#I recently started reading a book my dad gave me

[rustycottoncandy]

Goodnight ^^

[rotisseries]

I JUST FINISHED REREADING LEGENDBORN AND STARTED BLOODMARKED LAST NIGHT AND COME ON HERE AND YOU'RE ALSO READING IT 😨😨 WE SYNCED

CLOWN TO CLOWN COMMUNICATION. OUR UNBREAKABLE BOND

[neil-gaiman]

hi neil, it’s been a while since i’ve talked to you! just wanted to thank you for everything, you are my favorite author (and my moms, and her dads- i guess you are generational) and you’ve been such an inspiration and motivation to me every day. i know everyone says that, but it’s true. i’m in an academic team and we just recently started our regionals competition, and we were told to prepare and memorize a speech on pretty much anything, and surprise, i chose you! well, not you, but i chose to tell why i want to be an author, and you’ve had a pretty big hand in that. i’ll give you a shorter version at the end since it’s pretty long. again, thank you! truly.

When I was a kid, I had always wanted to be a writer. As I grew older, this dream of mine dissipated, seeming too unreliable to be a real career- until recently.

The ‘me’ of my childhood was scattered throughout the United States, leaving a piece of her youth at every new house we lived in. But one constant in my life, regardless of where I was living, was that I was always reading. Books were special to me, and kept me grounded when my life was going unpredictably. Each book was a world of its own, each story a lifeboat in a sea of uncertainty. Books were not just words on paper, they were my home, more than anywhere else. It is because of this that I strongly empathize with this quote from Neil Gaiman’s novel, The Ocean at the End of the Lane: “I’ve lived in books more than I’ve lived anywhere else.”

I am familiar with the quote in two ways. The first being in the way I grew up, living in many places but always finding home in my books. The second being one night, of uncertain longitudes and latitudes, I read my first Neil Gaiman novel- The Ocean at the End of the Lane. He soon became my favorite author.

Years later, my mom had gotten tickets for “An Evening With Neil Gaiman” at the Orpheum Theater. It continued to be rescheduled due to covid, but my mom and I held on to our tickets. That evening was all I could ever hope for. He gave us advice, which I’ve kept in my heart ever since. It was that very evening in which I decided I wanted to be on the other side of my passion for reading- I wanted to be the author. With an idol such as mine, how could I not?

I had kept writing in the back of my mind always, and on that night, it resurfaced. I gained my love for reading from my mother, and without it, Neil Gaiman would be a stranger to me, and I never would have rediscovered my passion for writing. Thank you.

as always, with love, ollie :)

You will do brilliantly. Keep going!

[queenimmadolla]

OKAY OKAY FOR PENNY AND DAD!EDDIE

So reader is baking cookies for Penny to take in her lunch and she steps out and asks them to take them out for her. Big mistake. Reader comes back to find Eddie and Penny red handed and there are like two cookies left so now she has to make a whole new batch :/

loved writing this one and hope everyone likes the new addition to the fam ;) steve’s SO is implied to be another character from (CYM) but i also like the idea of inserting readers into the scenario with him which is why no name or description is provided. happy reading, and PLEASE let me know if you like it. as always, reblogs are appreciated!!! took a little inspiration from look who’s talking :)

Cookies ‘n Clean - Fall of ‘91 (young parents!Eddie Munson x fem!reader)

𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭

summary: if anyone had told you you’d be having this type of conversation with a four year old while making cookies, you definitely wouldn’t have believed them. and eddie still can’t say no to your daughter.

warnings: fluff, talk of assigned sex and gender identity (keep in mind, this conversation is with a child so it may not be as in depth as some would like, it is also based on a conversation i had with my little nephew), mentions of colic, judgement free zone

word count: 2.4k+

“Shit,” You mumbled, hurriedly wiping your hands of any dough on a kitchen towel before rushing over to where the phone rang on its holder.

“Hello?” You spoke into the receiver, shouldering the phone before you went back to mixing the chocolate chips with the dough in the large bowl over the counter.

“Hey!” Your best friend’s voice sounded a bit faraway, like she’d stepped away from the phone while she rang you and rushed back once you’d picked up. “Sorry if you’re busy—wait, are you busy?”

“Uhhh,” You glanced around at the kitchen counter, covered with baking materials and flour. The floor looked no better, the flour fall out on the floor had tiny little handprints pressed into it, baby Wayne had been working on a masterpiece before Eddie came to the rescue and hauled him off for a bath. Penny had gone with him, having given herself the title of Daddy’s Little Helper. Penny’s first day of preschool was tomorrow, and you had wanted to make her some cookies, what with how big of a fucking deal it was that your four year old was approaching her school days. It kind of scared you, actually. “No, not really. Why? What’s up?” “I’m pretty sure Winnie’s got colic, she’s down for a nap right now, but I was hoping I could borrow that book you had about it. I’m going crazy over here, I feel so bad when she’s screaming like that, and Steve starts crying whenever she cries.” Of course Harrington would, he was big softie for his newborn.

“Yeah, of course. Let me just put these cookies I’m making into the oven, and then I’ll bring it over.” You could hear the heavy sigh of relief she heaved.

“Thank you so much. I owe you one.”Once you’d hung up, you finished mixing everything together and began placing the cookie dough on the parchment covered baking sheet.

“Eddie?” You called out into the hall before returning to the kitchen to slide the cookies into the oven and setting the timer. He appeared at the hallway entrance, leaning against the wall and holding the baby coddled in a comically large towel with Penny in tow.

You snapped yourself out of your stare—God, seeing that man with kids, especially your own, would never fail to get you going—and Eddie gave you a knowing smirk.

“I’m gonna run a book over to casa de Harrington, I put the cookies in the oven already, can you just take them out when the timer goes off?”

“I think I can manage to do that. Not a hundred percent sure, but I’ll give it a go.” He teased, as you made your way over to give him a smooch, you could smell the baby shampoo he’d used on your son.

You turned your attention to your baby in his arms, just a little over a year old. Ever the grump, he didn’t appear too happy with the event he’d been recently subjected to. Though, he never looked like he enjoyed most things. He had his dad’s natural poker face. Always looked slightly intimidating until you started talking to him. “Mama will be right back, Waynie.” You cooed, pressing a kiss to his chubby cheek as your fingers danced gently against his little stomach rolls to tickle him. His grumpy face immediately split into a wide smile, you could see the four little teeth he had along with a new one that was starting to break through his gums.

He giggled and went to reach for you, face immediately dropping back into a scowl as if to say ‘why would you even tease me like that?’ when you forced yourself to step away. If you picked him up, you’d never leave.

Penny locked her arms around your legs in a quick farewell hug before she went back to asking her dad a stream of questions (her latest fad, she had to know the reason behind everything) related to why ‘Way’ got to pee in the bath and she couldn’t. The last thing you heard—and you made sure not to stick around too long after that—was, “Daddy, how come Way has a wom down thewe? I don’t go one of dose. Did I? Does it fa’ off?” Good luck, baby.

About an hour later, much longer than you had thought you’d be away, you finally made it back home.

Winnie had woken up a little into what was supposed to be your quick drop off, and boy did that baby like to scream and cry. You felt bad watching the new parents struggle so you’d attempted to help, trying to sooth her while Steve squeezed in a quick shower and your friend had disappeared to pump. Poor thing looked like her boobs were gonna pop any second, and not that there even was a good way, but it wasn’t in the good way.

They’d both returned at the same time, ready to take on their daughter as you coached them in how to position her and gave them some other new parent advice. Ironic, what with you having become a mother pretty young. You opened the front door, lips pursing at the immediate sight that greeted you, thanks to the position of the kitchen being directly in front of it.

“Seriously?” Penny beamed at you from her seat at the table, wiggling in her booster seat. “Hi, mama! Wook! Daddy and me and are eatin’ cookies!”

“I can see that,” You mused, eyeing the nearly empty baking sheet before them. Of course Eddie hadn’t bothered putting them on a plate.

Eddie at least had the decency to appear sheepish, as he finished off the cookie in his mouth. “Hi, baby, how’d it go?” An obvious attempt to distract you.

“Fine, Harrington’s got his handful over there. Remind me to ask him in a couple of months if he still wants five more of them. Hey, by the way, what the f—’’ You trailed off, eyeing your innocent four year old and the baby paying not even an ounce of attention in his highchair. “—udge, man. Where are the cookies??”

He rubbed the back of his neck, biting back a smile.

“Between me and Little bitty pretty one,” Penny giggled at the use of one of the nicknames her daddy had given her. It was her favorite, and Eddie could clearly tell, grinning over at her in response. “Gone, I’m so sorry babe. I took a bite of one, she asked for one, and then we just couldn’t stop.” Penny gave him a look that made him sigh. “Alright, fine. I couldn’t stop.” He’d cut her off after three, already not eager for how difficult it was going to be to put her to bed tonight. And the night before her first day of preschool—he knew full well he’d cry when they’d drop her off—she was just so hard to deny. Eddie blamed that on you, if she didn’t look so much like you, he’d have an easier time saying no.Obviously, you loved your husband and your family dearly. But you were incredibly annoyed, you didn’t like to use pre-made cookie dough often, yours was made out of scratch (and clearly why Eddie hadn’t been able to restrain himself or Penny) meaning you’d have to do it all over again so Penny would have them for tomorrow.

With a sigh, you grabbed your still dirty apron from the hook it was placed on and slipped it back on, tying the strings around your waist. “It’s fine, I’ll make some more.” The guilt must have been seeping in because Eddie immediately stood up and made his way to your side, “I’ll help! It’ll be faster that way, and I wouldn’t mind learning how to make them myself.”

“Me, too! I can help, too, mama!” Penny comically pushed her seat back from the table and Eddie went back over to help lower her down. “I can mix!”

He laughed as he picked her right back up and placed her back in her seat. “Then you need to be at the table to do that, sweetheart.”

“See, we got a whole little bakery going on—Hey!” Eddie managed to move aside, just barely avoiding the baby spoon flung at him. His eyes followed the direction it had come from, smirking in amusement at his son’s poker face. Wayne hadn’t appreciated seeing you upset, and being a mama’s boy, had stepped up to defend you.

Or maybe he just felt left out. He was still a mama’s boy nonetheless. You walked over, pulling him out of his high chair, “Aw, Waynie baby wants to help, too. So sweet. Can mama have a kiss?”

You raised him to your face and he immediately placed his little hands on the side of your face to give you a drooly kiss, or rather his version of a kiss. He kind of just tried to nom on your face.

“Not sure how throwing utensils at me is offering to help, but he’s cute so I’m gonna let him get away with it.” With one last kiss to his head, you ran your hands through his curls—he had fluff on the sides of his head, but most of his curly hair ran down the center of his head, giving him something of a curly mohawk which his dad adored—before handing him over to Eddie, while you raided the cabinets for more ingredients.

Eddie helped shift some of the bowls around before a realization dawned on him and he groaned. “They’re both gonna need a bath after this."

That seemed to catch Penny’s attention, she piped up from her spot at the table, “OH YEAH, DADDY! How comes I don’t have uh penis?”

You did a double take, blinking hard over at her before you turned to your husband who was already watching you with a smirk. “You still haven’t told her?”

“Oh no,” he laughed, and so did Wayne, though he only did it because he was amused with his dad laughing. “We agreed that if we had a boy I would explain it, and if we had a girl, you would explain it to her. There’s our girl, honey.”

You shoulders slumped in defeat. Damn, you did remember saying that. “I’ll remember this,” you threatened, all smiles despite the circumstances.

“She’s waiting, hon.” He kissed the top of your head, still chuckling as he moved to open the fridge and grab the butter with the arm that wasn’t holding Wayne. “You don’t have a penis, because you were born with different parts. See, mommy has the same thing as you. But daddy has a penis, just like Wayne.”

It looked like the wheels were turning in her head. “ ’S because Way is a boy and imma girl?” You could tell Eddie was trying to act like he wasn’t actively listening, but there was only so many times he could open and close the fridge when most of the ingredients are already out on the counter.

“In this case, yes. But not always, sometimes boys have penises, sometimes they don’t. Sometimes girls have vaginas—that’s what ours are called—and sometimes they don’t. What we have down there doesn’t always make us a boy or a girl. Sometimes it doesn’t make us either. It all depends on the person, and who we are.” You grabbed the little bowl containing a little bit of extra dough you had from earlier, and a bag of chocolate chips, setting them down in front of her with a wooden spoon. If anyone had told you you’d be having this type of conversation with a four year old while making cookies, you definitely wouldn’t have believed them.

Penny immediately picked up the spoon, waving it around in the air. “So I can be a boy?” “Of course, if that’s who you are, absolutely.” You poured a couple of chocolate chips into the bowl, and made a mental note to watch her while she mixed it when she began eyeing the chocolate chips with longing.

“O’ a girl?” “Yup. You can be a girl.”

“Whatuf I dunwana be a girl o’ boy?”

“Then you don’t have to.” “Whatuf I wanna be boff?” “Then you can be both.” “Okay! I few wike imma girl wight now. ’S dat okay?”

