Julie and the Phantoms, Episode 3 ‘Flying Solo’ Review.
As I have mentioned, I am watching this series to surprise my sister, a Jatp fan. Initially I expected the main challenge to be stopping her from seeing that I’m watching the show, but I have since discussed the Jatp songs, which are incredibly catchy.
‘Flying Solo’, like ‘Bright’ began where the previous episode ending. Last episode I was cautious of the reaction and praying that the school’s questioning s didn’t turn into a total cringe fest. Fortunately, they did not.
Julie lied to hide her secret: she performed with ghosts. While many were convinced that they were holograms, Flynn didn’t and this posed a threat to their relationship. I believe the writers did an exceptional job, as always, to show the importance of Julie and Flynn’s friendship although there is no build up because they have been friends for a very long time.
I like how Flynn does find out, Julie rekindles their friendship, and they can share the secret together. Although we’re taught to never share secrets, I think Flynn will do a good job of keeping this secret. I hope the writers don’t ruin their friendship—one fallout is enough.
In my first review, I mentioned my dislike for mean-girl Carrie yet I think she was totally reasonable about Julie stealing the attention. I still don’t think Nick is worth Julie crushing over. What does he have? A varsity jacket? Sweetie, there are many boys like that.
One critique I have of this episode is about Alex and Willie. While it was the first time meeting each other but, as viewers, we know that Alex developed a slight crush on the skater, I personally believe the writers could have done a better job of showing it. However, I love that Alex’s relationship had its own scene to make it special.
I just watched the first episode of Julie and the Phantoms. For those who don’t know, my sister is a fan of JatP and I’m surprising her by watching them after weeks of telling her I won’t.
I honestly didn’t expect to like it as much as I do. So far, the plot is so well-written — the dialogue flows and the writers created great introductions to all of the characters which outline the main cast. The actors are incredible and suited the characters perfectly.
My favourite part is when Julie’s dad hears Julie playing her mother’s song. Also I like how the ghosts do not disrupt her so it can be her special moment. Perhaps the next episode will continue from there.
The episode ends with Julie singing a song on the grand piano, which her mother wrote. This song alone is very inspiring so if you do not have time to watch the show, give “Wake Up” by Anne Preven a listen; it is also available on the Spotify playlist.
However, there are some parts which I am not particularly fond of. Even though there was little of it, I did not enjoy the scenes at school— Carrie is already a pain, Flynn seems a bit immature, and I already know that Julie is going to end up with Nick, who honestly seems a bit lame.
Despite that, the first episode of Julie and the Phantoms is definitely worth the watch so I will recommend it as well as keep self-restraint so I do not binge it.
Cannot believe I just wrote almost 2000 words of Boggie fluff with barely any actual plot points just them being cute and cuddling. Also the softboggiesoftboggiesoftboggie wip on my WIP tag game over on my main @beethovensbitxh
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None of the boys had really objected to the idea of movie nights when Reggie innocently suggested it one night. He’d been having kind of a hard time, and Bobby didn’t have the heart to admit that no we don’t have a spare TV just lying around. The three of them had loaded into Alex’s shitty hand-me-down station wagon to go find one after that.
Now, I’m not saying it became tradition after that. But it totally became tradition.
Every Friday night at a quarter to 10, the four boys would pull the couch out into a bed and plug in the TV they’d found tucked away in a Goodwill. It was in almost working condition, it just had a few bruises on the screen. Reggie didn’t mind though, ‘cause at least his boys actually wanted to watch something with him.
“We watched this two weeks ago!” Alex had protested one too many times, throwing a handful of popcorn at the screen and then throwing himself back against the cushions. “Oh c’mon ‘Lex! Don’t be such a- a debbie downer!” Luke would always laugh and reach over to slap his shoulder.
It didn’t matter when Alex fell asleep halfway through what was supposed to be the most exciting part.
It didn’t matter when Luke got distracted at the 45 minute mark and scribbled something in his notebook down and then stared into space for another 10 minutes.
And it definitely, totally, didn’t matter, didn’t even affect him, when Bobby leaned his head against Reggies shoulder and moved closer than they’d previously been and Reggie could feel Bobby’s ribs moving so slowly with each careful breath, he was afraid to move and break the fragile thing on top of him.
