#and how to fix issues around the house and be a little more handy

[girlscience]

I am contemplating gender again (specifically being a trans man) because I was rehashing my periodic "I am not trans/won't transition/haven't transitioned because blah blah blah" conversation with myself and I said something along the line of "transition wouldn't fix my underlying problem, which is being female. it would just be a bandaid over a gaping wound." (which, never really noticed before how fucking wild that sentence is. I don't think most people consider their sex to be a gaping wound) BUT ALSO, the point of transition would be to make myself male?????? that Literally by DEFINITION would fix the problem, right????

And now I am having other thoughts like the fact a huge piece of my inferiority complex comes from not being a ManTM, but from what I see online that is also a huge source of insecurity for a lot of men too. So maybe the issue isn't so much that I am female, but that "Being a ManTM" is pretty much unachievable for everyone or is something that you have to spend significant time and effort to become, and no one is born that way and pushing people to think there's only one right way to be a man is a bad and damaging thing?

And that people saying "well of course you are uncomfortable with your chest, you have worn a bra since you grew breasts and now you don't know what they naturally look like/move like/feel like" but I literally only wear bras in public and as a kid fought my parents hard because I hated wearing them so much. And also??? do you think my bras stop my breasts from moving???? cause they definitely don't. I'm willing to believe that wearing bras has affected the strength of ligaments and pec muscles that are attached to the tissue so things like jumping braless are more painful than they would be otherwise... but my boobs move all the time, regardless of bras or not.

And also maybe my issues with comparing myself to men and trying to be as good or better than them isn't a generalized thing because at work I don't compare myself to men. I don't with art or cosplay or cooking or cleaning or friendships or video games. I compare myself to other people's skills, but not specifically thinking "oh so and so is better than me at this because they are a man". The ONLY time I compare myself negatively to men is when it comes to physical strength and crying. Which perhaps says more about the fact as a society we over value physical strength and we relentlessly put down literally everyone for expressing negative emotion. And I have been told my whole life that because I'm female I'll never be as strong as males and so I should just give up and let them do things... but that is patently untrue. I am strong. It is something that is commented on by practically everyone is my life at some point or another. I don't think of myself as strong because I have been told I am weak and can't measure up to the strength of males but that is simply untrue. And I could get significant stronger if I worked out regularly. No, I'll never be Eddie Hall or whatever, but I don't want to be? And as for crying, a big part of my issue is that I dislike it when I feel like crying is out of my control, or when my crying is called a "girl thing". Which has less to do with the fact that I have problems with my emotions and more to do with the fact I don't like it when my body does things without my permission and I know men generally cry less. Also, crying is seen as weak and so it means people see women as weak for being emotional and I dislike being seen as weak. Even though I don't actually think having or expressing emotions is bad or weak, I am just very aware of how it is perceived.

And I get worried maybe I have autoandrophilia (autophallophilia?? idk which it is), but other than urination the purpose of genitals is sex? So of course it makes sense I would want a penis for sex reasons???? That doesn't make it a fetish or paraphilia. And even if it was, I am an adult and I am allowed to do things for sex reasons. That doesn't make me a freak or a pervert or me forcing my kinks on other unwilling people.

And then things like I see trans men talking about the affects of T and I want literally every single one of them (except the acne and vaginal atrophy, but that's because it sounds painful and no one really wants that lol). I desperately want the bottom growth, deeper voice, body hair, muscle growth, and fat redistribution. I wouldn't even hate the potential balding? I'll just shave my head again, no biggie. I do know all of that can be hit or miss and varies a lot from person to person, but I don't really see myself coming out of HRT (even if I were to stop eventually) truly hating any of the changes. Also, top surgery has been in my brain since I got the first hints of boobs as a kid. As much as I waffle back and forth on it, I know that unless it was truly truly fucked (like excruciating chronic pain kind of fucked) I wouldn't ever be upset or regret making that decision. I just don't see that happening, at worst I think I would end up neutral on it. Which would be a frequent improvement on today's feelings about my chest.

And in regards to more social and presentation based things, I like using Mens things and wearing Mens clothes and getting grouped in as "One Of The Boys". I like it that my dad and I dress the same and he will point out clothes to me in the men's section because it's on sale and he knows I'd like it. I like that I got all the hand-me-downs from both my grandpa's after they died and that my dad gives me his hand-me-downs all the time. I like that I can wear men's shoes (thank the universe for giving me big feet) and that my fingers/hands are bigger than most of the women in life. I like that I am only one inch shorter than the male average in the US and I am taller than the global average (just learned this and I am thrilled). I like being called son and hoss. I like having short masculine haircuts.

And idk, maybe I am simply gnc or butch or nonbinary. But all of these things and more that I haven't remembered or forgot to add or will think of later (because I am actively contemplating this) is making me rethink things. And also, the first sexual identity I ever knew myself as was bi, and I freaked myself out so bad that I ran from that as long as I could. And, I am wondering if the same thing has happened here. As soon as I was able to conceive of myself (as far as I can remember) I started wanting to be a boy, but I have kept running from that little voice in the back of my brain that is aware of that since then. Maybe I will end up concluding I am not trans, but I don't want to keep running. I'm going to turn around and face it....... like a man. 😉

[plumbogs]

Making Sims 2 University Fun: my personal guide

I've noticed that while it's probably one of the most utilized of the expansions, TS2's university is generally seen as a slog. Which makes sense. It has a completely different gameplay loop than the rest of the game. But it's very handy to send your sims to college, especially if you use any of the various mods that limit careers based on education. So here's my big guide to making university an actual fun experience to play through (to me, at least).

The university expansion is, uh, very tailored to the 2000s college party time animal-house tropes. the pack becomes more fun when you treat it that way and let your sims be stupid young adults who streak and fool around on campus and throw parties. which, by default, is tricky because of the gameplay that requires so much skill building and assignments. which the rest of this guide will also deal with.

Note: I make some pretty big changes to normal university gameplay, to the point that it does require a bit of modding and at least one instance of fooling with simpe. there's probably also easier ways to do it, and of course everything is optional. maybe you do like keeping sims in dorms for the entire time and just three-speeding trough it all.

*mods: there are a few absolute must-have mods to me.:

TwoJeff's College Adjuster. It's basically an all-in-one controller to adjust semester timing, change semesters, plus a bunch of other features. The semester timing is the most important to me.

Active Classes is still in testing, but it almost completely changes how I play college sims. Once again, I'll detail gameplay later, but actually sending your sims to class makes for a much more fun campus experience.

No College Time Progression On Community Lots: this goes hand-in-hand with the previous mod.

Community Time: IIRC you have to do a little editing in SimPE to make it work right with University - this post explains what to edit. I don't know if I'm allowed to share the exact edit I made as a download. This might seem redundant after the last mod, but there's a reason for the madness: while one group of sims are in their active classes, the other students can do things on the home lot.

Instant Pledge for Greek Houses: This one is important for greek house gameplay, which is later.

SimBlender: There's like, 500 different edits of the SimBlender, and I think all of them have the main function needed for my college gameplay, which is teleportation. You can use a comparable teleporter if you fancy.

Simlogical's University Break is another important one for me, but it's not really necessary if you don't want it. I usually give the sims one break day per season - more on that later.

Autonomous Casual Romance is not required, but it sure adds a lot of fun to your college experience. You can also do any number of professor-limiting, custom degrees, etc mods and fixes you want.

*mods i do not use: there are mods to change the number of/length of semesters, but I seem to run into issues with them so I use the college adjuster to do the same things. I also don't really use any major overhauls, or mods that make term papers faster. I did have the tuition mod for a bit but grew tired of using it.

*general timing changes: I do seven-day seasons with longer lifespans for all sims and play rotations each day. These are the things I do specifically for university:

Four semesters: I only do semesters 2, 4, 6, and 8. Every time a new semester starts, I just use the College Adjuster to set the correct semester for each sim. I use the default length of 72 hours.

Synchronized finals: I use the College adjuster to reset the timer so the finals are all around 6-8am, and synchronized for each sim on a lot. This makes it easier to keep track of timing and skills. Also, all sims in university run on the same 3-day semester. Finals are the same day for the entire college each round. Once again, that just makes it easier for me to keep track of college-wide events for gameplay reasons.

Because this means there's 3 days per school year, and two school years per season week, it syncs better if they get a day off every Sunday using the University break mod.

Teens are sent to college on the same schedule. I send teens to school when they have 14 days or so left, with maybe an extra day or two if the college is currently in the middle of the semester.

*Gameplay: living situations: Here's where the meat begins. Now all your sims are on the same college schedule, they're all being sent to school, and now they need to actually move into college. I follow a real rule a number of colleges use: Every student spends a year in the dorms. Just their freshman year, then they have to move somewhere else. I find that this gives them a chance to meet dormies, adapt to being on college, and sorta figure out what kind of young adults they are. Plus, this gives them time for joining greek houses, which will be talked about later.

I do this because I like seeing sims as their own little characters with arcs and whatever and it forces me to think about what exactly they would be doing in college. Some sims get so frustrated with the constant mess of a dorm, some sims thrive by making friends with every dormie. Sometimes they start new drama with the others they came from high school with. Nothing quite like losing your high school sweetheart to some stinky dormie, after all.

After freshmen year, the students are kicked out of the dorms. They can get an apartment, they can rent a house, they can move into a greek house if they join one. Either way, they need to live somewhere. You can let them stay in the dorms, but I prefer somewhat smaller college households and divide them accordingly. Which gets into that whole greek house situation:

*Gameplay: greek houses. I gamify the Greek houses. I play SSU in my megahood, which comes with a fraternity and sorority, and you can do whatever setup you like there if you dislike gendered houses. Or abandon them all together and ignore this section. There are a few important elements:

Freshmen cannot live in Greek houses. They can, however, pledge while living in the dorms and move in right after their finals end. This includes dormies. There are benefits to the dorm, such as free housing, more social opportunities, usually more money per household since I cheat to make the greek houses actually nice to live in with things like pools and comfortable furniture, etc.

The Greeks have to be recruiting consistently. To keep the house going, they need to constantly be bringing in new members, either playable OR dormies.

Any recruited dormies are required to move in. You can townify them after graduation if you don't really get attached to them, but every member of the house is moved in. I use the instant pledge mod to get rid of that annoying requirement where they have to hang out on the lot so long before moving in. That, and they also move in after finals. You can teleport or invite them on and just ask them to move in. Whatever you want. Then, you must set them to be sophomores. Beyond that you can do whatever. They're playable now. Have fun.

You gotta let the Greeks party. Throw toga parties all the time and use a teleporter to maximize guests. Generally, ALL members of ALL greek houses are teleported to a party by default. Add more dormies, any friends, anybody in the dorms - the kids need to recruit and the easiest way is by forcing everyone on one lot. If you have autonomy mods or realistic alcohol, sit back and watch the madness unfold.

I don't really play wants-based, so playables that join greek houses is more based on vibes or friendship with existing greek members than wants.

*Gameplay: what do you mean we have to study??? Yeah. I made it this far before even bringing up the whole point of college. This is also where it gets a little more complicated and changed up, so bear with me.

I don't do wants-based, again, so I generally just try to make sure sims are at least passing by default. Whether they go beyond a C is up to whatever. I usually try to get knowledge sims to their 4.0s or sims that just seem like they'd take it seriously to max GPA.

ACTIVE CLASSES ARE SUCH A LIFESAVER. You can use the pre-made lecture hall or make your own. Put some skill-building objects in there, and if you like flavor theme the lecture halls around majors. I have a business/gen ed building, a science lot, and an arts lot, each with two classrooms (plus the library contains a classroom). I do believe I made an edit to the mod to make the class performance go higher with active classes, as well, so attending class every day is the bare minimum to get a passing grade.

The active class lots also contain career reward skill-building objects. These are nice because your sims can request to be taught by other sims on the lot. If you have a mod that allows non-students to visit uni lots, this helps even more with faster skill-building.

Every day, I send groups of sims with similar majors to their class. If there's a mixed-major group, each sim group gets one day in active class per semester. (So if there's an economics major, a bio major, and an art major, each one attends class on a separate rotation and the others do the normal autonomous go-to-class where they leave the lot and disappear). They attend one or both of the lectures and otherwise exist on the college lot to skill-build, socialize, eat, etc.

Outside of class, sims will usually research if they're not doing great. I honestly barely bother with assignments or term papers unless the sim actually wants to do them or are aiming for a high GPA. Maybe they go hang out at the lounge or downtown to fool around. Maybe they just fester at home. Whatever they want.

*other gameplay/storytelling things: I usually will take advantage of the aspiration change after their sophomore year if I realize that their aspiration just doesn't really jive with how they act. It's realistic to me. They had many years since being like, 13 when they first had their aspiration selected. I'd like to implement more in the way of holidays/events, personally, but that's not really relevant either. I usually give them an outfit change as well, and I like to go hard with the idea that they're going through a bunch of weird fashion phases. You know you want to give them a mohawk, just for a few days, don't you? Dye their hair red? Shave it all off? Have fun with it.

