#sara lewis

[quotesfrommyreading]

Fireflies, known as lightning bugs in the South and Midwest, are neither flies nor bugs. Scientists save the word “bug” for a specific kind of insect with sucking mouthparts—a definition that excludes ants, butterflies and beetles. Fireflies are beetles—magical, but still six-legged insects.

Adult fireflies use their glow as “a love song in light,” as Tennessee-based firefly expert Lynn Faust puts it. A male will flash his signal, and a female will flash a response when she recognizes one of her own species. The females of a few firefly species Heckscher studies can also manipulate their flashes to lure fireflies from other species, which they then eat. In firefly larvae, the glow warns predators of toxic chemical defenses, much as the red of a ladybug or the orange of a monarch butterfly does.

A number of land creatures make light from chemicals, including various fungi, earthworms, millipedes and fungus gnats, Lewis writes. But beetles are the champion, with about 2,500 different species that make light, most of them fireflies. Their glow comes from an abdominal organ called the lantern. Inside that organ, oxygen interacts with a small, energy-packed molecule called luciferin. Some scientists believe fireflies create their pulsating patterns by regulating the flow of air.

There are at least 2,200 firefly species around the globe. Each has a glowing larval (immature) form. These larvae eat snails, slugs and worms, punching way above their weight in the web of life. But not all firefly species have adults that glow. Roughly 60 to 75 percent do, according to Oliver Keller, a biologist with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, who is putting together a checklist of the world’s firefly species. These species are mostly found in Asia and in North America, east of the Rocky Mountains. Fireflies thrive where the air and the ground are moist, and the American West is generally too dry for their taste.

The remaining firefly species are “dark” fireflies. They glow in their juvenile forms, and often as eggs, but not as adults. Instead, these adults find each other through scent-like pheromones, which they detect with elaborate antennae. These fireflies lack the lantern organ that fireflies use to flash. (There are also intermediate species that have both a tiny light organ and elaborate antennae to detect pheromones.) In some other species, the female firefly emits a weak, steady glow but does not fly. She merely crawls to the top of a blade of grass or, perhaps, up a tree trunk.

  —  The Illuminating Science Behind Fireflies

#madeline bodin #the illuminating science behind fireflies #environmentalism #ecology #entomology #insects #fireflies #bioluminescence #luciferin #lynn faust #sara lewis #oliver keller

[mndvx]

DOCTOR WHO: FLUX (2021-2022) Chapter Two: War of the Sontarans ››› John Bishop as Dan Lewis ››› Jodie Whittaker as The Doctor ››› Sara Powell as Mary Seacole

#dw #doctor who #john bishop #dan lewis #jodie whittaker #13th doctor #sara powell #doctorwhoedit #tvedit #scifiedit #dwedit #dan the man that you are......

[evviejo]

thirteen’s era appreciation: 181/?

#dwedit #doctor who #the doctor #thirteen #thirteenth doctor #dan lewis #mary seacole #war of the sontarans #jodie whittaker #john bishop #sara powell #13seraappreciation #my gifs #thirteen* #dan*

[talatomaz]

imagine | bau x fem!reader x legends

a/n: this takes place during ‘rusty’ where the bau deals with an unsub who believes he’s from a parallel universe. and honestly, this idea has been in my drafts since the episode aired almost 3 years ago

warnings: usual canon violence.

word count: 2.9k

masterlist | navigation | request rules

when R encounters a case where an unsub believes he’s from a parallel universe, she finds that there’s more truth to that claim than she’d like to admit

i do not give you permission to repost or translate my fics on any platform - likes/reblogs are okay and are much appreciated

A famous writer once said ‘we must be willing to let go of the life we planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us.’

And if that wasn’t the most apt description for your life, you didn’t know what was. Albeit the life originally planned for you didn’t exactly line up with the life you were living now, it still kept you alive. But no one in your present life knew about your former one. Hell, you’d surely be locked up on insanity claims if you ever broached the subject. Especially being surrounded by a team of psychological profilers.

