#here u go u didn’t ask for this much detail but i have many thoughts when it comes to avatar teehee

[miekasa]

earth bender todo is a no brainer he’s built like a rock lol. curious about your views on the other elements for the rest of the cast?

Airbenders: Satoru, Yuuta

Gojo is everybody’s problem. Just hovers (literally) around people’s conversations, makes wind to mess up your hair, “Why would I walk over there when I could float over there?,” already tall enough to hold something over someone else’s head and the added advantage of air bending would not help. Absolutely the fucking worst. Besides, can’t you see him having an Appa… pray for the greater good of the world.

Poor, poor Yuuta quite literally only has Satoru as his mentor because where are the other airbenders? Who knows, but not here. He’s a little clumsy for an airbender at first, but eventually finds his footing. He’s also too timid at first, not wanting to use bending to attack because what if he accidentally takes the air out or someone’s lungs? What if he uses air bending and pushes someone too far and they get seriously hurt? What if he makes someone choke or suffocate? He would hate himself :(

It takes sometime, but he gets comfortable. Definitely no wise air nomad, but pretty strong with Satoru’s help. He still trips and falls, but at least now he knows how to make one of those little air balls to cushion his fall. Never learns to use a glider for everyone’s safety.

Waterbenders: Inumaki, Megumi, Nanami?

Toge just makes sense here. Give him a backstory similar to Amon in tlok, minus the whole villain arc; his family basically forced him to train and use his water bending/blood bending to their advantage. Makes him hesitant to use to later to seriously harm someone, even if it would save him. He’s not above using his bending for pranks like splashing Maki’s tea in her face, tho.

Don’t know if Megumi ever quite gets the bloodbending thing down, but he does learn to heal pretty proficiently. Still holds a grudge against Satoru for sending him half way across the world to hone his healing abilities, but he admits it made him better in the end. Despite the fact that waterbenders hail from the polar ends of the Earth, Megumi does not like the cold and he will let it be known.

Nanami is a toss up bc I feel like he fits both the water bending and fire bending roles :// he’s just that good :// the waterbender version of him is definitely a healer like Megumi, but the firebending version of him 100% has Azula’s blue flames. Doesn’t consider himself a true “master” regardless, even though anyone who has ever met him would beg to differ.

Earthbenders: Todo, Yuuji?

Todo is a no brainer. Doesn’t have the refined taste for metal bending, but lavabending? Yeah. Complains about getting called to do all the manual labor, but loves knowing that he’s literally strong enough to move the Earth underneath him and that even a volcano doesn’t stand a chance against him. Fantastic, 10/10

The Bolin to Yuuji pipeline is real and it will be studied. Yuuji would accidentally discover he can metalbend and then can never bring himself to do it when he needs to 😭😭 he’s trying his best. Nobara frequently says he’s dumb as a rock and laughs because she thinks it’s clever.

Firebenders: Nobara, Nanami?, Shoko, hear me out when I say Yuuji too but at this point I think avatar Yuuji is the supreme concept

Only other path for Nobara is an earth bender akin to Toph, but something about her being Azula’s less evil reincarnate sits so right with me, but also with Ty Lee’s… whatever that acrobatic shit she had going on was. She’s just that good, she’s just that girl. Refuses to make Yuuji’s drink hot again just because he forgot about it and it got cold—unless he promises to make her a bracelet out of a good gemstone she finds.

Once again, torn for Nanami. You already know the Iroh comparison is there, too. He’s not as flashy of a bender as someone like Nobara, but that doesn’t mean he’s not talented. He knows that he has to be precise in his firebending lest he destroy something or burn someone he cares about. Uses other bending forms to enhance his use and understanding of firebending.

It seems easy to make Shoko a waterbender and healer, but something about her smoking leads me down the firebender with combustion path. Maybe not… from her forehead like the ones we’ve seen in atla and tlok, but somehow it’s still there. Plus this way she doesn’t need to rely on anyone to light her cigarette to begin with, winwin, girlboss on the move.

Back again with Yuuji, but like I said, I think we just need to accept that avatar Yuuji is the only route that will truly suffice. Maybe we just start by saying he was born a firebender, and Nanami starts out at his first and primary tutor. He’s the one who introduces Yuuji to Satoru—and even though Kento threatens Satoru when he finds out he’s had Yuuji working on an air ball instead of any technical air bending for the past month—it all works out in the end. Yuuji’s a playful airbender, but hones in on the spiritual importance in the end, too. Megumi protests for months against being his waterbending master, until he finally breaks down. Todo through a rock at Yuuji the first time they were introduced, but Yuuji managed to throw it back without any knowledge of earthbending at that point and it was smooth sailing from there.

Non-benders: Maki, Mai

If Nobara is our un-evil Azula, then Maki and Mai are her Mai and Ty Lee, respectively. Maki never misses her targets and Mai has too much fun reducing benders to non-bending puddles with just a few punches.

[hobie-enthusiast]

UNLIKELY CLASH !

— rulebreaker!hobie brown x perfectionist!gn!reader

— enemies to lovers, swearing (more than last and fuck too), mutual pining, making out, small bit of harassment, rebellious teens, confused feelings, getting together

— hobie brown was everything you weren’t, so maybe that’s what attracted the two of you together so well (pt. 2)

— here part two gang! honestly i have an idea for part three in mind but if that’s something u honestly want pls lmk asap

— part 1 | part 2 (here) | part 3

The next couple of weeks were.. odd between you and Hobie.

Even after a heartfelt confession about the pressure you felt, you still had a reputation to uphold. You kept treating him the way you normally did; ignoring him and pretending he didn’t exist.

At first, this didn't really bother Hobie. He was used to chasing after you, messing with you and poking fun at the student council president. But he was getting bored. The small bits of making you late to class or taking up your time were amusing, but he wanted more of a reaction from you.

When he started interacting less and less, you grew confused. As much as you hated to admit it, you liked the attention and small interactions.

Though it was small, being late and skipping class (very rarely at this point), made you excited. It made you feel.. alive in a way.

But all that was dissipating. And you were upset about it.

You sat in your room after a long school day, mindlessly scrolling through your computer. Your parents had asked that you try and find a prom outfit, but that became boring really quick. You could never wear something truly exciting; just some fancy outfit plain coloured with fancy hair.

A knock on your window startled you from your thoughts. Glancing out, you see Hobie looking in, motioning for you to open the window. You walk over confused, deciding to open the window.

"Brown? It's.." You glance back at your alarm clock. "..10 pm. What are you doing here?"

"Awe, come on sweetheart. After such a confession, shouldn't we be on a first name basis?" He says, inviting himself into your room.

You scoff. "One, no, as you don't use my first name. And two, you can't be here! My parents are right down the hall!"

Hobie shrugged as he looked around your room, analyzing the decor. He noticed the clean desk you had, along with a neat bookshelf of many scientific books and knick-knacks. It suited you, every detail down to the way your game console sat neatly on your TV stand, not a speck of dust in sight.

"Did you show up just to judge my room?"

Hobie shook his head. "Nah, came t' ask ya somethin'." He said, sitting on your desk chair. "Up for an adventure?"

"Excuse me?" You question, taking a seat across from him on your bed. "When?"

"Now."

You know Hobie was.. absolutely crazy in some ways. But this? Going on a random adventure on a Friday night, and asking the person he wants to go with by entering their room via window was.. not the kind of crazy you would categorize him as.

You raise your eyebrows, crossing your arms. "You serious right now?"

"As serious as I always am." He responds with a shrug. "'s up to you. We'll be gone 'till tomorrow. Either 'u're up for a challenge or not."

A challenge he says? Hobie knew that you could be riled up from being challenged to do something. Perfectionists always had to win in his eyes.

And he was right.

"Give me five minutes."

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Next thing you knew, you were on a train from your isolated little town to Brooklyn itself. Hobie blindly led you onto a train, told you to not worry about tickets, then let the train take you both to the destination in mind.

Of course Hobie remembered what you said at the tree. He had been holding onto it for a while now. He knew you wanted to go to a city, do whatever you wanted, just for a little bit. And he was going to be the one to give that to you. Why? Well, that's a question he couldn't answer for himself.

"Brooklyn?" You questioned, looking out of the train window. "Why Brooklyn?"

"You said it under the tree. Ya wanted to go to the city, no?"

You nodded slowly, looking back out the window with a small smile. Of course you were flattered that he remembered your words. At least, you were hoping he did, you practically poured your feelings out.

Once the train stopped, you both stepped out of the station to admire the tall buildings towering over you. Hobie couldn’t help but be amused at the way your eyes shined at the new scenery. He practically came here everyday.

But he couldn’t tell you that. Not without plausible answers to the inevitable questions.

“So..” You turn to look at him, eyes still bright. “What do we do?”

He shrugs, hands in his vest pockets. “Whatever ya want. ‘s ‘ur day, no?”

"But I don't know where to go. I've never been to the city before."

Hobie's eyes widened for a moment, shocked at your words. You were really so sheltered you hadn't been to the city right beside your town? The thought alone was crazy to Hobie. He never understood why adults were so.. controlling.

He sighs, walking ahead. "Follow me then. I'll show ya ‘round."

And so you did just that. You followed Hobie around the city, taking in the sights he's showing you. All around the city, passing and weaving through people, making sure you had a nice time.

There was something you noticed. Before Hobie took you somewhere, he provided you with options on where to go. He didn't force you to go one place with him. He didn't strictly follow an itinerary. He always asked what you wanted to do, giving you full control of the day.

It was.. refreshing. This sense of freedom was exactly what you needed. To feel the fresh air of the city without worrying about impressing anyone. Hobie wasn't judging you, and you certainly weren't judging yourself.

The end of the day came quicker than your liking, and the two of you were on the rooftop of an apartment complex. The sun was setting behind the tall buildings, and Hobie brought the two of you some noodles to eat (he definitely didn't steal them).

You take a bite, setting the cup down with a sigh. "Today was.. actually really nice. I don't think I ever felt that, free before, if that makes sense?"

"Don't worry, you can say it." Hobie said, nudging your arm.

You roll your eyes with a small smile. "Mm.. guess I can. Thanks, Brown."

"Y'know, you can call me 'obie, swee'heart." He responded, shrugging. "'s better than m' last name, I think."

"I can't give you that satisfaction. Not yet."

Hobie raised an eyebrow, a shit-eating smirk crossing his face. "Yet?"

You're ready to correct yourself, but the words die in your throat. You couldn't help but like the sound of "yet". It meant more time with Hobie.. and you enjoyed that. Hobie's company was something you were starting to crave. Almost like a drug.

Hobie glanced over at you. "Gotta admit, didn't expect ya t' come with me. Considerin' 'ur parents don't know ya snuck out."

“Yeah well..” You sigh, looking out onto the building with a soft smile. “Maybe I just needed something different.” You finish, looking over at Hobie.

You’re suddenly very aware of how close the two of you are to each other. Hobie’s eyes flicker; your eyes, your mouth, and back a couple times. It’s almost like.. he was asking you for something. The longer you both stared, the more tempted he became, and you honestly couldn’t blame him.

So why did you pull away?

As soon as he started leaning in, you pulled back, clearing your throat. His eyes widen before narrowing, scoffing gently. Guess he misread the situation.

You really couldn’t tell him he didn’t.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

The next weeks Hobie Brown didn’t show up to school.

You had a feeling you were the cause. Brushing him off like that was such a dick move on your part. You knew that. You wanted nothing more than to find him and run to him, kissing him like there was no tomorrow.

But you couldn’t. You had an image to maintain. A reputation. All the trust you worked so hard to accumulate would go down the drain in an instant.

Of course.. Hobie may be worth that.

Hobie to you is worth that risk. All his rule breaking and crazed adventures are just what you need in your life. Something that gives you the freedom you longed for.

But you had to go and screw it up. And now here you were, three weeks after the incident, at your locker with a guy trying to talk you up.

“C’mon, [Name], just one night! It’ll change your life!”

You groan, slamming the locker shut. “Dude, I said no. Can you stop?”

“Why? I gotta know why!” He persisted, grabbing your wrist as you tried walking away.

You yank your arm away, trying to escape. “I don’t owe you that! Let me go.”

“Not until you-”

“Hey.”

You turn at the sudden voice, shocked at who it belonged to. There stood Hobie Brown, eyes filled with anger.

“They said, let go.” He said, grabbing the guy’s arm and yanking it away. “Learn t’ take a hint, aye?”

The guy’s eyes narrowed. “And who do you think you are, Brown? Their boyfriend?”

“As a matter of fac’-”

Then, Hobie turns you to him, bringing your lips to his. No warning, no asking, nothing. Just does what he’s been craving after three weeks of disappearance.

Everyone in the hallway around you two watched with shocked faces. Nobody could have seen this coming, not even you.

A thousand thoughts rushed through your head as Hobie kissed you, but one screamed to push away. So you did, giving him a shocked look before grabbing his arm and pulling him away from the scene. You drag him to a storage closet, shutting the door.

“Brown, what the hell was that?!” You immediately ask, eyes narrowed. “What, do you disappear for three weeks then kiss every person you were hanging out with? What the hell?”

Hobie sighed, leaning against a shelf behind him. “Guy needed t’ be taught a lesson. Made sure he won’t bother ya.”

“I can do that on my own!” You respond, shoving an accusing finger in his chest. “Where have you been?!”

“Thinkin’.” Is all he responds with.

You groan. “For three weeks? Shit Hobie, I..” You words fall short. You want to say it.. squeeze it out. “I.. missed you.”

Hobie’s eyes widened as he takes in your words. You.. missed him? He never would have seen this coming; a confession from the president in a dingy storage closet? Not on his bucket list.

Your eyes watch Hobie, doing that same pattern he did on the rooftop; eyes, mouth, eyes. You wanted to kiss him again.. feel those lips again on yours. No.. you needed it.

You know what? Fuck this perfect image.

You grab onto Hobie's vest, pulling him in to connect your lips. Your rough with your movements at first, closing your eyes tightly and latching onto him with a white-knuckle grip. Hobie's eyes widened for a moment before they showed a more prideful look, kissing you back with just as much emotion.

His hands find placement on your lower back, pulling you into him as the kiss escalates from one to many. Hobie was like a starved man, slotting his leg in between yours to support you, pushing you back against the shelf and knocking over some cleaning supplies.

That could be fixed later.

Your original intention of one passionate kiss to show him how you felt turned into many heated kisses. The bell for class was drowned out by how into the moment you both were.

“Fuck.. Hobie..” You whisper, diving back in for another kiss.

Hobie groaned in turn, pulling you impossibly closer. “Shit sweetheart.. can’t say m’ name like that.”

“Hmm.. why’s that..?”

“‘s gonna drive me crazy..”

Suddenly, the doorknob to the closet rattles, causing you both to pull away. Your eyes go wide as Hobie grabs it from where he stands, bringing one finger to his lips to make you stay quiet.

The person on the other side tries to open the door, but ultimately fails. They groan and mumble something before walking away. Hobie looks over at your expression, a small laugh escaping his lips.

“Let’s get out of here, yeah?” He whispers, planting a kiss to your jaw. “Or are ya gonna keep pretendin’ you’re too good for it?”

You sigh, rolling your eyes as you take his hand. "Nah, not this time. Come on."

some ppl who wanted to be tagged (🫶): @serenn08 | @rksses | @youronlyauthor | @dotheyevenknowmars | @xoxobabe

[hellfire--cult]

Eddie Munson x Cosplayer!Fem!Reader

18+ MDNI sexual tension and possible smutty filthy part 2 for this

I just needed to show my nerdyness with all of you and I can assure you that Eddie would get fixated with a cosplayer, and much more if she dresses of the stuff he likes.

I will link pictures of the stuff I mention that you people might not know of, but I put descriptive information to the outfits and cosplays.

Plot: Eddie hates conventions, never went to one even, but a certain cosplayer changes his idea of it.

remember to reblog pls thank u.

Cosplay for me

Eddie Munson was never a person to go to conventions.

He never went to one before, in his life. He was never interested in them, but it was because he believed it was too crowded and he was told many times that there is always a putrid smell from sweat. Of course, there’s also memes about it online, so he always thought conventions were dirty, and he decided to never go to one.

That is until Mike Wheeler falls sick and Dustin has an extra ticket for Indiana Comic-Con. Dustin knew there was absolutely no chance with Steve, and Mike was the only one of the bunch that had his license. Eddie always cursed at Dustin for not having a driving license at the ripe age of 18, but the younger man always says he doesn’t really like the idea of driving. 

So he makes everyone chaperone him around.

That’s why Eddie was now in line to go into the building with a very excited Dustin Henderson next to him.

“There’s so much DnD stuff in here Eddie… There are limited editions of stuff too, like figurines with lots of discounts on anything you like!” Eddie just rolls his eyes at his friend, wanting anything but to look at stuff in the stands. 

“You told me that already…” He looked around to see the different types of crowds. You had kids, adults, teenagers and even elderly. He was surprised to see a couple dressed up as Leia and Han Solo and that’s when he noticed the amount of cosplayers that were there. Some of them you could guess it was their first one, and some were extremely detailed, surprising Eddie completely. 

When they finally got inside, Eddie tilted his head with confusion as he thought everything was going to be crowded, but it was very spacious and there were many areas of the different stands, people actually having some respect to not push through to look at stuff. He looked at Dustin who was mesmerized as he looked all around and then his eyes widened as he spotted the sponsor he wanted to show Eddie.

“Look Eds!” Eddie looked at where Dustin was pointing at and his eyes widened as he looked at the stand that was filled with DnD figurines, dice, boards, and everything you could possibly get for the game to be even more thrilling. He was magnetized towards it and he had to hold himself back as he looked all over the merchandise. He settled for a squishy 20 dice that looked cool with all the red and black swirls and then for a resin one that had liquid inside and a moving ball with sparkles in the middle.

“Fucking sick…” Dustin smiled at his friend as they kept walking to the other stands. Eddie was not that excited for the rest of the things his younger friend was showing him, but he couldn’t deny that the small businesses made stuff that official merchandise doesn’t have. He looked towards the Netflix sponsor that was in the crowdest part of the building, frowning at it.

“What are you looking at?” Dustin asked as he followed Eddie’s gaze to see what he was staring at.

“I don’t know, something about a new show being aired soon. Didn’t catch its name. Something about things.” He shrugged as he kept walking and Dustin followed right behind. The next part Dustin was excited to see was the gaming area. 

Eddie didn’t have enough money to get a nice gaming pc, but it was decent enough, so he didn’t mind going into that area to look at the new releases and the many components you could buy for your PC. His eyes caught onto a large mousepad that had the eye of Sauron in the middle of it and he didn’t even hesitate when he purchased it. Dustin bought a new gaming mouse for himself and they left the area contently.

“You still hate conventions?” Dustin asks with a wiggle of eyebrows as they head outside for Eddie to have a smoke. The metalhead rolls his eyes as he puts down his bags to get a cigarette in between his lips and light it up, blowing the smoke into the open air.

“It does smell weird Dustin… One time is enough for me.” Eddie says and Dustin could only sigh at how hopeless his friend was. He really thought Eddie would like going to a convention with him because Eddie was into all of this stuff. 

“Really? Nothing appealed to you?”

“It’s the same sh–” And his eyes caught sight of something white that was walking through the crowd. His heart got caught in his throat as he saw the most beautiful thing he’s seen this whole day and nothing could beat it. The long white hair falling down her back, the elf ears picking out of it on the sides, the elf silver crown over her head, the white dress falling down her body as she kept walking.

Galadriel. From Lord of The Rings.

“Eddie?” Dustin followed his gaze until it finally landed on the Galadriel cosplayer, making him smile proudly. “Oh, that’s actually a famous cosplayer.” 

“What?” Eddie snaps his head towards Dustin and the younger boy keeps nodding and he finally says your real name. 

“She is very good with her fantasy themed cosplays. Here, I’ll give you her instagram.” Eddie didn’t even doubt it for a second as he handed Dustin his phone in order to look you up. His eyes bulged out of his skull as he browsed over your profile. 

There were armor cosplays, DnD cosplays, Legend of Zelda cosplays, some a little more explicit than the others, but it wasn’t bad. He gulped as he stared at one of your League of Legends cosplay. You were dressed as Miss Fortune, and your cleavage was making your breasts really pop out from the edges. He was almost drooling and he remembered he was with Dustin, hitting the follow button and remembering to keep stalking your profile later on. 

You were taking pictures with people and Eddie noticed how you were acting exactly like the character you were cosplaying as. Graceful and calm. Dustin laughed when a group of men, dressed as hobbits, ran over to you to take a picture and Eddie couldn’t help but smile as you all stood in character for the picture. He was amazed at the dedication which was even more than just putting a costume on. 

“Does she always go to conventions?” Eddie asks his friend and Dustin caught onto it, knowing Eddie had finally found something that interests him in the event. 

“She’s always invited. I said she was famous. She has a stand most likely if you want to go meet her and get a picture…” Dustin tries and Eddie immediately shakes his head, taking a puff out of his cigarette. 

“Nah, I’m good.”

He probably spent a good hour stalking all of your photoshoot pictures when he got home. 

He noticed that you also cosplayed stuff from many games and movies, and he almost died when he saw you in a Tomb Raider costume. You had over 52k followers on Instagram, and now he understood why Dustin said you were famous. You were a Cosplay Influencer, but you seemed genuine in your stories, and he couldn’t help but smile as you reposted many stories of people that took a picture with you as Galadriel. 

He kind of cursed at himself for not being able to be brave enough to get a picture with you. He didn’t want to embarrass himself in front of Dustin… Though he kind of knew that his younger friend realized that he had hearts eyes for you the moment you walked out in the court. 

He wondered if he would ever have the chance to meet you, maybe even help you in a way. That’s when he saw the donation button in your Instagram page. It said that you were grateful for everyone’s collaboration and that every penny goes into her cosplays and into the fundraiser for Kids with Epilepsy she donates to. Eddie wondered if that was indeed true, because many influencers lie about that stuff.