You loved her innocence so much, there wasn’t an ounce of judgment in her little body, she was so accepting. It scared you to be sending her into the real world like this, where you had no real way of keeping her away from the negativity, where she’d be exposed to it. But you and Eddie were determined to raise her to be a good person, regardless of who she turned out to be once she truly began to discover things for herself. “Yes, baby. You can be whoever you want. Just remember, no matter what, you’re always gonna be my baby.”

Penny seemed to be losing interest in the topic as she had started to mix the chocolate chips in with the spoon. “Wook, mama! Imma cook!”

“Yes, you are. And if you don’t steal out of the bowl, you can lick the spoon.” You could tell she wouldn’t be trying to eat the cookie dough with that promise having been made so you returned to your place by Eddie’s side. “Why are you looking at me like that?” He was staring at you in awe, a small smile on his face as he cradled Wayne to his chest. Apparently, he was daddy’s boy for the moment, snuggling right into Eddie.

“I just really lucked out with you. Really glad I knocked you up.” “You’re so romantic.” “I’m also stealing a lot of what you just said, by the way. It was really good and I wasn’t too sure of how I was gonna explain it when he starts asking questions. Thanks, honey. There’s a ton of butter in that, by the way, I got pretty distracted.” “That’s okay, I’m planning on getting distracted while you try to bathe the both of them later.” “That’s fair,” He grinned, leaning in for a kiss. Wayne babbled in protest as he was squished between your bodies.

Two hours later, the cookies were plated and cooling on the counter.

You and Eddie were both kneeling in front of the bath, shirts absolutely soaked due to some heavy splashing as you made sure Penny and Wayne were squeaky clean. “I knew you didn’t mean it.” His lips were curled up into a smug smirk.

“Shut up.” You laughed, squeezing your eyes shut when Wayne began to slap his hands on the surface of the water again. “God, I love you.”

[awkwardlyflustered]

Best Babysitter Ever

A/N: I have been watching too much Criminal Minds recently, I just started it over for like the 5th time. I love the BAU so goddamn much, and I specifically love Reid (he’s just a lil guy) so y’all better get so ready for so much lee Reid in the upcoming weeks. For now though, Reid and Hotch interacting has my entire soul and being so here’s a quick little story for the two of them. 

“Hotch, I promise you everything will be okay, I read five parenting books on the way here just to prepare.”

“I know, I trust you’re gonna be fine, you’ve just never babysat by yourself before, and JJ was supposed to come over and help…” Hotch trailed off, unable to keep the overprotective dad side from surfacing. 

“We’ll be fine! I’m great with kids,” Reid continued to argue, “We’ll have so much fun, isn’t that right Jack?” Both men turned their eyes over to the small six year old playing with his trucks in the corner. Jack agreed enthusiastically and ran over to hug Spencer’s leg. 

“Alright, I’m sure you guys will be fine,” Hotch finally relented. “Reid, call me if you need anything at all, and Jack, be good for Spencer” Spencer gave a salute towards his boss as Jack ran to hug his dad goodbye. 

A few hours later, Hotch walked back into his house and was immediately greeted by the loud screams of laughter from Jack. Smiling, he made his way towards the two, not saying anything. 

“SPEHEHENCEHEHER!” Jack squealed as Reid’s fingers scribbled across his belly. 

“Spencer? Who’s Spencer, I’m the tickle monster!” The curly haired boy announced, scooping up the small kid’s wrists in one hand, and drilling into his underarms with the other. Jack kicked out and tried to squirm away from the intruding hands, finally noticing his dad standing over the two of them. 

“DAHAHAHAHD HEHEHEHELP!!” 

“You can scream all you want, no one can save you from the tickle monster!” Reid called out with a grin taking over his face as he turned to Hotch as a greeting. 

“You heard him Jack, I can’t save you, there’s nothing I can do.” Hotch had a soft grin taking over his face as well, though not quite as smug as Spencer’s. 

“PLEHEHEASE,” Jack whined out, obviously enjoying himself. 

“Hmm alright fine, I’ll do my best but no promises.” Hotch threw his coat that he had just taken off onto the couch and crouched down by the two of them. “Let’s see here…” he muttered out, taking a hold of Jack’s arms and pretending to pull as hard as he could. 

“You’re no match for my incredible strength!” Spencer continued in character, vibrating his fingers into Jack’s ribs causing a whole new round of laughter. 

“Hmm I have an idea,” Hotch thought aloud as he stalked towards Spencer. 

“You’ll never beat me! Jack will be mine forever,” the so-called tickle monster called out yet again, too busy with his charade to pay any attention to the older man getting closer and closer to him. Without warning, Hotch practically tackled Spencer and started digging into his ribs. Spencer squealed and kicked his feet, completely caught

off guard by the attack. Jack quickly stood up from his position on the floor cheering and encouraging the attack. 

“Well well well, looks like the tickle monster is ticklish.”

“Nohohoho” Reid giggled out, weakly swatting at the offending hands currently wracking his nerves. Hotch grabbed Spencer arms and held them above his head, waiting while Reid panted beneath him.

“Hey Jack, come here,” the father beckoned his son over, and started pointing along Reid’s torso. “You know if you poke him right here he makes a really silly noise.” Jack, excited he got to play too began poking his little fingers along Spencer’s tummy. With every poke Spencer gave a hiccupy squeal, that quickly advanced into hiccupy giggles when Hotch’s fingers found their way to his upper ribs. 

“Wahahahait guhuhuys,” he pleaded, being careful with his squirming to not hurt Jack. 

“This is only fair after you tickled Jack for so long, what do you think buddy?”

“Yeah! You did this to me, you deserve it!” Reid just squeezed his eyes shut, threw his head back, and gave into the ticklish sensations. 

The Hotchner duo continued their attack for a few more minutes, making sure to get thorough revenge on the tickle monster before letting him up. Spencer sat up panting, with slight tears in the corners of his eyes. 

“The tickle monster isn’t gonna forget this, you better watch out,” he teased Jack, reaching out to pinch his side. 

“My dad will rescue me every time!” Jack replied indignantly, clinging to his dad’s leg. 

“I absolutely will,” Hotch reassured, ruffling his son’s hair, “But until you need more rescuing, it looks like it’s time for bed. Go start getting ready.” With that, Jack starting running off to get ready for bed, but quickly back tracked to give a crashing hug to Reid.

“Goodnight Spencer, thank you for playing with me.”

“Of course kid,” Reid replied, hugging Jack tightly. “I had fun playing with you.”

“Are you gonna come back tomorrow?” Hotch interrupted the interaction before Reid could be put on the spot.

“No buddy, not tomorrow, but you’ll see Spencer again soon.” Jack just nodded and finally left the two to begin getting ready for bed. Spencer stood up from the floor to stand next to Hotch.

“So I take it the babysitting went well?” Hotch asked with a slight smirk. Spencer nodded happily.

“Yeah, Jack is great. We had a lot of fun together.”

“I could see that. Do you maybe want to come back next week to babysit some more?” Spencer nodded again, much more enthusiastically. “And I take it the tickle monster will be making another appearance?” Spencer blushed out to his ears at the mention of the silly character. 

“Maybe he will.”

“Well then it looks like I’ll have some more rescuing to do, won’t I?” Reid just smiled and looked down at the ground, too sheepish to continue meeting Hotch’s eye. Hotch smiled warmly, remembering just how young Reid actually is despite his age. He quickly pulled Reid in for a hug.

“Thank you again Spencer.” 

“You’re welcome, it was nice getting to feel like an older brother for a little while.” Spencer’s eyes widened and he pulled away from the hug as he realized what he just said. “Not like that I just meant-”

“You’re the best big brother Jack could ask for,” Hotch assured the genius, clapping him on the shoulder. Spencer smiled an almost cheshire grin as the pink tint returned once again to his cheeks. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow morning,” he called out, slinging his bag over his shoulder. 

“Yep, and I can’t wait to see the rest of the team and inform them of what a great babysitter the tickle monster is,” Hotch teased, a smirk taking over his features. Reid froze, his hand on the doorknob. 

“Hotch you can tell anyone and everyone you want, but don’t tell Morgan I’m ticklish, he’ll never let me live it down.”

“I don’t know, I think Morgan would really like to know…”

“Hotch!”

“Alright alright, I’ll keep it to myself, for now anyways.” Spencer breathed a quick sigh of relief and waved goodbye before leaving the house. 

Hotch smiled fondly, and pulled out his phone to text Derek. 

Tomorrow morning you should ask Reid how babysitting went. He has a really funny secret to tell you

“Technically, I’m not gonna tell him anything,” Hotch muttered to himself, smiling. “Plus what fun is having this information if I’m just gonna keep it to myself?” With that, he walked towards Jack’s room ready to tuck him into bed. His heart was full between his son and his work family, he couldn’t be any happier. 

[ali-r3n]

Baby Munson’s Loud Debut

Eddie Munson x Female!Reader

The Munsons' Series Masterlist

Eddie and Y/N welcome their son into the world

~ December 26 1989 ~ The day that Johnny Munson entered the world. 

Y/N started to feel contractions early Christmas morning, but assumed it was just Braxton Hicks so she didn’t tell Eddie. The last thing she wanted to do was worry him today of all days. She rubbed her belly as they all sat around the Christmas tree in the corner of his uncle’s trailer.

 They all took turns opening their presents. 

Wayne smiled at the new mug he got. ‘World’s Best Grandfather’ in bold letters on the white ceramic. Eddie was thrilled with the most recent Dungeon and Dragons handbook. 

“This is perfect,” he said as he flipped through the book. “Thank you, Sweetheart.” 

Even the newest member of the Munson family got a gift. A black onesie with white letters that read, ‘I listen to metal with my dad.’ 

“For when the little guy finally comes,” Wayne stated. 

A strong contraction had her grimacing behind her mug of hot chocolate. 

“You alright, Sweetheart?” Eddie asked when he noticed something off about her. 

She nodded. “Yeah. Just cold.” 

He grabbed the blanket that was placed over the back of the couch and draped it over her pajama- clad legs. 

“Better?” He inquired as he tucked her in. 

She smiled and reached out to brush his bangs off of his forehead. “Yeah.”  

“Good.” He kissed the top of her head and her large bump. “Behaving for your mama in there, Little Man?” He placed his ear on her stomach and acted like his unborn son was talking to him. “Mmhmm. I see.” He gasped. “No way!” 

Y/N giggled at her dork of her boyfriend. Eddie looked up at her with his wide brown eyes. 

“I love you, Sweetheart.” 

“I love you too, Eddie.” 

He took her hand in his ringed one and ran his thumb over her knuckles. 

“I don’t know if I can say it enough, thank you. Thank you for giving me something I never thought I could have. A baby and a loving girlfriend… who will hopefully be my wife…” he trailed off and pulled something out of his back pocket. 

Y/N’s breath hitched. “Eddie…” 

He opened the velvet ring box and presented the most beautiful diamond ring she had ever seen. 

“Will you, Y/N Y/L/N, make me the happiest man in the world and marry me?” 

She opened her mouth to answer and felt like she had peed her pants. Her eyes widened. 

“Oh Fuck!” she exclaimed. 

Eddie was taken aback. “Uh, Sweetheart. Is that a yes?” 

“E-Eddie…”

“Yeah?”

“My water just broke.” 

“Oh shit!” 

12 hours of labor later, Johnny Wayne Munson arrived. A full head of brown curls, screaming his little lungs out. Disgruntled from the cold air of the sterile hospital room. He only settled when he was placed on his mother’s chest. Soothed from the warmth of her skin. 

Y/N caressed her son’s head as tears ran down her face. 

“Hi Baby Boy,” she cooed. “We’ve waited for a long time for you to arrive.” 

She looked over at Eddie who was also crying with a smile on his face. 

“Yes,” she stated. 

He blinked. “What?”

“I never gave you an answer. Yes, Eddie. I will marry you.” 

He didn’t think it was possible for his smile to get any bigger, but his girl just proved him wrong. He was too choked up to respond so he just nodded his head. 

He reached into his pocket and retrieved the box. Eddie grabbed her hand and slipped the ring onto her finger before he kissed her knuckles. He stood up from the uncomfortable hospital chair and pressed his lips to hers in a chaste kiss. He cupped Johnny’s head and kissed his hair. 

“This is the best day of my life.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Munson’s Taglist:

@eddiemunsons-girl @ches-86 @minaxcarter @shenevertricks1831 @persephone13 @spencestyles @jessevans @vivienatreides  @stormseyes @politephantommenace @oxxolovemelikeyoudooxxo

Eddie Munson Taglist:

@meaganjm @sweetpeapod @eddiemunsonsfavbitch @fangirling-4-ever @zzokks @mattymurdocksbitch @fillechatoyante @luvbug4728 @doll-in-the-walls @ches-86 @shenevertricks1831 @urlocalhippie2029 @celestair @ruinedbythehobbit @purple-storm

@meaganjm @sweetpeapod @eddiemunsonsfavbitch @fangirling-4-ever @zzokks @mattymurdocksbitch @fillechatoyante @luvbug4728 @doll-in-the-walls @ches-86 @shenevertricks1831 @urlocalhippie2029 @celestair @ruinedbythehobbit @purple-storm

@sarai-ibn-la-ahad @livslifeonline @strangerthingsstories5255 @becca-alexa @aactuaaltraash

Stranger Things Taglist:

@valeriiecameron @maruushkka @rainbows-dreams @april-foolish

Stranger Things (Billy excluded) Taglist;

@sleepyhead1456

[nayaaatv]

joshua bf hcs !