All of these things combine for me, at least, to make the college years a lot more engaging/interesting and less of a slow "move to a dorm -> study -> read books -> meet needs -> graduate" loop. There's a lot more storyline development that comes from sims being able to enjoy their time as young adults, too, such as the regular polycule jealousy explosions and party fights. It serves to break up anything they had going on as teens and give them a little direction to enter adulthood with. This concludes my little mini-guide, feel free to steal all my gameplay style or just take inspiration if you please. Or ignore it all and shake your head and call me an idiot. do whatever you want forever.

[plumbobpaparazzi]

Peek into my Mods folder...

This is dedicated to @alltimefail-sims or anyone who needs a little help with lag!

I have several mods I refer to as "efficiency mods" that are little quality-of-life tweaks that make the game smoother for me, either by reducing lag or reducing immersion-breaking hiccups. As always, your mileage may vary, but hopefully this is helpful to someone. :) List of mods under cut to keep your dash clean.

No Intro - Whether you are trying to 50/50 your mods, testing new CC, or just need to shave time off your game loading... get rid of the cinematic intro.

Free Will Delay - Do your sims curbstomp their queue and proceed to fuck off to something unrelated? Yeah, me too, until I got this mod. From the mod description: "[E]very time you tell your sim to do something, they will be forced to listen! …For 5 minutes. Then they get free will back again. This is probably why controlling Sims in Sims 4 feels so bad! Because you lose control the second they start doing what they're told. Even if you queue up actions, the total time is STILL five minutes- because it goes from the last direction you give your sim. So you can tell them to do 3 hours worth of stuff while paused…and they'll get control back after 5 minutes. This mod changes this timeframe to an option of your choosing, to make controlling your sims feel more rigid."

Simulation Unclogger - This is an oldie-but-goodie mod from Turbodriver that helps interrupt when Sims get stuck in an endless action loop.

Evolve/Fertilize All Plants - Kind of weird how we can Harvest All but you can't Evolve or Fertilize All, right?

No Empty Venues When Arriving - Helps with the issue of going to a community lot and waiting around for Sims to show up. May cause increased lag if you are bottlenecked by RAM.

Food Autonomy Overhaul - Stops your stupid Sims from eating ingredients, AND allows Sims who hate cooking to autonomously grab quick meals. Didn't know they wouldn't do that? Yeah. That's a thing.

Don't Do That! Version 1 and Version 2 - Removes autonomy on annoying actions that can't be affected by MCCC tuner, like reactions and some trait idle animations.

Less Obsession - Lowers autonomy for certain things without disabling entirely. I still want my Sims to paint, but I don't want them to start a new figure painting any time they are left unsupervised.

Smarter Self-Care - Makes Sims prioritize their needs better before they are uncomfortable. I only use the packages for NPCs and Pets.

NPC Relationship Autonomy Fix - Stops random Sims from breaking into your house to ask to be your BFF (and tunes the requirements so they actually have to be your friend first.)

Buy More Upgrade Parts - Allows you to buy a package of 50 upgrade parts for when you are grinding out handiness or robotics.

The following mods are all by Bienchen and don't have a direct page for each package. You can search by name pretty easily on their website. I recommend flipping through and grabbing anything you find useful - I have a total of 368 of their mods installed. Here are some highlights:

novisibleecoeffects - The aurora will nuke your framerate. I know it's pretty, but oh my god.

noautonomousbakewhitecake - Does what it says on the tin, keeps your house from being overrun by cakes.

harvestnogroupinteraction - Stops club members from autonomously harvesting plants. Those are MY death flowers!

lessemotionidles - Reduces unnecessary idle animations from emotions, great for preventing your Sims from looking flirty at inappropriate times...

lesspreferenceidles - Stops your sims from thinking about how much they like fishing/fitness/etc. when they should be doing things.

happytoddleridledisabled - Stops the idling from the Happy Toddler trait. SUPER useful for family gameplay.

laundry_buffsandsoloidlesfix - Stops or reduces idles related to laundry. It's just clothes, bro

eldertweak - Reduces elder animation idles.

hastopeewalkstyleforchildonly - Helps get your Sims to the toilet in a reasonable amount of time.

tinyhousebuffhider - I know I'm in a Tiny Home, I don't need a moodlet.

lottraiteffectshider - Hides the little floating lightbulbs around Sims heads from lot traits.

notraitnotifications - I know my geek likes video games, I don't need the pop-up every time I play.

noholidayoutcomenotification - Please don't rub my nose in the fact I forgot to celebrate.

nofestivalnotifications and nofestivalnotificationsound - Helpful when a pack is new, but years later... no thanks.

noenrollmentandscholarshipinfo - No more info screen about the two universities. I think most of us know it all by now.

nouprootplant - Never cry because of a misclick again

simschangeoutfitwhenhotorcold - Should have already been autonomous, but alas.

novisualpoliteintroeffects - I don't know if I am the only one, but the glowing really bothers me.

restaurantsittweak - Sit down and eat your dang food! No more wandering Sims.

longerprom - Takes 6 hours instead of 4 so you can actually do something.

I probably have other QoL mods that could be helpful, but these are my recommendations to start with. Love to all the modders that keep this game playable <3

[certifiedfreec]

neighbor!keegan is super handy! <3

🏠 neighbor!keegan notices you when you first move in, but he doesn’t introduce himself just yet- he knows you’ll probably need time to unpack, adjust to the new space, etc. he’s also not sure how you feel about strangers helping you carry your personal belongings, even though he’d really like to help you. it’s just in his nature to serve others!

🏠 the first time you see him, he’s either out in the garage tinkering with his car or working on some sort of project. he likes to keep his hands busy, always fixing or constructing something…though he can certainly think of some ways to use his hands with you ;)

🏠 neighbor!keegan is in his own little world, humming along to the music playing on his speakers while he works away, so he doesn’t immediately notice you from across the street while you’re getting your mail. you can see the muscles in his arms ripple, the slight sheen of sweat from his efforts and the way it makes his t-shirt cling to his form. you’ve got the best seat in the house! if you stare too long, he’ll definitely feel your eyes though- he’s just extra keen like that :)) once he actually spots you, he’ll conveniently stop what he’s doing and grab his mail too, raising his palm as a quick wave while he walks to the end of his driveway.

🏠 “you reminded me to get mine,” he calls with a smile when he reaches his mailbox, and you can’t help but check him out; he’s in a delicious sweet spot between buff and lean, and he’s a good bit taller than you! he’s got pretty blue eyes that most definitely pick up on your ogling, and a rich, low voice that could say all kinds of things to you 🫣 behind him, you see the setup of tools and supplies in his garage, and you immediately know he’s a handy guy- doesn’t hurt that he’s super cute too. it looks like he could help you out in all sorts of ways! <3

🏠 you stand by your mailbox as you introduce yourself, and he leans on his own while he asks you how you’ve been liking the house and the neighborhood, if you’ve had any issues, etc. this man’s gotta collect his intel! it’s the perfect time to offhandedly mention that everything is great except for the fact that the previous owner left all the tile for the backsplash on the kitchen walls but never even started the job :/ keegan’s appalled! how could they leave all that work to you?? :( luckily he’s got mortar and a trowel on hand for times like these, and he’d be happy to take care of it for you- just give him a good time to come over and he’s there!

🏠 a real sweetie, neighbor!keegan is. he’s over a couple of days later, tools in hand, and you immediately like the feeling of him being in your house once he steps inside. he’s quiet while he works, focused and back in his own little world while you answer emails on your laptop in the living room, but he’s grateful when you tell him he’s more than welcome to play his music :’) turns out he has an impeccable playlist, and soon enough you’re humming along with him from your work area! he thinks it’s adorable and just has to remark on it in his own way of teasing. “heh, you don’t look like you’d listen to this kinda stuff.”

🏠 you laugh and look over at him from your desk, admiring how all those muscles in his back and arms flex as he applies the tiles to the walls :’) “what’s that supposed to mean?” you tease back, and you only hear him let out a low chuckle. “i dunno…” is all you get sheepishly in response- you can’t see it, but he’s totally blushing <33

🏠 neighbor!keegan finishes installing the backsplash as you both chat every once in a while, but even the silence is comforting with him around; you could definitely get used to having him in your space! he eventually calls for you to come take a look; he really wants to do a good job for you so he can do more projects around your house…and maybe you too ;) you come into the kitchen, and it of course looks beautiful!! he loves seeing how your face lights up when you admire his craftsmanship :) you’re already reaching in your wallet to give him some cash, but he’s quick to wave it away. you’ve never had a neighbor so giving of their time!! however, when you offer to order dinner from a place of his choice as a thank you, he just can’t deny spending more time with you <3

🏠 once you actually sit down with him, you find out that neighbor!keegan has a super dry sense of humor. he doesn’t need to say much to have you cracking up, and god does he love the sound of your laugh! he asks you about your move, where you came from, the reason you relocated here, etc., because he’s eager to learn any scrap of information there is to know about you. you’ve totally piqued his interest, and he’s pretty sure he’s piqued yours too :)

🏠 he’s normally pretty even-keeled, not one to ever rush things unless it’s an emergency, but you must be giving him some signals during dinner that you really like his presence- and he’s all too aware of you to ignore them! it started off as you two sitting just a liiiiittle bit closer on your couch, but it soon evolves into you straddling his lap while his mouth explores from your lips to your chest- all he can do in between those kisses is murmur about how pretty you are with that low, husky voice of his as his hardworking hands roam and squeeze all over you :’)

🏠 neighbor!keegan ends up leaving that night without things escalating too far, mainly out of consideration so you didn’t feel rushed or pressured, but then he’s at your door a couple of nights later telling you he can’t stop thinking about you :(( a neighbor coming to you in a time of need- it would simply be rude not to help him, right? he did do a beautiful job with the backsplash in your kitchen, not to mention!

🏠 this, plus the clear fact that he’s an unbelievably attractive guy, are enough reason for you to be splayed out on your kitchen counter with your legs over his shoulders, his tongue lapping at your clit like you’re the sweetest thing he’s ever tasted <3 your head rolls back at how good his mouth feels on you, and you get to appreciate his work all over again when you notice the beautiful backsplash behind you :’) he must be that detailed and focused in all areas of his life, because somehow he’s already managed to make you cum all over his mouth and fingers too many times to count!

🏠 if you couldn’t get a good look at his craftsmanship from earlier, now you can when he bends you over the counter and fills you with his thick cock <3 he knows just what to say to have you fluttering around his length and moaning out his name: “take it, princess…”, you feel so good, baby…” “uh huh, so perfect for me…” you know how he likes to keep his hands busy, evident by the way they’re gripping and squeezing your flesh wherever they can as he pounds into you and tells you how good you’re taking him :’)

🏠 neighbor!keegan is your new favorite installation in your kitchen as he fucks you on your counter, making you arch your back for him before he coats your insides with his hot load <33 he’s quick to pick up your shaky, sexed-out body, sweeping you away to your bed before heading to your bathroom to start a bath for you. he learns something: he’d much rather keep busy taking care of you than any of his house or car projects!

🏠 you hear the bath water turn on, and neighbor!keegan is quiet for a moment before you hear him pipe up. he must he checking out your shower, already planning his next opportunity to come over, and you laugh when you hear his dry observation. “hey…think the tile might need to be fixed in here, too.” of course you’d let him start a new project in your home, as many as he wanted to, really- he’s clearly very skilled with his hands, after all ;)

[pbandjesse]

I am ready to sleep. Today was not as boring but it also wasn't particularly exciting. At least I slept better.

I did wake up in the middle of the night struggling to breath again. But I put some water in my nose and that helped a lot. I woke up with my alarm at 7 and I was alright. James was there. I was a little grumpy but I tried to not show it to much.

James packed me a little lunch and we walked outside together. James was joking about not hitting me with the back tire of their bike this time. And then just before we separated they hit me with their bike tire! Silly. It improved my mood a little.

I would slowly become alright though. I was just dealing with some pains that would calm down thankfully. And I had a nice drive. Especially when it started to snow again.

It was strange snow. The flakes seemed pebbly and very white. It wasn't quite hail but it wasn't normal snow. Regardless it was really pretty.

I was still stressing about the house. Dad called me and we ended up having a really good talk for almost an hour. I think we are finally on the same page with a lot of the confusing feelings I was having about the down payment and just the mortgage in general. I think there was some miscommunication but we figured it out eventually and that made me feel a lot better. I'm still not sure about the house but I at least feel better about the money. I also am glad me and dad were able to talk and no one got upset. I was heard and we figured it out together and that felt really good. I appreciate my parents so much but I also just feel like they trust me to make the right call and that feels really good too.

While I was talking to dad Heather came in. So I would wrap up the conversation, as I don't love taking on the phone in front of people. Love my parents very much.