For some reason though, he really did believe you had a kind soul.

So he donated what he could afford, which was only five dollars– but it was something.

He didn’t have to wonder if you were a kind soul for long. There was an Anime Convention being held in a couple of weeks, and you posted in your feed that you were invited and was going to have a stand to sell prints of your pictures and get to know everyone that wanted to take a picture with her. 

It was a coincidence that Dustin had another free ticket this time saying that he thought Mike liked anime, but it turns out that he didn’t and now he didn’t know what to do with that extra ticket. Eddie wasn’t going to pass the chance and took it without a second thought in mind.

He wasn’t a fan of anime, but the amount of ass and tits that he saw as he entered the building was insane. He knew there were very explicit animes out there, but what he didn’t know was that people dared to cosplay them in public. He almost wanted to cover Dustin’s eyes, often forgetting that his friend is no longer fourteen years old. 

“Holy fuck…” Eddie mumbles out as his eyes went from breasts, to asses, to another pair of breasts–

“Yeah, this is what you’ve been missing out on all these years. I told Steve to come so many times because trust me, I know he would love it.” Dustin chuckles as Eddie follows suit. He knew that Steve was a flirt, and yes, he was stupid for saying no to Dustin. Screw him now because Eddie was the one to always second Dustin to conventions now.

“I don’t know anything about what they’re dressed as…” He points at a few girls that are dressed with very tiny strings and underwear with a lot of plastic armor around them. “But fuck that’s hot.”

“That’s Kill la Kill.” 

“Dustin… I don’t care…” Dustin couldn’t help but laugh, nodding at Eddie to keep moving. He kept walking as his eyes couldn’t stop looking all over the place, not looking at where he was going, only for him to run into someone, plastic crashing onto his chin as he yelped in pain and stepped back in order to hold it. 

“Shit, I’m so sorry!” A muffled voice says, and he looks at the person he ran into, only to see a girl dressed in a black tight motorbike suit that fits her body like a glove. The zipper on her chest was pulled down slightly for her cleavage to show and he almost kept his stare there, but he snapped out as the girl moved and his eyes looked up to see her wearing a yellow cat bike helmet, a very black visor at front and the cat ears pointing up. Eddie can pretty much guess that’s what hit his chin.

“Yeah, don’t– Don’t worry about it.” Dustin immediately got in between them both and handed his phone to Eddie.

“Holy shit, your Celty cosplay is so perfect! Can I have a picture with you?” A muffled giggle was heard behind the helmet and she nodded. Eddie got the camera app out on Dustin’s phone as the girl and him got in position for the picture and Eddie almost laughed at how Dustin was taking his tongue out as she poked his cheek with her black latex glove. Eddie took the picture and handed the phone to Dustin.

“Thank you! And sorry again pretty boy!” She says to Eddie and he was taken aback by how straightforward she was as she skipped away. 

“I love that character, and her cosplay was fucking spot on.” Dustin looked at the picture with a smile to his face and put his phone back into his pocket. Eddie believed that taking pictures with cosplayers that were just minding their own business as they walked was a little bit embarrassing, but they didn’t seem to mind, but kind of seemed delighted by it. Dustin explained to him that cosplayers don’t have to be bothered if seen eating or resting, or if you see them heading for a bathroom. 

Eddie nodded in acknowledgement at that as they kept walking, and he watched Dustin purchase many figurines from animes he liked, and Eddie wasn’t going to lie but there was a particular figure he found interest in. It was a demon looking guy with big black wings, an apple in one hand and he was hunched over.

“Who’s this?”

“That’s Ryuk, he’s from Death Note. I told you to watch that one, you will like it.” Eddie hums in approval, and he acknowledges Dustin’s recommendation noting to watch that later. 

When he finally reaches the cosplayer gallery… His jaw almost drops to the floor. 

There stood that Celty cosplay girl only this time, her helmet was off. 

You were smiling as you signed pictures of yourself as people purchased them from your stand. He cursed at himself for not knowing it was you the person he ran into an hour ago because if he knew, he would have gotten a picture with you as well. 

“Wanna go say hi to her?” Dustin asks as he smirks up at his friend and Eddie just scoffs, shaking his head.

“No. She is just your typical internet influencer, asking for donations for–” He blinked in surprise when he saw a few people walking over to you with shirts that said something in the back. You were smiling wildly as you excitedly talked to all of them. All of these people were grown adults, a few elderly ones, and when he squinted his eyes he could see what the shirts said in the back.

‘Epilepsy Foundation’

They were all purchasing prints for you as you tried to decline it, not wanting these people to buy stuff from you as you shook your head. They all still purchased a picture for you, and then when they all got together for a picture that another cosplayer helped take for all of you, he saw these people with bands over their foreheads that said your name. Eddie’s heart warmed immediately as he saw you wiping a tear away as these people clapped for you. There wasn’t a camera on sight to catch that moment, making it more intimate and more genuine.

“Dustin… I think I fell in love.”

Eddie became a fan.

He knew it and he didn’t care. You were kind, amazing, beautiful and selfless. He was waiting for the next convention to happen in town knowing there were a few ones that were small, just for the people around the area. He also donated any time he could, even if it were two dollars, or three, maybe sometimes ten, but it was always something. 

He was now laying on his bed, scrolling through tik tok and that’s when he got the notification of you going live on Instagram. His eyes almost bulged out of his skull and he immediately, desperately, pressed onto the notification, directing it straight to your live. He almost sighed out in happiness as he saw your face coming onto the screen. There was little to nothing of makeup on your face and he was just mesmerized as you greeted everyone.

He deliberated if to say hi to you or not. He gulped as he typed out a small ‘Hey’ and a smiley face which made him cringe and delete it. Would it be too cold? He wasn’t believing that you would see it anyways, so he just sent it like that. You were still greeting people and your eyes perked up suddenly.

“Oh, hi Eddie! Thank you for donating all this time, I am grateful for that!” 

He couldn’t believe it as he quickly sat up on his bed. His heart was in his throat as he stared at the screen completely speechless. You acknowledged him. You noticed his username is the same one he uses for the donation app. You know about him and… Fuck did he have cringey photos in his instagram feed? He knows he has one with Steve and then one with Dustin but he doesn’t know if–

What makes him think you stalked his instagram page? He shook his head at the thought and took a deep breath in as he typed in another message. You were talking about your upcoming events and he pressed send to his message.

‘Hopefully I have the balls to ask for your picture this time.’

Another message he doesn’t think you will see with over five hundred people watching your live, and that thought was proved wrong once more when you giggled as you fake gasped with a hand over your chest.

“Am I that scary? Also, how’s your chin?” 

Eddie’s jaw fell open, instantly. Holy fucking shit. Holy flying fuck. You remembered him. You remembered him from when he ran into you with Dustin a month ago… You stalked his instagram profile. You did. You obviously fucking did. It seems that you noticed your mistake because he saw how your face flushed as you tried changing subject back to the next event you will be attending. 

He was speechless right now. He was sure that there were many people donating hundreds, way more money than he was able to give out, yet you noticed him for some reason? What does it mean? Why does he feel hopeful? What for? He gulped as he looked at the screen, and confidence rose up in his chest as he wrote the following message.

‘You forgot to kiss it better.’

And his confidence only grew when you responded to him again with a smile to your face.

“Well, remind me of that at the next con.”

He was pissed. 

He was extremely pissed. 

He was being dragged here and there at the convention because it wasn’t just Dustin this time. Mike and Will came along and he didn’t want to leave them alone because they were acting like little kids all over again, going from stand to stand, from game to game, and all Eddie wanted to do was to rush towards the Cosplayer Alley to be able to meet you. 

“I am hungry.” Mike voices out as he doesn’t even ask for the group’s approval as he walks out to the food court that was outside. Eddie groans heavily as his anger just keeps raising up, and he gets the cigarettes out of his pocket and tells Dustin to just stay put at the hot dog stand. He walked away from the tables people were sitting at eating just to be respectful for the smoke and then, when he was about to light up his cigarette, a small voice was heard from behind him.

“Hey… Can I have a smoke?” 

He turned around to clash eyes with colored lenses that were in a blue tone. White hair dripped down again, but this time a half braid was around the head and towards the back. A white dress that had black dragon wings at the torso that held a white cape over her shoulders. 

“Well shit, I can’t believe Daenerys Targaryen is asking for a smoke.” Eddie was surprised he could make a joke as you finally giggle, a smile spreading over your lips, walking closer to him. His hands were shaking as he held onto his pack and opened it for you to take one stick out. You put it on your lips and he raised the lighter up as you leaned forward to light the cigarette up. After a long inhale, you finally let it out, a curtain of smoke filling the air above you.

“Yeah… This costume is… doing something today and I needed to relax a bit.” You say shyly as you look down towards the floor. Eddie’s heart was beating out of his throat, taking a drag out of his own cigarette this time as he looked at you. He looked behind him to see a beverage stand, licking his lips as he squinted his eyes and then back at you.

“You want a beer?” He didn’t even know if you liked beer, but he felt cupid shooting another arrow towards his chest when you looked up at him excitedly with a nod. 

“I would like that…” You both walk to the stand to get a can of beer each, and you giggle as you guide Eddie to move to the back of the stand so that no one could see you in your cosplay having alcohol and smoking.

“So secretive.” Eddie says and he didn’t even care if the others couldn’t find him anymore. Hell, they can get lost and he will most definitely ditch them if it meant to have a moment with you alone. You giggle as you squinted slightly at his face, biting your bottom lip in thought.

“What’s… your name?” You asked it with a hint of doubt behind it but Eddie didn’t notice it, or didn’t think too much of it.

“I’m Eddie–”

“I KNEW IT!” Eddie's heart jumped out of his mouth at your scream, his eyes widening as he looked at you who was looking at him with the brightest of smiles. “I knew it was you! You are Eddie!”

“I mean, I am Eddie…” His confidence was skyrocketing again. You remembered him, definitely, from his face to his hair, and you even recognized him from just instagram pictures, which only led Eddie to wonder… How many times have you looked at them?

“The guy who doesn’t dare to take a picture with me.” You smirk as you take a sip of your beer while looking at him. He scoffs as he rolls his eyes at you, but happiness was just blossoming inside of him as he looked at you.

“I do dare, I just don’t do this convention shit so I was embarrassed at first.” You hum at his words, taking a drag out of the cigarette. 

“If you don’t like them, why do you attend?” You ask him with a tilt of your head, completely confused by his response. He was speechless, his worst stumbling out of his mouth as he thought of an excuse other than just blurting out ‘Because of you’.

“M-My buddy always needs someone to accompany him… For support.” At that you made an ‘Oh’ sound, giving him a nod in understanding.

“The guy that I took a picture with when I smashed your chin?” You ask with a giggle and he felt like dying at the sound of your lovely voice. He chuckles, nodding down at you as he takes a sip of his beer.

“Yep.”  You seemed like you wanted to say something to him but you held back, taking a sip out of your beer and Eddie could feel you ogling him over your cup. He wanted to ask the gods above if this was a trick of theirs, a stupid joke or a trial he had to go through because it wasn’t possible that a girl like you was looking at him with desire. It was impossible.

“Really… Then why did you come here if your friend… is with friends?” You were smirking now as he snapped out of his trance and you gave him a nod towards his back, making him turn around only to see Dustin laughing along with Mike and Will as they sat on a table eating their corn dogs. He winced in embarrassment as he turned to face you again.

“I am their ride.” He lied. He offered to be the ride. Mike told him there was no need, but Eddie refused. 

“And you are drinking?” 

“One beer isn’t going to kill me.” Eddie replies back and you were now looking at him, a small smile on your lips and Eddie had one thought only at that moment. One that he never thought of having. A thought that just came to him and now he realizes it has been a fantasy ever since he saw you.

He wants to fuck you in one of your cosplays.

“Oh… thought you were coming to finally ask to take a picture with me.” You say in a sultry tone as you took a drag out of your cigarette and Eddie immediately felt the tension growing between the two of you. He licked the inside of his bottom lip as he looked down at you. A smirk spread on his lips and he noticed how you straightened up, a small step forward going towards him. 

You were pure in his eyes, doing all this cosplay stuff, doing charity, being incredible with the people that followed you, but he never thought you would ever look at someone like him like this. He never thought you would be this willing at the first interaction you had with him… But if he was reading the signs right, and if he was daring enough, he might get to fuck Daenerys Targaryen. Maybe not today, or tomorrow, but someday. So might as well–

“I actually came here to ask you for your picture… and a date.” 

And Eddie’s heart was taken away once more as you smirked at him, taking another step closer to him and you responded in a low and seductive tone that sent shivers down his spine and adrenaline started rushing inside of him. 

“I’m free after the event.” He took another step closer to you, and he noticed the intake of breath you took in, making him grin widely.

“Yeah, I think you promised to kiss it better… Didn’t you sweet girl?”

idk man, i just couldn't stop writing this, acknowledgement to all my cosplay girlies out there.

Smutty part 2? Let's hear at what Eddie should fuck her in.

[miuszn]

HII!! i love your writing sm, so i wanted to send in a request. I KNOW THIS IS SO CLICHÉ AND OVERDONE 😭😭 BUT could you possibly write a seven minutes in heaven scenario with ellie or abby. maybe reader n ellie/abby don’t really like each other, or they have tension ?? idk

seven minutes

SETTING : college / modern au

WC : 3120

WARNINGS : not beta read , fingering , cunnilingus ( r!recieving both ) , kinda vanilla again ( sorry ) , top!ellie , one-sided rivalry , intentional lowercase , this might kinda seem like dubcon but it’s not reader is just shy , english isn’t my first language and i’m not perfectly fluent so there might be mistakes ( lmk if there’s any )

A / N : hii everyone !! aaa im so glad i finally finished this 😭😭 i love these corny cliche scenarios soooo much but only when it’s w women otherwise it’s just so bleh . women do everything better so true !! anywhooo i hope u guys enjoy this and tysm for requesting this bc i wanted to write something like this but didnt think anyone would want it .. ALSO IM SO SORRY I FORGOT TO INCLUDE ABBY WHEN I STARTED WRITING BC I SAVED THE ASK TO DRAFTS TO KEEP IT THERE N ONLY NOTICED NOW JFJDHDKDJ pls forgive me .. ill include ellie & abby tension over reader in the future i promise 🙏🙏

— 𓆩♥︎𓆪 —

“dina, i’m not going.”

you had no idea how many times you told her this, but you weren’t planning on changing your mind. you had gone to a few parties here and there, sure, but it wasn’t really your thing. you enjoyed going to them every once in a while to go out and loosen up, get your mind off of stress, but that was it. you weren't particularly crazy about it at the same level of other people your age, not even as much as dina, who’s considered a more casual partygoer. you had given her some excuse about having a project to work on, but the truth was, that wasn’t your concern. in fact, you didn’t have a project to work on at all. you made it all up. you even considered going to that party when dina first told you about it, but a few days later you overheard some classmates talk about how ellie williams out of all people would be going.

ellie ellie ellie. she drive you nuts for all the wrong reasons. you could tell she disliked you from the start, which that in itself made you dislike her as well. you wondered what you could’ve possibly done to anger her. but your dislike for her only grew when you realized just how irresponsible she was. she slept in, often came hungover to class, and yet she still scored the highest. even higher than you. and that really set you off. you had been an overachiever all your life, and all of a sudden some loser who doesn’t even put any effort into anything is beating you at everything. but most of all, it intrigued you a little more than it did anger you. you wished you could take a peek into her brain and see how the hell she managed to do it. your first thought was she copied answers off of people. seemed the most logical, right? but she was scoring the highest. how the hell could she score higher than anyone that she could even copy off of? hell, she even answered open-ended questions more detailed and well-written than you did. it didn’t make any sense. that’s the worst part of it all. you couldn’t even come up with a logical explanation as to how she could even do this.

little did you know, though, she was completely aware of your one-sided rivalry, and she found it adorable. she never tried to compete with you, but she thought it was hilarious watching you try so hard to compete with her. the first time she saw you, she was immediately drawn to you. your spotless image, valedictorian from your high school who had a perfect gpa and perfect test scores. you were perfect. but she wanted to see you crack. she wanted to see what was under all those layers (both figuratively and literally) and see what you were truly like. she knew you seeing her put in no effort into school yet still doing better than you would anger you. that’s exactly what she wanted. sure, she was in a way getting you to hate her, but it was a risk she was willing to take just to get a reaction out of you. and little did you know, you were attracted to her. and she was aware.

“come on, i don’t know why you’re acting like this all of a sudden,” dina whined. “you said you’d come along when i first told you about it.”

“i said i’d think about it,” you corrected her. “i’m just not really feeling it. besides i already told you i have this project to work on.”

“what’s it for?”

“it’s, uh..” you tried to come up with a lie on the spot. “it’s for calculus.”

“no way, we have a project in that class?” she asked, surprised, “i can’t believe i had no idea! when is it due?”

shit. you forgot you had that class with her.

“it’s for tomorrow, i think..” you kept going along with your lie.

“bullshit,” she laughed, “if we really had a project due tomorrow you would already have it done. and there’s no way i’d miss a project for that class!”

“fine,” you sighed, “i just needed an excuse so you’d leave me alone. but i really don’t want to go.”

“nope, because you lied you have to come.”

“why?!”

“because it’s fair!” she said, “besides, you definitely owe me one for going to that stupid concert with you the other day.”

you rolled your eyes. “you said you enjoyed it.”

“yeah, well, i lied. do you seriously think i’d ever like-“

“alright that’s enough!” you sighed. “i’ll go. but we are leaving early that night”

“deal.”

— 𓆩♥︎𓆪 —

“dinaaa, hurry up!” you knocked on the bathroom door. the main downside of sharing an apartment with your best friend was the fact she took forever to get out of the bathroom. you both decided it would be a good idea, you found a nice complex near campus and the rent was almost the same as a dorm room, so it was a no-brainer.

“five minutes!” she yelled back. five minutes my ass, you thought. at least this time you thought ahead of time and got in there before her. your outfit wasn’t anything fancy, of course, but you still wanted to dress cute. you had a black tube mini-skirt and white baby tee, just something you threw on that was comfortable but still looked alright. you had struggled a little to decide what to wear, you didn’t want to stand out too much but you still for some reason wanted to impress ellie deep down. you just brushed this off as an unwanted thought and ignored it, but it continued to linger in your mind. why do i even care what she thinks of me? you asked yourself.

about fifteen minutes later, dina finally came out of the bathroom.

“you said five”

“well, i still look good, don’t i?” she jokingly posed.

“yeah, yeah, whatever. let’s get going.”

— 𓆩♥︎𓆪 —

if there was one thing you could absolutely not stand about house parties, it was the stench inside the house. god was it awful. half of these people were frat boys who didn’t know what deodorant was and had been sweaty all night, and all this mixed with the smell of alcohol just made matters worse. most of the people were inside the house enjoying the music and the drinks, but you simply hung outside with dina chatting while drinking out of those cliche red cups you see in movies. you really couldn’t wait to get out of there, but yet again, that little voice in the back of your head made you think about ellie. you thought it was good you didn’t see her, but at the same time, you wanted to see her. it was a strange feeling. you couldn’t tell if it was curiosity, intrusive thoughts, or attraction. whatever it was, there was no way it was the last option.

about an hour passed and you were starting to get bored. just as you were about to suggest to dina you leave, a group of 8-ish people came out of the house to the backyard. among them was ellie. the moment you saw her you realized just how attractive she is. you had never looked at her enough to tell, but now it was evident. now you were even more confused. but you simply told yourself you can think she’s attractive and not be attracted to her.

you were so lost in thought you didn’t even realize one of the guys was talking to you and dina had to hit you on the shoulder to get your attention.

“is this chick high or something?” one of them laughed.

“uh- no- sorry. just kinda pensive.” you tried your hardest to avoid eye contact with ellie, and luckily this time you managed to do so. it just would’ve made things way more awkward.

“anyway-“ one of the guys started. “we were thinking since none of us wanna be with those people inside the house, we could just do something else to have fun.”

“what’re you thinking?” dina asked.

“7 minutes in heaven.”

you and dina were both a little stunned. you would’ve thought about some other thing, but you decided to go along with it anyway. not like anything could go wrong.

you all sat in a circle, and one of them began explaining the rules.

“simple, you spin the bottle, whoever it lands on, you have to go in the shed for 7 minutes and do any romantic or sexual act. kissing, making out, having sex even. but there has to be some proof you did something. if you didn’t do anything in the 7 minutes or refused to do anything in the first place, you take a shot. everyone got it?”

everyone nodded, and the game began. most people took a shot, about half an hour of the game went by and not a single person had gone into the shed. you landed on a few of the guys and vice versa, and while most of them were totally down to go in the shed with you, you most definitely weren’t. you weren’t sure if it was just you imagining things, but you felt you saw the slightest bit of anger and jealousy in ellie’s eyes anytime the bottle landed on you and the guys wanted to go in the shed with you, and she was relieved any time you took a shot. you found it strange. why did it matter to her? but you were sure you were just making things up.

you were starting to feel more and more tipsy from the drinks, standing on the line between drunk and sober. you were self-aware enough to tell yourself to not have any more drinks. one more spin, you told yourself. that was it. you spun the bottle, and surprise surprise, it landed on none other than ellie herself.

there was an awkward silence for a moment. you didn’t know what to do. it would be super awkward if either one of you accepted and the other declined.

one of the guys broke the silence first. “sooo.. are y’all going in the shed or not?”

“depends on her.” ellie smirked.

your face got a little hot. a soft red tinted your cheeks and you nodded, accepting in the heat of the moment. you were sure it was just your drunk mind making the decisions for you, but it wasn’t. you were very aware of the decision you had just made. but it hadn’t hit you yet. not until she walked behind you into the shed and shut the door.

“didn’t think you were into me like that,” ellie broke the silence. “i always thought you hated me or somethin’.”

you didn’t really know what to say. you mumbled some nonsense trying to come up with something fast.