✰ ; fluff, male-wife material joshua.

warnings ; mentions of food, and im p sure thats it (?)

wc ; 0.6k ♡

a/n : i love him sm i actually cannot.

+ req by anon ♡

this man is a little bit too obsessed with dressing you up. you can always depend on your boyfriend when ur going shopping. by the end of the day you're gonna be surrounded by the outfits he chose for you. spoiler alert, you look so hot in all of them LMAO, stylist bf things.

he's super in love with watching sunsets with you. ever since you guys started dating, he has always been sneaking a lil pic of you next to the beautifully colored sky, and little does he know, you do too. well, occasionally so.

matching bracelets ♡_♡ suits him so much tbh. and he's like never taking it off too. its those thread bracelets with your initials graved in them hehe.

cleans up everywhere when you're stil asleep. and cooks the most drool worthy breakfast ever its like ur in a mf hotel i swear. he takes care of your things like its his, sometimes you wake up to him reading a book you finished recently whilst drinking a hot cup of coffee on the couch. "hey, i heard you finished this. nothing bad happens in the end right?"

spoils you but spoils you like how a normal boyfriend would spoil his lover AND how a dad would spoil his daughter. one day he could be buying you a pandora necklace and the next could be him coming home with bags filled with matching pajamas and a fairy costume set for ages 3 and up. (ps, the pjs have my little pony prints on them) his excuse for the costume is -- "it says 3 and up baby. you're up, aren't you?". (im tearing up)

random slow dances at noon. with the curtains closed and a big lamp being your only source of light. its so comfortable and calming. your head laying on his shoulder as his hand stays there on your waist. both your hands intertwined as you get lost in the music playing from his phone. everything becomes quiet and suddenly its just the both of you in the world. you can only see him and he can only see you. nothing is on his mind, just you. and vice versa. you find yourself just standing there together until your legs cant handle it anymore. it always end with a nap or even a dinner date. who knows, he just loves being with his angel.

showering together, only if you're both comfortable with it ofcourse. by this i don't mean it in a sexual way like at all. he feels like its his duty to wash and scrub your hair wish the perfect amount of shampoo, and you like rub soap on each others back ㅠㅠ. then afterwards he's blow drying your hair while your taking cute little mirror selfies or putting on skincare together. this is one of the times joshua feels content. he feels more than happy when he's with you right now in moments like this. he adores it when you do his hair too. he gives you little pecks and kisses all over your face as soon as your done. (ok im gonna go cry now)

loves cooking for you. he secretly took cooking classes when you guys first started dating and now he's a five star michelin (ehe). everything in him is so curious and excited for your reaction everytime he cooks a new dish. you can find him constantly looking for new recipes for you to try. expect your stomach to never have issues ever again due to his godly cooking skills. you seriously don't know how he does it, but you let it slide as long as you're getting fed. he's super satisfied when he sees you full and tired from all the food he gave you. he always reminds you to always drink water afterwards and not to move around much. and let me confirm, he definitely has the 'kiss the chef' apron. and obviously you do kiss the chef! always. ♡

✦ ; @odetoyeonjun @stuckinmyhead5 @guavagyu @starry-mins @pearlygraysky @enhacolor @khypods @yoonzin0 @enha-choo @shadowofgyu

m.list - dino or dk is next ><

[a-small-batch-of-dragons]

Cuddle Bugs | The Swarm

Very recently, I got to thinking about Cuddle Bugs, the fic you have where Virgil is raising his gaggle of kids and how much I *adored it*. Is Virgil a single parent in that fic? Has he ever had any potential romantic partner(s)? And how did the kids take it, were they suspicious of this sudden guy sending their dad flowers, wooing him, etc? It is hilarious to imagine a kinda "several moments where the kids disapprove of a man courting their dad, and the one time they don't" sort of fic. And the guy that they eventually gave their blessing to to date their dad is Remy or smth. :D – anon

Read on Ao3 Part 1 (not fully necessary but does establish the world)

Warnings: none!!!

Pairings: virgil/remy

Word Count: 2865

Virgil starts to see someone. His children have...opinions.

 

“I hope you don’t mind,” Virgil says as he opens the door, “but I’ve got one of my kids still here, his club got canceled and the babysitter has her exams this week.”

“Oh, it’s no trouble at all.” Remy puts his sunglasses on top of his head. “Given that you’ve got five of the little munchkins, I figured I’d normally get you with one of them.”

“Yeah, well, it’s not like we—“

“Dad? Is that you?”

“Yeah, Pop Star, it’s me!” Out of the corner of his eyes, he sees Remy mouthing Pop Star? He just shakes his head and turns to see Patton barrel down the stairs, his cat plushie held tightly under his chin. “Hey, there he is.”

Patton screeches to a halt when he sees Remy,. Remy waves a little bit and Patton pouts. Honest to god pouts.

“Who’s that?”

“I’m Remy. I’m a friend of your dad’s. Is it cool if I hang out for a bit?”

“Are you waiting for something?”

“Pat,” Virgil says softly and Patton glances at him, “he’s my friend. Friends can stay over for a bit, can’t they?”

Patton shuffles a little bit. “But you normally go to your friends and then Amy comes and stays with us.”

“That’s right, but that doesn’t mean I can’t have my friends over too, does it?”

Patton shrugs. “Is he staying for dinner? We have enough for garlic bread since Ro and Re aren’t home.”

“I like garlic bread.”

“You like any carb,” Virgil mutters, mainly for Remy to hear, and he just grins. “Well, does that mean you’re gone help me, Pop Star?”

“I can help. Can I put Winston on the counter?”

“Who’s Winston?”

Patton indignantly holds up the plushie, who Virgil could swear was named Star yesterday. “This is Winston!”

“Right, sorry. Yes, Winston can stay on the counter as long as he stays away from any of the food.”

“He doesn’t like garlic, it makes his breath smell really bad.”

”Garlic makes everybody’s breath smell bad, buddy.”

Patton wrinkles his nose as they move into the kitchen. “You should tell Janus that, he says it doesn’t work on him.”

”Oh, it works alright,” Virgil says under his breath and Remy laughs. As Patton bustles ahead to set Winston down on the safest part of the counter, he turns. “Thank you for doing this. I know it wasn’t what we planned—“

“Virgil. Sweetheart. I’d be an idiot to turn down fresh homemade garlic bread.” Remy pats his shoulder. “Besides, I think your little Pop Star has it covered.”

“You’re so gonna ask me about that later, aren’t you?”

“As soon as he’s out of the room.”

Virgil groans.

***

2.

“Logan? Where’d you go, bud?”

“I’m over here, Dad, I found the book i wanted.”

Virgil ducks around the end of the library shelf and sure enough, there’s his little genius sitting on the floor, cross-cross applesauce just as polite as can be, looking intently at t a book with pretty rocks on the front cover. He drops to one knee to ruffle his hair—and hear him squawk.

“What’s this one about?”

“Gemstone and minerals. The teacher said something in science class about how scientists can find out things based on the layers of rock and what would’ve been there when the dinosaurs were here and so I wanted to know more about how different types of rocks are made and do you know what iridium is?”

“Iridium? No, what is it?”

“It’s a type of really rare metal that’s actually more common in rocks from space so scientists can guess when and where they landed based on the amount of iridium.” Logan points to a picture of an asteroid. “See?”

“Whoa. That’s cool. How do they find out what’s iridium and what’s not?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t gotten that far yet.”

“That’s my boy.” Virgo ruffles his hair one more time—Logan doesn’t even notice, already absorbed in the book—and looks around for the front desk. “Do you want to check this one out and read it at home?”

“I don’t know if this one will have it.”

“Did you check the index like Ms. Tori taught you?”

“Yeah, but I don’t know if it’ll be under iridium or something else, so I’m looking.”

“Virgil?”

Virgil turns. “Remy? What’re you doing here?”

Remy walks over to them, eyeing Logan. “That’s…a different one than the one I met last time, right?”

“Yeah, this is a different one. Logan, can you say hi to my friend?”

”Hello.” Logan looks up. “You work at the museum?”

Remy glances at his name tag. “Yeah, I do. You got sharp eyes, kid.”

“Do you know what iridium is?”

“Tell you what,” Virgil says quickly, “let’s go check that book out and you and Remy can talk about iridium while we do that, okay?”

Remy, as it turns out, does know about iridium. Even better, he knows the part of museum where they explain how scientists do research with it. Virgil has a hard time prying Logan away from him when the book is all checked out, but he does get the plan for their next date all squared away.

“Just bring your little genius with you, otherwise we’ll both never hear the end of it.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice.”

***

3.

“Thank you for tonight,” Virgil says softly as they pull up to his house, “I really enjoyed it.”

”Hey, of course. There’s nothing wrong with a good old fashioned dinner and movie date.” Remy leans over to give him a quick kiss on the cheek. ‘I’m glad you had fun.”

“Yeah, it was…really great.” Virgil glances up at the house. “You, uh, wanna come in for a drink before you drive home?”

“I’ll steal your bathroom, how’s that?”

“Mind the load-bearing wall, it tends to get stuck on the studs.”

Remy laughs as they get out, their breaths condensing in the cool night air. Virgil fishes in his pocket for the keys, the lazy contentment of a well-spent evening making his movements slow and a little clumsy. He eventually gets the door open just as Remy’s hands come to settle on his shoulders.

“You got it?”

“Mm.” He pushes the door open. “Still sure I can’t convince you to have one drink?”

”I’m driving.”

“Who said anything about alcohol?”

Remy’s eyes light up. “Why, Virgil, is this you telling me you’ll make me a nice fancy cup of coffee in your fancy coffee machine?”

“Oh, no, you said you only needed to use the bathroom, so—“

Remy pulls him back when he goes to turns way and kisses him properly. “Don’t do that to me, you menace, am I getting my coffee or not?”

“Go use the bathroom,” Virgil laughs, “then we’ll see.”

Remy gives him a look but turns to go off down the hall. Virgil chuckles, shaking his head. After he shrugs off his coat and shoes, keys in the key bowl, he goes to the kitchen and starts turning on his fancy coffee machine. What can he say, he’s a sucker for someone who appreciates the hard work it takes to make a good cup.

He’s considering what mug Remy would loathe the most when he hears a shout from down the hall.

“Remy? Is everything okay?”

He’s already moving. Dad instincts. He rounds the corner to see Remy frozen against the wall and a little bit further into the darkness, he sees gleaming eyes and a grinning mouth. He sighs.

“Remus, you’re supposed to be in bed.”

Remus giggles. Remy lets out a quiet noise as his little gremlin scuttles—yes, scuttles— forward and grins up at Remy. Remy gives him a little wave and he giggles again, leaving something on his foot before skittering up the stairs. Virgil sighs, leaning down to pick up—oh. It’s Remus’s green toy car.

“That,” Remy whispers as they hear a door creak open and shut, “was terrifying.”

“Yeah, sorry. I would’ve warned you about him.”

“You didn’t even flinch!”

“Yeah, well, after you wake up to him staring at you three inches from your face without saying a word a few times, you get used to it.”

Remy looks more than mildly horrified. Virgil holds up the toy.

“But hey, he gave you his green car, that means he likes you.”

”You literally have a gremlin.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Can you feed him after midnight?”

“I can’t feed him after nine.”

Remus shudders. “Now you’re definitely making me a cup of coffee before I leave.”

***

4.

He’s on the phone with Remy when there’s a little knock on his door. He pulls the phone away from his mouth and calls out and his little prince peeks his head around the door, his nose all red and his eyes all wet.

“Oh, hey,” he murmurs, sitting up and holding out his arms, “hey, Princey, what’s the matter?”

Little Roman lets out a sob and hurries across the room to fling himself into Virgil’s lap. Virgil hugs him immediately, pressing a kiss to the crown of his head.

“Hey, baby, what’s wrong? Can you tell me what’s going on?” Roman just sobs again. His little hiccuping breaths keep seizing against Virgil’s chest and he closes his eyes. “Shh, shh, baby, you’re okay. You’re safe, I’ve got you, I’m right here.”

“Is everything okay?” Remy asks quietly and Virgil jumps. He’d…forgotten he was on the phone.

“Roman’s crying,” he mutters back, “don’t know why.”

“Do you want to hang up?”

Virgil’s about to say yes when he notices that Roman’s not sobbing as much anymore. Instead, his little pouty face is peering up at the phone.