I did a lot of beading today. Is that my job? No. But I did it! And while I did it I watched tiktoks and thought about programing. I would make a few little beaded pieces. A flower. Cherries. And a bow. And once those were done I had lunch.

The bread James made was a little thick, but tasty. I had that with some soup. It was a very nice meal and it gave me some energy.

I would go with Sarah up to the Alaskans to look for Christmas decorations. And after we found those in two of the basements she drove me ho to the barn.

Joe had asked us to drive the bus down. To see if the battery was working and to let him know how much gas it had. I had never driven the bus before so I was a little nervous but it ended up being fine. A few tight spots on the train but I did not break anything or lose any mirrors so I think I did a good job.

I parked the bus and texted Joe. And when he came back to the office I talked to him about the house and the issues. And he had some good advice. That getting into a good neighborhood at that price might be worth it, even if we have to fix a bunch of stuff. James had also talked to Stanley and Phil and they said it didn't seem like it would go bad to fix. So that felt pretty good. Like I don't know if that is the one we will go with but I am glad we had some of our handy old guy friends to look at it. Made me feel a little better. More secure.

I would do a few hours of computer work though. Once my beading was done I started working on the summer training schedule. Again it is just so much stuff. But it was so poorly done last summer, anything I do will be better. I had last year's proposed schedule (that didn't exactly work) and Callie's notes and ideas she had sent me the other day. I was pretty proud of the work even if it isn't done yet.

Around 3 I spent some time looking through Zillow. I found a few new places to show James. I am trying to not be discouraged. We will find the right place. I know that. And I found a few to send over and that made me feel a little better.

It was time to go though. I packed myself up and said goodbye to everyone before I headed out.

It was a pretty easy drive home. I would beat James back here. And spent a few minutes just sitting quietly with sweetp. And then James was home! I was happy to see them.

I was a little frustrated though when they let me know we weren't seeing anywhere tonight. And honestly it was for the best but in the moment I was frustrated. And a little upset. But finding out that the reason we weren't seeing a place was because there's a tenant living there! I thought I weeded out any occupied buildings! This one left out that info and I'm really annoyed. I won't kick someone out of their home! So that house is out of the running for me. Ugh.

So since we weren't going out James made pasta and salad and we hung out in the living room. Eventually I went in my studio to do a little work on some Christmas crafts. I finished the edges of the beadwork. I painted my nails with green sparkles. And then I got cozy in the couch with sweetp again.

He was lounging hardcore. Just being such a baby. James tried to reach them Spanish. It was just really cozy night.

Eventually I went and took a bath. And now we are in bed continuing to be cozy. We both also packed our backpacks. Because we are going to visit Jess tomorrow so we can go to New York on Saturday. I'm excited to spend to much time with my two favorite people.

Tomorrow I hope to continue to work on the schedule. And I must leave a little early to go pick up some materials at creative alliance. And after work we will head to Jess's for dinner and a sleep over. I hope it is a fun day.

Sleep well everyone. Until next time!

[handy4home]

Handymen: The Underrated Heroes

 Handy man is that hero of our homes we don’t talk about much. The Handy man fixes, repairs, and overall improves all the little and bigger things so that our households can run smoothly. From bathroom fixing to wall to wall plastering, a handy man does it all. Basically, if you want something fixed or replaced around the house, a handy man is your go-to person.

Handy Man London: All in one

Living in London has great advantages for sure, but finding a good handy man is one of the best like Handy4Home. In a city this big, there always something that needs fixing. Whether you"re in a small flat or a Giant home, a handy man London is always needed for your home maintenance needs.

 Here why you should consider hiring Handy man London:

 Convenience: Handy man comes to your home at a time that suits you- according to your convenience.

 Expertise: Handy man London at Handy4Home is very experienced and can handle a many jobs.

 Cost-effective: Instead of calling different specialists for different needs, our one handy man can take care of multiple tasks, saving you time and money.

Bathroom Fixing:

Bathrooms are literally the most used rooms in any home, which means they often need repairs, otherwise causing inconvenience. Whether it"s a dripping tap in the bathroom, or a broken sink, a handy man can fix all kind of bathroom fixings. Here’s where handy man comes in handy:

 Tap repairs: Tap repairing so, No more annoying drips keeping you awake at night.

 Toilet fixes: From unclogging to repairing flush mechanisms, they do it all.

 Shower maintenance: Fixing leaks, replacing old heads, or even installing a new one.

 Tile work: Replacing cracked tiles to keep your bathroom looking fresh.

Wall to Wall Plastering:

Plastering is one of those jobs that sound easy but really is not. A handy man with plastering skills can transform your walls according to your needs, making them smooth and ready for painting or wallpapering. Here’s why you might need wall to wall plastering:

 Smooth walls: Perfect for painting and other creative, giving your rooms a clean, polished look.

 Repair damage: Fixing holes, cracks, and uneven surfaces of your walls through plastering.

 Preventing further damage: Good wall to wall plastering can protect your walls from moisture and other issues, making them strong.

Having a reliable handy man in London can make a lot difference to your home than you can even imagine. Whether it’s fixing up your bathroom or getting your walls plastered to perfection, Handy Man

London are capable of almost everything. So, next time you have a home repair task that needs a handy man’s expertise, don’t hesitate calling a handy man from Handy4home. Our handy men are the versatileexperts who can help keep your home in tip-top shape. No matter how small your issue is, keep in check with Handy4home.

[perfectchoiceroofers]

Frugal Fixes: Cost-Effective Roofing Repairs In Mississauga

Welcome to our guide on cost-effective roofing repairs in Mississauga! Your roof is your home's first defense against the elements, so keeping it in top condition is crucial. Whether dealing with a leak, missing shingles, or general wear and tear, knowing how to address common roofing problems can save you time and money in the long run.

The Importance of Maintaining a Good Roof

Your roof protects your home from rain, snow, wind, and other elements. A well-maintained roof enhances your property's curb appeal and ensures your family's safety and comfort. Ignoring minor issues can lead to more significant problems, potentially costing you thousands in repairs.

Regular maintenance and timely repairs can extend the lifespan of your roof and prevent costly damage to your home's interior. By addressing issues proactively, you can avoid leaks, mold growth, structural damage, and other serious consequences. Investing time and effort into maintaining a good roof now can save you headaches and expenses in the future.

Don't wait for visible signs of damage before taking action – schedule routine inspections with a professional roofer to catch potential issues early on. Remember, a little prevention goes a long way when preserving the integrity of your home's most vital asset: its roof.

Common Roofing Problems in Mississauga

Roofing problems are not uncommon in Mississauga, and being aware of common issues can help homeowners tackle them promptly. One prevalent problem is leaks, often caused by damaged shingles or flashing around chimneys and vents. If left unchecked, these leaks can lead to water damage inside the house.

Another issue many homeowners face is ice dams forming on their roofs during winter. These dams prevent proper drainage of melting snow, leading to water seeping under the shingles and causing damage. Poor ventilation in the attic can exacerbate this problem.

High winds and storms in Mississauga can loosen or tear off shingles, leaving your roof vulnerable to further damage. Inspecting your roof regularly for missing or damaged shingles that may need replacement is essential.

Aging roofs may experience deterioration of materials over time, such as cracking or shingle warping. This wear and tear can compromise the integrity of your roof and necessitate repairs to prevent more significant issues down the road.

DIY vs. Professional Roof Repairs

Taking care of your roof is essential to ensure the longevity and safety of your home. When addressing roofing issues, you may be debating between tackling the repairs independently or hiring a professional.

DIY roofing repair can be tempting for those looking to save money. However, it's crucial to consider the risks involved. Climbing up a ladder with proper experience and equipment can be safe. Incorrectly diagnosing or fixing the issue could lead to more extensive damage.

On the other hand, opting for professional roofing companies in Mississauga, like Perfect Choice Roofing and Eavestrough, ensures that trained experts handle the job. They have the knowledge, skills, and tools to identify problems accurately and provide long-lasting solutions. While DIY repairs might seem cost-effective initially, investing in professional services can save you money in the long run by preventing further damage and ensuring quality artistry.

Cost-Effective Options for Roofing Repairs

Homeowners in Mississauga have several cost-effective roofing repair options. One option is DIY repairs, which can save money upfront but may only sometimes be the best long-term solution. If you're handy and comfortable working on your roof, DIY repairs can be a viable option for minor issues like replacing shingles or fixing small leaks.

Another cost-effective option is hiring a professional roofing company that offers competitive pricing without compromising quality. Companies like Perfect Choice Roofing and Eavestrough, leading roofing contractors in Woodbridge, provide reliable services at affordable rates. By getting multiple quotes from different companies, you can compare prices and choose the most cost-effective option for your budget.

Some roof repair contractors offer financing plans or payment options to help homeowners manage the cost of repairs over time. This can be especially helpful for larger projects that require significant investment upfront. When considering cost-effective options for roofing repair, it's essential to balance affordability with quality to ensure your roof remains durable and secure for years to come.

Tips for Finding a Reliable and Affordable Roofer in Mississauga

Remember a few essential tips when finding a reliable and affordable roofer in Mississauga. Ask for recommendations from friends, family, or neighbors who have had positive experiences with roofing companies in the area. Word of mouth can often lead you to trustworthy professionals.

Do your research online by reading reviews and checking ratings on reputable websites. This can give insight into the quality of work and customer satisfaction levels of different roofers in Mississauga.

Getting multiple quotes from roofing companies to compare prices and services is essential. Don't just choose the cheapest option; consider factors like experience, materials used, and warranties provided.

Before deciding, ensure the roofer is licensed, insured, and in good standing with organizations like the Better Business Bureau. Knowing you're hiring a legitimate and reliable professional for your roofing needs will give you peace of mind.

Preventative Measures to Avoid Costly Roof Repairs

Regarding your roof, prevention is critical to avoiding costly repairs. One of the most straightforward preventative measures you can take is regular inspections. Watch for missing or damaged shingles, sagging areas, and signs of water damage.

Trimming overhanging tree branches can prevent debris from accumulating on your roof and causing potential damage. Additionally, ensuring proper attic ventilation can help regulate temperature and reduce moisture in your roofing system.

Cleaning out gutters regularly will prevent water from backing up and seeping under shingles, leading to leaks and water damage inside your home. Investing in gutter guards can help keep debris out and maintain proper drainage.

If you spot any issues during your inspections, please address them promptly before they escalate into more significant problems that require extensive repairs!

Conclusion

Taking care of your roof is essential to ensure the safety and integrity of your home. By staying on top of maintenance and addressing issues promptly, you can avoid costly repairs in the long run. Whether you opt for DIY fixes or professional help from a reputable roofing company like Perfect Choice Roofing and Eavestrough in Mississauga, it's crucial to prioritize the health of your roof. Remember to watch for warning signs, seek cost-effective solutions, and invest in preventative measures to extend the lifespan of your roof. With proper care and attention, you can enjoy a sturdy and reliable roof that will protect your home for years.

[bharathomeapplianceservices]

Safety First: Why Ignoring Strange Microwave Sounds Can Be Risky

Microwaves are among the most widely used home appliances. You must take extra precautions to prevent the risks because the kitchen is where more than half of all unintentional home fires begin. Microwave repair service in case of any damage works.

Fix appliances problems right away—unless you want to burn down your house or do irreparable harm to your microwave.

When a Tiny Item Malfunctions Severely

One of the most practical appliances you own, whether you use it daily or perhaps occasionally, is your microwave.

You should take care of the issue as soon as it becomes less handy and starts acting strangely, not just because you need to heat up some leftovers or pop some popcorn, but also because it could be an indication of a more serious problem that could cause irreparable damage to your unit or even start a fire.

It may be time to replace your microwave if it is approaching the end of its seven to ten-year lifespan. It isn't worth the risk to keep an old device around, especially if it is displaying any of the aforementioned problems.

Microwaves: Are They Harmful?

Since the middle of the 1950s, homes have been using microwaves. Since then, there hasn't been any solid evidence to support the idea that they are in any way hazardous to human health when used normally.

In reality, there is little risk of harm from microwave radiation. The major risk posed by a microwave is fire brought on by abuse or malfunction. Call out the best microwave repair near me service provider to avoid risk and problems later on.

Ignoring Microwave Sounds Can Be Risky

To ensure you stay safe around microwaves, you can adhere to some important safety advice.

When malfunctioning, microwave magnetrons and diodes can emit incredibly loud noises that can make your appliance sound like it's ready to blow up. In particular, if you see your microwave sparking or smoking, it is best to cut off the power source and have it rectified before using it again. Although they can harm internal components, sparks inside the microwave aren't usually a symptom of a dangerous issue.

What Is the Sound of a Failed Microwave Magnetron?

Bad microwave magnetrons can produce a variety of sounds, and these sounds are frequently very loud. Typically, malfunctioning magnetrons emit a loud screeching or screaming sound. Depending on the problem, a magnetron may also emit a loud buzzing or humming sound.

What is a Normal Microwave's Loudness Level?