“do i make you nervous?” she asked.

“sort of..” you were able to respond.

“ohh, i see,” she interrupted. “you just pretended to hate me for whatever reason.”

“no!” you protested. “i wasn’t pretending- i mean, i don’t hate you, it’s just. ugh.”

you gave up on trying to explain yourself when you realized just how childish and irrational you acted. seriously, disliking someone for outperforming you at your big age? the more you thought about it, the more embarassed you were about it. was it the alcohol doing this to you? it was all so confusing.

“why’d you accept to come into the shed with me?”

you didn’t respond, just shrugged. you didn’t know. you must’ve woken up on the wrong side of bed or something. you were acting very irrational today, and it’s like someone else was making decisions for you.

you didn’t realize she had pretty much backed you against one of the walls of the small room until now. this feeling, that you couldn’t quite put a name on, was so sudden and so foreign. did you have feelings for her that you had just been pushing away all this time because of jealousy? if not, what the hell was it?

her hand wandered up your skirt, stopping right before reaching your cunt. she looked up at you as if asking for approval, and although you hesitated for a moment, it’s as if your body made the decision for you and you nodded.

she didn’t waste any time and dipped her hand in your panties, rubbing circles on your clit to tease you, causing you to whimper and moan softly.

“so classy and put together whenever i see you, but look at you right now,” she teased. “no one would ever think you’d be whimpering for me like this.”

you blushed and looked away in embarrassment. you didn’t get why that made you blush. so many thoughts were racing through your head, so many conflicting feelings. yet you didn’t try to pull away, even though you had many opportunities to do so.

her touches weren’t enough and you were starting to get desperate, causing you to lightly buck your hips back and forth trying to feel her more.

“oh? someone’s desperate,” she chuckled. “alright, princess, i’ll give you what you want.”

you weren’t sure what she meant by that or what she was planning to do, but, for whatever reason, you trusted her.

she pulled her hand out of your panties, making you whine at the lack of contact.

“don’t worry, baby,” she said, getting down on her knees, her face at the level of your cunt. “i’ll take care of you real good.”

she started pulling down your panties and threw them somewhere on the floor, motioning you to put your leg on her shoulder. you seemed hesitant, thinking your leg might be kind of heavy for her to support on her shoulder. but she assured you it’d be fine.

her mouth was now millimeters away from your cunt. “if it’s too much, tell me to stop.” she looked up at you. you nodded, a little scared, but you still wanted to trust her.

she gave a long lick along your slit to tease you, making you gasp from the contact. she started mercilessly licking and sucking on your clit a little more intensely than you’d like her to, but at the same time, you liked it. you couldn’t tell her to stop. whimpers and moans came out of your mouth, being all that could be heard inside the small room aside from the wet sounds of ellie’s mouth on your cunt. you struggled more and more each second to stand as your legs wobbled and trembled from the sensation. she slid a finger inside you with ease, thrusting it in and out of you at a rapid pace which made you struggle to contain your moans that you started trying so hard to conceal since they only kept getting louder and louder. you had only been in that shed for about 6 minutes, but you were already about to reach your climax. and ellie was aware of this. she sped up her pace a little more, slurping up your juices like it was nothing.

after a moment, she lifted your leg from her shoulder and held your arm while getting up to make sure you could stabilize your footing.

“you okay?”

you nodded, and suddenly you realized what had just happened. ellie williams ate you out. you let the girl you swore you hated so bad eat you out, and you enjoyed it. you didn’t know what was the most shocking; that she didn’t hate you too, that she was even attracted to you, that she wanted to eat you out, or that you just let her. you weren’t sure wether you regretted it or not.

“what, you’re surprised you liked it or something?” she laughed, as if she had read your mind.

you felt your cheeks tint a slight red, and looked away in embarrassment, confirming she was right.

“shut up.” you rolled your eyes, turning to leave, but she grabbed your arm and stopped you.

“listen,” she looked into your eyes. “if you want, we can just forget about this. we don’t have to tell ‘em what happened.”

you nodded, and you both awkwardly walked back to the circle.

— 𓆩♥︎𓆪 —

when you sat back down, dina looked you up and down and giggled.

“why’re you looking at me like that?” you whispered to her.

“you think we’re dumb?” she giggled. “there’s a reason neither of you had to take a shot. like for example, your messy hair.”

you realized it was obvious, and you wanted the ground to swallow you whole right there. you had a lot of different feelings about what just happened, but the main one was embarrassment. it would’ve been one thing if it happened and you didn’t like it, but the fact that you enjoyed it was humiliating. not only did you like it, but you wanted more. you started to take a liking to her, and you hated that.

after about 15 more minutes, everyone got tired of the game and decided to end it. you and dina decided to just go home now, although it was a little early, since you hadn’t been enjoying yourselves much.

as you waited on the front lawn of the house for your uber to get there, you heard a voice calling from behind.

“dina!”

you both turned around and surprise surprise, it was ellie.

“what is it?”

“can i talk to your friend real quick?”

you and dina looked at each other, and you sighed and decided to talk to her. you thought it’ll be quick, and if anything, when the uber arrives you can use it as your get out of jail free card.

you walked over to her and she seemed to be abnormally tense.

“i just, uh. i wanted to ask if you were fine after all that.” she mumbled with a genuine expression on her face.

“ellie, it’s fine.” you sighed.

“are you sure?”

“yes, don’t worry about it. seriously.”

you thought that was it, but she clearly had something else on her mind.

“ellie, spit it out.”

“well, also,” she looked up at you, “i wanted to ask you for your number. i don’t think i’ve ever actually talked to you aside from today.”

you chuckled in disbelief at the audacity this girl had. clearly she knew you’d say no, and just wanted to rile you up. but you wouldn't give her that satisfaction, so you dropped the expression immediately and instead had a calm look on your face.

“maybe some other time, babe”

— 𓆩♥︎𓆪 —

A / N : u guys know i don’t rlly like adding notes at the end of my fics but i felt i must clarify the last sentence isn’t reader having a complete 180 change of personality all of a sudden rather just acting different than she was right before leaving to sort of leave ellie stunned if that makes sense but i didn’t know how to end it and clarify that eheh also i might make a part 2 of this after i finish my next fic and the part 2 to my other fic if u guys want it <3 also ONCE AGAIN english is not my first language i’m not completely fluent yet and i write as a way to practice ++ i don’t have a beta reader sooo if u guys find mistakes PLEASE let me know !! thx for reading <33

[milfjuulpod]

hi!! can you do one of melissa x fem reader where reader just started teaching at abbott and melissa develops feelings pretty quickly after they become really close, but doesn’t know reader is dating someone. until reader’s partner starts visiting her at work & melissa gets jealous. little does melissa know that reader likes her back & wants to leave her partner cause they’re kinda shitty to her or whatever you think works best!! and with melissa & reader eventually getting together:)

i’m terrible at explaining skdjfhd but i hope it’s good enough!!! i love your work btw!!!<3

She’s Not You

summary: see req

content/warnings: heavy cursing, hinting at emotional abuse, fluff in the end tho duh

a/n: hello :p thank you for sending a req and for the kind words 🥺 i could cry. i hope you like this, i am not too happy with it so maybe i’ll revisit this prompt but for now, here u are! much love 🫶

Abbott Elementary quickly became your safe haven. After landing a job as a third grade teacher, you’ve gone from just another face to part of the family. Particularly, with Melissa Schemmenti. Your job opening was actually because of Melissa. Her meshed second and third grade classes proved to be too much for even Melissa and an aid, and somehow the driven teacher found money through the district to hire you.

Both you and Melissa felt indebted to each other, her basically giving you the job, and you saving her from the worst year of teaching yet. At least, that’s what the two of you kept telling yourselves. I’m just returning the favor.

That’s why Melissa offered to show you how to cook, why you invited her over to show her some cult classic movies, why the two of you became…close, to say the least. Even though the two of you shared some intimate moments, you never shared many intimate details. It wasn’t until your partner of three years started coming to your work that you realized you had never shared that part of your life with Melissa.

It wasn’t that you didn’t want to tell Melissa more about your life, you wanted to badly. But, you were afraid. The relationship between you and your partner was less than, in your eyes. Of course at the beginning it was all roses and smiles and kisses and whispers, but slowly the facade dropped, and you slowly began to meet the person you had dedicated way too much of your personal life to.

You knew the only reason Heather, your girlfriend, was coming by to work was because she didn’t have enough control. She noticed how much happier you were, how you were thriving. And since it wasn’t coming from Heather herself, she needed that to change.

The first time she came by, it was unannounced. You sat in the break room, in your usual spot a little too close to Melissa, the two of you working on a crossword together. Your thoughts of the clues were interrupted by a familiar voice that made your blood run cold. “Hey baby, happy to see me?” Heather announced herself to the room. You blinked a few times to ensure you weren’t dreaming, missing Melissa throw Heather the nastiest glare she could.

“Oh my god, what are you doing here?” You asked Heather with a small smile, although you were secretly worried about her true intentions. She decided to make herself comfortable and pull up a chair next to you. Everyone else in the break room simply stared, worried for the girl who was unknowingly digging a deeper and deeper hole with the Italian teacher sitting a foot away from her.

“I missed you, wanted to bring you lunch. You didn’t eat breakfast this morning, or grab the coffee I made you. I woke up early for that, y’know,” she said to you, plopping the bag of food in front of you. To an outsider, it might’ve seemed like light teasing between a comfortable couple. But you knew that tone. The tone that meant she was going to bring this up later, start a fight, and then make it up to you before you could change your mind about finally leaving.

You muttered a quiet “thanks,” and took the food in your hand. “Why don’t I show you my classroom?” Before Heather could respond, you were out of your seat and guiding the two of you to the door.

“Who was that?” Barbara asked the room, although she gave pointed eyes to Melissa, knowing the two of you had grown close rather quickly. Melissa on the other hand, was angrily staring at the crossword in front of her. How dare this stranger come and interrupt the time she treasured with you, taking you away and-

Then she remembered the pet name, the mention of breakfast and coffee, and the dots connected. You had a girlfriend. A girlfriend Melissa knew absolutely nothing about. She didn’t even know you liked women. Sure, she had her suspicions, after all you weren’t very subtle about it. But you never opened up to Melissa about it, the loving of women or the girl you had already loved, and that made Melissa’s heart shatter more than she felt she could physically handle.

The redhead abruptly stood up from her seat and started gathering her things. She could not be around others right now, not in this emotional state. Melissa knew she had a crush on you, she just didn’t think it was this bad. To the point of making the usual hard-shelled woman fall to pieces at the sight of you with somebody else. In her haste exit, Melissa missed the many friends she had calling out to her, she couldn’t hear anything other than the thousands of thoughts in her head.

“Fuck,” Melissa muttered to herself, leaning against the wall in the hallway. She covered her face in her hands, hoping it would stop the tears from leaving her green eyes. She did her best to quickly pull herself together before anyone saw, and made the walk back to her classroom. Of course, she had to pass your room to get to her own. The sight of your classroom door made Melissa’s stomach turn. Usually it was because of butterflies, and now dread. She felt sick.

As she got closer, she could hear voices coming from inside. Melissa stood still for a moment, debating whether or not she truly wanted to know what was being said in there. Against her brain telling her to do otherwise, Melissa creeped towards your door, trying her best to listen for conversation.

“I make you coffee and you don’t drink it, I bring you lunch and you don’t eat it, what the fuck is your problem? Do you have no appreciation for those around you? Are you that fucked up?” The voice from earlier could be heard through the door. Melissa was shocked, angry, jealous, all rolled up into one storm. Which would explain why she swung open your door before she could tell herself no.

“Who are you? We’re having a conversation.” Heather spat at Melissa immediately. Before answering, Melissa glanced towards you. She had never seen you in such a fragile state. Sitting in your desk chair, in the dark, with so much fear in your eyes somebody might think your life was being threatened. “It’s a need to know basis kid, and you don’t need to know. Could I steal my friend for a minute?” Melissa asked, even though she was already taking your hand in hers and walking out the door with you.

She didn’t stop once she left your classroom either, not until she made it to the steps outside of the building. Melissa looked into your eyes for something, anything at this point. But you just sighed and looked away. “Please don’t yell at me, Mel,” you said quietly. You were ready for your friend to tear you apart for hiding your girlfriend and for letting her speak to you that way. “Yell at you? Honey…” Melissa said. She pulled you back close to her and wrapped her arms tightly around your body.

Quietly, you cried into her. You couldn’t help it, Melissa made you feel safe, and that wasn’t a luxury you could frequently afford. “She just…” You started, trying to explain everything to the woman who was trying to take care of you. “I can’t do it anymore Melissa. I’m sorry I never told you about her, or the fact I like women. It’s not that I didn’t want to, please don’t think that I just–” You stopped, lifting your head from Melissa’s shoulder to finally meet her gaze again. “I didn’t want you to see how small she makes me feel. I know I shouldn’t be with her, I just don’t know anything else. Not unless I’m with you but, I don’t know. I don’t know anything anymore,” you finally finished with a heavy sigh.

Melissa took a moment to respond, gently rubbing your back and taking a second to absorb everything you had just told her and everything she heard. “I know its easier said than done, but you and I both know you deserve better than that crazy ass bitch back in that classroom,” She gestured with her head to the door. You noticed the venom in her voice as she referred to your girlfriend once again, and if her eyes weren't the most beautiful shade of green, they would be red with anger. “I don’t know Mel…” you trailed off.

She scoffed, tightening her grip around your waist, and you tried your best to ignore the warmth growing in your chest. “Well I know. I know you should be with somebody who actually cares about you, who notices all the stupid cute habits you do all day and loves them, you deserve somebody who will give you that,” Melissa said honestly, more honest than she would have liked to be. You couldn't help the smile that formed on your face, touched by the woman’s words. “Maybe I’ll find them one day,” You said, starting to walk back inside with Melissa. “But I don’t think I’ll find anybody who loves me quite like you do Mel.” Melissa’s heart jumped at that. “I don’t think you will either, sweetheart.”

———

The weeks following that first incident were strange to say the least. The air between you and Melissa became tense, like both of you had something to say but just couldn’t. Or rather, wouldn’t. The few times Heather popped by again, Melissa would always leave without a word. No goodbye to you or the others, and you quickly learned that for whatever reason, she had a hard time coming back to life after seeing Heather. You blamed it on her protective nature, simple explanation.

It wasn't until Heather had actually stopped coming around that Melissa spoke of the girlfriend without being prompted. The two of you sat alone in her classroom, grading papers before the weekend. “So, are things going any better with…y’know? Haven't seen her around much,” Melissa said without looking up from her papers. “Actually, she moved out. Last weekend. I was going to tell you I just, needed time, I guess,” You answered, looking up at Melissa, trying to read her mind through her eyes.

At first, they lit up, before Melissa could pull herself back together. “Well its about time you kicked her sorry ass to the curb. Nobody treats cuore mia like that,” She said, watching in real time how you melted at her words. “I- What?” you giggled out of confusion. Melissa returned to her gaze to her papers and quietly said, “my heart.” Your cheeks grew hot and you found your breath quickening, both at Melissa calling you such a sweet name, and the Italian she spoke it in. It was this moment that the puzzle pieces started fitting together in your head. Why Melissa was so angry and upset with Heather, and why you always preferred Melissa’s company anyways. The two of you were practically in love.

“If you want to call me pet names, at least do it in English so I know what you’re saying,” You lied to her. You couldn’t have her speaking in Italian to you, but not because it bothered you. In fact it had quite the opposite effect. “What, you don’t like when I speak Italian? Besides, you’ll learn soon enough dolcezza mia,” Melissa cooed, leaning over the edge of her desk to get closer to your face. If you could, you would kiss her right then and there.

So you did. Before you could talk yourself out of it, you cupped Melissa’s cheek and pulled her lips onto yours. Both of you were surprised at the sudden move, but neither pulled away. It was gentle, Melissa stroked the back of your head as she pulled you into her as well. She ran her fingers through your hair and used her position to lightly pull you away from her. “I’m sorry.” You both said at the same time before giggling like children. “Why are you sorry?” Melissa asked. “For kissing you, without asking. Why are you sorry?” You simultaneously answered and questioned her. “For kissing you back, I don’t want to take advantage of you,” Melissa said quietly, suddenly deflating.

You took her hand in yours, gently rubbing her knuckles with your thumb. “Melissa, you’re a very intelligent woman, but you’re acting like an idiot,” You laughed as Melissa furrowed her brows at you. “I kissed you, Mel. I wanted to kiss you I want to kiss you all the time, I didn’t realize until after you started helping me with…you know who,” Both of you grimaced at the mention of your ex. “Everything she should’ve been making me feel, is how you make me feel every day. And I’m sorry it took me so long to realize that,” You told Melissa truthfully. The grip on your hand tightened as she took in your words. “God, come here you,” Melissa said as she smiled, and tugged on your hand for another kiss.

[kentocee]

So Anxious • Gojo x Fem!reader • (18+)

CW: smut( sexting, nudes, dirty talk, masturbation, gojo being unnecessarily horny for reader, impatient!gojo), slight humor bc gojo is VERY unserious 😭

Cee’s Note: I heard this song on tik tok and it instantly reminded me of Gojo (don’t ask) but I hope y’all enjoy

Song inspo: So anxious by Genuwine

[Minors do NOT interact; explicit content ahead]

Satoru: Babe

Y/N: Yes?

Satoru: come thru ;)

**Delivered**

It was embarrassing the amount of times Gojo checked his messages to see if you responded to him.

Granted it only was a couple minutes but with his growing erection tightening his pants, his patience was running thin.

He knew you were at work but he was hoping you would be out already to help him with his little…problem.

Suddenly he noticed his phone lit up due to a notification and he nearly dropped his phone, fumbling to unlock it.

***

Y/N: im at work but I should be there in 30

Satoru: seconds? :D

Y/N: …

Y/N: minutes -.-

Satoru: :(

Satoru: :((

Satoru: thats too looooong :(((

Y/N: BYE! Ur so dramatic lmaoo

Y/N: ill be there before u kno it

Y/N: and then im all yours tonight ;)

Satoru: but I have a bit of a problem…

***

The tightness was becoming unbearable to the point where his print was visibly showing through his sweatpants. Suddenly it was as if a lightbulb appeared above his head.

***

Satoru: *image attachment*

Satoru: u see my dilemma

Y/N: OH

Y/N: O.O

Y/N: that’s a BIG problem alright

Y/N: it might be too much for me to handle

***

You were such a tease. Acting all innocent as if Gojo hasn’t had you folded like a pretzel on many occasions. But this was usually how it started. You feigned innocence and next thing you know Gojo would end up sending detailed messages on how exactly he planned to fuck you later on.

He knew this all too well, yet here he was falling for it yet again. Usually he was the one doing the teasing but the times when he was needy you were quick to seize the opportunity.

***

Satoru: my baby can handle it ;)

Y/N: and what if it doesn’t fit

Satoru: oh imma make it fit

Satoru: and u gonna take it like a good girl

Satoru: u gonna be a good girl for me?

Y/N: yes baby only for u ;)

***

“Sh-shit” Gojo groaned through gritted teeth, palming himself under his sweatpants.

The thought of him stretching your tight pussy to fit his size made his dick twitch subconsciously. He can just imagine the way your mouth would hang open and eyes widen as he bottoms out inside you. He can just imagine all the whines and moans through your pretty lips you make on his dick.

***

Y/N: how u want me to take it?

Satoru: want ur arms and legs around me

Satoru: want u so close to me

Satoru: wanna see ur pretty face wen I fuck u

Y/N: mmm can’t wait ;)

Satoru: i cant either

Satoru: need u so bad rn baby

Satoru: need to feel u

Satoru: need to hear your pretty moans in my ear

**Delivered**

All this dirty talk was just making him hornier by the second and he didn’t think he could wait much longer.

After a couple minutes, Gojo was once again checking his phone, anxiously waiting for your response. The longer he waited for your responses the more anxious he was getting.

After five minutes and no response, he knew you were still teasing him. Got him riled up and left him high and dry.

Oh how cruel.

His eyes wandered to the time almost as if it would go faster the longer he gazed at it.

“Fuck it”

Gojo slipped down his sweatpants and briefs, his cock springing out, bobbing slightly.

He closed his eyes and imagined his fist was your wet pussy. He started stroking himself at a desperate pace, trying to release what he’s been holding for what felt like hours.

The sounds of his low moans and wet sounds filled the air as he continued to chase his pleasure.

Just when he could feel himself reaching close, he heard a door opening from outside his room.

“Babe! I’m home”

Oh shit.

Gojo practically fell out his bed trying to pull his underwear and sweatpants back on.

When he finally made it out his room, he found you by the front door hanging your coat up and taking your shoes off.

“There you are! I told you I’d be home before y- TORU!”

Gojo had scooped you up and brought you over his shoulder, having your ass next to his head as your body dangled behind him.

Gojo brought his hand up and smacked your ass, “That’s for leaving me hanging earlier”

“I dunno what you mean”

He couldn’t see it but he knew you were smirking behind him. Oh you were gonna be in for it.

With that, Gojo ran to his bedroom with you over his shoulder. He was bout to make his imagination a reality.

[i-just-like-goats]

Gojo x Fem Reader Fluff

Summary: it's your turn to tease Gojo

Warnings: none that I can think of

WC: 0.8k

You weren't sure how this routine started, but for whatever reason, Gojo would walk home with you every day. Some days would be filled with chatter, others had gloomy moods and would just be silent. 

Gojo was definitely an interesting person to be around. His loud personality caught the attention of many, while yours allowed you to slip by anywhere unnoticed, so when he approached you, you were surprised. His natural charm and overflowing confidence were what interested you and soon after, attraction began to blossom.

Eventually after being around him enough, you were able to form a friendship with him, something you didn't expect to happen since the two of you would stick to your friends at school. Him with Geto and you with Shoko.