“Hey, Princey, it’s Remy. Can you hear him?” Roman nods. “You wanna say hi?”

He nods again and Virgil sets the phone on the other pillow tapping the speaker icon and hoisting his baby up onto his lap.

“You’re on speaker, Remy. Roman wants to say hi.”

“Hey, Roman,” comes Remy’s voice through the phone, “I hear you’re having a bad time right now, I’m sorry.”

Roman sniffles and clings his to Virgil a little more.

“I was just about to tell your dad about this story my zookeeper friend was telling me about their pandas. Do you wanna hear it?”

Roman nods and Virgil kisses his head. “Yeah, Remy, we’d like to hear about the pandas.”

Remy begins to tell a story about a panda getting confused by a little kid in a big white snow coat with a black hat. Apparently it thought the child was a pup that had gotten outside the enclosure, so it followed them around and around the pen, pawing at the window to try and figure out how to get the baby back. The poor thing had been so confused when the child took the coat off and had run to the other side of the enclosure.

Virgil goes to laugh again only to realize there's a snoozing Roman on his chest and laughing would definitely wake the poor thing up.

"He okay?" Remy asks when Virgil's side of the phone goes quiet.

"Yeah. He's just asleep now." He shifts to get a better angle so Roman won't wake up with a crick in his neck. "Sorry about that."

"Hey, nightmares get everybody. It's not the first time I've put someone to sleep with a story."

Virgil huffs a laugh. "Yeah?"

"Oh, my college friends used to call me Sleep 'cause I could knock 'em all out."

"Yeah, that sounds about right."

Remy makes a quiet offended noise that quickly turns into a laugh. "You two gonna bed down now?"

"That's probably for the best. Talk tomorrow?"

"See you then."

***

5.

Janus comes into the living room, sits down on the end of the couch, and puts his elbows on his knees like he's the kid genius in a supervillain movie, staring at Remy. Virgil's just about to scold him for being impolite when Remy, without missing a beat, puts his phone down and gets into the same position: criss-cross applesauce, elbows on knees, fingers steepled in front of his chin.

Virgil makes the very smart and reasonable decision to just see how this plays out.

"You're over here a lot," Janus says first.

"This is true."

"Why?"

"I like your dad. I want to spend time with him."

Virgil coughs to hide how red his face goes at that. Janus doesn't even notice.

"Why here?"

"Because your dad cares about you and your brothers a lot, and it makes him feel better to have you close in case anything goes wrong."

"Does that bother you?"

"Not at all."

Now, here's the thing: both Janus and Virgil are surprised by that. Technically, Janus has the smaller of their two reactions because he's in whatever interrogation mode this is—shit, his kid is giving the guy he's dating a shovel talk, isn't he, that's what's happening right now—but Virgil…Virgil just stares at him.

"Virgil is someone I care about, doesn't it make sense that I would care about the people he cares about?"

"Not necessarily."

Remy frowns. "Why not?"

"That hasn't been true of everyone that Dad's seen before."

"Okay," Virgil mutters, shifting on the couch, "we don't have to bring any of that up."

"Well, then those people should hope we're never in a room together, or else I might have to have a very nice, long, detailed chat with them about how wrong they are."

"Can I help?"

"Certainly."

"Guys," Virgil says, because this is very quickly spiraling into something it should absolutely not be—even if part of him is struggling not to find the whole thing very endearing, "I think that's enough."

"What's your favorite food?"

"I'm a big fan of spaghetti and meatballs."

"What about garlic bread?"

"I'll never say no to garlic bread."

"Are you staying for dinner?"

Remy just looks at Virgil, who shrugs. He looks back at Janus. "Is that alright with you?"

"Will you help us make garlic bread?"

"Absolutely, I will."

"Then come on, I'm hungry and the twins will start screaming in half an hour if they aren't fed."

"Oh, you're all gremlins, aren't you?"

Virgil doesn't quite know how that leads into Janus and Remy having a very heated debate about monsters and…something else, but he doesn't have to make dinner that night, so he's counting it as a win.

***

+1.

Virgil comes out of the bathroom and stifles a snort.

"I'm scared to move," Remy whispers, Patton's head nearly sliding off his shoulder, "help."

Movie nights had always been sacred in the household. They were for family only, they were a time where all of them put aside their differences and just spent the night cuddled up on the couch—sometimes going to sleep in Virgil's bed in a big pile too—and no one was willing to rupture the sanctity with things like arguments or fights.

Which is why, when all of the little munchkins clamored for Remy to come to a movie night, Virgil had a sneaking suspicion in might end this way.

All the kids had agreed on the movie beforehand—another rarity—settling on the new Puss in Boots movie that'd come out pretty recently. Remy had been sat on the outside of the couch at first, only for the kids to make, cajole, plead, and order him to come closer almost as soon as the movie started. Virgil had just chuckled and passed Patton over to sit on his lap, the others grabbing onto his arms, his hands, even his legs. He'd gone to the bathroom once they'd gotten to the forest and…

Well, he's come out to see his little ones absolutely sprawled over Remy.

Patton's still in his lap, his head on one shoulder. Somehow Janus has gotten there too, his arms wrapped around Remy's chest like a plushie. Roman is on his right, hand tangled in his hair, Logan on his left with a grip on his hand. Remus lays across his feet, snoozing away. God, Virgil loves them.

"Was this your ploy," Remy whispers as Virgil walks back over, the movie still playing quietly in the background, "to get me here and trap me with your adorable children?"

"No, but I can't say I'm too upset that it's happened."

"They're the cutest snare in the world."

"Mhm. And there's no escape from them."

Remy laughs as Virgil leans down to kiss him. "I'm not all that mad about it, now that I think about it."

Virgil smiles. "No. I'm not either."

General Taglist: @frxgprince@potereregina@gattonero17@iamhereforthegayshit@thefingergunsgirl@awkwardandanxiousfander@creative-lampd-liberties@djpurple3@winterswrandomness@sanders-sides-uncorrect-quotes@iminyourfandom@bullet-tothefeels@full-of-roman-angst-trash  @ask-elsalvador @ramdomthingsfrommymind@demoniccheese83@pattonsandershugs @el-does-photography @princeanxious@firefinch-ember@fandomssaremysoul@im-an-anxious-wreck@crazy-multifandomfangirl @punk-academian-witch@enby-ralsei@unicornssunflowersandstuff@wildhorsewolf @thetruthaboutthesun @stubbornness-and-spite @princedarkandstormv  @your-local-fookin-deadmeme @angels-and-dreams@averykedavra @a-ghostlight-for-roman @treasurechestininterweb @cricketanne @queerly-fluid-fan @compactdiscdraws@cecil-but-gayer@i-am-overly-complicated@annytheseal@alias290@tranquil-space-ninja @arxticandy @mychemically-imbalanced-romance@whyiask@crows-ace @emilythezeldafan@frida0043 @ieatspinalcords @snowyfires@cyanide-violence@oonagh2@xxpanic-at-the-everywherexx@rabbitsartcorner @percy-07734@triflingassailantofmyemotions @virgil-sanders-the-gay-emo@cerulean-watermelon@puffed-up-bees@meltheromanstan@joyrose-fandomer@insanitori@mavenmush@justablah65@10paradox10@uhhh-hi-there-i-am-nervous@cutebisexualmess@bella-bugatti-frogetti-baguetti@ultrageekygirl

[suzy-queued]

Weekly Tag Wednesday

Thank you for the tag, @energievie!

Hello, my lovelies 🤗🥰 Going in the other direction this week and we're talking about latest/last/most recent stuff. But first, as usual:

Name: Deena

Age: One Nosho times two, minus two

Location: The mountains of Virginia, USA

And now...

Latest music discovery: I'm only now discovering the delightful sound of Charles Bradley.

Latest movie: Fight Club, which is one of my all-time favorites, but my kids had never seen it.

Last TV show you finished: Regular Show. I miss them already.

Most recently started book: Like, actual printed book? It's been a hot minute since I read one of those. But I've started re-reading The Wedding Planner by BeckyHarvey, which is novel-length. Does that count?

Most recent trip out of town: My mom and my sister-in-law had a getaway to Washington DC this past weekend.

Most recent trip out of the country: A Caribbean cruise in 2007. But I'm going to Switzerland next week!

Most recent gift you made yourself: I ordered a sweatshirt with the logo of Kimball University on it, from Under Lock and Key. Totally self-indulgent, but it brings me joy.

Most recent gift you made to someone else: My friend Cassy's birthday was in March, and I gave her a necklace.

Most recent text message you received: My husband saying "That's great!"

Most recent text message you sent: A text to my husband saying that my dad was alert and talking this morning.

Last fic you read: Office Space by Dynamicpower for energie_vie

Last drink you had: Chai with oat milk

Last thing you ate: Granola

Latest piece of clothing you bought: A pair of brown corduroy pants.

Latest piece of advice you received: You are allowed to take an hour to yourself. People who love you will understand.

Latest piece of advice you gave: It's okay for your products to be only 95% perfect (to my son who is creating all kinds of leatherworks to sell at an upcoming craft fair).

Latest thing you promised yourself: To be patient and appreciate small things every day. (Because, you know, one day you look back and realize they were the big things).

I'll tag... @deedala (only once this time!) @michellemisfit @francesrose3 @callivich @gillyp @silvanshadow @rereadanon @metalheadmickey @creepkinginc

[skania]

Aqua, Akane & Chapter 98

I had a lot of thoughts about Chapter 97 and I've got almost as many about Chapter 98. No theories though, this is just the way I personally read their interactions this chapter lol

First thing that stood out to me is how recurrent this bridge is in Aqua and Akane's big scenes.

The way they have been saving each other over and over in this very bridge is remarkable, and I'm fully expecting them to have another big scene there if Aka chooses to go down the AquaKane route.

The second thing that stood out to me is the face Aqua makes when Akane says that she thought someone pushed her down the stairs.

It's like Aqua is seeing a preview of what could happen to Akane if he allows her to keep getting involved in his revenge. It makes him beg her to stop doing dangerous things (and we recently saw him beg Ruby to stop living her life for revenge in c122).

In my c97 thoughts, I said that I feel like Akane's wording and demeanor last chapter gave away the fact that she found Aqua's dad.

I feel like c98 indirectly validates that reading, because we now see Aqua's give away the fact that he knows what Akane is up to.

In both cases, Aqua and Akane read each other like a book because they have come to know each other too well. And so, Aqua knows that Akane is about to figure out just how he managed to get there in time.

Aqua's expression here is important because we can't see his face when he begs Akane to stay safe, but we can at least see the aftermath. To me he looks sad, contrite. And the placement of the speech bubble suggests that his expression also has a lot to do with what is about to happen.

You're really sharp, Akane

This panel is one of my favorites:

Akane's sharpness is a trait Aqua has always valued in her, and now it's one of the reasons he has to walk away from her. The irony is likely not lost on him.

That pause is Aqua getting ready to act emotionless. After this point, he will only show emotion once.

It also tells me that in Chapter 97 Aqua did already know that Akane was aware of the loophole. After all, in Chapter 95, Ichigo reminds Aqua that he is smart enough to realize his dad is still alive. Since Akane is so sharp, it goes without saying that such a thing wouldn't have been lost on her.

The GPS

I have to pause here because something that broke my disbelief while reading was... how could Akane immediately tell that the tracker was in the keychain? I know she's sharp but she's no sorceress lol

Only thing that makes sense to me is assuming that the keychain was a gift from Aqua. I feel this would explain why Akane zeroes it on it right away. However, I think the actual reason is that Aka literally came up with it on the spot and we aren't supposed to think that deeply about it lmao Same goes for Aqua being able to guess Kamiki's identity based on Akane's movements. Like all we see Akane do is a) meet up with fellow Lala Lai troupers b) cross a bridge. How in the world was that enough for Aqua to narrow it down to Kamiki? Either I'm missing something, or Aka just wanted to move things along asap without bothering with the details 😂

I digress though! In any case, I know that the tracker was a deal breaker for a lot of people. Personally, it changes nothing for me because of the time period in which he planted it. Aqua says that he installed it "some time" after LoveNow ended, and the fact that he doesn't say "Some time after Tokyo Blade started" or anything along those lines suggests that it did happen before the play.

Which means, it happened back when Aqua did intend to use Akane. But the thing is, he never gets around to using her the way he intended to.

Case in point, he himself says that he thought Akane "may be able to find something out". Except he gives her the information she needs only after he thinks his revenge is already over lol

For me the actual question is when does Aqua start using that GPS?

Technically, it should be anywhere between Chapter 95 and Chapter 98, so it is possible that Aqua was already using it by Chapter 97 and that when he calls Akane, he has already been tracking her. His "Are you up to something?" can indeed lend credence to this theory depending on how you read it.