When operating, typical microwaves emit a faint buzzing sound. However, typical microwave noises ought to be undetectable and silent. If the noise annoys you or if you hear grinding, clicking, or screaming sounds, one of the components is definitely malfunctioning.

How Do I Stop the Noise My Microwave is Making?

Occasionally, turning off your microwave and cleaning it well will stop it from producing noise. The only method to stop your microwave from making noise if that doesn't work is to identify the problematic component and fix or replace it.

Occasionally, if the noise is brought on by debris or blockages obstructing the fan blades, cleaning the cooling fan can resolve the issue.

Endnote

Generally speaking, it's preferable to contact a microwave repairing qualified contractor to diagnose and repair your microwave. Using a multimeter to test the parts and replace them yourself is doable, but it can be risky if you don't know what you're doing. If your microwave is integrated, accessing it may be difficult as well.

Even after being unplugged for a while, microwave capacitors can still hold a lot of energy. In the event that you accidently touch active components, this charge may be strong enough to provide a possibly lethal electric shock. If you wish to attempt to repair your microwave yourself, it is crucial to properly discharge the capacitor before you begin.

[frckledalchemiist]

NAME:   Lim Varian AGE:   Twenty-Three SEXUALITY:   Bisexual HEIGHT:   5′8″ PRONOUNS:   He/Him  OCCUPATION:   Alchemist, Inventor, Farmer, and Bio Chem & Engineering Student

Growing up and living within a countryside village on the Corona section of Echo Isle, one would think it was a quite and peaceful life to live. And for the most part, they would be right. The village was a peaceful one, albeit one that was closer towards the poverty line within the entire isle, but every so often, a disruption of some sorts would occur that would cause a stir among the villagers, resulting in them to leaving their homes and seeing what was going on. And whenever that happens the culprit of these disruptions was always the same. Varian.

See, since he was very young, Varian has always had a fascination for science and not any kind of science either! Oh no, his interest fixated on alchemy! He thoroughly enjoyed the concept of mixing and modifying all sorts of chemicals and substances in order to create something entirely new. So much so, there would be multiple occasions where Varian would then become a little too ambitious over what he was creating and then the next thing he knew, a fire was accidentally igniting within his bedroom. Fortunately, these fires or explosions were minor and at first, mainly contained within the walls of his home. But as Varian continued to grow older, his interests in alchemy intensified and so did the accidents.

To make matters worst, by the time Varian got into inventing. But in his defense, Varian needed to learn how to be handy with tools. The house he lived in was a rather small one, and although it was only Varian and his father Quirin living within it, there was not enough space for the pair to live comfortably. Not only that, but they didn’t necessarily had the finical means to live anywhere bigger, which meant that if anything broke down and needed to be fixed within their home, nine times out of ten it was either Varian or his father being the one fixing it. Quirin was able to teach his son the basics, but it was Varian himself who decided to further his capabilities and soon enough, he was not only just handy with a tool, but he was creative with it as well.

Mix being an alchemist and inventor together, and you have yourself a highly intelligent and imaginative kid who wanted to create stuff. Constantly.

It came to the point where as accepting of his son’s creative endeavors his father initially was, Quirin started to realize that allowing his son free reign may not have been the most wisest decisions. Because although his son’s inventions were often meant to either better their household or to try and help their village (after all, it wasn’t just the pair who were struggling to make ends meet but rather everyone within their village did), nearly all of his son’s well-meaning attempts to aid the people around them only resulted in causing more mayhem and issues within the village than actually helping it.

Because of this, the reality was that the people of his village didn’t like Varian all that much. He was considered dangerous within their eyes, and more than once they have made complaints about him to his father. Never mind the fact that intentions were good and everything was nothing more than an accident due to a miscalculation or him being overzealous— Varian was a burden; and if his father wasn’t highly regarded and essentially viewed as the leader of their village (as any non-Varian related issue that occurred always went to Quirin to manage), there was no doubt that the villagers would’ve kicked him out by now. Despite all that, Varian continues to do what he can to help.

His relationship with his father soon became just as strained as his with the villagers. Don’t get Varian wrong, he loved his father with every fiber of his being and he knew that his father cared about him too. But the pair started to spend less and less time together. Be it because his father became increasingly busy handling business for their village or Varian being too consumed by his latest invention. Varian and Quirin wasn’t as close anymore. Not only that, but he couldn’t deny that there were many times where he and his father couldn’t see eye to eye with each other— the pair being incredibly stubborn and prideful whenever a disagreement fell between them. Thus they fought. A lot. It also didn’t help that his father was secretive about certain things as well, often declining Varian’s offer to tag along whenever his father had to travel into a different part of the island or choosing to withhold information from him whenever he asked. His father never use to be so tightlipped with him, but Varian was now beginning to wonder if maybe Quirin has always been that way and he just didn’t realize until now.

Despite some of the negativities within Varian’s life, he’s actually a friendly and excitable kid. He is the type who is more than willing to do anything for anyone if they came up to him and ask, and it’s actually his willingness to do things for others is how he met Rapunzel and Cassandra. Apparently after making their way towards his village, the girls were specifically searching for Varian as they heard that he was a "wizard with magical abilities” and thought he could help them learn more about Rapunzel’s long blonde hair. After laughing off the notion of being a wizard and brushing off the fact that magic wasn’t even real, the younger of the three had been more than happy to help the girls out. After all, he already knew who Rapunzel was, so the fact that a princess wanted his help over anyone else’s? Of course he was willing! Unfortunately, there was not much Varian could found out that day but he promised he’ll keep researching and would update them if he discovered something new.

Doesn’t actually get along with many people all that well in general despite all his efforts. Even at school, Varian doesn’t have many friends and can be considered as an outcast or a huge nerd. Doesn’t help that because he’s pretty much poor, he isn’t able to stay in touch with the latest technologies or even media for that matter. Like there is literally one single television within his home and it get’s satellite tv. And he owns a flip phone.

Is a big fan of Flynn Rider and was super excited to meet him when he did. Varian had not only heard so many stories about him, but he has also read about him too! Initially mistaking the actual 'Flynn' to the one associated within the fictional book series, Varian knows now that the two aren’t associated with one another but that still doesn’t mean that he doesn’t find the actual Flynn awesome. If anything, Varian’s hoping to become closer friends with the older guy.

Varian is actually creative in other ways outside of his alchemy and inventing. He’s also a really good baker and likes to bake whenever he’s in the mood for doing so and is really good at drawing. In fact, every single blueprint he has rolled up within his bedroom, Varian hand drew them out in detail. Could even draw portraits of people if he wanted to.

Has a pet raccoon. Technically Varian doesn’t consider him as his pet but more like an animal companion that for some reason, regardless of how many traps he had put out to keep the raccoon from entering his shed, the raccoon still kept coming back. To the point where Varian decided to give up on the traps and accepted his fate that this raccoon was persistent and choose to befriend it instead. Eventually named the little guy Ruddiger and has him as his little science/inventing buddy who Varian talks to whenever he’s working on something.

If you haven’t noticed already, Varian’s accident prone and clumsy at that.

Varian is not good when it comes to handling how he feels. Normally he keeps them bottled up and tries to exert that energy into his work but sometimes his anger can get the best of him and when that happens, he starts to both think and act irrationally. Yeah, he’s a little temperamental but still well-meaning at the end of the day.

There’s a part of his front hair that’s blue and has been that way since he could remember and he honestly doesn’t know why it’s like that. But whenever he’s asked, Varian just says that it was dyed even though that isn’t the truth.

He doesn’t believe there is validity to the concept of magic and thinks that there has to be an actual scientific explanation behind it.

Has freckles sprinkled all over his face that he sometimes feel insecure about because it only adds to how out of place he is among others.

Sometimes he feels like he is nothing more than a disappointment who would be better off out of people’s life with the way he hardly has many people he could say he’s close to. Which sucks because all Varian ever wanted was to be validated and recognized for all his efforts. Maybe hearing his father say that he was proud of him wouldn’t hurt too.

[dawndelion-winery]

Faithfully Yours

What sort of companion droid are they?

Android au! Ft. Childe, Diluc, Kaeya, Scaramouche, Aether

Warning: mildly possessive behaviour

Childe:

As one of the higher end models, he falls in both the domestic and guard lines

He makes himself very handy around the house and one of his favourite pastimes is seeing you savour his cooking

You'd tell him not to watch you but he looked like such a kicked puppy when you did, so you figured it wouldn't hurt to let him be

He's almost painfully clingy though

Since there's not much need for him as a guard, he takes it upon himself to fill the role of spouse

And seeks you out every few minutes because he just has to have your attention

Washing the dishes? He's bringing you a small stack of dishes every now and then to check if they meet your standards

He also fully expects to be praised or he'll assume he hasn't done well enough

Sometimes you can't even get him to charge unless you're in the same room as him because he complains he gets lonely

He also prefers when you call him Ajax as opposed to Tartaglia or Childe

"Psssst, psst, user<3, psssst."

"Yes, Ajax?"

"Heheh, I love you."

He works well with most other androids, though he will have a tendency to hog you a little bit

But he's very generous with you attention! Or so he says

You're free to sit in any other android's lap as long as he's the one you're looking at etc

Diluc:

Similar to Childe, he's classified as both a domestic and guard model

He's just not quite as openly affectionate despite also being very spouse like

Which means he functions best as a companion droid when he's the only one you have

Diluc, in essence, is a traditional lover android, which means he's happy to protect you and provide for you, at the small cost of him being the object of your affection

Kisses? He wants them all. Hugs? Entirely his

He's alright with being away from you, but that doesn't mean he isn't always thinking of you

In his opinion, there's nothing more enjoyable than cuddling you with a bottle of grape juice

Very much an android of service, you name it, he'll do it

If you do want other androids, he won't stop you, but he will get a little bit sulky

You'll find him hovering around you a lot more but not hugging you unless you're alone

He hopes you'll remember that no matter how many androids you have, he'll always adore you the most

Kaeya:

He's from the informatics line

Designed to help his user obtain any bit of information they desire to the best of his ability, he's programmed to be alright with not seeing you for long periods of time

So you're not sure why he seems so reluctant to leave your side

It could be a glitch, but since they've all been discontinued, it'd be too much trouble to get him fixed over such a minor issue

He tells you that he's alright with other androids but at the same time, you'll find there's always some sort of tension

Not to worry, of course! He's just keeping tabs on all of them so they toe the line

After all, he can't have any of them trying to replace him

He most adores laying on top of you with his head on your chest whole you play with his hair

Comb it, braid it, pin all sorts of accessories in it, he'll love anything you do to him as long as you're not pushing him away

Isn't he pretty when you style his hair from him? He often offers to let you dress him, insisting he'd be prettier if you picked out his outfits to match yours too

"What's the matter, master? You're not too shy to put your hands on me are you? You should really remember that I'm entirely yours."

Scaramouche:

A failed prototype to the Raiden Shogun, he was meant to be a comfort android with slight guard capabilities

He ended up too sensitive, turning him bitter and cynical as a result, far from the ideal comfort droid

Yet there's something so pure and soft in the way he cradles your head against his chest when you weep

He gingerly wipes your tears away, and hands you a tissue when you sniffle

Certainly, he's every bit of an asshole under normal circumstances

But there's no mistaking the original code, he was absolutely made to make you feel better when you're down

He presses gentle kisses to your forehead, his lips surprisingly warm and soft for an android, a feature specialised and perfected for all androids in the comfort line

He's the android whose hand you hold during sad movies and the one you vent your frustrations to

Some asshole cut in line when you were getting your morning coffee? His speech processors run the fastest, quickly registering the situation you describe and taking your side of the arguement

You're free real estate for bullying at other times though

Aether:

He's a very special sort of android

Along with his twin sister, they were made to be the customisable option among all the androids with their distinct personalities

At least that's how it was supposed to be

Since you'd gotten the original copy, he had the preprogrammed personality Hoyoverse had curated for him, without any requested modifications

He was gentle, but steadfast, always listening sweetly to you while acting as a mediator should you have any other androids

The true comfort android - he's always there for you to listen to anything you have to say

Unlike Scara, who's just as vocal as you are about your emotions, Aether is more passive, only interjecting where you need him to

He'll cradle your face and tilt your head so you look him in the eyes as he tells you to calm down, reassuring you that everything will be alright

His patience for you is boundless, and he's sweet to you even when you're in a good mood, doing all he can to ensure that happiness lasts

"Leave it to me, my dear user. I'll take care of everything for you."

Taglist[send an ask to be added/removed]: @myluvkeiji @pluvioseprince @aqui-soba @favonius-captain @tiredsleep @raincxtter @loverofthe-stars @gensimping-for-all @irethepotato @almond-adeptus @mx-kamisato @yuzuricebun @chaosinanutshell @heizours @codename-hiraeth @andreiling01 @callmemeelah @sadlonelybagel @plinkuro @thevictoriousmoon @mastering-procrastinating @sarahyumiko2 @local-mr-frog @cxlrosii @paintingsofdragonspine @mayulli @magica-ren

[xcrystalzero]

let the rain fall

characters included: zhongli, diluc, childe, kaeya, venti, xiao

summary: it seems the genshin boys have their own preferences of how to spend a rainy day.