Lately, Gojo had been more bold lately, as though he were intentionally blurring the lines between friendship and something more. There were times when he'd get a little too close or his hand held yours for a little too long or a little too gently. Of course, you brushed them off, believing yourself to have too much hope.

But there was a lingering sense of hope that wished he reciprocated.

"Hey Y/N, do you have a crush?"

You glanced at his face. What a devilish smile.

"What makes you think that?"

"Shoko said so,"

"What! Shoko! Next time I see her I'm going to give her a piece of my mind,"

"Kidding! Thank you for confirming,"

You whacked Gojo's arm. Was this a sign of his interest?

"Not funny,"

"But your reaction was cute,"

You huffed and sped up your walking slightly. He caught up with ease.

"Who is it?"

"Like I'd tell you,"

"But I'm trustworthy. Is it Haibara?"

"No,"

"Nanami?"

"No. Why are you so persistent?"

"No reason. Just a little gossip I want to know. Who knows, maybe I could set you two up," 

He slung his arm around your shoulders. Unusual but not out of character.

"So he's not in the year below. That narrows it down to the second and third years,"

Gojo rubbed his chin in thought.

"Wanna help me out here?"

You blushed slightly as his face got closer to yours when he asked you that question. He looked at you expectantly, his usual smirk on his face, but this time his smirk was more strained and his breathing seemed more laboured and his hands seemed to be shaking more. You smiled.

"He's incredibly strong and handsome,"

"Not enough details. Come on, you can give me more,"

"His initials are G and S. His last name ends in O and has two syllables. His first name ends in U and has three syllables,"

"Well, I think I know who it is. Why don't you say it to prove me right?"

"You sure? Well, it's Geto Suguru,"

Gojo froze in place, his arm held up in midair in the shape of where his arm rested on your shoulders as you continued walking.

"Geto Suguru?!"

You smiled while he took long strides to reach you.

“For real?”

“For real. Why would I lie? And don’t you sound a bit too skeptical? You don’t believe that your friend is attractive?”

“No. I’m just surprised,”

You forced down your smile as Gojo deflated beside you.

“Why Geto?”

“Why not? Is he a terrible person?”

“No! It’s just I’ve never seen you interacting,”

“He helps me with my written assignments,”

“Oh. You’re cheating on me! I thought I was the only one that helped you,”

“Clearly not. And why wouldn’t I have a crush on him? He’s incredibly handsome and charming, he’s a sweetheart, he’s extremely caring and loving he’s-”

“Alright alright. I get it,”

“You didn’t let me finish,”

Gojo groaned. You smiled and grabbed his hand.

“And he’s funny and adorable and he’s actually got white hair and glasses because his eyes are too pretty and his voice is so attractive and nice to listen to,”

“Geto doesn’t have white hair,” Gojo mumbled.

"He's also quite childish, he's one of the strongest and he hates the higher ups,"

"You sure that's Geto? Sounds more like me,"

You sighed.

"Wait. Geto doesn't have white hair. Me, that's me. You're talking about me!"

"Took you long enough,"

"Hey! It's no fun when you're teasing me,"

"Well, Gojo, will you go on a date with me tomorrow night?"

"No,"

"Ouch,"

"Because I'm asking you to go on a date with me tonight. I'll pick you up at seven,"

"Couldn't stand that I beat you to it, could you?"

"What can I say, you already teased me enough today, I can't have you asking me out when I fell for your trick,"

"Alright Gojo, this date better be good then,"

"I promise it'll be the best date you've ever been on,"

"I'm counting on it,"

[ts1m1kas]

Original Ask: hi sweet angel!! would u be willing to write a little something for domi? (: maybe like a blind date that a mutual friend (TRENT I LOVE HIM) sets up? (like a meet-cute) (@alit1sa who has now deactivated ☹️☹️)

Word Count: 918 words

(author's note: the people wanted domi, who am i to refuse? 🫡)

Dominik knew that many women would lose a limb to go on a date with him. That wasn't him being egotistical, just a simple observation he had made throughout his years as a footballer. However, finding a girl wasn’t his problem; he could have anyone he wanted. Dominik didn’t want just anyone. He wanted someone special.

The lack of companionship in his life weighed on his mind as Dominik pulled his training jacket over his head in the changing rooms. Trent wandered in, and his face broke out in a smile as he saw Dominik.

“Hey Dom, you okay?” He asked, noticing the downcast look on his friend's face.

Dominik nodded in response, hanging up the clothes he was previously wearing.

“Have you thought any more about what I asked you the other day?” 

“Yes, I’ll do it, what’s the worst that could happen?” Dominik replied.

A few days ago, Dominik had confided in Trent about how lonely he had been recently and the struggles he had run into when trying to arrange to meet up with potential dates. Trent had in response told him about one of his friends who was having the same problem.

“She’s gorgeous, Dom, and smart. She’s got a heart of gold too, I promise you.”

“How do I know I’m her type, though? What if she doesn’t even find me attractive?”

Trent looked at his friend in disbelief. “Are you serious? She’d be blind not to fall in love on the spot.”

Dominik snorted with laughter and told Trent he’d think it over.

After training, Trent gave Dominik the details of the date he had planned for the pair. He reassured Dominik that everything would be fine and made him promise to text him when he got home afterwards.

Once arriving home, Dominik rifled through his wardrobe, looking for the perfect outfit for the night ahead. He wanted to make a good impression on whoever ended up being his company for the night but he didn’t want to seem like he was trying too hard.

Once his clothes were laid out, he had a quick shower, freshened up his hair and got dressed. After pulling on his shoes, Dominik grabbed the flowers he had bought earlier and got into his car. Taking a deep breath, he pulled out of his driveway and drove to the address Trent had given him.

Y/N sat at a table in the dimly lit restaurant anxiously awaiting her mysterious date. When Trent had called her asking if she was up for a blind date she agreed immediately. However now, the nerves had begun to eat away at her.

Dominik gently pushed open the front door of the restaurant and looked around for the person who matched Trent’s description. When he spotted her sitting alone staring at her hands, he made his way over to the table.

“Are you Y/N?” He asked hesitantly, awaiting her response. 

“Yes, Dominik isn’t it?”

He smiled and nodded, moving to sit down in the empty chair across from her. Silence descended over the pair until Dominik remembered the flowers he still had in his hand.

“I got these for you, I hope they’re okay.” He told her, holding out the bouquet.

Her face lit up as she gently grabbed the flowers from his hands. “They’re more than okay. They’re perfect.” 

“So, you’re a footballer, right?”

“Yeah, I have been for most of my life.” Dominik replied, a smile appearing at the chance to talk about his favourite subject.

“Do you play with Trent?” She enquired, eager to know more about him.

“I do, that’s how we met, actually. Clicked pretty much instantly. It was nice to have a friend in such a new place.”

“That sounds lovely, I met Trent through my auntie. She’s good friends with his mum and we’ve known each other for ages.”

“I’m glad you have. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be here.” He said, cringing at how cheesy he sounded.

She laughed and Dominik thought it was the most beautiful sound he had ever heard.

The conversation continued flowing as the pair got to know one another. Once the pair had gotten through their food and drinks, Dominik insisted on walking Y/N home. 

After arriving at her house, Dominik and Y/N stood on the doorstep, neither one of them wanting to end the night.

“It was nice meeting you.” Y/N said, “Could I get your number?”

Nodding, Dominik pulled out his phone and showed her his number. Once Y/N was done, she put her phone back in her pocket and slowly wrapped her arms around Dominik.

“I’m glad Trent set this up,” Dominik stated “I had a really good night.”

Agreeing, Y/N finally said goodbye and leaned up on her tiptoes to press a kiss onto Dominik’s cheek. They exchanged their goodbyes and Y/N retreated into her house, giving Dominik a wave as she did so. Dominik began walking to his car while dialling Trent’s number.

“How did it go?” Trent asked as soon as the call connected.

“Really good mate, she’s lovely.”

“Did you get her number?”

“Yes, she said she’d like to go out again at some point.”

Trent congratulated him and then they said their goodbyes as Dominik finally got into his car. On the drive home, he couldn’t help but smile. The date went better than he ever thought it would and it had given him hope that there was someone out there made just for him.

[thecrystalkid]

what is your opinion on the tdc Netflix show?

i haven’t posted in a billion years but HII thanks for the ask!!!

it’s been a hot minute since i’ve rewatched the show, so it’s far from being fresh in my mind, and i’m of course not an expert on it. all the same, i still have a lot of thoughts and opinions* on it (*some of these might be a lil controversial as far as the TDCAOR fandom goes but i’m not trying to attack or criticize anyone for enjoying anything in this show, go in peace, ily❤️)

the show itself

to be honest, AOR has never been my favorite installment in the TDC franchise. i’m very attached to the original movie and jen and kira, so i think the obvious absence of them in the show may have played a part in that

but this^^ has nothing to do with the fact that the show is an objective masterpiece of artistry. it’s overwhelming how immersive and beautiful every inch of the environment is within thra, and whatever the creative team and everyone involved with the making of the show were paid, it’s not enough.

the design and craft of the gelfling is another thing i’m obsessed with, i loved the distinctive fashion and presentation of every clan (especially drenchen i love u drenchen) and just the sheer quality of every individual puppet. there’s something so uncanny and beautiful about the realistic skin, hair, and eyes of the gelfling, each one is so mesmerizing to watch.

sadly, i’ve always kind of disliked the overall voice-acting of the show. i love taron egerton, anya taylor-joy, etc. as much as the next person, but personally, their voices seemed so detached from their characters, which i think could be partially attributed to the fact that several of the actors are not professional voice actors

i’m beating the very dead horse here but i’m never not devastated that the show was cancelled when it was. it may not have been my favorite installment in TDC but not knowing what ultimately became of deet haunts me forever and always

not a day goes by that i’m not sad that lisa maxwell (kira’s voice actor) didn’t do the opening narration for the show. i didn’t even know that was a possibility until i listened to a podcast episode about it and found out lisa was originally going to do it. i still love sigourney weaver but like come on.

characters n in-universe stuff

one thing i love about the show is how many sibling relationships it explores. as someone with older sisters i obviously am a sucker for the dynamic between brea, tavra, and seladon. i always love seeing an absolute gutpunch soul-crushing diabolical sister relationship in media, the mirroring each other, bringing out the best and worst of each other, i love it it’s terrible. also gurjin and naia, i’m also a sucker for comedic siblings

i really really hate to say it but i’m not a fan of rian and deet as a romantic pairing. i just never really felt any chemistry between the two of them, and the fact that their whole thing started so shortly after the death of mira has always personally rubbed me the wrong way. obviously i’m not here to beat up stonegrot enjoyers, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with the pairing or people who enjoy it, it’s just not for me. i love and am happy for stonegrot folk, god bless <3

augh you know what pairing i do like though is brea and kylan, this whole post could be about them. idk, i know it’s one of those things where they barely have any interaction with each other but i always die at kylan’s little “and brea!” when they’re rescuing them all, and i would’ve DIED for an interaction between them where they discover they both can read

i do also really love how the show explored the skeksis and mystics being two halves of the same whole, and how that relationship can differ. it’s one of the most interesting concepts from the og movie and i’m glad it was expanded upon

i’m sure this may have been being saved for a possible continuation of the show but i would’ve loved a deeper look at each individual gelfling clan, like a really detailed thorough episode(s) about the life/history of each clan (dousan especially i feel like they were skimped on the most)

i, like many, am obsessed with aughra, and i love that she played such a major role in the show. i love how they showcased her maternal role and connection to the gelfling and thra, whilst always keeping her stern, choppy personality present

this is just my conspiracy theory but on the subject of who jen and kira’s respective parents are, i choose to imagine it’s not anyone in the AOR cast and just some other gelfling we never/haven’t met

wow that was a lot of yapping but again thanks for the ask!! i love being able to just dump all my thoughts into one place, it’s always very fun! 

[harringtonswriting]

Bestie. Bestie you know I have to. Obsessed with:

“this sounds like you’re flirting with me.” “...i have been trying to do that for three years now.”

Steve or Eddie, whoever your heart desires 💓

bestie i looooooove this!!! thank u thank u for sending it in!! i picked eddie hehehe i hope you don't mind!! 💕

...

“You sure this is enough food, Eddie?”

You’re teasing him, and you know he knows that, which is why he rolls his eyes with a smile on his face as he opens a bag of chips to pour into a bowl.

“You laugh now, but when you see how much food those little shits can put away, you’ll understand,” he tells you. He scrunches the empty bag in his hands before he throws it in the garbage bin under the kitchen sink. The kitchen counter, as well as the table, are all covered in various kinds of snacks, from chips to cookies to candy. Eddie’s also got beers in the fridge for him (and maybe Steve, but if Steve’s driving he probably won’t have any, which you know Eddie is counting on so he can have more for himself), along with juice and pop. A feast fit for a king, he’d told you when he called you earlier that morning and asked you to pick up a few things on your way over to his place.

Today is the day that Eddie is going to be teaching you, Robin, and Steve how to play Dungeons and Dragons.

He’s so proud of himself for finally being able to talk the three of you into it. This is what he told you would be a one-shot; a one-off adventure that’s only supposed to take a few hours, something that’ll let you get your feet wet and understand how things work before you join a campaign. Eddie had tasked you with creating your own characters, giving you a list of options and some basic ideas for backstory. He’d also invited some of the kids to join in too—you knew Dustin and Erica would be coming for sure, and you’d bet that Lucas, Mike, and Will would probably tag along too.

Since there were going to be that many people joining in, Eddie had asked you to come by early to help him set up. Wayne is out of town on a fishing trip, so you’ve all got the trailer to yourselves. It didn’t take long for you to help Eddie with some spot cleaning in the living room when you’d gotten there, last minute snacks and drinks in hand, and then you’d set up the new coffee table so that everyone could sit around it and play. While Eddie was bringing out his maps and books and gaming screen and shooing Ozzy away from knocking over his miniature figures, you were placing cushions and blankets on the floor to make it as cozy as possible.

Once you’d finished that the two of you had gotten all the snacks ready. And now that was done, the two of you could relax and spend some time together until the others got there. Which may be part of the reason you agreed to come over early; you enjoyed spending time with Eddie, especially when it was just the two of you, and you figured this would be no exception.

Your crush on Eddie was kind of an open secret, though neither of you had ever done anything about it. You’d always been kind of unsure as to whether he felt the same way; sometimes he’d flirt back, sometimes he’d ignore it altogether. But he never complained and never once told you he was uncomfortable, though you’d never really talked about it in detail. You hoped that one day you might cross the line you’d been toeing at for the last few years, but given how open you’ve been, you wanted to let Eddie take that leap, let him decide when he’s ready. If he ever is. You hope he will be.

But for now, you grab a glass of water for yourself and Eddie cracks open a beer.

“Hey, lemme see your character information before everyone else gets here,” he says, taking a long drink before putting his beer down, and making a grabby hands gesture towards you.

“I thought you wanted everyone to wait to introduce their characters when we start.” That was what he’d told you before, and Steve and Robin had confirmed he’d told them the same thing when the three of you had gotten together to try and come up with characters so that you didn’t accidentally all choose the same thing. Not that you’d told Eddie you did that, though Steve probably ended up telling Dustin.

“Yeah, but you’re different,” he insists, and you feel your cheeks get warm as you smile and roll your eyes. You go and grab your bag to fish out the notebook you’d done all your writing and planning in; once you’ve got it, you put your bag back and hand it to Eddie. He starts thumbing through the pages, scanning over what you’d written while he hums to himself. He doesn’t make any comments out loud, though, and the longer he goes without saying anything the more self-conscious you start to feel. Does he love it? Hate it? You can’t tell based on his expression, though you see the way that one of his legs is bouncing, which means he’s thinking.

“What, never seen a character that good before?” you ask, your tone teasing as you break the silence between you. Eddie’s leg stops bouncing and he shakes his head.

“Oh, yes, this is a masterpiece. Shut up and let me read,” he says, no real heat in his voice as he rolls his eyes. You raise your eyebrows and lift the corners of your lips up into a smirk.

“Maybe you should make me,” you tell him, the words rolling off your tongue as you lean against the counter. You’re absolutely aware of how it sounds, and by the way that Eddie’s cheeks start turning a bright pink you know he is, too. You can’t help yourself, though, because you do love flirting with him. Even if it goes nowhere. His leg stops bouncing, and you see him grip your notebook just a little bit tighter in his hands. He doesn’t look up, though. It’s silent for a moment until he clears his throat.

“You know, that sounds like you’re flirting with me,” Eddie says. He seems to be maybe a little confused, or maybe he’s teasing you. Does he not know that you really were flirting with him? You wish he’d look up so you could see his eyes; they’re always so expressive, showing off what he tries to hide, but you can’t see them now. And so now you’ve got a choice: you can deny it, or you can admit it. And you aren’t quite sure how he’d react to either option.

Well… this could be the opportunity you’ve been waiting for, so you say, “...I’ve been trying to do that for three years now.”

This time, Eddie drops your notebook. It hits the ground and a few loose pages flit out to land by your feet. He looks up at you, brown eyes impossibly wide as his mouth hangs open just a bit. You straighten up from where you’re leaning on the counter, feeling nerves start to creep in. This wasn’t the reaction you were expecting.

“Wait, I’m sorry, how long?” he asks, but doesn’t wait for you to answer before he continues with, “Three years?” He seems to be in complete shock, and while you’re feeling nervous, you’re also a tiny bit offended.

“Did you really not know?” Was your flirting really that bad? You didn’t think so, at least not until now. Robin and Steve could tell you were flirting with Eddie, with how much they’d teased you about it once they’d figured it out, and you were pretty sure some of the others you both hung around with knew too. How did Eddie not pick up on it? Steve said the guy was dense, sure, but you’d always thought it was an exaggeration.

“I thought you did that with everyone!” Eddie’s throwing his hands in the air, the apples of his cheeks going from pink to red and the blush starts creeping down his neck. It’s cute, but it’s probably not the time to tell him that.

“No, just you!” Which is the truth; you didn’t flirt with anyone else the way you did with Eddie, at least not on purpose. But apparently he hadn’t picked up on that.

“Oh my god,” he says, and his hands come down to tangle in his thick, black curls. He starts muttering it to himself, and the lack of a positive reaction is starting to eat at you. Your stomach twists because maybe this wasn’t a good idea. Maybe you’ve overstepped, here, and Eddie doesn’t feel the same way as you. Which would explain why you’ve spent the last three years, since the day he’d walked into your shared English class with a well-worn copy of The Hobbit and did his book report on how Tolkien had shaped modern fantasy. His passion, his eagerness, and the way he talked with his hands completely endeared him to you, and you’d asked him to explain the difference between hobbits and dwarves to you after class. That’s when it all started. But here, in his kitchen, seeing how Eddie is reacting, you wonder if maybe this wasn’t all some big mistake.

“Eddie, it’s fine that you don’t feel the same way, and I promise I’ll stop now that I know it makes you uncomfortable,” you tell him, bending down to gather up your loose papers and shove them back into your notebook. You swallow past the large lump forming in your throat, a little embarrassed by it all as you stand back up. “I’m sorry. I… I should probably go before the others get here.” There’s no way you’re sticking around after this; you don’t know if you can spend the next few hours thinking about this with everyone else around.

“Wait!” Eddie’s exclamation takes you by surprise, and his hand reaches out to wrap around your wrist. His hand is warm, a reassuring weight that brings you out of your thoughts. You look at him, and while his cheeks are still red, he’s got a serious look on his face that you rarely get to see. “Sweetheart, I promise it doesn’t make me uncomfortable, I just can’t believe I didn’t notice before now. Please don’t leave.” Which loosens the lump, just a bit, and he tilts his head a little as he smiles at you. It’s a little bashful, his head ducking slightly. “Also, I never said I don’t feel the same way. Just so you know.”

“Sweetheart?” you ask, picking up on the new moniker he’s using. It’s cute, and it’s got your chest swelling with hope because maybe he does feel the way you do. He opens his mouth to reply when there’s a loud bang on the front door.

“Hey, Eddie, open up!” It’s Dustin Henderson, no doubt with the others behind him, and Eddie jumps just a bit.

“Shit! I hate Henderson’s timing,” he curses, and you can’t help the laugh that comes out at how Eddie’s face falls into a pout. Not that he’d ever admit to pouting, of course. “Look, we definitely need to talk about this, I want to talk about this, but if I don’t let them in, Henderson's gonna keep doing that til he breaks the door down.” Which wouldn’t surprise you. You nod, smiling at Eddie.

“Eddie! Open the damn door!” Dustin continues, banging louder this time.

“I’m gonna kill him.” Eddie lets go of your wrist, sighing. He raises his voice, yelling out, “Dustin Henderson, I will not hesitate to give you disadvantage on all your saves if you don’t give me a damn minute!”

Dustin immediately ceases his banging on the door, and instead lets out a frustrated yell before he falls silent.

“We’ll talk after the game, okay, sweetheart? I promise on my honour as Eddie the Banished, Master of Dungeons, that we’ll talk and you can flirt as much as you want, as long as I can flirt back.”

“If you know how to flirt back,” you tell him, and he lets out the sweetest laugh you’ve ever heard as he walks over to the door to let in an angry Dustin, a grinning Robin, and the other exasperated members of the party.

[tiphprince]

The Iceberg of Snape and Dumbledore's Scheming

If you prefer to read this on reddit, here's a link to the post.

This theory initally came from this simple observation: it makes no sense for Snape to be the referee of Harry's second Quidditch match.

In total, the text gives us directly 3 reasons, all from different point of views. For the teachers and the students, Snape is a petty bastard who wants to prevent Gryffindor from winning. For Harry, Snape is a murderous bastard who wants to kill him. For Quirrell, Snape is an interfering bastard who wants to protect Harry. This last reason is the one that we are given at the end, and that we accept as truth. It seems logical to us both in the plot of PS as Snape being a red herring, and the plot of the whole series, with Snape having always been there behind the scene to protect Harry in honor of Lily's memory.