Personally though, I can't help but think that he started using it after Chapter 97. The reason being that by the beginning of Chapter 97, Aqua has every reason to guess Akane is already aware of the loophole, but he has little reason to believe Akane has found his dad. I'd argue that Akane being aware of the loophole isn't enough reason for Aqua to start using the GPS; she has been aware of it for an entire year, starting to use the GPS wouldn't change anything at that point. Their phone-call, however, does let Aqua know that Akane has likely found his dad and that she is up to something, so it gives Aqua enough reasons to start tracking her.

Regardless of when it happened, I think the GPS ironically serves to establish a clear contrast between the kind of relationship Aqua intended to have with Akane and the kind of relationship they ended up having. The GPS was there so he could use Akane as a tool, yet the GPS ends up being a tool so he can free Akane from his revenge.

That's just me as a reader, though. Akane as a character is very much bothered by the GPS and I loved every second of it.

Trust & Choices

I have to thank Aka for letting Akane explain her perspective to antis not that they will listen. It's not that Akane "is fine" being Aqua's "pet" or "his property". She very much isn't.

It's that Aqua has never made her feel that way before now. The moment when Aqua could have lied to her to string her along, Akane asks him to be honest and Aqua complies.

He doesn't tell her that he wants to use her for something, sure, but what he does say is enough for Akane to read between the lines. Akane chooses to go along with it because she trusts Aqua's intentions. Since Aqua is inherently a good, kind person, Akane trusts him and wants to help him.

So the GPS shakes Akane for two reasons. On one hand, this is the first time she hasn't had a choice in her relationship with Aqua. I'd even go as far as saying that "Choices" are part of the very foundation of their dynamic.

Back when Akane was lost, Aqua didn't push his own wants and expectations onto her. He let her make her own choice, and once she did, Aqua did everything in his power to help her. I turn, Akane tries to do the same for him throughout their relationship, but this is probably a topic for another day lol

The point is, when it comes to Aqua, Akane has been deciding for herself all along. Aqua kisses her to trap her in a relationship with him, yet confesses that he doesn't see her as a woman and thus that their relationship is fake; Akane chooses to become his girlfriend fully knowing this. Later, Aqua confesses that there is someone he wants to kill and Akane chooses to help him. Lastly, Aqua kisses her for real and Akane chooses to date him.

Each time, Akane could have walked away. Each time, Akane chooses to get closer to Aqua instead. This is why she says that if Aqua had just asked her, she would've been fine with the GPS—because she trusts him. All she asks is that he trust her in turn—and Akane believes that he does, until now.

That's the second reason why she is so distraught over this. Since Aqua plants it without asking her and doesn't come clean about it while they're dating, Akane feels like she got it wrong.

Equals

Aqua can't even look her in the eye while saying that lmao

Akane thought that she had an equal relationship with Aqua, one based on trust (and choices). As far as I'm concerned, she is right. She was (and is) his match in every sense of the word, whether intellectually or emotionally.

But it wouldn't be in Aqua's best interests to correct her. After all, he needs to walk away from Akane. The less she thinks of him and of their relationship, the better. So, he focuses on exposing Akane's contradiction instead.

Akane says that she would have helped him in any way, but would she? Now that she knows that Aqua desperately craves freedom and that his revenge would ruin him, would Akane have allowed him to pursue it?

Her thoughts and actions betray the fact that she wouldn't have wanted Aqua to choose revenge, which brings me to:

What exactly was Akane planning to do?

Given her thoughts here, it doesn't feel like Akane is focusing on what she is about to do but on the aftermath. She says that she was just planning to talk to Kamiki and that she brought the knife "just in case", and I think this may very well be the truth.

But, the thing is... that shows Akane wasn't thinking straight.

I have no doubt that being able to talk to him would've let Akane gauge the kind of person Kamiki is, but... what then? Would she just walk away, leaving a literal knife in that bouquet of flowers for him to find? That makes no sense. Was she planning to egg him on enough that he would attack her, giving her the excuse to act in self-defense? That makes more sense, but it's also a terrible plan. Anything could have gone wrong. To say Akane was being reckless would be an understatement.

Whatever it was that she was thinking of doing, she clearly didn't think it through. She was as blinded as Aqua once was by his desire to be free of his revenge. In her haste, Akane doesn't stop to think about herself and her own well-being.

Which ironically means that she misses the forest for the trees.

Because Aqua would break if something were to happen to her, even more so if he is the indirect cause of her misfortune.

Contradiction

Since Akane won't prioritize herself over Aqua, Aqua takes himself out of the equation.

Akane wants to be together with Aqua, but she'd rather shoulder his burdens on her own than seeing him suffer. Aqua wants to be together with Akane (he says so himself, he doesn't want to let go of the days when she's by his side), but he'd rather shoulder his burdens on his own than putting her in danger.

This is both funny and sad, he really isn't suited for revenge lol Aqua could have walked away, could have let Akane have that last, terrible impression of him. But he doesn't. He once again asks Akane to stop doing dangerous things, looking sad while he is at it—the second time he can't help but show emotion during their conversation.

And now it's Akane's turn to point out the way his words are at odd with his actions.

Akane made herself into the perfect tool for his revenge, all on her own. Not only is she brilliant enough to find his dad for him, she is willing to throw herself into the lion's den for him. She is even willing to potentially kill for him.

And yet, Aqua walks away from her because he can't bear the thought of Akane putting herself in danger. This alone proves that he doesn't see her as a tool.

Aqua didn't want her to carry his burden, he just wanted her to be there by his side.

Akane desperately tries to fix her mistake, to fulfill the promise of companionship that she once made him, but it's too late and she knows it.

She knows that Aqua is about to ruin himself by pursuing his revenge, and she is willing to ruin herself right alongside him just so he doesn't have to be alone, but Aqua won't let her.

After all, not letting his girlfriend die is a boyfriend's job.

Black Stars

By saying that he plans to go to hell by himself, Aqua confirms Akane's worst fears: he has taken a wrong turn. He is turning his back on happiness and freedom—on the future—and chaining himself to the lonely, bitter path of revenge—to his past.

You took a wrong turn, Akane tells him. I know, Aqua confirms as he turns away from her.

The imagery is poignant, as so is the fact that Aqua only gets his black stars after turning his back on Akane. This right here is what stood out the most to me in this chapter, because Aqua doesn't get his black stars after finding out that his father is alive—he gets them only after walking away from Akane!

Why? Because as he says so himself, his happy days were by her side. The moment Aqua walks away from her, he is knowingly giving up on the naive thought of being happy.

This is extremely important—or at least, good writing says that it should be, even more so in light of all the parallels between the way Ruby gets her Black Stars and the way Aqua gets his—and it suggest that Akane may get her wish just yet.

She desperately wanted to save him, but she went about it the wrong way. If she had told him that she found Kamiki, there is a chance they could've worked together to catch him. But Akane messed up by taking the burden upon herself instead of giving herself the weight and importance Aqua himself gives her... and now Aqua is messing up by refusing to give his life any worth and by taking the weight of revenge squarely upon his shoulders.

It's also important to note that Aqua isn't choosing revenge because he wants to, but because he feels that he has to. He feels like he has no choice.

It makes sense. After all, he has come to realize that even if he tries to go on with his life, the people he loves will try to take revenge in his stead. Ruby. Akane. Even Ichigo.

So Aqua decides to doom himself and only himself.

To wrap this up, I can't help but to bring up the chapter title, "Going Astray". After all, Akane in this chapter represents all the good Aqua is walking away from in order to choose revenge.

So all in all, I feel like the stage is set up for Aqua to be saved from this burden—and for Akane to (hopefully) play a big role in making this possible.

[final-girl96]

My Boyfriend's Back Chapter One

Masterlist

Sunday 10:00 PM

September 21, 1996

I was down in the basement in my little studio working on some new music. I always lost track of time when I was down here and that was almost every day. Ever since that night, the night I found my mom. I was for a while going to some kind of party or taking every free shift at the video store I could. I tried not to be home longer than I needed to. I ate and slept there, sometimes not even that. It went on for months. Stu would come to find me and take me back to his place and there was always a breakdown that happened when he did.

Then I started to pour all of that anger, guilt, sadness, every single emotion I was feeling into music. I spent more time at home either in my room reading or downstairs in the studio. I mean I did other things too. I still work at Bradley's and I spend time with Stu and my other friends. Me and Sidney haven't been on that great of terms but we're making more progress. After Cotton Weary, one most recent man our mom was seeing, was arrested for her murder Sidney and I had a huge fight.

She didn't want to believe that our mother would sleep with someone else. Sid and I had different coping mechanisms. She shut herself off from everyone, especially Billy. She wouldn't let him touch her for months. It was all because we were told that our mother wasn't just murdered, she had been raped first. Sidney locked herself up and became a prude. I mean before that her and Billy couldn't keep their hands to themselves. He was being patient with her but I could see that patience was slowly withering away.

There had always been rumors of Maureen Prescott being the town whore. But that got worse after her murder. People would come up to me and Sidney and tell us we were going to be just like her. I had one girl from school come up to me at a party and tell me I was a whore just like my mother. Let's just say her perfect little face isn't so percent anymore. She cried while I threw punches. I guess I'm lucky she said it at a party and not at school. I should be a junior this year but I studied my ass off enough that I get to skip right to being a senior. I guess taking those AP classes paid off. Sooner I can get out of this town the better.

There was a knock on the door frame since I didn't close the door. Dad didn't really care about the noise, not like mom had. I looked over to see him standing in the doorway. "Hey, sweetheart," he said, walking into the room. I set my pen down, turning around in the chair to look at him better. "Hey." I gave him a small smile. "Thought I'd come down and let you know it's ten o'clock." I turned my head to look at the clock on the desk and sure enough it said ten. "Oh, I didn't realize how late it was." He nodded his head, "You've been losing track of time when you're down here. Everything alright?" He asked. I stood up, nodding my head. "Mmhmm." After turning all the lights off we headed upstairs and went to bed.

Monday 7:00 AM

September 22, 1996

I was in my room getting ready for school when my bedroom door opened. "Good morning, gorgeous!" I rolled my eyes, "Stu, what're you doing here?" I asked. I turned back around, shoving my books in my bag. "What, I can't take my girl to school?" I felt his arms wrap around my waist from behind. His lips connected with my neck. "How'd you get in?" I asked. "Your dad let me in on his way out the door." He rested his chin on my shoulder. "You never called me last night."

"Yeah, sorry about that. I was downstairs and lost track of time. My dad had to come down to get me to come up and go to bed at like ten." He hummed and kissed my temple. "Working on something new?" He asked, sitting on the bed. I nodded, "mmhmm. And no you can not hear it," I said, laughing at his pouty face. His hands went to my hips, moving me so I was standing between his legs. "You've been spending a lot of time down there lately. You doing okay up there?" He asked, tapping two fingers on the side of my head. "You having nightmares again?"

Ah yes, the nightmares. Or more like one nightmare that just comes back over and over. Me walking into the house finding my mom except in the dream she comes back, pointing a finger at me and telling me it was all my fault. "No, no. You know how I get when I'm writing a new song. I hyperfixate on it. That's all it is I promise." He nods his head, gripping my hips slightly and then smirks. "So, you think we have time for a quicky?" I hit his shoulder laughing. "Oh, my god! You're such a perv!" He pulled me down on top of him as he fell back onto the bed, "yeah, but you love me."

Eventually I was able to pull myself away from Stu and we left for school. Sidney had already taken the bus. Billy stopped picking her up after she kept declining over and over. They were on better terms and she actually allowed him to touch her now but they weren't the same as they used to be. And Billy has been a little more closed off since his mom left not long before our mom was murdered. Sidney never really tried to ask if he was okay after mom. He tried being there for her but she was never there for him.

"You going to come over for a little after school?" Sru asked, pulling into a parking spot. "Umm… I have work after school but I'll come over if you pick me up," I told him, smiling. "Deal! But if I pick up after work and bring you home with me, you're staying the night. I fucking miss you." I rolled my eyes as I got out of the car. Stu rushed around to my side taking my bookbag, putting it on one shoulder, and taking my hand with the other. "You see me, like everyday, Stu." He let go of my hand and put his arm around my shoulder to bring me closer so he could kiss my forehead. "Doesn't mean I don't miss you."

[pyrrhiccomedy]

Hi! I wonder if you could rec some books that are helpful for writing - I love everything you write and your language style. I'm kind of a writer myself and recently I got stuck in this phase where I just couldn't improve my writing... or don't know how to. I tried to read more, but most of them faded away in my brain after a day or two. I'm also curious, in terms of writing techniques, how do you usually write

[2]? Do you always go back and re-edit it? How do you deal with the writer’s block? Do you take notes while reading to learn from them, such as dialogues or stuff? I hope this is ok to ask - and good luck with any ongoing projects you have right now!

I'm not sure what you mean by books that are 'helpful for writing' - if you mean books about writing, I don't think I've read one since I was like, 14. If you mean books that will inspire you to write...I think inspiration is so personal. I think you should read widely, and read at or above your reading level as much as possible. Chuck Palahnuik, Kurt Vonnegut, and Shirley Jackson are probably the writers who influenced my prose style the most.

