julie & her ghosties

[please do NOT remove my watermark, thank you!]

LUKE PATTERSON APPRECIATION WEEK

Bonus:

1. The way Luke is waiting in the kitchen for Julie. He (sort of) heard what she said about boundaries and he was waiting until she came down so that he could give her “Bright.” Or he was on his way to pester her and got distracted by the fridge. We’ll never know. Either way, it’s cute.

2. The fact that Luke refers to Julie as a wrecking ball. He doesn’t say she has an “angelic voice,” which is a common compliment given to singers. He doesn’t mention her vocal tone at all. He comments on her power and on her ability to connect with an audience. He focuses on the parts of her musical talent that he most values, because he’s already labeled her a kindred spirit.

(@xxprettylittletimebombxx​​​ pointed out that there’s an interesting contrast with “Perfect Harmony,” where Julie fantasizes about Luke saying she has the voice of an angel. “She knows he knows she’s a powerhouse, but she also wants him to see her as something softer.”)

3. “There is no way your teachers wouldn’t let you back into school if they heard you play like that.” Two things I love about this. 1) Luke’s immediate, complete faith in Julie. And 2) in his mind, he died a little over a day ago but this is his priority: hyping up someone who is basically a stranger to get her back into her music program.

4. There’s something about Julie’s reaction here that is extremely married. She and Luke have known each other a day, and already they’ve developed a rapport of Luke being this energetic source of inspiration that livens Julie up, and Julie being a more level-headed source of grounding. They help to balance each other out and push each other. They make each other better.

5. "What’s a subtle way to get a girl to look at you?”

6. I’m not able to say for sure that Luke is looking at Julie’s lips at the end of this line, but I’m also not not saying that he’s looking at her lips.

7. Flirting through a cabinet door? We love to see it in our non-corporeal ships.

8. The way that Luke launches himself off the counter to follow Julie to the fridge even though he could have just waited for her to come back. He’s following her around like an eager puppy and not even thinking twice about it.

9. This is the part that makes me go utterly feral, so bear with me. Julie walks through Luke, and we know from the earlier scene with Ray and Reggie that ghosts gets a sense of a lifer’s soul when they do that. So Luke just felt Julie’s soul. No big deal, super casual, I’m not freaking about it I am freaking out about it

We don’t know exactly what Julie feels as a lifer but she’s visibly impacted by it. Loses her train of thought and has to stop walking. Luke is smiling, but Julie is stunned. She’s had crushes before. But, as @mamirugbee​​​​​ put it, “walking through Luke is a feeling she doesn’t know.” There’s an intensity to this experience that she’s not prepared for, because their souls just touched and they like what they feel in the other person.

Then she turns to look back at him, and they share this moment. “Did you feel that too? Something just happened there.” The first acknowledgement of their interesting little relationship.

Julie’s energy afterwards is very “well, we don’t have time to unpack all of that. I just found out that ghosts are real and started singing again for the first time in a year. I don’t have the mental energy to deal with this too.”

But Luke is absolutely delighted. Death didn’t phase him—why would a soulmate?

10. The way that Luke quickly shakes off… whatever he experienced when their souls touched and refocuses. “If getting back into music is what you want, then you gotta go for it.” Yeah, sure, they’re soulmates and he just felt this girl’s soul and he’s falling quickly and I’m screaming but if she wants to get into music, then they need to get her back into music. It’s very Luke, and very “Luke’s love language with Julie is music.”

11. We’ve collectively already gone feral about Luke picking out “Bright” with Julie in mind and possibly tweaking it to suit her range, but what makes me especially soft about it is how much forethought it requires. He comes up with a vague plan to get her back into the program, figures out that she won’t have a song prepared, goes through all of his songs to find one that would suit her, and gives it to her??? Which, as @thedeathdeelers​​​​ put it, is basically the equivalent of handing over a piece of his soul???

And, as @xxprettylittletimebombxx​​ pointed out, Luke chooses a very specific song. “He picked a song that was meant to motivate, and inspire, and invigorate. He picked a song that he was (probably) hoping would make her feel a little bit less alone” I’m soft, I’m so soft

12. When Luke first starts singing Bright, he watches Julie. He is, after all, showing her a piece of his soul, and he wants to know her reaction immediately. She’s heard him play before, but she’s never heard him sing, and he’s never performed in front of her before while knowing that she’s a musician. This isn’t him trying to show off his guitar skills for a pretty girl. This is him approaching a fellow musician with his work.

13. The ease with which Julie starts to sing with Luke. We know singing isn’t easy for her yet, and her journey is far from over, but with him, in this moment, she doesn’t hesitate. She already trusts him, and he’s helping her bring music back into her life. Again, they make each other better.

14. The way Luke hovers next to her, sharing the sheet music even though he knows this song by heart. The musical equivalent of “yawn and put your arm around their shoulder.” And, once again, he keeps looking at her. Judging her reaction and wanting to share this moment with her.

15. Head empty, no thoughts, just matching hand gestures.

16. The appearance of the first nose scrunch. The start of a love language. I’m soft, I’m soft, I’m soft.

17. Luke’s smile. Singing one (1) chorus with Julie and hearing her hit the high note puts an emoji smile on his face. Again, as a reminder, he died a day ago in his mind. But here he is, being a happy wee musical puppy because he just sang with his soulmate.

18. Nothing much to say, just 😍.

19. The way that Luke catches how big his smile is and tries to bite it back to make it smaller and pretend that he’s being casual. A crush??? What are you talking about, Alex???

20. Even though Luke just tried to be casual about this, he lingers on Julie. And she lingers on him. They’re just staring at each other and smiling softly after singing together for the first time and I’m expected to be okay?? I am NOT.

JULIE AND THE PHANTOMS