass line with a nervous tension that wasn't like anyone else in the city.

Python set the paper bag bulging with knishes down on a ledge as he watched Forsyth bounce sounds off Lukas. In every band Python'd ever played in from the time they were kids, everybody wanted to be the guitar hero— except Python himself, who’d always wanted to rule over a drum kit. Everybody wanted to sing, whether they could carry a tune in a bucket or not. Everyone wanted to be a rock star.

Forsyth wanted all those things and so Lukas slid on over to playing the bass without a peep of protest. Maybe he actually liked it; Python noticed a look of wonder about him at times as Lukas explored what the fat sound of his new instrument could actually do. When Lukas drew something out of the bass that evoked the sense of black snakes writhing in the muck of a swamp, Python sometimes felt something turn in his gut, like this moment might somehow matter down the line.

Then he remembered they were still three weirdoes from different walks of life improbably playing in a black hole of a dive together, because things like that happened in New York City, as inevitable as murder.

-x-

Boey and Mae told her not go out on her own because nobody'd caught the serial killer yet, but Genny had gotten adept at sneaking around when they were in school and getting into The Last Mile was easy now. She just walked in like she was supposed to be there with her notebook and pen, and if anyone asked Genny gave them the names of magazines that didn't exist. Sometimes she pretended to be from Canada.

That evening when the wind blew cold down the littered streets, the band Genny was hoping to see at The Last Mile wasn't there. They'd moved on to a better club, outside the Bowery. Some new trio was in their place.

Genny wasn't sure at first if they were all boys or not. The drummer had a strange kind of grace, a little feline and a little androgynous (how Genny loved the sound of those words) and his arms somehow were slender with the most wonderful muscles, like the saints’ statues that fascinated her in the priory. The bass player was tiny-- taller than Genny, but everyone was, and very small compared to the gangling singer who fired off strange sounds from his guitar. They held their guitars like weapons, Genny thought, but not like the careless boys who used guitars as stand-ins for guns and other things that shot. These were sacred weapons.

Genny had stars in her eyes and visions of ancient samurai swords in her brain and when the bass player looked at the singer or the singer glanced back at the drummer, she could almost see strands of light connecting them as they played their odd music.

Genny wrote it all down in her notebook. She was very good at writing in the dark.

-x-

Andrea went back to Rhode Island or wherever it was she was from and Lukas used his family money to get them all a place where they weren't in danger of being evicted by the cops. Now all their crap was intermingled the same way their bodies fell into a strangely chaste tangle most nights— Python's wood shop pieces that were never going to make him famous either mixed up with Forsyth's guitars interspersed with Lukas's books and all the strange things that spilled out of his satchel, index cards and notebooks and clippings from magazines.

Lukas carried multiple copies of that weird and glowing anonymous review they'd somehow earned at The Last Mile. Forsyth taped one copy to the fridge and he looked at it every day like something in it sustained his soul. Python thought it was nice but it didn't mean anything. They had a fan, that's all. A nameless fan at that.

He was more concerned about the other things that Lukas carried in his satchel, like the vaguely creepy lyric sheets made of letters cut out of newspapers, almost like Lukas writing a ransom note to himself.

“I’m sadder than you’ll ever know," Python read from one of these sheets, and he wondered if this was some breakup song for Andrea. "What’s that from?"

"Just a song I've been constructing," said Lukas, because he "constructed" things instead of just writing them.

"Okay. What's it about?" asked Python.

“A serial killer," Lukas said through a delicate smile.

“Okay, so it’s topical,” said Python, thinking of the Son of Sam. Topical was probably bad, the way all the great “anthems” of the sixties were laughably dated now, but then again he wasn’t the lyricist so that wasn’t his problem.

-x-

Forsyth saw the literal word on the streets, the proclamation that punk was coming. It meant nothing; he'd read Jack London and Burroughs both and he knew the layers of meaning in the word and didn't care. Some day he'd go home and his father was going to know that the money spent sending Forsyth to college hadn't actually been wasted, but punk wasn't going to get him there any more than the dopey mumbling rockers that he and Python escaped would've.