The best way to improve as a writer is to find a good editor. I mean somebody who will read your work open-mindedly and with love, but who will also take a big red pen and cross out 70% of it and explain to you, kindly but firmly, why what you wrote is garbage. I have been lucky enough to have a few editors in my life (starting with my dad, when I was like, 12) whose opinions on prose and storytelling I respected, and who were cheerfully merciless in applying them to me. I will always be grateful that they gave me enough credit as an aspiring artist who hoped to improve that they were willing to blowtorch my darlings before my eyes. It's a bracing but invaluable experience.

My process is always the same, no matter what I'm writing. I slam through a first draft as fast as possible. The first draft is shit. That's the point of the first draft. I usually don't even know what my story is about until I finish the first draft, I'm just trying to hunt down good character moments, good scenes, good lines, and a framework for a story that I can rake out of the muck later. Nobody sees the first draft but me.

Then I walk away from it and I don't look at it for a while. If it's a short story, that might be for just a day; if it's something longer, I might walk away for a week or more. Then I come back and re-read it, in a relaxed but critical mood. It's not longer "my writing" at this point: it's just a piece of writing, and I'm going to read it to find out if it's any good.

It isn't. That's fine. I take my big red pen, and I start planning out how I'd fix it, the same way I'd approach editing a stranger's work.

The second draft might bear only a passing resemblance to the first draft, but now I have a plan, and I know where I'm actually going with the material. The second draft takes much longer to write. It's a more thoughtful process. I re-read the first draft often, to keep in touch with what it was about this story in its raw form that made me want to tell it.

Then I submit the second draft to one of those priceless, merciless editors in my life. My wife is my go-to these days. She takes a turn pulling the piece apart and figuring out how she would fix it.

When I'm done re-tooling it based on that feedback, I'm usually happy with what I've got.

I don't know if I believe in writer's block. I think you either want to write or you don't. You can psyche yourself out of doing anything; writing isn't special. You can make anything stressful or unfun or a referendum on your worthiness as a person if you're anxious enough about it.

I think that if you're not getting better at something, you're either not practicing enough, not challenging yourself, not seeking honest feedback, or not applying the feedback you've received.

Writers are frequently annoying people, who think their ~craft~ has special rules that don't apply to any other human endeavor. It's just a skill, like any other skill. Take the same discipline and humility to writing as you would to learning a language, or learning to run a mile, or learning how to build a cabinet. You'll get better.

[nanowrimo]

30 Covers, 30 Days 2023: Day 3

Day 3 is here and it feels like things are just heating up. Today's feature is Code 51 by Jill Chapman, a Young Adult novel full of mystery. This novel cover was designed by the amazing returning artist, Cookie Redding!

(For those of you who don’t know, 30C30D stands for 30 Covers, 30 Days in which 17 Wrimos and 5 YWP Participants get the chance to win a professionally designed cover! The rest of the days are being filled by community features. We’ll be posting a cover a day throughout November, so make sure to check them out!)

Code 51

Jacqueline Kolby wants to get through her senior year in high school to get on with better things. She doesn't want attention in or out of class from anyone. Jac, as her friends call her, ignores headlines and surely doesn't want to be one. However, when an arsonist seems to target her family, staying in the background isn't possible anymore. Jac's dad gets burned in a barn fire after several of their corn fields are razed. Now she's had enough. The police and fire marshal don't have any suspects. Her mom is busy caring for her dad while her grandpa mourns the recent loss of her grandma. Jac and her two friends set out to solve the mystery before anyone else gets injured. Who would want to hurt her family? Why now?

About the Author

Jill resides in Southern Indiana with her husband of forty-five years. They enjoy their country lifestyle and visiting with their children and grandchildren. Her life centers around her family and her yellow lab, Indy. She is an avid movie watcher and loves Mexican food and watercolor painting. 

She has published a middle-grade mystery series titled The Bomb Squad. Code 51 will be her first venture into young adult mystery/suspense books.

Jill’s interest in books began in childhood when reading provided a wonderful outlet for her wild imagination. She loves to tell stories about her life experiences with humor mixed in to convey the sense of adventure she feels daily. Jill says her life is like a good plate of nachos, a tiny kick of spice, and a whole lotta cheese.  

About the Designer

Cookie Redding is an artist, designer and lecturer with the School of Visual Arts at the Pennsylvania State University and teaches courses in the Digital Art and DMD Programs. Her work encompasses the art and design world, with a focus on multiple media forms of expression.

Redding's influences are from a diverse array of disciplines spawning from the classics and antiquities, to history and tech. Her explorations integrate these elements into a study of symbols. The imagery she deals with within her work is a study from the beauty of words and by being within nature. Her explorations show how the literary world meets the natural work with color and texture. Check her out on Instagram and Facebook!

Cover Design Process:

This year. we gave designers the optional prompt to explain their design process for the cover! Here's Cookie's:

My process typically starts with some sketching, brainstorming and listmaking. Then I start to hone my composition concept while also searching for imagery that would be ideal for the cover. I went through around 8 iterations and then my concept adjusted a bit to include the grid--that's when everything fell into place! Thanks so much for letting me be a part of 30 Covers 30 Days again--it's the highlight of my design year!

[didyoutrydynamite]

Offering Support

A/N: Was watching an anime recently, and got inspired by a particularly funny scene to write this. Now get ready for some embarrassing misunderstandings and phrasing!

May: *Sitting around the JNRZ dorm, reading up on some of her books. Her mind couldn't help but wander back to earlier when Ciel gave her another one of her delusional lectures about Jaune.* (Gods that girl is really starting to get on my nerves. Getting real tired of her calling Commander a deviant. There’s no way that Jaune could be half the pervert she claims he is.)

Jaune: *Walks into the JNRZ dorms* Oh, hey May! I was hoping to talk to you about something. (Heard she didn’t do so well on the last psychology test. I should try to ask to see if she needs help)

May: Hello, Commander. What is it?

Jaune: *Rubs the back of his neck.* Well, I’ve been hearing a rumor lately and… I wanted to ask you, have you gotten D’s lately?

May: … D’s? (Rumors? What on Remnant could he be talking about?)

Jaune: Yeah, you know! I’ve been noticing you’ve been kinda slouching lately, maybe like something is weighing you down? (Maybe something has been on her mind lately causing her grades to slip?)

May: (Weighing me down? Wait… is he? No way Jaune can’t be possibly asking-)

Jaune: It’s alright you know, I mean. We all can’t have A’s like Reese does.

May: *A bright blush appears on her face, and stands up indignantly.* That is none of your business!! (OH MY GOD, IS JAUNE ASKING ME ABOUT MY CUP SIZE?! Can’t have A’s like Reese?! What the hell does that mean? Does Jaune prefer smaller breasts? That would explain Weiss though… wait, that's not the point right now!)

Jaune: (Whoa. Looks like I must have hit a nerve, I guess the rumors were true.) I-I know it’s embarrassing to talk about, but as your leader I just want to make sure you’re getting the support you need.

May: M-My support is just fine without your concern!! (H-he said that there’s rumors spreading around school. Oh gods, did everyone notice that I grew a cup?! GAH I’M GOING TO DIE OF EMBARRASSMENT!)

Jaune: (She’s taking it harder than I thought. She has been one of the smarter students in our classes, must not be used to asking for help) Look May, I get it. Growing up with seven sisters I’ve gotten plenty of experience with this sort of thing. (Us Arcs never were the best test-takers.)

May: *Still fighting back her blush* (Oh, guess Jaune really is used to this kind of stuff then. I mean, he grew up with seven sisters, so he's probably had this talk like a dozen times before. That's probably why he's asking me about my cups so nonchalantly. Poor Commander, his sisters must have completely shattered any awkwardness around puberty for him.) *Sighs* I-I’m sorry for yelling at you, Commander. U-usually I’d have this kind of conversation with my dads. I don’t usually share things this personal.

Jaune: *Nods* I understand. May, I know we’ve only known each other for not even a full semester yet, but I do want you to know that if you’re going through anything, I’ll happily lend you an ear. We’re a team now, and as leader you, Neon, and Reese are my top priority.

May: *Smiles* Thank you, Jaune. That… that means alot to me.

Jaune: So. Are the rumors true then?

May: *Gets shy* Well, s-sort of.

Jaune: You won’t get any judgment from me, lay it on me.

May: (Phrasing!) U-until recently it was E, but as of the other day, F.

Jaune: …Wow.

May: *Blush* Y-You said you wouldn’t judge!

Jaune: I-I’m not! It’s just… (A straight up fail?! Man, something really must be bothering May to fail a test like that.)

May: I know. I know, it’s… big.

Jaune: … Well now I have to see this for myself. (Least I can do is check over her test and see what she's struggling with.)

May: *Entire body turns beet red* E-E-E-E-E-EXCUSE ME!? NO YOU MAY NOT!!

Jaune: May.

May: No!

Jaune: This is a big deal!

May: *Scoffs* Oh I bet it is!

Jaune: It’s not like I haven’t seen them before! (Lord knows I’ve failed a test or two)

May: That was one time, and it was an accident! (Damn one-room dorm!)

Jaune: *Starting to get frustrated* (She hasn’t been like this since initiation! It’s not the end of the world to fail a single test!!) May, you’re beginning to act like a child. Not even Neon put up this much of a fight when I asked to see hers.

May: Oh BIG surprise! Neon doesn’t have a problem showing our leader her C’s! GOOD FOR YOU! Also how dare YOU call me a child when you’re begging for milk like a four year old!?

Jaune: Milk is a perfectly acceptable drink on its own and I am tired of pretending it’s NOT!! That’s it, as Team Leader, I am now ORDERING you to show me your test!

May: *Shaking with rage* Ordering me? ORDERING ME?! You know what? FINE! If you want to see my test so goddamn bad then- *Zips the front of her jacket half way down before stopping* - Wait, did you just say test?

Jaune: *Confused face* Yeah, your last psychology test. Why? Did you think we were talking about something else?

May: *Brain starts crashing in on itself from the sudden wave of shame and embarrassment as realization starts setting in, sending her into autopilot.* … I thought you were talking about my boobs.

Jaune: What? No! No… *Brain starts quickly going over the whole conversation they had, his mind slowly disintegrating as he fully comprehended the misunderstanding* Oh. Oh no. Oh noooo… noooooOOO!! *Falls into a fetal position as he is overcome by new levels of embarrassment once thought impossible.*

May: *Still frozen in the exact same pose, jacket  half zipped down* …Ciel. That girl’s craziness is spreading…

Neon/Reese: *Walk into the dorm in the middle of May’s and Jaune’s mental breakdowns*

Neon: Hey guys! We’re back- Whoa.

Reese: What the hell did we miss?

May/Jaune: *Whimper in mental anguish*

[lowaltitude]

Assertive (3) | Billy Hargrove

Passive, as told from Billy’s POV.

- Stranger Things

- Passive. Reader’s POV

- Part One.  Part Two. Part Three.

- x Reader (Y/N)

❪ FEM! ❫

───── ❝ description + disclaimer ❞ ─────

𖥻 original prompt: ‘ “don’t you know who i am?” “yup. i just don’t care” ‘

𖥻 no connection to Stranger Things series timeline. 5.2k words

───── ❝ ❞ ─────

Y/N had started avoiding me more than normal, and to counter her sneaky little attempts to get away from me I was taking matters into my own hands.

It became habit to wait by her locker at the end of the day, almost giddy with excitement that i’d get to see her again. Much like a dog waiting at the door for his owner to come home. Max and I waited together at my car in the mornings for her, somehow Y/N had made us get along. She was common ground, someone we both liked. Although I now was starting to wonder if I thought of her in a different way than I intended to.

Max told me it was strange how I was acting, and people had started to notice that I was distracted. They hopefully didn’t know I was distracted by a girl, though.

But I know they had noticed my lack of dates recently, and I’d even had to ‘talk’ to a few guys when they noticed Y/N. Commenting on her laugh, her smile, her body, they didn’t deserve to be around her while I had to work for it. I’d heard Carol tell them it was just because she was doing my assignments and I wanted her focused, but she didn’t know anything. I’d actually studied since meeting Y/N, and it wasn’t torture, it gave me something we could talk about even if it was mundane.

The girl sighed beside me as she wrote in her notebook, making me look at her in admiration. Moving my seat slightly closer to her, I made just enough contact so that she wouldn’t think it was intentional. I wanted to be… nonchalant, casual as I approached these new and unnerving feelings.

Originally, all I had wanted was to make Y/N admit she didn’t hate me so that I could continue with my life, but she had become something of an obsession.

I couldn’t understand why exactly it was her that I wanted, she was beautiful sure, but I wasn’t usually interested in putting in effort.

There were a list of things I wanted to do with her that I didn’t know I wanted to do, like how on Saturday we’d watched a movie together. And of course, there was a list of things I wanted to do with her that I’d done a few of times before.

It would be different though.

My eyes hadn’t moved away from her, she tapped her fingers on the table and I let my mind wander. Two pictures playing in my head; one of her nails digging into my skin as she said- Screamed- my name and the other how nicely her hand fit with mine. It was contradictory.

