#to 4th graders has been the best thing ever and i literally just cried in the shower thinkng abt thier poems and how profound they r

[arugulalover]

gahhhhhhhh so much is happening rn i am feeling very overwhelmed heheheheheh 🏄‍♀️🏄‍♀️✌

[virgils-eyeshadow]

virgil lore time

okay so i'm bored as fuck and y'all seem to be interested in one of my very unfunny stories about a kid i hate...enjoy reading it ig????

i moved to texas at the start of 4th grade.

for the first half of 4th grade, i went to what i'm going to call the crocodile school. mainly because our mascot was a crocodile (or an alligator, i'm not quite sure) and also because i was afraid of my teachers just as much as i was afraid of crocodiles. i disliked pretty much everyone in my class because they were loud and annoying. i really only liked this one girl who was waaaaaay too much into her pokemon phase. but hey. it was better than another kid i knew in the 2nd grade who's probably still one of the most devout christians i will ever meet. she used to make me pray with her at least twice every recess, and she constantly tried to pray for me or try and pray my atheism away like it was a disease or something. it's a long story that i could get into later. but the only thing that matters was that i disliked pretty much everyone at the crocodile school. especially that bitch emily mcdonald (first name is fake for privacy but the last name is real) fuck you emily mcdonald and your little fucking oligarchy GOD i hated that girl

and it seems that one 2nd grade girl prayed hard enough for me because, halfway through the 4th grade, my parents moved again. we moved to a house like 20 minutes away, but the house was zoned to a different school that i will refer to as the horsey school. the school's mascot was technically a train and a horse at the same time, but i thought the train looked fucking ugly so i'm calling it the horse school.

so, at the start of january after christmas break, i walked into my first day at horsey school. i liked this class a lot more! the teachers were nice. we had ms. east (fake name), our writing and history teacher, who was the chillest person ever, and also ms. k (i only remember her first inital), our math and science teacher.

ms. east's class was pretty standard. we wrote shitty papers, read basic texas history, practiced writing for the staar (discount sat test basically), and learned bad parodies of songs to help us remember writing tips. i remember "ice ice baby" was renamed "write write baby". pretty standard.

ms. k's class was where shit got weird. the people in it were mostly just. you know. annoying 4th graders. but this class had a few people who stood out to me. i had two friends in this class. one of them vanished off the face of the earth after we graduated, aaaand the other forgot i existed lmao. there was also a really, really smart guy who i think was named thomas. he was the smartest kid in our class and could easily solve any problem thrown at him, but he would take such a fucking weird route that not even my teacher could make sense of (meanwhile i cried over fractions in the corner). and there were your troublemakers, one of which was hunt (fake name ofc).

hunt was good at two things and two things only: being taller than everyone else (except the teacher ofc) and being a little shit. i never interacted with him much, but it was easy to see he was a bastard child. literally worse than the kid that almost got all of our staar scores cancelled through the sheer power of being an idiot. he was your stereotypical popular yet jerk sports kid all the way from the 4th grade. so i did my best to stay out of his way. it worked pretty well.

and then, one fateful day near the end of the school year, these 2 moms come into our class. one of them is hunt's mom, and...yeah i have no idea who the hell the other one was. but they looked like authorities so i walked over there to see what was going on.

it turned out hunt's mom was on the (parent-run) horsey school yearbook committee, and she would be damned if her son didn't get into the yearbook after all the money she raised for the school. but there was just one problem. hunt's mom wanted her kid to take a photo with someone else...but everyone else was either on unfriendly terms with hunt or just too fucking short to fit in the frame. that kid was massive, even in 4th grade.

and then i walk over. i'm one of the tallest people in the class, and since i had been avoiding hunt all year, i wasn't considered a "not-friend" or anything. just a loner. so that makes me the least bad candidate for hunt's yearbook photo. and so they ask me to go take a photo with hunt, and i'm too timid to say no. so hunt and i go stand by a wall, side by side, and it's awkward as fuck. hunt has a shit-eating grin because he knows he's getting into the yearbook, and it's going into his tiny head, meanwhile i'm just internally dying because ew god no i don't want to be in the shitty yearbook. and then the two moms start giggling. i'm super confused but...whatever. they take the picture, thank me, and leave.

skip to the last day of school. everyone (besides hunt, he took the last two days off of school to go to florida early) gets a yearbook and we're all going around, signing other peoples' yearbooks. my 2 friends are flipping through the pages, trying to see if they got in the yearbook or not (they didn't), when they suddenly call me over, laughing. the fuck? i walked over there, confused as all hell, when they point to a picture.

it's me, awkwardly standing side by side with hunt. i'm nervously smiling and standing straight, trying to make myself taller. hunt has a huge fucking bastard grin on his face and he's standing straight too, trying to make sure everyone who sees that photo knows he's taller than me. but then i see it. i finally saw what my friends are laughing at and why those moms started giggling.

the little fucking shit did the bunny ears thing on me in that photo.

and i've hated him ever since!