Bobby had never been the most affectionate physically. He was always the last to join the band hugs, and the only person that really touched him all that often was Luke because he had strangely smooth skin for some reason. It’s not that Reggie didn’t want to touch Bobby. He just wanted to respect his boundaries.
Unfortunately for him, it didn’t seem like sleepy Reggie really understood those boundaries.
They woke up the next morning, alone on the pullout surrounded by pillows and drifting beams of sunlight. Yet someone had been thoughtful enough to close the blinds, blocking out most of it.
Bobby’s head was buried in Reggie’s chest, and Reggie had been rubbing unconscious circles along his shoulder blade, scrunching up the grey shirt Bobby had been wearing. He felt Bobby’s hand tighten on his own shirt when he stopped, and he figured that he hadn’t been the first awake. Each time his chest rose, Reggie could feel Bobby’s nose press into his ribs and he’d press his hand into Bobby’s back only slightly, giving him that comforting feeling he’d craved for so long.
Yet they stayed, holding onto each other as if Luke and Alex didn’t exist and weren’t waiting for them to wake up so they could busk down by the pier. The hum and the glow of the TV had shut off some time before, as if someone had turned it off halfway through the night and left them to themselves.
They didn’t talk about it much after that, but on the nights where Bobby just really needed the smell of laundry detergent and a warm body, he’d scoot closer to Reggie, who’d immediately get the hint and lift his arm to let him in.
And Reggie still called him Bop-it and tried not to make things weird, so he kept his distance and as unattached as he could.
Bobby thought that whatever had been happening between them was mutual, at least it felt like it had been, but he chose not to say anything.
Maybe he’d taken it the wrong way and the other wasn’t actually into him like that. Maybe friends really do just hold onto each other like they’re the world and shits falling apart around them but at least they have each other and that’s okay. Maybe he’d just let his emotions get the better of him.
It wasn’t until Bobby nearly pinned him against the wall after a very successful shot at winning a wrestling championship that they shared anything more than those Friday nights turned Saturday mornings. Reggie could taste the caramel dip he’d had that morning and feel the sweat as he ran a hand through Bobby’s hair, but he honest to God didn’t care about anything–anyone–else.
He could only hear the fluorescent gymnasium lights buzzing like a fly in his ear, and the cheers of the crowd faded into background noise. It was slow and fast and so very quiet but he wanted to switch his ears off and focus on just kissing Bobby. That single moment turned into hours in the front seat of Bobby’s car in Griffith park, watching the lights behind the Hollywood sign and just being there. Together.
At one point Bobby switched off the radio and turned to look at Reggie, who hadn’t even really processed why they were out there, and he just smiled. “What’re you doin’ Bobbers?” Reggie had asked, turning to look at Bobby, wanting to study every little detail of his lips.
“I’m just…” Bobby trailed off, glancing back towards the windshield. “Can I kiss you again?” his voice was sweet and Reggie had barely even said “yes” when Bobby was pressing a kiss into his lips, one that Reggie so eagerly returned. He raked his hand through the other boys hair and he could tell that it’d all be okay.
The next day they had goofy grins over their faces, and Bobby was more touchy with Reggie than he’d ever been with Luke but Luke didn’t really seem to notice because he was wrapped in staring at Julie from across the hall and coming up with the best way to ask his own girlfriend to the prom. At some point or another Bobby had grabbed onto Reggies hand to pull him out of the way of a crowd of confused freshmen, and then he never really let go.
“Regsticle, c’mere…” he’d pulled his counterpart into an empty stairwell and held his face as if it was the most precious thing on Earth. His laugh was almost infectious as he pressed quick kisses onto Reggie’s face and both almost collapsed in a fit of giggles.
“Lucky to have you Reg…” Bobby had finally said once they’d regained their composure, and Reggie took in a deep breath. “I know…”
“Did you just fucking Han Solo me?” Bobby asked before they fell back into another laughing fit.
Thisthing had attracted the attention of everyone, even Bobby’s cousin. Carrie was interning at a gossip column and wanted to know every little thing going on in the school. “Oh come on! Just tell me! I won’t tell dad!”
“All you have to do is come to one of our practices” Luke had told her as they walked down the halls, Carrie hot on their heels with her phone recording in one hand. Julie just chuckled and kissed him on the cheek, breaking off back towards her friend.