Clearing my throat I looked back at my book and watched from the corner of my eye as she glanced at me “What is an Allele?”

Scrunching my nose, I read the first word I saw on the page. Y/N laughed and I felt like I was going to melt, she had laughed at something I said, not a fake laugh at a pick up line but a melody of real laughter.

Looking at her, our eyes met and I wanted her to tell me that she was just as confused as I was. That her head was a million different thoughts but all of them lead back to one simple thing; Me.

“It’s a heredity gene” I raised an eyebrow at her “You get two alleles for each gene, one from your mum and one from your dad, it can determine things like your hair or eye colour”

I nodded slightly but still didn’t understand completely. I had contextual clues but I wanted to hear her voice “… What?”

“You have blue eyes, so either one or both of your parents alleles must have a dominant blue eyed gene.”

I sighed, she’d noticed. I tapped my finger on the page and tried not to smile like an idiot. “You like my eyes?”

“I didn’t say that” Someone sounds a bit defensive.

“But you noticed they were blue”

“Because you’re always staring at me like you’re going to, I don’t know, murder me. You practically kidnap me every morning and afternoon now”

I couldn’t hold back my smile much as it only grew. Kidnap. Don’t girls all want a knight in shining armour, a prince with a carriage, to come and sweep them off their feet and ride off into the sunset?

Or did I have to physically pick her off the ground and carry her to my car for that clause to be valid?

“You’re so defensive.” I laughed “It’s alright Y/N, I know how pretty I am. I know how irresistible I can be” I put my arms up, flexing and trying to show her I was in peak physical fitness. I hadn’t seen her looking at anyone so I didn’t know if she had a ‘type’. Did she like jocks or not.

She smiled for a split second before I looked back at her, watching as she shook her head in fake disapproval and went back to writing. Rolling my eyes, I stopped flexing and put my arms back on the table.

Using my arm to nudge her and waiting for her to meet my eye line again. “By the way, you have to wait for me after class”

“Why?”

“Just please wait at your locker, okay?” She didn’t respond, only looked back at her work and I hoped for the best. She could easily just leave, and probably run into Max on the way. The idea of them having fun together without me made me angry. I wasn’t annoyed she was close with my brat step-sister, I was annoyed Max had gained her trust faster than I had without even thinking about it.

───── ❝ ❞ ─────

Coach blabbered on about his plans for the basketball game today, nothing he said being of use to our team since his plays never worked, and my eyes wandered to the clock above the lockers. I began to tap my foot, ignoring that Steve Harrington was staring me down.

I felt my nerves bubbling inside me, wondering if Y/N would just leave. Could the coach just shut up already so I can go and find her?

As the bell rang, Coach ended his dull speech and left us to our own free will to prepare for the game. I happily bounced up and grabbed my jacket, pulling it over my uniform and hastily running my hands through my hair.

“Where you off you?” Jason, one of the jerks on the team asked. That wasn’t really any of his business. Jason fucking Carver, bible thumping narcissistic ass-wipe.

Ignoring him, I almost sprinted down the emptying hallways towards Y/N’s locker. It was the most unexplainable warm feeling when I spotted her leaned against her locker. Arms folded across her stomach, hair fallen in front of her eyes.

“You’re still here!” I smiled as I got closer to her.

She looked at me, seemingly unimpressed. “You’re my ride home” She knew perfectly well that she could have caught the bus, or even walked, but she waited.

“You don’t have plans today, do you?”

“Um” She paused briefly, and it felt like all the air had been forced out of my lungs. Did she have something happening tonight, a date? “No…?”

I chose to ignore the fact that her answer sounded more like a question, instead focusing on the fact that she didn’t have plans, and was therefore free to spend time with me. Being my good luck charm for the basketball game, or at least being some kind of eye candy for me to stare at.

“Good. Come on” I took her hand in mine and started walking, letting her follow behind me. She couldn’t see my face, allowing me to grin like an idiot.

My heart was practically pounding in my throat, i felt sick but it didn’t bother me. I swiped my thumb across the back of her hand, taking in every moment that it felt like we were unable to be torn apart.

Coming to a stop, I reluctantly relaxed her hand and held the door to the gym open. Y/N glanced down at her hand for a few seconds before looking up at me and meeting my gaze.

“What?” Her voice was soft, face slowly starting to turn red.

“I have a basketball game” She stood, staring at me blankly. I was tempted to close the gap between us now, but there were so many thoughts running through my head. “You’re here for support”

“I don’t like school sporting events, sorry”

She didn’t need to like basketball, she was blushing and looked sad that I had let go of her hand. “But you definitely like me now, so you should go sit in the seat I saved you”

───── ❝ ❞ ─────

The game was going rather well, and every change I got I would look over at Y/N. There was something about know she was watching, and the little look on her face where I could tell she didn’t actually know what was going on, that made me get goosebumps.

“Billy!” Steve shouted, enforcing the unspoken rule we shared that we’d pause the petty rivalry and be somewhat civil during actual basketball games. He passed the ball as soon as we made eye contact, everyone on the court was blocked and as I saw the timer I knew there wasn’t enough time to start dribbling.

There wasn’t anything else I could do. Taking a deep breath, I jumped and the buzzer went off just as I felt the ball lose contact with my fingers. My feet hit the ground and I held my breathe, watching as it approached the hoop in what felt like slow motion.

I could feel every bead of sweat dripping down me, and with a perfect swish; the ball went in. Straight through the net, adding 2 points to the score and breaking the tie between the teams.

Cheers erupted from the surrounding people, and I didn’t even think before I acted. Letting my feet carry me towards where Y/N was standing and wrapping my arms tightly around her waist, burring my face in the crook of her neck and inhaling her sweet perfect scent.

I lifted Y/N’s feet off the ground and spun in a circle with ease, wanting to hold her forever. I wasn’t sure i’d ever understand the feelings I had, but I think all pf this meant that I wanted Y/N to be mine. Not in a ‘I own you’ way, but in a ‘we belong to each other’ way.

Putting her back on the ground carefully, I moved my hands quickly so I could put my hands either side of her face and lock her eyes with mine.

Her lips parted as she took a sharp breath and I felt her eyes pouring into my soul, if it wasn’t for the sight of the boys in my peripheral vision I probably never would have realised they were calling my name.

I could choose to ignore them, instead burry my hands in Y/N’s hair and press my body against hers take in every part of her being and share a pure, vulnerable kiss like no other. Jesus christ, what the fuck has she done to me. She’s turned me into someone so… needy. And she hadn’t even touched me. Yet, might I add.

Looking over my shoulder shoulder I shot a glare at a few of the boys and they quickly averted their gazes before I looked back at Y/N. My hands still cupping her face, and I slowly removed them before whispered as I smiled down at her.

“I’ll be back” I panted, slightly out of breath still.

She mindlessly nodded and I had to step back before I did something crazy, like pick her up again and lay on the bleachers just so I could hold her on top of me. I made my way back to the team, briefly celebrating with them before we began towards the locker rooms.

“Didn’t think you’d run in circles for some girl” Tommy patted my back, eying Y/N in a way that made me feel physically ill.

“Shut up, Tommy” Steve sighed, taking the words right out of my mouth. Tommy huffed and went into the locker rooms, and I followed Steve’s eye-line to Y/N. I balled my fists at my sides, almost ready to swing at him.

Every girl in this town, possibly this state, seemed willing to destroy all their pre-existing relationships for a chance to be with Steve ‘the hair’ Harrington. And Y/N and I weren’t exactly any sort of relationship, so there was nothing stopping her from being with Steve right now.

“Y/N Y/L/N” Steve said softly, and I clenched my jaw.

“Yeah?”

“Good for you, Billy.” Steve looked back to me and I furrowed my eyebrows. “She’s pretty cool, you’re lucky.”

I stared at him, my mouth slightly ajar. “Huh?” I said quietly

“She seems good for you”

Steve was continuing to be nice even after the game had finished. He was offering an olive branch. Y/N had created sufferable moments between Max and I, and now she was bringing me and Steve together. Perhaps I fell and hit my head 3 weeks ago and Y/N was a comatose dream I was having.

“Thank you” I replied, still unsure where Steve and I now stood. He nodded tightly, holding the locker room door open for me.

Glancing at Y/N once more, I made a choice to nod back at Steve and drop my glare. Entering the locker rooms and moving quickly. Wanting to shower as fast as possible as to avoid my teammates and get out it Y/N faster. The soap didn’t lather, and the water was ice cold, but nothing was going to ruin my mood. I was deciding if I’d take Y/N home, but maybe she wouldn’t invite me inside, and then we’d not get to do something together. Or perhaps her family would be home and they’d disapprove of me, kick me out, stop us from ‘hanging out’, I didn’t exactly have a good run with people in general.

My stomach gurgled and I realised how hungry I had gotten, it was a little later than 5 so maybe she was hungry too. If we went for dinner was that too formal, did it make it a date? I don’t think I’d mind that to be honest.

I harshly rubbed a towel on my hair, and ignored any of the guys trying to start a conversation as I dug through my locker to get my clothes on. My body was still a little wet, making my shirt stick to my skin and feel slightly uncomfortable. But nothing seemed more uncomfortable than telling the people on my basketball team that I was rushing outside just for a girl.

“Later” I shouted, not caring for their responses. Y/N was outside, looking up at the sky as she patiently waited leaned against the passenger door of my car. I stoked a hand through my hair in a poor attempt to make it look decent, realising that I hadn’t done my usual routine because I was too excited just to get out here. I lifted my arm and sniffed myself, a disgusting choice that I’m hoping she didn’t see, I smelt like the school’s little bars of soap and whatever toiletries we had in the gym showers. Not good, but better than the stench of sweat.

“Y/N” I called her name as i got closer to the car, shifting my bag to my other hand so I could get my keys out of my pocket.

She smiled, and I thought back to when we first met in Biology and she didn’t even want to look at me. Now she was, hopefully, just as devoted to me as I felt for her.

Even if she wasn’t, I felt content with waiting for her. She’d fall for me eventually.

“Hi” She looked around for something curiously “No after party?”

I laughed under my breath, unlocking the car “What do you mean? You’re my after party” I’d skip 100 parties to chase after her, i’d skipped so many things since meeting her and I had actually realised I didn’t even enjoy them. I enjoyed being around her, her presence was something that made me genuinely undeniably happy.

As I sat in the drivers seat, I watched Y/N squirm in the passenger seat. She’d always gotten in the back and let Max take the front. I could be bold and pretty much outright express that I ‘liked’ her by putting my hand on her thigh as we drove, just act like it was no big deal even if I was screaming inside.

Putting my hand behind her seat, I looked out the rear window as I reversed. Noticing her looking down at her lap and trying to hide her embarrassment. Did she like this? I wasn’t even doing anything other than driving.

I sighed as I drove out of the parking lot, turning the direction away from our houses “Are you hungry?”

“No” She lied, very obviously.

“Where do you want to eat?” I bit down on the inside of my cheek and drummed my hands on the wheel, waiting for her to answer.

She shrugged and looked out the window “There’s like 3 restaurants in Hawkins and they all sell the same things”

With the size of Hawkins, it didn’t take long to approach the edge of town. Some days I contemplated just driving back to California and never coming back, and every time I got close to doing so I’d see this little diner. I’d never tried it but now was as good a time as any, hopefully nobody from school would be here to bother us.

Yawning, I got out the car and waited so I could walk alongside her, and I thought about just holding her hand but I couldn’t find a reason. Did I need a reason other than wanting to?

I held open the glass door for her, and she entered the small establishment as people greeted us happily. Smiles on all of their faces, and I looked for an empty table.

Taking a seat at a booth, I sat down and waited. Wondering if she’d chose to sit beside me or across from me. She chose to sit across from me, it was hard to decipher if she wasn’t sitting next to me because she didn’t want to be close to me or if she was sitting across from me so we could look at each other.

I glanced at the menu and put it down, resting my elbows on the table and holding my head up so I could look at her. She was scrunching her nose as she read over the menu.

“What are you getting?” Y/N asked.

“Just a burger and fries.” I sighed, thinking about all those stupid television cliché diner dates “Maybe a milkshake”

“I’ll do that too” She beamer, placing her menu on mine and moving to stand.

“Where you going?”

“To… order at the counter?”

I get up and shake my head at the girl. “Stay, i’ll do it” She carefully sits back down as I go to the counter.

“Hello” The girl behind the cash register said, and I looked at her briefly. She twirled her hair around her finger and grinned at me, baring all her teeth.

“Just two burgers with fries, one milkshake” I paused. I didn’t ask Y/N what kind of milkshake she wanted so I had to take my best guess. “Strawberry”

“And…?” She encouraged

I raised an eyebrow at her “And? That’s all.”

“And… my number?” She forced out a laugh, her smile flattening but she continued to twirl her hair on her finger.

I blinked. Oh. I blinked again, unable to think of any response. Usually i’d just have her quickly and not even care, but I didn’t want her. I only wanted Y/N.