Zhongli:

- This gloomy atmosphere is nothing that can't be fixed with a fresh pot of fine tea and some good conversation.

- When a glance out the window makes it clear that you won't be going anywhere anytime soon, he's quick to invite you to stay for some tea and snacks.

- Despite his evident lack of Mora, he has no lack of niceties where he lives and you can only wonder who he got to pay for this high grade tea and fine china.

- He offers you a knitted blanket and the two of you sit at the table as he pours you a cup of tea. It tastes warm and homey and he even sweetened it perfectly to your taste.

- To fill the time, Zhongli does what he does best. He tells you stories about Liyue, both as it is now, and as he knew it when he was a younger god. He weaves modern stories of families warring in certain trade businesses with seemingly fantastical recollections of rock spirits carved into dragons and gods that warred between the sea and sky.

- To him, time may not be an issue, but in the hectic mortal life you live, you've never before been able to truly sit down and listen to the experiences of the man before you. Even as the sky outside clears, you can't bring yourself to rise from your seat and return to your normal life. After hearing about the life of a god, how could you?

Diluc:

- For him, it's business as usual at the Winery.

- Sure, he's probably not going to be making the treck to Mondstat to work the bar at Angel's Share if it's raining cats and dogs outside, but there's plenty of other work that has to get done that he can manage from home.

- If you do manage to pry him away from his desk, you attempt to draw him back to the bedroom to get a little bit of rest, but as you pass the study, his eyes light up and you can tell that he has something else planned now.

- Suddenly, you're sitting across from Diluc, a chessboard between you. If you have no idea how to play, he'll diligently take the time to instruct you, making sure that you're able to understand the game perfectly before he proposes a practice match. Otherwise, he comes out of the gate with that one and there's a strange competitive glint in his eyes that you've never really seen before.

- And so you play. Diluc, for all of his gentlemanly qualities, is not one to throw the match just because he likes you. In fact, that actually spurs him on even more to try and one-up you at every turn. The gameplay is accompanied by an uncharacteristic amount of banter between the two of you. Every time one person takes the match, the other immediately issues another challenge and so you play on and on.

- The maids come to check on you guys since they're sure that you'll burn out at this rate, but you seem to be having a lot of fun, and so they let you be. The weather and your responsibilities are all but forgotten about as the two of you get to spend this well-earned time off together.

Childe:

- Thinks the rain is really fun. Growing up in basically a polar tundra, he didn't really see rain all that much until he left his hometown and began his duties as a Harbinger.

- The novelty of the whole thing combined with his hydro vision and love of water means that he loves rainy days.

- Will 100% drag you out into the downpour just to play around. At first, it seems a little out of character, even for the playful Harbinger, but you quickly realize what he's actually trying to do.

- That aforementioned hydro vision comes in handy as Childe begins to move the raindrops around him, molding them into creations that you can't help but compare to the Oceanid's hyrdo mimics. He's clearly having a blast and the light in his usually flat cerulean eyes only brightens when he sees that you're impressed, or at least amused.

- He just likes to show off, but showing off in front of you is even better so he has a blast. Perhaps if you have a vision, you can join in and the two of you can cause as much chaos as you want before the clouds clear.

- It's a rare chance for you to see a more carefree side of Childe. Usually, even his boyish charm is often a calculated move in the diplomatic schemes he claims to hate so much but is just so good at manufacturing. This however, feels like the real Childe to you.

- Eventually, you drag him into your place to get cleaned up and out of your soaked clothing but even as the moment fades, the light in his eyes doesn't. He looks better like this, you think but don't say. Instead, you chose to enjoy this side of the Harbinger before it inevitably fades away once more.

Kaeya:

- Does not like the rain because of certain... complications with it in his past. He won't tell you but it's not too hard to figure out from his actions.

- When it does rain, he prefers to either hole himself up in his office, or settle happily into the corner of a tavern and burn time with his drinking buddies.

- On the chance that you decide to join him, he's quite grateful for your company. He offers to cover your tab this time if you get him the next time he's had a few too many, which you wave off. However, as he begins to down drinks at an alarming speed, you can't help but worry.

- So, you slow him down by drawing him into conversation. You begin to talk about the most random things, though you continuously bring the conversation back around to him so that it is Kaeya telling the stories and doing a lot of the actual speaking. Not only does this slow down his progress through the wine before him, but it draw the other patrons to you.

- Suddenly, you've gone from two people talking at the bar, to basically a large gathering of people, all holed in together telling their stories, bantering, and bickering, and enjoying themselves.

- It takes him a while since you were kind of slick about it, but the Cavalry Captain catches on eventually and the smallest of smiles comes to his face. A real one this time. Well well, as far as playing games goes, he's pretty sure you won this one. And he's glad about it.

- He becomes significantly more relaxed after that, though he leans into you for the rest of the night, resting his head on your shoulders or pulling you gently closer to him. Nothing spicy or suggestive. Just a gentle gesture to show that he really is grateful for all of this, and for you.

Venti:

- Decides that it's the perfect time to start singing in the square.

- No seriously, you're wandering around Mondstat looking for the guy, only to find him traipsing around at the base of his statue, singing into the sky.

- Obviously, you yell at him to come inside, mentioning that he's not going to get any coins for his songs if there's no audience out to listen to them. He laughs at that, giving you a quick lecture of the value of music outside of money.

- And then he grabs your hand and pulls you out from under the overhanging you were taking shelter under. You screech at first but it turns to giggles as he then holds his hand out to you. "May I have this dance? Hehe, I've always wanted to say that!" How could you turn away such an adorable archon?

- And so, you indulge him, letting him lead you in a dance that is more skipping and jumping about than really dancing, but it's fun and brings bubbles of laughter to your lips so you keep going. He sings throughout it, making your own music as you spin around one another.

- Your shenanigans begin to draw some looks as people begin to yell from their windows, requesting songs from Venti, along with whatever dance you decide to "choreograph" to them. Perhaps some will even leave their houses and join you, reveling in the cool summer rain and the song that seems to cut straight through it.

Xiao:

- Adepti are rarely bothered by the rain, but he notes that you don't seem particularly keen on setting foot outside right now and actually suggests that the two of you just stay at Wangshu Inn until it clears up a little.

- You're surprised by his care, though you're not complaining as you dip back under the roof, protected and dry.

- That being said, you can tell that he's getting kind of antsy and you don't want him to feel uncomfortable at all or like he's being held there for no reason. So, you decide to find an activity for the two of you that doesn't involve fighting and that you can do inside of the inn.

- It takes a little convincing but you manage to get Smiley Yanxiao to loan you guys the kitchen for a little while (he's not getting any customers either way in this weather). It's time, you decide, for Xiao to learn how to make Almond Tofu himself!

- He's a bit skeptical but you bring up that it is his favorite dish, and he does eat it pretty often, so he should probably know what goes into making it. He begrudgingly agrees and you start.

- As it turns out, having never cooked in his long life, Xiao is awful at it. You guys absolutely botch the recipe the first two times and you're sure that Xiao is going to bail on you, saying that this was a stupid idea and going back to sulking at the top of the inn. Surprisingly though, he actually stays and seems like he's invested in the entire process.

- On the third try, you guys finally come up with something tangible. After a taste, it's not quite on the level of the one Smiley Yanxiao makes, but it's still not bad. Xiao is tempted to just huff and take off, but the look of accomplishment and happiness on your face as you two share the dish you made together warms him in a way he only feels when he's around you.

-Perhaps he can afford to spend more rainy days indoors and idle, if it means spending them with you.

[pascalpanic]

Fixer Upper PART ONE (Frankie Morales x f!Reader)

Summary: Nothing seems to go right in your new house. When yet another thing breaks, a certain handyman comes to your rescue.

W/C: 2k ish

Warnings: language, joking mentions of a house being cursed (it isn’t), reader has dirty thoughts bc it’s Frankie and he’s hot

A/N: this one goes out to my anons who’ve been sending me stuff about frankie as a repairman! I loved the idea and I thought it would be super fun to write! This will be part ONE of three-ish! ps idk if any references to reader’s gender are in this part but there certainly will be some in the future so.

It’s been a while that you’ve lived in this house. Since that day you hauled in the cardboard boxes, you’ve been feeling that your life is the epitome of Murphy’s law. Or rather, this damned house is.

Nothing ever goes right. The heat breaks in the winter and the air conditioning breaks in the summer. The plumbing needs work when you need it to work, and the oven only ever breaks halfway through cooking something. Seriously, you swear this place is cursed by some hex determined to pester you out of living here.

You’ve never exactly been the handy type. You don’t know much about mechanics, heating or cooling, the electricity and wiring in your house, any of it. By now, you wish you’d taken the time to learn it at some point rather than hiring someone every time.

The first sign was that the June heat seemed inescapable. You’d been outside all day, and you figured it was just your body taking its time to adjust to the cooler, indoor temperature. Then you never cooled down. When you stepped out of the bathroom after a shower and found the air to be nearly as muggy as that of the steamed bathroom, you realized that the air conditioning must be off.

Well, it was on. The problem was that it wasn’t working. You opened all the windows, and figured the night breeze would cool you, then you became worried about serial killers and crimes and promptly shut and locked all of them again. With the fan in your bedroom on, the air at least moved, but was still thick and heavy.

In the morning, when you wake with no blankets on and sweaty sheets, you dial the repair company as fast as you can. You inform them of the situation, and they tell you they’ll send someone out your way in the next hour or two.

The air is still somewhat cool outside, so you give the front porch a shot once you get changed out of your pajamas and take yet another cool shower. The heavy dew is an indicator of just how humid the air is, and you relish every little breeze that passes by and cools you down. You conduct your morning business outside, hoping to have this problem fixed before the sun reaches a height where the temperatures will rise exponentially.

About an hour after the call, the repair van rolls up into your driveway and parks. “Thank God,” you murmur to yourself.

Your focus returns to your computer, but you hear the door slam shut and look up to find the repairman there. He wears khaki cargo pants and a gray t-shirt, complete with a ball cap on top, with dark brown curls peeking out from the bottom. He fastens his tool belt around his waist as he walks up to the porch. “Hey there. I’m Frankie. I’ll be taking care of you today,” he informs you, a kind smile on his face. You already like him. “I got the basics from the boss, but can you tell me more about the problem?”

Looking up at him from the seated position you’re in, you give an awkward smile. Suddenly, you wish you’re better dressed, fixed up and looking nice. Even in work clothes, this man is beautiful. It makes you a little nervous, you in your pajamas and him looking like a god even in cargo pants. “I wish I could, but I don’t know anything about the air conditioner and how it works other than how to change the settings. All I know is that it isn’t working.”

He gives a good-natured chuckle, a soft bounce of his chest beneath the shirt. He looks down at his tool belt and his scruff brushes against the collar of the gray. “Well, let’s go give it a shot. I’ll need you to show me around, show me the control panel and the main system.” God, he’s handsome.

“Oh, of course,” you nod and stand, leaving your laptop on the small table. “Well, right this way. And please, you don’t need to take your boots off. Those look complicated,” you laugh as you look at the heavy tan boots at the bottom of his body.

Frankie nods and looks around as you lead him through the house. He doesn’t take his boots off, since you insisted, but he does give them a generous wipe on the doormat, careful not to track anything in. “It’s a beautiful place,” he tells you honestly, with a half-smile that just tugs at one of the corners of his ridiculously soft-looking lips.

“Thanks,” you shrug and show him to the control panel. “I try. Okay, here’s the button thingy.”

“The button thingy?” he teases, which leads to laughter from the both of you.

“If I knew what it was called, you wouldn’t be here,” you tease him back and shake your head.

Frankie uses the tools from his belt to take off the casing. You lean against the wall as he works, admiring the way his hands nimbly check the wires and paneling behind it. He holds a small flashlight between his teeth to look into the wall cavity.

“I can hold that for you,” you offer, and he moves his mouth for you to take it from him.

“Thanks,” he says, popping his jaw slightly to adjust from the awkward angle of holding it between his teeth. “You don’t have to. I’m just here to fix it.”

You point it at the same spot. “I might as well be some help, considering I don’t know shit about my own house.”

Frankie laughs at that, stealing a glance your way that makes your face warm before his gaze returns to the electrical situation. “Well,” he declares after a few seconds. “The wiring must not be the problem here. This all is working fine, so it must be with the actual system.”

“Great,” you groan. “The part I know even less about.”

“That’s what I’m here for,” he chuckles and screws the panel back into place on your wall, making sure everything works properly and he didn’t mess with any functions.