But this current case was threatening to reveal your past. And you didn’t know how much longer you could keep up the lie…

You and your team were investigating the vast number of decapitations of father figures and were struggling to find a connection; only believing that the unsub was simply killing surrogates of his own father for reasons yet to be revealed. But it ended up being so much more than that.

As you continued to work the case, though you couldn’t pinpoint it, you had this lingering feeling of being watched. You’d even caught glances of familiar eyes staring at you. The more you tried to shake it off, the more foreboding the feeling became. And it had all come to a head when the BAU were looking at the victims’ bodies in the Denver police station.

Your eyes narrowed as Luke placed post-it notes of symbols next to each contusion found on the different bodies. The symbols were eerily familiar but your mind struggled to make the connection.

“They may be mathematical symbols, perhaps part of a larger expression.”

Catching the last part of Tara’s explanation, it was like a switch had gone off in your brain. You hadn’t seen this equation, or at least these characters that formed part of the equation, in several years.

Oh shit.

“Schrodinger’s equation.”

The words slipped past your lips before you could stop it.

“You’re right. They form the basis of Schrodinger’s equation.” Spencer agreed as he walked up to the board and wrote the full equation down.

Seeing the expression face-to-face, so to speak, had you fighting to keep your panic under control. Between the feeling of being watched to this case to the equation which you’d vehemently used with an old team member to perfect a certain time travelling device, you worried at how much water this case held.

“It describes the probability that a particle will behave in a certain way in a certain place in a certain time.” Spencer continued to explain.

“The wider implications of this gave rise to Everett’s ‘Many Worlds’ theory. Which is that reality is, as we know it, is only one of many possible universes.”

Almost as if on autopilot, you gave a brief insight into something which had taken up a significant amount of your time in your previous life.

You’d realised your slip when you saw your whole team looking at you, even Spencer, with confusion written on their face. Whilst they knew you were smart, when you’d taken upon this life, you deliberately omitted several details, such as your affinity for science and all things physics, specifically inter-dimensional travel.

“Oh I-uh-saw it in a tv show once.” You lied, clearing your throat in an attempt to provide yourself with some sort of a reprieve. Luckily, that came in the form of Tara, who’d jokingly referenced ‘Doctor Who’.

“Okay, so does our unsub think he’s in a parallel universe?” JJ, your partner, asked which only facilitated the pounding of your heart. More so because you’d been on edge ever since you’d taken this case than in fear of your team finding out who you really were.

The rest of the debate became muffled as you drowned out your team’s voices - too busy on finding the missing link that was the linchpin of what you were feeling than adding to the conversation.

“Hey. Hey.”

The gentle rouse of your shoulder coupled with the whispered shout of your name had you jolting as you tried to clear your mind. Blinking, you looked up from your chair to see a blonde staring down at you.

For a moment, you could have sworn it was your old captain.

But that didn’t make sense.

She couldn’t be here.

None of them could.

Shaking your head to clear the cloudiness, your eyes refocused as you looked up at JJ.

“You okay? You seem a little distracted.”

The seasoned profiler’s eyes were narrowed in concern as she tried to discern your behaviour.

“Y-yeah, I’m good. Sorry, just got a lot on my mind.”

“I’ll say. You even sounded like Spence for a moment there with all that science-y talk.” JJ joked, playfully nudging you with her shoulder.

“You know you can talk to me right? About anything?”

The previous levity in her voice was replaced with a tone of seriousness and motherly-esque concern.

Thankfully, before you could give another half-assed excuse, Emily burst through the door.

“We got another victim. Let’s go.” Your Unit Chief called after you so you followed her and Mendoza to the crime scene.

            ✧── ･ ｡ﾟ★: *.✦ .* :★. ───✧

After you’d all collectively delivered the profile, your team, specifically you, JJ, Tara, Reid and Luke converged back in the office as you tried to predict the unsub’s next moves. Albeit, you were distracted because the nagging feeling of being watched had come back.