Maybe the word didn't exist yet.

Forsyth moved through the city that took him in in as it took comers from every corner of the globe, straining to hear some note that'd never been played before, hoping any moment he'd be in the thick of the revolution they'd been promised. He looked past the dead dogs in the gutter and the sordid headlines, because something was coming.

Winter. 1977.

They moved up from The Last Mile to a slightly better species of dive bar and that's where destiny found them. Python noticed him first; he had a radar for squares and this guy was it, baby. He had to be close to thirty, wearing a bowl cut that was about a decade out of date. Nice jacket, though-- real leather instead of pale-blue plastic. Expensive.

“He’s a phony,” said Python, the jacket notwithstanding. “What’s he even doing here?”

He was scouting for talent on behalf of an actual label. Python would've respected him more if this guy, Clive, had been scouting for tail. The second time he brought his girlfriend, though, tall and blonde and exquisitely put-together, looking like money and yet hanging out in a dive with no complaints. The girlfriend, Mathilda, was the one who echoed what that weird anonymous article had already told everyone. They sounded fresh, maybe in a foreign kind of way like fake-Japanese or something with pentatonic scales, and Lukas “looked cute” with his big bass in his hands. That carried some weight with somebody. They got signed.

-x-

"Allow me to do the negotiating," Lukas said to Forsyth, and Forsyth let him. They ended up with a contract that guaranteed things that Forsyth never even thought about, like tying the royalties for songs to the rate of inflation. Lukas was a genius. Lukas was going to make them a fortune.

-x-

When someone broke into their apartment and made off with three guitars, Python couldn't help but notice that Clive bought Lukas not one but two replacements while Forsyth had to go down to the pawn shop and fend for himself. So that was how it was going to be from now on.

Again, if he thought Clive had a thing for Lukas, he would’ve been kind of okay with the disparate treatment, but he knew it was because Clive thought Lukas was the brains, the leader, the essential person who kept a steady stream of words coming through Forsyth’s lips. Clive couldn’t conceive that they were a trinity, each of them as important as the other.

Squares, thought Python. He almost wouldn't mind if the city really did burn this year. Almost.

-x-

The label put them on a package tour with another trio, a group whose guitarist was a girl with two tails of pink hair and whose drummer wasn't white. This was fresh and exciting, and Lukas was pleased to share the bus with them. As they were three and three, he shared a seat with their keyboard player, a tiny girl with a cloud of apricot-colored hair. She was their writer, and like Lukas carried a stack of notebooks, though in her case he saw doodles and what appeared to be short stories in place of his own word collages.

He noticed some other things in her notebook.

"Do you speak French?" he asked on the third day of the tour.

"We learned French and Latin both in school," said Genny in her sweet and small voice.

"What would be the best way to express the phrase 'I hurl myself towards glory'?" Lukas put on the subtle smile that tended to get him what he wanted, and Genny helped him craft the thorny yet crucial middle section of the song that was going to make them.

“I’m glad we’re touring with you,” Genny said on the third day, as the silver moon shone over the sea that glimmered out the window. “I was afraid they’d have us with punks, but then I saw you and I knew everything was going to be fine.”

Lukas heard the shudder in her voice at the idea of spike-haired cretins spitting gobbets of phlegm all over the bus and pissing out the window. Of their group, only Python with his well-tended hair and strategically torn clothes looked even vaguely punk, and Python had too much pride to spit up in public for amusement. He heard the caress in her voice aimed at them, or at him, just as clearly. It pleased and unsettled him in one moment that this tiny girl thought they were safe. But then Genny asked him, in the voice of a someone setting up the trap of a hypothetical question, what he thought of the term New Wave for the sort of music they were doing.

“Some would say there are no new waves at all, only the ocean,” said Lukas, and he looked past her cloud of curls out the window, counting the cars along the turnpike until Genny fell asleep on his shoulder.

To be continued, maybe.

(Yes, it’s the RBG Trio as the not!Talking Heads. My mind made connection between Lukas and David Byrne while I was playing the game last year. Hopefully this fit the bill in some fashion)