[sketchygirls4lipstickboys]

How the Gang Met Hc

I haven’t seen anyone do this before and i just really love my boys, so i hope you guys enjoy

- Steve and Soda have been besties since they were like, 4

- They’re those friends that met really young in school and are basically siblings at this point

- I always wondered why Pony never mentioned how anyone else in the gang were best friends except for Steve and Soda and it’s probably cause they’ve known each other the longest

- Steve and Soda are the same age Johnny so that means they were in the same year

- Johnny was def that super quiet loner kid who didn’t talk to anyone and just read books in the corner

- They’re in like 3rd grade and Soda is just this bubbly kid who wants to be friends with everyone

- Steve is gone one day so Soda partners up with Johnny for like a in class project, cause no one else wanted to (poor babe, he’s just quiet)

- It takes awhile for johnny to warm up to soda

- Once he does he tells soda a little joke and soda laughs so hard that he knocks over his chair

- soda’s completely obsessed with this kid now

- like he sees johnny at recess and goes up to him and starts talking to him like they’re best friends

- he invites him to sit next to him and steve at lunch

- sodas nickname for johnny originated at this lunch table

- ‘johnnycakes’!

- steve’s a little iffy at first cause johnnys the ‘weird kid��

- but he actually starts to like him cause he stays quiet when he needs to and other kids dont do that

- johnny only allows soda to call him johnnycakes though 

- steve called him it infront of the girl he liked and he almost threw up

- when johnny goes over to sodas house for the first time he immediately loves it there cause its nothing like his house

- he LOVES mr. and mrs. curtis

- he also thinks darry is super cool 

- he’s always wanted a little brother so he immediately gravitates towards ponyboy

- two-bit doesnt show up until steve soda and johnny are in 4th grade

- he’s a cool 6th grader

- probably showed them porn or something

- steves totally in love with him

- he thinks two-bit is the coolest thing since sliced bread

- he wants to hang out w/ him 24/7 and it causes his and sodas first ever fight 

- johnny does not like him 

- he makes fun of him for being quiet and curses too much

- it isnt until soda tells him that two-bits dad walked out on him that he begins to feel a connection towards him 

- two-bits got some friends his age but he can’t stand them

- gives terrible advice to the boys

- he hung out at the curtis’ after school once and ponyboy literally just tried to hang out with him the entire time

- mrs curtis & mrs mathews love each other

- they get brunch together

- ponyboy idolizes steve

- steve thinks hes just sodas kid brother

- but hes known pony for so long that he thinks of him as his kid brother too

- when steve’s dad kicks him out for a week he stays with the curtis’

- mr curtis calls him the 4th sibling

- johnny stays over a whole bunch too

- darry is super popular

- he doesnt pay that much attention to the boys 

- he has his own friends

- ponyboy follows darry everywhere

- darry thinks its super annoying but he loves his little bro

- soda gets really popular in middle school

- it makes steve jealous tbh

- soda still hangs out with johnny and steve

- even though two bit hasnt gone to the same school as the boys since 6th grade, they hang out 24/7

- he’s this freshman hanging out with 7th graders its not that weird shut up

- steve meets dally in woodwork freshman year

- hes the scary new kid who was in jail multiple times

- dally doesnt like steve all that much but he hangs out with his group cause they’re they only cool people

- he likes johnny cause he doesnt say much

- dally HATES two-bit

- he’s the opposite of johnny and always picks on him

- sodas cool i guess

- he meets tim shepard after going to a bar 

- tim takes him under his wing 

- when he goes to the curtis house for the first time he almost cries cause of how much mrs curtis reminds him of his mom

- he was living with her in new york until she died when he was nine

- he was homeless and running from cps for 5 years

- they caught him after his 5th time in jail and sent him to his dad in tulsa

- he only tells soda and johnny this after he’s known them for awhile

- mrs. curtis is his favorite person 

- she bakes him cake and makes sure he eats 

- mr curtis taught him how to shoot on one of the curtis family hunting trips

- which is now just the entire gang

- darry gets closer to them on these trips

- ponyboy is scared of dally

- dally only hangs out with pony cause of johnny and warms up to him

- he thinks two and steve are cool now

- after knowing them for a year

- johnny and mrs curtis got him christmas presents

- mrs curtis made him a sweater and he didnt take it off for a week

- the entire gang made fun of him for it

- except for johnny who just thinks everything dally does is amazing

- she made everyone a sweater

- it had their initials sewn in on it and everything

- johnny got him the necklace he always wears

- he mowed everyones lawn for two weeks to get the money for it

- dally just said “thanks man” and hugged johnny awkwardly

- johnny thought the hug was awesome

- dally cried when he got home that christmas

- darry starts hanging out with the gang more and more when sodas grades start slipping to check up on his brother