Canvassing the office, you looked to see if anyone was paying any particular attention to you or your team - which was when you finally locked eyes with a patrol officer. Analysing their behaviour, they didn’t carry themselves in the normal way cops did, which inherently raised further flags in your mind.

“Maybe we just need to step back and look at things differently.”

As JJ spoke, you excused yourself. Ignoring the confused protests of your team, you walked up to the officer and stopped in front of them.

“Who are you?”

The officer’s lips curved into a smile but what stuck with you was how familiar the smile was. Almost as if you’d seen it before.

“Wow, I’m offended.”

As you opened your mouth to speak, you were suddenly flanked by JJ and Tara.

“Who are you?” This time, the question was sternly repeated by JJ.

Instead of outwardly replying, the officer leaned in closer to you - unknowingly to you, they slipped something into your pocket - and whispered something that had your back straightening and the hairs on your neck standing up in revered shock.

“Hey, lil T.”

Your jaw practically dropped in shock. It was a nickname you’d not heard in almost 3 years and only one person called you that.

Charlie.

Your team members were too focused on your reaction to notice that the shapeshifter had disappeared.

Suddenly the pieces began to fall into place.

The familiar eyes you kept catching lingering on you belonged to Charlie, a notorious shapeshifter who was a member of the Legends. That likely meant that the rest of your old team was here, including your sister.

And if they were here, it meant that someone was displaced out of time or universe and, considering the nature of your current case, you’d correctly figured out that it was the unsub you were searching for. He really must be from a parallel universe. Another Earth.

But you couldn’t figure out how he got here.

Especially after the Crisis on Infinite Earths which led to the formation of Earth Prime and your eventual move to this Earth.

“Who the hell was that? Did you know them?” JJ asked, her hand on the small of your back.

Instead of replying, you were interrupted by a vibration coming out of your blazer pocket. Fishing in the pocket, you pulled out the phone and stared at the device. Answering the phone, you spoke cautiously, “Hello?”

“God, I have missed your voice!”

“Cisco?!” You whisper shouted into your phone.

Why was he randomly calling you out of the blue? Unless…oh fuck.

“I’ll be right back. I’m fine, I promise.”

Not waiting around for JJ or Tara’s reply, you walked into an empty office and began to speak freely.

“What the hell is going on, Cisco? Why is Charlie here?”

“Yeah, um, about that…”

“Let me guess, someone stole one of the extrapolators, didn’t they?”

There was a slight pause before your friend answered, “Maybe.”

“Fuck. This is not what I needed right now. How did this happen?”

Cisco then went on to explain that meta human who had once had razor sharp knives for hands had somehow broken into Star Labs and stolen the inter-dimensional travelling device.

You scoffed at his explanation, “Explains why this guy’s able to decapitate heads so easily. God, how many times have I said that you guys need better security?”

“Back up, decapitation as in heads removed from their bodies? Oh, that’s nasty.”

“It’s also my job to catch this person, Cisco. What the hell am I supposed to do?”

“Well, from what I can tell from the location tracking and mechanical data, the device is broken which is why this guy hasn’t travelled back to Earth Prime. But you’re gonna need to get that device back before you arrest him.”

“Now, how in the world do you expect me to do that?”

            ✧── ･ ｡ﾟ★: *.✦ .* :★. ───✧

After ending the call with Cisco, you knew you had to clear things up with JJ before you could follow his instructions. Dragging the latter into the empty office you’d just been in, you watched as she stared at you with her arms folded across her chest.

“Are you in some kind of trouble? Tell me I shouldn’t be worried.”

“I’m okay, JJ. Honest. I just-” you sighed, “I didn’t realise it but I know that officer. They were from my past. A long time ago.”

“And that phone call?”

“Was from an old friend I’ve not spoken to in years. It just surprised me, is all. But I promise I’m okay. Go on, use those profiling, lie detector powers on me. You’ll see.”

JJ laughed dryly before smacking you on the arm, “Shut up.”