They hadn’t exactly put a label on it yet, and Bobby was okay with that. To be fair, he did want to scream “look at my boyfriend!” at the top of his lungs to anyone that would listen, but they still hadn’t talked about it yet and it would still be fine if they never did.
But the lingering gazes across the room at each other and the heat burning at Reggies cheeks always left a mischievous glint in Bobby’s eyes.
But sometimes he’d get so caught up in the beauty of that boy that he wouldn’t even notice Reggie staring back at him. And they’d get caught in an endless gaze when tunnel vision set in and the world around them fell away.
“What?” Reggie asked one day after he’d felt Bobby’s eyes trained on him. Bobby just shook his head and let a smile creep up on him. “Nothin’. You’re jus’-” He trailed off, his eyes meeting Reggies lip and he took in a sharp breath.
“Hm? The… hottest person you’ve ever met?” Reggie smirked, pushing a strand of hair out of his face. Bobby’s breath hitched and he had to cough to get himself to snap out of whatever trance he’d accidentally stuck
There was a groan from behind Reggie. Luke had hung his head, “You two are so gross”. Reggie giggled and Bobby fell even more into whatever feeling he was getting at that moment.
.Movie nights happened a lot more, except sometimes there was no movie. Sometimes it was just them. Bobby and Reggie. Reggie’s arm draped over Bobby’s shoulder, rubbing those same circles into his back and his other arm underneath his head. Bobby holding onto Reggie’s shirt with one hand, face buried in his chest. And sometimes they didn’t even sleep, or at least Bobby did. The small massage put him straight to sleep most nights. Yet Reggie would lay awake and question how he got so damn lucky as he pressed delicate kisses to his boys temple.Reggie was alright with it.
Other nights they fell asleep back to back, and Bobby could feel Reggies shoulder blade but it was strangely comforting and he didn’t fully understand why but he didn’t really care. Their body heat blending together under the comforter and creating a blanket of warmth wrapped around them. And sometimes Bobby would reach his hand back and find Reggies waiting, and wrap them together just as Reggie was falling asleep.
“You’re an idiot” Bobby joked as he pushed Reggie away. He’d been trying to read and Reggie would not take no for an answer when asking the question “wanna cuddle?”
“Yeah whatever! You love me!” Reggie stuck his tongue out, trying to fight off Bobby’s hardcover book being batted at him. Bobby finally threw his book to the side and rolled to hold himself over the boy in his bed, running his hand along Reggies temple and smiling. “I do… love you…”
It was the first time either of them had dared mutter it, but Reggie smiled so wide and flung himself up to wrap his arms around Bobbys neck to kiss him so hard Bobby almost fell down.
“So you love me?” Reggie chuckled once they’d pulled apart. Bobby looked away and nodded slowly, “Ye-yeah. Yeah I do. I love you Reg…” he said because he did. He loved Reggie Peters and really didn’t care if anyone knew.
Luke and Julie, star-crossed lovers from different houses, find themselves fighting for love in a time of sorrow and epic heroism aided by their friends and companions.
Or
Romeo and Juliet AU
This fic is split into 3 Acts instead of the usual 5 for the play. I’ve spent over a month writing and editing this, and nearly all the dialogue was translated or rewritten from the original text.
I started thinking about this this morning and spent all day writing it because these two dumbasses own my heart and my brain is broken
Trevor Wilson. Reggie would never get used to that. To him, Trevor would forever be Bobby. His Bobby. His Bobby that wore stupid suspenders, and cut his own hair into those ridiculous bangs, and never really talked to people outside his friends. His Bobby was a kid from the suburbs who spent most of his time writing chord progressions in his head and making sure his friends ate actual food and not just Cup O’ Noodles.
His house was ridiculously big, too big for just two people. What did he even need all those rooms for anyway? Probably to hide from his past.
Reggie stared up at it, holding his arms close to his chest. What the fuck was his doing there anyway? It wasn’t like he was going to go inside. He didn’t have the same courage when he was alone that he had with the boys.
There was the subtle, familiar woosh of a ghost poofing behind his shoulder and he turned to see which one of his boys had finally found him. He was surprised to see that, instead of either of his boys, Willie was there. Willie was kind of one of his boys, but they’d never really spoken without Alex around.