- he starts to get protective of the boys

- dally once came to their house with a concussion and three broken ribs and mr and mrs curtis werent there so darry drove him to the hospital

- steves basically darrys little brother at this point

- johnny came to the curtis after his dad beat him and he was bloody and cut up 

- darry almost went over there and killed his dad

- he was the only one home

- he cleaned up johnny and drove him to the hospital

- darry swears his blood pressure has increased since he started taking care of the boys

- two bits the oldest besides him and they hang out a bunch

- all of darrys popular friends think two-bits cool and funny

- two bits totally the class clown who all the annoying popular dudes think is hilarious

- the popular socs stop talking to two bit after darry graduates though

- and once they find out hes grease

 - when the curtis’ die everyone is crushed

- dally leaves town for a month

- darry immediately steps into a parental role and drops out of college

- soda drops out of school to get a job

- steve acts like he doesnt know what people are talking about when they ask him how he feels

- two-bit doesnt leave the curtis house and his ma pays the rent for the first two months after they died

- darry took the money reluctantly after a whole bunch of convincing from two bit

- ponyboy becomes mute for a bit

- him and johnny get closer in this time

- soda spends every free second around his brothers

- no one is allowed to mention what happened

[honeylikewords]

I may have...drooled. Slightly. He looks gorgeous. I don't think I've seen anything about Poe and kids, like your Santi post. so, got any HCs?

He DOES look gorgeous, doesn’t he? I always joke that he looks like an even handsomer version of Prince Eric from The Little Mermaid. So handsome… 

Anyway, yeah, I have loads of HCs about how Poe is with kids! My Santi post wasn’t actually a headcanons post, though, of course– it was an analytical look at the recurring theme of Santi interacting with children within the canon of the film itself– so this post will be a little different, given that the current Star Wars films that Poe has appeared in haven’t featured that many children, much less children Poe has canonically interacted with.

However, Poe has appeared as the mentor figure in the newest Star Wars animated series, Star Wars: Resistance, where he helps a young, child-age pilot and Resistance member. From that and a few other peripheral instances– from the comics and novelizations, for example– one can build a pretty good picture of what Poe is like with kids. That, and his relationship with BB-8 is very paternal, as he understands that BB is a relatively young and childlike droid, and cares for him as such! Therefore, that information is going to be the basis of my opinion about how Poe is with kiddos.

Anyway, enough about canonicity this and that. Let’s get into the HCs!

Poe is wonderful with kids. He’s so good at being playful and encouraging, just as he is with his adult teammates, so that translates well to how he works with children. He has a great sense of humor and can roll with the punches and find something to smile about and laugh over in any situation. Nothing fazes him, and he’s 100% ready to tackle anything any kid throws at him, metaphorically or literally.

With babies, Poe is very much about the tactile fun of interacting with wee ones. He cradles the baby and rocks them around, tosses them up, swings them around, makes them giggle with tickles and raspberries to the tummy, loving every moment. He finds the laughter of children super invigorating, and it always so infectious for him; if a child is laughing, so is Poe, grinning back at them. He has a warm, loving smile, meaning that if he smiles at a baby who is crying in public, that baby will calm and soothe, smiling back at him. Some people wonder if it’s magic that he has: Poe just knows it’s love.

With toddlers, Poe has a lot of fun chasing them around, watching them run from him, happily shrieking as he follows behind making monster noises and cooing “I’m gonna getcha! I-I-I’m gonna getcha!” before scooping them up in his arms and blowing raspberries into their chubby cheeks. He will play any imaginary game with them, whether he’s meant to act out the role of knight or mountain giant or horsey for cowboys: he’s happy to play along, as if it’s all one big improv show, smiling the whole time. 

Poe is also very protective and careful with these little folks, making sure to scoop them up by their round little tummies if they start wandering too far away or climbing into something they ought not play with. He’s particular about how he handles these things, knowing that kids need to explore (and that such exploration will naturally come with falls down and booboos and bumps and scrapes), but also being deeply concerned with protecting them and keeping them safe. He wants them to be able to be adventurous and learn about the world around them, but safely, and with him standing nearby to keep the real dangers at bay. Plus, if the wee one falls over and cries over their ouchie knee, someone’s gotta smooch it better and put a bandaid on it, after all!