Then she sobered and abruptly brought you in for a tight hug which you returned.

“I’m here for you, alright? You’re my family and I love you.”

“I love you too.” You replied back before smiling when she pulled away and held your face in her hands.

In the corner of your eye, you spotted Charlie in the far end of the station signalling for you to follow them.

“How about I get us some actual drinkable coffee from one of the coffee shops near by whilst we’re waiting for Garcia to come back to us?”

“Sounds like a great idea. I’ll call you if anything happens.”

Your timely suggestion was merely a ploy to get out of the station so you could meet up with the Legends like Cisco had instructed you too.

Reaching the empty alley way that Cisco had led you too, you rocked back and forth on your heels before turning when you heard the voice behind you.

“Lil T. It’s so great to see your face.”

You couldn’t help the smile that painted your face when you saw Charlie in their true form and moved to hug them.

“I still can’t believe you’re here.” You said, hugging your friend closely.

Opening your eyes, you froze when you saw two other people approaching. One of whom had tears springing to your eyes.

Pulling away from Charlie, you flung yourself into your sister’s arms as the tears fell shamelessly down your face.

“Oh my god. Zari, I never thought I’d see you again.”

“Me either. I’ve missed you so goddamn much. Are you okay?”

Your sister asked, cupping your face similarly to how JJ had done so minutes earlier.

“Better now that you’re here.” You hugged Zari again, your head resting against her neck as you tried to engrave this moment in your mind forever. Especially since you didn’t know when you’d next be able to see her again.

“What am I? Chopped liver?”

You laughed at your old Captain’s interruption and hugged her too, “Hi, Sara.”

After you’d all quickly caught up, you’d relayed what Cisco had told you causing the three of them to nod.

Grabbing your hand, Zari slipped the bracelet on your wrist, knowing you knew exactly what you needed to do.

            ✧── ･ ｡ﾟ★: *.✦ .* :★. ───✧

“We should split up.”

After your conversation with the Legends, you’d gotten a call from JJ who’d told you that they’d figured out the unsub’s identity and where he’d likely be. Which is how you ended up at the entrance of an abandoned gold mine.

Running into the mine, you weaved in and out of the tunnels trying to locate Kyle Peters. Then you heard cries and yelling which led you to the unsub and the two children he’d kidnapped. You knew your team was following closely behind you so you only had a small window of opportunity to get what you needed.

As Kyle continued to wrestle with his demons, you peered your head around the rocky man-made tunnel and used the air totem that Zari had given you to discreetly lift the broken extrapolator from his jacket pocket that was close to him and use the wind powers to let it travel to you. Grabbing it with your free hand, you pocketed it with a relieved sigh and then stepped out into the open to confront the unsub.

The rest of your team flanked you as you tried to talk the unsub down.

“Kyle, I get it. Believe me, I do. I know what it’s like to be displaced from your home, your family, from everything you know and to find yourself alone in this new world.”

“No! I have to fix it!”

You knew you had to steer the conversation to prevent any mention of the extrapolator device.

“But you have to face the truth, Kyle. These sacrifices you’ve been making won’t fix things. It won’t bring back your son. Kyle, face the truth. He’s gone. Ethan’s gone.”

You countered, keeping your voice level as your gun remained trained on the murderer.

“God, I’m so sorry.” Kyle started to cry as he dropped the axe to the ground.

Holstering your weapon, you approached the unsub and cuffed him before handing him off to another officer.

“Here you go.”

You said, handing the broken extrapolator to Sara who thanked you.

“Oh and you can take the totem back. Thanks for letting me borrow it.”

Zari stopped you by placing her hand on yours, “Keep it. We found a way a while ago to split the power in two so now we can both have one. It also means we’ll have a way to see each other. In the totem, I mean. We can be connected.”

“We’re always connected, Z.”

“You know there’s always a spot open for you if you want to come back.”

“I appreciate it but I think I’m okay here. This is my life now. And honestly, it’s a good one. We get to fight bad guys and not those with powers and stuff and we’re making a huge difference here.”