“How’d you find me?” Reggie muttered, and Willie gave him a look that answered it. “Alex” they said at the same time and looked at each other. “Julie and the guys they’re uhm… they’re worried about you man.” “Yeah, well they shouldn’t be. I’m fine.” “I don’t know, they said you’ve been missing for a while… sent me after you when they failed… plus you’re lurking outside of Trevor Wilson’s house.”
Reggie didn’t say anything for a second, rolling the ring on this pointer around his finger.
“Something happened before you died, didn’t it?” Willie let his helmet rest on his board, and when Reggie shot him THE look, the look he only gave his friends when he was the one with the braincell and they did dumb things.
Willie muttered “The guys gossip like middle schoolers.” Reggie chuckled and looked at the ground, picking at his nails. He nodded, and Willie pretended not to notice the way he wiped his face with his sleeve and how his voice became heavier when he said “yeah…”
“It wasn’t…” He started, and took in a shaky breath, “It wasn’t like a thing thing. Ya know?” Willie got what he was trying to say, but barely. “We were 16, dumb teenagers. I mean I’m sti- yeah.” Reggie stumbled over his words, but Willie didn’t say anything about it.
1994 was a weird year for all 4 of the boys in Sunset Curve. Alex came out to his parents in March of that year, and Luke ran away in early December. It brought all 4 of them closer than they’d ever been. It also gave Reggie some feelings that he wasn’t entirely sure about.
Practices became longer, more frequent, Alex hung around more. Going home wasn’t much of an option anymore, especially if he wanted to avoid his parents. Bobby didn’t really care, neither did his grandparents, they were just happy to have more people around and more kids to stuff with lunch.
Reggie, desperate to escape the fighting for a bit, came around after school and stuck around, usually overnight. His parents never really bothered to notice if he was gone.
That was one of those nights, when it got so bad that his brother Karson went to his friend’s house for the weekend, and Reggie followed his lead.
Alex and Luke had already left when he got there. Reggie climbed a tree, and the roof, before wrapping his knuckles on Bobby’s window, who seemed just as shocked that Reggie had gotten up there as Reggie himself was.
“What are you doing?” Bobby hissed once he’d opened the window and Reggie slipped himself inside and onto the floor. “What do you think?” Reggie muttered, pushing himself up and throwing his duffle bag onto his bed.
“You could’ve just used the front door. Don’t you have a key?” “Yeah, but it wouldn’t have been as fun sneaking around.” Reggie gave him that grin he used when he was flirting, where his smile was pushed to the side and it brought one eye into a squint. He knew Bobby couldn’t resist it, none of the boys could.
“Whatever.” Bobby rolled his eyes and sat back down at his desk, hunched over his notebook. “Whadda ya writing?” Reggie asked after a few minutes, leaning on the back of Bobby’s desk chair. “Chord progressions for Luke. The kid’s talented but damn, he’s a mess.”
Reggie chuckled, falling back onto the bed. He sighed, and Bobby turned his seat around. “What?” “Bored.” “Nana’s playing Yahtzee downstairs if you wanna join her-” Reggie shot up, “No! The whole point of sneaking around is that I don’t interact with your grandparents!”
Bobby scoffed and stood up. “I guess it can wait… what’d you wanna do?” “let’s…” Reggie didn’t finish, he was staring at Bobby’s hand, which was covered in ink from his pen. “What?” “Oh! Nothing! Just… brain fart.”
It was no surprise that Reggie had been so distracted. Bobby was nice to look at, all 3 boys could agree on that. Reggie was the only one who got tripped up looking at him though.
“Uhm, we could- we could gossip like girls at a sleepover!” Reggie rolled onto his stomach and kicked his feet up in the air. “You think that’s what girls do?” Bobby smacked him with a pillow, and Reggie let out a gasp that sounded like he was scandalized.
Bobby just laughed at him and did it again. “No!” Reggie yelped, and grabbed the pillow, yanking it, and Bobby, still holding onto it, came down on top of him. The one-sided pillow fight turned into a full-blown wrestling match on Bobby’s bed, and then on the floor after they fell off.
After they landed, both laughing and out of breath and laying on the floor staring up at the ceiling.
“Don’t tell the others-” Reggie managed to wheeze out, “But you’re my favorite bandmate.” Bobby’s hair had fallen back onto the floor, exposing his entire face. Reggie liked being able to see his face, he really was pretty.