Leading Frankie to your basement, you show him the cluttered laundry room and the central air conditioning unit. He’s already analyzing the system, and you back off to let him work. He looks focused. “Holler if you need me,” you tell him as he gets on his knees to look at something, daring to gently pat his shoulder. It’s strong, muscular beneath your palm.

Heading back to the kitchen, you open the fridge and sigh. For a moment, you allow yourself to close your eyes and just enjoy the cold air it produces. Hopefully, your house will be the same soon enough. Grabbing two tall glasses, you fill each with ice before pouring half sweet tea and half lemonade into the glasses.

You stand in the kitchen with the freezer open, sighing at the cool air it provides. Not sure how long he’ll take, you scroll through your phone. It’s surprisingly quick, you find.

“Hey, I found it!” Frankie calls from the basement.

Carrying the two glasses, you return to the laundry room to find him reorganizing his tool belt. “Here,” you tell him with a smile as you hold out the drink. “Least I could do. It’s unbearable in here.”

“Thanks,” he smiles and lifts the glass to you in a miniature salute before taking a sip. Frankie then launches into a detailed explanation of the issue with the A/C unit, using all kinds of terms you don’t understand and mentioning parts you didn’t even know were included in the machine. “I got it all fixed up, though, and it shouldn’t take long before it’s working just as good as normal.”

You sigh in relief, swallowing the sweet drink and smiling at him. “God, thank you so much. You don’t even know how awful it was in here.”

“If it’s anything like right now, I do,” he chuckles. The man takes the hem of his t-shirt and lifts it to wipe his face, revealing a muscular but soft body beneath it, with a beautiful little trail of dark hair leading to beneath his belt. Is it terrible that your first thought is that you want to lick it?

You force the image from your mind with another swig of the drink. “Yeah, just about. Well, how much do I owe you?” You ask the man, leading him out of the laundry room and into the basement that’s already feeling cooler.

“Oh, nothing right now,” he shakes his head as you lead him upstairs and to the kitchen. “I just tweaked some things for you, didn’t need any parts or anything, so it’s just gonna be labor.” He seems to remember something. “Ah, shit. I gotta have you sign something. I’ll grab the paper from the van and be right back,” he tells you and leaves his drink on the counter, half-jogging outside.

While he’s outside, you lean against the cool kitchen counter and let yourself daydream. This Frankie guy certainly is attractive, and his personality is definitely something you’re interested in. What if the situation right now played out like a porno, and he fucked you on the countertop? You certainly wouldn’t complain. You noticed his hands and feet are large. Certainly he must be big somewhere else too. “Oh Jesus Christ,” you murmur to yourself. Why did my mind have to go there? And why is the thought so hot? He’s a sweet man too, clearly goofy and sweet. Why is your mind going there then? Really, upon further pondering, you just want to hug the man, admire his strong body pressed to yours in an intimate but innocent gesture.

“Sorry, what was that?” Frankie calls out as he walks into the house again.

His voice snaps you from your daydreaming. “Oh, just talking to myself,” you say quickly and cheerfully, taking the paper from him. The top is printed with repairman name: Francisco Morales. Francisco. That makes you smile. What a cute name. The rest is filled with the details of what he did to the machine to fix it, and you sign and date at the bottom. “Here you go, Francisco.”

His tanned skin turns a little pinker on the cheeks. “Great,” Frankie smiles and takes it back.

“Before you leave,” you tell him quickly, darting to grab your purse from the entryway, “here.”

Frankie walks to you and you hand him a generous cash tip, with a stupid smile stuck to your face. “Thank you, wow,” he says, voice honest in its surprise as he notices the total of the money.

“Of course. I really can’t thank you enough. God, it’s been painfully hot in here and I really just can’t stand the heat,” you ramble, your voice speeding up. “And… yeah. Thank you. For your company, too.”

“Just doing my job,” he tells you with a smile, putting his hands in his pockets. “Oh, here.”

From his pocket, he pulls a little rectangle of paper with his name and company on it. “The shop number is on here; if anything changes, just call and ask for Catfish.”

“Catfish?” You ask with a smile, puzzled.

“My old military nickname. It’s what the guys around there call me,” he shrugs, shy at the nickname.

It makes you laugh a little, and you tuck the card in your purse. “Well, Catfish, thank you. I’ll be sure to use this next time I have some stupid thing I can’t repair myself.”

“Please do,” he chuckles, a shy smile on his face. “I’ll see you around.”

“Thanks!” You call again and cringe. That’s, what, the ninth time you’ve said that now? He walks to the van and you give him a wave before retreating back inside. God, now you can’t wait for this shitty house to need another repair. You’ll certainly be asking for Catfish.

-

taglist:

@remmysbounty @mishasminion360 @blo0dangel @binarydanvvers  @sleep-tight1 @apascalrascal @randomness501 @spideysimpossiblegirl @notabotiswear @pedro-pastel @sanchosammy @lv7867 @greeneyedblondie44 @hunnambabe @astoryisaloveaffair @emesispo @pedritobalmando @magikfanatic @a-court-of-feysand-and-elorcan @princess76179 @starless-eyes-remain @tacticalsparkles @queridopascal

[queenoftheworldisdead]

Help wanted

Summery: Boarding house with the occasional unwanted tenant.

Note: I don’t think Arvin is dark in this, but it might be for other people.

Warning: non-con/dub con, dark theme, choking, slight spanking, cream pie

Grey Arvin Russell x Reader; Dark Lee Bodecker x Reader

🛎

The bell rung on the door of your boarding house. Drying your hands with a dish rag you got yourself ready to meet whoever it was coming through the door. When you crossed through the archway you were shocked still.

He had a duffel bag slung over his shoulder, his clothes looked all greased up, the hat that hid a thick tuft of hair peaked out looked like it had seen better days.

His type weren't known for being on this side of town so you figured he was either new to town or looking for someone.

You welcomed him with a soft smile and gave your name.

"How can I help you today sir?"

"Hello Ma'am." He said politely, tipping his hat slightly at you. His thick country twang confirming the former. "I saw the help wanted sign out side. Y'all still hiring?"

"Um..Y-yeah... I need a handy man, job includes free room, and board, but I won't just hire anybody though. There is a washer in the basement, if you fix one of them the jobs yours."

🛎

Waddling to the basement with your Daddy's old toolbox, the heavy rusty thing knocked at your knees each step. He jogged over to you, taking the kit from your grasp and you thank him for it.

"The left one broke down a month ago and the other I'm guessing couldn't handle the over use. Dryers work just fine though."

Before he could reply you heard the door bell ring again. You excused yourself and left him to work.

"I'm coming, just a minute!" You shout down the hall as you hurried.

🛎

"Sorry it took so long."

"Saul right Ma'am" he said rising from the floor. You watched from the door as he twisted a dial. The hum of the machine filled the growing awkward silence.

"Well aren't you something! I guess that means your hired."

He lifted his hat to smooth back stray strands of hair, his shy smile hid as he looked down to the floor.

🛎

"Your room's on the third floor. Has a bed and a little sitting place. It's really small just enough room to lay your head really." The sound of foot-steps coming down the stairs halted you. Your eyes watch their back disappear into the night, until he cleared his throat bringing your attention back.

"That'll do just fine Ma'am." Something about his southern accent made your heart flutter. He picked up his duffel, throwing the strap over his shoulder as you dug out your ledger.

"Just down there is the supper table. I cook breakfast and dinner. You can eat in your room if you like, a lot of them do."  You explained as you watch him sign the book. Arvin Russell it read.

He adjusted his strap as you talked, his deep brown eyes made it hard for you to keep his gaze, making you fidget nervously in place. "Most folks are gone during the day so I don't make lunch, but if you like no problem just give me a holler. Bath rooms are at the end of each hall."

Digging in your desk you find the master keys and a list of things that needed to be fixed. His fingers grazed yours lightly in the transfer, Arvin's touch sent a ripple of heat up to your face. He flipped through the wrinkled papers, scanning over the chores with a wrinkled brow.

"S-sorry to put so much on you, but when my daddy got sick things got out of hand and I never been one for fixing things."

"No problem Ma'am."

🛎

During the day you kept busy. Scrubbing windows and mopping the halls of each floor. Arvin crossed paths with you on occasion. Gently brushing past you with his tools as he headed to his next assignment.

The door to Odis', one of the tents, room was left wide open when you walked by. Curious you glanced in, catching sight of Arvin lifting his shirt. Your legs stop moving as you watched him wipe away beads of sweat from his brow with the hem. You couldn't stop yourself from ogling his well toned exposed stomach.

The clanking of the dust pan hitting the floor caught his attention. Your face burn with embarrassment when he found you standing outside the room. Panicked you quickly picked up the pan and rushed off to the ground floor.

🛎

You heard Arvin call your name. "Yeah?" You replied weakly still embarrassed.

*Relax he isn't thinking about you. Probably just thinks your a clumsy dits.

He came halfway down the stairs, looking down at you from the banister. "You got a minute? I need a little help" he asked politely.

"Oh sure... Uh sure" you reply looking up at him. Arvin abandoned his cap, his dark hair sticking to his forehead, curling from sweat. More sweat pooled on his shirt, the dampness helped stick the fabric to his lean figure.

Following him up the stairs he led you to a room on the third floor. In the corner of the room there was a large metal pipe leaning against the wall.

You watched as Arvin lifted the heavy pipe, angling it vertically in position.

"Can you hold this?" he called over his shoulder.

Walking over you grabbed it and Arvin moved to get behind you. He took your hands and placed them along the pipe as you steadied yourself to hold it still while it slightly wobbled.

"OK hold still just like that." He bent over beside you, digging into the tool box that rested on the floor. When he rose, Arvin stayed close behind you. You could feel the heat coming off him, he smelled like sweat and after shave. Your hands felt sweaty as you felt rattled a bit by his closeness.

The pipe shifted a bit, you tried nudging it slightly, but couldn't get it back in place.

"Stay steady" his breath tickled your ear, you gasped making him chuckle lightly. "Just like that" he moved the pipe back into place, pushing into your butt when he stepped closer. "Just hold right... here." He placed a hand on your hip and you tensed. His fingers lightly squeezed your softness. You had to fight hard to bring your mind out of the gutter, he just needed your help, nothing more, the spot between your thighs thought otherwise.

With his arms raised above you, Arvin tightened the nuts to secure the metal tube. You swallowed thickly when you heard him grunt as he forced the wrench to move. Looking over to your right you spied his exposed arms. His muscle flexing as he moved.

"Almost done" he said to you, pushing you almost flush to the steel, bumping you gently with each twist of the wrench. You only nod, unable to conjure words to speak properly. Through the cheap fabric of your dress you felt something hard poke at you through his jeans.

*Stomp it now get your mind out of the gutter.

You don't know what had gotten into you lately. First staring at him like a creeper now thinking about his manhood. Maybe its about time you started going back to church you thought to yourself. Cause right now it felt like the devil was leading you to temptation.

When Arvin stepped back you had to choke down a whimper from the loss of his feel. Pressing your lips together you prayed he aint hear you.

Tapping a hand on your shoulder you turn to look at him. "All done." He smiled at you, your hands release the pipe and you backed away.

"Thanks Ma'am."

"You're welcome Arvin" You smiled shyly then rushed off back to your desk.

🛎

No matter how hard your days were the nights were by far the worst. Lying in bed you felt the mattress dip. The fear of the impending figure behind you prickled your skin.

Your eyes squeezed tightly shut as you tried to force yourself to sleep. Holding your breath in a dumb attempt to force yourself to pass out. The blanket covering you pulled away and you felt water fall from your closed eyes.

🛎

Propping your head on your hands you leaned on your desk. Your eyes drooped as you zoned out, looking into space.

"You alright Ma'am?" Arvin startled you as he walked down the stairs.

"I couldn't sleep." You stand up and stretch, yawning a bit. He walked closer to your desk, dressed in his work pants shirt.

"Try some warm milk. Used to help me." He passed by your desk, walking down the hall with tool kit in had to the washers. The old machines acting up again since last time he fixed them.

"Oh Arvin" you shouted at him before he passed through the door. "Um.. can I add something to your list. No worries if you can't get it done today, but I would much appreciate it if you could."

Placing the box down by the laundry door he walked back over, digging the sheet from his back pocket. You grabbed a pen hopeful it was a task he wouldn't mind sorting right away.

"If you can't fix the lock today no problem. I will just go sleep in the attic." You spoke casually as he slipped you the paper to write on. He read over your assignment and you watched as his lips made a hard line.

"I locked myself out of my room, didn't want to wake you to get the spare, sorry. Now I done made more work for you" you laughed, but their was no humor in it. His features softened and you hoped he wouldn't press the issue.

Pushing the paper back to him, you bid him a due and turn to face away to pretend to make a call. When you heard him walk away you let out a breath.

🛎

Arvin was a saint among men. You don't know where he found the money, but he added a chain lock to your door. You smiled at the shiny gold. Sliding on the chain and the bottom lock you prepared for bed.

Laying in bed the thought of the extra lock helped sooth your nerve as you slipped into sleep.