Sara nodded in bittersweet resignation.

“I’m going to miss you.”

You hugged Zari again, “I’ll miss you too. I really should be getting back but say hi to everyone back home for me, will you? And tell Cisco that I’ll kick his ass myself if he lets another one of our tech pieces get stolen again.”

“I’ll pass on the message.” Sara said as you all laughed.

            ✧── ･ ｡ﾟ★: *.✦ .* :★. ───✧

Having finished with your debriefs - and finding relief in the fact that Charlie had memory wiped Kyle’s mind so he wouldn’t reveal the extrapolator’s existence - you were on the jet back to the BAU with your team.

“All this talk about alternate realities. Who do you think you’d be in a parallel universe?” JJ asked you and Reid.

You laughed as Spencer explained why he’d be a cowboy and how the rest of the team fit into his world.

“What about you?” JJ turned to face you.

Laughing to yourself, you realised that this was the one time you could actually tell your team the truth and not worry that they would commit you.

“I would probably be a part of time travelling legends who rectify anachronisms or wrinkles in time with the help of our other Earth-bound superhero friends who fight crime. If all of that existed, of course.” You added when JJ smirked at you with a raised brow.

Her focus then shifted to the bracelet on your wrist.

“Oh hey, I didn’t see that bracelet before. It’s beautiful.”

Looking down at the totem, a soft smile appeared on your face, “It’s a family heirloom. I have one piece and my sister has the other.”

JJ reciprocated your smile as she wrapped her arm around your shoulder, allowing you to burrow into the blanket that she had draped over her.

With JJ’s cheek resting on your head as she hugged you close, you felt your heart settle.

Deep down, you knew you’d made the right choice. The Legends was your past but the BAU and this team were your future.

And there was nowhere else you’d rather be.

#criminal minds #criminal minds imagine #criminal minds x reader #jennifer jareau #jennifer x reader #jennifer jareau x reader #jennifer jareau imagine #jj x reader #tara lewis x reader #emily prentiss x reader #spencer reid x reader #luke alvez x reader #matt simmons x reader #david rossi x reader #cm x reader #legends of tomorrow x reader #legends of tomorrow #zari tomaz x reader #charlie x reader #sara lance x reader #zari tomaz #c: jennifer jareau #c: imagine #s: mine #c: legends of tomorrow #c: zari tomaz

[operafantomet]

POTO members + chandelier + civil clothing

Maria Bjørnson, designer

Rita Saxmark, Copenhagen

Hanne Damm? Copenhagen

John Riddle, Broadway

Norm Lewis and Andrew Lloyd Webber, Broadway

Sara Sarres, Sao Paulo

Jeremy Stolle and Elizabeth Welch, Broadway

Dmitry Ermak Ivan Ozhogin, Moscow

Valerie Link, Hamburg

Rachel Zatcoff, Broadway

Jordan Pollard, West End

#chandelier #not another chandelier #phantom of the opera #maria bjørnson #rita saxmark #hanne damm #john riddle #norm lewis #andrew lloyd webber #sara sarres #jeremy stolle #elizabeth welch #ivan ozhogin #dmitry ermak #valerie link #rachel zatcoff #jordan pollard

[smallsimmer]

Beats me ya know - @pleaseputnamehere

#ts3 #s3 #the sims 3 #sims 3 #simblr #blaise lewis #I asked Sara what to caption it and she ofc gave me her all

[myemyehere]

s2e01

#welcome to dreamworld #mye art #wtdw wiatt #wtdw lewis #wtdw oliver #wtdw damian #wtdw sara #wtdw ribbon dancer #i guess #i was unsure what exactly is interesting enough to be worth posting #hopefully a mix of the nice finished frames and random bts stuff is good

[scarletwitchpanels]

Wanda & Pietro talking about Luna in Scarlet Witch #1

#look at them actually remembering she exists! #darcy lewis #wanda maximoff #scarlet witch #pietro maximoff #quicksilver #maximoffs #sw fashion #marvel 616 #scarlet witch series #scarlet witch v3 #sara pichelli #scarlet witch spoilers #wednesday spoilers