Bobby pushed himself to his elbow and smiled, “What?” Reggie hadn’t noticed that he was staring at that boy. That beautiful, raven-haired boy that could make him laugh in any situation. That boy that, even though he didn’t seem like much, lit up every room he walked into. That boy that had such a beautiful grin, but no one seemed to notice it because he didn’t smile all that much.
“Nothing you’re just… very pretty…” Reggie couldn’t help if he was such a flirt, even with his friends. Bobby chuckled and looked back at the window Reggie had crawled through 10 minutes before, “Yeah and you’re an idiot.”
Bobby sat up and stretched, rolling over and landing right on top of Reggie, face to face. It would be quite awkward if his grandfather were to walk in at that moment. His eye’s widened and his cheeks turned pink, “This is weirdly intimate.”
“And?” Reggie’s breathing became strangely noticeable, and the way his chest rose and fell, and the way his nose perked up just a bit like it was permanently pushed upwards, and how his freckles decorated his cheeks like little stars on a canvas.
Nothing made sense until that moment really, until Bobby was kissing Reggie and they were on the floor and Bobby was practically in Reggie’s lap.
Bobby pulled back after a moment, his hand still cupping the base of Reggie’s skull and his middle finger pressed into that soft spot under it, his breathing shaky as he looked between Reggie’s lips and his eyes. “Do we know what we’re doing?”
Reggie shook his head; his hair was wild and thrown out of the usual pushed back style, and he muttered “Not entirely.” A rose tint climbed his cheeks, and Bobby pushed the hair out of his face to better look him in the eyes.
It was silent for a second longer, and this feeling hung in the air like a fly in a web, before Reggie whispered “Do you wanna-” “Oh yeah. Yeah.” Bobby cut him off, pulling him back in for another kiss.
Reggie hadn’t said anything for several minutes, and Willie hadn’t interrupted that silence. He knew exactly what had happened, even if it wasn’t exact.
“You spend a long time loving someone… even if it’s from afar. And then sometimes… they move on. They move on, and they leave you, a ghost, a shell. And it’s- it’s not Bobby’s fault, I know that but-” A warm tear slipped down to his chin.
Willie placed a hand on Reggie’s shoulder, letting him know that he was still there. Reggie looked over, his voice breaking just a bit, “You’re a good listener Willie… but let’s not tell the boys about this. They don’t know about-” Willie nodded hastily. He had stopped making promises after Caleb, but sometimes, deep down, he’d promise himself something. This was one of those things.
“C’mon Reg. The boys are probably worried sick.” Willie let him wipe his face and regain his composure, before Reggie finally nodded and murmured “Okay…” Just as fast as Willie had arrived, both departed.
R. Molina’s Café, usually shortened to just Molina’s, always hit the spot on a chilly morning. It was a home away from home for many regulars who just needed an escape from their usual routines, even if it was just for 20 minutes at a time. Whether it was the French Vanilla Latte’s, their Hot Chocolate, or just a simple Black Coffee, it was paradise for some.
The owners were possibly some of the nicest people around and had founded the café after their son was born as a way to complete Rose’s dreams of being a small business owner while also having a space for their children to be taken care of, seeing as it was barely 50 feet away from a daycare. Ray ran a nice little side business as a professional photographer, but the café would always be their pride and joy.
Once their daughter Julie had turned 17 and become a regular face around the café, she had started working the registers and brewing the lattes. That’s also when Alex came to work there.
They had a few classes together at Los Feliz and after Alex made an offhand comment about needing a job or else his parents would kick him out while they waited for their chemistry teacher to check their group project, Julie mentioned that her parents were looking to hire.
Alex certainly hadn’t expected to get a job at Molina’s, he barely even knew Julie. They’d talked very few times outside of school and only had each other’s numbers saved because they had a history project together once.
He knew exactly 3 things about Julie:
1) She had a younger brother named Carlos that really, really liked video games. The one time he’d gone to her house to work on a project Carlos had begged Julie to let her new friend play with him. He reminded Alex of Reggie for some reason.
2) She had a killer voice. She and all 4 of the guys were in the same music class, so any of them could attest to it. The first time she performed one of the songs she and her mother wrote together, Alex was pretty sure he saw Bobby crying a bit.