From Snape's point of view however, this makes no sense.

"Why do you think he wanted to referee your next match? He was trying to make sure I didn’t do it again. Funny, really ... he needn’t have bothered. I couldn’t do anything with Dumbledore watching. All the other teachers thought Snape was trying to stop Gryffindor winning, he did make himself unpopular ... and what a waste of time, when after all that, I’m going to kill you tonight." - Quirrell

First, why would Snape be in a better position to help Harry while in the literal middle of a Quidditch match? He'd have to pay attention to everything happening, not just Harry, even if just to avoid being injured or killed himself, which nearly happened twice in the span of about 5 minutes. He wouldn't be able to focus nearly as much on counter spells, let alone keep an eye on Quirrell.

Second, Dumbledore's presence at the game. Even if Quirrell/Voldemort had made another attempt with Dumbledore there, I don't see how Snape could have done much from up there than Dumbledore wouldn't be able to do with spells.

So, my theory is, what if Snape wasn't there to protect Harry, but as another red herring, this time for Quirrell?

It gets a bit complicated here, as we have to keep track of the timeline and what everyone knows or doesn't know, so please bear with me.

I won't go into all the detailed explanations of Dumbledore's plot with the Philosopher's Stone, and the protections, many others have done it way better than I could, but the basic idea is this: Dumbledore knows Quirrell is working with or for Voldemort in some capacity, he orchestrated pretty much everything that happened in the first book, and asked Snape to keep an eye on Quirrell for him.

Quirrell however, doesn't know what exactly it is that Dumbledore knows. Quirrell knows that Snape suspects him, that he knows he's after the Stone, and that Quirrell made one attempt on Harry's life. What Quirrell does not know however, if whether or not Snape told all of this to Dumbledore.

Nothing, to Quirrell, indicates that Dumbledore knows about everything, or at least knows who is behind the events. After all, if he knew, why not have Quirrell fired/imprisoned, why not confront him, like Snape does?

To show this further, Dumbledore even asks Quirrell to help set up one of the protections for the Stone. This alone shows that Dumbledore must trust Quirrell, and so that Snape and Dumbledore are not working closely together, or else Snape would have told him. Snape being a referee even with Dumbledore present reinforces that idea.

In fact, to go even deeper, Snape is the one who looks the most guilty out of everyone involved.

"Yes, Severus does seem the type, doesn’t he? So useful to have him swooping around like an overgrown bat. Next to him, who would suspect p-p-poor st- stuttering P-Professor Quirrell?" - Quirrell

What if Quirrell's plan was to also use Snape as a scapegoat, the one Dumbledore would be focused on. After all, we we saw it in the book, no one looks more guilty than Snape. This would explain why Dumbledore would attend a Quidditch match, which isn't something he usually does, to... keep an eye on Snape, who would be in close proximity to Harry during a highly dangerous sports game.

From Dumbledore and Snape's point of view, this is what they are counting on. Give Quirrell a false sense of security, that the one person he fears doesn't suspect him personally, not anymore than anyone else at least, and allows the rest of Dumbledore's plans to go as smoothly as possible.

In this book, Snape is a red herring for Harry, for Quirrell, for Dumbledore, and of course, the reader.

[beautifulpersonpeach]

Hi BPP, i know that i probably shouldn’t be asking you this but right now you are the only blogger i know who might be able to explain this to me in a way that make sense.

So i’m kinda new to the fandom (January 2023) but i’ve been able to watch loads of clips and pretty much caught up to speed with alot of content. I’m not a shipper but i were to ship anyone, I’d probably ship Vmin because they are my favourite members and Jungkook comes right after the two of them on my scale of preference, but i have always thought Jk has an extremely special and sorta complicated relationship with Jimin. It really confuses me sometimes but i know that those two have a really beautiful bond. For Taekook, they have always been very easy for me to understand but while going through some blogs here on tumblr, i noticed that so many taekookers believe that taekook’s ITS talk was scripted. They think so because, apparently neither Jk or tae had ever looked or seemed distant or awkward around each other. They bring up examples of them napping together on ITS, still hanging around each other and even engaging in skinship. According to them, taekook wouldn’t do all these if they really were awkward and distant.

I personally think they are interpreting the whole thing wrong but a part of me wonders if they might have a point. I don’t see any reason why the company would make taekook act out something like that, which pretty much shows that they went through an awkward phase plus taekook seemed very genuine to me while they had the talk and ut didn’t seem like it was an act. So my question to you is, what are your thoughts about the ITS talk? Why do u think some pple continue to insist that it was scripted? I’m just trying to understand the whole thing cuz the different opinions i’ve read about it really confuses me. I don’t think there is anything going on with taekook ofcourse (it just wouldn’t make sense) but i think they are one of the closest pairs, and people tkkrs misinterpret their partners in crime dynamics for romance love. Pls i’d really appreciate it if u can let me know ur thoughts on this.

***

I could go into a rambling detailed breakdown of why Taekookers believe what they believe (their only option in this scenario is to believe the convo is scripted, their theories leave them no choice), or get into how taekook did drift apart and by how much, or talk about the inevitable angle of fan service, etc, but the truth is I really don't want to get into it.

I don't care enough about taekook or taekookers to dive into it, so I'll give you the abridged version.

The obvious counterpoint to their narrative is to ask why their villainization of Jimin skyrocketed in the years during which taekook supposedly 'didn't' drift apart. The times they hated him for jikook's Japan trip, the time they hated him for the fixed orbit situation jikook had in 2018, jikook in 2019 were a problem too. A huge problem for taekookers given they couldn't stop talking about how 'Jimin was working with the company to take Jungkook away from Taehyung while lying to Taehyung that it is to protect his relationship, so jikook + BTS + HYBE were fucking Taehyung over in his personal life and his career'. It riles me up just typing it out so imagine how insane these people are to believe this as a core creed 24/7. Anyhoo, they knew something was 'wrong' in a sense with taekook and that Jimin was involved somehow, and this is plainly evident in their well documented behaviour from 2016 - 2020. In my opinion. Do I think they're right and Jimin is the reason taekook were distant? No. I think whatever distance happened is due to taekook's own actions. But I also think it betrays an understanding in taekookers, that taekook had drifted apart.

What do I think about the ITS talk? I'm glad they had it. I like taekook and had missed seeing their dynamic. For anyone still not sure if they indeed drifted apart, if you can sense a general shift of more taekook content after that conversation than immediately before it, what does that tell you? The sort of rapport between them now is reminiscent of their closeness prior to 2016-ish, and in some ways better so that's good to see.

[kyojurismo]

Hello! Can I have a Shinobu trusting a demon for the first time who wants revenge and kill doma because he turned them into a demon and forced them to eat his family??

▸ ANSWERING. okay anon, here it is! i have a few things to clarify tho, first i went in a different direction from the one with which i started writing this piece and i don’t know if it’s for the best or not… second, it was implied that there was something between shinobu and r, but i focused on the revenge part. i hope you’ll like it anyway, even if maybe you imagined it differently. thank u for sending the request !! ♡

▸ INTRO. a demon slayer and a demon seeking revenge on an upper moon come across each others. (explained better in the request itself hehe)

▸ FANDOM. kimetsu no yaiba

▸ CHARACTERS. shinobu kocho x gn!demon reader

▸ WORD COUNT. 949

▸ RATING. sfw

▸ WARNINGS. major kny manga spoilers !! & it’s probably angsty, mention of kanae kocho, brief appearance of kanao, douma is just mentioned lol. reader wants to end their life (so if that makes you uncomfortable don’t read, i don’t want u to get triggered !!), no beta readers so excuse any possible error pls + lemme know if i missed something

“good evening. what a beautiful night, isn’t it?”

the demon slayer in front of you was different. she wasn’t strong, that’s for sure. but there was something else.

was she truly capable of killing you? years, many long years… you debated whether getting yourself killed by a demon slayer or trying to kill douma, the current upper rank two; all to set your tormented soul free.

you studied her for a few moments, before taking a few steps back. “i wonder now, how many people have you killed?” she asked you, confusing you. “why does it matter?” you said, glancing at her tiny figure. “because you’ll receive the punishment you deserve and be reborn! all to give justice to your victims,” she explained.

you thought about her words for a moment, before deciding to try to reason with her.

“i want to give my victims justice, they deserve that, but i want justice too…” you tried, hoping you were convincing enough. after all, why should a demon slayer trust the words of a demon? “my dear, justice? what kind of justice are you seeking?” shinobu asked with a smile on her face, making you notice that she had been smiling the whole time.

“i know you don’t trust my words!” you assured her, regretting it right after the words left your mouth. “a demon from the twelve kizuki turned me, a long time ago… he forced me to eat my whole family, stating that he would have kept me alive only if i obeyed him.”

you told shinobu your story, you weren’t trying to convince her with futile details, you didn’t wanted her to feel compassion, you just wanted her to understand that you wanted to end your life just as much as a demon slayer desires to kill a demon.

shinobu listened very carefully to your words. your description of the demon who turned you made her lost her composure. it was him. the exact same demon who took kanae away from her.

the tension was clear, but shinobu seemed to have lost interest in killing you. on the contrary, she was focused on thinking about getting revenge on douma too.

she silently decided to trust you, going against everything she believed and respected with her whole self. going against the rules and shinobu kocho in the same sentence? unbelievable! but that was it, shinobu was trusting a demon for the first time in her life.

—

shinobu organised everything, and she did an amazing job actually. she wasn’t the strongest above the hashiras, but she did knew what she was doing and was the smartest person you have ever met. you admired her.

“i want you to kill me with that poison you spoke about,” you said while watching her work. “oh? i see, you still want to die,” was she sad about your wish? “you’re helping me and i truly appreciate it, i know this is as important as it is for me. we’re here to put an end to this story, but i don’t want to be a demon for the rest of my life. i seek peace and that only death will satisfy my desire.”

shinobu listened to you and nodded slowly, letting your words sink in. during these months, you two bonded more than expected from her. you grew to trust each others and you both were mainly focused on one objective: douma.

after all, shinobu succeeded in trusting and befriending a demon. it even surprised tomioka, alongside everyone else in the demon slayer corps.

there was something stronger between you two, something that was probably above the simple friendship but neither of you decided to focus on it.

and whatever was growing between you two came to an abrupt stop when she died, by the hands of none other than douma himself. shinobu tried to prepare both you and her tsukugo, kanao, to the possibility of her getting killed in order to make sure you’d be able to defeat douma.

thanks to another demon slayer, inosuke hashibira, you and kanao killed douma. you finally got your revenge, you were finally free. all the anger, the pain, the emptiness you have felt until that day was finally gone, but it was replaced by a strange feeling of sadness; something that you never experienced during your existence as a demon.

you and shinobu got revenge, but the one who truly deserved to live was the one who lost her life. and that was, without doubt, a cruel joke. that was the main reason why you didn’t wait to drink the special poison shinobu made for you. you couldn’t wait longer, you had to disappear from that world.

kanao was by your side the whole time, you noticed that she was crying for the first time since you had known her. you smiled at her for the last time. “go on with your life and make the most of it… do it for shinobu and kanae,” you muttered, starting to disappear and turn into dust.

you had a vision. no, they were flashbacks from your past, from your human life. you were laughing and enjoying your day with your family, all happily together… when a familiar voice called your name. you turned around and saw a figure, then you smiled once you recognised it was shinobu. she ran to you and hugged you, holding you close to her. your arms circled her petite figure and just then you noticed you were wetting her haori with your tears. you were crying.

“thank you, y/n! we did it,” she smiled, truly happy for the first time in a while, and you were too. happiness suited her beautifully.

▸ BEFORE LEAVING. reblog and comments are super appreciated! thank you for reading it all, as always i’m super insecure about my work so um yeah… hope you enjoyed it, have a good day / night ♡

[mysoftboybensolo]

I'll Be Seeing You:

A/N: When researching Freddy's part in Masters of the Air, I learned about not only of his real life counterpart, but also of his real life wife and I thought there was a love story to be told here. If I were to cast Audrey, I'd pick Danielle Rose Russell, as she reminds me so much of Audrey. More info on the pair can be found here (x) and (x)

Pairing: David x Audrey

Warnings: Mentions of war, slight spoilers of character's fate, historical fiction (given that there isn't too much details about their life), 16k words (my longest one shot I've ever done!)

A03 Link: (x)

War changes everything, for better and for worse. Audrey didn’t expect her life to go the way it did, but given how everything had gone, she can’t say that she’d expect anything less. Here she was in Los Angeles, twenty-one years old, and trying to make herself known in pictures, a long cry from her old home in Buffalo, New York.

She wanted to do something to help the soldiers, something that would help them through this time, and her only skill was her dancing. There was a small dance hall that was hosting a USO canteen in need of entertainers, and she managed to get in. She worked practically every night, entertaining and dancing with soldiers, which was nice for the most part, but she had been a little disillusioned when some soldiers would try to play on her sympathies and try to get her to do “one last service” by giving them a “night to remember and carry on the battlefield”. What happened to honor and decency among soldiers and war? All her friends had thought this would be the perfect chance to meet a fella, but Audrey wasn’t exactly thrilled by the options she was given.

One fateful evening, Audrey was dancing with a soldier, who clearly brought in his own booze, holding her too tightly, making passes that made her very uncomfortable. “Say, sweetheart, why don’t we go to my car, it’s comfortable. Bet a pretty girl like you has been ridden quite a bit,” he laughed, pulling her closer. Would no one help her? Did no one see how miserable she was?

“Pardon me,” came a voice. The pair stopped, and she saw a tall, lean man, with dark hair and light blue eyes, wearing a uniform Audrey wasn’t familiar with. “May I have this dance?”

The drunkard held her closer and said, “I’m not done yet.”

He stopped him once again from dancing, and continued, “There must be some confusion, I wasn’t asking to dance with you. Miss,” he tried again, looking at Audrey, “May I have this dance?”

“Oh yes, please,” she tried to get away, but the drunk dancer stopped her.

“The song isn’t over,” he says, and then music ended and the crowd applauded.

“Hark, the angels have heard you and have mercifully ended the song. Excuse us,” he stepped in, whisking her away in a dance, leaving her partner in the crowd completely confused. “Are you alright, miss? You didn’t look particularly happy dancing with him.”

“You seemed to be the only one to notice. Thank you for coming to my rescue.”

“It is my pleasure. I’m David by the way.”

“I’m Audrey.” She looked at his uniform and didn’t recognize the symbol. “Forgive me, but what branch are you in? I don’t know your patch.”

“I am part of the Signal Corps. It’s a branch that handled many things, such as military intelligence, relaying information that our soldiers may need.”

Audrey’s eyes widened in wonder. “That is an incredibly important job to have! I mean, any information you receive, could help win the war.”

“That’s what we hope.”

“Is that your only job?”

“No, I am actually part of the aviary.”

“Isn’t it dangerous to be in the sky?”

“About as dangerous it is to be on the ground.”

She gave a small shake of her head and muttered, “I wish I could do something as important as that.”

“You do.” She looked at him confused, then he explained, “It’s hard over there, to be away from family and friends, to see things that no one should ever see in their lifetime. To have a moment of relief from that, some songs, dances, a smile, it reminds us why we are doing this. You, and everyone here keep us grounded. That’s your job, and it’s incredibly important.”

For the first time in months, Audrey felt like she wasn’t a failure. The song ended, and she felt an emptiness when he released her to clap like everyone else did. “Have you had anything to drink tonight?” he asked.

“No, actually.”

“If you’d like, we can have a drink together.” She smiled and nodded, gratefully taking his arm that he offered and together went to the refreshment table. They had sat and talked for the longest time, little things that people chatted about, movies, music, books, and yet, she had a very good idea of the kind of man he was through his interests, and she liked what she saw. If they weren’t sitting and talking, they danced and talked even more, so much that their feet would have ached, but strangely enough, neither seemed to have noticed.

A song came on the record, and it was Jo Stafford’s I’ll Be Seeing You, and Audrey smiled at her voice.

“I’ll be seeing you, In all the old familiar places That this heart of mine embraces, All day through,”

“I love Jo Stafford,” Audrey whispered.

“We’d play her on the radio overseas,” he shared, “She reminds us so much of home.”

 “In that small café, The park across the way, The children’s carousal, The chestnut tree, The wishing well,���

She rested her head against his chest, and she felt his cheek resting against the top of her head, holding each other as if they had known each other for months rather than hours.

“I’ll be seeing you, In every lovely summer’s day, In everything’s that’s light and gay, I’ll always think of you that way,”

Audrey closed her eyes and breathed in his scent, sage and lemon, and she felt so safe with him. It was a feeling she missed in the past year. Why did it feel so wonderful to be near him? Why does this man, David Friedkin, make her feel something no one else has made her feel?

“I’ll find you in the morning sun, And when the night is new, I’ll be looking at the moon, But I’ll be seeing you.”

“Excuse me? Excuse me?” A tap on his shoulder made David lift his head, which made Audrey look up to see the manager of the dance hall. “I’m sorry, but we have to close up.”

Looking around the place, she noticed that the only people in the place was her, David, the manager, and a janitor cleaning up. “Gee, we’re very sorry sir,” David kindly said.

“Not at all. Get yourselves home safely and good night,” he said before leaving them alone.

“I am so sorry,” David said to Audrey, “I didn’t realize it was so late.”

“That’s alright, I’ve had a wonderful time.” She didn’t want to give him up just yet, having enjoyed his company immensely.

“This might be a bit forward, but may I walk you home?”

“Yes, I’d like that very much,” she answered with a smile. After getting her coat and purse, they walked into the busy streets of Los Angeles at night. The entire walk back to her place, David had kept his hands to himself, the only time he touched her was to gently guide her to the inner sidewalk while he walked on the street side, just like a proper gentleman. “Have you ever been to Los Angeles before?”

“Yes, I had actually moved out here after graduating. I tried acting, but I felt better behind the camera, writing and directing. There’re so many stories to tell, and I want to be able to tell them. What about you?”

“I’ve only been here for a year, trying to act and dance for film, and I’ve had some success, by success I mean getting a paycheck, but not quite the rate I had expected.”

“It can be daunting, especially from a small city to a big one. But you should feel proud of yourself, you are doing what you want.”

She shook her head. “I don’t know if I have enough talent for it. Not like you it seems; you want to tell stories and you’re smart enough to know how.”

She saw a blush come to his cheeks, genuinely being sweetly embarrassed at the compliment. He was so precious, despite him looking a classic leading man. He was so different, and she liked it. They arrived at her house, and she could see the light on, her mother, Viola, no doubt waiting up for her. “This is me,” she sighed, a little sad that they would part. “Thank you again for saving me.”

“You are very welcome. I am sorry that he had acted that way towards you.”

She shrugged. “I’m sort of used to it.”

His face fell and he shook his head. “That’s one of the saddest things I’ve heard.”

Audrey was taken aback by the comment; no one had ever said anything like that to her before, and it was a strange feeling of sorrow that it had happened before, but grateful that someone didn’t see her as someone who deserved it. “Thank you for that. But let us not end the evening on a sad note. I really enjoyed myself tonight, more than I have in a long while.”

“As have I. May I,” he started, looking a little shy, “May I see you again?”

She smiled, glad that he had finally asked. “Yes, I would like that.”

“Tomorrow?”

“It is tomorrow,” she replied with a smile, prompting them to laugh. “But yes, come at one, maybe you can show me some of the sights.”

“It’ll be my pleasure.” He reached for her hand and placed a gentle kiss to it, and promised to see her at one.

Her heart fluttered as he kissed her hand and she already missed his touch as he slipped to allow her to open her door, waiting until she was in before he slipped away into the early morning. She couldn’t believe that she was feeling this way, like a high school girl experiencing her first crush. Entering the den, she sees her mom sleeping on the couch, with her book on her lap. Kneeling before her, she carefully removed the book from her and covered her with a blanket, but her mom woke up. “Oh, Audrey.”

“I’m sorry for being so late.”

“Was everything alright?” she asked, sitting up and rubbing her eyes awake.

“Yes, it was actually wonderful. I mean, it didn’t start off wonderful, I got manhandled like before, but this man, he came up and with ease and politeness, he rescued me. His name is David, he is in the Signal Corps, he flies planes, and we talked all night. He loves movies, just like me, he-haha- he said that he had seen the movie “Metropolis” ten times, and the ushers remembered him that they just waved him on. He’s coming around tomorrow, at one, I don’t know if I said that, and I really like him. It’s hard to explain, but when you spend five minutes with him, you just feel safe. I like him a lot, and I hope you will too. Well, I should get some rest. He’s coming tomorrow at one, did I mention that? Well, good night.”

Audrey didn’t see her mom staring after her with delightful surprise, and she had every right to be so. It didn’t seem that her daughter had much luck with the men in her life, and if this man is every bit of wonderful as Audrey said…oh, she hoped so.

David came promptly at one, and through the window, Viola watched as he offered his arm to her daughter, and walked off into the sunny day. He was handsome, but also kind, and she could see how her daughter looked at him. It was different from the others, and with a little prayer, Viola hoped that this one would be good for her. They never did around to seeing the sights, rather took the longest walk in the park, having been so lost in their talks.

David Friedkin was born in Kanas City, Missouri on March 8th, 1912, how he graduated high school at fifteen and got into Julliard, how he was part of the Signal Corps. He has a younger brother named Morris, who is a doctor, and his parents are Benjamin and Anna, Russian Jewish immigrants. “I feel I have to tell you that now, before we get any further. I know people are not exactly…tolerant to my kind of people, and I wouldn’t blame you if you thought that being associated with me could lead to troubles for you.”

 Audrey was brought up a Christian life, and while she had never been raised to be prejudice against anyone, she understood why he would feel compelled to tell her as soon as possible. She had seen people treat the Jews with unwarranted hatred, some saying that Hitler had the right idea, and it was the most horrible thing she could have ever heard. “Thank you for telling me,” she said, “That way, if trouble comes, I’ll know how to handle it.”