[luckydiorxoxo]

Arrivals to The Fashion Awards (2023) post deux

#leigh anne pinnock #law roach #kit connor #gillian anderson #jodie comer #iris law #letitia wright #lewis hamilton #amal clooney #2023 fashion awards #suki waterhouse #adut akech #gwendolyn christie #pamela anderson #sara sampaio

[eofdragons]

here's part 8 and part 9 :D

since it took me so long to post this one I decided to give you another. ;)

I will post the next part in 10 days. I think number 9 looks pretty well. I also have two of my oc's in this comic. Ellis Tom and Pearl.

#welcome to dreamworld #wtdw au #op #my art #nicholson mansion au #wtdw sara #wtdw lewis #wtdw wiatt #wtdw #Oc

[hunkahulkaaburningfudge]

Ohmygod, Zelma and Darcy know and text each other??? I ship it. Lol I wonder if they talk about how similar they look. Wanda and Stephen must be confused why they have assistants/librarians that look nearly identical.

ALSO WANDA AND JERICHO!!! I miss them and I wish we got to see their relationship more before they broke up due to editorial reasons. Marvel probably wants Wanda and Vision back together and while I'm not completely against it, they'll have A LOT of baggage to work through.

Scarlet Witch (2023) #9

#scarlet witch #wanda maximoff #jericho drumm #darcy lewis #zelma stanton #marvel comics #scarlet witch comics #616 wanda maximoff #616 darcy lewis #strange academy #steve orlando #lorenzo tammetta #sara pichelli #scarlet witch 2023 #wandajericho #doctor voodoo

[scarletwitching]

Scarlet Witch vol. 3 #2 preview

#scarlet witch #wanda maximoff #viv vision #darcy lewis #steve orlando #sara pichelli #solo title #previews

[thedreamworldlibrary]

Made by @gigilefache!

Here is the Dream 4 and their Pokémon!! Next chapter is coming soon and you're gonna love it!!

Some spoilers for upcoming chapters, but Sara's Skiddo is the chapter after the next one and you'll meet Oliver's Scorbunny soon!

#welcome to dreamworld #wtdw #wtdw au #dreamers of myths and legends #dreamers of myths & legends #pokemon au #wtdw sara #wtdw wiatt #wtdw lewis #wtdw oliver

[evviejo]

thirteen’s era appreciation: 107/?

#dwedit #doctor who #the doctor #thirteen #thirteenth doctor #mary seacole #yasmin khan #dan lewis #war of the sontarans #jodie whittaker #sara powell #mandip gill #john bishop #13seraappreciation #my gifs #thirteen* #yaz* #dan* #reposting because fucking tumblr refused to put it in the tags #aaaaand it still won't put it in the tags aaaaaahhh

[theitalianscribe]

What's in a Name

Summary: This would be Wiatt's first lunch joining his boyfriend (BOYFRIEND!!!) at his usual lunch spot with his usually lunch mates, which is to say that he was re-meeting Lewis's best friends with the context of dating Lewis. This was basically make or break it as far as Wiatt was concerned. Just had to make a good impression. No pressure. Right? Riiiiight.

(Also available on AO3)

     Wiatt was nervous. This was his first time seeing having lunch with Lewis as his boyfriend. What's more, this was his first time having lunch with his boyfriend and his boyfriend's best friends. Wiatt knew how important the two friends were to Lewis. One was practically a sister that Lewis had grown up with and the other rounded out their energetic ideas and was a kind glue that smoothed out the edges and made the three closer than the two were before. He treasured these friendships and if either of them thought he wasn't right for Lewis or just didn't like him, well, a boyfriend of two days vs a pair of best friends for over a year? He was pretty sure who Lewis would choose, and honestly? Was Wiatt even that much? What did Lewis even see in him? 