“I’m literally here with my girlfriend” I scoffed. Shocking myself with my own words. Girlfriend had come so naturally, I’d never had nor wanted a girlfriend before.

I wanted Y/N to be my girlfriend.

The girl awkwardly rushed to put my order through and allowing me to pay. I took two straws from the dispenser before running a hand though my still wet hair and going back towards the booth.

Y/N looked at me with wide eyes as I sat back down and I panicked that she’d heard what i’d called her, was she about to yell at me and tell me we weren’t even friends?

Someone came to the table very quickly, putting down the milkshake and scurrying away again. I grinned, putting both straws into the cup and moving it to the centre of the table.

“We’re not sharing” She said bluntly

“Why not?” That’s what couples did in movies. “It’s cute”

“I’m not interested in being ‘cute’ with you right now”

I felt my face heating up and tingling “But you are later?”

“Stop putting words in my mouth”

“I’m just saying what you’re thinking” I shrug and look up at a waiter as he puts down our plates. Either the service was incredibly fast or I was so wrapped up in staring at Y/N and trying to understand why I suddenly wanted a relationship.

Y/N scoffs and pulls one of the plates closer to herself. “You can’t read my thoughts”

“Sure, I can” I take a large bite and chew slowly so that I can watch her as she studies my face. The burger was pretty good. “You really want to kiss me, and you want to run your fingers through my hair.”

That’s what most girls wanted, and maybe implying that she wanted to would make her want to.

Y/N blinked slowly before rolling her eyes and picking up her own burger. “You have mustard on your nose, hot shot”

Hot shot. I moved my hand, wiping the back of it over the tip of my nose and looking down at it. A small smear of yellow. Fuck.

───── ❝ ❞ ─────

I smirked as I put my last fry into my mouth “You’re staring at me”

“What? No. I’m staring at that lady’s giant hair” She frowned. She was lying again. I turned around, hoping to catch her out but there actually was a woman with huge hair. I turned back to face Y/N and an idea quickly appeared in my head.

I jumped out of my seat and moved to sit beside her, my thigh touching her thigh and putting an arm on the back of the booth behind her shoulders, during my head down so that I could whisper in her ear.

“I dare you to throw a fry in her hair”

“No, that’s rude and stupid”

“Loser has to pay” I picked up a fry from her plate and take a sharp breath, flicking it and watching it land almost perfectly on the large poof of blonde hair “Didn’t even notice”

Y/N scrunched her nose and shook her head for a second before picking up a fry and taking a deep slow breath. She threw the fry and it landed in the crook of her neck, making her turn to look at us. The girl beside me gasped and hurriedly looked down at the table.

I moved my hand, putting it to her cheek and turning her head so she was looking at me. Only a tiny gap of space between us as she looked into my eyes. I felt my breathing shallow and began to move forward but stopped when she spoke.

“I lost” She sighed, looking away.

I kept my hand on her cheek “You need to get better aim.”

She sighed and moved slightly, I dropped my hand but kept on looking at her, watching as she dug though her pockets.

“I have to pay” She says as I don’t dare move to let her out.

“I already did” I shrug, looking away and taking a fry from her plate. “Just wanted to see if you’d do it”

“Oh”

“What now, darling?” Something flashed in her eyes at the pet name but it wasn’t enough time to read it.

She stared at me with her lips parted “I don’t know”

Inhaling sharply, I swiftly moved out of the booth and held my hand out for her to take. She stared at it and I sighed “Take it”

“Do you wash your hands?”

“Y/N” I huff, putting my hands in my pockets and stepping back. Of course I wash my hands, couldn’t she see how desperate I was?

We walked in silence to the car, brushing my arm against hers any chance I got. Looking at her in admiration, trying to think of what else we could do to keep her from getting bored of me. She looks over at me and quickly looks away, biting her bottom lip as she looking at her feet.

“So how many girls do you bring out here to… you know” She tried to make conversation to hide that she’d been caught trying to look at me.

I know what she meant but I raised an eyebrow at her. “You know?”

“Woo”

“Did you actually just say ‘woo’?” I smirked, unlocking the car. She nodded and took a seat. “Well, wooing a girl usually means you’re trying to seek some sort of affection and create a relationship… So only one”

YOU. Please understand that I mean you!

I started the car and she twiddled her thumbs. “Where are we going?”

“Lover’s lake”

“Isn’t that for lovers” I grin at her and look back at the road ahead, trying not to burst out laughing a her mouth opens and closes quickly while she hesitates and furrows her eyebrows. “No, we are not together”

“At least, not yet” I didn’t mean to say that aloud, but when she didn’t object again I felt an overwhelming boost of confidence.

───── ❝ ❞ ─────

After parking, I’d tried to get Y/N’s attention but she was deep in though. So I just sat with her silently, smiling softly as I watched her racking her brain. 20 minutes passed and she still hadn’t said anything, but occasionally she’d mouth a few words and i’d managed to catch my name more than once.

“Are you alright?” I asked “Do you need a doctor?”

She looked her balled fists and took a deep breath, letting go of the fabric of her pants. “I’m fine”

“You never been here?” I asked, hoping the answer was no. I’d been here before, unfortunately with a few girls that I no longer remembered.

“I have”

It felt like a slap in the face, of course someone had brought her here. They’d probably done all the things i’d been dreaming of with her before. I looked out the window and spun my key ring around my finger “Ex boyfriend or something?”

“No, it’s just one of the only nice places in Hawkins”

Humming in response, I pursed my lips. Had she dated anyone before, or would we be each others first relationships. That is, if she wants to date me.

She was so different that I had become worried I wasn’t good enough for her.

“Cool” Y/N said quietly, trying to fill the silence.

I climbed out of the car, looking at her and waiting for her to join me. She titled her head to the side as she looked at me through the windshield and I chuckled before making my way to the passenger side and opening the door for her.

She fake gasped and began to fan herself “Oh a gentleman”

“Truth or dare?” I asked stepping away from her and going towards the edge of the lake, hearing Y/N run to catch up with me.

“Dare” She said, sounding quite scared. I could dare her to kiss me but she’d probably fake gag and make a mini scene.

“I dare you, to jump in the lake.”

“Truth” She shook her head. Cheater, you can’t change your mind. But at least this meant I could get the answer I really wanted out of her.

“Do you want to kiss me?”

Without hesitation, she looked at the lake and removed her jacket. Putting it against my chest so i’d take it from her before she removed her shoes and dove into the water. Her head bobbed up almost immediately, wet hair clinging to her forehead.

“Fuck, it’s cold” She groaned loudly.

“So you do want to kiss me” I smiled, taking a seat on the ground.

“What?”

“You jumped in the water to avoid the question. So obviously, you want to kiss me” She didn’t even think about it, but if she’d said no instantly I also would have believed she was lying and did actually want to kiss me.

She huffs, her lip quivering slightly. That water must have been like an ice bath. “No, the water is nice”

Nodding to myself, I put her jacket down beside me so she had somewhere to sit without having the dirt and leaves stick to her. “Get out of there”

Thankfully, she did as I asked which meant I didn’t have to dive in and pull her out just so she wouldn’t catch a cold.

She squeezed her hair, water dripping out of it before she did the same to her shirt, exposing part of her abdomen to me. I took a sharp breath, shifting on mt spot and sliding off my own jacket so I could do another classic movie cliche.

She sat beside me on her jacket and I draped mine over her shoulders, Y/N looking at me with her her lips parted slightly. I swallowed and looked back at the lake while she continued to look at me.

“Truth or dare?” Her voice was soft, it was like liquid gold flowing through my ears.

I was almost shaking, fear and excitement making my stomach do flips. “I dare myself—”

“You can’t dare yourself, it’s my turn” She frowned and I only laughed, looking at her again and speaking slowly.

“I dare myself… To kiss you, Y/N”

She froze, wide eyes and locked with mine. I couldn’t not kiss her now, I had to follow through with the dare. I snaked my arms around her waist and my breathing began to feel shallow again, like someone was pressing down on my lungs so I couldn’t take a full breath. But I had never felt so safe.

Y/N leaned into my touch and I swallowed the lump in my throat before finally kissing her. It was softly at first, but I couldn’t control myself for long and it slowly gained intensity, she clung to me. Her hands gripping into my t-shirt and making me feel like our hearts were beating in sync. Her lips were warm and soft, the most amazing sensation i’d ever felt and I never wanted this feeling to end. No matter how uneasy I felt, or how crazy Y/N had made me, I was always going to feel bereft without her.

───── ❝ ❞ ───── 

tags: @im-julessssss@m-rae23@moonie-brbs@iamaslutforcoffee@kenny-power @billy-hargroves-wife @maackiimoo @reneetje @tayhar811 @harringtonfan4 @jiiisungpark @untoldshortsofthefandoms @theamunson @softbfbilly + i can’t reply to comments sorry

:)

[psalm22-6]

Source: The Jewish News of Northern California, 2 October 1992

I thought this was a very cool profile and an interesting perspective. I love the research she did on the gamins. 

Understudy says Jews will see themselves in Le Miz by Paul Freeman The theatrical epic Les Miserables tells the story of Jean Valjean, a noble, good-hearted man unjustly persecuted for a minor crime. To sate his extreme hunger, Valjean steals a loaf of bread only to find himself mistreated for the rest of his life. According to cast member Pauline Frommer, Jean Valjean's ordeal should strike a chord among Jews. 

“The persecution is not really about the loaf of bread," says Frommer, “but about who he is." 

Similarly, she says, "We, as Jews, are persecuted not out of anything we actually do, but because of who we are. That's the story of Jean Valjean, who is imploring Javert, 'Look at me as a human being! Don't look at me as a criminal!'"

[. . .] Frommer attributes the show's popularity to its spiritual quality. "It touches on what's best in human beings, revealing our aspirations towards creating new worlds," she says. "It brings out a longing in people to go out and create a revolution, to try to make things better. At the end of the show, it says that to love another person is to see the face of God. That's very powerful." 

Frommer understudies two roles — Eponine and Cosette. One requires a soprano voice, the other an alto. Fortunately, Frommer has a three-octave range. She also has to adjust to the differences between the personalities of the two characters. Cosette is gentle, while Eponine has rougher edges. 

Very often, Frommer doesn't know until only a few hours before the curtain that she will have to perform one of these featured roles. "That makes it exciting every time I go on," she says. "There's always an adrenaline rush. I can never get totally comfortable with a character. That's a big advantage, I think." 

When Frommer isn't called upon to play one of those roles, she focuses her energies on her work within the ensemble. "I play a boy for most of the show," she says. "To prepare, I watched the little boys in the cast, seeing what kind of tricks they liked to play on people. I also read [author Victor] Hugo's novel and learned about the contradictions of these little gamins. They're both playful and serious. They steal and eat from garbage cans, but they love the theater and want to know more about the culture of Paris." 

Growing up, Frommer had the unusual opportunity to experience a number of other cultures firsthand. Her father, after all, is the famed travel writer Arthur Frommer, who wrote the Europe on $5 a Day series of books. According to his daughter, Dad researched the hotels and restaurants, while his wife at the time, actress and acting instructor Hope Arthur, gathered information about museums. 

"I started traveling when I was 4-months-old," the 25-year-old Frommer says. "My parents would push me into drawers at night, because they didn't carry a crib. Every summer since then, until I was 14 and started going to camp, we would go to Europe to update the book.

"It gave me a great appreciation for how different, and yet, how alike we all are," she says. 

Arthur Frommer, who recently wrote a new book titled The New World of Travel and hosts a cable TV show of the same name, made Jewish historical sites an important part of the family's European visits. 

"In Spain we visited many synagogues," his daughter recounts. "We went to Israel when I was 11. My parents got off the plane and kissed the ground. I remember very clearly the Wailing Wall, which had a profound effect on me. It also meant a lot to me to realize that I was in a Jewish state, where I was in the majority, not the minority." 

In all her worldly travels, Frommer claims never to have encountered anti-Semitism, though on tour with Les Miserables she occasionally has felt that her Jewishness made her an outsider. 

"Usually, there are a lot of Jews in theater," she says. "In Les Miz, there's only one other Jewish member in the cast. In Kansas, my dresser told me I was the first Jewish person she had ever really known. But it wasn't a negative thing. She was curious about me. 

"Being from New York City, I grew up around many Jews. On Yom Kippur, the whole school got the day off. So it was strange for me to be seen as being so different. At the end of the week, the dresser gave me a pin that said, 'Oy vey.'"

Despite her Jewish upbringing, Frommer claims always to find herself cast in non-Jewish parts. "It's funny. In camp, I was in Fiddler on the Roof. I played the Russian sergeant. I'm always cast as the shiksa. They always cast the blonde in the non-Jewish roles," laughs Frommer, who plans to audition for movie roles when the tour hits Los Angeles. 

Nonetheless, Frommer remains hopeful. 

"Who knows," she says, "maybe someday I'll get the part I've always wanted, my dream role  — Anne Frank."