He was surprised. “You don’t mind it? I mean, by being Jewish?”

“So long as you don’t mind me being Christian,” she replied which made them laugh.

Outwardly, they seemed as different as could be; he was Jewish, she was Christian, he was thirty-two, she was twenty-one, he came from a large city, hers was small, his parents were still married while hers was divorced, he was the oldest child, she was the youngest. And yet, despite these differences, great or small, there was something that pulled them together, similarities in the heart that pulled them together. He was as every bit of a simple boy just as she was a simple girl, they both seemed to have dreams of being in entertainment, they believed in equality for every person, regardless of gender or race.

David was different from any other man she knew; David was a gentleman, mature, open minded, but also creative and playful, and Audrey found she could listen to him talk all day. He was patient, someone who didn’t take risks if he knew the stakes were too high or the chances were slim, but he was also unafraid to work hard, never wavered his views or thoughts to appease others, something she admired deeply. But most importantly, a difference she found, that unlike other men, David listened. No man has ever made her feel as if she was truly heard or that her opinions mattered the way David did. She began to open more about her own thoughts and feelings, even if they were different or not polite, he liked to hear them, and rather than brush her feelings off as a “silly young girl”, he spoked to her like a person, and she realized that so few men had spoke to her like that. What girl wouldn’t fall for a fella like that?

For David, Audrey was a breath of fresh air, filled with hope and dreams. She never acted like a snob, not like some of the other girls he had met in Hollywood, rather she was grounded, remembered what was important in life, like family, love, and hope, things he felt he struggled to hold onto since the war. Audrey was a conundrum; she was young and full of live, but had a bit of a pessimistic view point on things, she claimed to not understand much of the world, and yet was one of the wisest and understanding people he knew, she was an incredibly hardworking and sensible person, and yet she had wonderful dreams and hopes of how bright the future could be. The other men in his squadron talked of their girls as if they were fantasies, but Audrey was a reality, and beautiful, human reality, and he was falling for her because of it.

Viola had yet to properly meet David, but considering that her daughter was seeing this man every day for nearly two weeks, it was clear that something serious was happening. Before going out, Audrey would get ready with an excitement that she had not had in a long time, and whenever she returned, she had a look about her like she stepped out from a wonderful dream. She once tried to question her daughter about her feelings, but Audrey just shrugged and said she wasn’t sure, but Viola knew better even if her daughter didn’t; she was in love.

It was true, they had spent every day together in the past two weeks, and it was clear that they not only enjoy each other’s company, but really liked and respected each other, which was why Audrey felt he deserved to know a part of her past she had not mentioned.

“I feel you should know; I was married before. I wish it was simple for me to say that I fell in love, married him, and lost him, but it wasn’t. His name was Lewis Hightower, we met when I moved to New York to start my career, and it was the first time I had ever fallen for anyone, and he was so charming. The honeymoon was the last time either of us were happy. The real work had begun and suddenly, we realized that neither of us really knew the other. I was too young to understand what real love had meant, that it takes two to make a marriage work, and that it wasn’t always sunshine and roses. Lewis wasn’t a bad man, far from it, it just that we didn’t belong together, even when we tried to work things out. Eventually we agreed to the annulment, then we separated, and sometime after, I begun to see another man, Arthur Lewis, I thought I loved him too.

“The last time I saw Lewis was a terrible day. I was out with Arthur and his friend, there was a celebration going on, and then Lewis arrived, tried to pull me away, and a fight broke out between the three. I berated Lewis after, telling him how I regretted being married to him, that I wish I’d never see him again and he better get me that annulment, and I did. The next time I heard of him, it was a telegram from the Army telling me he died in combat on September 2nd, 1943. I was in shock, even though we had just annulled our marriage, I was devastated. Lewis was a good man, and I wished that I could have loved him better than I did, even wished that I hadn’t married him, just so he could have been with a better woman who would have loved him as much as he needed to be loved, maybe give him a child to remember him by.

“I can’t help but to feel guilty that the last thing I ever told him what that I hated him and didn’t want to see him again. I tried to explain it to Arthur, but he couldn’t seem to understand why I’d be sorry for the man I had been separated from for a few years, and it became one of the few things that would become a riff in the relationship. He went to war around the same time as Lewis, and our visits became less and less, until we decided to end things once and for all. I wouldn’t be surprised if you were disappointed or what you thought of me was different than what I am.”

David had listened with openness and kindness, and never did she notice a look of reproach or betrayal in his eyes. Instead, he took her hand to kiss it, then said, “I suppose it’s time for me to fess up. I too was married. I was young, and she was a nice Jewish girl from my neighborhood, we were sort of matched up. While we liked each other, we didn’t love each other like a husband and wife ought to, and it was practically over as soon as it began, we didn’t even make it half way through our first year. So, despite what everyone had expected of us, we went ahead with a divorce, something my parents had been supportive of, and sometime later, she got to marry someone who could love her as she deserved. So, in regards to whether or not I could want a divorced woman, I would be a huge hypocrite if I said no. As for what happened when you last saw him, do not try to blame yourself too much. Was it kind what you said? No, but you were hurt, and I am sure that when given the chance, you’d have apologize to him. The fact that you still speak kindly of him speaks so much to me than what had happened in the past. Learn to forgive yourself, for I am sure he has.”

This is what Audrey liked about David, he was always so understanding and honest, but never harsh or unfeeling. “Thank you, it wasn’t easy for me to say all that, in fact, other than mom, no one out here knows my past. Thank you for understanding.” She smiled, then switched subjects. “Tomorrow is my birthday, my mom and I are celebrating with a dinner, and I would like it if you would come. Though, I’ll understand if you didn’t want to spend your last day like that, if there was something else you’d rather do.”

“I can’t think of anything better,” he answered with a smile. As he always did, he arrived right on time, a small gift in hand, and the warmest smile.

Viola was excited to finally met the young man who had been seeing her daughter for two weeks now, and Audrey was right, that within five minutes, you felt safe and comfortable with him. True, he was older than her, but he was still young and fit, not to mention quite handsome, and his intentions appeared to be honest. The dinner was a simple affair, but it was wonderful to David, who had not seen his own family in over a year, to feel at home and cared for, and Audrey, who hadn’t felt this happy in months, was certain this was the best birthday ever. Even made better, her mother seemed to really like David, hell, Audrey would dare to say loved him, already mothering him by the evening’s end.

“The cake is delicious Mrs. Westphal,” David complemented.

“Thank you, it’s a family recipe. Oh, Audrey, let’s do gifts.” Her mother had given her a knitted shawl that her mother made herself, and then David handed his gift, uncertain that she would like it.

It wasn’t wrapped, just a box with a bow on it, and when Audrey lifted the tiny lid, she was delighted by the little gift. True it wasn’t much, it wasn’t even complete, but it was beautiful; a little porcelain charm with a pink rose painted on it. “It’s beautiful, David,” she reassured him as he looked on uncertain, “It’s actually too good for me.”

“No, nothing could ever be too good for you,” he said, then color came to his cheeks realizing what he had said. Oh yes, Viola thought, this young man is perfect for her.

As the evening winded down, Viola showed him their photo album, and as she told the story of Audrey’s life, up to the present moment, David looked on in admiration at her growth, and when it was near the end, he stopped Viola at a photo. “Which picture is this?”

It was a picture of Audrey sitting at the kitchen table with a paper and a cup of coffee before her, smiling at the camera for an impromptu picture. “Oh, this is the morning after living in the house,” Viola shared.

“Which explains why I look like a mess,” Audrey explained with a small laugh.

True, she didn’t look at polish as she did now, wearing a gingham house dress, her hair not curled fashionably and no makeup on, but David couldn’t stop staring. “May I have this picture?”

“Really?” Audrey asked surprised, “I look terrible there, you wouldn’t want that.”

“Yes, I do. Because this is the most honest you, and this is the woman I want to carry with me overseas.” Tears pricked her eyes, for no man had ever said something as nice as that to her. He reached over and pulled the picture out from the album, placed a kiss to her image before tucking it safely in his wallet. Viola looked at Audrey with a knowing look, which made her daughter blush.

He thanked her and Viola before leaving the party, telling them that he had a wonderful time and grateful to spend the last evening before returning with such wonderful ladies. She asked to see him off at the station, wishing to be with him to the end, and the next morning when he met her at the station, he saw that his charm was hanging around her neck on a silver chain of her own, and he couldn’t help to feel a little proud. “Audrey,” he spoke, removing his hat before he spoke, “I know we only have known each other for two weeks, but, would it be alright if I wrote to you?”

“Oh yes, I would like that very much.” The train whistled, meaning it was time for him to go, but before he left, she reached up and placed a kiss to his cheek. “Good luck, David. I’ll be waiting for you to come back.”

He smiled, glad to hear her say that before he went on the train. While traveling, he went to work on his first letter, wanting it to be sent out as soon as possible. It was a surprise to Audrey to see the letter arriving sooner than she expected.

“Dear Audrey,

I have yet to be away from you for more than an hour, and yet, that hour feels so long ago, and I am already missing you. The past two weeks had been the happiest I’ve had in a long time, and having the memories of you will make fighting much more bearable. It was wonderful of you to see me off at the station, and to have your picture to remind me why I want to come home, it’s more than I can ever ask for. I don’t want to talk of war, not in this first letter, so I will not tell you of what I will come back to, but rather to think of what I will look forward to. I look forward to dancing with you again, to sit by the beach and listen to the waves and breath the salty sea air, to talk with you with all the little and big things we can think of. To understand you and have you understand me as no one else ever have or could ever do after. Give my love to your mother, and keep some for yourself too.

Waiting eagerly to hear you soon,

David”

“Dear David,

It was wonderful to see your letter come as soon as it did, for I would have been terribly concerned something would have happened to you. Mother sends her love back, and she says to remind you to take care of your feet. Even across the world, she can’t help to mother. I was glad to see you off, and it makes me happy that my picture brings some relief to what you must face in the days to come. The days here have gotten bleaker since you’ve left, sun is scarce in sunny California and I wonder if it must mean something. I still dance for the other soldiers, but I do not dance with them, for none of them have what you have, your charm, your ease, or your kindness. I must admit, I cried into my pillow the night you left, not because I had gotten used to being with you, but because I had realized after you left how much I’d miss you. I wish you’ll come home soon, that no harm comes to you, and that you’ll see your family again.

Your letter cannot come soon enough,

Audrey”

Between his own mother and Audrey’s letters, David never felt alone, but he did feel homesick for them both. He often thought of how, when the moment came, his parents would react to meeting Audrey. Would they welcome her as if she was always a part of the family, or would they be weary since she is not Jewish and an outsider? The evening was quiet, a rarity in the field, but they took it for what it was worth. David reached over for his bag and carefully pulled out the picture of Audrey, staring at it. He wondered what it would be like to wake up with her, see her sleepy face, her perfume on the pillow, sitting at that kitchen table with her and enjoying a quiet breakfast, just peacefully together.

“Who’s that?” David turned and saw his co-pilot sitting on the cot next to him.

“My girl, Audrey.” He handed it over to him, letting him see her better.

“She’s beautiful,” he said with a smile, returning the picture.

“She’s wonderful. Unlike anyone I’ve ever met.”

“Do you think it’s love?” he asked earnestly.

Love. It sounded so wonderful next to Audrey’s name. “Yes, I am sure of it.”

He was away for two months, and somehow, in those two months, the letters, which started off sweet and affectionate, became more loving and passionate. Its progression had been slow that neither had realized the change unless they looked back at their letters in the beginning and see how much they changed.

“Beloved David,

It’s become clear to everyone around me that there is someone special in my life, and you are indeed very special to me. No man has ever made me feel as safe, heard, and loved as you have. A solider today wore your cologne today and I was taken back to our dance, Jo Stafford playing, I resting my head on your chest, inhaling your scent, and never before did I feel as content with life as I had in that moment in your arms. I want to feel that way again, I am aching to hold you, to be held by you, and nothing less will satisfy my longing. I count my blessings that I met you when we did, that you had seen something in me worthy enough to visit again and again, that you could choose to share your love with me. I wish I were half as clever as you that I could express the way you make me happy, the dear and deep love I have for you, but all I can tell you is, I love you, love you, and nothing would make me happier than to see your smile again.

Mother has been wondering if you might be able to come home for Christmas, and for how long. I told her that you’d want to see your parents, but if perchance you’d have the time, stop by and let us take care of you for even a minute. I adore you, dearest.

Your Audrey”

“Darling Audrey,

Since our last meeting I have been agonizing over being away from you. I have worked to keep the sound of your voice, the scent of your perfume, and the touch of your hands and lips embedded on my brain. I wish more than anything, other than to be beside you, is to have you become a part of me, that I can carry you with me everywhere I go, so that whenever anyone sees me, they know that I am yours, forever and ever. War is hell, but my dreams are paradise, for I dream of you so often, that when I wake, I wake with a smile, ready to face another day. I wish you were kinder to yourself, my darling, for you are so much more than you think of you give yourself credit for. I’ll tell you what I love about you; I love that you care so much about others, that you work hard even when you think it feels hopeless. I love how open minded and grounded you are, your unshakeable faith that there is good and love in this world, it’s that I cling to during these times of hardship and fear. I could go on, but I am only allowed one sheet of paper, but suffice to say, I love all the little and big things about you, you entire.

I am grateful for Christmas as it will allow me to come back and see you again. We have been given leave for Christmas, so I’ll go and spend it with my folks, then come to you for New Years. I can’t wait to tell them all about you, for I know, they’ll love you as I do, though I doubt anyone could love you as much as I can and always will. You are my heart, my angel.

Yours, David”

When his company were let off, he chose to be dropped off at New York, as the travel back home was shorter than LA, and he couldn’t wait to see his parents again after not seeing them for nearly a year. His mother Anna had nearly toppled him as he walked up the path, squeezing him so closely to her that he felt moments where he couldn’t breathe, oh but he didn’t mind it. He cried tears of joy as his father, Benjamin, joined in the hug, as they were so happy to be reunited. His brother, Morris, wouldn’t be able to join them, but he had only been to the house a week earlier, so there was that. His home hadn’t changed since he had left, not just in looks, but in how warm and friendly it felt, and he was like a little boy, safe and love again.

“Moy syn,” began Anna, as she placed the warm plate before David, “Have you been keeping yourself well?”

“Yes, Mama, I’m alright.”

“Have you made any friends?”

David laughed, “Gee, it’s the oddest way to make friends, but yes, a few. Actually, there is something I want to talk to you about. About two months ago, I met someone.”

His parents looked at him hopefully. “A girl?” asked Benjamin.

“Yes, a girl. Her name is Audrey, I met her at a dance hall. She’s very nice, I’ve met her mother, and we had been writing since I left. She is not Jewish, but she doesn’t mind that I am. I’m sure if you met her, you’d see just how wonderful she is, and I am planning on seeing her for New Year’s.”

Anna had nodded, slightly disappointed she wasn’t Jewish, but she seeing how happy he was and how the last time they tried to interfere with his love life didn’t end well, she wouldn’t want to take away that happiness simply because of her religion. “What does she do?”

“She’s an actress, nothing big, but she makes enough money to take care of herself and her mother.”

“Had she been married before?” asked Benjamin.

“Yes, but it was annulled, and shortly after, he had died in service.”

“Poor thing,” Anna remarked kindly. “Do you have a picture of her?” David pulled out her picture from his wallet and handed it to her. Benjamin and Anna looked on the object of their son’s affections and saw an incredibly kind face, and could see why he could already appear so in love. “She seems very kind. I hope you two continue to be happy, and one lucky day, may meet her.”

“I hope so.”

He enjoyed the days he had with his parents, but when it was time for him to go to L.A. to see Audrey, his mind was filled with nothing else but her. The station was filled with people who were also eagerly waiting for their loved ones, and like a beacon in the darkness, David spotted Audrey among the crowd. The last time they met, they said goodbye with timid tenderness, but their reunion was fearlessly affectionate. Audrey nearly toppled him with how quickly she ran into his arms, and he dropped his bag on the ground to hold her, kissing her as if they had done this many times before.

When they pulled away, she could see his cheeks were red and a shy smile on his lips. “Gee, I wasn’t planning our first kiss to be like that.”

“Was it bad?” she asked, worried.

“No!” he quickly corrected himself, “Far from it. It was wonderful.”

Relieved, she brought him back home, where Viola happily welcomed him. “How were your parents, did you get to celebrate Hannukah?”

“Not exactly, since it was early this month, but we did do a few things in honor of.”

“Which reminds me,” Audrey said before disappearing into the kitchen and brought out a plate. “I borrowed the recipe, and thought it try to make you your late-keys.”

David smiled, trying to stifle a laugh. “Darling, do you mean latkes?” Audrey felt flustered at this, but he pulled her in and kissed her cheek, “That’s alright darling, I said it wrong for the first five years of my life,” then taking a bite out of one, he smiled and said, “And if it’s any consolation, your cooking is better than your pronunciation.”

Audrey smiled and was relieved that she got this batch right. She practiced the past few days, wanting to not only make something that reminded him of home, but to show she respected his religion and heritage. “How long shall we have you, David?” Viola asked.

“I go back on the day after New Year’s. And, I wanted to ask,” his attention turned to Audrey, “Many of the other soldiers were invited to a New Years Eve party, and I was wondering if you wouldn’t mind coming along?”

Audrey would have loved to come, but she worried about leaving her mother home alone. “Oh, don’t worry about me. Me and Mrs. Harris next door will get together and drink sherry until we drop,” she laughed.

It wasn’t anything fancy, but it was filled with many soldiers and their dates who were just happy they had a reprieve from the fighting, a moment where they could forget they weren’t in the middle of a war but living a normal and happy life. “Recognize anyone from your troop?”

“Not really. But that’s alright, I want all my focus on you, the prettiest girl in the whole world.”

This is what made Audrey love him, not his compliments, but how sincere he was, and she really did feel like she was the prettiest girl in the world. “I love you,” she said, “I know I told you on paper, but I wanted to say the words for a while now. I love you, David Friedkin.”

He smiled and said, “And I love you, Audrey Westphal, every day since I met you, and every day after today.”

The MC stepped forward and started the countdown into the new year, and as the band played into 1945, friends hugged and wished each other a bright new year, couples shared their first kiss of the new year, and David and Audrey were among them. They only stopped when someone came by to give them champagne and waited as the MC raised a glass to the crowd, saying “A happy New Year to you all! May our soldiers come home safely, and this be the year we kick Hitler’s ass!”

The party went on into the early morning, with people only leaving at four am, and despite how tired they were, David and Audrey stayed up, enjoying what little time they had. “You look so worn, David,” Audrey fussed as the approached her home.

“It was worth it, didn’t want to lose a moment with you, darling.”

It was a decision she normally wouldn’t have made, under normal circumstances, but these weren’t normal circumstances. “Why don’t you come in? You can sleep in the guest room. I’d hate for you to stumble back tired and possibly hurt yourself because of it.” David wanted to argue, saying it wouldn’t be proper, but he was tired, and he didn’t want her worrying, so he accepted. “I’ll get the room ready for you,” Audrey said as they went inside, but he stopped her.

“Wait, sit with me for a while? I’m not ready to sleep yet.”

She smiled and led him to the couch in the living room, curling up against him as they heard the faint music playing outside. This was much like what David had wanted; his arms around her, her head resting on his chest, sitting together, passing time as if they had all the time in the world. This was happiness.

Viola slept into the late morning, passing her daughter’s room, and was surprised to not see her there. True, she was in bed before they arrived home, but Audrey couldn’t have already been up before her. Going down the stairs, she noticed David’s hat sitting on the table in the hallway, and upon closer examination, she found exactly where her daughter was. Sleeping soundly against her soldier, who held her as they slept on the small couch, which made his hang over to allow her room. It was a sight too tender to be disturbed, and carefully, Viola left the couple alone to get the much-needed sleep.

When they finally did wake, they were slow to proper awareness, but once they had, David was apologizing profusely to Mrs. Westphal for having stayed when he shouldn’t have, but she waved it off. “It’s New Years, everyone does something a little unusual the first day of the year. And besides, I was here the whole evening, no one would dare say anything against you two. Now, come on, eat some breakfast.”

He spent a quiet day with the Westphals, before going back to serve, and his heart broke to see Audrey so sad. “I’ll let you know as soon as I am able to get leave again.”

“It’s not fair,” Audrey softly protested, “You go away for months and are only allowed back for a brief time.”

“Darling, it’s war, and all’s fair in love and war. But it’ll be over soon, I feel it, and then with no war between us, all we’ll have is love. Let’s look to the future, that’s where we belong.”

David somehow always managed to make Audrey feel better, even when it all felt so lost. The letters they wrote to each other were the only things they had to look forward to.

“Beloved David,

It’s been an incredibly frustrating day. After spending all week auditioning for parts and working hard to learn dances and dialogue, and I got not a single role, not even in the background. Then I read about what is going on over there and have been a wreck to think you are so close to it. Mom and I got into a fight, it was over something silly, and I know I was a bit sensitive, but she knew I had a bad day, and her words were like twisting a knife deeper in me. I hadn’t come out of my room for the rest of the evening, just crying, wishing you were here. I can’t figure how you put up with me, when I can be so silly and mean. I wish I could be as calm and patient like you, I wish I knew how to think first then act after rather the other way around. But I wish people would stop treating me like I don’t know anything, stop making me feel like I’m incapable of understanding anything. I am a lot smarter than people think, and I understand more than they believe. No one knows that, it appears, except you. I need you with me, I feel so alone despite being with so many people. God, I hate war.

I know I am not the only one who has a loved one away fighting, and I know everyone tells me that I need to buck up and be proud of my soldier, but I am too busy being scared for you that I can’t allow myself to be proud. I am proud of you, incredibly so, but I’d be the happiest woman if you had left and stayed with me, safe and sound. Forgive me for dumping all of this on you, you deserve to hear only good things from me, so let me change the topic.