     He had to make a good impression. He had been introduced before, but something about today felt more real. Oh, fuck! What if he got their names wrong? What if he forgot them? Asking them to repeat their names after he had known of them as long as he had known of Lewis? He was going to seem like such a careless jerk. Wiatt nervously jiggled the cord of his headphones and winced at the slight static sound it caused. He would have to put Coldplay on pause in a moment, but he let the tempo of 42 guide the beat of his footsteps as he scanned the area for a sign of blonde, brown, or orange hair. 

     Eventually, he spotted Lewis's beanie and made his way to one of the blue mesh metal tables with an umbrella. Next to Lewis was a girl with long brown hair. She was munching on baby carrots from a purple striped lunchbox with the Cheshire Cat on it. What a shifty character to pair with someone eating in a shifty way. Just carrots? Plain? No ranch? No hummus? As if sensing his judgment, she plucked a grape out of the bag and took a bite into another carrot. What a monster! 

     Next to the food fiend was a boy with slightly unkempt red hair and sunken green eyes. Wiatt's Wikipedia-scavenging heart went out the boy he clocked as a fellow insomniac. 

Lewis looked up from his cafeteria soggy spaghetti and meat sauce and a beaming smile lit up his face. That smile could give solar power a run for its money, but instead it sent a charge to the butterflies in Wiatt's stomach, especially when his lips parted to sing out his name, "Wiatt! Darling! Come, join us."

     At the sound of his harmonious voice, Lewis's friends looked up at the lunchtime interloper. Right! This was the make it or break it moment. The brunette was closer, so he offered his hand to her. 

"Hi, Sara." Her name was a bit easier to remember because after their introduction he had the song “Que Sera Sera” stuck in his head.

     Sara didn't take the offered hand. She just stared at him, as if challenging him to try and mess with her. Fair enough. He didn't need to talk to her. Let her resume her food crimes.

     Time to greet the other friend. Right. His name had something related to plants, right? Oakley? Ash? Forrest? 

“Wiatt!” The other boy exclaimed. Then he made a face like he was worried he said something wrong. Or maybe he was worried he said it too loud? Well, Wiatt would just up the energy and try to calm this guy’s nerves. Besides, he remembered the boy’s name. They were in World History together.

“Hey! Good to see you, Basil!” Wiatt cheered and gave his own smile.

     Basil took the offered hand and smiled back, then paused. 

“Yeah! Wait.”

Sara started to cackle. She leaned over and gave the redhead a noogie. “He sure is! It’s my bestest buddy, Basil.”

“Saaaraaaaa,” the boy whined.

At the same time, Lewis cleared his throat, stood up, and guided Wiatt to sit next to him. “That is Oliver, Darling.”

Oh. Oh. Oh no. Wiatt covered his face. “Oh my god. Oliver! I am so sorry! Oh no. Hnnnngh!”

Lewis chuckled and pat Wiatt’s back. “It’s quite alright, Darling. We could tell you were nervous.”

“You sit next to me in World History.”

“I am really sorry!”

Sara took a breath to calm her laughter. “He’ll forgive you, don’t worry. I, however, will not let you live this down.” “Noted.” Wiatt deadpanned.

“For the record, you got my name right, at least. But I am telling you now it is spelled S-A-R-A. No H.” “Got it.” “Do you want me to write it down? I can get a pen.”

“If I offer half my cookie will you forgive me?” Wiatt sighed.

“You may buy my silence for the moment.” Sara agreed cordially.

“I was asking Oliver.” “Are you sure you don’t mean Basil?”

“I really don’t mind. Wiatt.” Oliver finally spoke up. Wiatt held out half the cookie to him nonetheless. Oliver gamely took the treat, broke it into thirds, and passed a piece each to Lewis and Sara.

“Aww! A sweet from a sweetheart!” Sara cooed in thanks. She then retrieved a bag of…more grapes??? from her lunchbox and passed the plastic bag to Oliver.