3) She had a thing for butterflies. She wore a pin in the shape of a butterfly every day, had them in her locker, on her folders, on her backpack, set as her phone wallpaper, and in her room. Julie had once told him that, to her, they represented freedom and beauty. She even gifted him a portrait of himself surrounded by butterflies for his birthday. He cried.
After he came out, everything at home had gone to shit and he realized pretty quick that he’d need a job in order to move out when he turned 18 and into an apartment with the boys. Luke didn’t want to live in Bobby’s garage for too long, and Reggie hated staying in his house for longer than 24 hours.
Once Alex started brewing coffees, Molina’s became a spot for his friends to hang out after school or before band practice during Alex’s shift. Plus, Luke had a pretty gnarly crush on Julie, but would never admit it to anyone or himself outright, but it didn’t take the others too long to notice it. He’d stare in her general direction whenever they stopped in, and always made sure to say hi even if she wasn’t working the counter.
Reggie loved their hot chocolate’s, especially when made by his best friend. Bobby usually just got a Honey-Lemon Tea, he wasn’t much of a coffee guy, which was definitely something that might catch a new friend off guard based on their whole aesthetic. They would usually sit at the window and make fun of Luke while they watched passersby on the street. They were like that couple you spot in public that everyone else strives to be.
Alex didn’t mind having them around if it meant making the work load a little less stressful.
Ray and Rose were nice enough. If Alex had to call in last minute, they didn’t demand he come in or get frustrated, all they asked was that he make the shift up the next day he wasn’t working to try and give Julie a break. The same went for Julie.
After one certain shift, Alex had offered to drive Julie home after closing since her parents had taken Carlos to a parent-teacher conference. His car was old, like almost 20 years old and a stick shift. Of course, he knew how to drive it, but it was the anxiety that someone other than his friends would be in the car with him that made him stall out while leaving the parking lot.
“It’s fine…” Julie smiled as he desperately tried to turn the car back on, “No no no… don’t do this… c’mon!” He muttered, not realizing he was still in first gear. Julie reached over a pushed the shifter back into neutral and laughed. “My dad taught me how to drive a little stick.”
The tension left his shoulders and he relaxed, “I just… I don’t wanna scare off new friends so quick.” Julie leaned back and crossed her arms, “You can’t scare me off Alex.”
“This is KLOS 95.5 coming at you with some Led Zepplin for your afternoon! Hit it boys!” The radio yelled, startling Alex, who quickly reached over to change the channel. “Sorry sorry… Luke left it on this channel yesterday…” Julie moved his hand away from the knob and turned it up. “Don’t worry, I’m actually into this stuff.”
“I… never would’ve guessed.”
“Those yours?” Julie pointed towards the drumsticks jutting out of the cupholder, twirling one like a knob. “Ah- yeah…” “Didn’t know you played drums.” “Oh… it’s just… it’s nothing.” He affirmed, and Julie continued to fiddle with the sticks.
It was almost 6 by the time Alex actually dropped Julie off at her house and her parents had gotten home from Carlos’ school 10 minutes earlier. She’d invited him in to hang out and actually get to know one another, but he was already 20 minutes late for band practice and bid her a goodnight.
“Where the hell you been?” Luke shouted when Alex pulled into the driveway of Bobby’s house. “Relax. I was giving Julie a ride home.” Luke raised his eyebrows slightly and backed down at the mention of her. “J-Julie? Oh.”
“Where we at?” Alex asked, throwing his duffel down on the couch and hastily sitting down on his stool, nearly knocking it and himself to the ground. “We were halfway through East Side but we kinda had to improvise ‘cause our drummer was not here for his solo…” Bobby retorted shortly. They were in a bad mood.
“Calm down girls…” Reggie announced, and Luke let out a curt laugh.
The last piece I made for @jatpzine! A Sunset Curve print. Everytime someone posted a story with their bundle and I saw this print among the merch, it made my heart grow three sizes bigger
Just thinking about how each of Trevor’s necklaces seem to pay homage to the guys
Like there’s the obvious one of him wearing the necklace he wore in Unsaid Emily rehearsal, but the other three look like stylised versions of the necklaces the boys wear throughout the show and I love it so much
I feel that in the s2 carrie should be able to see the boys because she’s almost a granddaughter to them, despite everything you know? i want to see that.