I love you so much, my dear. Mom gave me a picture of us asleep on the couch, and I have it by my bed, and I remember how it felt to be in your arms, and I fall asleep much easier with you on my mind. The girls are a little jealous of me, saying I got the best fella a girl could ask, and I couldn’t agree more. They talk about how handsome you are, and indeed they are right, but you are even more wonderful underneath all that. Your eyes are as warm and inviting as your heart, your lips are lovely and kind as your soul, your hands gentle and strong as your spirit, when you smile everyone can’t help but to stare, and when you laugh, it’s the best music in the world. There must be a God or something greater out there, because you are proof that perfection exists, and it’s a miracle that you entered my life to bless me with it.

Write to me as soon as you can, I need to know you are well.

Love, Audrey.”

David cried to see how unhappy she was, read her letter carefully, over and over, before he wrote down the words he could think of to comfort her.

“Darling Audrey,

My poor darling girl, I am so sorry that you had a terrible day, and more than anything I wish I was there to comfort you. I am sure your mother didn’t mean to upset you or to make you unhappy, she loves you, it is very clear to see, she’s as human as I am and you are. Don’t be too hard about your own way to express yourself; I’ve seen some people who have no passion or feeling for anything in this world, or worse, they stifle it so much that they kill it, and have no love for anything or anyone at all. I love that you feel as much as you do, I love that, for better or for worse, your heart is on your sleeve, and I am sorry that people have underestimated you, because you are talented, bright, and wonderful, and they clearly don’t know the good thing they’ve got.

I am sorry that people brush aside your fears and pain. We are told the same over here. “Buck up, soldiers, no good moping over our past.” But it’s hard to not mourn a period in our lives where the biggest thing we had to worry was whether or not to pay the bills on time, or will we get that job, or will my crush like me back. Everyday we sit so close to death it’s hard to not try and think of life, to cling to the reasons why we’d want to stay alive, and what would happen to our loved ones if we didn’t come back. We may be soldiers, but we are human first, and we are as scared and lonely as anyone else, not machines that can turn our feelings on and off. Sometimes, when I can’t sleep and I think too much on what I am missing out, I can’t help but to cry. As Charlotte Bronte wrote, ‘Crying does not indicate that you are weak. Since birth, it has always been a sign that you are alive’. Feel as much as you want darling, for you live and love that way.

I admit when I read your last paragraph, I blushed to think you saw me like that. What have I ever done to be lucky to be loved by you, darling? The other day, the fellas were talking about their sweethearts and wives, and I had to talk about you. Gee, I found I could have talked about you for hours, tell the world just how much I love you, and convince them that there was no greater girl in the world than you. I only stopped because we were commanded to get suited up, but it didn’t stop me from thinking about you. Got a nice frame for your picture and now, whenever I go up in the skies, I place it on my dashboard so I can see you all the time, and then in the evenings, I fall asleep looking at you. Yes, my darling, I believe there must be a higher power up there, because happiness and love like this don’t just happen on accident, they are meant to be.

Remember to keep me in your prayers, and I promise to see you soon.

Love, David.”

January is a cold and bitter month, and the letters were slow to reach everyone, making it an agonizingly longer than it needed to be. Lives were lost because of the cold, because it was darker and the snow made it harder to see, good men David was friendly with were now gone, so few letters coming through made it even lonelier than ever before. The only thing that kept him sane was the picture of Audrey, the reminder that this was what was waiting for him. Look to the future, he had to remind himself, your Audrey is waiting for you there.

February fared better as hints of spring were coming, and the letters came more freely now. For Valentine’s day, Audrey sent the most adorable valentine with a puppy on it, crying as she rips a page off the calendar and sees its Valentine’s day. ‘Missin’ You on Valentine’s Day, I miss you just so doggone much- I feel so sad, so doggone blue’ and inside read, ‘I just can’t help but sorta hope you’re just a little lonesome too!’ Handwritten at the bottom was a small note that read ‘I feel this way every day you are away, but more so this day! I love you, Audrey.”

He smiled, placing it inside his box, his treasure chest as he called it, of all the letters and gifts that Audrey sent to him, pulling it out whenever he needed to be reminded of her. He sent her a gift that he found while a day’s leave in the city, a gift Audrey found remarkable. It was a small wooden box, a moon engraved at the top and a small crank on the side, and attached was a note that read “I’ll be looking at the moon, but I’ll be seeing you. I love you, David.” When she cranked the box, tears immediately came to her eyes as she heard their song playing.

They hoped David would have been given leave for his birthday, but sadly he had to spend it away from home, but he still received such nice gifts from his loved ones. His parents sent him a scarf his mother made, and three bars of soap, which may not have seemed a great gift, but compared to the soap the army gave the men, this was a luxury that they missed. Mrs. Westphal made socks, and Audrey sent over a book, one that he once said was missing from his collection, "For Whom the Bells Tolls". It had caused quite a stir and many people had it banned, which made finding it difficult, but not for Audrey it seemed. Her card attached was hand written and said

“Beloved David,

I hope your birthday over there is a happy one, and know how much we all over here are missing you terribly. I hope the book finds you in one piece, for it was a hardship to find it, had to search high and low for it, but it will be worth it for you to add to your collection. I can’t wait until you come back to me, to lay down at the beach, hear your lovely heart beating, your wonderful voice reading to me. I love to hear you speak, my dear, there is not greater sound to me in the world than your voice. Stay safe, know that I love you always, and miss you forever.

Love, Audrey.”

He smiled and wiped his eyes; to think she worked so hard to find this book, that she didn’t give up the first or second tries. She wanted him to have it, because he knew how important it was to him. He then went to writing to his mother, he had a very important request to make of her.

He came back home on March 22rd, warmly greeted by his love, and as eager as he was to be with her, he was eager to go back to his apartment, to see if he got the letter he needed. Audrey felt bad that she had a new role, mainly because it took time away from him, but he told her that they would have plenty of time together, as he was promised two weeks off. Neither of them could have expected for David to receive orders two days later that he was to return back on April 2nd at noon. It was a blow to David, as he had hoped to plan something wonderful for Audrey, something deserving of her, but as it would appear, he would have to make due with what he had.

With bad news come swiftly good news, as the long-awaited letter from his mother came, and David hurried over to the Westphal home. He waited until Viola came to the door, her face smeared with flour and her hair a little untidy.

“Oh, David,” she wiped her hands on her apron, “Audrey isn’t home yet, I thought that I told you she’d be home at 4?”

“Yes, you did. But I wanted to come by early, that is,” he removed his hat and fiddled with it, “Ma’am I wanted to talk to you, before Audrey came home. To ask you something.”

Viola barely contained her excitement, certain it meant what she thought, and she happily accepted David in. A half hour later, Audrey came home, calling out to her mom. “Mom,” she said as Viola came through the living room door, “I am going to change and freshen up before David arrives.”

“He’s here already.”

“Oh no, and I look like a mess,” she complained as she looked in the mirror.

“No, not at all my dear. You look lovely. Go on, he’s been waiting for you.” Audrey didn’t see the barely contained tears of joy in her mother’s eyes or the huge smile as she went into the living room.

David looked a bit nervous but always so happy to see her. “Hello, Audrey, I am sorry that I am a bit early.”

“It’s alright. I am just sorry that I don’t look my best.”

“You look beautiful, no matter what you do.”

She smiled and blushed, feeling like a girl again. “Please sit.” She noticed that he was fiddling with his hat, looking a bit nervous. “Is everything alright?”

“Well, no, but maybe yes?”

“What?” she laughed.

“I had received news that I have to go back a little earlier than I was expected.”

Her smile went away. “When?”

“This Monday coming up, I have to be at the station at noon.”

“Oh,” she couldn’t hide her disappointment. “I had hoped we had more time.”

“So had I. I received a letter from my mother today, she asked after you.”

“That was kind of her, I hope she is well.”

“She is, and actually she sent me something that I would like you to see.” He pulled out an envelope, handing it to her. She could see that something was inside, and when she poured the contents in her hand, she saw a beautiful ring, with a simple gold band and a lovely round diamond. “I know it’s nothing extravagant, nothing like what you deserve, but if you would have me, I’d do everything I can to make myself worthy of your love.” Taking her hand as he went to his knees before her, he asked, “Audrey Lorraine Westphall, would you marry me?”

She couldn’t believe it, this wonderful man who she felt she didn’t deserve, believed he was undeserving of her. “Oh David,” she started, and for a moment, he had felt certain that she was going to say no, “You have it backwards, it’s me that doesn’t deserve you, and I will happily do everything I can to be deserving of you.”

“Is, is that a ‘yes’?”

“Yes,” she answered, tears of joy springing to her eyes, “Of course I’ll marry you.”

David himself couldn’t stop his own overflowing emotions and his eyes watered with joy as he leaned into her to kiss her. “I know this isn’t exactly what you would have imagined this, but-”

She stopped him before he could go on. “It was perfect. In the end, I have the most wonderful man in love with me, that is as perfect as I could hope.”

“I am sorry that I can’t give you a church wedding,” he says, referring to his Jewish religion, “You deserved a beautiful long white dress and choir boys and such.”

“I had that already, David, it isn’t it’s all cracked up to be. All I could ask for you is you.”

Viola had burst through the door when she was called, tears falling down her face and her smile so wide it had to hurt her face, but she wouldn’t have cared. Her little girl was going to marry a wonderful man, and she was certain this would be a much happier marriage. They agreed to a courthouse wedding, as it was best for their religious backgrounds, and it was agreed upon Saturday, so that they may have the weekend together. Wartime marriages were happening often, though compared to the start of the war, it had slowed down, but finding a spot was still difficult, though not impossible. There had been concerns that couples were marrying simply because it sounded glamorous and romantic, but no one would have had to worry about David or Audrey, it was clear that this was as honest as the day is long.

Saturday came and as Audrey was getting ready, she was given a small bouquet of red tulips with baby’s breath, sent by David. They were simply beautiful, and he told her in those flowers how much he loved her. “Audrey dear, we have ten minutes before we have to go,” called her mother through the door.

“Alright, I am almost ready.” She was nearly going to add make-up, but then she remembered the picture that David chose to take with him overseas, the one she didn’t think she looked that good, but he loved anyway, because it shows the true Audrey. When she married Lewis, she put on quite a bit of make-up in hopes to appear older, but she didn’t need that now, all she wanted to be was herself, and so, she left her face bare, allowing her natural beauty to shine, and after doing up her hair, she went down and drove to the courthouse with her mother.

David was waiting inside, watching the time, he had been so scared of possibly being late that he arrived an hour early. It was ten minutes before their time when he saw her walk through the door. There may have been many brides that have come before her, but there would never be one that was as beautiful as her; she wore no make-up, and yet looked so radiant and outshone all the other women in the place, she had her hair done up in curls, and he could see she took a few of the baby’s breath to pin in her hair, and her dress was a simple satin ivory dress with flutter sleeves and a pink fabric rose in the middle of the neckline.

He looked so handsome in his uniform, and for a moment, she forgot that she would only have him for a weekend, and just enjoyed the day of her marrying the man she knew she was meant to be with. “You look beautiful,” he softly complimented, as she approached.

“And you look so handsome. Thank you for the flowers, they are lovely.”

They were called in to the courtroom, and arm in arm, they walked in as Audrey Westphal and David Friedkin, and in a short time, they left as Mr. and Mrs. Friedkin. The ceremony was simple, and yet, it was as wonderful as she could have hoped, because David was looking at her as if she was the most beautiful woman in the world, and he the luckiest man. It was wonderful because her mother was beaming with joy and love, rather than concern and mild happiness. It was wonderful because rather than feeling nervous and deluded into believing she knew love, she was excited and knew that there is no man in the world who more perfect for her than David.

The trio went out for lunch at a diner David had suggested, and compared to her first reception, she liked this one much better. They agreed that when the war was over, they would have a proper reception with friends and more of their family, but for now, they were happy as they were. Afterwards, David brought her to his apartment, the one he had before joining the army, and after showing his landlady the marriage certificate, he led her to the door, and carried her over the threshold.

It wasn’t anything big, but it was neat and perfect for a young man, or rather now, a newly married couple, to live in. “I know it’s not much,” he said apologetically, removing his hat, “It’s not fancy or swanky, but it’s private, and has everything we could want.”

Audrey placed a quick kiss to his lips to stop him and smiled. “It’s perfect, David, really. Because it has you, and that’s all I want this weekend.”

He tossed his hat aside and leaned down to kiss her. “I love you so much, Mrs. Friedkin.”

She smiled at the new name. “And I love you, Mr. Friedkin.”

They didn’t leave their room that entire weekend, they wanted to block out the entire world, forget that there was a war that was going to pull them apart on Monday, and just loved each other as if there was never going to be a chance to love each other ever again. But came that dreaded Monday morning, and despite everything inside them begging to stay, they knew they couldn’t be selfish. They were quiet as they dressed and walked through the hall and down the stairs, his arm wrapped around her waist, while she clung to him. The sight was heartbreaking, everyone who saw them knew just what was going to happen, but all they could do was wish the soldier well, and silently prayed that he’d return for his wife.

The station was filled with soldiers and their loved ones, everyone looking miserable, but Audrey swore they were the most miserable. Viola had waited at the station, wanting to see him off and to be there for her daughter. After wishing him a safe journey, she stepped away, letting the couple enjoy their last moments together. Audrey was trying to keep it together, but it wasn’t until now that it suddenly came pouring out.

“I’m sorry,” she said, crying.

“No, go ahead,” David softly spoke, pulling her into a hug, “You go ahead and cry.”

“Would it offend you if I prayed for you in church?”

He chuckled, “No, it wouldn’t. In fact, I’ll take all the help I can get.” She chuckled at that, and for a moment they just held each other in silence. “Audrey,” he spoke, suddenly remembering and pulled from his pocket a key and gave it to her, “This is the key to the apartment, I already told my landlady that you have the key. Please feel free to go there as much as you want.”

She looked at the key in her hand and was touched that he trusted her with his space, that he even wanted her to invade it. “I’ll take care of it while you’re gone, so when you come back, it’ll be ready for you.” Then, cradling his face in her hands, she said, “Promise me that you’ll come back. Please, promise me.”

David didn’t want to make such a hefty promise, fearful that in doing so and something happening, he couldn’t bear the thought that he broke his promise. But seeing her tears, how much she needed to hear him say it, he knew that his promise would make her happy. “I promise, come hell or highwater, I will come back to you.”

Audrey knew that it was a difficult promise to keep, war took so many people away, no matter how smart, strong, or brave you were. But, she thought that if he made the promise, he’d have another reason to fight harder to stay alive, and therefore come back to her. The train whistle broke the air and Audrey quickly clung to him, wanting to hold him once more, and then they kissed desperately as if they feared that this would be their last.

“All aboard!”

David reluctantly pulled away from her, knowing he had to go, but he was comforted to see his mother-in-law beside his wife, she wouldn’t be alone, and it made letting her go easier. Audrey and Viola stayed until the train was gone from their sights, when they could no longer hear the whistle, and it was then Audrey suddenly broke down in her mother’s arms. “He’ll come back,” Viola whispered, rubbing comforting circles on her daughter's back, “I know he will. He’s strong, he’s smart, and he loves you so much. He’ll come back.”

Audrey knew her mother was right, David was strong and smart, and he loved her too much, but that didn’t always guarantee a safe return, but for the time being, it was the faith that she clung to. Every Sunday, she went to church and lit a candle for David, praying for a long time that David would come home, and her faith was always renewed whenever she got his letters. They always when expected, even across the sea he was punctual.

There was a time when it looked as though David wouldn’t have been able to make it to Audrey. A mission went awry, and despite the caution they took, lives were lost, and many were injured, including David. A shrapnel got into his rib, and he was rushed to the infirmary, and after over an hour of work, the shrapnel was out, and he barely made it out alive. He would have to be on bedrest for a week, and then ready to get back to fighting, but it was a close call. He watched as others were brought in to be cared for, and the few others who were to be returned home in coffins.

“Hey,” came the voice of Gale Cleven, whom others had called Buck, his superior and who had been in the plane with him many times before. “How are ya feeling?”

“Like I had a shrapnel in my ribs,” he joked, which made Gale laugh. Humor was the only way to get through some of the worst days, better to laugh than to cry, they said. “How many did we lose?”

“At the moment? Six, but we don’t know until everyone has been checked.” He then reached into his pocket and handed him something. “I grabbed this before they took the plane in, figured you wanted this back.”

Taking it, David saw that it was his framed picture of Audrey at the table, and he remembered how he placed it on the dashboard, and he was grateful it didn’t get destroyed or fell out of the plane. “Thank you. I would have been upset to lose this.”

“Your girl?”

David smiled and shook his head. “My wife. We got married before I was shipped off, married to the most wonderful gal in the world.” Gale smiled; true he would have thought his girl, Marge, was the most wonderful girl in the world, but he was not going to tell another man that, and isn’t each girl the most wonderful girl in the world to someone?

“What’s her name?”

“Audrey. It may be something a lot of guys say, but when I tell you I knew from the moment I saw her, I really did. She became my whole world, and there’s nothing I want more than to get back to her.”

“You will, I know you will.”

He smiled; he was intent on keeping his promise, come hell or highwater, he would come back to Audrey. Since he would have nothing but time on his hands, he decided to write to Audrey, telling her of the most recent accident. It wasn’t what she had expected, in fact, she had been comfortable in the idea that David seemed almost indestructible, and this letter was a harsh reminder he was only human.

“How is he?”

Audrey’s face fell. “He’s injured. Shrapnel to the rib, but he’s says he’s alright, just needs to rest for a week.”

Viola crossed herself. “Thank God he is alright.”

“Am I terrible for wishing that it was bad enough that they would have had him sent home permanently?”

Viola shook her head, her eyes tender with empathy. “No, I am sure everyone who loves a soldier wishes for that. What else does he say?”

Audrey scanned through, and her cheeks grew warm. “Um, the rest is a bit personal. But he is well.” Later that evening, when Audrey stayed at his apartment, she re-read the letter, drinking in his words.

As I am lying here, I can’t help but think constantly of you; of how sad you looked when we were separated and how desperately it broke my heart. And then I think of your smiles when we were married and during our small honeymoon, and it makes me work harder to get back to you quicker. I can’t tell you how much I miss you, especially in the evenings, when I wish I was nowhere but in your arms. How eagerly I wait to be back to you, to kiss you, your sweet lips, your lovely neck, your pretty breasts. I could never forget the beautiful look on your face when you reached ecstasy and the wonderful sounds you made, they are burned in my brain forever and I hope to return to you and help make those beautiful faces and sounds again. There’s nothing more I could want now than to shower you in my love, to stop being a lieutenant and be a lover to you. Pray that I may come home soon, otherwise the fellas are not going to be happy with what I’m going to do in my bunk.

Audrey chuckled at that last line, but she completely understood the sentiment. Curling herself in the bed they shared, remembering those wonderful moments where they made love, talked, and laughed, and silently admired each other. It was in those quiet moments in the evening when she had nothing but time to think, did her emotions go all over, from joyful that she married him, to melancholy that he was far away, that she was grateful sleep eventually took hold of her where she could dream of him, and the work day help to keep her mind off of her troubles. Continuing to help out at the canteen was both a blessing and a curse for her. She would see other soldiers with their ladies, and she envied them while she could only wonder if her soldier was safe, a nightly curse. The blessing came in disguises, like this night, when a major from his group was given leave and spotted her.

Across the room, Gale saw a woman that he was certain he knew. “She looks familiar,” he noted to a fellow soldier, hoping he might know where Gale saw her from.

“She’s beautiful,” commented his friend. “Dibbs.” Gale tried to stop him, but the soldier went to her, making Gale follow. “Excuse me, miss. Would you like to dance?”

“No, thank you,” she replied nicely.

“Forgive me,” Gale stepped in, “You look familiar to me.”

She smirked, “If that isn’t one of the cheesiest pick-ups I have ever heard.”

“No, I swear it isn’t.”

“If he doesn’t want to pick you up, I do,” the other soldier said, trying to pull her in for a dance.

“I said no,” she spoke more firmly, stepping back, “My dances are saved for my husband.”

“And where is this great husband of yours?”

“He’s fighting overseas. He’s a great and brave man,” she added with tenderness.

“Who is your husband?” Gale asked, now eager to know if he has met this man.

“First lieutenant David Friedkin of the 100th bomb group, Signals Corps,” she answered with pride.

Gale snapped his fingers and exclaimed, “Audrey!” Audrey looked at him surprised. “Yes, you were wearing a gingham dress, the coffee and newspaper on the table, and you were sitting at the table, like this,” he mimicked her position, making Audrey stare in wonder.

“You know David? When did you last see him? Was he well?” It had been two months since she had seen him and she was eager to know anything she could from one who just came from him. Gale had informed her that he saw him last before he went over here, and said he was well, she listened with eagerness as he told stories of what he did overseas, and how he arrived back proudly telling anyone he could that he married the most wonderful girl in the world. The idea that he would do that made her blush, but also feel prideful that he talked about her in such a way. “Would you do something for me?” She removed something from her neck, explaining, “I forgot to give it to him before he left, and I want him to have it now.” She placed a kiss to the pendent before offering it to Gale.

Gale was a bit romantic, and taking out his handkerchief, he had her place it inside. “This way, not only is it safe, but that it is only touched by you and him.”

“Thank you. And give him a message from me.” The message though short, was one she knew he’d understand, and was the truth.

Gale took his duty seriously and as soon as he had landed back to base, he made it his mission to find David. “Friedkin,” he called, finding him with the other men, “I have something for you.”

“Aww, a little token?” teased Eagan, making the men laugh.

“Something like that,” Gale spoke seriously, pulling out his small bundle, handing it to David. Curious, David opened the handkerchief, and saw inside was a silver pendant of the archangel Michael, protector of soldiers. “We saw your wife, she was sorry she didn’t give it to you before you left, but she wanted you to have it now. And she wanted me to tell you something, she said, ‘I’ll be looking at the moon, but I’ll be seeing you’.”