“You just don’t want to eat the olives,” Lewis chided

“Yes, and?” Sara retorted

Oliver looked at the bag, smirked for a moment, and held the bag out to Wiatt. “Want some? As a pneumatic device?”

Wiatt let out a nervous chuckle and plucked one of the offered namesakes. “Thanks.”

     From there, things went a bit more smoothly. Aside from the occasional teasing from Sara that petered out after a while, the name mishap was forgotten for a while. At least, it seemed to be.

-Around a year later-

     The three best friends looked over their new employees. To think, they had employees , now! People were relying on them for instructions and paychecks. The nerves! 

     Oliver was surprised to see some familiar faces. It felt weird seeing people he knew from school when they were now in a different city. Sara leaned over to inspect the list of names and photos to go with the names. 

“Oh, no way! Lewis?” That was Andrew. He was in a study group with Sara as well as the art club Lewis had to drop once they started the project that led to them founding the Dreamworld facility.

“It’s good to see you, Darling.” Lewis greeted.

“Is it just you or is…Oh! Hi, Sara.” Andrew was bouncing on the balls of his feet. Then he turned to look at Oliver. “I didn’t get to know you as well as Lewis and Sara. Oh! But now I have the chance to know you more, too! I look forward to working with you, Basil!”

“Oh, um,” Oliver was caught off guard by Andrew’s enthusiasm, but his words registered after a moment. Oliver let his face fall into his palm, “Darn it, Wiatt.” 

Sara patted his shoulder. “Not even here and the plus one is still causing trouble,” Sara laughed. 

#Welcome to Dreamworld #WTDW #Welcome to Dreamworld Fanfiction #Wiatt Nicholson #Lewis Bright #Sara Covetman #Oliver Acrimony #Andrew Owens (He is mentioned at the end) #Icy Scribes #This is based on something that happened with my brother and his friend

[hit-song-showdown]

Year-End Poll #59: 2008

[Image description: a collage of photos of the 10 musicians and musical groups featured in this poll. In order from left to right, top to bottom: Flo-Rida, Leona Lewis, Alicia Keys, Lil Wayne, OneRepublic, Jordin Sparks, Sara Bareilles Usher, Chris Brown. End description]

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Now well into the latter half of the decade, the direction pop music has been heading is even more evident. The music is starting to skew electronic in its sound and the plugin Auto-Tune is starting to be featured more as a stylistic choice, as seen with T-Pain and Lil Wayne. Lil Wayne's influence over rap would become even more prominent in the late 2000's and early 2010s. Especially with the artists that would eventually be signed to his label, Young Money Entertainment.

There are many reasons why the sound of pop was skewing towards club and dance music. Modern production techniques worked really well with the style, music-purchasing platforms such as iTunes worked better for listening to individual singles rather than full albums (which caters to dance music well), and the 2008 financial crisis. With the recession, more and more people were looking to pop music as an escape. As touring and traditional concerts became less financially accessible for both artists and audiences, clubs and parties served as environments to experience music with a group. To quote this article on the subject:

With themes of luxury, escapism and radical optimism, these upbeat and positive tracks provided comfort in the fantasy of extravagance. Despite most peoples’ situations at the time, almost every song on the radio was about loving life and getting money. Music was fast and people were dancing. (Amanda Kiefer)

But more than that, CD sales plummeted after the recession, while online music consumption soared. More and more, music was making its home on the internet.

There are a surprising number of articles written about dance music in the face of global financial inequality (and many of them have started popping up recently, I wonder why...), so I've linked to a few below.

"How music has responded to a decade of economic inequality" Scott Timberg, Vox

"The Recession in the Music Industry - a Cause Analysis" Peter Tschmuck

"How the Recession is Impacting Music, Too" Laura Palotie (this article is from 2008, so it's interesting as a contemporary reading of the situation.)

#billboard poll #billboard music #tumblr poll #2000s #2000s music #2008 #flo rida #t pain #leona lewis #alicia keys #lil wayne #static major #sara bareilles #jordin sparks #chris brown #usher #young jeezy