Oh, and Poe is a diaper changing master. He’s learned to dress combat wounds in tense situations and get it done cleanly and efficiently, so that translates surprisingly well into how he handles diapers. He’s not grossed out by the stinky diapers or wiping or anything: he just buckles down and does it, cooing at the little one and smiling at them, making baby-voiced jokes about “someone being a messy, messy baby!” as he cleans them up and sends them on their way. He’s the best.

With slightly older but still quite young children, he loves listening to them learning new words, and will often try to teach them new things. He brings them with him as he works on his X-Wing, having them sit on a crate while he shows them various wires and gears and switches, explaining what they do and helping them pronounce the big words.

“Do you remember what this is called?”

“Cah-pah-see-tor.”

“Great job! Yes! Capacitor! Somebody’s gettin’ real smart– you might just be so good at this that you put me out of a job!”

Poe also loves telling stories about his adventures to children of all ages, especially when they’re sitting around him in circles or on his knee. He talks with his hands, miming the dips, dives, and soars of the X-Wing, flashing his fingers out to model explosions, wiggling his hands to show the flow of the Force. He keeps their attention rapt with his boisterous voice and captivating manner of speech, his eyes bright and vivid as his words. 

With older children (think 4th to 7th graders), Poe is there to answer any question. He knows they’re developing their own opinions and minds, learning about the wide, amazing world they live in, and he owes it to them to share his experiences and wisdom with them. He always takes their questions seriously, as well as their feelings. He knows things are changing for them and getting complicated, so even if it’s something as minuscule as “my friends are acting weird because I still cut the crust off my sandwiches and I feel bad about it”, Poe takes it seriously and hears them out, giving his advice. He also does his best to bring their spirits up and make them smile, reminding them that he’s there for them if they need him, and that he’ll be their friend and mentor if they want his help. 

With older kids and teens, Poe is a great friend. His youthful sense of humor and playfulness puts them at ease, and they don’t feel as intimidated by him as they might feel around someone like General Organa. He’s high-ranking but humble and open about his follies and missteps, so the kids know he’s someone they can reach out to if they’re in trouble. Lots of teens come to him for romance advice, since Poe is a trustworthy adult and pretty smart about his own relationships. He’s great at being a listening ear, and also great at helping kids take their minds off things that are stressing them. Sometimes, if it’s a quiet day and the kid he’s with seems really down, Poe will take them flying with him and let them be in control of the X-Wing for a few minutes. He laughs and grins back at them to tell them how great they’re doing, even if they’re a shaky pilot. He’s supportive (and definitely has his hand on the controls to make sure nothing goes wrong, so there’s no real danger), and that support helps these kids feel so much more confident in themselves.

Now, of course, Poe isn’t all just goofers with kids. He knows when to be serious and put down hard “no”s and limitations, knowing that children need boundaries in order to be safe. While Poe himself may play fast and loose with rules and orders, he knows that he needs to protect kids, even if that means from themselves, so he intervenes. He knows when to scold and when to set an order in place, but he always does it with their best interests in mind. Poe doesn’t lose his temper too quickly with young folks– he gets pissed fast with adults, since they ought to know better, but children can’t possibly know better so he always cuts them a little slack– but he does know when to raise his voice into his firm “commander’s voice”. He didn’t rise to the rank he’s in by being a pushover, after all. 

That being said, even if a kid feels put out by his scolding, he always makes sure to visit them afterwards and explain himself, to make them smile and feel better. He hates to think he hurt their feelings, and if he ever steps out of line by scolding too harshly or by losing his temper, he’s not afraid to apologize. He knows the value of an honest and truthful “I’m sorry”, and the kids can tell he’s sincere. It’s part of what makes them love him so much. 

The thing is, Poe just really wants to be a father and have a family of his own. Family has always been important to him, and that doesn’t mean only biological family. Leia is his family. Finn is his family. The entire Resistance is his family. Every kid he takes under his wing is part of his family. And, sure, yeah, he wants to have biological kids, but he’s not limited to just that. He’d be overjoyed to adopt, too, and not just babies, but children from all ages. Poe wants everyone to have the chance to feel loved and supported and like they belong somewhere, and the ability to give that to someone makes him feel like he’s doing something right.

Poe has a lot of love to give, and he’s great at sharing that love with the children he meets and helps, and the chance to guide them into being happy, healthy, joyful adults brings him the greatest warmth of all!

Send Me Asks While I’m On My Roadtrip!