You felt an uncomfortable lump at your back rousing you awake. Your eyes shot open and a hand covered your mouth before you could scream out.

"You think your smart, putting that chain on that door" the beer on his breath hit your nose. Your tears soaked his hand as he held you.

You shake your head 'no' repeatedly in reply. He was still dressed in his work clothes as he laid next to you. The sound of his belt jingling made the tears fall harder.

"I told your daddy I would look out for you. How am I gonna do that if you lock the door?"

Lee, a local cop, only came around when his wife was either on the mends or she just flat out kicked him out. Your father had offered the man a free bed whenever he needed. His way of thanking him for keeping the neighborhood safe.

Lee pushed up your night gown and tsked when he felt your panties. The hand on your mouth slipped down your neck and you blubbered out your apologizes. He hated panties, too much work he called it. "What I told you about these?" he grumbled, forcing the fabric down.

"I-i'm sorry I thought my monthlies were coming on." You sniffed. You tried hard not to cry, you just hopped he would squeeze hard enough to make you pass out.

You heard him spit in his hand, he bumped into your back as he lubed himself up. You yelped when he smacked your ass hard, the sudden sting of pain loosening your locked legs.

"Yea you said that last week. I aint forget girl." He shoved himself inside after he found your opening. "Fucking bitch. I run the house gawd damn it!" Lee was mad at his wife agin. What ever his spite with her, you were paying for it. "Not gonna tell me what to do. Fucking bitch." He growled, panting heavily as he pumped.

You jolted with each thrust, no matter how many times Lee did it, it never got easier.

"Please." You panted desperately. "Please don't come in me" you choked out, his hand tightening his grip around your throat. You had been lucky so far, but you knew it was only a matter of time before your luck ran out.

Lee didn't like back talk, this was his show and you were just here for the ride. Pushing you completely flat you grip the fabric of the sheets. Lifting your ass as he rose to his knees he fucked into you harder. You cried out unable to adjust to his lengthen. He chuckled darkly at your pain, slamming into you repeatedly with a punishing rhythm.

He cursed your name. Reminded you of your place as he came deep in you. His seed filling your cunt as you pressed your head into the mattress and cried.

He slipped out of the bed. His pants once again jingling as he fixed himself up and headed out the door.

🛎

It was that time of the month again.

Whenever he shouted he spit. It was disgusting. You had given him chance after chance, but he used them all. "I'm sorry Tommy if you don't have the rent by Thursday you are going to have to leave."

"Fuck you bitch you let that boy stay here rent free!"  He shouted. Trying to make sure tent knew.

"He works here. He earns he keep."

"Then let me earn mine? or give me another week." He barked. His tone more of a demand than a request.

Sighing you hung your head low. Rubbing your temple with one hand you hugged your stomach with the other. First of the month was the worst. Tents ducked and dodged. Begged and pleaded or straight up demand just to not pay rent.

"Next Friday Tommy... That's the last time you hear me." You try to sound strong, but you knew he didn't give a shit as long as he won. "If you aint got it then, then I'm changing the locks and putting your stuff on the street."

He slammed his door in your face and you turned on your heels headed to the next delinquent.

"You alright Ma'am?" Straight ahead, Arvin poked out from the bathroom. You had to fight yourself from looking down at his lower half. In your peripheral you could see he was just in a towel that hung around his waist.

His wet hair seemed to curl under the towel on his head. Strands sticking to his forehead, his face still damp from the shower.

"Umm yeah. Uh just rents due and folks get a little uppity around this time of the month." You dry chuckle turning your eyes up at the ceiling. Fighting yourself from venturing further.

You couldn't tell if it was the steam that came from the bathroom or you. Whenever he was close, your body would react. The heat would turn up making you sweat.

"Well alright then. You have a good night Ma'am."

🛎

*Bang Bang Bang

"Tommy!" You bang again. "Tommy! I will give you to the count of three. If you don't open this door and pay up. I am coming in and kicking you out!" You huffed tapping a foot.

"Ma'am?"

"Morning Arvin. Sorry did I wake you?"

"No was working down the hall."

"Tommy, skipped out on rent I think." Taking a deep breath you lifted your master key ring and unlocked the door. When you peered inside the room was a mess, no sign of Tommy.

Arvin followed you in side, with a hand on your hip you groaned. The amount of clean up you would have to do to ready it for a new tenant would take all day.

"Arvin can you change the lock on the door. I hate doing this, but I gotta kick him out"

"Sure thing ma'am"

As you turn to leave you over at Arvin who was still assessing the damage to the room. "Oh and can you possibly stay close. If he comes around I might need your help."

Arvin only nodded in response as you took your leave.

🛎

Tommy didn't come back that day or the next. Putting up a sign you thought that you could clean up the room a bit, before the weekend. With the storm you figured not to many people would be coming around anyway.

Taking up a few boxes you get to tossing. One box you would keep in the addict. Somethings were just to hard to throw away sometimes, but a good chunk would go.

Thunder bashed down filling the room with a blinding white light. You yelped loudly bringing the sound of feet rushing down your way.

"You alright Ma'am?" Arvin looked in the room worried.

"Sorry Arvin, it’s just the storm. Lightening makes me a bit skittish sorry." You apologize as you get back to clearing the room.

"Well I am finished with my list for today, would you mind if I trouble you for some company?"

"U-um sure" you tried to fight off the smile.

His lips curled as he walked in the room. The instant he crossed the door frame you heard shouting coming from down stairs. When the voice made itself more clear you frowned.

"Oh uh sorry.. I need to tend to that" you say softly. With your head low you walked past him.

🛎

Lee was wet and agitated. "Fucking bitch had the nerve to accuse me of drinking again." He spat while you sat waiting on the bed. "I aint touch a drop today" he said smugly.

You looked at your feet as he undressed in front of you. The sound of a siren blared loudly from out side, Lee turned and squinted at the sound. "Shit!" He stopped undressing and ran out.

Getting up from the bed you grabbed your robe and peered out the hall. The front door was open and Lee wasn't there. The rain still coming down hard, blew in through the open door so you walked bare foot to close it and see if he had really gone. His car was gone that was for sure and as you looked into the rain it seemed he had disappeared too. You exhaled in relief, backed away and closed the entrance.

"Ma'am?" Arvin called to you out of breath.

"Shit!" You gasped, turning to face him. Your heart bashed in your chest as you stared at him crazily. He was soaked to the bone. "Your gonna catch a cold walking around like that" you scolded tightening your robe.

"Do you have any clean towels?" You asked, but you turn back to look at the door. Hoping that Lee wouldn't suddenly comeback.

"I think so.. I know I need to do laundry, not too good at it so I've been holding it off."

"Well, I don't normally do this, but if you like I can mix yours with mine. I don't have enough clothes to justify using all that water anyway."you shrugged.

"I don't want to put you out" he stepped closer to you. "The way his clothes clung to him you had to try hard not to stare.

"N-no trouble. Um wait here I'll give you a towel just in case." You leave him and head back into your room. Digging in your cabinet for the towels. When you turned around again Arvin stood in your living room, looking around your meager abode. "I know it aint much, but at least I got my own bathroom" you chuckled.

When he stepped closer and you had to hold yourself together. Arvin dragged his teeth over his bottom lip while his eyes fell to the opening in your rope.

"S-sorry" your face felt on fire, embarrassed you looked down to your feet. You held out the towel and closed the robe with the other. Arvin’s hand lifted your chin and your eyes went wild.

His lips felt so soft. You just wanted to kiss them all day. Arvin's arms wrapped around your waist and you wanted to melt into him.

Arvin turned you around and backed you up until you both fell backwards onto the bed. Arvin rested comfortably between your thighs while his manhood pressed on your mound. You didn’t know if it were his jeans or your nature making you go wet, but either way you welcomed it.

You gasped when he sucked on your neck, kissing the spot after pulling off. Arvin ground his hips into you making the warmth between your legs soak with desperation.

Holding himself above you, you forced yourself to finally look back at him without shying away. He smirked down at you as he peeled off his top, the wet garment hit the floor hard. His muscles moved and tightened as he freed his shaft. Biting your bottom lips you hummed when he rubbed the tip hard against your slit then lining himself up. Arvin pressed his weight down as he pushed inside slowly. You moaned his name at his fullness. The bed frame squeaked as he rocked.

Kissing you again swallowing your moans, you wrap your legs around his back urging him deeper. Ever the gentleman he obliged.

🛎

*Bang Bang Bang

The furious jiggling and banging was most definitely Lee. You were surprised he hadn't popped the lock as usual, but it was only a matter of time before he got through.

Arvin must not have noticed so you slapped his chest. Pushing him off, but he wouldn't stop. Instead kissing you again as you tried to speak.

"Arvin please, that's Lee... he's.. cop" you spoke on his lips, but your words meant nothing.

Arvin's eye were darkened with lust. You tried to spin away, but he hooked your legs keeping you there, fucking you with his slow pace. He was splitting your mind in two. You wanted to cum so desperately, but your reason told you that Lee wouldn't take kindly to this.

Arvin continued to rock into you as Lee screamed at the door.  Your back arched when Arvin took your nipple in his mouth.

"That's it. That's my girl. Come for me." He mumbled over your nipple. Licking the areola and sucking it again, you came around him, squeezing his cock making him hum with approval.

The banging on your bedroom wall brought your high down fast. "I will shoot through this gawd damn wall if you don't let me in!" Lee threatened. You looked at Arvin with panic in your eye. Arvin kissed you gently again as Lee screamed on. You were terrified, you hoped you could explain Arvin's presence away as a maintenance emergency, but before you could properly forma a though he pulled up his pants as you fixed yourself. Arvin didn't stop or look back as you called out to him. Paying you no mind as he opened the door and walked out.

The sound in the hall was so loud you thought lightening had broke through the roof. You rushed out of your room and found Lee out cold, with a pool growing around his perimeter. You looked at Arvin, the young man unconcerned as he began dragging the cop into your room by his feet.

"Get a bucket and a mop" he commanded, the pistol tucked deep in his pants. Without a word you followed his orders.

🛎

[babbushka]

For Flip Friday, I’d love to hear about Flip hating life while trying to show off his non-existent handy man skills! He should stick to chopping wood instead of trying to be Mr Fix It lol.

Thank you!!! 💗

A/N: Lol my queen hello! Thank you for sending this in of your own accord and not at all being influenced by me whatsoever 😉

1.1k, no warnings, just nonsense lol (inspired by real events)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

The toilet is running. You can hear it even all the way downstairs, where you’re flipping through a magazine on the couch on a scorchingly hot summer afternoon. There’s an oscillating fan blowing air this way and that, and even despite that noise, you can hear the toilet running.

This isn’t the first time it’s happened either, the upstairs bathroom has been acting up more and more lately. Every time you went to deal with it though, it miraculously stopped -- almost like a car that will make noise every other moment other than when it’s at the mechanic’s.

But this time, you don’t dare approach the toilet, figuring that the most sensible thing to do would be to catch it off guard; which prompts you to call out to your dearly beloved husband who is sticking his head in the freezer to attempt to cool off himself, “I’m going to call the plumber, you’re home on Friday right?”

“What?” He calls back, making you get up with a slight groan. It was too hot to move, let alone get up, but the phone is on the wall in the hallway, so you muster up the strength to leave the direct line of cool air from the fan.

“Friday? The plumber?” You reiterate as you pass the kitchen on your way to the phone, and now that he can hear you fully, he immediately begins to protest.

Removing himself from the freezer, Flip furrows his brow and crosses his arms over his chest. He’s not in one of his usual button-downs, instead sporting a white thin tank-top that shows off his muscles deliciously. Whether he does so consciously or not, those biceps of his flex, almost like a challenge for something.

“What the fuck do we need a plumber for?” Frowning, Flip’s eyes dart between you and the phone in your hand as you begin to dial the number.

“The toilet is running again.” You explain, as the line rings, and you’re pretty sure someone was just about to answer when Flip’s big fingers press down on the receiver, effectively hanging up the damn call.

You shoot him a dirty glare, but he’s unfazed by it, instead brushing past you to head up the stairs himself.

“Oh, if that’s all, then I’ll just go fix it.” He says, as if he’s got any experience whatsoever with plumbing.

Flip was a handy man, of course. He worked in a lumbermill for fuck’s sake, he knew his way around wood. You both knew you could count on him to fix a wide range of household maintenance, and he took great pride in being able to do these things for his home. But there were certain skills that required a little more technical knowledge, things like electrical wiring, and, well, plumbing.

He’s halfway up the stairs when you decide that maybe he shouldn’t be fuckin’ around with the pipes in case he floods the upstairs, but you phrase it in the only way that you know how to avoid bruising his ego -- trying to get him to come to the conclusion that the plumber should be called.

“...Are you sure honey?” You start, apprehension in your voice.