David smiled and his heart tugged at the message. He hung the pendant around his neck and looking at the angel, he placed a kiss to it, unaware of Audrey’s action. “Didn’t I tell you she was the most wonderful gal ever?”

“Yes,” Gale nodded, smiling, “She really is.”

Later when writing his letter, David thanked her for the pendant, certain it would help him through the coming months. He told her how he heard he was going to get leave again soon, and they both were eager for the visit. Sadly, an attack on the base had changed those plans, and once again, they had to go without seeing each other.

June, July, August, all unbearable months, with only letters to sustain them, promises of being able to see each other again, but broken as the war grew to a breaking point. At times, his letters were scarce, and when he put pen to paper again, they were long and wonderful letters apologizing for the delay, but his hope that it was ending soon. Audrey prayed every night before bed, even when to church each morning hoping David would come home soon. Everyone was waiting for a miracle.

The miracle came when she was home with her mother, listening to Tommy Dorsey when a broadcast interrupted them. “And now an important word from General MacArthur.”

“My fellow countrymen, today the guns are silent. A great tragedy has ended. A great victory has been won.”

“Mom! Come quick!” Viola rushed from the kitchen to hear the rest of his speech, confirming once and for all, the war was over.

“And so, my fellow countrymen, today I report to you that your sons and daughters have served you well and faithfully with the calm, deliberate, determined fighting spirit of the American soldier and sailor based upon a tradition of historical trait, as against the fanaticism of an enemy supported only by mythological fiction. Their spiritual strength and power has brought us through to victory. They are homeward bound - take care of them.”

Tears blinded Audrey’s eyes as she wept with joy. “David’s coming home.”

A few days later she received a letter from David, and she smiled to see the happy tears on his paper.

“Darling Audrey,

I get to come home to you! It felt like I almost wouldn’t, but we all knew this couldn’t last forever, and we are all excited to get back to you all. It may take a little while, my darling, as we all are trying to leave as soon as possible, but I hear that the bombing troops will be one of the firsts to go, as we are not needed. We hope to be back home a week after today and I am more than ready to leave behind the title of lieutenant and be simply Mr. Friedkin, husband to Audrey. I love you, my darling angel, wait for me, I will be home soon.

Yours always,

David”

The letter was dated on the 2nd, which meant he would be home on the 9th, so she did everything she could to make the apartment clean and homey. She even got red tulips and had them sitting on the kitchen table. It had been the most relaxed she had felt in a long time, now that she knew the danger was gone, and he was coming home safely to her.

The day of the ninth, she dressed herself in the dress she wore when they first met, and waited, from the earliest train at dawn to the latest at dusk. He didn’t show. Strange, he usually is on time. It happens, her mother explained, so many soldiers are returning, they can’t always come back the first day. Audrey continued to wait, day after day, until it was a week, and now panic started to fill her. What if something happened to him between his last letter and now? Was he hurt somewhere, and no one knew what happened to him? Why won’t anyone tell her where David was?

She stayed at his apartment, wanting to be as close to him as possible, even grabbing one of his shirts, inhaling the cologne that still lingered on, wishing it was the real man. Her worry and crying made her feel so unwell that she remained in his bed for an entire day. It had now been a week and a half, and still no word from David, and she began to fear the worst. If David was gone, truly gone, she wouldn’t want to continue on anymore, for life would have no meaning without him.

“Audrey!” A faint voice called for her, and she wondered if it was just her imagination, but the voice grew louder and clearer. “Audrey!”

She sat up in the bed, her heart beating furiously. Could it really be him? Audrey was pulled back into reality, hurried to the door, and saw David, his face bruised and cut, but he was here, all in one piece. She jumped into his arms as he entered, dropping his bags in the doorway, and he held her so tightly she swore she would be bruised later, but she didn’t care. “I’m here, I’m here,” he whispered over and over, holding her close, inhaling her perfume.

“David, you’re back. Thank you, God,” she praised, closing the door behind them.

He had carried her to the bed, their kisses deep and desperate, and as she unbuttoned his shirt, she saw hanging around his neck her pendant, and she had felt certain that it had a hand in bringing him back to her. Later, as they laid in bed, holding each other, pressing little kisses to their faces, Audrey looked at his bruised face and torso. Whatever happened over there, she was certain she nearly lost him, but for whatever reason God choose to give them mercy, and he was here, alive in her arms. “Never leave me again,” she spoke softly.

“I promise,” he spoke, pressing a kiss to her forehead, “I’ll never leave you again. Only death will take me away from you.” He kissed her on the lips, and once again, they celebrated his return in the most intimate way possible.

Viola got to see the couple a week later, though she wasn’t surprised and allowed the couple the time they needed together. His face looked better, she thought, as he had stopped by the house first looking for Audrey, but when she shared that she was at the apartment, he left immediately to see his wife. Now, they could have a life together, and Viola was no longer worried about her daughter’s future.

The whole of America was celebrating the end of the war, many people were welcoming back their loved ones, but many were mourning too, and Audrey would never take for granted just how lucky she was. One evening, nearly a month after he came home, Audrey woke to find him not in bed, and after stepping out of the bedroom, she found him at the kitchen table, his face in his hands. She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, and he looked up at her with tired, sad eyes. He said nothing as he pulled her into his lap and held her close. She held onto him, her head resting on top of his, not saying anything, just letting him go through whatever it was he was feeling.

“They’re never coming back,” he at last whispered, his voice broke. “All those men, brothers, sons, lovers, friends to someone, who will never see them again. Why did some of us and not all of us come back?”

She ran her hand through his hair and sighed. “I wish I could give a life altering answer, but all that I can say is the truth. Some people are just luckier than others, and no matter how much we try, whether in war, love, or life, things work out better for others. But you can’t sit here and say you were undeserving than the other. They were good men, they fought for something they believed in, and the world will always remember that. There’s a reason for you to be here, for your parents, your brother, for me,” she smiled then added, “And for our baby.”

David looked up at her, the tiredness and sorrow was lifted and there was hope in his eyes. “Baby?”

She smiled wide and nodded her head. “I found out yesterday. You’re going to be a dad, David.”

At this, David began to cry, but he was smiling, pressing kisses to her face, and murmured ‘thank yous’ whether it was to Audrey or to God, she wasn’t sure, but she knew that he would be the greatest father ever.

With this new development, David had arranged for the pair to travel back to Kansas City to meet his parents, and if all went well, to share the news with them. Audrey was nervous about finally meeting her in-laws, worried that they wouldn’t approve of his choice of bride once they finally met her. But as soon as they walked in, David’s mother, after hugging her son, then went to hug her new daughter-in-law. “Moya doch, welcome to the family,” Anna warmly said, taking her hand and bringing her into the living room. She talked Audrey’s ear off about David as a child, showing pictures and his old stories, of which he reddened with embarrassment, discrediting them as “awful stories”, but Anna knew that there was talent there, and Audrey whole heartedly agreed with her. She in turn showed the few pictures from their wedding, gifting the photobook as she had made doubles for his parents.

After being asked to help her in the kitchen, Audrey felt a little nervous of being alone with the mother, worried something unpleasant would come about, but after a comforting squeeze on her hand and a look of total adoration form David, she felt confident in going in alone.

 “We’re nearly done, just need to stir that up, and I’ll check on the meat.” Audrey did as she was told, humming to herself unawares, and then out of the blue, Anna commented softly, “Gee, you are so young.” Audrey stopped, looking at her, revealing no feeling. Anna realized what she said and felt flustered. “Forgive me, I didn’t mean it to sound rude or anything.”

“It wasn’t,” Audrey kindly answered, “It’s a fact.”

“It’s just, you see, David told us so much about you, except that you were younger. Not that I think it’s odd or anything, back home, girls your age would be married to much, much older men.”

Audrey looked down at the pot and said, “I know I am young, but the way I figured it, Mrs. Friedkin, in the five years before meeting your son, I had to do a lot of maturing and had a rather pessimistic view on life which made me older, and your son has such a natural good cheer and love of life that it makes him younger. So, we’re closer to being 25 and 27.” The math made both ladies chuckle, and Audrey looked at her mother-in-law. “And besides, I think it does a girl good to marry someone a little older than her. Girls tend to mature quicker than boys, though, I don’t think it has anything to do with nature, just girls are more put upon in this world. But all the same, whether he is 33 or 63, I’d love your son no matter what, because no one has understood me, the best and worsts parts, and not just still love me for it, but loved me because of it. I promise, I won’t break his heart, I’d rather think it a crime against humanity to do so.”

Anna relaxed and smiled, reaching to affectionately touch Audrey’s shoulder. “Thank you, my dear. One day, when you have a son of your own, you’ll understand the protectiveness of a mother. And I am glad that he found you, and that you found him.” They worked to finish the dinner in comfortable silence before bringing it out to the table.

As they sat down to dinner, Audrey found that Benjamin was much quieter than his wife, but no less warm and kind. “How has settling in after the war been?”

“It has its moments, but having someone there to help you,” he explained as he held Audrey’s hand, “Makes it a whole lot easier.”

“Still living in that apartment? Seems a little small for you two.”

“We are looking, actually,” Audrey added, “There’s some really nice houses, and we are hoping to find one before winter.”

“That’s smart,” Benjamin approved, “And you’ve gotten back to work?”

“Not yet, but I have a few offers. I met a real nice guy, Morton Fine, we seem to get along well and are thinking about writing together.” It was odd to Audrey how much Benjamin seemed to be deeply concerned about whether or not David was earning enough money, but he later explained that since his parents came over with hardly anything at all, the idea their children would have enough money to live comfortably was a sign that their children were happy.

“Well, I would like to make a toast.” Benjamin stood and held his glass out. “I wish to thank HaShem for returning our boy, safe and sound, for bringing an end to a terrible war, and for bringing us a daughter. Admittedly, we weren’t sure what to think of you,” Benjamin paused when he saw Anna’s expression. “It’s true, don’t deny it. When he first told us about you, we saw just how much he was in love with you, and we worried that the difference in religion would be a factor, but every concern we could have gone away once you walked in. There is just something there between you two that is hard to express. It’s just love, pure and simple, and sometimes, that’s all that is needed. Many blessings on you both, l’chaim!”

Anna and David repeated the sentiment, and Audrey managed well enough, though her pronouncement could have been a bit better. David looked at Audrey, and seeing the question in his eyes, she smiled and nodded. “There is something we have to tell you,” David called for attention. “I am glad you like Audrey, because, well, we’re going to have a baby.”

Anna jumped from her seat, exclaiming joyfully in Russian as she went to hug her daughter-in-law. Benjamin looked ecstatic, which the most expression she had seen from him, and he even gave a blessing in Hebrew to the couple and the new baby.

Life felt like it was healing itself, for Audrey and David moved into their new home just in time for the holiday season, and on May 23, 1946, their first son Gregory was born. As soon as he had looked at his son, David remembered what Audrey said, how he was here for his family, was meant to be a father, and he would always be grateful for being given a second chance of a life.

Audrey had worked on a few more movies before deciding it was not for her. Sure, her bit parts were steady and got money, but after nearly losing David and now having a child, she wanted to spend all her time with her boys. David made sure it was what she wanted, and he supported her choice, and did what he could to make sure that he could give his family everything they needed or wanted. Now the war was over, David committed himself to his work in writing and directing, working with that fellow he met, Morton Fine, first in radio then moving to television. Proving himself to be brilliant at it, and he had a good and steady career, even being nominated for six Emmys, a wonderful achievement. They would have another son, Anthony in 1949, and life could not seem to get better than this.

If being too happy is a sin, then in 1976, they were paying for it. Cancer was never something either of them had expected, but the doctor found the tumor, and it was certain that he would die from it. It was horrible to hear this, to lose the best man in the world, to not be able to grow old together and see their boys have their own families, to see him grow white hair and wrinkles and be called grandpa. It was just not fair, but rather than wallow in the sorrow, Audrey did everything she could to take care of him, make sure he was comfortable and happy in the last months of his life, she wanted to be with him as much as she could.

It was a cool autumn day, the world seemed so peaceful, and she and David decided to have a picnic in their backyard, a perfect scene with autumn leaves falling and cool breeze brushing against them. After eating, he laid his head on her lap, his now frail hand holding on to hers, speaking not a word for a few minutes. “It’s so beautiful today,” he softly said.

“Yes, a perfect autumn day.”

“You know, when I first saw you, there was something inside me that told me go to you, and if I didn’t, I’d regret it for the rest of my life. I didn’t understand why at first, but by the end of the night, I knew. I was meant to fall in love with you.”

Audrey smiled and leaned down to kiss him on the lips, her hair tickled his cheek. “I am forever grateful you walked into that canteen.”

“So am I.”

She held him in her arms, running her hands through his hair, humming the familiar song they danced to many times, watching as he fell asleep and then the sound of his breathing slowed, until it stopped. At first, Audrey couldn’t believe it, he can’t really be gone, and for almost an hour, she held him, not ready to let him go. Eventually, she did have to let him go, and with a kiss to his lips, and hoped that he went as peaceful as he looked. She was lucky to have had thirty-one years with him, but she had hoped to have reached fifty, to have seen him grow into an old man, see his grandchildren, but it seemed it would not be. October 15th, 1976 was the worst day of her life, a half of her died that day.

She hated to be seen as his widow, someone once tried to call David her late husband, she could only reply, “David is not my late husband, he is my husband, and he always will be.” It was true the day he died, and it was true twenty-three later. In 1999, she had seen how the world had changed, her boys were now grown with their own families and successful in their careers, and she could sit there and say she was content with how her life turned out. In the past year, Audrey put her Jo Stafford records on every night, and when she slept, she’d dream of her David. One night in early February, she felt more tired than she had before, but put on her favorite dress, the perfume she wore she was young, and rested in her chair as Jo Stafford’s voice soothed her. The beautiful notes swam through the air, and she was transported back to that night in 1944, where she met David.

“I’ll be seeing you, In all the old familiar places, That this heart of mine embraces, All day through”

She remembered the strong but comforting scent of David, the lemon and sage, the way she felt safe and loved in his arms, the way the world fell away for a moment that day.

“In that small café, The park across the way, “The children’s carousal, The chestnut tree, The wishing well,”

“Audrey.” She lifted her head and saw standing before her was David, dressed in his uniform, looking as he did the first time she met him.

“David? What are you doing here?”

“Our song is on, and I came to ask the prettiest girl to dance,” he explained as he held his hand out.

“I’ll be seeing you, In every lovely summer’s day, In everything’s that’s light and gay, I’ll always think of you that way,”

Audrey reached out and was surprised to see her old, wrinkled hand had turned young and smooth, and when she stood, her joints didn’t ache, but that she stood with ease. She saw herself in the mirror and was surprised to see herself young again, wearing the same dress she wore the night she met him. Turning around, she saw herself as an old woman seemingly asleep in the chair. “David? What is happening?”

“You were there for me to the end, so I figured I would be here for you.”

“I’m a little scared, David.”

“Don’t worry,” he said as he wrapped his arms around her, “We’re together now, everything will be alright.”

As he danced with her, Audrey saw the bedroom they shared for years turned into the dance hall where they were all alone, dancing together. Fear disappeared when she looked into his beautiful blue eyes. She was with her husband again, and as he promised all those years ago, they would be together, always.

“I’ll find you in the morning sun, And when the night is new, I’ll be looking at the moon, But I’ll be seeing you.”

Tagging: @freddycarterus @purpleyin @bcofl0ve @any-corrie @kylaym @zaened @turtleofdamascus @swanimagines @shiranai-atsune

[starkeysprincess]

Ok wait I think I came up with an awesome one shot idea if I do say so myself…fluff and smut. Lmk if u see my vision here. This is lowkey a Drabble in itself but DETAILS okay?

You had known drew since college. You’ve been by his side his entire career, he’d always remained the same loving, respectful, and humble drew that made you believe in love at first sight, and now you’re 6 months married. You also didn’t believe in perfection until the day (and night🤭) he made you his wife. He truly showed you what love is day in and day out.

Though he’s always been calm and more reserved, just one of the many things that made him so hot to you, one day he was a little too quiet. You decide to give him space, and when you head to bed, you catch him lying against the headboard teary-eyed with an obviously guilty look on his face. You ask him what’s wrong and he tries to play it off as just stress, but eventually you get it out of him that he feels out of place, an imposter, and that he doesn’t feel like he deserves all he’s worked so hard for, a fitting feeling all too true for your drew. His humility had no limit, even if it harmed his self-esteem sometimes. “I’m just some kid from small town North Carolina. It just feels wrong that some random guy just emerged from the blue ridge mountains one day and all of a sudden the entire world loves him.”

Of course, you know better than anyone that what he’s saying is false. Being the loving wife that you are, you have to talk him back up. You hate seeing your baby like this. After a while he confesses that he was considering quitting and retiring, starting a family and stepping out of the limelight. He felt he wasn’t made for it. He had taken too much from what the world had to offer to him. A little idea pops into your head and before you know it, you’re explaining to him that nobody is more deserving of his life than him. You recount memories, talk about all the joys of life together, appreciate all the world has to offer him and how much the two of you can accomplish together, before telling him you’ve had the idea of needing someone to share it with.

You never thought this would be how the kids conversation would go, but there’s admiration and fire behind your husband’s eyes. He’s in tears and so are you as he thanks you for staying with him through it all with a loving kiss that Drew’s quick to turn into a heated makeout sesh before he has you lied out all pretty for him, stressing how much he can’t wait to have you filled and swollen with his babies. Obviously smut proceeds (the daddy title being more fitting than ever) and afterwards he’s all over your stomach, willing his seed to take while whispering dirty little sweet nothings “there you go, mama. got you all nice and full f’me. god I can’t wait to see what a gorgeous little mini-me or you this perfect body makes. We hit our next milestone; Baby Starkey.”

OHHHH I SEE THE VISION BESTIE 🙈

“I’m just some kid from small town North Carolina. It just feels wrong that some random guy just emerged from the blue ridge mountains one day and all of a sudden the entire world loves him.”

first of all— STOPPPP MY POOR BABY 😭 what if i just cried rn

you’d comfort and remind him of how far he’s come and that you’re undeniably proud of him and will always be proud of him and the two of you are just in tears PLEASE 😔

“there you go, mama. got you all nice and full f’me. god I can’t wait to see what a gorgeous little mini-me or you this perfect body makes. we hit our next milestone; Baby Starkey”

ANDJDJKGKGK he’d be such a good dad, this whole thing has me in shambles right now 😭

[stellewriites]

twenty questions for fic writers 🫡

thanks for the tag @syoddeye!

1. how many works do you have on ao3?

50

2. what's your total ao3 word count?

699,806

3. what fandoms do you write for?

oh god, ongoing or previous too?? uhm currently batfam, star wars, cod, st - but i’ve had a few extra that i used to write for too

4. top five fics by kudos

i’m not linking them all bc some are,,,, far from my best work. also can u tell i love a long lyric title?

if you can’t give me all, give me nothing ; memorise the way you make me feel ; the way you move like you do ; i’m addicted to the way i feel when i think of you ; took the words right out of my mouth

5. do you respond to comments?

literally every single one,, before getting this account back a few months ago it was the only way i interacted w people in the fandoms so 🤷‍♀️ sometimes it might take a week tho but i try to be quick

6. what is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

i don’t tend to do angst endings? like even in darker angsty fics i usually twist it so it’s like dubcon happy at the end 🥴🥴 sooo maybe either no grave can hold my body down or can i steal a kiss or two? or even choices made in anger

7. what's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

liiiiiterally any other fic i’ve ever written lmao

8. do you get hate on fics?

not often? BUT i usually do fluff fics and when i started dabbling in darker stuff that’s when i got more hate - specifically on one fic in particular

9. do you write smut?

yeah! not all the time but maybe 65%

10. craziest crossover:

i dont really do crossovers but my last mando fic was inspired by justified if that counts?

11. have you ever had a fic stolen?

not that i know of,, again im not very online to be able to know :/

12. have you ever had a fic translated?

yeah! just one but now i dont do it,, learning curve for me

13. have you ever co-written a fic before?

almost when i was first starting out writing 6 years back but it fell through - katy if ur still out there i hope ur enjoying life <3

14. all time favorite ship?

ffffuckkkkkk i don’t think i can choose bc i dip in and out so often but i do tend to always come back to jaytim? they’re my for lifers i think but soap x reader is a close second atm

15. what's a wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

i’ll always finish my wips bc i can’t stand to see them unfinished,, but it’s been like three years since i first said i was going to write my sci-fi dystopian jaytim fic and im still not past the first paragraph :/

16. what are your writing strengths?

i think i’m good at dialogue and catching accents and nailing personalities pretty quick,,

17. what are your writing weaknesses?

i’m so fucking slow. if nothing else, watching people write for cod on here has shown me how quick everyone else seems to be able to write :’)

and also with longer fics i’ve gotten into the (bad) habit of leaving out like integral details that i assume the reader will just know bc ive been too in my own head about it all and ive forgotten what i’ve established already; leads to decisions looking like they’ve come out of nowhere or random personality changes

18. thoughts on dialogue in another language?

i’ve attempted it but i have to google translate it so i try to keep it to a minimum and ask for correction in the comments. sometimes i do it italicised but written in english so readers can understand that it’s meant to be another language but dont have to skip to the bottom notes or another tab to understand what’s being said

19. first fandom you wrote in?

teen wolf 🥴

20. favorite fic you've written?

idk if i’ve got a favourite,, in hindsight a lot of the ones i think about most fondly are the ones that absolutely killed me off when writing so i’ve got real rose tinted glasses about them all. however these are few that should get honourable mentions just because i like them and they didn’t pop up earlier

whew this was long i think i yapped ontoo much lmao but it was so fun!!

no pressure tags: @glossysoap @mikichko @kyletogaz @femalefemur @sentientcave @gemmahale @madstronaut and anyone else who wants to give it a go!!