#so it's fitting

[thepanplumbob]

cowberry-jam -> doglover-trait

[sarcasticsciencefictionwriter]

Oooohhh platonic/sibling Henry and Ashley au where they're in a band? Either both sing, or one sings and one is part of the crew, etc. Wherever you want to go with that!

Their band wasn't well known, but it was certainly popular, popular enough that Ashley, the lead singer of the band formed by two idiotic siblings one ill-advised night in a local bar, had some wiggle room with their gigs.

Which was how Henry ended up behind the microphone that night, instead of only taking care of the speakers and the lighting and everything else that went with the performances, despite his near anxiety attack backstage.

One sibling pep talk and Ashley's grin of encouragement later, their parents sitting and watching with looks of surprised delight at his ascension to the stage, Henry grabbed the microphone, took a deep breath, and started to sing.

___ There's a longer version under the cut because it was not three sentences. 😅 ___

"I can't do this." Henry said, feeling sick.

"Yes you can." Ashley said, rolling her eyes as she messed with a guitar.

"Nope. You're the singer, Ash. Not me. I shouldn't have let you bully me into this."

He ran a hand through his hair, stressed as he glanced at her. She wasn't even looking at him.

"You're a great singer, Henry. I've heard you."

"Yeah, singing to myself. Not on stage. In front of people. In front of Mom and Dad."

"It's just doing it in a different location."

"Ash! I'm freaking out here."

Henry's heart was hammering in his chest and his palms were sweaty as he imagined actually going out in front of a bunch of people and singing.

He could do it.

He helped Ashley with the songs they wrote or the covers they did. They were pop-folk band, and Henry liked adapting traditional songs in modern ways.

Which was where their drunken idea for the band had come from, one night not long after Ashley's twenty-first birthday.

Ashley got up and walked over to him, dropping down and wrapping an arm around his shoulders.

"You can do this. I believe in you."

"Ashley..." Henry said weakly. "I'm the tech guy."

She slapped him over the back of the head, like their uncle did, making Henry start and stare at her.

"You are not just the tech guy." she said sternly. "This is our band. You should sing."

"Ashley--"

"My big brother is supposed to be able to do anything." Ashley said, giving him wide big eyes. "You always told me what when we were kids."

He dragged a hand over his face, because he had said that and he was really regretting it.

"Henry. You're great. I wouldn't lie to you. If you don't like it, you never have to do it again. Just one song. For me. Please."

"You know I can't say no to you." he grumbled.

"Yep. And as the baby of the family, it's my right to exploit that."

Henry laughed, feeling the tension in his chest loosen. Maybe Ashley was right. He did like singing. And it was their band. Maybe he should at least try, especially when he knew she had to have plucked some strings to get the deviation from the expected performance.

He rubbed his hands on his pants to try and dry his palms.

"All right. One song."

Ashley let out a triumphant squawk of laughter, clapped him on the shoulder, and hopped up.

The nerves returned as Henry went up the stairs to the stage after Ashley, who took her seat and guitar and gave him an encouraging grin.

Henry turned to face the crowd and spotted their parents seated at one of the small tables the audience populated. Both of them looked surprised, but both smiled at him, looking delighted.

That helped too and Henry walked across the stage, taking the microphone as Ashley played the opening notes to their first song.

[westywrites]

Admitting

Slipping off stage, stuttering soliloquies for staring strangers, Lamenting the limited logic of this liminal life For fear never forgoes and rarely forgets. Wounded words would waver in the wind,  Sounds slipping my lips on shaking stilts, A ruin of repeated irregularities without rhythm. Despite daring to do, I'd die at the act  While the words would wilt T-t-tumbling towards two tired friends, too timid to tell me  Where I went wrong.

Once again, trying to commit more to the alliteration! I had it, but didn't go full out. Partially because I was trying too hard to connect the lines and fill in the conjunctions when I really didn't need to.

(original below the cut)

Admitting

Stuttering soliloquies for strangers to see, not hear ‘Cause logic is limited in this liminal life And fear never forgoes and rarely forgets. If the words would waver in the wind The sounds slipping my lips in stammering halts Running the repeating rhythm of a rocking chair in disrepair Despite daring to do, I’d die at the act And the words would go t-t-tumbling towards two timid friends, too timid to tell me where I went wrong.

[detectivereyes]

so like... i haven’t watched 911 in over a month. i guess this is my punishment. 

[circumstellars]

Robert Sheehan in the worst show you’ll ever see Rock Rivals EP6, 2008

[mllekurtz]

@racketghost made me do it.

It's not a PERFECT Aziraphale cosplay (some of you have never tried to put a bowtie on a dog and it shows), but it's the closest me and Bianca could come to it.

Bonus:

Being a terribly cute angel is tiring, baby.

[faded-springs]

𝕎𝕙𝕪 𝕕𝕠𝕖𝕤 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕤𝕦𝕟 𝕘𝕠 𝕠𝕟 𝕤𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕎𝕙𝕪 𝕕𝕠𝕖𝕤 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕤𝕖𝕒 𝕣𝕦𝕤𝕙 𝕥𝕠 𝕤𝕙𝕠𝕣𝕖 𝔻𝕠𝕟'𝕥 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕪 𝕜𝕟𝕠𝕨 𝕚𝕥'𝕤 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕖𝕟𝕕 𝕠𝕗 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕨𝕠𝕣𝕝𝕕 'ℂ𝕒𝕦𝕤𝕖 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕕𝕠𝕟'𝕥 𝕝𝕠𝕧𝕖 𝕞𝕖 𝕒𝕟𝕪𝕞𝕠𝕣𝕖