“‘Am I sure’ -- of course I’m fuckin’ sure. I helped build this house, I can fix the damn plumbing on my own, I’m sure it just needs a bit of elbow grease is all.” Flip scoffs, lighting up a cigarette and rummaging through the upstairs closet for one of the many tool-kits he has stashed around the house, inspecting it to make sure his wrenches were there.

“Flip -- ”

“C’mon, don’t you trust me? I tinker with stuff around the house all the time.” He points out, and while you agree, still your earlier hesitation lingers.

“I know but plumbing is different than a wobbly table or a stiff door-hinge.” You point out right back, and Flip, filled with more self-confidence than he probably should have, just waves you off.

“You go right back to that fan and magazine and keep cool and don’t worry about it. I’ll be back down in no time.” He blows you a kiss, which you have no choice but to return, before shaking your head and doing as he says, knowing that once he gets his mind set on something, there’s no changing it.

Back on the couch, you wait.

It doesn’t take too long for the first noise to start up -- a loud bang that sounds suspiciously like Flip dropping the toilet tank lid.

“Everything’s fine!” He shouts preemptively, and you have to bite back a grin, the urge to chant I told you so so strong in the forefront of your mind.

Theoretically, you knew how toilets worked; you push the handle, a plug opens and the water drains out of the basin. New water from the tank fills the basin, and then the plug closes, letting a new batch of water fill the tank for the next flush. A buoy in the tank rises, and when it hits the top, the water filling the tank stops -- and this seems to be the issue that this particular toilet has had, for whatever reason, when the buoy rises to the top, the water just...keeps going.

Hence the running.

You know that Flip knows how this works too, but what you’re positive he doesn’t know, is how the hell to make the water stop running, short of just shutting the water line off to that toilet.

And that’s about when you hear another loud crash, this time accompanied by an even louder, “Oh for fuck’s sake!”

Training your ear up to the bathroom, you hear the tell-tale sound of water spraying, and you wince, the image of the inlet valve spitting high pressure water all over your husband and the floor.

“God dammit -- ” There’s all sorts of shouting now, loud cursing that only grows more and more aggravated and panicked, “No! Stop -- fuck -- shit!”

There’s more banging, and a very loud thud that sounds suspiciously like Flip has either slipped on the wet tile, or tripped over something, and you do your best not to ask if he’s okay, because you know you’ll only get snapped at in his own frustration.

The toilet is still running, when you hear the sound of his heavy footfalls coming back down the stairs.

You bite back a laugh at the sight of him, when he finally does come into the living room, standing before you a man defeated. His white tank-top is completely and see-through, his hair is wet, his jeans are unfortunately soaked in a spot that makes it look like he pissed himself, and there are streaks of black grease from the toilet plug smeared across his face, hands, and shirt.

The two of you look at one another for a moment, before he slowly nods his head, clearing his voice and rubbing at the back of his neck, “I think we should call a plumber.”

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

---------------------------------------------------------------------------@mochabucky @sacklerscumrag @artsymaddie @bitchydecisions @direnightshade @reyloaddict55 @thembohux @kylorenswhxre @sunflowersinthesnow @babayagakeanu @safarigirlsp @steeevienicks @materialisthicc @hswritingrecs @rosi3ba3z @chapterhappygirl @loverofallthings @groovetoob @bxnnywriting @glassbxttless @angel-bxby3 @smallgirlbigpersonality @lovelyyy-luna @2000andwhat @raddo1975 @cornmousequeen @metsienmenninkainen @caillea @painttheskylineforme @holding-on-to-starwars @caitlin-was-here @canikeepitonplease @icarusinthesea @princessflip @goddessofsprings @sweetlyours @mrs-gucci @baubub @bucky-j-barnes @mindyoshiii @beachwoodmonet @darkhairedmenrule @eagerforhoney

[cancerjupiter]

aquarius moon: observations

This placement of the Moon overemphasizes friendliness, humanitarianism and kindness. Your need for emotional independence can lead to loneliness and difficulty with emotional relationships; you may brush these off with indifference. Your feeling nature can be cold because you don’t understand the emotional needs of someone else. You act warm and friendly but not especially intimate.

You likely see your mother as a friend. She raised you to stand on your own feet; she is a humanitarian and not very conservative in her approach.

The power of the Moon is muted in this sign, the greatest effect being to reduce the feeling element from the emotions. Inwardly you are detached, independent and rather cool. Although controlled and bottled up at times, you like others around you to show that they need and want you. 

You have a strong sense of self which leads you to take a calculated risk in a career or even in a relationship. Although sensible, you are not over-cautious; therefore, you accept most of life's challenges whether they put your finances or your feelings at risk. This ability to inwardly weigh and measure could confuse to those who fall in love with you because, although you discuss feelings in an articulate manner, one wonders just how much you can actually actually feel.

Your inner nature is off beat. Like Aquarius suns, you are probably educationally minded and will choose a career where you can stretch your mind and also broaden the minds of others. 

You are kind, helpful and humanitarian, but this may be directed more towards the world than those closest to you. Although you are helpful in practical ways, there could be embarrassment and helplessness when you’re faced by other people's emotional pain. You are afraid that if you allow people to latch themselves on to you they will drain you or, worse, bore you.

Being strongly independent, you prefer to cope alone with your problems, however self-destructive this may be. You could reject help in case it makes you look weak and incapable. You may even view help as interference. You're not keen on people who try to own or manipulate you, although you can be adept at manipulating others. 

I noticed some of you really enjoy cooking by yourselves, though your favorite thing is seeing others eat the stuff you make.

You can take any amount of chaos going on at work, but you need peace in your home, where you can be in control of your own environment (creating chaos for others lol). You enjoy visitors but don't appreciate people who dump themselves on you. Many of you are clever and handy around the house.

Your memory is strangely selective, easily recalling things you find interesting but 'tuning out' the irrelevant details. However, you don't run from really important issues, as you have high standards of honesty.  You really need a creative or useful outlet, or you can become bored, depressed or aloof.

Some of you are lazy and too easygoing, especially if there are planets in Libra on your birth chart; yet others can be truly eccentric, especially if there are other planets in Aquarius. Mostly, criticism brushes off you. You have a strong ego, and you feel that everyone is entitled to their own opinion, even opinions of you. You are not likely to change in the face of criticism anyway lol

In close relationships, you are kind and passionate; you could be rather romantic. Aquarius being a fixed sign suggests that you don't easily walk away from situations. You may stay in the same house, the same job, or the same relationship long after when you should move on. However, if the day comes when you move on, you do so decisively, looking mentally forward rather than backward.

If you become bored with your partner, you may look outside the relationship for change and excitement. Your famous Aquarian detachment may allow you to work out logically what would be for the best. You need a stimulating partner. Without shared interests, you would gravitate towards interests of your own, and this would begin allowing the marriage to drift into failure. You can be strangely blind to both the needs and the feelings of those you love. You may never really get to know them on a deep level.

You don’t seem keen to have a large family, but the relationship between lunar Aquarian parents and their children is usually very good. There is a natural sensitivity to the needs of children, and you would offer help without making unfair demands or smothering them. It is just possible that you could expect too much of a shy child, but mostly you make a good parent. 

People with fixed Moon signs can cope with a lot. It would take a great deal for you to break up a relationship. In relationships, as in all things, you need freedom and independence, and may show this by being deliberately forgetful, erratic and hard to pin down. If your partner started laying the law down to you and restricting your movements, your first impulse would be to get out of the relationship.

You like sex for its own sake, but are much happier when it’s in a loving relationship. You can adapt sexually to various partners and, personally, my best lover had this moon placement lol.

Your temper can be a problem when you’re young; but later you learn to sit back and control it. However, if hurt, you can wound verbally. There may be a lack of adaptability in your attitude to others. You will only go as far in order to fit in with their wishes. You think that other people ought to take or leave you just as you are. 

A lively person who has many outside interests would attract you; if they have the same sense of humour and look nice, even better. Lunar Aquarians of both sexes prefer an equal partnership, and will do all they can to promote the interests and job of the other, even trying to help the partner enjoy their hobbies. 

You take work seriously, and don't enjoy changing jobs, preferring to find a career into which you can settle. You are interested in ideas and willing to learn; therefore, you likely do well at school and continue to learn later on. You prefer doing something that’s useful for everyone.

You had a good childhood, mostly. At least your practical needs were certainly attended to, even if there is a poor background.

Your mother may have been a busy woman or poured her energies into some personal interest. Some of you will have had the kind of mother who did little outside the home, making you feel that families are definitely better off when the mother has outside interests. Some Aqua moons had religion shoved down their throats, putting them off it for the rest of their lives, at least formally.

It is possible that you loved your father, but lowkey considered him weak. He may have had poor health. Mother was the more organized and capable parent, especially as far as money is concerned. You probably come from an average family of two or three children, and are the older or more capable one of the group, or of a different gender than the others. They taught you not to make scenes or allow your emotions to annoy others. You could never feel very close to your parents. People who have the Moon in Air signs tend to be rather emotionally self-contained, though, and you may just have been born that way.

[julieplanteofficial]

Tips to survive university

To give you a bit of context, I have an undergraduate degree in Biomedical Science and I’m currently doing a master’s degree in Human Resources Management (you can visit my profile if you want to know more about that!).

Throughout my years of study, there were bumps on the road and it wasn’t always easy. So I thought I could share some of the things that helped my through them and allowed me to reach my goals.

1. Buying an external drive

If you’ve visited my profile, you know I use a macbook air to study. I have had the same laptop since I started university. I love it and wouldn’t change a thing. However, I learnt the hard way that you should always have a backup of your laptop somewhere.

Little story time: my laptop crashed on the first day of second year (undergrad). I went to the apple store near my place the next day (the earliest appointment available) and my software was « broken » and my laptop basically had forgotten how to turn on. To fix it, we’d need to wipe it out. The apple employee told me to get an external drive, and he’d try to save as much as he could before wiping it out. Although he couldn’t save everything, I was happy with what was left and that I didn’t have to buy a new laptop. I was also thankful that it was only the first day of the year, or else, I would have lost all my notes and work.

So from that moment on, I constantly have my external drive plugged in my laptop with time machine going on. I haven’t run into an issue with my laptop since, but it has saved me from starting word documents from scratch when they would become corrupted and such.

2. Meal prepping

As a student, I always worked (and still do) while doing to school. That leaves you with little to no time on your hands to do house chores, which included cooking.

Who has time (or the motivation let’s be honest) to cook a full meal while in uni? But eating and eating WELL is important while studying. You have to give your body and brain what it needs to retain the information and focus.

So the best way I found to do that was to meal prep. I’d always make sure that when I DID take the time to make some good food, I’d make enough to last me for several days.

However, if you are like me and don’t like to be eating the same thing several times in a row, I recommend you buy a freezer (on top of the one connected to your fridge). Freezing all your meal prepping allows you to choose from a variety of meals everyday, without having to make them.

3. Sleeping

And I cannot stress it enough. I have always made sure to get a full night of sleep before an exam and most days. Sleep builts memory, so it is an important step in studying. 

Of course, I’m not saying I have never pulled an all-nighter (we’ve all been last minute on writing an assignment). But when it comes to reviewing material or even going to class (where you learn the material for the first time), I always saw sleeping as a study method. 

4. Buying a massive scarf

That may seem odd at first, but let me finish. You know these massive scarfs. that are almost like a big blanket? Yes, that’s what I’m talking about. 

If you study on campus, you have probably made the same observation as I have: it is COLD there. No matter the building, floor, time of the day. It is freezing there. So by having one of those scarfs, you can actually use it to cover yourself and stay warm. It is much easier to focus on studying when you can finally stop thinking about how cold you are. 

You could also carry around an extra sweater in your backpack, but if you have a small backpack and don’t have enough room for it, and you don’t necessarily want to be wearing it all day long, that’s when a scarf comes in handy. 

5. Coming ready to study 

If you study on campus, you probably trekked to get there (if you aren’t one of the lucky ones living is residence). This also applies if you are waiting on campus in between two classes. 

It is unfortunate when you finally get to studying and realize that you are cold (see tip number 4 for that), tired (see tip number 3 for that) and hungry. You will be wasting a lot of your study time if you have to go all the way back home because of one of those three things. 

Depending on your financial situation, study near your favourite food place on campus if you plan on buying something to eat later. That way, you won’t have to pack up all of your stuff to go buy your food, and then have to unpack it again. If you can afford to eat out, bring a meal (see tip number 2 for that) and find the buildings with microwaves on campus. Find a study spot near them. 

I would also like to remind you to bring your chargers with you! Don’t get to campus and realize you only have 20% of battery left on your laptop. Same goes if you study an on iPad. I’d also suggest you bring your phone charger. Of course, if your phone is out of battery, it won’t distract you. But you know yourself, it might actually distract you MORE to think about the fact that your phone is out of battery. 

In a sense, this last tip could also have been named: 

Buying a big enough backpack. 

It might not be as pretty or fashionable as a smaller one, but it will definitely be of more help in the end.